Hilari Bell

Fisk is a squire - at least, he is as of a week ago when he met Michael, an eighteen-year-old knight errant about 200 years after that was a fashionable trade. Michael wants to travel, so he chose this life of working hard and helping out his fellow man over his father's chosen profession for him: steward to his oldest brother. But when the boys are tricked into freeing a murderess, Michael's father Baron Seven Oaks redeems them. In order for Michael to be a free man again, they have to show more recapture Lady Ceciel and bring her for trial.

Much of this story is told over the course of a journey, so the plot feels meandering at times while Michael and Fisk try to track down Lady Ceciel or her steward all along the countryside. The story is much more focused, however, when it is read as the story of two young men becoming friends and learning to trust each other. Each chapter is told alternating between Fisk's and Michael's points of view, which can be difficult to pull off but works really well to give readers insight into both of their characters, not only by what they reveal about themselves, but what they say about each other. Fisk is funny and sarcastic, protesting just a bit too much that he wants to leave Michael the first chance he gets. Michael's narrative is sprinkled with "tis" and "mayhap," marking him as a nobleman's son, and his descriptions of others show how idealistic he is. This first in the "Knight and Rogue" series is recommended for older readers who enjoyed The Lightning Thief or Howl's Moving Castle. show less

Arisa, the young, female protagonist, has gotten over the glitter and pomp that life at court requires. So much so, that she allows her mother, the realm's military commander, to tempt her with fencing lessons. The catch? Arisa has to befriend the spoiled prince, Edoran. Except...he's not as spoiled as she thought. Is he? One thing's for sure. He's weird! But the more time she spends with him, the more Arisa sees that he didn't have any fun becoming the way he is.
When chance leads Arisa to show more a possible den of traitors, she leaps at the chance to investigate on her own. In fact, I got the distinct impression that she prefers scrubbing tavern floors to the dancing lessons! The investigation takes a dangerous turn, forcing her to confide in the adults in her life. And that's when things get really bad. The return of the Sword of Waters only complicates things further. At the end of the book, Arisa is between the proverbial rock and hard spot, and there's no squirming out of it. show less

Full review on Reader's Dialogue: http://readersdialogue.blogspot.com/2013/01/navohar.html

The biggest thing that stayed with me throughout the whole novel was an impression of just how richly and lushly detailed the world of Navohar is. First of all, the way the planet doesn't have just one alien race but a varied and layered ecosystem including micro-organisms and (six-legged) animals - I love that, it makes it so much more 3D, so complex and exciting to experience. And Irene is the perfect show more guide to experiencing these complex situations. Her propensity for profanity in a time when youths have become more conservative in their language (!), combined with her pig-headedness and determination, mean that we get to see the world of Navohar clearly and without (too much) bias, and her openness to new experiences means that we see everything through a wide-eyed wonder. Her tone is so irreverent, so openly annoyed and openly delighted at various points, that the whole story, though it actually is quite serious, ends up being a really fun, laughter-filled read.

I love the rest of the people in Navohar also, and some of them add to the fun quality of the book as well. They're just as multi-layered as the wildlife on Navohar, and it's really interesting to watch how things play out based on each character's personality. And what I loved was that we know of course that everyone is going to end up fine, that everything will be alright - but which everyone? With such a big split between the groups over the colonists' secret, I was kept guessing right up until the end. The last scene alone turns on itself so many times, first this group having the upper hand, then the other, that I didn't know how exactly the situation would be resolved until the last page.

The moral question of the story is part of what keeps us guessing until the end. It's not an easy decision. And what makes it more complex is Irene's statement at the beginning of the novel about what Captain Willard decided to do about the embryos found on each planet, when he decided to take them back to Earth since their colonists had all died, because "'Enough life has been lost already,' he said. A moral man." Which makes his future actions more ambiguous.

A small point I found amusing was the naming of the planets. Irene says in an aside that when people started colonizing planets, they had to find enough names for all of them, so they had a program randomly generate names and discarded only the ones that seemed silly. "After all, who wanted to colonize Grizzelskrink?" As an amateur linguist, I love that scenario.

And the end - it's perfect. I can't say too much about it without giving away all the little surprises that crop up throughout the book. But it's perfect because it captures how completely Irene accepts her decision and her situation - and it's funny! show less

The second book in the Knight and Rogue series starts off soon after The Last Knight leaves off. Sir Michael Sevenson, knight errant, and Fisk, his squire, are on their way back to Michael's father after capturing - and freeing - Lady Ceciel. Because Michael has failed to fulfill his obligation of returning Lady Ceciel, he knows he will be declared permanently unredeemed, and given the marks on his wrist to show to everyone that he is outside of the law. Then, Fisk unexpectedly receives a show more letter that throws all their plans awry.

This book is undoubtedly my favorite in the series. I enjoy Fisk and Michael and love that their narrations reveal much about each of their characters - and sometimes reading one boy describe the other reveals just as much. Plus, they're just plain funny; I especially love Fisk's sense of humor and sarcastic comments. In this story, as the title implies, we meet Fisk's family and get more of his backstory. Michael has an internal journey of his own, as his unredeemed status strips his idealism a bit. show less