The Harp of Imach Thyssel

Lyra #3

by Patricia C. Wrede

Emerek and Flindaran, a pair of wandering minstrels, find themselves in peril when their discovery of an ancient, magical harp leads into conflict with the sorcerers of Lyra

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Ebooks, Science Fiction Fantasy, High Fantasy, Romance

240 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Patricia Collins Wrede was born in Chicago, Illinois and is the eldest of five children. She started writing in seventh grade. She attended Carleton College in Minnesota, where she majored in Biology and managed to avoid taking any English courses at all. She began work on her first novel, Shadow Magic, just after graduating from college in 1974. She finished it five years later and started her second book at once, having become permanently hooked on writing by this time.

Patricia received her M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota in 1977.
She worked for several years as a financial analyst and accountant, first with the Minnesota Hospital Association, then with B. Dalton Booksellers, and finally at the Dayton Hudson Corporation headquarters.

Patricia finished her first novel in late 1978. In January, 1980, Pamela Dean, Emma Bull, Will Shetterly, Steven Brust, Nate Bucklin, and Patricia Wrede -- all, at that point, hopeful but unpublished -- formed the writer's group that later became known as "The Scribblies." Several years later, they were joined by Kara Dalkey. In April of 1980, Patricia's first novel sold to Ace Books. It came out at last in 1982, which is the year she met Lillian Stewart Carl (who introduced her to Lois McMaster Bujold by mail).

In 1985, shortly before the publication of her fifth book, she left the world of the gainfully employed to try winging it on her own.

Her interests include sewing, embroidery, desultory attempts at gardening, chocolate, not mowing the lawn, High Tea, and, of course, reading.
She is a vegetarian, and currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her cat Karma. She has no children.

Reviews

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is part of a series, but it is a stand-alone book. You don't have to read the first two books or the last two books in order to read and follow this one. The only aspect of the book that I found a little tricky without having read the first two books is the world-building. Wrede uses place and race names and refers to some of the events in earlier books through exposition and passing reference. There is no explanation of what or who these places and people are, so you sort of have to accept that you won't get more detail in this book. Wrede does a good job of not making the other place names too important, but there are some rivalries that are fairly important to the story but that seem based on earlier events or even earlier explanations. Still, none of this impeded my understanding of the events in this book, and sometimes, I like being thrown into a story without having to pace myself with world building first.
I chose this book at the used bookstore for the title alone--I enjoy fantasy books about music, and there is something about harps that enthralls me, apparently. I got what I was expecting out of this book, which was a quick, entertaining read that drew me in and kept me reading until the end. The three-star rating I gave it says it all for me. It's not particularly well-written, but it's not poorly written. The characters are okay. They're not well-developed, but they have distinct personalities. The plot is fairly simple and straightforward, but it's suspenseful enough with some surprises thrown in.
Overall, this is a good Wrede for someone who wants an entertaining fantasy novel with stock characters who do the expected but with some twists to keep their interest.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Harp had more depth than Wrede's first two books of this series. Interesting interaction among the characters who were more developed than previous players. In fact, it was easy to get caught in a love hate relationship with the stubborn minstrel.

This is not the only fantasy I've read where minstrels are given important roles in the medieval settings. They were the newspapers of the day, given most of the population were illiterate. Of course tales retold take on their own personality and often the truth is left far behind. I won't get caught up in today's media, so best leave this subject alone.

I'm enjoying the lightness of these reads. Almost like reading longer, more developed short stories. Onto book four.

[Lis Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emereck the minstrel is traveling with Flindaran, a nobleman masquerading as a mistrel, when he discovers, in an abandoned castle, an ancient, and magical, harp. He would much rather have not found it, because all magic has its price. He has an obligation to bring it to the guild, though, and that means he has to deal with other people's desires surrounding it.

Because the Harp of Imach Thyssel can make a badly wounded man whole, or kill an entire city.

Emereck is plunged into the middle of politics he wants no part of, and is going to need to learn very quickly who his real friends and enemies are.

Neither the plot nor the worldbuilding are as strong here as in the earlier Lyra novels, but it's still an enjoyable plot that does keep moving, and I like the characters. The narrator does a fine job, too.

Recommended.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Extremely predictable. The Lyra books are the kind of books people who don't like fantasy pick on and make fun of. There are always elves, or elvish beings with otherworldly beauty and arrogance out the wing-wah. Then there are some kind of dwarfs, or similar small sturdy creatures. And in the middle of it are humans, who are either perfectly good or so evil they'd sell their grannies to the Anthracite mines for the price of a cup of fantasy coffee-equivalent.
Talented writing can get you over the cliches in certain cases. Unfortunately, that's not the case here.

[Simon Mcleish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantasy novel, third in series. The story of this one is that the minstrel Emereck while travelling with incognito noble Flindaran. Emereck feels obliged to take the harp to the guild. That's basically it. Decent but not outstanding fantasy.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars. One of those books I loved more when I was younger.

[Brenda Lower · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to have read this a while ago (like when I was early teen), but didn't remember much of it. Still a great book. It's been fun reading the Lyra books so close together- see the connections and references that I missed before.

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the story and the development of the main characters. The several characters who all wanted the harp for themselves needed more story time. I thought the antagonist needed more time to tell her story and to really help you understand why she was the villain of the tale. My main issue I guess is that the story could have been longer.

[Dave Neuendorf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book I've read in the series. I'm still waiting to find one that lives up to the recommendations. This one had a more clever plot than the first two, so I added a star. The romance proceeded so subtly that the conclusion didn't ring true. One irritating feature was the jarring transitions between points of view. It takes more than a paragraph break to make these transitions work.

[Nenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Lyra Series and you can read each book separately so far no past characters have appeared.

I liked the book I love Cilhar characters and the introductions to an endangered dying race. You finally get more history on the Shadow Born and about the third moon being destroyed.

There was one major plot error but I can't explain it without spoilers.

there are deaths and one that should have been climatic was not. the most important one was well made. I like how this author handles romance in the book, it's very much a minor detail, they are aware of their feelings but they never even admit to themselves that they are in love. it's amusing to see such a different approach to writing romance in a book.

well on to the next one!

[Sarahz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The romantic elements in this book were a bit more convincing than in the other Lyra books, and it was mostly pretty strong, but then a major plot point depended on someone doing something that was very out of character, and it really bugged me. The Duke is an intelligent man who knows that his son is semi-obsessed with this dangerous magical artifact. So, he leaves town unexpectedly and leaves his son in charge with said artifact easily accessible, and makes no effort to avoid the disaster that is sure to follow?

Other than that, I appreciated the fact that here the aggressor race from the first book gets a little more nuance to it. I mean, most of them are still bad guys, but not all!

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emereck is a minstrel and his friend Flindaran is a son of a duke. Together they stumble upon an enchanted castle with a power magical object, the Harp of Imach Thyssel. The Harp has the power to destroy cities and shape the world, and the consequences for the person who plays it is vast. Can their friendship survive?

Why I started it: I'm working my way thru this series... along with the other 500 series that I'm reading.

Why I finished it: I liked that Emereck was so cautious. I know that I would freak out if I suddenly had all that power at my finger tips.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

By no means was this her best book, or even the best in the Lyra series. There were parts that felt really clumsy, which is something I've only felt in Wrede's work during this book and Caught in Crystal. Still, it was quite enjoyable, and I really liked the excerpt from the "history book" at the end, which was quite interesting and helped to explain a lot of things.

[Tabi Wares · Rating 3 out of 5]

Characters: great, storyline: awesome,.....ending? Rushed. The story was great, if a little slow paced up until the last few chapters when the ending was resolved almost immediately. It was just a bit awkward.

Also, apparently, all of Lyra's main characters have the same exact conflict and mental processes: "magic/past??? I want nothing to do with it!!! No no no!!!!" For the ladies and "Woe is me, I aim above my station, but I shall protect her with my life if possible!!" For the gentlemen.

[Fate's Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second favorite of the Lyra books. I liked how the characters' interactions with the harp seemed to shape and change them, and what they found out about that at the end. I also really liked some of the descriptions, and while I really liked the sister who tagged along at the end, I felt like she needed a bit more fleshing out as a character. Overall this was a fun fantasy adventure with a bit of an illustration about power corrupting.

[Mailee Pyper · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was better than the previous two. I still feel as though the way she is writing for this series kind of detaches the reader from the story and the characters aren't as well rounded as in some of her other books, but it was fun and interesting. I found it hard to believe that everyone knew about this age old artifact that hadn't been seen for thousands of years...must be the skeptic in me.

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not the most engaging or exciting of Wrede's books but it's still well written. Wrede creates lawless and effortless prose and completely original characters and puts them in a unique and well crafted worlds. I loved the hero Emereck for his lack of heroism- he was perfectly believable and flawed and while he did save the day he could not have done so without help from some of the braver characters.

[Edie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The middle books in a series are almost always hard to review. I've been known to copy and paste extensively. Again we have more stock fantasy. Easy, quick read. Entertaining without being thought-provoking. There is a place for thought-provoking speculative fiction. Absolutely. That is often the point of it. But sometimes you just want a book and a cup of tea and to not have to think any of your own thoughts for a couple hours. Onward to book four...

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a 3.5 than a 4. Enjoyable, with likeable enough characters and unobtrusive prose, but a little shallow, with a pretty standard-feeling fantasy plot structure. Follows a lot of the author's usual patterns for this universe and doesn't seem particularly unique taken as a whole with the other Lyra novels.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characterization is a little sketchy, and some of the emotional reactions seem a little shallow, but the story is pretty good. I think the story is actually bigger than the constraints of early-80s short-n-sweet fantasy really allowed, and I kind of wish there were an expanded version.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread again recently, from my bookshelf. And the book was so fragile with the cover coming off. But again, an oldie but goodie, with a good storyline that flows from other standalone books in the Lyra series.

[Jonathan Schwartz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that this is my second favorite book by Wrede, after The Seven Towers. There is sufficient character development to be engaging, a small bit of humor, a good bit of intrigue, and a decent happy-ish ending.

[♥Xeni♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, a predictable ending, but otherwise a thoroughly enjoyable YA book. I loved the music aspect most of all, although the plot-line continuance of Shadow-Born was also quite interesting.

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this further installment in the Lyra series a good deal, though the ending was quite sudden.

[Li · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this better than the first two Lyra books, but still on the fence. It helped that there was a bit more focus on a single character's POV, I think - made it easier to connect with the story.

[Kate E · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the male point of view in this one, and also Liana's character was a pleasant surprise. Some of the twists and turns in the plotline I was unprepared for, but they worked.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was better than the first two. Probably because it had the Background filled in in by them. But I found it better imagined especially the castle of wind song.

[Asti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book 3 in Lyra series, and every time it's getting more engaging. I finished this one in two days.

[Brian Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful novel, filled with magic, battle, adventure, loss, and romance. I highly recommend this book for those who love good fantasy novels.

[liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really buy some of the reveals at the ending, but overall it was a pretty good book and a solid addition to the worldbuilding/meta-plot of Lyra.