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Chronicles of Tyria #1
The Silver Hawk
Magic is a gift from the Goddess, meant only for her daughters – or so the Order teaches. Tynan shouldn’t have this power, and when the priestesses find out, they come for him. His twin sister, Tasya, is a spy in the palace serving as handmaid to the Royal Heir. To keep her vow to save her brother, she’ll have to walk a fine line between love and betrayal. Meanwhile, Maat and Mikael watch from their orbital space station, forbidden to interfere in what should be a routine experiment. But when they learn their population have been scheduled for termination, they realize just how much they’ve come to care for their crazy mortal family.
252 pages, Paperback
First published December 12, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 30, 2015
I first came upon this book in a local bookstore and was intrigued - CreateSpace published novels are not readily available in NZ bookstores, and this one had a sign beside it proclaiming "local author". Upon coming home I did some further research and decided to purchase it on ebook. And I am very glad I did, for it was very well written. The plot was refreshing, and the author has some clever ideas - the concept of the two siblings - Mikael and Maat, watching a civilisation that they had created and in which they had "cast" themselves as gods, was rather nifty. It also worked well for the narrative, allowing the plot to skip several years in a heartbeat and follow the progress of various characters and their exploits. The politics also seemed quite well thought out, and the personalities of the characters well developed. With a couple of interesting twists and an ending that was complete-but-not-quite, it is definitely designed to make you seek out more. And do you know what? I think I shall!
April 21, 2012
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
Beaulah has cleverly woven together the psychology of how human beings interact with one another, principles of good ethical research practice, philosophical questions about the meaning of life and what role gods play in an exciting and new way. I was captivated!
Beaulah has created a fascinating world in which the characters live out their lives, while two rather amusing 'god-like' immortal scientists watch on with intrigue.
I really enjoyed how the book invited the reader to take a step back and ponder what it might be like to watch human life from above. In essence, I found this book to be a delightful read, witty, fun and best of all thought-provoking.
Beaulah has cleverly woven together the psychology of how human beings interact with one another, principles of good ethical research practice, philosophical questions about the meaning of life and what role gods play in an exciting and new way. I was captivated!
Beaulah has created a fascinating world in which the characters live out their lives, while two rather amusing 'god-like' immortal scientists watch on with intrigue.
I really enjoyed how the book invited the reader to take a step back and ponder what it might be like to watch human life from above. In essence, I found this book to be a delightful read, witty, fun and best of all thought-provoking.
March 30, 2012
A compelling, thought-provoking read, written with a deftness of touch which allows the key themes of sexual and religious politics full exploration, without taking away from the gripping fantasy based storyline.
May 5, 2012
This book is very well worded, the story line is amazing, and it shows a completely different life style-but done beautifully! Can't wait for the next book to come out
December 15, 2017
didn't get very far... not my thing
June 25, 2015
Maat and Mikael are twins, genetically modified immortal beings, assigned to a space lab chronicling the lives of an experimental human population set up by their mother on the planet Tyria. To the humans they watch they are gods; gods who are supposed to simply observe and not interfere; gods whose nanite engineering is supposed to keep them free from developing emotional attachments.
Supposed to.
The humans on Tyria are divided by differences of belief; belief so strong that it leads to violent actions of a genocide nature. Into this world of prejudice and power struggles a new princess is born. She is born blind and thought to be cursed. Her mother dies at birth and her father is killed as a source of dark magic. The baby princess is almost killed herself but fortunately the Queen has mercy and wisdom and diplomatically brings into the princess’s life a balance of protectors. One is a priestess devoted to the reigning religious Order which views men with fear and contempt. The other, unbeknownst to the Queen, is a spy. Tasya is the daughter of the King of the Guild, the subversive collective fighting for a society where men and women are treated as equal. She is also the result of one of Mikael’s personal genetic experiments, along with her twin brother. Both priestess and spy come to love the princess passionately and when the ultimate threat comes would give their lives to save her.
Maat and Mikael do become attached to the humans they watch, but they are torn between their attraction to some aspects of human behaviour and repulsion of others. Then Maat and Mikael’s mother contacts them to say that she is shutting down the Tyria experiment meaning that all trace of human civilisation will be wiped from the planet.
How can Maat and Mikael save the human population on Tyria?
Do they want to?
And is there another alien life force hiding on the planet below?
Author Beaulah Pragg weaves together the two main stories in The Silver Hawk with a seamless flow that is swiftly moving and action dense. I found this book hard to put down and was left hungry for more at the end. From the sneak previews I have seen from Book Two: The White Heron, I think my hunger will be well satisfied. I only hope that the wait is not too long.
The Silver Hawk is a young adult science-fictioni fantasy. Young adult in that it contains no overly violent or sexual content but still interesting and enjoyable for adults.
Highly recommended
Supposed to.
The humans on Tyria are divided by differences of belief; belief so strong that it leads to violent actions of a genocide nature. Into this world of prejudice and power struggles a new princess is born. She is born blind and thought to be cursed. Her mother dies at birth and her father is killed as a source of dark magic. The baby princess is almost killed herself but fortunately the Queen has mercy and wisdom and diplomatically brings into the princess’s life a balance of protectors. One is a priestess devoted to the reigning religious Order which views men with fear and contempt. The other, unbeknownst to the Queen, is a spy. Tasya is the daughter of the King of the Guild, the subversive collective fighting for a society where men and women are treated as equal. She is also the result of one of Mikael’s personal genetic experiments, along with her twin brother. Both priestess and spy come to love the princess passionately and when the ultimate threat comes would give their lives to save her.
Maat and Mikael do become attached to the humans they watch, but they are torn between their attraction to some aspects of human behaviour and repulsion of others. Then Maat and Mikael’s mother contacts them to say that she is shutting down the Tyria experiment meaning that all trace of human civilisation will be wiped from the planet.
How can Maat and Mikael save the human population on Tyria?
Do they want to?
And is there another alien life force hiding on the planet below?
Author Beaulah Pragg weaves together the two main stories in The Silver Hawk with a seamless flow that is swiftly moving and action dense. I found this book hard to put down and was left hungry for more at the end. From the sneak previews I have seen from Book Two: The White Heron, I think my hunger will be well satisfied. I only hope that the wait is not too long.
The Silver Hawk is a young adult science-fictioni fantasy. Young adult in that it contains no overly violent or sexual content but still interesting and enjoyable for adults.
Highly recommended
May 8, 2016
The Silver Hawk is a clever intertwining of fantasy and science-fiction which will suit young adult fantasy readers. The characters are complex and engaging, the plot is intriguing and unpredictable, and ethical themes seamlessly underlie the story. The ending caught me completely by surprise, and I like that in a book.
In the world of Tyria, women rule. They worship Maat, a female goddess, have a royal family in which the monarchy passes down the female line, have a religious Order governed by priestesses, and various noble houses headed by women. In this society, men are second-class, and any found to possess any magical ability are held captive before they can develop their skills.
That was the fate of Tynan, who maintains a telepathic link with his twin sister, Tasya, who has been assigned the position of handmaiden to the blind Princess Juliana. Much of the story is told through Tasya's eyes as she helps to educate and protect the young girl who is destined to become queen. Meanwhile, the secretive Guild plot and fight for male equality.
Two immortal junior scientists, Mikael and Maat (she who is worshipped) watch over the civilisation they created as an experiment. The detachment they are supposed to maintain from their creations dwindles as their interest is drawn more and more into the intrigues and actions on the world below, and they begin to believe they have a responsibility to uphold.
There's a large cast in this story, and I was grateful for the Cast List at the back of the book. There's intrigue, romance, magic, adventure, suspense, loyalty and betrayal. The story is told well. It's a the first of a trilogy, and I'm definitely looking forward to the next books. Five stars.
In the world of Tyria, women rule. They worship Maat, a female goddess, have a royal family in which the monarchy passes down the female line, have a religious Order governed by priestesses, and various noble houses headed by women. In this society, men are second-class, and any found to possess any magical ability are held captive before they can develop their skills.
That was the fate of Tynan, who maintains a telepathic link with his twin sister, Tasya, who has been assigned the position of handmaiden to the blind Princess Juliana. Much of the story is told through Tasya's eyes as she helps to educate and protect the young girl who is destined to become queen. Meanwhile, the secretive Guild plot and fight for male equality.
Two immortal junior scientists, Mikael and Maat (she who is worshipped) watch over the civilisation they created as an experiment. The detachment they are supposed to maintain from their creations dwindles as their interest is drawn more and more into the intrigues and actions on the world below, and they begin to believe they have a responsibility to uphold.
There's a large cast in this story, and I was grateful for the Cast List at the back of the book. There's intrigue, romance, magic, adventure, suspense, loyalty and betrayal. The story is told well. It's a the first of a trilogy, and I'm definitely looking forward to the next books. Five stars.
November 16, 2016
I really enjoyed Beaulah Pragg's distinctive blend of science fiction and fantasy in her novel The Silver Hawk.
The style and structure of the novel is fascinating — a science fiction framing with plunges into a fantasy world. The framing provides readers with necessary distance from some of the unpleasant cultural aspects of the fantasy world and allows the story to be read at different, sometimes metafictive, levels. The plot is intriguing and I will be interested to see how some of the mysterious elements of the story pan out in sequels.
Pragg's characterisation and description of character relationships is engaging and entertaining. Readers can really relate to her character interactions, a touch of realism which strengthens as we become more familiar with the characters. As well as the characters we can't help but like, there are many villains in this text. Although the story illustrates how a change of perspective or belief can alter one's view of what is good and what is evil, her sympathetic characters clearly follow a moral compass that we can approve. Many of her characters are in difficult straits and it will be good to see how the plot progresses and how far her characters can develop their agency to win out against great cultural odds.
I'm looking forward to reading the next installment!
The style and structure of the novel is fascinating — a science fiction framing with plunges into a fantasy world. The framing provides readers with necessary distance from some of the unpleasant cultural aspects of the fantasy world and allows the story to be read at different, sometimes metafictive, levels. The plot is intriguing and I will be interested to see how some of the mysterious elements of the story pan out in sequels.
Pragg's characterisation and description of character relationships is engaging and entertaining. Readers can really relate to her character interactions, a touch of realism which strengthens as we become more familiar with the characters. As well as the characters we can't help but like, there are many villains in this text. Although the story illustrates how a change of perspective or belief can alter one's view of what is good and what is evil, her sympathetic characters clearly follow a moral compass that we can approve. Many of her characters are in difficult straits and it will be good to see how the plot progresses and how far her characters can develop their agency to win out against great cultural odds.
I'm looking forward to reading the next installment!
February 27, 2015
This is the first in a projected series, "Chronicles of Tyria." No publisher, printer or distributor, only a note in the back, "Made in the USA / Charleston, SC / 13 April 2012."
Mikael and Maat are brother and sister. They are Narians, a starfaring race made effectively immortal by nanites (nanobots). The downside to this includes inability to reproduce unless the people running the Narian community allow it, and then usually in brother -- sister combinations and small overall numbers. The nanites also moderate their emotions and thoughts, though Mikael and Maat are wiggling (a bit) on the hook.
Tyria is a planet, currently the scene of an experiment with normal humans as subjects. They are currently on borrowed time, as Mikael and Maat have been told to wrap the thing up, after which the humans will be killed. They have won an extension, mostly because of a mysterious presence on the planet.
More at The Silver Hawk (Chronicles of Tyria, #1)
Mikael and Maat are brother and sister. They are Narians, a starfaring race made effectively immortal by nanites (nanobots). The downside to this includes inability to reproduce unless the people running the Narian community allow it, and then usually in brother -- sister combinations and small overall numbers. The nanites also moderate their emotions and thoughts, though Mikael and Maat are wiggling (a bit) on the hook.
Tyria is a planet, currently the scene of an experiment with normal humans as subjects. They are currently on borrowed time, as Mikael and Maat have been told to wrap the thing up, after which the humans will be killed. They have won an extension, mostly because of a mysterious presence on the planet.
More at The Silver Hawk (Chronicles of Tyria, #1)
March 30, 2012
A compelling, thought-provoking read, written with a deftness of touch which allows the key themes of sexual and religious politics full exploration, without taking away from the gripping fantasy based storyline.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews