Tegne: Soul Warrior

Tegne was a book I read the first time 10 years ago and have subsequently read many more times. This was Richard La Plante's first novel and it manages to combine many of the author's interests into one story. In a mythical time and place, the story follows the life of a young warrior-priest named Tegne. He is the child of parents from complete opposite ends of the economic and social spectrum. Tegne's mother is a beautiful albino slave woman and his father a powerful (Ghengis Khan-like) warlord. The boy's mother dies while he is still an infant and Tegne is raised by a martial monk and schooled in the ways of Classical Karate and Yoga. La Plante does a great job of weaving the web of destiny around young Tegne as the young man's life unfolds into something that he never expected. This book was written as the beginning of a trilogy and the second book, while rare, is available. It has been many years since these books came out and my guess is that La PLante has no plans to finish the series which would be a terrible shame,(Richard, if you read this review my vote is for you to finish the series). Tegne is a wonderfully rich story that allows its' readers to delve deeply into the Eastern spiritual and physical arts as well as western psychology. The story is fiction, but it is rich in archetypal symbols and plot and many will find deep truths hidden within. A great read for anyone interested in eastern thought, fantasy and just great storytelling.

This book is truely amazing. If you are a fan of of fantasy andmartial arts, this is the book for you. I have read many books in mylifetime, but this has got to be one of the best I ever read. Isuggest that you get your $... ready and order this book.

I actually bought this book over two years ago and just recently got around to reading it. I was glad I did as I found it to be an exhilirating adventure that kept me turning the pages until the climactic ending. This is a martial arts-oriented epoch that even includes a glossary of terms in the back so as to educate the reader as the story unfolds. La Plante is a martial artist and his understanding shows in the many fight sequences throughout the book. The author writes vividly and makes you feel like you are 'there' with the characters, experiencing the situation at hand. As a fantasy/ science fiction reader, I appreciated that La Plante could stick to the point of each scenario, without trailing off into endless details that only detract the reader from the point the story. He offers enough detail to prime your imagination and delivers the story succinctly and satisfiably. I would thus highly recommend this book to anyone into fantasy, martial arts and fictional works.