From the Publisher
This first volume of the Immortals Quartet tells the adventures of Daine, a young girl on the edge of discovering her own magic— and her powerful and strange connection to the animal world.
Publishers Weekly
In this first volume of a series, Pierce returns to the world and characters she introduced in her Song of the Lioness fantasy epic. Here, she tells the story of Daine, a 13-year-old orphaned girl with an extraordinary talent for communicating with animals. The teenager is swept up in the first skirmishes of a war, and is forced to master her fears and learn how to marshall her magical abilities. Trying to make the sequel to four previous novels stand on its own is no mean feat, and Pierce has a lot of exposition to relate. By telling the story through Daine's eyes, she allows new readers a chance to ``catch up'' on who's who along with her heroine. Although this device proves effective for the most part, some of the scenes are a little bewildering. However, Pierce's inventive descriptions of Daine's apprenticeship as a Mage, her riveting battles with griffins, dragons and other monsters, and her delightful, egalitarian ideals more than compensate for this minor flaw. Ages 10-up. (Oct.)
Kathleen Karr
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Children's Literature
Tamora Pierce's second fantasy quartet, "The Immortals," is now being reissued. Book I introduces its heroine, Daine, a thirteen-year-old orphan who has a way with animals. She is taken on as assistant to Onua, Keeper of the Horses for the Queen's Riders, in Pierce's mythical kingdom of Tortall. After saving the great mage Numair, and destroying a few nasty Stormwings along the way to the capital city of Corus, it soon becomes evident that Daine has more than just a way with animals. She can talk to horses, and run with wolves—not to mention her rapport with birds. All of these gifts are perfectly believable in Pierce's universe of magic. As Daine tries to work out her personal issues she becomes enmeshed in the larger dangers facing the Kingdom of Tortall. Quite naturally, she proves herself a mage in her own right, and of course helps to save the day. Like Tolkien, her inspiration, Pierce tends to condense scenes and assume much in the way of characterization. Her earlier writing style is a little in need of editing, but she—like her heroine—was still learning at this point. Yet this story, like all of Pierce's, moves fast and furiously from action to action, making it hard to put down. 2003 (orig. 1992), Atheneum, Ages 10 to 14.
Children's Literature
Although the recording cast does a top rate job infusing their characters' voices with energy, the story line is just not that interesting to sustain listeners' attention throughout the eight discs that make up this audio book. A young girl named Daine leaves her village after her family is killed In a brutal attack. Daine is hired by Onua, horse mistress to the Queen of Tortall, to take care of her horses on the way back to Pirates Swoop, Tortall's capital. Daine is afraid to disclose much about herself and her family (she does not know who her father is) because she feels like an outsider. The relationships between Daine and her mentor Onua, and Daine and some of the other denizens of Tortall, provide Daine with a sense of family as the book develops. Daine has a magical way of communicating with animals. Although she herself does not recognize this as a gift, those around her quickly do sense her power and deem it " wild magic." Because Daine can sense when animals and humans are in trouble, she saves her companions from vicious attacks by unnatural creatures such as "stormwings" and "spidrons" (half human half spiders). Stormwings wreak death and destruction in their wake. The first Stormwing attack is sensed by Daine and this gives her companions time to prepare a defense. This theme repeats itself over and over and over again. It seems as if Daine and her group are always bracing for an attack by the stormwings. The evil world lurking just beyond the dialogue sometimes intrudes in a forceful and violent way. Gruesome descriptions of these creatures and the horror they create include disturbing content, which may not be appropriate for younger listeners. In fact, although therecommended age for this recording is 10 up, this reviewer believes that a more appropriate age range is 12 up. Listeners may have a hard time identifying with or caring about the characters one way or the other. Reviewer: Jeanne K. Pettenati, J.D.
School Library Journal
Gr 5-7- In this exciting fantasy that includes some characters from Pierce's ``Song of the Lioness'' quartet (Atheneum), a young heroine named Daine, who has a special way with horses, comes to accept and perfect her own type of ``wild magic'' after she is hired as an assistant to a horse-mistress of a mythical kingdom. Daine learns to channel her healing skills and to develop her power to communicate with animals, the latter of which she uses to fight vicious immortal monsters, the Stormwings. There are many gory encounters, most of them involving female fighting champions, including Alanna, the king's champion knight. Those readers who enjoy a swashbuckling imaginative adventure will enjoy this story, which is filled with all types of creatures and all sorts of magic. Some may be a bit confused by Daine's visions and by the extent of her power, which seems to allow her to revive even the dead. The ending leaves Daine undecided as to where she will settle and certainly points the way to a sequel. --Yvonne Frey, Peoria Public Schools, IL
School Library Journal
Gr 5-7-In the first volume of the Immortals quartet by Tamora Pierce (Atheneum, 1992), Daine, a 13-year-old girl from the mountains, meets Onua, the Queen's Horse Mistress, and together they work to bring ponies in for the Queen's Riders. Along the way, they discover that Daine's talent with animals is something more-it's wild magic. Under the tutelage of the mage Numair, Daine begins to learn how to control her magic and deepens her friendships with two-leggers. She also discovers that there are "wrong" animals she can sense, ones that have somehow escaped the Divine Realms and are now roaming and raiding once more-Immortals. Daine is a likeable character, and her past and reasons for fleeing mountains are intriguing. Those around her, including Alanna from Pierce's Song of the Lioness quartet (Atheneum), are well-developed characters, making for an exciting adventure infused with magic. Set in the fantastical kingdom of Tortall, this full-cast performance of the book is a joy to listen to. The main narration is done by the author, with all the characters voiced by different actors. Unobtrusive music throughout enhances the recording. An excellent choice where Tamora Pierce books circulate well, and where there are fantasy fans who enjoy intricate world building.-Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
BookList
Alanna, protagonist of the four-book Song of the Lioness series, which begins with "Alanna: The First Adventure" and concludes with "Lioness Rampant" , plays a subsidiary role in what hopefully is the beginning of a new series set in the same well-crafted land. Shy, country-bred teenage Daine, whose family has been killed by raiders, signs on as assistant to Horsemistress Onua Chamtong, who's driving a herd of newly acquired mountain ponies to Tortall to be trained as mounts for the Queen's Riders. Though she steadfastly denies having the Gift, Daine exhibits an unusual affinity with animals and an uncanny ability to sense danger coming. As she and Onua make their way to Tortall, they encounter evil immortal creatures and rescue the mage Numair, who is trapped in the form of a hawk. This is only the beginning of an exciting tale in which Daine gradually accepts the fact that she possesses wild magic and, with Numair's help, begins to learn how to control it as she is called upon to join the deadly battle to protect the kingdom. Daine's relationship with animals, both tame and wild, is convincing, as are the characterizations of both animals and legendary creatures--the virulent, reeking stormwings and other monstrosities that attack and the proud griffins and female dragon that help Daine and her companions. A dynamic story sure to engross fantasy fans.
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