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The Tale of Telsharu
Two forces threaten to tear the world apart--tyranny on the one hand, anarchy on the other. The legendary warrior, Telsharu, blinded by the emperor's curse, has escaped his hundred-year imprisonment seeking revenge. Intent on assassinating the emperor, he throws the Seventh Empire into chaos.
To resist the destructive forces of Telsharu, divergent groups must decide whether fight against their own enemies, or to stand together against the greater evil.
The Tale of Telsharu takes you on a journey to the Seventh Empire, a mythical far-eastern land, filled with realistic and visceral martial arts, compelling characters, and a story that will keep you guessing.
To resist the destructive forces of Telsharu, divergent groups must decide whether fight against their own enemies, or to stand together against the greater evil.
The Tale of Telsharu takes you on a journey to the Seventh Empire, a mythical far-eastern land, filled with realistic and visceral martial arts, compelling characters, and a story that will keep you guessing.
- GenresFantasy
366 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2011
3 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
About the author
Valerie Mechling
6 books20 followersValerie Mechling is a co-author of The Tales of the Seventh Empire, a fantasy trilogy based in a fictional Asian world full of martial arts, conspiracy, and adventure. Valerie is a martial arts instructor. She and her husband James live in the mountains of Colorado with their three sons and one fur child.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 5, 2016
One hundred years ago Telsharu was imprisoned after a failed attempt to kill the emperor. Telsharu still lives, and in the opening pages of THE TALE OF TELSHARU, he secures his escape from prison in order to finish the quest he began all those years ago.
Xansul, the youngest son of a noble house, secretly leads a group of rebels who struggle for freedom against a tyrannical emperor. He risks his own life and the future of his freedom fighters when one night he sneaks onto the palace grounds to test the security.
ShianMai, the emperor's youngest daughter, wants only to gain her father's favor, and works via politics to bring down the rebels by exposing their sympathizers and leadership. But her naiveté puts herself and those she loves in danger.
Daryun and Aisina operate their own martial arts training school in the mountains far north of the Imperial City, but even that remoteness doesn't shield Daryun from his duty to aid the empire when the famed prisoner Telsharu escapes.
Sure TELSHARU borrows from a few well-known stories like "The Scarlet Pimpernel", "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon", and even "Kung-Fu Panda"--but then Mechling and Stubbs turn those stories on their heads, taking the familiar and breathing into it new life. It's a good thing, too, because the opening prologue and chapters felt a little quaint and even silly, the prose too self-aware (even by the end when I was used to the prose's rhythm, I still stumbled over some of the phrasing), the setting rather ordinary and full of unfamiliar words. But what will grab you here are the characters and the very difficult circumstances in which they find themselves.
Told in a rotating third-person PoV between Daryun, Aisina, Xansul, ShianMai, and Telsharu, we come to appreciate their distinct personalities: Daryun's humble strength, Aisinia's determination, Xansul's sense of justice, and ShianMai's innocence. These are their strengths and their weaknesses. I enjoyed each couple's relationships with each other, how they support each other, and become better people by knowing the other--it is these characters who will carry me to the sequel. Even the villainous Telsharu's actions and motivations were choreographed with an empathetic hand.
The setting is a pretty standard Sho-gun Era meets Ancient China. However, the authors weave more details into the story about martial arts itself, the different disciplines, how warriors incorporate it into their own lives. This knowledge isn't tacked on, it's an integral part of the story. Even the way demons are introduced into the story feels seamless and natural. The fights had a sense of detail about how true fights worked, and as a result they felt real and visceral, even if flashy at times (not necessarily a bad thing).
The pace is consistent throughout the novel, the plot moving forward at a steady clip, with enough twists and tension to suck you into what at first seems a borrowed story, but eventually evolves into something more. It didn't go where I expected it to, and by the exciting end I was drawn into the disastrous choices the main characters make--for good reasons or for bad--and the equally disastrous consequences. I'm interested in seeing how the Tales of the Seventh Empire series continues.
Recommended Age: 14+, it would actually be a great book for young teen boys who like ninjas and whose parents want to keep their books clean
Language: None
Violence: A fair amount scattered throughout; blood, death, torture, but lacking grisly detail
Sex: None
***Find this and other reviews at Elitist Book Reviews.***
Xansul, the youngest son of a noble house, secretly leads a group of rebels who struggle for freedom against a tyrannical emperor. He risks his own life and the future of his freedom fighters when one night he sneaks onto the palace grounds to test the security.
ShianMai, the emperor's youngest daughter, wants only to gain her father's favor, and works via politics to bring down the rebels by exposing their sympathizers and leadership. But her naiveté puts herself and those she loves in danger.
Daryun and Aisina operate their own martial arts training school in the mountains far north of the Imperial City, but even that remoteness doesn't shield Daryun from his duty to aid the empire when the famed prisoner Telsharu escapes.
Sure TELSHARU borrows from a few well-known stories like "The Scarlet Pimpernel", "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon", and even "Kung-Fu Panda"--but then Mechling and Stubbs turn those stories on their heads, taking the familiar and breathing into it new life. It's a good thing, too, because the opening prologue and chapters felt a little quaint and even silly, the prose too self-aware (even by the end when I was used to the prose's rhythm, I still stumbled over some of the phrasing), the setting rather ordinary and full of unfamiliar words. But what will grab you here are the characters and the very difficult circumstances in which they find themselves.
Told in a rotating third-person PoV between Daryun, Aisina, Xansul, ShianMai, and Telsharu, we come to appreciate their distinct personalities: Daryun's humble strength, Aisinia's determination, Xansul's sense of justice, and ShianMai's innocence. These are their strengths and their weaknesses. I enjoyed each couple's relationships with each other, how they support each other, and become better people by knowing the other--it is these characters who will carry me to the sequel. Even the villainous Telsharu's actions and motivations were choreographed with an empathetic hand.
The setting is a pretty standard Sho-gun Era meets Ancient China. However, the authors weave more details into the story about martial arts itself, the different disciplines, how warriors incorporate it into their own lives. This knowledge isn't tacked on, it's an integral part of the story. Even the way demons are introduced into the story feels seamless and natural. The fights had a sense of detail about how true fights worked, and as a result they felt real and visceral, even if flashy at times (not necessarily a bad thing).
The pace is consistent throughout the novel, the plot moving forward at a steady clip, with enough twists and tension to suck you into what at first seems a borrowed story, but eventually evolves into something more. It didn't go where I expected it to, and by the exciting end I was drawn into the disastrous choices the main characters make--for good reasons or for bad--and the equally disastrous consequences. I'm interested in seeing how the Tales of the Seventh Empire series continues.
Recommended Age: 14+, it would actually be a great book for young teen boys who like ninjas and whose parents want to keep their books clean
Language: None
Violence: A fair amount scattered throughout; blood, death, torture, but lacking grisly detail
Sex: None
***Find this and other reviews at Elitist Book Reviews.***
August 16, 2021
This isn't a book that I would normally just pick up on my own, but a friend of mine recommended it and I'm so glad. It was fantastic. I couldn't put it down. Which, of course, meant I was up half the night finishing it. :D I can't wait for the next one!
October 10, 2011
I seriously enjoyed reading this book! This is the first martial-arts type fantasy novel that I have read, and it was a lot of fun. The character development is intriguing, and I enjoyed how several different characters' stories come together for the ending climax. You get to follow both the good and "evil" characters throughout, and see many different sides of those characters throughout the story. Just like in real life, there are both negative and positive things about everyone, so it feels very real. The twists and turns throughout the book kept me interested, and now I'm dying for the sequel to find out what happens next. The only negative I would have to say is that it took a couple of chapters to really get into the story...probably because so many characters were introduced so quickly. I couldn't put it down once I got into though!
Read this book!
Read this book!
July 18, 2011
I really liked the plot and the way it was written. The surprises that are included along the way are fabulously introduced. The Asian setting and language is easy to process and to picture, and is quite realistic. This book is full of life and color. A lively combination of martial arts and a (sort of) spiritual "sight" play a key role in this book. This is an AMAZING, MUST-READ, soon-to-be classic for everyone! keep writing, Val and Sam!
November 20, 2012
The amount of detail taken to create this world and make such believable characters is amazing! It means you have to pay a lot of attention to the first few chapters but it sucks you into the world of this book. Its that detail that makes the story so great. I have read very few authors that seem to care so much about the world they're creating, the plot and the interwoven details of the characters' lives. You will be glad you picked it up. I'm anxiously awaiting the next one.
October 16, 2011
Several plots intricately woven together took me by surprise multiple times in this exciting story. The writing was descriptive without being flowery. Though I don't usually read fantasy, I loved the fantasy elements, which made me wonder what is truth and what is fantasy.
October 22, 2013
I was completely captivated by the character Xansul, and horrified and mesmerized by his story and surrounding events. Wow! This book was so fun and exciting to read.
August 8, 2021
I really enjoyed this fantasy novel. Based in Chinese culture it was a really enjoyable read with characters that make me want to read the next one and surprises that kept me involved until the end.
July 28, 2011
The first couple of chapters were challenging to get through. There were a lot of foreign names, titles, and other things that were challenging for me to keep track of. But once the viewpoint characters repeated, I got the feel of things and really got into the story.
The characters in this book feel like real people. I understand what they're thinking and how they're feeling. Not just the heroes. Actually, one of the coolest parts of this book was the fact that there really weren't bad guys and good guys, there were just people. Each character did what they thought was the best thing to do, and I could understand why they were doing it.
Once I got into it, I really enjoyed the Asian flavor of this fictional world. I wasn't bombarded with tons of details and backstory, like you get in some books. There were enough elements to give me the flavor of the culture, and then I was allowed to fill in the rest with my own imagination. The world was believable, and I really enjoyed it.
I recommend this book. If the first few chapters are tough for you, push through, because it will be totally worth it!
The characters in this book feel like real people. I understand what they're thinking and how they're feeling. Not just the heroes. Actually, one of the coolest parts of this book was the fact that there really weren't bad guys and good guys, there were just people. Each character did what they thought was the best thing to do, and I could understand why they were doing it.
Once I got into it, I really enjoyed the Asian flavor of this fictional world. I wasn't bombarded with tons of details and backstory, like you get in some books. There were enough elements to give me the flavor of the culture, and then I was allowed to fill in the rest with my own imagination. The world was believable, and I really enjoyed it.
I recommend this book. If the first few chapters are tough for you, push through, because it will be totally worth it!
July 28, 2011
The first couple of chapters were challenging to get through. There were a lot of foreign names, titles, and other things that were challenging for me to keep track of. But once the viewpoint characters repeated, I got the feel of things and really got into the story.
The characters in this book feel like real people. I understand what they're thinking and how they're feeling. Not just the heroes. Actually, one of the coolest parts of this book was the fact that there really weren't bad guys and good guys, there were just people. Each character did what they thought was the best thing to do, and I could understand why they were doing it.
Once I got into it, I really enjoyed the Asian flavor of this fictional world. I wasn't bombarded with tons of details and backstory, like you get in some books. There were enough elements to give me the flavor of the culture, and then I was allowed to fill in the rest with my own imagination. The world was believable, and I really enjoyed it.
I recommend this book. If the first few chapters are tough for you, push through, because it will be totally worth it!
The characters in this book feel like real people. I understand what they're thinking and how they're feeling. Not just the heroes. Actually, one of the coolest parts of this book was the fact that there really weren't bad guys and good guys, there were just people. Each character did what they thought was the best thing to do, and I could understand why they were doing it.
Once I got into it, I really enjoyed the Asian flavor of this fictional world. I wasn't bombarded with tons of details and backstory, like you get in some books. There were enough elements to give me the flavor of the culture, and then I was allowed to fill in the rest with my own imagination. The world was believable, and I really enjoyed it.
I recommend this book. If the first few chapters are tough for you, push through, because it will be totally worth it!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews