The Fire Opal

It should first be mentioned that this book is part of the Lost Continent-series. The other titles are: Moonglow (in the anthology 'Charmed destinies'), The Charmed Sphere, The Misted Cliffs, The Dawn Star, The Topaz Desert (in the anthology 'Lace and Blade 1'). Fire Opal is followed by The Night Bird, at present the last in the series. The book can be read on its own, but I would recommend reading the rest of the series first. In an isolated village in the Taka Mal desert, young Ginger-Sun is a priestess to the dragon god. The old-fashioned elders in her village have always made her life difficult, but things become life-threatening when she saves a soldier who was attacked and left for dead in the desert. Soon she is not only accused of seducing a man when she's not supposed to be touched by men, but people also accuse her of witchcraft when they disover her magical abilities. In the end, the soldier - Darz - and Ginger-Sun have no choice but to escape the village, but their way leads them into a conpiracy to conquer Taka Mal and take the throne from the rightful rulers. Ginger-Sun and Darz are the only ones who can save the country... This is another wonderful book in the series and I enjoyed it a lot. It is darker than some of the other titles, mostly because Ginger-Sun lives in such an unpleasant place full of suppression and superstition, but she's an interesting character, Darz is very attractive and enjoyable and despite all darkness, there is also a sense of humour. I would recommend this book, as well as the rest of the series as well-written fantasy romance novels.

The Fire Opal (2007) is the fourth fantasy novel in the Lost Continent series, following The Dawn Star. In the previous volume, Mel Dawnfield destroyed a tower from the inside. Cobalt Chamberlight defeated the man who stole his wife. And Drummer Headwind found greater talents within himself. In this novel, Ginger-Sun is an acolyte of the Dragon-Sun, who blazes in the sky and lights the world. She serves as the priestess in her village of Sky Flames, a small hamlet within Taka Mal. Yet her magic works only at night. She possesses a fire opal. This four-sided pyramid allows her to create spells of heat and light. She knows nobody else who has such abilities. Ginger is alone in the RayLight Chamber when a man calls out for her to come quickly. Five miners are waiting in the main temple. They have brought in a body that has been beaten and slashed repeatedly. The miners expect Ginger to perform the death rites. While Ginger is washing the body in the Sunset Chamber, the bloodshot eyes open. Ginger is startled, but answers his questions as she treats his wounds. Then she uses her magic to relieve his pain. In this story, Ginger learns that her patient is named Darz Goldstone and that he is a soldier. The miners are surprised that Darz is alive, but they help move him to an empty room. They also fetch blankets and a bed. They want to stay with the man, but Ginger convinces them to return to work. Then the healer arrives and cleans the wounds. He stitches them up and gives Darz a potion to ease his pain. He cautions Ginger against moving the man and reluctantly advises her to keep him in the temple. At first Darz sleeps a lot. Ginger brings him food and changes his bandages. As he slowly recuperates, Ginger grows to like the man. Later Ginger notices someone watching her. There are cries in the night and she is attacked while outside the temple. Then the village Elders have complaints about the presence of Darz within the temple. This tale slowly reveals the identity and nature of Darz and relates the frictions and conflicts within the village. Finally the villagers accuse Ginger of blasphemy and she has to flee from Sky Flames. Darz becomes her guide and protector in the outside world. The story describes the religion and customs of Taka Mal in greater detail than the earlier volumes of this series. It also dwells on the politics of small towns within this culture. Naturally, it includes conflict and change as well as the introduction of romance into the life of this temple acolyte. Enjoy! Note the change in the series name. The new name reflects information introduced in this novel. Moreover, it is probably a better name than the former series title since it doesn't duplicate one of the volume titles. Highly recommended for Asaro fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of exotic cultures, small town ways, and a budding romance. -Arthur W. Jordin

Since Catherine Asaro is known for creating rich complex characters intertwined in lushly drawn worlds, I was afraid to read one of her books out of sequence because I thought I would be completely lost. But when I picked up the Fire Opal, I was immediately drawn into the fast-paced exciting adventure. The world and its different societies are richly detailed, as I expected, but the setting is introduced gradually so that it flows along with the story. Often with fantasy worlds, I feel that I have to read through a dissertation on the background before I get to the plot. Not so here. The world of Taka Mal, as seen through the eyes of priestess Ginger-Sun, is a land of hard beauty, undercut with treachery. She has to learn who to trust, starting with herself. Having spent a lifetime hiding her powers, she is nearly destroyed when the full extent of their strength--and potential for evil--is revealed. Watching her come to grips with the struggle to balance between the light and shadows creates a very satisfying read. In addition, the gentle love story that develops amid the treachery and violence is also quite enjoyable. All in all, it was a fast, fun read and I look forward to reading the other books in the series.

As a priestess in the Dragon-Sun temple, Ginger-Sun serves the villagers of nearby Sky Flames. She provides them with comfort and leads them in prayer and ceremonies honoring the Sun that lights up the sky and the world. However, Ginger-Sun also conceals from her parishioners and her peers a dark secret. She possesses a fire opal given to her by her grandfather when she was five years old that enables her to perform spells of heat and light during nighttime; no one else as far as she knows can perform this heresy that she thinks might be a form of worship to some night God. Villager Harjan and several miners from the ore flats arrive at the temple upset. They disturb the evening rest of the Priestess because someone stabbed a man whom they carried to her so she can perform the Sunset Rites so his spirit can move on. Sending the men away, instead of the rite of passage Ginger-Sun uses her fire opal to heal the soldier Darz Goldstone. By performing "witchcraft", Ginger-Sun knows she must burn at the stake. Darz rescues her and Ginger-Sun leaves behind all she treasured to begin anew with her beloved Darz at her side while the Dragon-Sun mentors her to use her magic to save the land of Taka Mal from the darkness that threatens to turn off the Sun. Returning to the realm where THE MISTED CLIFFS and THE CHARMED SPHERE takes place, Catherine Asaro provides the audience with a character driven beguiling and enchanting romantic fantasy starring a courageous Priestess who knows the cost of using forbidden magic, but does so to save a stranger's life. The gripping story line is fast-paced as Ginger-Sun saves Darz, which makes his assassins her enemy and hopefully prevents the darkening of Taka Mal. Sub-genre fans already know that Ms. Asaro is one of the top RF wizards, but THE FIRE OPAL is her best work to date. Harriet Klausner

This is another piece in an ongoing series of connected but stand alone fantasy novels set in as we learn in this installment ia a contemporary but occulted continent. It is a land where magic works, but of a different kind as it is based on shapes and colors. This is not yet another Tolkien derivative but rather a unique world that keeps getting more complex and interesting with each volume. What's nice is that the series can be picked up anywhere and you can work backwards or fowards as you choose. The basic plot is the appearence of a mysterious stranger who is cared for by Ginger-Sun with resulting romantic and then physical complications and dangers before the lovers finally wed. I do not wish to spoil it. Asaro avoids the Edgar Rice Burropughs pitfall of multiple books with the same plot. In earlier volumems it was girl saves boy, this one is a little more Boy saves girl. It concludes nicely closing out this tale but leaving plenty of room for future developments as one would expect in a series book, It left me satisfied but wanting more.