Green Rider

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Green Rider

Frustrated with an unfair expulsion from school, Karigan leaves to journey home. What she never expected to find was a dying man with two arrows protruding from his back. In F’ryan Coblebay's last moments, he asks Karigan to deliver his message to the king. It is a matter of life and death. Reluctantly she accepts his mission and in return receives a golden winged horse brooch. As she pins the brooch upon herself and rides off with F’ryan’s horse, Karigan unknowingly changes her life forever.

Karigan will not only become mixed up in the politics of the world, but she will cross paths with an old evil as well. I love how such a simple concept of delivering a message to the show more king was able to expand into a world filled with magic and intrigue. And the politics do not overshadow the plot, if anything they accent the characters' actions and stay well in the background. The main focus remains on Karigan’s journey and all the difficulties she endures.

I quite enjoyed how Green Rider layered past events for all the characters. Instead of overloading the reader with information, certain events would trigger characters to reflect back on their actions and reveal the deeper history. The world-building was so subtly woven into the story, that it slowly drew me in without even realizing it. And the use of magic in the world wasn’t overpowering. Similar to how the politics helped propel the story forward, the magic wasn’t heavily relied on. Characters who used it had to know how to survive on their own without magic as well. It truly was a tool to aid each person, instead of being their main source of skill or power.

As for characters, the Bayberry sisters were a delight. They were the integral piece needed to explain how magic worked in the world. And their personalities more than made up for the times they regaled Karigan with tales of their father’s magical research and his unfortunate mishaps. Listening to the audiobook, the voice actor made me laugh at their antics and I could just picture their body language and pose through their voices. It was a delight to take a moment from the main adventure and delve into the world of magic a bit more. And they were just the support Karigan needed at the start of her quest.

Now keep in mind Karigan is entirely new to the world of danger green riders endure. And while she has been taught how to defend herself, she has never had to apply the lessons in real life. Day in and day out as she is hunted by numerous assailants. This leads to Karigan making foolish decisions, and being unable to truly defend herself. Quite often she ends up with aid coincidentally showing up such as the Bayberry sisters. But each hard knock Karigan takes isn’t forgotten. She learns from her mistakes and by the end of the story, she is an entirely new person than she was at the start. And frankly, I can’t wait to see how else she develops in the next book.

Kristen Britain brings to life a world of magical messengers and ancient evil. There is so much left to uncover in the Green Rider series. By the end of this book, I found myself needing to know more about the evil that is breaking free, and just how Karigan is going to go about pursuing her life now. Once a green rider, always a rider. If you are a fan of high fantasy novels that scale down the politics and focus more on character development, this is the series for you. show less

My apologies to those of you who adore this book and the series, but... WHY?!?!

I'm willing to listen to arguments for it, and I'm willing to give the rest of the books a try if you can convince me.

I wanted to like this book, I really did... but I fell asleep on multiple occasions while reading it (during the ,i>day), put it down on other occasions and didn't have any inclination to pick it up again, complained about it to my husband, and finally finished reading it only because I wanted to understand why people enjoyed the book so much.

I found the main character to be flat and uninspired, and I didn't really care whether she lived or died. I didn't like any of the people she met along the way, save the cliche "kindly woodsman" (though show more you'd have to be pretty heartless not to like kindly woodsmen), and the monsters were far from frightening.

I got no sense of development from the main character until the very end where she Suddenly Saves The Day in conjunction with a convenient "bad character has an epiphany" moment, and *ta-da* all is well again.

Maybe I'm being too harsh... maybe I've been spoiled by reading such wonderful world building and character development by other fantasy authors lately *ahemBrandonSandersonahem*... but I wanted to like this one and was very, very disappointed that I didn't. I have no desire to read more of Britain's work... but I'm willing to let myself be convinced to give her another go.

Ack. Maybe that's just asking for trouble... but if trouble means giving an author another chance, I might be up for it. show less

Green Rider takes place in the fictitious kingdom of Sacoridia. Karigan G'ladheon has just left school under rather adverse circumstances and is attempting to travel home. On her way, she is accosted by a dying Green Rider, one of the king's messengers. When he begs her to complete his mission, she accepts, and so begins a journey of incredible adventure and peril.

Evil magic is at work, and those wielding it are desparate to keep Karigan from reaching her destination. But for Karigan, the end of her mission is just the beginning of her adventures. The D'Yer Wall, which has kept out the tainted, evil magic of Blackveil Forest, is crumbling. Now, not only magic, but also some very wicked creatures are seeping into Sacoridia. As if this show more were not enough, the rumor of political intrigue surrounds the city as well.

Green Rider is one of those rare books that has stuck with me over time. I was thoroughly drawn in by the plot and the characters. There is appeal here for both adults and young adults. The plot may not be anything groundbreaking in the fantasy genre, but the story is good. The characters are interesting and generally well-developed. Britain's descriptions show her love of nature, and allow the reader to see the beauty of the setting without being overdone. The fairly quick paced storyline will keep readers wondering what will happen next, and keep them anxious to read the second book! show less

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

"Ride, Greenie, ride!"

Karigan G'ladheon, the daughter of a wealthy merchant, has been kicked out of school because she beat up the son of a nobleman. On her way home she crosses paths with a Green Rider, one of King Zachary’s messengers. The Rider has two black arrows in his back, but before he dies he coerces Karigan into promising to take a sealed message to the king. Reluctantly, Karigan sets out to fulfill her vow. Along the way she meets allies and enemies, fights battles with creatures out of nightmare, makes friends with a horse, and learns a bit about magic, and herself, too.

For years I’ve been planning to read Kristen Britain’s Green Rider, which was first published in 1998. I show more finally decided to take the plunge into this big fantasy epic when Penguin released it in audio a few weeks ago. Pleased with the story and the audio performance, I listened to the entire book in just a couple of days. Penguin Audio’s version of Green Rider is read by Ellen Archer, who was new for me. She has a pleasant voice and had no problem with the diversity and range of male and female voices in Green Rider. She is a good narrator for this series.

The world of GREEN RIDER feels real. In this first story we learn about some of its history, politics, myths, legendary heroes, and games. This is all done naturally and without extensive infodumps. The characters, too, are mostly well done, though the villains tend to be shallow and overtly evil. Karigan is not always likeable, but she’s a willful and spunky heroine who I hope will become less aloof as the series goes on. Karigan is supported by several characters that we can’t help but like, such as her father, the batty Berry sisters and their invisible servants, a few other Riders, and King Zachary himself. Oh, and the horse!

Britain creates a nice balance of tension and leisure in Green Rider. Though murder, treachery, and political intrigue abound, there are several sweet times, too. I foresaw many of the plot’s “surprises,” and the end of the magical battle at the climax of the novel was a bit silly, but that didn’t bother me. Mostly I enjoyed riding with Karigan and living in her world for a time. I will be happy to read book two, First Rider’s Call.

Green Rider is a nice choice if you’re in the mood for a traditional fantasy epic with some familiar elements used in a refreshing, but not revolutionary, way. Those who like Mercedes Lackey’s VALDEMAR series will be especially pleased. show less

The book Green Rider has been a very refreshing read. It was the first book to pull me out of my extended reading slump and it was done through Britain's great storytelling and world building. Personally, I was able to find everything that I had wanted for years. Karigan was a life-like and well-developed protagonist, the magic system of the world did not seem limitless or without logic, the adventure felt real and beautiful, and there were an abundance of strong female characters. Not to mention the lack of pointless pairing of the protagonist into intimate relationships with the first potential character that seem to plague modern novels. Kristen Britain had me snagged on the first page and hooked by page 50. I would recommend this to show more anyone who wants a quality fantasy novel. show less

I've seen this series floating around over the years but wasn't moved to try it until I found the first three books together at the thrift store and picked them up.

The story feels almost YA at first, beginning as it does with a girl running away from school after being suspended for fighting. We never do learn Karigan's age, but I'm guessing mid-teens. (I actually thought she might be younger, but she later makes friends with a 12yo girl, who refers to her as an adult.)

Karigan is walking through the forest after leaving school when she finds a dying Green Rider, one of the king's messenger service. She takes the rider's horse and gear when he implores her to complete his mission and deliver the message he was carrying. Oddly, she show more doesn't seem to have any gear or supplies of her own, despite the fact that she had decided to run away.

The story is quite derivative of Tolkien and other authors as Karigan encounters various allies and perils, but it lacks the deep worldbuilding that characterizes Tolkien. I don't mind a few tropes, but the story doesn't ever rise above them. The world actually seemed quite sketchy, as we only learn bits of history and geography right when we need them, a few facts and nothing more. In addition, random magic occurs fortuitously, which feels a little 'deus ex machina.' Characters lack depth and individuality, so that I lost track of who was who. The prose and dialogue were unremarkable. Karigan gets knocked on the head quite a bit and loses consciousness many times, waking up into situations that she then must escape.

One good thing was there were a good number of regular female characters, unlike Tolkien. There are also quite a number of ghosts and spirits, some of whom are bound by magic, and it is implied that use of magic keeps one from entering the afterlife. There's also a section which implies extensive rituals for the dead. This might have been interesting, but the author doesn't really explain any of this or give much context. No one seems surprised or frightened by the presence of spirits, which also implies that they are more or less ordinary, but again, no background is given. I was also relieved that there was no angsty romantic subplot (although some hints were scattered).

Overall, the story is just okay. I'm kind of surprised it has as high a rating here as it does. I probably wouldn't seek out the rest of the series, if I didn't already have the next two.

POV is third person, with Karigan and a number of other, minor narrators. Structure is straightforward linear time. show less

I absolutely adore this book. Karigan is such a fun and quirky heroine, who spends a lot of her time simply scared and confused. Britain also doesn't avoid the grittier scenes. She's not afraid to put her heroine in the middle of a forest at night while it's raining, and she's being chased by people who want to kill her and take the message she vowed to a dying man that she would deliver directly to the king. There's just enough humor to make the book fun, while still showing the heroine's true feelings (which very often include fear, frustration, and discomfort). What a wonderful adventure!