Blade of Fortriu

Wow. I didn't think it could happen. A part of a trilogy that brings other, minor characters into the fore and fleshes them out. But here you have that twist, in the hands of a master writer, who keeps both lines of a story going a la Two Towers.

Still building his kingdom and dealing with the problems of the Gaels in the West of his country is new king Bridei with his wife Tuala at his side and a baby to inherit the kingdom. The battle scenes are well-written and what I would imagine war on horseback with weapons to be: all the blood, pain, and sudden turns of change.

Then you have the primary plot of Faolan, the spy and trusted companion of Bridei, who is to escort the young Ana to her betrothed, Alpin, in distant Briar Wood. Both show more characters are mentioned as minor details in a larger tapestry in Well of Shades; here they have the central stage of events in the story. Such a deviation from the normal method of storytelling helps the history of Fortriu move forward while still keeping the reader's interest.

Again, there are plot twists that keep you alert and guessing and interested in every character's outcome. Even the bad ones: are they going to get their just desserts? And what is going to happen to one group of individuals or to another?

The writing is still more terse than Daughter of the Forest (whose writing is on par with Guy Gavriel Kay and Patricia McKillip), but I think that style adds to the difference in plot between the two. And landscape and culture and history. show less

In this sequel to The Dark Mirror, King Bridei of the Priteni believes his mission is to eradicate the Gaels and their Christian religion from his lands. He is a strong king, brave in battle and devout in his allegiance to the old gods, so he's the ideal person to unite the Priteni against this outside threat. Bridei is planning a big move against the Gaels, but in order to succeed, he needs the help of a foreign chieftain named Alpin. Bridei therefore proposes to offer his royal hostage, Ana, to Alpin as a bride, hoping this will ensure his loyalty. Ana longs to marry for love, but she knows she has no choice in the matter. She sets out for Alpin's lands in the company of Faolan, Bridei's most trusted bodyguard, spy, and assassin. As show more Ana and Faolan travel together, their relationship deepens, but she is already promised to Alpin. And when she finally arrives at Alpin's court, Ana discovers a shocking secret that will have drastic implications for both Bridei's campaign and her own heart.

Much like its predecessor, The Dark Mirror, this book is very slow-paced, and I had trouble getting into it as a result. I find the world of this series fascinating; it's based on historical facts (the Priteni were real, and Bridei really was their king for a time), but Marillier weaves many fantastical elements into the setting. Half the novel focuses on Ana's story, while the other half follows Bridei's campaign against the Gaels. Personally, I was much more interested in Ana's story, especially since I always enjoy a little romance with my fantasy! Interestingly, the story seems very predictable at first, but it eventually veers into an unexpected direction. I wasn't entirely pleased with the resolution of Ana's story, but it does provide some interesting avenues to explore in the final book of the trilogy. I'll definitely be reading The Well of Shades to see how everything turns out, but I don't think this series is Marillier's best work. Try her Sevenwaters books instead! show less

This review contains spoilers.

At long last, after the cancelation of the trade paperback release for unknown reasons (the representative of Tor whom I spoke with at the American Library Association convention certainly seemed surprised), this book is out in an American paperback edition in mass market format. Five years after the end of The Dark Mirror, King Bridei is on the verge of driving the Gaels out of his territory. To seal an alliance, he sends the royal hostage Ana to marry a chieftan in the north, with his bodyguard and spy Faolan leading her escort.

This is possibly Marillier's best work to date, and is certainly her most surprising. As always, it is almost as much a Romance as a Fantasy, but as is rarely the case in such a show more story, the author appears to set up a different romance before the true one. Even more rarely, out of the three men who Ana is caught between, two of them are good men whom the reader would believe deserve her. The story is equally satisfying as historic fantasy, with an ample share of the plot taking place at court or in the field with Bridei, although on these fronts the main plotlines are more predictable. However, although the "whats" may be easy to guess, it is worth reading to learn the "hows." There are some surprising small twists as well.

There are some unsatisfying aspects of this book, for example the truth about the chieftan's brother's past. It appears that in Marillier's world, a good person can be put in situations where they are forced to do bad things, or where there are no good choices, but a good person can never do something bad without purpose, even if it is accidental. Anything that could be construed as truly evil has to be done by an evil person.

Secondly, there is the discontinuation of the human sacrifice we saw in The Dark Mirror. A large part of Bridei's fitness to be king was demonstrated by his willingness to help with the sacrifice and bear the horror of it. Now that he is king, he puts an end to that ritual? The reader is expected to accept it as a necessary evil in the first book and to see it as something that can be put aside in the second? These two are a strange step towards the black and white of good and evil in a series that refuses to look at war in such simplistic terms.

My most important question: will The Well of Shades be here in paperback about a year after its release in hardback (meaning around May 2008), or six months later when it will have been a year since this book's paperback release? show less

As with all of Marillier's work, this book is beautifully written and highly compelling. This blend of history and fairy tale successfully sends to reader into another time, another world, that inspires, entertains, and mystifies.

The story takes place a few years after "The Dark Mirror". This time the focus is royal hostage Ana and Bridei's standoffish spy, Faolan. Truthfully, I was not a fan of Ana or her plight; my real interest here was Faolan. So, much as I enjoyed this book, I was thrilled to learn about the third book, which picks up Faolan's story. Still, "Blade of Fortriu" is a wonderful example of storytelling.

Blade of Fortriu is the second book of the Bridei Chronicles. I found it perhaps better than the first one, but still the plot was very foreseeable and not very tightly paced.

The main character is Ana, a hostage princess sent to make a political marriage. However, the prospective groom turns out to be less than pleasant and soon enough Ana finds herself the target of amorous intentions of no less than three men. The only help she has are the king's spy Faolan and a bunch mysterious birds.

So, the story is not very original, and at times waiting for things that you know are going to happen can get very annoying. Still, there is something I like in Marillier's writing and I think I will go on to read the third book.

I am loving this series almost as much as the Outlander series. Great characters, riveting plot, solid writing, full of well-imagined historical goodness.

Five years, and a life time, have gone into this, and now after all this time King Bridei is ready to march into battle to unite his people, to drive out the invaders, to save the gods he loves. As with every war there are uncertainties, and for Bridei the north holds one of these; Alpin of Briar Wood.

As a hostage and princess of Fortriu Ana's duty compels her to agree to an arranged marriage to a man of unknown character but of fearful reputation. For Bidei's sake, and that of Fortriu, Faolan, Ana and a small party set out northward in the hopes of securing an alliance for the King. However no one could have predicted the horrors of what awaited them.

Lives are about to change through war, imprisonment, freedom, truth, love and death. show more Bridie faces an uncertain future where death seems the only outcome. Ana follows duty to a fault until she learns there are more important things in life. Faolan is a man unmoved by emotions but will find new strength in his weaknesses. A secret prisoner is held by bonds of blood and guilt and one very big cage until love sets him free.

The Blade Of Fortriu is a symbol of hope and courage to a people who's lives, land and religion are under threat from invaders. However the Blade of Fortriu is much more then a symbol or an idea, it is a man, the one man fated to unite a land. As people are change, loves are found, hearts are broken and lives are taken, this story, part history, part myth, part fantasy, will capture your imagination as well as your heart. show less