Rifkind's Challenge

Rifkind #3

by Lynn Abbey

In a desert world ruled by men, Rifkind has always been one apart. A chieftain's daughter, she learned to wield a sword while all other women were bound by tribal custom to children and the cooking fire. But when her clan was massacred, she set forth on a quest for her destiny in savage lands ruled by magic and the sword.

For a while she had thought that she had found a home. She practiced the healing arts and raised her son.

But now she has once again heard a personal call to arms, a call to leave behind the safety of her home. She will once again take up the way of the sword, the way of sorcery. And this time she is not alone.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Sword and Sorcery

336 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Lynn Abbey began publishing in 1979 with the novel Daughter of the Bright Moon and the short story "The Face of Chaos," part of a Thieves World shared world anthology. She received early encouragement from Gordon R. Dickson.

In the 1980s she married Robert Asprin and became his co-editor on the Thieves World books. She also contributed to other shared world series during the 1980s, including Heroes in Hell and Merovingen Nights.

Abbey and Asprin divorced in 1993 and Abbey moved to Oklahoma City. She continued to write novels during this period, including original works as well as tie-ins to Role Playing Games for TSR. In 2002, she returned to Thieves World with the novel Sanctuary and also began editing new anthologies, beginning with Turning Points.

Reviews

[Kay]

I really liked this trilogy! the main character, Rifkind, is a healer warrior which is original in fem characters. most of them are either one or the other. the struggle between both of her personas is depicted very well.

[Merrin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay. Here's the thing. This book is the third in a series that I have not read the first two of. (It came recommended by a friend and she assured me you don't need to read the first two to understand the third.)

It's possible that's the case, I didn't have trouble being thrust into a world that I wasn't familiar with, because she introduces enough to you along the way. I think my largest problem was with the characters. Maybe you're a little more sympathetic to Rifkind if you've been on her life's journey with her, to find out what has made her who she is? Because I really didn't like her much at all, she's the oddest mix of selfish and selfless, she's cold and distant with her son and it's all under the guise of having this overwhelming destiny for her life that prevents her from really connecting with people. Which, in my humble opinion, is such a load of crap.

She wasn't the only one, I just didn't connect with any of the characters, didn't appreciate or necessarily care about their struggles and pitfalls. I don't know if that would be changed by reading the others in this series but based on this book, I'm not entirely sure I care enough to explore that.

Disappointing, since the world itself is interesting. Oh well.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read Lynn Abbey's Daughter of the Bright Moon not long after it was published. It took me a while to find The Black Flame. And it took decades to discover a copy of Rifkind's Challenge at Half Price Books.

I'm not sure what I like about Rifkind's world. It's not a kind world. I know that I had quite a crush on Ejord and Turin when I was younger. I like the hardness of Rifkind. She's not cruel but she can't afford to be kind either. She's more than a bit ruthless. Her fears aren't my fears. I guess she's just so different that I'm able to forget myself.

I realized as I read how much Cho is like a younger Rifkind but without all the training and self-discipline she had at his age. He's not particularly likeable either but he is loyal.

I'm really hoping that this means there will soon be a fourth Rifkind book.

[Mina Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's what I liked about the story:
1. Great cover!
2. Fantasy inspired by Native American societies...just don't see too many of those, so appreciated it.
3. Strong heroine who is used to leadership.
4. Interesting conflict: Not only is she dealing with a spiritual situation and dealing with a changed world (from what she knew), but also a difficult relationship with her only child.

What I didn't like so much:

1. The heroine comes across as distant and so the story kept me at a distance as well. However, Rifkind is rather removed from the everyday mundane and always focuses on the larger picture than the personal (something that is part of the mother-son conflict), so it was definitely in character. But I prefer stories that involve me more on an emotional level.

2. I wish the author had done more world building and taken us deeper into the cultures and outside conflicts she created.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

c2006. I really enjoyed this book. Not too clunky, fast moving and not too much time spent on detailing the topography and culture of the world Rifkind inhabits. I enjoyed the interplay between Rifkind and her son especially with the misunderstandings on both side. I did get a bit confused as to some of the aspects of Rifkind's attitude towards Cho but that may be because this seems to be the second in a series. "Her own story was as obvious as it was simple: She was alive, she was in Glascardy, she had a half-blood son and a chief who trusted her with his son, she was on her way to visit an old friend."

[Caroline Berg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Usually third books that come long after the first two are not nearly as good. This one harkens back to Daughter of the Bright Moon. Rifkind must go back out of the desert - magic is not as dead as people thought it was. At the same time her son must find a place in the world (it isn't easy living in the shadow of Rifkind's personality). While I didn't enjoy the son a whole lot, I did enjoy how Rifkind has matured with age. And how everyone still lives in fear of her name, but all think she's dead. The rekindling of an old romance was nice too. A good way to end the trilogy.

[Meredith Galman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointing follow-up to one of the seminal woman warrior stories, Daughter of the Bright Moon. Starts out well, with Rifkind dealing with dreams drawing her back to Glascardy and the friends she left behind, as well as the near-grown son she turned over to others and doesn't really know. But neither the dramatic situation nor her relationship with Cho comes near being resolved; the whole thing is an obvious set-up for a sequel.

[Dawn · Rating 1 out of 5]

The back of the book says that this heroine is who Zena was based on and as you would expect she is quite a kick ass heroine. I found the rest of the characters lacking though and Rifkind was not an involving enough person to make up for that. All in all I didn't find the book good enough to try and find any more of the series.

[Becca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rifkind has settled down after roaming as a hired warrior. However, her past has come back into her life. The beginning is confusing because you aren't really given enough information about Rifkind's past to understand what is going on. Might be worth another try though.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fantasy novel. Lynn Abbey has some strong characters and is always a pleasure to read.

[gabrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book ended rather suddenly, almost like Abbey got tired of writing.

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending left me wanting Ms. Abbey to write another book for the series! :)