Heir of Autumn

Heartstone Trilogy #1

by Giles Carwyn, Todd Fahnestock

Children of the Seasons rule the city-state of Ohndarien, a bastion of freedom and justice in a brutal world. But their brightest star, Brophy, the Heir of Autumn, has been falsely accused of murder, and the utopia falls to treachery and deceit. Exiled to an enemy kingdom, Brophy's only hope for survival lies in the deadly gladiatorial game of Nine Squares—and in the uncertain favors of a beautiful queen. And Ohndarien's struggle for peace and liberty falls under deeper shadow when evil powers, lost for centuries, wake in the wilderness, and an ancient terror walks the world again.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

608 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The free city of Ohndarien, built by survivors of fallen Efften three hundred years ago to control the passage between the Great Ocean and the Summer Sea (resulting in a great deal of wealth and influence), is governed by a council called the Children of the Seasons, direct descendants of the original four founding families.

Brophy is the heir of Autumn and will one day take the Test of the Heartstone, driving a shard of diamond into his heart. If it doesn't kill him he will take his father's place, who hasn't been seen in about thirteen years. There is only one Brother left in the city, Krellis, the middle son of the Physendrian king who had come with an army to take Ohndarien but was seduced by the Sister of Autumn, Brophy's aunt Baelandra, into forsaking his hated brother's army and joining the Council.

Brophy is fifteen and still sees the world through innocent eyes, believing the best of people, including his best friend, Krellis' son Trent. Until a drunken fall from a spire of rock kills Trent, and with his dying breath he condemns Brophy. The trial is a farce, manipulated by Krellis who seeks to disband the Council and rule Ohndarien himself. Brophy is the last surviving male heir of the Children of the Seasons, and exiling him is the best way to get rid of him, especially when he sends hired killers to finish him off in the desert.

Rescued by his aunt Baelandra's friend and spy, Scythe, Brophy next finds himself in Physen, the capital of Physendria as that country prepares to once more beseige Ohndarien. While he wants nothing more than to go home and kill Krellis, he must instead compete in the Game of Nine Squares, an ingenious entertainment that sees many families bereft of their sons. But a Champion of Nine Squares has popularity, power and influence, and Brophy's sponser is the beautiful, seductive Queen Ossamyr.

Meanwhile his best friend Shara, a Zelani (sorceror) in training, graduates but finds herself a pawn of her teacher, Krellis' brother Victeris, who subjects her to the most vile abuse. And, across the ocean, the lost Brothers battle to protect an evil that, unleashed, could result in the end of the world.

This is a wonderful story, the plotlines complex yet easily understood, the characters well-crafted and depicted with close familiarity. The female characters are strong, the males a bit more to type but still with refreshing shades of grey I was very impressed, especially seeing as it was written by two people - how do they do that? Who writes what? It never reads like it has two different voices.

Often exciting and gripping, at the end quite sad (sacrifices always get me), it's original and different yet very much a part of the genre. The story switches between characters quite often but never leaves you behind, and you get plenty of time to understand each character. I loved how the characters' intentions, schemes and motivations change, plans get scrapped or fall apart, and although there is often that feeling of "Oh no....", the outcome you expect is not so predictable.

I do wonder at Brophy's age, though. It's the only thing that bugs me. He just seemed too young for a lot of the things he did. I'm not questioning his maturity level, or how much he grows, as much as his appearance. Described as tall, often taller than other men, and fit (having been trained since very young in various fighting techniques), I just kept picturing him as more of a young man than a teenager. Seventeen, nineteen would have made more sense to me.

The other thing I loved was an analogy I noticed between the powerful, ambitious and greedy mages of Efften, the ancestors of Ohndarien, and our own situation today. This sums it up quite well:

But power comes with a price. The magic they used created a backlash of hatred and resentment from the people they controlled. This black emmeria began to consume Efften and her slaves. But rather than change their ways or curb their ambitions, the mages found a trick to avoid paying that price. They created stones that would contain the black emmeria, storage bins for the refuse of their magical greed. (p.484)

See what I mean? I love how fantasy and sci-fi can explore issues that trouble us. For me, disappointing fantasy is fantasy that repeats the usual cliches and stereotypes without doing anything new with them, and tells a simple good-against-evil story that teaches us nothing new. Heir of Autumn is not black-and-white, the characters are not straight-forward, and there are enough original, unique features to the story that I am very happy with this debut, and I'm looking forward to the next one, Mistress of Winter.

[Richard Berrigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has a powerful ending but I'm deeply saddened by it. This is one of those books where the author(s) dangles this wonderful romance with beautiful young lovers in front of you, long enough to make you feel like there is love and hope in the world, and then they slam it on the ground and crush it beneath their pessimistic heels, grinding it to powder just to watch your reaction. If you read the synopsis for the next two books, the rift between Brophy and Shara never heals. I hate it when authors do that shit. My real life has plenty of disappointments, so I pick up fantasy so I can live vicariously through a hero who actually has the power to affect his circumstances unlike me. I don't like when fantasy stops me from dreaming. (I forget the genre name, nobledark? Idk) Maybe I'm a romantic, but that doesn't mean anything is wrong with me. On the same token there isn't necessarily anything wrong with this book either, but if you're a romantic like me, stay away from this title. It will bring dark clouds over your mood. Go read Jane Eyre ;)

Also the whole 9 squares saga was boring. I only cared about Brophy and Shara getting together.

[Bertrand · Rating 4 out of 5]

After just a few pages, the tone is set. The setting of the trilogy is quickly described and reminds both Middle Ages and Antiquity. As said above few details are spilled over the world where the scene is taking place and you feel right away that the focus is going to be on both characters and storyline. Ohndarien: a gigantic city protected by a great wall and headed by a Council whose power is hereditary but conditioned by a terrible test. Ohndarien and his hostile neighbours, its melting-pot, its wealth and its unstable power.

The novel mixes very well political plots, romance, mysticism, adventure and action. I loved such diversity as it makes the story a little complex and surprising at times for the reader. Despite this apparent mess, the book is actually very easy to read and dive into for a simple reason: it has a strong story. It is quite obvious that the authors have worked the scenario inside out and wrapped it up in an efficient way (it is actually not far from being a turn-pager).

There is a layer of mystery and mysticism which spices things up. Former Council members have disappeared, a child is kept asleep... I won't say more but this element is in my view very well used and strengthening the story.

Although the pitch sounds quite complex, it is well served by a very simple and smooth writing. This is actually High Fantasy written as a thriller. You actually feel the authors focus on the core of the story which is a good point in my book.

A few regrets? First of all Heir of Autumn, just as a lot of American fantasy lacks provocative angles and is overly clean in my view: characters look very much like super heroes, love is the apogee of a human life, etc. Nothing really bad but everything seemed a bit too over the top to my own taste. Secondly I had a hard time figuring out the role of sex in the book. Not that I've been shocked in any way, but I just could not see how sex was supporting the story. I guess it's another trend in fantasy we have to live with.


Bingo! Un message du facteur dans ma boîte aux lettres et quelques heures plus tard mes doigts grassouillets palpent le premier tome d'une trilogie qui, au vu du quatrième de couverture, s'annonce épique.
Le bouquin est écrit à quatre mains par deux illustres inconnus (inconnus par moi en tout cas) sur lesquels je me suis empressé de faire une recherche. Nada, de la bleusaille visiblement. Tant mieux, je partirai sans aucun a priori.

Au bout de quelques pages le ton est donné. L'univers est très vite posé et oscille entre l'antique et le moyenâgeux tout en fleurant bon l'Orient. Il est décrit dans les (très) grandes lignes et on sent bien que les personnages et l'intrigue se taillent la part du lion. Ohndarien: une ville gigantesque entourée de murailles imprenables et dirigée par un Conseil dont la succession est héréditaire mais conditionnée par le passage d'une épreuve terrible. Ohndarien, ses voisins hostiles mais toujours repoussés, son multi-culturalisme, sa prospérité mais surtout son pouvoir déstabilisé.

Le roman mêle avec un certain brio complots politiques, romance, mysticisme, aventure avec quand même un peu d'action pour les warriors que vous êtes. Ce côté "à boire et à manger" m'a paru très plaisant parce que le récit est plus complexe qu'il n'y paraît et que le lecteur se laisse régulièrement désarçonner (en douceur) au fil de la lecture. Mais comment les auteurs font-ils pour développer un roman avec autant de facettes mais au final parfaitement digeste? Réponse: l'histoire. La mécanique du scénario est très bien maîtrisée, avec rebondissements et révélations qui tombent toujours à point nommé et vous amènent à lancer le fameux "allez, encore un chapitre" plutôt deux fois qu'une.

Je mentionnerais également la couche de mystère et de mysticisme qui recouvre l'ensemble. Disparition d'anciens membres du Conseil, un enfant qui ne se réveille pas... Je n'en dirai pas plus mais c'est de mon point de vue un excellent ressort dramatique utilisé avec ce qu'il faut de parcimonie et tire le roman vers le haut.

Si le pitch est complexe et multi-dimensionnel, l'écriture est en revanche très très fluide. Un style simple et efficace - où les dialogues sont légions - qui sert une intrigue palpitante sans être retorse. En fait c'est de la High Fantasy écrite comme un thriller, même si la comparaison se limite essentiellement au style. On sent les auteurs décomplexés et laissant de côté tous les artifices inutiles, et ça j'aime.

Des regrets? Pas de gros regret mais des remarques plutôt. Tout d'abord sur le plan esthétique l'Héritier de l'Automne a la coquetterie qu'on trouve souvent dans la fantasy ricaine. Les personnages principaux donnent l'impression d'être tous des êtres d'exception en puissance: cheveux au vent, pectoraux bien dessinés et seins fermes qui pointent vers les cieux. Rien de réellement pénible mais de ce côté-ci de l'Atlantique ça peut faire sourire.
Ensuite j'avoue que je continue de m'interroger sur la pertinence de saupoudrer l'histoire de sexe. Rassurez-vous ça n'a pas choqué le gaillard que je suis mais je n'ai pas trouvé que ça bonnifiait toujours le récit. La sensualité de certaines parges développe et prolonge bien le thème de la romance, qui tient une place relativement importante. Par-contre dans d'autres cas on a un peu le sentiment que cela est un peu gratuit. Alors? Facteur distinctif? Argument marketing? Lecteur prude ou insensible? Faîtes-vous votre propre avis!

Conclusion?
Coeur de Gemme ne semble pas être de ces oeuvres qui renouvellent ou transfigurent un genre, mais là n'est pas l'ambition. Ce premier tome annonce une fresque héroïque où moments de bravoure et d'abandon se heurtent aux règles cruelles des jeux de pouvoir. Le pur plaisir de lire une bonne histoire où les auteurs sortent le grand jeu pour vous embarquer dans presque 700 pages que vous lirez à toute vitesse.

[Kes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely an... interesting book. It's innovative, in that the big bad is kept inside a sleeping infant child, but it had rather too much sex for my tastes. Almost everything came back to sexuality - women are barebreasted (multiple times) (especially if you add in descriptions of the breast), some references to men having penises (is the plural penii? I always forget) and balls... and some of the sex and gratituous references seem frankly irrelevant to the plot.

Added to that is what feels like a frustrating lack of nuance - characters are good, or they are bad, or they have the potential to be good or bad and just fail due to human fraility. Brophy is good, Shara overcomes badness due to her innate goodness, etc etc. It's just bland. It feels like one of the generic sword and sorcery novels.

Frankly speaking, this should be a 2.5 rounded down to 2, but I rounded it up to 3 to be kind. Might rethink this assessment later though.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I didn't love this book, I'll give the authors some credit--it reads as if they were trying SO hard to write powerful, respected women. And powerful women figures did get plenty of airtime, even if the source of their power was sexual and derivative. I kept imagining what would happen if Heir of Autumn were written today. It probably wouldn't be.

Sex problems aside, this was a solid B fantasy story with some nice moments--a Hunger Games arena fight and a Monte Cristo prison escape. For some, "Heir of Autumn" is nostalgic and fun. It's not for me, but I'm not prepared to call for its cancellation.

[Victor Salinas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pathetic !

This had a great story line but all dam horniness destroyed everything else.one of main character shara was the most disappointing of all.this book did not need the exotic sex scenes that became a big turn off from the start.the other characters were great and the book would be at least readable .

[Melinda Yoho · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though I enjoyed the story, especially the bits that evoked Ben-Hur to me, overall there was too much sex and description of sexual anatomy. Most of it felt rather gratuitous and unnecessary for the plot.

[Taylor Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Kristie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could have been good story without gratuitous sex and violence...did not finish.

[Catching Shadows · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heir of Autumn is the first book of a fantasy series. This not only the first book in the series, but also the first book written by these authors. First novels always seem to be at least a little awkward. The writer or writers haven’t quite hit the tone they were aiming for, the prose or dialog might be a little stiff, the pacing might be off. Even if the writer has previously been published, the first novel is often immediately recognizable as a first novel. It is sometimes difficult for me to like a first book for these reasons, and I think that might be part of the reason I did not like this particular book.

Our Hero is a naïve young man named Brophy who ends up on an impromptu hero’s journey when he is framed for murder by the dying words of his not-actually-best-friend Trent. Brophy is the magical scion of a city that is essentially squatting on the outer border of another kingdom. Because of various machinations which include one of the other magical scions marrying a prince of the country resentful of their squatting, the city has not been destroyed.

Due to other complicated details of the plot, we do not actually get to the actual hero’s journey until we are about halfway through the book. Most of the book involves the slow discovery of the prince’s efforts to undermine the city and conquer it from within. Another side plot involves a sorceress who discovers that the sorcerer who runs her school is working with the prince to destroy the city. Unfortunately, she is not really able to act to warn anyone because the sorcerer already has complete control over her, which she finds out when she tries to fight him and ends up spending several chapters being assaulted and mind-controlled by him. Yet another side plot involves four missing magical scions and a small child who is being used to bind an unspeakable evil.

I was not really able to get into this book, which had a few interesting moments but mostly seemed like a train wreck. I had very little sympathy for any of the characters and did not really care for the world building involved with the story. (The writers were trying too hard to make the city seem like the most wonderful place ever, even though there were clearly major problems. Meanwhile, all of the countries outside were various levels of horrific.) Another, much lesser reason for my dislike was the way that the authors inexplicably decided to refer to a woman who was neither deaf nor mute as a “deaf-mute.”

[intrepideddie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is pretty standard fantasy; there are some interesting bits, but no plot twists or surprises. Very predictable, all told. That alone wouldn't necessarily make it a bad read, but it IS a bad read. Here's why:

1. Atrocious dialog. 15-year-olds talk like scholarly 40-year-olds. For the most part, everyone talks like everyone else, regardless of age, gender, or "nationality". The authors also used far too many words and phrases from today's vernacular -- and that really kills the suspension of disbelief.
2. No depth to any of the characters. The attempt is made, but it's weak and ineffectual.
3. The authors are brutally ham-fisted with the emotions they try to evoke throughout the book. No concept of subtlety whatsoever.
4. The authors are way too focused on sex (almost always referred to with the "f" word in the book). Lots of sex is fine if it is central to or adds something to the story. None of this did. At all. It was distracting and, frankly, distasteful. They almost did something reasonably interesting with sex and the magic of the Zelani, but they never really went anywhere with it.
5. Events happen and characters "grow" or "evolve" at a stunningly unrealistic pace.

I will say that the first few pages were very promising. The mystery and the chilling horror just barely hinted at was a powerful hook. Too bad the rest of the book was so awful.

Bottom line, it was entertaining enough for me to read the entire book, but I have no desire to finish the trilogy.

[Ithlilian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first third of this novel caught my attention, the second part was dragging, and by the third part I didn't really care what happened. Heir of Autumn starts out as a tale of two friends, one is humble and a model citizen, the other lies and is borderline evil. We get a feel for their lives and then the good one is accused of murder and exiled. He is then taken in by a queen and forced to compete in a contest for his freedom. By the time he is free his homeland is facing a massive war and he must return home to save it. That is the entire plot in a nutshell, and not much else really happens.

The story is not bad, the characters have a bit of depth, and the sex magic is interesting, but it really drags. There wasn't enough happening for me to be interested, and I probably could have stopped reading and been perfectly content, but I did continue to the end. I felt that throwing in arena fighting for 300 pages was strange and didn't really need to be a part of the story. I guess it makes the character more of a man, but it seems to just make him obsess over a woman and then stop caring about life. Heir of Autumn is missing depth and complexity. If I can sum the plot up in a sentence, then something was definitely lacking. Overall, Heir of Autumn is ok, but not compelling or unique. The ending is also fairly satisfactory so continuing on in the trilogy is not necessary.

[Rebecca Lien · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel was captivating. The world-building was good and the plot enticed me. The only issue I have with the series as a whole is the plot got a little garbled for a moment and then seemed to reshape. I think it was my own comprehension since I was in 9th grade when I read it. I enjoyed the idea of a cast-off prince falsely accused of a crime with the only hope for his salvation being a woman. This seems like a strong theme but in all honesty, it feels like it perpetuates the idea that men need women to save them and I think that is a step backward and not forwards. The author in my opinion could have built a stronger main character that was not dependent on a woman to save him.

Tarot Card

Judgment is a theme of the book when to cast judgment, how harshly to punish crimes, and what to do when judgment that has been cast is wrong.

[Richard Radgoski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book. On the surface, its about a young man who is destined to become the Heir of Autumn...one of the ruling few of the city of Ohndarien, but things don't go as planned and the city must fight off invasion plans while the young man follows a much more difficult path to his destiny. Book 1 of 3. Events towards the end of the book really seemed to ramp up dramatically, and I'm a little concerned about where the next book will pick up. Still, it's a mature fantasy with a main character I care about. Not for those who prefer no references to sex, as there is a group of folks who use sex to generate their own type of magic, and the main character has a relationship with one of them.

[Starhawk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good characterization and an interesting magic system in this fantasy novel. (Also, no elves, orcs, etc to be found here. Refreshing.)

However, all the quality world-building and character-building is spoiled by the authors' propensity to completely skip over important clashes.

i.e. a duel in the final act of the book -- that's been built up to throughout the entire story -- finally happens. we see the two mighty warriors draw weapons and square off. then....cut scene. come back to them, the fight's over. the reader saw nothing. we got cheated.

This happens MORE THAN ONCE in this book.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talk about world building. These two authors have created such a rich and diverse world. I had to read a couple of chapters to get my feet under me, but even then I had to know more and where they were going. This does not read like a debut novel. Giles Carwyn and Todd Fahnestock have created a fascinating society. Brophy, son of the Brother of Autumn, is the focus of this first book in the series. He is coming of age in a stressful time, betrayed by his aunt’s foreign-born husband who has usurped his father’s place, cast out of his home, and forced into a deadly game to save his life and his home. Swords, sex magic, a sleeping child – you need to check this out.

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book the first time at an age probably too young to read it - 14 or so, because it was on my sister's shelf. I could only read it at her house so I lost track of it about 1/4 way through and picked it up again later as an adult.

This book is intensely sexual, gritty, violent, and heart-wrenching. The authors crush your hopes and dreams without mercy as someone else reviewed, but for someone a bit masochistic like me, it made me love it all the more.

This is one of my favorite Fantasy books with Romance over-tones.

[Rory · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this fantasy trilogy immensely. If you enjoy fantasy novels then there is no reason you will not enjoy Book 1 (Heir of Autumn), Book 2 (Mistress of Winter), and Book 3 (Queen of Oblivion).

[Russell Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story-line was great, as was the writing but there was a bit too much sex to make it a really good book. I nearly stopped reading it several times because of those scenes. It ended with a pretty solid resolution, so I'm not sure where the second and third books in the trilogy are going to go.

[Nicola O. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, meaty read. Epic adventure, peril, magic, loyalty and betrayal, with a well-measured dollop of sensuality.

[Alex Jahnke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing special (except there is sex in an fantasy book maybe), but an entertaining read. The book is a bit to slow in the beginning, but get's the right pace later.

[The Mad Mad Madeline · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a terrible fantasy book.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Credo che questa sarà l'ultima volta che mi costringerò a finire un libro anche se non ne vale per niente la pena.

[Anna Loan-Wilsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was nice to read a fantasy book that was self-contained, no trilogy or long series to commit to. The end was nicely surprising, albeit a bit sad.

[Sage Ht · Rating 5 out of 5]

best book ever printed! if only there was a sequal.