The Lion of Senet (2002)

SECOND SONS TRILOGY

The Lion of Senet is the first book in a triology. It is categorized as fantasy yet it is not typical. It is set in another world but there is no magic or non-human elements (from what I read in the first book). This book is about politics and relationship of the characters. Here is the synopsis from the author's website:

I really enjoyed this book. I really wished there was more fantastical elements but it was easily made up in the highly developed, vivid characters and in the clever and intricate politics of Ranadon. There is a bit of romance, intrigue, religious politics, court politics, puzzles, and pirate outcasts. Fallon is definitely talented and I look forward to continuing the series. ( )

Fantasy novels of this type often get off to a slow start as the foundation is built, the world established and the characters introduced. The world Jennifer Fallon has created in this novel is dark and oppressive. Religion is being used to exert power over the people and those who wield it are desperate to hold onto it.

I liked Dirk, our young hero, instantly. He is a smart and kindhearted boy forced to grow up fast. He is put in very difficult situations, his will and moral character tested. Tia was another character I took to right away. She is stubborn and independent, not afraid to take a risk for what she believes is right. Alenor is also a strong female character. She has lived as a prisoner in the Senet's house for many years and yet she has kept her eyes and ears open. I never did warm up to Kirshov, the younger son of the Lion of Senet, completely. He seemed harmless but his ignorance about what was going on around him and his attitude were a bit off putting to me. And Marquel, I am not sure what to say about her without spoiling her story line. Her life has been anything but easy. She's the kind of girl who will go after whatever it is she wants, using whatever skills she possesses, and won't stop until she gets it.

Of all the characters, I least liked Belegren the High Priestess whose heart is full of greed for power. She uses religion as a weapon and does not care who gets hurt in the process. The Lion of Senet is hardly any better. They are frightening foes to be sure. I would definitely not want to live under their rule.

The novel really took off for me when Dirk left home and traveled with Kirshov and Alenor to Senet. That is when things began to come together fast and furious. The author did not make things easy for young Dirk and took the story to a darker place than I expected. I have to give her a lot of credit for that. I look forward to continuing with the trilogy and seeing what direction the characters go in next. ( )

Fallon has delivered another fast paced exciting novel in a compelling series – and confirmed her place as one of leaders of the new breed of exciting Australian fantasy writers.

The series takes place on the world of Ranadon. The action takes place in a relatively isolated area of the world, mostly between two nations: Senet and the island kingdom of Dhevyn.

When one of the world’s two suns disappears, the world is plagued with scorching heat, active volcanoes and earthquakes. The people believe that this is caused by their Goddess being unhappy with them. In alliance with Senet's power-hungry ruler, the Antonov (the Lion of Senet), the High Priestess Belagren plays on the people’s religious beliefs to control as much of the world as possible. She has the Lion and most of the people convinced that she speaks directly to the Goddess and can control the environment and the suns.

But not everybody believes in the Goddess. Some understand that the disappearance of the sun is a natural occurrence that happens as the sun cycles through its orbit. They are working to expose Belagren for what she is: a fraud. And return the outcast and exiled Dhevynian king Johan to his rightful throne.

But the Goddess is capricious. An earthquake sets off a tsunami that destroys the ship Johan is travelling on. Through a miracle he survives is washed ashore on the tiny island of Elcast.

From here on in, everything explodes. Dirk, the second son of the Duke of Elcast, has a secret that not even he is aware of, but it's one that will send him out into the world. Alliances will form and splinter as Dirk finds himself trapped between the two sides, desperate just to be left alone. Unfortunately for him, that's not going to happen.

She has done a wonderful job of both plotting and characterisation. The plot framework is fairly orthodox (the Lion has control of Dhevyn and wants to solidify that control, and Belagren wants to keep her own hold on power); there are a few too many predictable "one day I'll have power, and then you'd better watch out" proclamations; and some of the future relationship outcomes amongst the youngsters are clearly telegraphed (eg Marquel the Magnificent and Prince Kirshov). Nonetheless, the story holds together well; the characterisation is excellent; the detail is comprehensive and complex; and Fallon delivers a fair number of surprises. Dirk, Marquel, Tia, Alenor, Kirosh, Eryk, Reithan and even Merris are all interesting young people. The older rulers too offer some strong characters. Johan's fate knocked me for six – I simply didn’t see that coming. In fact, that entire scene, the confrontation between the Lion, Johan, Dirk, and a few others is absolutely riveting. And that's not even the ending of the book!

Fortunately, I’ve read enough Fallon’s work to know not to start a series without having all books ready and waiting. As soon as I finish this review, I’m headed off to bed to start on book 2. ( )

It would be really easy to dismiss this book as standard fantasy fare, particularly if you start with the villains who are blacker-than-black bad through and through. There's the power-crazed priestess, the insane expansionist king manipulating everyone in a way that Machiavelli would endorse and so on. But these characters are saved from caricature by their relationship to each other and the king's relationship with his children.

The heroes, on the other hand, are a much more mixed group - you would have to say there's no one who is whiter-than-white pure as the driven snow. They do despicable things, or hate, or hold massive grudges and yet they do brave, tender, caring things too. They're flawed and much more real for it, and they probably need that unremitting badness from the villains to come out looking like heroes.

The story itself isn't actually hugely complicated - this is much more character driven story telling than a massively convoluted plot - although there are twists in the story thanks to the characters that are both fun to read and deftly handled. Just a few more of them and I would have gone higher than 4 stars. As it is, I'm looking forward to reading book 2 in the series and seeing how all these characters keep going. ( )