Britain's first novel is a classic quest tale set in a standardized medieval fantasy world. It begins when protagonist Karigan G'ladheon is expelled from an exclusive school. In a forest on the way home, she encounters one of the magically bound Green Riders, who carries a vital message for King Zachary. The messenger is dying with assassins' arrows in his back, so with more loyalty than caution, Karigan takes over his magic brooch. This also means taking over his mission and becoming a Green Rider herself, an act that flings Karigan into a cesspool of intrigues both magical and mundane, some of them well-handled by the author, some not. Karigan is an engaging protagonist, although the feisty female is now a penny a cartload in high fantasy, and some of the scenes of magic and/or combat rise to a high standard. Britain also makes notable use of class distinctions as motivators, a tact not often seen in fantasy. But, overall, her plot lacks originality; most of her characters (other than Karigan) are, at best, archetypes; and her pacing may be sufficiently uneven to deter readers from coping with the book's standard plot and considerable length. This is a respectable, not outstanding, debut, although Britain shows enough talent to warrant a follow-up. (Nov.) FYI: In its 25 years, DAW has published only one previous first novel in hardcover: Tad Williams's Tailchaser's Song.
The second season of The Dragon Prince dropped on Netflix last Friday, and epic fantasy fans in the know are comparing notes and excitedly squealing about how much it rocks. Created by Aaron Ehasz (of Avatar: The Last Airbender fame) and Justin Richmond, The Dragon Prince is a serialized epic fantasy show about two young princes, Callum and Ezran, who must […]
Kristen Britain’s Green Rider series has been beloved—and a bestseller—in epic fantasy for nearly two decades. Through six books to date, the saga of Karigan G’ladheon, a magical messenger to the high king of Sacordia, has only grown in complexity and intrigue, becoming one of our favorites along the way. Today, we’re showing off the cover […]