Harshini

There are times when one may get a lil bit restless then here comes what all reader's of Jennifer Fallon's are waiting for.

Harshini by Jennisfer Fallon is the third book in the Hythrun Chronicles. The first book is titled Medalon (The Hythrun Chronicles: Demon Child Trilogy, Book 1) and with the second being titled Treason Keep (The Hythrun Chronicles: Demon Child Trilogy, Book 2). This book marks the culmination of The Demon Child Trilogy, but marks the third book in the Hythrun Chronicles. It's an odd situation, that I understand stems from bring the books from Australia to America. It is the same books just packaged under a different series name, not sure why that was done - but it was done none-the-less. I just wanted to point that out in case readers come across the myriad of titles for the series they will have some idea what is going on. At any rate, here are my thoughts on this novel. The plot of this book is, for the most part, a direct continuation of the first two books. It brings together multiple loose ends from the previous books. Some of the previous plot lines that are resolved are: Loclon, readers will remember him as a tormentor of R'Shiel in the past books, we finally get to see if R'Shiel is successful in the goal she was created for, and there are several political sub plots that are resolved (or at the very least furthered for future novels). There is also the addition of a couple new plot elements that add a little more substance to the story. While there are quite a few things going on in this book, it felt a little lacking in plot development to me. What I mean is that, in my opinion, the plot came across as the characters (mostly R'Shiel and Brak) running around tying up loose ends from the first two books. While this is fine in moderation it seemed that the entire novel was about that and took away from the `newness' one expects from a book. It seems like a mad dash to tie everything together within the required word count. Because of this the book, at times, comes across as disjointed and the flow seemed to sputter. With that said, there are some aspects of the story that I really liked. For instance the Citadel. I really enjoyed the last 100 or so pages when it really went into detail about the citadel and what it really means to the Harshini. I enjoyed the marriage angle and the interactions between those two characters. But, overall, it was a hit and miss story for me. Some good, some I would have liked to see a different way. The characters in this book are largely the same characters from the first two novels. Characters such as R'Shiel, Brak, Tarja, Loclon, Damin, Adrina, and several others. This is a double-edge sword. First, it's a good thing because Ms. Fallon does not need to spend as much time establishing the characters, readers already know who they are and what their motives are. On the other hand, readers are not introduced to many new characters and as such there are not many new dynamics introduced. A couple of the characters become too two-dimensional for my tastes. Tarja for one, he is very steadfast in his beliefs an

Jennifer Fallon concludes her stunning trilogy with Harshini, a series that is as grandiose as Eddings in characterisation and as crafted as Feist in its plot. Amongst the recent mediocrity in fantasy publications this stands out as a shining example of quality authorship that harks back to the genre's pinnacle years of the late eighties. So, in this last effort, we start with the Kairen invasion halted, R'Shiel, the Demon Child, in control once more of the Hytherian warbands, Damin Wolfblade married to the firebrand Fardonhyan princess, Adrina and Tarja is left scratching his head after being saved with a demon-meld blood transfusion. Whilst Tarja takes the defecting Defenders south, struggling to come to terms with the fact that his love for R'Shiel was geas-induced, she rips through the Hytherian nobility like a tornado showing the poise, aloofness and sorcerous exasperation that is so reminiscent of Polgara. Whilst Adrina and Damin are finally admitting they love each other and Damin is securing this throne, R'Shiel bullies Adrina's father into aiding both Hytherin and then securing the Citadel against the invading Karien army. The reappearance of Sanctuary after Korandellan's death and the return of the Harshini sparks the climatic scenes where R'Shiel finally understands how to defeat Xaphista and proceeds to do so before tying up the malevolent loose end that is Loclon. Jennifer Fallon's trilogy is reminiscent in characterisation and style of David Eddings' finest efforts. It is, therefore, no surprise that this fresh visit on such a winning fantasy strategy succeeds so admirably. World altering events are forced through by an omnipotent sorceress who is tasked with destroying an evil God whilst she uses the warring noble factions of the associated kingdoms to achieve her mortal aims simply by bashing their heads together to get some sense into them. However, whilst it parallels Eddings in style, it is unique in its own way. The scene depictions and plot are entirely Fallon, the action is crafted and plausible. What is ironic about this superb trilogy is that it is the main character, R'Shiel, who is the most irritating. Her naive, arrogant stumbling through the world means that little empathy is engendered for her by the end of the trilogy, particularly for a woman who had to rely on a geas to gain the love of Tarja. The supporting characters all emerge with immense credit, Adrina and Damin being the best in so many ways. Tarja, once the geas is broken, becomes the Lord Defender he was meant to be and finishes strongly. At the end, as R'Shiel' realises, the world no longer needs her and any subsequent novels set here (which Fallon must produce) do not actually need R'Shiel. So, a sparkling trilogy that has created a world that offers far more stories than we have been served so far. Any fan of the genre must recognise the quality that Fallon has produced and hopefully more will come from her pen.

Harshini is the final book in the first trilogy of Jennifer Fallon's The Hythrun Chronicles. And if that sounds confusing, that's because Tor has decided to put all six books into that series name, despite the fact that it's two different trilogies. In this book, a lot of the intricacies of the previous two books are undone and it's a lot more straightforward than either Medalon or Treason Keep. That can be a good thing, except that it loses a little bit of what makes Fallon's work so special. It's still a fitting conclusion, but things are wrapped up a bit too quickly and the characters are a bit flatter than normal. Usually, I really like the way Fallon handles political intrigue, juggling so many balls that many authors would likely lose them all. In Harshini, she does a decent job, but I didn't get the same sense I have in her previous books, where R'Shiel and her companions have to constantly be moving in order to keep all of the balls in the air. Instead, this book almost has her do it in step-by-step fashion. She's solved one problem with Damin and Adrina's marriage, so she travels with them to Hytheria. There, Damin has his own problems, especially with having a Fardohnyan bride, so R'Shiel has to help him solve that problem. Then another roadblock gets in the way, and dealing with that one also helps her deal with a subsequent one. Then she has to go back to Medalon for the final showdown. It's almost fantasy politics by rote, and it got a little boring. Thankfully, Fallon's skill with characterization made sure that it didn't get too dull. R'Shiel is still done very well, though she became a bit more wooden in this book than she has in the past. The only time I was able to get deep into her character was when Brak, another half-Harshini man, showed her the true meaning of being Harshini. The wonder that was on her face and in her eyes was fabulous, and Fallon described it very well. However, the rest of the book she's like a bull in a china shop, demanding that various gods help her in certain ways, being reprimanded even as the gods sullenly do as she asks; always promising that there will be a reckoning, but there never seems to be. One might say that her final heartbreak would be punishment enough, but that was already coming even before she annoyed a number of the gods, so it can't really be considered her comeuppance. While Tarja is much the same way, more two-dimensional than I'm used to from Fallon, she really excels at characterizing Damin and Adrina. Their relationship is a joy to watch, as both of them have walls around themselves so high that they don't trust the other one, even when it's obvious to everybody around them that they love each other. Damin is a wonderful combination of sarcasm and intelligence, with the sarcasm hiding a deep devotion to Hytheria and to the people he loves. Adrina is, at times, too much of a spoiled brat, but it was how she was raised. Other characters aren't as strong, wit

I really really wanted this book to be excellent. The first two were impeccable, in my opinion, and I expected no less from "Harshini." Unfortunately I was sadly disappointed. R'Shiel continues to act like a spoiled brat (I was so hoping for more development there), and I can't understand any of the motivation behind anything she does. Tarja inexplicably does a three-sixty when he loses the spell of love thing cast on him. He doesn't even have any brotherly feelings for R'Shiel anymore, something I find hard to believe. The end was a little anticlimactic as well, and it seemed like Fallon was making an effort to make the end more realistic even though you know what is going to happen in the end. The only true redeeming part in this book was the antics of Damin and Adrina. Maybe this was a case of high expectations, but in any case I don't think that this book continued with the excellence of the previous two. Not bad by any means, just a disappointment to me.

In Sanctuary, the last King of the Harshini Korandellan believes the war is over with the recent surrender of the Defenders of Medalon to its neighbor Karien. Many of the Defenders fled to the wilderness as outlaws. The only hope for Medalon resides with another neighbor Hythria, but its Krakandar Province Warlord Damien Wolfblade has internal problems while struggling to replace the recently deceased High Prince as the country's leader as a rival wants the throne. The only hope for the Harshini is half-Harshini-half-human R'shiel, the demon child, who must confront Xaphista, leader of the triumphant Kariens. R'shiel strengthens Damien's position by arranging a marriage between the beleaguered Hythria leader and Princess Adrina of the fourth neighboring realm Fardohnya as a further buffer to halt the Karien assault from destroying the remaining two countries. Still with the help of half-Harshini Brak, R'shiel knows the time for her confrontation must happen soon before the Harshini become too weak to survive. In spite of a recap (that will irritate readers of the first two novels), fantasy readers will find it better to read the first two novels (see TREASON KEEP and MEDALON) to gain a better understanding of the complex relationships; it is worth the time and money. The story line contains several subplots that smoothly converge for a fantastic climax. The saga provides an intriguing look at political necessities to rule while centering on R'shiel learning on the job yet knowing the confrontation that awaits her in which failure means the end for the Harshini and the devastation of three of the four countries. Book Three of the Hythrun Chronicles is a fitting heroic end to the Demon Child's epic saga. Harriet Klausner