Tempests and Slaughter

Fascinating! It's a good YA, in and of itself - the youngest student in a mage academy, dealing with the academy's culture and that in which it's embedded; making friends, and enemies; and learning a great many new concepts (including talking to gods, walking underwater, infusing old medicinal herbs with new strength...). In addition, if you've read the Wild Magic series, there are a lot of pre-echoes of things that happened there. Oh, that's who Tristan was (want to reread Wolf-Speaker)! Ouch, there's some of why Orzone reacted to Numair the way he did (want to reread Emperor Mage)! And I swear there was a Sarge either in the Queen's Riders or in Keladry's books...if so, yay. A great deal of richness added in both directions, to this show more book and to the earlier series(es). I love it. Also, I hadn't previously noticed the echoes of the themes between the Circle of Magic books and the Tortall ones - the herb infusion, for one, but also questions of authority (in this and Emperor Mage, and The Will of the Empress - and Battle Magic, for that matter) and its limits, friendship and its limits...I loved it, can't wait for the next book. And I hated parts of it - can't wait for the next book! show less

What was I thinking, starting Tamora Pierce's new series when the next book isn't out 'til next year??? Definitely not my smartest choice, since I knew I was going to enjoy the latest installation in her Tortall-based series, and I'm not very patient when it comes to sequels being released! But what's done is done, and now I must wait.

Even though I've thoroughly enjoyed all the previous adventures that Pierce has set in Tortall, I admit I was a touch sceptical about how she would pull off this latest series. Pierce chose not only to explore the backstory of a known character (Numair Salmalín) who fans are already invested in, but she also has never written from a solely male perspective in this series. There have been plenty of show more well-developed male characters she's included before (George Cooper being my personal favourite), but doing justice to a male lead is another matter. I think that she pulled it off well, though, since she essentially treated him like any other of her characters - giving him a distinct personality (which hints towards the powerful and thoughtful mage that we all know and love), believable motivations, and plenty of learning experiences so that he continues to grow into a fully formed person. Much of the format of the story feels like ALanna's series, since Arram is attending the Carthaki mage school just like Alanna went through her knight's training. Obviously he's not having to hide his sex (or even his power) from the other students, but we can see that his different cultural background will come to odds against his best friend Ozorne (who we know will eventually become the Emperor of Carthak) and he does have his rapidly growing powers and relationships with the gods to attend to. We may not have gotten a proper conflict and resolution by the finale of the book, but Pierce has set up the story well, and I'm sure that the remaining books in the series will be equally enjoyable to read. show less

The first of the long-promised books about Numair Salmalin -- Arram Draper -- follows him through his early years at the Imperial University in Carthak. I had been very unenthusiastic about the prospect of a Numair prequel. There are other Pierce characters I’d rather see more of, and what I already knew about Numair -- a general outline of his past, plus a lot about where he ends up -- meant there was going to be a lot less opportunity for guessing what would happen. Prequels offer a different reading experience.

However, I found this quietly-but-consistently interesting! Mostly because it’s about a magic university. As a ten year old, Arram is already younger than his classmates, and when his abilities get him into trouble, the show more masters respond by developing a schedule of classes for him which better meets Arram’s educational and social needs. (I liked that the book includes his schedule each time it changes.)

It’s also such a Tamora Pierce book. Arram deals with the changes of moving from childhood to adolescence; he navigates the highs and lows of being unusually gifted, and forms ideas about how he wants to use his Gift; he makes friends and cares for animals; he builds relationships with teachers he can respect and trust, and learns who he should be wary of; he becomes more aware of the injustice in his world. The book opens with his first visit to see the gladiators at the Imperial Coliseum, and his thoughts and feelings about this practice -- and about practice of slavery in general -- is one of the threads running throughout. Another thread is Arram’s friendship with the prince Ozorne and the changes they face as Ozorne gets closer to the throne.

I was expecting a more dramatic climax from Pierce -- I was expecting a more dramatic climax from a book with this title! But the effect wasn’t as anti-climatic as it might have been, because this isn’t a dramatic book. Instead it’s one which dwells on the details of Arram’s life at university. I suspect that, when everything eventually and inevitably goes wrong, the emotional impact will be all the greater for the story having spent so much time showing just how much this place -- and these people -- matter to Arram. show less

I was a bit worried about this one because some of the reviews are critical and I've found Tamora Pierce's books to be hit and miss as an adult. Add in the fact that Wild Magic was my favourite book as a teen, and that I've been waiting for Numair's story for literally a decade, I was massively afraid of disappointment.

But actually, I really enjoyed this book. It was great to re-visit this familiar world and some of the characters I know. I loved the presence of the gods in this world, I feel like that's something that makes it unique. Also loved the Carthaki setting, a little different from the usual fantasy fare. I also appreciated the ominous hints that Arram's friends might be have darker sides that he struggles to recognise.

Looking show more at the other reviews it seems the main criticism seems to be the lack of an over-arching direction. I think that's fair - Arram doesn't really have a driving purpose, and what appears to be the "climax" is pretty brief. Honestly, I didn't really mind, it was a fun and relaxing book and I didn't feel the need to bring in a whole lot of tension and drama.

Look forward to the next in the series. show less

Oh thank goodness, Tamora Pierce has more stories to tell. She is another of my all time favorites, and finally we get to hear the backstory of what happened to Numair in Carthak. It's a bit of a heavy burden, that, given that I read it knowing that there will be inevitable betrayals. Knowing that Arram's innocent friendships will lead him to places where that innocence is lost. It's quite the beginning, though, this book, and I am breathless with wanting to read the next installment.

Realistically, there is no way for me to give this one an unbiased review. Tamora Pierce has shaped who I am as a person, a woman and a fantasy reader since I first encountered Alanna twenty-five years ago.

This book contained her usual blend of interesting characters, strong, complicated friendships, animals, moral quandaries, and magic. I enjoyed getting to know the young Numair/Arram.

There was a bit of the Greek tragedy to this story too, knowing how things will ultimately turn out for Arram, Varice and particularly Ozorne, that made it particularly poignant. I look forward to the sequels and to re-reading the Wild Magic books in this context.

This is a Tamara Pierce book run wild. What I love so much about Pierce is her ability to give the reader the kind of escape and wish fulfillment that really makes her world building shine. I’m Tempest’s Slaughter we see the families faces of Numair, Ozorne, and Varice as young people at mages school. I particularly enjoyed the progression of Ozorne’s character. I was a bit disappointed by Varice though, who only seems to serve the purpose of being pretty and flirtatious in each scene.
Semi spoilers: I was surprised by the direction Pierce went with the Magic’s in the book. I felt like she was blending the Circle of Magic books with Tortall, and for a long-time reader I found that hard to swallow. When we see Alanna doing magic, show more it’s The Gift and requires ritual. I wish I had a former grasp on what makes Numair’s magic different. The fact that he shifts to healing is interesting, except that we don’t see him doing a lot of healing in the original series. So that confused me at first.
I found the ending anticlimactic. I’m curious to see where she goes with the next books though and will gladly read on! show less