The Lion of Senet

Jennifer Fallon's Lion of Senet, the first book in her Second Sons trilogy, is simply a fun read. Fallon is not a new writer, but she is new to North American audiences, with this book just coming out this year. Thankfully, Bantam is publishing all three books within months of each other, so the third book is actually out. Having read the first two from the library, I am chomping at the bit to read the third.The title of the series has a double meaning (the two suns that Ranadon orbits around, as well as the obvious meaning). I like that touch. First, not only is Dirk a second son, but his friend Kirsch is the Lion's second son. Both will become heavily involved in all of the schemes flying around the area. Secondly, the second sun disappearing for a time plays a large part in the series. The last time that happened, anarchy reigned and Belagren and the Lion were able to take power because Belagren was able to say when the sun would reappear (because the Goddess told her, she said). She told the Lion that he would have to sacrifice one of his children to bring it out, knowing full well that it would come naturally even without this. Now, the secret of when the next "Age of Shadows" will come is hidden from her, and she's desperate to find out.There is an underlying tension between science and religion in the book, with Fallon coming down on the side of science (at least within the series itself). The "true" Goddess religion is rarely, if ever mentioned, and only Belagren's perverted form is present. Her opponents are firm believers that the Age of Shadows is a scientific thing and not a religious one. And, of course, we are shown that they are right. Lip service is given to how Belagren has moved away from the real Goddess, but we aren't given much information so it appears that there is no "real" religion on Ranadon. I found that disappointing.That is the only disappointment for me, however. Fallon does a wonderful job of both plotting and characterization. The plot is very centralized (the Lion has control of Dhevyn and wants to solidify that control, and Belagren wants to keep her own hold on power) but yet it is vast. It covers at least three years in this book alone, and ranges all over the islands and into Senet itself. While there are a few too many predictable "one day I'll have power, and then you'd better watch out" proclamations, the story itself actually has a fair number of surprises. King Johan's fate truly surprised me, as the expected rescues didn't happen, and what ultimately does happen to him knocked me for a loop. In fact, that entire scene, the confrontation between the Lion, Johan, Dirk, and a few others (I won't reveal more) is riveting. And that's not even the ending of the book!This leads into Fallon's prose. The text grabbed me and wouldn't let me go until I finished the book. I had a lot of trouble putting the book down, as the Fallon's descriptions amazed me and her dialogue was almost flawless.

Wow! I have just finished the Second Sons Trilogy and I am thoroughly impressed. This first book is very well written and becomes quite complex as the characters develop more and more. Whats even better is that the second book is better than the first and the third book is better than the second. These three books are the best that I have read since George R.R. Martins "A Game of Thrones" series.This book starts out relatively slowly with a simple ship wreck and a lone survivor that eventually sets a complex story in motion. I found it refreshing in the fact that there is no sorcery to speak of, which is typical of a fantasy book. There are no easy magical solutions to any of the problems that come up. Everything is accomplished way of Dirk Provin's intelligence and ruthless manipulations. This series is a great case study of Machiavellian tactics. I personally think that Bantam Books really dropped the ball by not issuing these books in hardback. I would truly love to have this series in a hardbound, signed, first edition form. One last note, I would not recomend reading these books out of order. The second and third books pick up right where the previous book ends and there is little background given. Read and enjoy.

Jennifer Fallon is an excellent writer, who mixes fantasy and sci-fi beautifully. She gives us a wonderful cast of characters and a great setting. I couldn't put down this tale of a lord's second son as he gets caught up in a web of political and religious weaving. A fast page turner I reccommend this book to anyone who's looking for a fantasy setting with a sci-fi twist.

This book is simply the most intelligent fantasy I've read for ages. It took a couple of chapters to sort everyone out, but you really can't confuse the characters. It is filled with ambigious moral issues and the constant temptation to fall into the trap of allowing the end to justify the means. The good guys are drug runners and the bad guys are the ones occupying the high moral ground. They could use this book in college to teach ethics classes. Can't wait for the rest of the series.

Many consider Tolkien's masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, the benchmark to which every other epic fantasy work is compared. The first book in The Second Sons Trilogy leaves the reader with the impression that this series will receive top marks in that scale. Jennifer Fallon creates a craftily depicted world with characters the reader will love or hate with passion. I became so engrossed in the story that I could not put this book down until I finished it.Ranadon once again has two suns surging through its sky, but its inhabitants have suffered greatly in the past when one of the suns disappeared and the Age of Shadows began. The High Priestess, Belagren, with the help of a great mathematician, Neris, discovered the secrets about the Age of Shadows, which is a natural phenomenon that depends on the orbits of the suns. In her eagerness for power, Belagren used this information to her advantage and claimed that the Goddess spoke to her and told her exactly were the sun would return, granted that certain sacrifices were made. It all worked out, and Belagren gained considerable power through this stratagem. However, Neris sealed the secrets inside a deadly Labyrinth, and threw himself off a cliff, presumably dying. In her need to know when the next Age of Shadows will return, so as to prove her communication with the Goddess, Belagren convinced the Lion of Senet, ruthless ruler of the strongest kingdom in Ranadon, to search for Neris because she suspects the genius is still alive. Meanwhile, in the kingdom of Dhevyn, which is "controlled" by Senet, the second son of Duchess Mirna of Elcast is being trained to be a physician. He is a bright boy and is thrown in the middle of the action when the Lion of Senet and Belagren arrive to Elcast looking for a very special prisoner, who was left unconscious in the coast after a tidal wave made his vessel the victim of a shipwreck.The plot is complex but easy to understand, with religion and politics cleverly intertwined in a mix that achieves a similar effect on the reader to the one "Dune" accomplishes. There are many characters, but with the help of the character list and the masterful descriptions the author elaborates, it is reasonably easy to keep track of them. I would recommend following the story closely with the map provided, at least until the reader gets a clear idea of the geographical location of the different places mentioned. This will make the book a lot more enjoyable and easy to follow. Finally, an extra benefit in this trilogy is that it is already written in its entirety, thus, there is no need to wait a long time for the next two installments, which have already been published in Australia and New Zealand. If you like epic fantasy I highly recommend you read this book and discover what Fallon has to offer.