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Haven #2
No Safe Haven
Ran-Del Jahanpur still doesn’t know what his clan shaman foresaw in his vision of the future. Whatever the old man saw made him force Ran-Del to leave the forest and marry Baron Hayden's daughter. In spite of minor jealousies, Ran-Del and Francesca have forged a strong marriage. Ran-Del is still a warrior, but he's comfortable in the city partly because few people know of the psy abilities that make him so useful to the House of Hayden. Francesca is happy Ran-Del can see her thoughts well enough to know her feelings for her old flame Freddie Leong have cooled. Fortunately, psy talents are rare in the city, and no one knows the true circumstances of her marriage, not even Freddie. As heir to House Leong, Freddie has his own problems; he spends his days trying to escape his mother's iron control and ensure she never kills his father.
But not all the dangers of Haven lie in the cities. In the mountains to the north, the fiercely independent people known as the Horde have changed their ways. Instead of fighting among themselves and raiding in force, they now use cunning to get what they need. When the Horde strikes, Ran-Del and Francesca face a threat far worse than either of them ever imagined. And then finally, Ran-Del confronts his destiny.
But not all the dangers of Haven lie in the cities. In the mountains to the north, the fiercely independent people known as the Horde have changed their ways. Instead of fighting among themselves and raiding in force, they now use cunning to get what they need. When the Horde strikes, Ran-Del and Francesca face a threat far worse than either of them ever imagined. And then finally, Ran-Del confronts his destiny.
- GenresScience FictionFantasy
ebook
First published April 13, 2011
8 people are currently reading
28 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 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 2, 2022
I am now totally invested in Ran Del and Francesca’s lives…and so are they.
I have learned of Ran Del’s psy talents and Francesca’s ability to run the House of Hayden empire. They learn to work together and forge a marriage of love and commitment.
When danger strikes and life changing decisions have to be made, strange bedfellows will make for unlikely partners.
Freddie, as I learn about his situation, his heart, he doesn’t seem like such an arrogant, bad guy, as he did in The Sixth Discipline. Carmen Webster Buxton shows us that a book cannot be judged by its cover. People put up a front, give up when hitting a brick wall…or at least it seems they do. Give people a chance and they might surprise you.
Freddie will play an important role in the House of Hayden’s future.
The clan shaman had said Ran Del’s destiny was in the city and his life will come full circle.
As all the forces come together, I love how Carmen brought the story to an end. I did not see it happening the way it did, but it makes perfect sense. Well done Carmen.
I have learned of Ran Del’s psy talents and Francesca’s ability to run the House of Hayden empire. They learn to work together and forge a marriage of love and commitment.
When danger strikes and life changing decisions have to be made, strange bedfellows will make for unlikely partners.
Freddie, as I learn about his situation, his heart, he doesn’t seem like such an arrogant, bad guy, as he did in The Sixth Discipline. Carmen Webster Buxton shows us that a book cannot be judged by its cover. People put up a front, give up when hitting a brick wall…or at least it seems they do. Give people a chance and they might surprise you.
Freddie will play an important role in the House of Hayden’s future.
The clan shaman had said Ran Del’s destiny was in the city and his life will come full circle.
As all the forces come together, I love how Carmen brought the story to an end. I did not see it happening the way it did, but it makes perfect sense. Well done Carmen.
April 26, 2013
Although this book is the sequel to The Sixth Discipline it also stands up in its own right, both as an engaging story and as a description of a varied fantasy world.
The story continues the life of Ran-Del Jahanpur. However, this is an older and calmer Ran-Del, happily married with two children and a third on the way. While he still sees the value of Sansoussy culture he also accepts that the culture of the City has value. In contrast to the dismissal of different cultures that threatened his happiness as a young man, it is his son’s desire to truly experience tribal life as well as the rarefied life of the major houses that created conflict with Francesca. In contrast with Ran-Del’s quest to maintain the life he has, the story also charts the struggle of Freddie Leong, surviving son of a rival house, to break free of the life forced upon him by Ran-Del’s execution of his brother.
The first section of the book contains a number of recaps of key points from The Sixth Discipline, which serve to introduce new readers or refresh the memory. Unlike some recaps, which result in characters saying variations of “As you know….” or reading large sections of historical documents, the introduction of Ran-Del’s children as proxies for the reader combined with the new points of view from House Leong make the exposition fit seamlessly into the narrative.
As with its prequel, the character development is sound. Existing characters are recognisable but have matured over the intervening years, and new or expanded characters share the same flawed yet sympathetic viewpoint.
The further expansion of the world is also skilled. In addition to a series of fine grain details of City and Sansoussy life, this book shows the reader the society of the Horde, the child-stealing anarchist bogeymen of the first book. Just as with the comparison of the two cultures in The Sixth Discipline, Webster Buxton portrays the Horde as a real society; threatening to outsiders, but a tradition-bound descendant of compromise decisions when viewed from within. In contrast with some novels set among the faceless enemy of earlier books the narrative adds depth not contradictions or excuses.
The only part of the novel that did not work for me was the conflict in Freddie Leong’s romance; while the rest of the plots flowed naturally from the conflict of three societies and the variations within them, the romance descended into the comedy business of Elizabethan drama or French farce.
Overall I enjoyed this novel greatly, and would again recommend the world to those seeking a story set in a believably complex fantasy world.
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair review.
The story continues the life of Ran-Del Jahanpur. However, this is an older and calmer Ran-Del, happily married with two children and a third on the way. While he still sees the value of Sansoussy culture he also accepts that the culture of the City has value. In contrast to the dismissal of different cultures that threatened his happiness as a young man, it is his son’s desire to truly experience tribal life as well as the rarefied life of the major houses that created conflict with Francesca. In contrast with Ran-Del’s quest to maintain the life he has, the story also charts the struggle of Freddie Leong, surviving son of a rival house, to break free of the life forced upon him by Ran-Del’s execution of his brother.
The first section of the book contains a number of recaps of key points from The Sixth Discipline, which serve to introduce new readers or refresh the memory. Unlike some recaps, which result in characters saying variations of “As you know….” or reading large sections of historical documents, the introduction of Ran-Del’s children as proxies for the reader combined with the new points of view from House Leong make the exposition fit seamlessly into the narrative.
As with its prequel, the character development is sound. Existing characters are recognisable but have matured over the intervening years, and new or expanded characters share the same flawed yet sympathetic viewpoint.
The further expansion of the world is also skilled. In addition to a series of fine grain details of City and Sansoussy life, this book shows the reader the society of the Horde, the child-stealing anarchist bogeymen of the first book. Just as with the comparison of the two cultures in The Sixth Discipline, Webster Buxton portrays the Horde as a real society; threatening to outsiders, but a tradition-bound descendant of compromise decisions when viewed from within. In contrast with some novels set among the faceless enemy of earlier books the narrative adds depth not contradictions or excuses.
The only part of the novel that did not work for me was the conflict in Freddie Leong’s romance; while the rest of the plots flowed naturally from the conflict of three societies and the variations within them, the romance descended into the comedy business of Elizabethan drama or French farce.
Overall I enjoyed this novel greatly, and would again recommend the world to those seeking a story set in a believably complex fantasy world.
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair review.
May 12, 2013
The sequel to "The Sixth Discipline" which I got as a free download and liked well enough to immediately purchase this. Not quite as good as the initial book, unfortunately, but still an entertaining read.
In this era of series that continue indefinitely without saying anything, which I have no patience with, I have to say that I believe this book would have been better if expanded into two volumes. The main character from the first book continues in the main storyline but there are other storylines added as well. There were numerous transitions, which in some cases were a bit confusing. In some cases there were abrupt and shortened explanations and scenes which I felt would have read more smoothly with more detail.
Overall, an interesting two-book series I found very entertaining.
In this era of series that continue indefinitely without saying anything, which I have no patience with, I have to say that I believe this book would have been better if expanded into two volumes. The main character from the first book continues in the main storyline but there are other storylines added as well. There were numerous transitions, which in some cases were a bit confusing. In some cases there were abrupt and shortened explanations and scenes which I felt would have read more smoothly with more detail.
Overall, an interesting two-book series I found very entertaining.
August 26, 2015
I have to say that Carmen Webster Buxton is a very good storyteller. I'm not much into the fantasy genre but took a chance on her first novel and liked it very much (it should never have been a free download in my opinion). Because of my respect and appreciation for her work I purchased this book for $2.99. As before, this book did not disappoint. The story was told well from a variety of perspectives and was quite gripping. Highly recommended.
September 20, 2012
Better than the first... There was too much jealous whining at bitching in the first book but this one was great!
July 20, 2011
Review originally posted on my blog: http://killie-booktalk.blogspot.com/
"No Safe Haven" is the sequel to "The Sixth Discipline" and I would advise everyone to read this first as "No Safe Haven" does refer back to various incidents from that book and therefore the reader needs to have some understanding of what went on before.
The story starts the equivalent of nine earth years after the events of the first novel and once again the main plotline follows the lives of Ran-Del, Francesca and their family. I will try not to spoil the story here, but basically one of Ran-Del and Francesca's children get kidnapped and you get to follow both the parent's reaction and what is happening to the child himself. It is through this plot that we also get to find out more about the third faction on the planet Haven known as "The Horde" who were mentioned but never really seen in the first novel.
In addition, another plotline of the novel is dedicated to a secondary character from the first novel known as Freddie Leong. These sections detail his various attempts to deal with his drug addiction and rather dysfunctional family. Whilst there is a tie up between this plotline and the Ran-Del one it is very minor and at times the book feels like you are actually reading two separate stories set in the same Universe. I have no issue as it was all very enjoyable but I am curious to know if it could have been even better had both stories been split into their own novels.
I will admit that it was the Feddie Leong sections of the book that really had me hooked. The suspense, political intrigue and excitement around this plotline had me unable to put the book down for very long. The other plotlines were enjoyable as well and I was specifically happy to see that the major open plotline from the first book was closed down to a rather satisfactory ending. I did note that there was an interesting emphasis on family relationships throughout the novel. This included the good, bad and downright strange aspects of family life and I think it added very well to the character aspects of the novel.
Overall, I probably enjoyed this book slightly more than the prequel although it was also a great read. I think that the greater emphasis on some of the adventure, intrigue and suspense compared to the romance elements was probably why I preferred this one though. All I can really say thought is that if you have read "The Sixth Discipline" then make sure you pick this up as you won't be disappointed.
"No Safe Haven" is the sequel to "The Sixth Discipline" and I would advise everyone to read this first as "No Safe Haven" does refer back to various incidents from that book and therefore the reader needs to have some understanding of what went on before.
The story starts the equivalent of nine earth years after the events of the first novel and once again the main plotline follows the lives of Ran-Del, Francesca and their family. I will try not to spoil the story here, but basically one of Ran-Del and Francesca's children get kidnapped and you get to follow both the parent's reaction and what is happening to the child himself. It is through this plot that we also get to find out more about the third faction on the planet Haven known as "The Horde" who were mentioned but never really seen in the first novel.
In addition, another plotline of the novel is dedicated to a secondary character from the first novel known as Freddie Leong. These sections detail his various attempts to deal with his drug addiction and rather dysfunctional family. Whilst there is a tie up between this plotline and the Ran-Del one it is very minor and at times the book feels like you are actually reading two separate stories set in the same Universe. I have no issue as it was all very enjoyable but I am curious to know if it could have been even better had both stories been split into their own novels.
I will admit that it was the Feddie Leong sections of the book that really had me hooked. The suspense, political intrigue and excitement around this plotline had me unable to put the book down for very long. The other plotlines were enjoyable as well and I was specifically happy to see that the major open plotline from the first book was closed down to a rather satisfactory ending. I did note that there was an interesting emphasis on family relationships throughout the novel. This included the good, bad and downright strange aspects of family life and I think it added very well to the character aspects of the novel.
Overall, I probably enjoyed this book slightly more than the prequel although it was also a great read. I think that the greater emphasis on some of the adventure, intrigue and suspense compared to the romance elements was probably why I preferred this one though. All I can really say thought is that if you have read "The Sixth Discipline" then make sure you pick this up as you won't be disappointed.
May 17, 2013
As with the first novel in the series, I read the sequel almost in one sitting. I had grown fond of the characters from The Sixth Discipline and was delighted to become reacquainted with these characters as well as a few new characters who were also well drawn. I love a good adventure story! The romances in the story were handled sensitively and without much explicit detail in the sex scenes with an interesting exploration of different cultures views of love and marriage. I also share the view that the respectful alliance that may occur between different cultures and people groups potentially makes both groups stronger. Definitely a good read!
January 29, 2015
I quite like the world that Buxton's built, but it's hard to muster up a great deal of enthusiasm for much else. Her character's are somewhat two dimensional and they behave quite bizarrely in the circumstances they're put in, and the dialogue is stilted. I think the story would be quite promising if the characters were fleshed out and didn't seem to do things solely to move it along. The romances are a little disturbing, but then I don't see the appeal of people who come on strong, and Buxton's grasp on consent is tenuous at best. Not terrible for a second novel from a self-published author, though.
June 2, 2013
I read this book immediately after reading The Sixth Discipline (Haven #1). This book moves toward two 'new' relationships, which if one assumes there is to be a Haven #3, more new relationships will roll out. No thanks to that. Ran-Del was about 30% of the book at best, and it wasn't really so much about him. I'm closing the book, as it were, on any future Haven reads.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews