Ladylord

This book seems to fall somewhere in between Feist & Wurts' Empire trilogy and James Clavell's Shogun. It has similar thematic elements to the Empire trilogy and the tone and atmosphere of Clavell's seminal work. Miller seems to have done her homework in researching for this book in that the samurai mentality of medieval Japan is ever present. The attitudes and beliefs of the characters add a note of authenticity (not that I'm an expert, but judging from Clavell's book) to the book.Yes, the plot is almost exactly the same as Feist and Wurts' series: a young woman must fight for her right to assume her father's throne in a medieval Asian setting dominated by men. However, the story elements differ quite a bit. Miller places more focus on the samurai mentality and code of honor than Feist and Wurts did. She also adds elements such as geishas and their behind the throne movements that only enhances the atmosphere of the book.Miller's strong point is her characters. While many authors attempts at writing in a medival Japanese world result in many characters becoming interchangeable, this is most definitely not the case here. From Javere, the main character, to her court wizard and military leaders, each has their own personality and quirks. The desert people she mixes in also adds to the diversity of the world that is only hinted at in other places. Her dialogue adds to the mixture. Not only is it realistic and authentic in tone, but it also adds to the strong characterization.Unlike Clavell's book, however, this is definitely a fantastical story. From the court mage to the dragon warriors, this book is firmly rooted in the genre of fantasy fiction. Miller does not overpower the reader with this, though, which makes these elements much more mysterious and engaging. Not only that, but the characters react to them as if they were not unexpected. By making them seem, not common, but rather expected, they seem that much more believable to the reader.If you enjoyed Feist and Wurts' Empire trilogy, you will most likely enjoy this standalone book. As it is out of print, however, you may have a bit of a time tracking down a copy. I do wish there was a sequel to it as I would enjoy seeing what has happened to the characters and the ending seemed a bit abrupt.

I have enjoyed reading about this mythical land very much. Javere is clean character. She does what she does because she must. She will not give up. I believe that women need characters like that. Ivo waits for the right moment in everything, he is kind, loving and patient. With their love they do not know how to handle, Javere comes through victorious. She does have help from many other characters but it is she who emerages victorious alone. Shab Vorsa and his wife are refreshing characters. They brought good humor into the story. Although I will recommend this book to almost anyone, some of my friends were a little upset by the graphic nature of the description of the rape.

The story takes place in Monserria the land of the 5 provinces and revolves around Javerri one of the daughters of the Lord Qai, Lord of the 3rd Province. Upon the 3rd Lord's death bed and having no sons to give Lordship to, he gives over his Lordship to Javerri. But before she can truly become Lord of the 3rd Province she must Journey to the 1st province to be recognized by Lord Yassai "The sublime ruler of the 5 provinces."Not truly wanting her to become the lord of the 3rd province he sets her out on impossible task that she must complete in order to be recognized.This is where the book REALLY begins to pick up. She and her companions journey out of Monserria to land of Fogestria and beyond to complete Lord Yassai's impossible task.The author does a really good job of making you either like or hate a character. All of the villains are very detestabel and all the good guys are very likeable. My personal favorite are: Vorsa the desert man: This was just awesome! He had a great personality and had some cool moments.Wande-Hari the mage: He may have been an old man but I loved this guy! And he had probably the single best moment in the entire book.Also the story is very mature and should probably not be read by young kids. It has been a long time since I read a book that I really did not want to stop reading. Every time I would start reading this I would almost always have to force myself to stop. My only gripe is that I felt that the book was kind of rushed near the end. But it's still a great book nonetheless.

A wonderful story about a woman who finds herself defending her right to be a lord in a land ruled by men. Married to a noble husband which she loves but cannot bed. Armed by good friends & subjects, two strong wizards & a dragon-warrior, she goes on a dangerous journey to prove herself worthy of the position of Lord of the Third Province, while people at home & beyond scheme against her. A tale of courage, love & betrayal. An engaging story though not for younger readers because of the content.I found myself laughing, cheering even amazed at times. Ms. Miller builds an interesting world with strict customs. But I felt the ending come on abruptly, I would have liked the writer to "dwell" a little more on the details in the end & elaborate more about the characters feelings. i guess I didn't want it to end!Highly recommended, Read it you'll enjoy it!!Also recommended: Tigana, Anne bishop, Elizabeth Haydon, The Red Tent, Terry Goodkind & Robert Jordan.

All in all not a bad book. I'd love to see more books by this author, but to date have been unable to find any. Similar to "Daughter of Empire" by Raymond Feist & Jany Wurts.