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Haven #1
The Sixth Discipline
Ran-Del Jahanpur is a warrior of the Sansoussy Forest, trained in both the mental and physical Disciplines of his people. He thinks he's prepared for any danger the forest might hold, but his skills prove useless when he's caught in a hi-tech trap. Soon Ran-Del finds himself in a city so alien it might as well be another world—machines speak, vehicles fly, and his captors' weapons can inflict pain without touching him. Every time Ran-Del tries to escape, he's foiled by a technology he doesn't understand. As terrifying as the city is, his kidnapper, the enigmatic Baron Hayden, exudes a jovial affability that worries the Sansoussy even more. What can such a powerful man want with a Sansoussy warrior, who can neither read nor write and knows nothing of city ways? The Baron's daughter Francesca clearly knows more than she's saying, but Ran-Del's psy sense tells him only she's being truthful, not what she's thinking. And it's only after it seems that Ran-Del has escaped the city and its dangers, that he finds out how thoroughly he has been caught.
400 pages, ebook
First published March 22, 2011
96 people are currently reading
479 people want to read
About the author
Carmen Webster Buxton
18 books31 followersI live in Maryland with my husband and a sweet-natured beagle named Cosmo, who gets me out of the house every day.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
May 9, 2013
With half-star ratings, this would have been 4 1/2 as I don't know for sure if I'm going to re-read it and my 5 star ratings are usually reserved for the books I know I'm going to keep to re-read. However, I got this as a free download (which is where 99% of my books from new to me authors come from) and I liked it well enough that I immediately purchased the sequel, something I rarely do. Thus ... 5 stars.
A few issues. Some of the description dragged a bit and occasionally the dialogue seemed a bit awkward and some of the writing could have been smoother in places. Plot was not particularly unique, a 'kidnap to add to the family' scenario, but the somewhat twist that the kidnapped is male rather than the usual female kept it from being formulaic.
Interesting juxtaposition between high tech cities and the 'barbarians' who live in remote areas with no connection to the city technology. A little off-beat and required some serious suspension of belief, but that's what fantasy is and it worked well for the storyline. I found the tensions and politics between the city cartels interesting, a sort of family business group competition as war games.
Overall, a very entertaining read.
A few issues. Some of the description dragged a bit and occasionally the dialogue seemed a bit awkward and some of the writing could have been smoother in places. Plot was not particularly unique, a 'kidnap to add to the family' scenario, but the somewhat twist that the kidnapped is male rather than the usual female kept it from being formulaic.
Interesting juxtaposition between high tech cities and the 'barbarians' who live in remote areas with no connection to the city technology. A little off-beat and required some serious suspension of belief, but that's what fantasy is and it worked well for the storyline. I found the tensions and politics between the city cartels interesting, a sort of family business group competition as war games.
Overall, a very entertaining read.
June 19, 2022
On the one hand The Sixth Discipline is the story of a culture clash set off by an arrogant nobleman hoping to stave of the predations of others of his own ilk--the ultimate powerbrokers of the planet Haven. On the other hand it is an emotional story of two young people forced into lives they never imagined. While the existence of a strong, psychically gifted “indigenous” culture in such close proximity to technically advanced cities was a bit of a stretch, I was willing to be swept along just by the sheer exuberance of Buxton’s storytelling. Two fascinating leads, Ran-Del of the Sansoussy and Francesca of the privileged elite, rebel against the path laid out for them. Only by challenging the expectations of their cultures can they possibly find their way to move forward through the political machinations that have ensnared them. The pace never lets up in this delightfully fun read.
July 12, 2012
This story had kept me up the last few nights. I wanted to find out what was going to happen next.
Character development was strong. There were no issues with keeping up with which character was doing or saying what. The depth and complexity of the characters made for interesting characters that were fascinating to follow.
The world building was very well done. The social/political/cultural structures felt very plausible and added to the story line and to the development of the characters.
The plot lines meshed together well and led to satisfactory resolutions.
I received this book for free from the author, and am glad I took a chance on it. I have added the second book to my to-read list.
Character development was strong. There were no issues with keeping up with which character was doing or saying what. The depth and complexity of the characters made for interesting characters that were fascinating to follow.
The world building was very well done. The social/political/cultural structures felt very plausible and added to the story line and to the development of the characters.
The plot lines meshed together well and led to satisfactory resolutions.
I received this book for free from the author, and am glad I took a chance on it. I have added the second book to my to-read list.
December 2, 2022
I have numerous books by Carmen Webster Buxton. I love her writing so much, I am working my way through her entire body of work. The Sixth Discipline & No Safe Haven are a science fiction duology and I don’t want to waste any time getting right to it.
Kidnapped and dropped into a foreign world, Ran Del has no idea why he was taken.
Francesca’s father has a problem…and a plan. He feels Ran Del may be the answer.
Even though Francesca’s world is familiar to me through Carmen Webster Buxton’s writing, Ran Del’s is not. He is a Sansoussy, growing up in the Sansoussy Forest. The Sansoussy have a very distinct mental and physical Discipline. The world building makes me feel Ran Del’s world is a simpler world, more respectful of the nature that surrounds them. But, there are always complexities that are not revealed to outsiders. But Carmen is willing to share their hidden world.
The characters, especially Ran Del, are the stars. It was fun watching him and Francesca grow, mature, and develop into more well rounded characters through their experiences. He’s from the woods, she’s from the city. An arranged marriage. But, there was more going on than meets the eye. Isn’t that how it usually is?
As Ran Del learns about the city and Francesca learns about the Sansoussy way, I do too.
The writing kept the story flowing smoothly, danger and intrigue amongst the every day doings. Ran Del and Francesca feel each other out, learn to share their thoughts and feelings. Can they actually fall in love? Become a family? Hold the fort against those who are determined to take them down?
I have Book II, No Safe Haven, so I will begin that pronto.
I vacillated between 3 and 4 stars. I think it was more me than the book. When that happens, I round up, so 4 stars it is.
Kidnapped and dropped into a foreign world, Ran Del has no idea why he was taken.
Francesca’s father has a problem…and a plan. He feels Ran Del may be the answer.
Even though Francesca’s world is familiar to me through Carmen Webster Buxton’s writing, Ran Del’s is not. He is a Sansoussy, growing up in the Sansoussy Forest. The Sansoussy have a very distinct mental and physical Discipline. The world building makes me feel Ran Del’s world is a simpler world, more respectful of the nature that surrounds them. But, there are always complexities that are not revealed to outsiders. But Carmen is willing to share their hidden world.
The characters, especially Ran Del, are the stars. It was fun watching him and Francesca grow, mature, and develop into more well rounded characters through their experiences. He’s from the woods, she’s from the city. An arranged marriage. But, there was more going on than meets the eye. Isn’t that how it usually is?
As Ran Del learns about the city and Francesca learns about the Sansoussy way, I do too.
The writing kept the story flowing smoothly, danger and intrigue amongst the every day doings. Ran Del and Francesca feel each other out, learn to share their thoughts and feelings. Can they actually fall in love? Become a family? Hold the fort against those who are determined to take them down?
I have Book II, No Safe Haven, so I will begin that pronto.
I vacillated between 3 and 4 stars. I think it was more me than the book. When that happens, I round up, so 4 stars it is.
November 16, 2012
I should start by saying that I haven't read fantasy since I was in my teens. I downloaded this book simply because it was free and I ran out of books on my kindle at a time when I had a few hours where I would be sitting alone. I was pleasantly surprised by the authors writing style and voice. I read this book in 3 days and was drawn back to the storyline several times, anxious to know what would happen next. Although I'm glad it was, this book should not be free. Highly recommended.
March 22, 2018
I greatly enjoyed this book. The characters are well developed as is the plot. I also appreciated the interplay between the different sets of culture and how while different, both of the main characters did their best to honor their respective culture.
Came back just to say that I liked this so much that I bought the next book in the series, even though I was trying not to spend any more on books this month. That should tell you how much I enjoyed it.
Came back just to say that I liked this so much that I bought the next book in the series, even though I was trying not to spend any more on books this month. That should tell you how much I enjoyed it.
November 4, 2020
Interesting
I really liked this series. It was an interesting story which kept me reading until there were no more words. I am pretty sure I need to continue this series and everyone else should give it a go too
I really liked this series. It was an interesting story which kept me reading until there were no more words. I am pretty sure I need to continue this series and everyone else should give it a go too
November 19, 2012
I found this book to be kind of slow-paced, but still decent. The main thing keeping me from buying the sequel, No Safe Haven, is residual anger at Ran-Del and, to a certain extent, Francesca. More on that below.
In the first third of the book, readers learn about city dweller and Sansoussy culture through the eyes of characters who know as little as they do. Although Ran-Del has been kidnapped, Stefan wants him to come to like living in the city, so he's perfectly willing to answer whatever questions Ran-Del may have. Then, when Francesca stays briefly with Ran-Del's people, she gets to ask basic questions about Sansoussy life. I appreciated that neither city dweller life nor Sansoussy life was depicted as wholly “good” or “bad,” although it seemed like the book paid more attention to the nitty gritty details of Sansoussy life than it did city dweller life.
While I liked Ran-Del and Francesca's question-and-answer sessions at first, I eventually got to the point where I wished Buxton had incorporated information about the different cultures into the story more smoothly. I was happy when the story moved on to its next big phase, Ran-Del and Francesca's marriage. Unfortunately, that part became increasingly frustrating and stressful for me, to the point that I checked whether there was a sequel just so I could find out whether Ran-Del and Francesca were still married by the end of the book without actually looking at the last few pages.
When I first started reading the book, I felt more sympathy for Ran-Del than any of the other characters. I gradually grew to like Francesca, though. She did what she could to make it easier for Ran-Del to get back to his people, and I loved that, when things started to get a little steamy between her and Ran-Del, she stopped things enough to give Ran-Del an opportunity to decide whether he really wanted to go further (Sansoussy people only have sex after marriage, so Francesca was more sexually experienced than Ran-Del). I couldn't imagine Francesca and Ran-Del getting married and actually being happy together, but I did come to like and sympathize with them both.
After they made their marriage 100% binding for both their cultures, things changed, and I began to get more and more frustrated and annoyed with Ran-Del and Francesca, but mostly with Ran-Del (I can't reveal my reasons for getting upset with Francesca without including a spoiler, so I'm just not going to go into that bit). Ran-Del had made such a big deal about Sansoussy marriages, and how Francesca needed to realize that she couldn't sleep with other men, and how he of course would never even think of sleeping with any woman but her. And then he proceeded to spend a lot of time with Janis, a woman who he knew was interested in him and didn't care that he was married. He got angry when Francesca felt jealous, conveniently forgetting that, unlike him, Francesca couldn't read his emotions and know for a fact that he wasn't cheating on her.
There were a few times I came very close to hating Ran-Del for the way he handled the situation between himself, Janis, and Francesca. I wasn't sure what sort of ending the book was moving towards – since this was a science fiction novel, and not romance, a happy ending wasn't guaranteed. Although the description of the sequel told me that Ran-Del and Francesca would still be married by the end of the book, I couldn't imagine how Buxton would make me believe in the longevity of their relationship. I didn't really want them to stay together, but I didn't know how Francesca would deal with the threats against the House of Hayden without the aid of Ran-Del's special abilities.
Surprisingly, Buxton did manage to convince me that Ran-Del and Francesca's marriage could work. I wish the deciding moment hadn't come so late in the book, and I wish I could believe that Ran-Del and Francesca would handle future bumps in their relationship better. If I do get the sequel, it will be some time from now, because the idea of reading more about the two of them still stresses me out a little. I loved the book's exploration of two very different cultures, and I liked both Francesca and Ran-Del as individuals, but as a couple they were kind of nerve-wracking. I might take a look at some of the other books Buxton has written, instead.
(Original review, with read-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
In the first third of the book, readers learn about city dweller and Sansoussy culture through the eyes of characters who know as little as they do. Although Ran-Del has been kidnapped, Stefan wants him to come to like living in the city, so he's perfectly willing to answer whatever questions Ran-Del may have. Then, when Francesca stays briefly with Ran-Del's people, she gets to ask basic questions about Sansoussy life. I appreciated that neither city dweller life nor Sansoussy life was depicted as wholly “good” or “bad,” although it seemed like the book paid more attention to the nitty gritty details of Sansoussy life than it did city dweller life.
While I liked Ran-Del and Francesca's question-and-answer sessions at first, I eventually got to the point where I wished Buxton had incorporated information about the different cultures into the story more smoothly. I was happy when the story moved on to its next big phase, Ran-Del and Francesca's marriage. Unfortunately, that part became increasingly frustrating and stressful for me, to the point that I checked whether there was a sequel just so I could find out whether Ran-Del and Francesca were still married by the end of the book without actually looking at the last few pages.
When I first started reading the book, I felt more sympathy for Ran-Del than any of the other characters. I gradually grew to like Francesca, though. She did what she could to make it easier for Ran-Del to get back to his people, and I loved that, when things started to get a little steamy between her and Ran-Del, she stopped things enough to give Ran-Del an opportunity to decide whether he really wanted to go further (Sansoussy people only have sex after marriage, so Francesca was more sexually experienced than Ran-Del). I couldn't imagine Francesca and Ran-Del getting married and actually being happy together, but I did come to like and sympathize with them both.
After they made their marriage 100% binding for both their cultures, things changed, and I began to get more and more frustrated and annoyed with Ran-Del and Francesca, but mostly with Ran-Del (I can't reveal my reasons for getting upset with Francesca without including a spoiler, so I'm just not going to go into that bit). Ran-Del had made such a big deal about Sansoussy marriages, and how Francesca needed to realize that she couldn't sleep with other men, and how he of course would never even think of sleeping with any woman but her. And then he proceeded to spend a lot of time with Janis, a woman who he knew was interested in him and didn't care that he was married. He got angry when Francesca felt jealous, conveniently forgetting that, unlike him, Francesca couldn't read his emotions and know for a fact that he wasn't cheating on her.
There were a few times I came very close to hating Ran-Del for the way he handled the situation between himself, Janis, and Francesca. I wasn't sure what sort of ending the book was moving towards – since this was a science fiction novel, and not romance, a happy ending wasn't guaranteed. Although the description of the sequel told me that Ran-Del and Francesca would still be married by the end of the book, I couldn't imagine how Buxton would make me believe in the longevity of their relationship. I didn't really want them to stay together, but I didn't know how Francesca would deal with the threats against the House of Hayden without the aid of Ran-Del's special abilities.
Surprisingly, Buxton did manage to convince me that Ran-Del and Francesca's marriage could work. I wish the deciding moment hadn't come so late in the book, and I wish I could believe that Ran-Del and Francesca would handle future bumps in their relationship better. If I do get the sequel, it will be some time from now, because the idea of reading more about the two of them still stresses me out a little. I loved the book's exploration of two very different cultures, and I liked both Francesca and Ran-Del as individuals, but as a couple they were kind of nerve-wracking. I might take a look at some of the other books Buxton has written, instead.
(Original review, with read-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
March 15, 2013
Unlike some stories that culture clash as a motif, this novel both features action by characters from each culture in both cultures and portrays neither culture as ultimately lesser to the other.
The book tells the story of Ran-Del Jahanpur, a warrior from a forest tribe that focus on mental discipline and aim to live in tune with nature. He is kidnapped by Baron Hayden, a noble from a technologically advanced city, who keeps him prisoner, but otherwise treats him as an honoured guest. Despite the empathy granted by his training, Ran-Del struggles to understand both the Baron's plans and the society that holds him.
With a plot that moves back and forth between the forest and the city, the novel skilfully balances the benefits and disadvantages of psychic and technological solutions and the cultures that have grown up around them.
I found Ran-Del to be a well-developed character. His social and moral choices are sometimes better and sometimes worse than others, making him neither the noble savage or the uncultured rural. He also displays an entirely believable assumption that, having grown up feeling if people are lying himself, everyone will know that he is telling the truth if he denies wrongdoing.
The other main characters have similar depth, each displaying a personal reaction to the facets of other culture that they meet. This complexity of response makes both the growing friendships and fledgling rivalries more meaningful and the sudden elevation of a minor character to significance more believable.
The speed and ease with which Ran-Del became able to function in the city seemed unrealistically fast. However this is mostly due to the elision of the repeated little conflicts that is common to most stories dealing with potential integration into an alien culture, and is preferable to too much exposition of the differences.
Overall I found this story very enjoyable. I would recommend it to people who like fantasy or science-fiction set in a complex societies.
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair review.
The book tells the story of Ran-Del Jahanpur, a warrior from a forest tribe that focus on mental discipline and aim to live in tune with nature. He is kidnapped by Baron Hayden, a noble from a technologically advanced city, who keeps him prisoner, but otherwise treats him as an honoured guest. Despite the empathy granted by his training, Ran-Del struggles to understand both the Baron's plans and the society that holds him.
With a plot that moves back and forth between the forest and the city, the novel skilfully balances the benefits and disadvantages of psychic and technological solutions and the cultures that have grown up around them.
I found Ran-Del to be a well-developed character. His social and moral choices are sometimes better and sometimes worse than others, making him neither the noble savage or the uncultured rural. He also displays an entirely believable assumption that, having grown up feeling if people are lying himself, everyone will know that he is telling the truth if he denies wrongdoing.
The other main characters have similar depth, each displaying a personal reaction to the facets of other culture that they meet. This complexity of response makes both the growing friendships and fledgling rivalries more meaningful and the sudden elevation of a minor character to significance more believable.
The speed and ease with which Ran-Del became able to function in the city seemed unrealistically fast. However this is mostly due to the elision of the repeated little conflicts that is common to most stories dealing with potential integration into an alien culture, and is preferable to too much exposition of the differences.
Overall I found this story very enjoyable. I would recommend it to people who like fantasy or science-fiction set in a complex societies.
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair review.
July 5, 2011
Full review is available at my blog : http://killie-booktalk.blogspot.com
I have read various other comments on this book describing it as a romance novel with some sci-fi elements thrown in. However whilst reading it I really never thought of it as being an overly romantic novel, so if you normally avoid this genre, don't let any comments about the romance aspects put you off picking it and giving it a read.
The story itself is very interesting and imaginative although I have to admit that I did find the premise behind Ran-Del's kidnapping rather weak and far-fetched at first. However, the reasons for the kidnapping are developed as the novel progresses and by midway through the novel I was willing to accept it may have been a plausible action for the people involved. The novel is relatively long compared to some of the other self-publicised novels I have read and is told in a slow and steady pace. However, the pace and length didn't cause me any issues as I don't believe there was any parts that were surplus to requirements and I enjoyed the author's writing style.
I have read various other comments on this book describing it as a romance novel with some sci-fi elements thrown in. However whilst reading it I really never thought of it as being an overly romantic novel, so if you normally avoid this genre, don't let any comments about the romance aspects put you off picking it and giving it a read.
The story itself is very interesting and imaginative although I have to admit that I did find the premise behind Ran-Del's kidnapping rather weak and far-fetched at first. However, the reasons for the kidnapping are developed as the novel progresses and by midway through the novel I was willing to accept it may have been a plausible action for the people involved. The novel is relatively long compared to some of the other self-publicised novels I have read and is told in a slow and steady pace. However, the pace and length didn't cause me any issues as I don't believe there was any parts that were surplus to requirements and I enjoyed the author's writing style.
June 29, 2013
First book in a new series intrduces Ran-del who was a member of the Sansoussey Clan. They lived in the forest in a rather primitive style and had psy (empathatic) sight. They also had the Six Disciplines to designate the strengh of their psy and help them contol it. Francesca was a member of the House of Hayden in Shangri-La where everything was technologically bound. They had never met or knew that each other's clans existed until her father kidnapped Ran-del. The two worlds came into a immediate clash as Francesca's father intended for her to marry Ran-del and thus put off a take over or consolidation of their House with other powerful cartel Houses. What happens when total opposites with different moral values meet? Just how did her father think this was ever going to work. Some minor sexual content, so could possibly be okay for HS students, but not lower.
May 16, 2013
I began reading The Sixth Discipline on an early Saturday morning, when I awoke early and thought that I would read a few pages before falling asleep again. Instead, I spent the next hours of the morning becoming engrossed in the story, and finishing it in one sitting! The main characters were well-drawn, and I cared about each one. The author also did an excellent job of portraying the different realms and showing cultural differences between different people groups. Although I prefer straight-out adventure in my reading, and do not read much romance, I enjoyed the romantic tension that built up between the hero and heroine and thought it to be a great portrayal of the adage, "opposites attract". I'm planning to pick up the sequel as soon as possible.
July 28, 2012
I received this book free on Amazon and I enjoyed the story very much however, halfway through the book I found a change in the writing. It read very differently than it had in the beginning and the story changed. I thought maybe the writer had used this change of style because it was difficult to describe the Shangri-la as anything but cold and dull. I could tell that maybe the author liked life in Ran-Del's forest better and found it easier to write about. Anyway, I enjoyed this futuristic fantasy, love story very much and purchased the sequel so I could follow Ran-Del and Francesca into their future.
August 5, 2016
I just finished both of your Haven books & thought they were great, both very well written with a great depth of character. I am already missing the world you made me visualize so clearly! I visited your page today to see if there was any news on a third one but couldn't find anything. I hope you haven't finished the story just yet!
January 5, 2013
This is a well-written book with strong character development and a compelling plot, but it's almost a misnomer to call it science fiction. It's actually much more of a love story, and the location was really irrelevant. An enjoyable read, never the less.
September 11, 2013
Charming and exciting
Earth is a distant memory to the people of Haven. Where there is forest, there are people living off the land. There are cities also with advanced technologies. Do they dare mingle?
Earth is a distant memory to the people of Haven. Where there is forest, there are people living off the land. There are cities also with advanced technologies. Do they dare mingle?
January 10, 2014
Fantastic book, story, journey! LOVE
April 2, 2014
dont usually like love stories but this one slips up on you.and especially liked the fact that it was not a sneakily contrived pornographic novel and not thinly veiled erotica.
March 21, 2016
Great story
Very well developed characters and a wonderful story. I was fascinated with the development of the two very diverse cultures.
Very well developed characters and a wonderful story. I was fascinated with the development of the two very diverse cultures.
May 17, 2019
The Sixth Discipline (Haven) by Carmen Webster Buxton
I really liked this story and found myself immersed from the first page and onward.
The Sixth Discipline is yet one more of those kidnapped novels that seem so popular out there. What makes this one different for me was the way it grabbed my interest from the start and kept it. It was not the intense action and a massive seat of the pants type of hook that every other author seems to think the reader needs. It was more a subtle gentle drawing into the mystery that surrounds the story. It kept me reading it almost straight through.(I did have to stop to sleep and then go to work.)
The story starts with Ran-Del a simple hunter of the Sansoussy people of the Falling Water Clan. Only we quickly find that there is nothing simple about the Sansoussy people. Right away we are acquainted with the Disciplines as Ran-Del uses them to calm himself after being shot with some sort of paralyzing agent. The people who capture him are from the city and seem to know a lot about his people. Once they realize their massive dose has failed to render him unconscious (via the disciplines) they give him something more to make him collapse into darkness.
I found that even though the excitement in most of the scenes seemed a bit muted when compared with many action yarns, Carmen Webster Buxton knows how to tell a good story well; blending mystery and intrigue and romance. Ran-Del's character is interesting and I quite agree with his attitude toward being kidnapped. And though his primary kidnapper seems to have a good self justifiable reason for this crime Baron Stefan Haydon could seriously work on his methods. It could almost be comical when his daughter, Francesca seems to alternately go along almost complacently sometimes and other times is on the verge of rebellion against her father's strange plan. Either way kidnapping is kidnapping and that's really no way to find your daughter a good mate or to make friends.
Partly by plan and part by accident or perhaps part by way of the Psy/Precog nature of the Falling Water Clan Stefan's plans go just a bit south when the tables get turned. His daughter gets a chance to experience this whole thing from the other side and the reader gets to find that the Falling Water Clan is almost as bat crazy as Francesca's father in the form of Ran-Del's Great grandfather a shaman who is a seer who has a vision about Ran-del and Francesca.
Stefan Hayden wants to preserve his family line and fortune and ensure his daughter's safety in a city that is full of rich families that truck in plots and intrigue and his worries will prove to be well founded. His solution is to bring in an outsider (Ran-Del) who has special empathic abilities that will help his daughter survive especially if something happens to Stefan.
Ran-Del's clan is all about family and continuing the family line. But the shaman (his great grandfather) seems to have that handled even if he must give up his family's youngest male in the line, Ran-Del.
So the question becomes can larceny and destiny lead to true love? There is certainly a lot to love about these two potential lovers.
There's a whole lot of interesting world-building as we learn both about the city people and the Sansoussy people along with the estranged couple as they each try to cope within the others world. At some point midst the alternating kidnappings the reluctant couple find themselves being thrust into a sort of arranged deranged engagement.
Carmen Webster Buxton has a style of writing that is easy flowing and if there are any sentence structure problems they somehow got past me as I whipped through the pages. I did find a few problems of missing words, but over all I'd say less than a handful of nitpicks, although for those sensitive to those issues you may see a few.
This is good SFF Young Adult Romance Adventure and though usually the kidnap/love stories make me cringe because of the improbability of seriously falling in love with your kidnapper, this one at least balances the tables on the players and manages to deliver some good character interaction.
J.L. Dobias
I really liked this story and found myself immersed from the first page and onward.
The Sixth Discipline is yet one more of those kidnapped novels that seem so popular out there. What makes this one different for me was the way it grabbed my interest from the start and kept it. It was not the intense action and a massive seat of the pants type of hook that every other author seems to think the reader needs. It was more a subtle gentle drawing into the mystery that surrounds the story. It kept me reading it almost straight through.(I did have to stop to sleep and then go to work.)
The story starts with Ran-Del a simple hunter of the Sansoussy people of the Falling Water Clan. Only we quickly find that there is nothing simple about the Sansoussy people. Right away we are acquainted with the Disciplines as Ran-Del uses them to calm himself after being shot with some sort of paralyzing agent. The people who capture him are from the city and seem to know a lot about his people. Once they realize their massive dose has failed to render him unconscious (via the disciplines) they give him something more to make him collapse into darkness.
I found that even though the excitement in most of the scenes seemed a bit muted when compared with many action yarns, Carmen Webster Buxton knows how to tell a good story well; blending mystery and intrigue and romance. Ran-Del's character is interesting and I quite agree with his attitude toward being kidnapped. And though his primary kidnapper seems to have a good self justifiable reason for this crime Baron Stefan Haydon could seriously work on his methods. It could almost be comical when his daughter, Francesca seems to alternately go along almost complacently sometimes and other times is on the verge of rebellion against her father's strange plan. Either way kidnapping is kidnapping and that's really no way to find your daughter a good mate or to make friends.
Partly by plan and part by accident or perhaps part by way of the Psy/Precog nature of the Falling Water Clan Stefan's plans go just a bit south when the tables get turned. His daughter gets a chance to experience this whole thing from the other side and the reader gets to find that the Falling Water Clan is almost as bat crazy as Francesca's father in the form of Ran-Del's Great grandfather a shaman who is a seer who has a vision about Ran-del and Francesca.
Stefan Hayden wants to preserve his family line and fortune and ensure his daughter's safety in a city that is full of rich families that truck in plots and intrigue and his worries will prove to be well founded. His solution is to bring in an outsider (Ran-Del) who has special empathic abilities that will help his daughter survive especially if something happens to Stefan.
Ran-Del's clan is all about family and continuing the family line. But the shaman (his great grandfather) seems to have that handled even if he must give up his family's youngest male in the line, Ran-Del.
So the question becomes can larceny and destiny lead to true love? There is certainly a lot to love about these two potential lovers.
There's a whole lot of interesting world-building as we learn both about the city people and the Sansoussy people along with the estranged couple as they each try to cope within the others world. At some point midst the alternating kidnappings the reluctant couple find themselves being thrust into a sort of arranged deranged engagement.
Carmen Webster Buxton has a style of writing that is easy flowing and if there are any sentence structure problems they somehow got past me as I whipped through the pages. I did find a few problems of missing words, but over all I'd say less than a handful of nitpicks, although for those sensitive to those issues you may see a few.
This is good SFF Young Adult Romance Adventure and though usually the kidnap/love stories make me cringe because of the improbability of seriously falling in love with your kidnapper, this one at least balances the tables on the players and manages to deliver some good character interaction.
J.L. Dobias
April 30, 2020
Ms. Buxton has done a really good job of creating a colony world where Terrans landed and established three very different societies. Her story features a fascinating interaction of two of those societies in the persons of two young people meeting under unpromising circumstances, getting betrothed in archaic form and marrying in haste during a horrible personal tragedy. How do I describe this novel? A young adult adventure? A fairy tale retelling romance? A thrilling tale of political intrigue and espionage? A epic of societal change? This is the story has all of those in it, with elements from Stevenson's Kidnapped, the Brothers Grimm's Rapunzel, Martin's Song of Ice and Fire, and Modesitt's Imager Portfolio or Recluse Saga. I enjoyed this book a lot.
October 6, 2020
I actually really enjoyed this book! I really enjoyed the female lead, she felt very real. And the idea of it being futuristic but also kind of set back was fascinating. I don’t want to give too much away and you may want to stick with it if it slows up too much because it’s worth it and I’m excited to read the second!
November 19, 2021
very interesting story
I enjoyed this story a lot and found the characters very interesting. I think that the outlook of the main character was something that society could emulate to improve it.
I enjoyed this story a lot and found the characters very interesting. I think that the outlook of the main character was something that society could emulate to improve it.
April 5, 2022
Deceiving Cover
Thought this was going to be a romance novel based on the cover art. Instead it is a well written sci-fi mystery with some romantic plot. Great character development and action throughout.
Thought this was going to be a romance novel based on the cover art. Instead it is a well written sci-fi mystery with some romantic plot. Great character development and action throughout.
July 17, 2020
......I want more.
March 8, 2025
I really liked it.
November 24, 2020
An interesting book which didn't go in the direction I was expecting and was all the better for it.
January 24, 2016
Set in a far-distant future, The Sixth Discipline (Haven), is both a teen romance and bottom-up world-building science fiction novel.
A few percentage points into the e-book rugged beauty Ran-Del, a noble savage (Dryden’s not Dickens’), is kidnapped while hunting and awakens in a materialist hellscape of climate-controlled interiors, artificial lighting, and hot showers. His captors, though amiable, are city-dwellers and come armed with technology with which to zap Ran-Del whenever he tries to flee.
Without bow and arrow his only defenses are the Disciplines; the sixth Discipline from the title refers to the highest state in which the practitioner slows the heart rate to nothing. Yet “death be not proud” young Ran-Del! The noble savage has more to learn about honor and the Machiavellian plans of city-folk.
Enter headstrong, spoiled daddy’s girl, Francesca, fretting over whom to marry among a rogues’ gallery of bachelors maneuvering for the family fortune; that is until an exotic present wrapped in restraints is placed at her feet. It is perhaps enough to remember The Sixth Discipline is a romance novel and let inquiries into the Stockholm Syndrome be.
Fans of Gone with the Wind will notice some of Scarlett O’Hare in Francesca. Sole heiress to the Hayden estate, Carmen Webster Buxton’s protagonist works within the southern belle archetype while rebelling against it with sexual profligacy, independence, and emotional outbursts.
Crises and a power-struggle among the baronies has the inexperienced baroness desperately struggling for the means with which to safeguard the family fortune as well as her life from enemies both within and outside the Hayden compound’s protective force-field. Can she learn to trust an outsider with her heart and wealth? Or will neighboring cartels bid successfully for an overthrow through either marriage or assassination?
The prose-style in The Sixth Discipline is competent, clear, and bland. Those familiar with the Twilight saga and the early Harry Potter books will recognize the same poverty in language against the investment in plot (The Sixth Discipline is the start of a series as well).
As a side note, it is impossible not to notice—and appreciate—an author’s wink when the illiterate Ran-Del comments on the aesthetic superiority of the printed over the electronic book.
A few percentage points into the e-book rugged beauty Ran-Del, a noble savage (Dryden’s not Dickens’), is kidnapped while hunting and awakens in a materialist hellscape of climate-controlled interiors, artificial lighting, and hot showers. His captors, though amiable, are city-dwellers and come armed with technology with which to zap Ran-Del whenever he tries to flee.
Without bow and arrow his only defenses are the Disciplines; the sixth Discipline from the title refers to the highest state in which the practitioner slows the heart rate to nothing. Yet “death be not proud” young Ran-Del! The noble savage has more to learn about honor and the Machiavellian plans of city-folk.
Enter headstrong, spoiled daddy’s girl, Francesca, fretting over whom to marry among a rogues’ gallery of bachelors maneuvering for the family fortune; that is until an exotic present wrapped in restraints is placed at her feet. It is perhaps enough to remember The Sixth Discipline is a romance novel and let inquiries into the Stockholm Syndrome be.
Fans of Gone with the Wind will notice some of Scarlett O’Hare in Francesca. Sole heiress to the Hayden estate, Carmen Webster Buxton’s protagonist works within the southern belle archetype while rebelling against it with sexual profligacy, independence, and emotional outbursts.
Crises and a power-struggle among the baronies has the inexperienced baroness desperately struggling for the means with which to safeguard the family fortune as well as her life from enemies both within and outside the Hayden compound’s protective force-field. Can she learn to trust an outsider with her heart and wealth? Or will neighboring cartels bid successfully for an overthrow through either marriage or assassination?
The prose-style in The Sixth Discipline is competent, clear, and bland. Those familiar with the Twilight saga and the early Harry Potter books will recognize the same poverty in language against the investment in plot (The Sixth Discipline is the start of a series as well).
As a side note, it is impossible not to notice—and appreciate—an author’s wink when the illiterate Ran-Del comments on the aesthetic superiority of the printed over the electronic book.
July 26, 2012
I think this might be an SF Romance. It is a future world settled from Earth with three stongly contrasting cultures. A warrior is taken from his forest home to the strangeness of a city because of the needs and arrogance of a father who wants to protect his daughter and save his house from destruction at the greedy hands of competing families. What unfolds is not only a marriage of convenience story between Ran-Del and Francesca but one in which Ran-Del must create a new way of being in the world for himself. There are expected trials and tribulations to overcome and I very much liked that Ran-Del stayed prickly and that his adjustment wasn't made straight forward or easy. This was shown on a number of levels from the expectations both he and Francesca had of being married and to the question of who really are the barbarians - the poisonous, cut throat city culture or the hierarchical and harsh forest people culture. Events are seen primarily from ran-Del's perspective.
July 25, 2011
Though I believe this story could have been spectacular, I believe even more so that it was not brought to it's full potential. I liked the idea behind the story, and parts of the book were exciting at times. But because of the long lulls in the plot, and the bouts of poor sentence structure, I can't say that I enjoyed the story thoroughly enough to want to continue in that world and read the next book.
See the entire review at Sift: http://www.siftreviews.com/2011/06/si...
Review by: Kayelee of Sift Book Reviews
Sift Book Reviews received a free copy for review from the author. This has, in no way, affected the reviewer's opinion.
See the entire review at Sift: http://www.siftreviews.com/2011/06/si...
Review by: Kayelee of Sift Book Reviews
Sift Book Reviews received a free copy for review from the author. This has, in no way, affected the reviewer's opinion.
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