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Legends of the Five Directions #1
The Golden Lynx
WHO IS THE GOLDEN LYNX?
Russia, 1534. Elite clans battle for control of the toddler who will become their first tsar, Ivan the Terrible. Amid the chaos and upheaval, a masked man mysteriously appears night after night to aid the desperate people.
Or is he a man?
Sixteen-year-old Nasan Kolychev is trapped in a loveless marriage. To escape her misery, she dons boys' clothes and slips away under cover of night to help those in need. She never intends to do more than assist a few souls and give her life purpose. But before long, Nasan finds herself caught up in events that will decide the future of Russia.
And so, a girl who has become the greatest hero of her time must decide whether to save a baby destined to become the greatest villain of his.
Russia, 1534. Elite clans battle for control of the toddler who will become their first tsar, Ivan the Terrible. Amid the chaos and upheaval, a masked man mysteriously appears night after night to aid the desperate people.
Or is he a man?
Sixteen-year-old Nasan Kolychev is trapped in a loveless marriage. To escape her misery, she dons boys' clothes and slips away under cover of night to help those in need. She never intends to do more than assist a few souls and give her life purpose. But before long, Nasan finds herself caught up in events that will decide the future of Russia.
And so, a girl who has become the greatest hero of her time must decide whether to save a baby destined to become the greatest villain of his.
450 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 8, 2012
6 people are currently reading
544 people want to read
About the author
C.P. Lesley
19 books90 followersAs a child, C.P. Lesley thought everyone told stories while falling asleep. It never occurred to her that anyone would pay her for them, and for a long time, she was right—no one would. But after years of producing horrible prose, reading books about novel writing, and pestering hapless fellow-writers and friends to read her drafts, some of the advice stuck, and she finished The Not Exactly Scarlet Pimpernel, followed by Legends of the Five Directions and Songs of Steppe & Forest, two series set during the reign of Ivan the Terrible.
When not thinking up new ways to torture her characters, she edits other people’s manuscripts, reads voraciously, maintains her website, and takes classes in classical ballet. That love of ballet also finds expression in her Tarkei Chronicles series.
She blogs regularly about history, novels, publishing, technology, and writing at http://blog.cplesley.com, posts that Goodreads picks up and displays after a short delay. And she hosts New Books in Historical Fiction, a channel in the New Books Network.
When not thinking up new ways to torture her characters, she edits other people’s manuscripts, reads voraciously, maintains her website, and takes classes in classical ballet. That love of ballet also finds expression in her Tarkei Chronicles series.
She blogs regularly about history, novels, publishing, technology, and writing at http://blog.cplesley.com, posts that Goodreads picks up and displays after a short delay. And she hosts New Books in Historical Fiction, a channel in the New Books Network.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
February 5, 2019
Update on Feb 2, 2019 ~~ I am going to re-read this one starting today and afterwards the two other titles in the series that I have already finished, so that I can then read the final two volumes with fresh memories of the first parts of the story. I'm excited!
Feb 5, 2019 ~~ Just as wonderful as the first time around. Now I am off to the second book in the series!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First of all, I want to say that author C. P. Lesley is a GR friend of mine, but I paid full price for my copy of this book and the opinions in this review are entirely my own.
Sixteen year-old Nasan and her younger brother Girei have left their home to romp in the forest for a few stolen hours of childish freedom. They are both growing up and soon their respective adult worlds will claim them. Girei will be old enough to become a soldier, and Nasan will have to spend time with the women learning more about being what she is destined to be: a wife capable of running a royal Tatar household. The two will not have much time together once this happens.
But neither realizes just how short an amount of time together they actually have left, or how much their separate destinies will change by the time they finish their innocent snowball fights and horse races this day. How will Nasan deal with these changes? Will she embrace her new fate, run from it, or discover a way to do both? Will she become who she was meant to be all along?
I was captivated by this story from the first pages. The settings, the people, the action, the magic, the intrigue, the mystery. Everything felt so real, so vibrant, that I stayed up extra late more than once to find out what would happen next.
I have already started the second book in the series, which features Nasan's older brother Ogodai, a character I met and admired in this book. And if you will excuse me, I left at a very dramatic moment. I have to hurry back to the steppes!
Feb 5, 2019 ~~ Just as wonderful as the first time around. Now I am off to the second book in the series!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First of all, I want to say that author C. P. Lesley is a GR friend of mine, but I paid full price for my copy of this book and the opinions in this review are entirely my own.
Sixteen year-old Nasan and her younger brother Girei have left their home to romp in the forest for a few stolen hours of childish freedom. They are both growing up and soon their respective adult worlds will claim them. Girei will be old enough to become a soldier, and Nasan will have to spend time with the women learning more about being what she is destined to be: a wife capable of running a royal Tatar household. The two will not have much time together once this happens.
But neither realizes just how short an amount of time together they actually have left, or how much their separate destinies will change by the time they finish their innocent snowball fights and horse races this day. How will Nasan deal with these changes? Will she embrace her new fate, run from it, or discover a way to do both? Will she become who she was meant to be all along?
I was captivated by this story from the first pages. The settings, the people, the action, the magic, the intrigue, the mystery. Everything felt so real, so vibrant, that I stayed up extra late more than once to find out what would happen next.
I have already started the second book in the series, which features Nasan's older brother Ogodai, a character I met and admired in this book. And if you will excuse me, I left at a very dramatic moment. I have to hurry back to the steppes!
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July 24, 2018Since I am the author, what follows is not a review but some information that may be useful in understanding the Legends of the Five Directions series as a whole.
For almost 250 years (1240–1480), the disunited Russian principalities belonged to what is commonly but inaccurately known as the Golden Horde, the western part of the vast Mongol Empire created by Genghis Khan and his descendants. Over those 250 years, Mongol dominance gradually declined as the Golden Horde fractured and the Russian princes united. By the 1530s, Russia was clearly on the upswing, although several independent khanates—by then run by a Turkic/Mongol blend of peoples known as the Tatars—continued to exist and retained the prestige conferred by their illustrious past. Over the next twenty years, Tatar princes would increasingly enter Muscovite service, where their genealogy placed them at the same rank as Russia’s royal family. Beginning in 1552, Russia conquered the khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan, and Siberia, leaving only the Khanate of Crimea—a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire that retained its semi-independence until the reign of Catherine the Great (1762–96).
Despite being on a generally upward trajectory, between 1533 and 1547 Russia underwent a period of internal crisis after its ruler (then the grand prince of Moscow) died unexpectedly, leaving his scepter in the hands of his three-year-old son, who would one day be known as Russia’s first tsar, Ivan the Terrible (1533–84). In a political system that depended on consensus among the nobility, which in turn depended on a pecking order determined by who married his daughter to the grand prince, rule by a child too young to wed threatened to destabilize the government by removing its best means of moderating competition among aristocratic lineages. In short, it was every boyar for himself—or at least for his clan. The prospect of weak and divided rule also attracted the attention of expansionist neighbors—specifically, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which sought to recover lands lost to Russia during the previous reign.
This combination of domestic crisis in Russia, the struggle between Russia and Poland-Lithuania in the west, and Russian/Tatar (and Tatar/Tatar) jockeying for power on the steppe forms the backdrop to my Legends of the Five Directions series, which begins with the Tatars of Kasimov, subordinate to Russian power, and journeys to Moscow, to the southern steppes, to Kazan in the east and Smolensk in the west, and to the monasteries of the taiga before completing its journey in the heartland.
The five books in the series are The Golden Lynx (west), The Winged Horse (east), The Swan Princess (north), The Vermilion Bird (south), and The Shattered Drum (center).
For almost 250 years (1240–1480), the disunited Russian principalities belonged to what is commonly but inaccurately known as the Golden Horde, the western part of the vast Mongol Empire created by Genghis Khan and his descendants. Over those 250 years, Mongol dominance gradually declined as the Golden Horde fractured and the Russian princes united. By the 1530s, Russia was clearly on the upswing, although several independent khanates—by then run by a Turkic/Mongol blend of peoples known as the Tatars—continued to exist and retained the prestige conferred by their illustrious past. Over the next twenty years, Tatar princes would increasingly enter Muscovite service, where their genealogy placed them at the same rank as Russia’s royal family. Beginning in 1552, Russia conquered the khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan, and Siberia, leaving only the Khanate of Crimea—a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire that retained its semi-independence until the reign of Catherine the Great (1762–96).
Despite being on a generally upward trajectory, between 1533 and 1547 Russia underwent a period of internal crisis after its ruler (then the grand prince of Moscow) died unexpectedly, leaving his scepter in the hands of his three-year-old son, who would one day be known as Russia’s first tsar, Ivan the Terrible (1533–84). In a political system that depended on consensus among the nobility, which in turn depended on a pecking order determined by who married his daughter to the grand prince, rule by a child too young to wed threatened to destabilize the government by removing its best means of moderating competition among aristocratic lineages. In short, it was every boyar for himself—or at least for his clan. The prospect of weak and divided rule also attracted the attention of expansionist neighbors—specifically, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which sought to recover lands lost to Russia during the previous reign.
This combination of domestic crisis in Russia, the struggle between Russia and Poland-Lithuania in the west, and Russian/Tatar (and Tatar/Tatar) jockeying for power on the steppe forms the backdrop to my Legends of the Five Directions series, which begins with the Tatars of Kasimov, subordinate to Russian power, and journeys to Moscow, to the southern steppes, to Kazan in the east and Smolensk in the west, and to the monasteries of the taiga before completing its journey in the heartland.
The five books in the series are The Golden Lynx (west), The Winged Horse (east), The Swan Princess (north), The Vermilion Bird (south), and The Shattered Drum (center).
October 17, 2012
I had fun. I’m going to make this a very, very personal review. It may or may not be of use to others.
First off: I came because I’m into steppe history. Mind, I know next to nothing about 16thC Russian-steppe outskirts... though I always thought Russia had the most interesting history on earth; I was happy to visit.
Next: I have a thing for fighting women. When they’re from the steppe I’m a guaranteed read. The more so, as to read certain steppe fiction, you’d think these were masculinist, macho societies where women were dragged by the hair. You’d think wrong: consult the steppe epics, that our girl Nasan knows and loves. When I found fighting women from The Book of Dede Korkut, for instance, cited here as aspiration-figures, the kind of girl Nasan wants to be, I was in.
Her people are now Muslim – in the way they are Dede Korkut, that is, with strong underlines of their earlier religion. I’ve read about the conversion to Islam hereabouts in Islamization and Native Religion in the Golden Horde: Baba Tukles and Conversion to Islam in Historical and Epic Tradition (that's a mouthful. So, I'm afraid, is the book) - where I learn, conversion is slow and never perfect. So Nasan has her 'grandmothers', whom she feels to guide her, and a spirit doll (doll to Russian eyes) that she feeds daily, treats as holy, draws inspiration from.
But I don’t mean to get abstruse here, because this novel is an adventure. It kept reminding me of old adventure tales that I loved in my youth – Robert Louis Stevenson’s New Arabian Nights, for one, where people go about the night streets in disguises. It has a strong flavour of such fare – to me – and I can’t help but suspect the author is a fan of these old adventure tales too, since her other book is a take on the Scarlet Pimpernel. It’s very plotty. You know from the blurb, the infant Ivan the Terrible is involved... and that plot blew a breeze of Alexandre Dumas at me, too.
There's what I liked about it: the setting (with sound historical knowledge); our girl hero whose heart is on the steppe though she’s plunked into Moscow to patch up a feud with a marriage; and the adventure, that conjured up to me the old-style books, you know, in the days when they knew how to write an adventure...
First off: I came because I’m into steppe history. Mind, I know next to nothing about 16thC Russian-steppe outskirts... though I always thought Russia had the most interesting history on earth; I was happy to visit.
Next: I have a thing for fighting women. When they’re from the steppe I’m a guaranteed read. The more so, as to read certain steppe fiction, you’d think these were masculinist, macho societies where women were dragged by the hair. You’d think wrong: consult the steppe epics, that our girl Nasan knows and loves. When I found fighting women from The Book of Dede Korkut, for instance, cited here as aspiration-figures, the kind of girl Nasan wants to be, I was in.
Her people are now Muslim – in the way they are Dede Korkut, that is, with strong underlines of their earlier religion. I’ve read about the conversion to Islam hereabouts in Islamization and Native Religion in the Golden Horde: Baba Tukles and Conversion to Islam in Historical and Epic Tradition (that's a mouthful. So, I'm afraid, is the book) - where I learn, conversion is slow and never perfect. So Nasan has her 'grandmothers', whom she feels to guide her, and a spirit doll (doll to Russian eyes) that she feeds daily, treats as holy, draws inspiration from.
But I don’t mean to get abstruse here, because this novel is an adventure. It kept reminding me of old adventure tales that I loved in my youth – Robert Louis Stevenson’s New Arabian Nights, for one, where people go about the night streets in disguises. It has a strong flavour of such fare – to me – and I can’t help but suspect the author is a fan of these old adventure tales too, since her other book is a take on the Scarlet Pimpernel. It’s very plotty. You know from the blurb, the infant Ivan the Terrible is involved... and that plot blew a breeze of Alexandre Dumas at me, too.
There's what I liked about it: the setting (with sound historical knowledge); our girl hero whose heart is on the steppe though she’s plunked into Moscow to patch up a feud with a marriage; and the adventure, that conjured up to me the old-style books, you know, in the days when they knew how to write an adventure...
December 30, 2012
I've studied the 16th century for nearly 40 years, so it was quite a surprise to find that an entire world I knew nothing about existed at that time in Russia, just a few hundred miles from Western Europe, where I think most of us were led to believe everything important happened. The co-existance of Christian and Muslim cultures and the fact that both societies were clan-based (with only the beginnings of a sesne of a nation called Russia) was all new to me, and made for fascinating reading.
The best part was the kick-ass heroine, Nasan, made even more interesting by her coming from a Muslim society, which overlayed an older, shamanistic religion. I don't think I've ever seen a female character outside of a fantasy novel dream of being an epic heroine from days of old. These legends, along with the author's vivid descriptions of everything from food to architecture to racing across the snow on horseback makes The Golden Lynx well worth reading.
The best part was the kick-ass heroine, Nasan, made even more interesting by her coming from a Muslim society, which overlayed an older, shamanistic religion. I don't think I've ever seen a female character outside of a fantasy novel dream of being an epic heroine from days of old. These legends, along with the author's vivid descriptions of everything from food to architecture to racing across the snow on horseback makes The Golden Lynx well worth reading.
December 10, 2020
This was the choice of my reading group here on Goodreads and I voted for it, because 1) Tatars, 2) Russia pre-Peter the Great. I'm not all that familiar with the era, but I love A.K. Tolstoy's (the least known of the three Tolstoys) Prince Serebrenni, and Lermontov's The Song of the Merchant Kalashnikov is one of my fav poems, so…
It started very good - the heroine Nasan, a Tatar princess, witnesses a murder which appropriately chilling and described with great care. Then it turns out that in order to put an end to a blood feud, she has to marry a brother of a guy whom she believes to have been the murderer. She duly does so, changes her name and religion, leaves her home to live with people of different culture… it might have been interesting.
The problem is, the people surrounding Nasan, and Nasan herself, are basically 21st century Western people in historical costumes. They constantly discuss and analyze everything. Their motivations are painfully clear. Religion and culture don't actually influence anything more deeply than the surface. Nasan is supposedly a princess, probably groomed to become a wife of someone more or less significant, but she loathes housework, can't cook, can't sew, can't embroider, eww womanly pursuits! Her own father has a lot of concubines (eww those weak, simpering slaves) and her own mother is okay with it, but Nasan throws many a fit over her new husband's PREMARITAL conquests. The husband loves her for her martial skills (he's looking forward to fighting alongside her) and her spunkiness, because hey, submissive females were already passé in Ivan the Terrible's times. The husband's family discovers that the new bride has been sneaking out at night, but they don't mind really, the girl must have had some reasons, right? Let's not be mean. This is by the way a family where the wife calls the husband "Kolya" AND children dare sit in presence of their parents AND let said parents clean the dishes.
Sometimes someone (usually a woman) remembers it's after all a historical novel, and says stuff like "Women don't meddle in politics. The Lord in His infinite wisdom made us the handmaidens of men." Not very subtle, but arguably more like 16th century. Then there is "oh, Papa, you wouldn't believe the excitement we've had" - 19th century? And "she made a mental note: Grusha = trouble", hey back to the future, baby!
And oh boy, isn't Grusha trouble! She is the only character I sort of cared about. She's Nasan's husband's house slave. This husband, Daniil, is a man and is hot, so can't be chaste or anything. He had a wife before, and countless lovers. Grusha has been his latest. Never mind she is his slave, and might have hoped for some change in her sad life due to the master's interest in her. The moment the beautiful and SO MUCH MORE SLENDER and kickass Nasan appears in Daniil's life, Grusha is discarded. Nobody is surprised, not even the reader. Nobody believed that Daniil might have felt anything for Grusha (oh excuse me, stupid Nasan did, because otherwise there wouldn't have been any romantic misunderstanding). Poor Grusha, right? Here is Daniil's take on the situation:
"And Grusha's sobs lacked conviction. The two of them hadn't exchanged anything but pleasure, had never spoken of fidelity (which he didn't want and felt pretty certain she couldn't offer)."
Is this a high school student who slept with his pal's sister? No, the dude is a feudal parasite who took advantage of a slave girl who couldn't have refused him ANYTHING including fidelity. Only he's hot and in love with a feisty princess, so he must be forgiven. I hated him. What a CREEP.
So, in short, I liked the premise, but not the execution. On the positive note, I think Nasan's problems and struggles with the Russian language were interesting and believable, and the author got some colorful expressions and idioms right. But it's very very difficult to achieve the impression that the characters are, in fact, speaking old Russian, and if one uses completely contemporary language with words like "mental note" and "uncharacteristically" and such, then the whole effort comes to nought. This, and the anachronisms, were the main reasons why I couldn't enjoy the story which, save for Grusha's sad fate, wasn't that bad.
It started very good - the heroine Nasan, a Tatar princess, witnesses a murder which appropriately chilling and described with great care. Then it turns out that in order to put an end to a blood feud, she has to marry a brother of a guy whom she believes to have been the murderer. She duly does so, changes her name and religion, leaves her home to live with people of different culture… it might have been interesting.
The problem is, the people surrounding Nasan, and Nasan herself, are basically 21st century Western people in historical costumes. They constantly discuss and analyze everything. Their motivations are painfully clear. Religion and culture don't actually influence anything more deeply than the surface. Nasan is supposedly a princess, probably groomed to become a wife of someone more or less significant, but she loathes housework, can't cook, can't sew, can't embroider, eww womanly pursuits! Her own father has a lot of concubines (eww those weak, simpering slaves) and her own mother is okay with it, but Nasan throws many a fit over her new husband's PREMARITAL conquests. The husband loves her for her martial skills (he's looking forward to fighting alongside her) and her spunkiness, because hey, submissive females were already passé in Ivan the Terrible's times. The husband's family discovers that the new bride has been sneaking out at night, but they don't mind really, the girl must have had some reasons, right? Let's not be mean. This is by the way a family where the wife calls the husband "Kolya" AND children dare sit in presence of their parents AND let said parents clean the dishes.
Sometimes someone (usually a woman) remembers it's after all a historical novel, and says stuff like "Women don't meddle in politics. The Lord in His infinite wisdom made us the handmaidens of men." Not very subtle, but arguably more like 16th century. Then there is "oh, Papa, you wouldn't believe the excitement we've had" - 19th century? And "she made a mental note: Grusha = trouble", hey back to the future, baby!
And oh boy, isn't Grusha trouble! She is the only character I sort of cared about. She's Nasan's husband's house slave. This husband, Daniil, is a man and is hot, so can't be chaste or anything. He had a wife before, and countless lovers. Grusha has been his latest. Never mind she is his slave, and might have hoped for some change in her sad life due to the master's interest in her. The moment the beautiful and SO MUCH MORE SLENDER and kickass Nasan appears in Daniil's life, Grusha is discarded. Nobody is surprised, not even the reader. Nobody believed that Daniil might have felt anything for Grusha (oh excuse me, stupid Nasan did, because otherwise there wouldn't have been any romantic misunderstanding). Poor Grusha, right? Here is Daniil's take on the situation:
"And Grusha's sobs lacked conviction. The two of them hadn't exchanged anything but pleasure, had never spoken of fidelity (which he didn't want and felt pretty certain she couldn't offer)."
Is this a high school student who slept with his pal's sister? No, the dude is a feudal parasite who took advantage of a slave girl who couldn't have refused him ANYTHING including fidelity. Only he's hot and in love with a feisty princess, so he must be forgiven. I hated him. What a CREEP.
So, in short, I liked the premise, but not the execution. On the positive note, I think Nasan's problems and struggles with the Russian language were interesting and believable, and the author got some colorful expressions and idioms right. But it's very very difficult to achieve the impression that the characters are, in fact, speaking old Russian, and if one uses completely contemporary language with words like "mental note" and "uncharacteristically" and such, then the whole effort comes to nought. This, and the anachronisms, were the main reasons why I couldn't enjoy the story which, save for Grusha's sad fate, wasn't that bad.
December 26, 2013
I have no regrets about buying this novel! This is one to keep and reread. It was a setting I knew only a little about. This was a fun learning experience. The only reading I've done of Tatars was when they were presented as peripheral characters in Russian literature. Also I've read about Alexander Nevsky's diplomatic mission to the Tatars, although he lived in the 13th century and this story took place in the 16th.
The tomboy heroine, Nasan, a Tatar girl, sees her younger brother suddenly and brutally killed. From Nasan's eyewitness account and their own investigations, the Tatars of Kasimov, a nearby area, think they know the identity of the murderer and wreak vengeance on a Muscovite Russian boyar family by killing the eldest son and heir. To stop any further blood feud, it is decided that Nasan should marry Daniil, the dead man's brother. Daniil is a womanizer. Through misunderstandings, Nasan is very unhappy. Also, she doesn't fit in with her new family; the two cultures clash. Daniil feels his brother is innocent and leaves soon after the wedding on a quest to find the real murderer, not telling Nasan where and why he's leaving. Nasan has an agenda of her own; disguising herself as a boy, and slipping out of her new family's home at night, she helps unfortunates of the town, becoming known as the "Golden Lynx." Nasan and Daniil also are involved in solving two kidnappings of State importance. I liked the resolution of the plot: Daniil's and Nasan's mutual help, appreciation, acceptance and love.
Most of the members of both families were sympathetic; in spite of cultural and religious differences, they revealed themselves to be fully human, perhaps flawed [like Daniil] but with feelings. I liked learning something about the Tatar way of life. Tatars are now no longer exotic to me. The writing style was very good and the story flowed easily. As an Orthodox myself, I was very glad that the detailed descriptions of the Orthodox religious betrothal and wedding ceremonies were so accurate. In novels I've read, usually details about Orthodox ritual are not that well done, even in Russian novels, which I've only read in translation. Those are probably faults in the translations. The author avoided the whole Divine Liturgy vs Mass terminology by not having a communion service in the novel. I appreciated the Historical Note in the back of the book.
There was one thing I was puzzled about; were Tatars literate? In one place, Nasan's mother tells her to read her Koran and in another, Nasan writes a letter to her mother [writing what she hopes will please her mother, but hoping her mother will see her unhappiness between the lines]. I had thought the Tatar culture to be strictly oral.
I am looking forward eagerly to reading the other books in the series when they are released. One note: I found the cover to be extremely striking--a beautiful girl and gorgeous gown! I wondered if Tatars, like the Chinese, consider red to be an auspicious color. I do know that wedding saris in India are red.
Very highly recommended!
The tomboy heroine, Nasan, a Tatar girl, sees her younger brother suddenly and brutally killed. From Nasan's eyewitness account and their own investigations, the Tatars of Kasimov, a nearby area, think they know the identity of the murderer and wreak vengeance on a Muscovite Russian boyar family by killing the eldest son and heir. To stop any further blood feud, it is decided that Nasan should marry Daniil, the dead man's brother. Daniil is a womanizer. Through misunderstandings, Nasan is very unhappy. Also, she doesn't fit in with her new family; the two cultures clash. Daniil feels his brother is innocent and leaves soon after the wedding on a quest to find the real murderer, not telling Nasan where and why he's leaving. Nasan has an agenda of her own; disguising herself as a boy, and slipping out of her new family's home at night, she helps unfortunates of the town, becoming known as the "Golden Lynx." Nasan and Daniil also are involved in solving two kidnappings of State importance. I liked the resolution of the plot: Daniil's and Nasan's mutual help, appreciation, acceptance and love.
Most of the members of both families were sympathetic; in spite of cultural and religious differences, they revealed themselves to be fully human, perhaps flawed [like Daniil] but with feelings. I liked learning something about the Tatar way of life. Tatars are now no longer exotic to me. The writing style was very good and the story flowed easily. As an Orthodox myself, I was very glad that the detailed descriptions of the Orthodox religious betrothal and wedding ceremonies were so accurate. In novels I've read, usually details about Orthodox ritual are not that well done, even in Russian novels, which I've only read in translation. Those are probably faults in the translations. The author avoided the whole Divine Liturgy vs Mass terminology by not having a communion service in the novel. I appreciated the Historical Note in the back of the book.
There was one thing I was puzzled about; were Tatars literate? In one place, Nasan's mother tells her to read her Koran and in another, Nasan writes a letter to her mother [writing what she hopes will please her mother, but hoping her mother will see her unhappiness between the lines]. I had thought the Tatar culture to be strictly oral.
I am looking forward eagerly to reading the other books in the series when they are released. One note: I found the cover to be extremely striking--a beautiful girl and gorgeous gown! I wondered if Tatars, like the Chinese, consider red to be an auspicious color. I do know that wedding saris in India are red.
Very highly recommended!
April 7, 2013
I very much enjoyed The Golden Lynx by C. P. Lesley. It takes place in 16th century Russia. Its protagonist is very unique. Nasan is an Islamic Tatar among the Christians of Russia. Yet she refuses to confine herself to the expected women's role in either society. She is a liminal figure--caught betwixt and between. This is my favorite type of hero. Yet I have a basic disagreement with the author which is the main subject of this review.
I am very particular about swashbuckling heroes with or without masks. C.P. Lesley promotes this book as a novel about a Scarlet Pimpernel. To me, Scarlet Pimpernel means something rather specific. The Scarlet Pimpernel was created by Baroness Orczy. He was an English aristocrat who rescued French aristocrats from the clutches of the Jacobin rulers of revolutionary France who were executing aristocrats as counter-revolutionaries even if they had done nothing that was at all counter-revolutionary. The Scarlet Pimpernel spirited them out of France so that they could take refuge in England. I feel that if I want to broaden the definition of Scarlet Pimpernel to include a context outside of revolutionary France, there needs to be some elements in common with the original. The Golden Lynx rescues people, but they aren't really in the same category as those that the Scarlet Pimpernel rescues.
For my complete review see my April blog entry "The Golden Lynx: Scarlet Pimpernel in 16th Century Russia?" at http://www.maskedpersona.blogspot.com
I am very particular about swashbuckling heroes with or without masks. C.P. Lesley promotes this book as a novel about a Scarlet Pimpernel. To me, Scarlet Pimpernel means something rather specific. The Scarlet Pimpernel was created by Baroness Orczy. He was an English aristocrat who rescued French aristocrats from the clutches of the Jacobin rulers of revolutionary France who were executing aristocrats as counter-revolutionaries even if they had done nothing that was at all counter-revolutionary. The Scarlet Pimpernel spirited them out of France so that they could take refuge in England. I feel that if I want to broaden the definition of Scarlet Pimpernel to include a context outside of revolutionary France, there needs to be some elements in common with the original. The Golden Lynx rescues people, but they aren't really in the same category as those that the Scarlet Pimpernel rescues.
For my complete review see my April blog entry "The Golden Lynx: Scarlet Pimpernel in 16th Century Russia?" at http://www.maskedpersona.blogspot.com
December 3, 2018
The Golden Lynx is historical fiction set in sixteenth century Russia. This is book one of the Legends Of The Five Directions series. It opens in Kasimov, a principality of Moscow, governed by Bulat Khan. Two of his children are caught in a forest ambush by Russian soldiers, where one child is killed.
Bulat quickly responds with a revenge attack on Boris Kolychev, the man believed to have killed his son. To prevent further vengeance deaths, a truce is called and a marriage arranged between Bulat’s daughter, Nassan, and Boris’ brother, Daniil. For full review see here https://wp.me/p2Eu3u-bTt
Bulat quickly responds with a revenge attack on Boris Kolychev, the man believed to have killed his son. To prevent further vengeance deaths, a truce is called and a marriage arranged between Bulat’s daughter, Nassan, and Boris’ brother, Daniil. For full review see here https://wp.me/p2Eu3u-bTt
May 29, 2013
I picked "The Golden Lynx" as a group read and I had no cause to regret spending many evenings curled with this book.
The story of Nasan, the young Tatar princess, starts strongly, with just enough action, people's relationship, politics and drama to keep me glued to the pages. Set in an unusual for the mainstream historical fiction time and place, this novel provided me with the opportunity to broad my knowledge on the places I knew very little about.
The cultural clash it presented was delightful, wonderfully realistic. It made me learn an enormous amount of history and customs unfamiliar to me so far, and this what I love about historical fiction the best - the opportunity to learn without noticing the process, while enjoying a good story.
The characters in this novel were delightfully real, realistic, making one realize that while circumstances, customs, traditions and way of life were different, people were always people, with their basic passions and drives.
All in a all, a delightful read I would highly recommend to the lovers of historical fiction.
The story of Nasan, the young Tatar princess, starts strongly, with just enough action, people's relationship, politics and drama to keep me glued to the pages. Set in an unusual for the mainstream historical fiction time and place, this novel provided me with the opportunity to broad my knowledge on the places I knew very little about.
The cultural clash it presented was delightful, wonderfully realistic. It made me learn an enormous amount of history and customs unfamiliar to me so far, and this what I love about historical fiction the best - the opportunity to learn without noticing the process, while enjoying a good story.
The characters in this novel were delightfully real, realistic, making one realize that while circumstances, customs, traditions and way of life were different, people were always people, with their basic passions and drives.
All in a all, a delightful read I would highly recommend to the lovers of historical fiction.
December 22, 2012
This is a novel of adventure set in 16th century Russia that features a young Tatar woman, Nasan, whose family is involved in a blood feud with a Russian noble family. With the death of her brother and the Russian family's heir they the two warring factions decide to make peace by marrying Nasan to the younger son of the Russian family. Nasan reluctantly agrees and travels to Moscow to become a bride of a man whose brother she believes killed her own. A stubborn and head strong young woman she gets caught up in local intrigue while posing as a mysterious hero, The Golden Lynx, while her husband goes on a mission to clear his brother's name.
It is an entertaining read set in an exotic backdrop of the contrasting Tatar and Russian culture, a time and area I know very little about. The author provides a wealth of local colour for both that enriches the story immensely.
It is an entertaining read set in an exotic backdrop of the contrasting Tatar and Russian culture, a time and area I know very little about. The author provides a wealth of local colour for both that enriches the story immensely.
March 15, 2013
So, I'll give this 3,75 but choose to give it four instead of three because of the descriptive writing, which I feel is superb. The setting and the mood is the thread that kept me reading and the flow of the story from character to character is smooth and easily understandable even though it shifts a lot. I like the whole idea of the Golden Lynx and feel the story is really strong. What held me up was the inner dialogue that keeps breaking up the flow of the story and the conversations and slowed it all down too much for me.
Overall, I'm looking forward to reading more of this author's work.
Overall, I'm looking forward to reading more of this author's work.
January 30, 2018
Historical romance isn't my favorite genre, but when a friend and sister Russianist recommended "The Golden Lynx" as being a romance that was also a historically accurate depiction of 16th-century Russia, I knew I had to check it out.
And indeed, the descriptions of life amongst the Tatars and boyars of that era are superb. It isn't my area of expertise, but I know enough to recognize that it is painstakingly researched and written from a breadth and depth of knowledge that surpasses my own. Normally when I read books set in Russia or some Russian-esque society, I spend a lot of time rolling my eyes at the author's ill-advised attempts to show off their superficial knowledge, which rather ruins the book for me. In this case, though, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the running of the households in Kasimov and Moscow, and all the little historical details the author throws in.
This is not, however, a dense book. In many ways it reads like conventional historical romance, which is either its biggest weakness or biggest strength, depending on how you feel about that sort of thing. If you hunger for stories of young women unexpectedly finding love in marriages of convenience, despite their ungirlish, uppity, "feminist" behavior (which in no way causes them gain true temporal power), then this is yet another of those stories for you. This is an extremely popular plot, and for good reason, but I've never really warmed to it. However, true fans of romance novels will probably love it. And I have to give major props to the author for creating a Muslim Tatar heroine, which is a first for my reading experience. Furthermore, the heroine's ethnicity and faith are worked organically into the plot, rather than seeming like a cheap, superficial ploy.
In fact, the construction of the book is top-notch overall. The multi-faceted plot is deftly done, with multiple points of view interwoven to best heighten the tension, and the romantic, political, and family plot lines all coming together in a tense denouement. A real page-turner, and will probably delight readers of historical romance as well as readers looking for some lighter "Russian-flavored" fare.
And indeed, the descriptions of life amongst the Tatars and boyars of that era are superb. It isn't my area of expertise, but I know enough to recognize that it is painstakingly researched and written from a breadth and depth of knowledge that surpasses my own. Normally when I read books set in Russia or some Russian-esque society, I spend a lot of time rolling my eyes at the author's ill-advised attempts to show off their superficial knowledge, which rather ruins the book for me. In this case, though, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the running of the households in Kasimov and Moscow, and all the little historical details the author throws in.
This is not, however, a dense book. In many ways it reads like conventional historical romance, which is either its biggest weakness or biggest strength, depending on how you feel about that sort of thing. If you hunger for stories of young women unexpectedly finding love in marriages of convenience, despite their ungirlish, uppity, "feminist" behavior (which in no way causes them gain true temporal power), then this is yet another of those stories for you. This is an extremely popular plot, and for good reason, but I've never really warmed to it. However, true fans of romance novels will probably love it. And I have to give major props to the author for creating a Muslim Tatar heroine, which is a first for my reading experience. Furthermore, the heroine's ethnicity and faith are worked organically into the plot, rather than seeming like a cheap, superficial ploy.
In fact, the construction of the book is top-notch overall. The multi-faceted plot is deftly done, with multiple points of view interwoven to best heighten the tension, and the romantic, political, and family plot lines all coming together in a tense denouement. A real page-turner, and will probably delight readers of historical romance as well as readers looking for some lighter "Russian-flavored" fare.
October 20, 2018
My knowledge of this period in world history has been woefully neglected so I came into The Golden Lynch knowing absolutely nothing about the Tatars and the Russians and where they were at this point in their collective history.
The story has a dramatic opening chapter which introduces us to sixteen year old Nasan Kolychev who witnesses a terrible tragedy which, despite her yearning for adventure, will chart the path of her life forever. Terrible consequences arise from this tragedy and Nasan, caught between two worlds has to try and make sense of what is happening around her, especially in light of her loveless marriage to one of her family's enemies. Making sense of the ever changing world around her is important to Nasan and she is something of a feisty heroine especially when her life, by her own choosing starts to become more adventurous.
The story has a really authentic feel to it and, despite my lack of knowledge about the history of the time, I was very quickly drawn into the whole adventure and, to the author's credit there is a lot of information, but all is easily readable and not at all over complicated.
The Golden Lynx is the start of a whole series of historical adventures, which I am sure are all written with this author's enthusiasm and keen eye for historical accuracy.
The story has a dramatic opening chapter which introduces us to sixteen year old Nasan Kolychev who witnesses a terrible tragedy which, despite her yearning for adventure, will chart the path of her life forever. Terrible consequences arise from this tragedy and Nasan, caught between two worlds has to try and make sense of what is happening around her, especially in light of her loveless marriage to one of her family's enemies. Making sense of the ever changing world around her is important to Nasan and she is something of a feisty heroine especially when her life, by her own choosing starts to become more adventurous.
The story has a really authentic feel to it and, despite my lack of knowledge about the history of the time, I was very quickly drawn into the whole adventure and, to the author's credit there is a lot of information, but all is easily readable and not at all over complicated.
The Golden Lynx is the start of a whole series of historical adventures, which I am sure are all written with this author's enthusiasm and keen eye for historical accuracy.
December 11, 2018
Recommended for fans of Mongol stories, along with Stephanie Thornton's The Tiger Queens. Reading this series makes me want to watch Marco Polo again on Netflix. Start with The Tiger Queens and you'll have the beginning of the Mongol empire along with the characters/family/structure that figure in the rest. It was fun to read this book and The Winged Horse (book 2 in this series) and understand who the names referenced.
March 1, 2013
I swear I read the description of the book, but for some reason my brain only focused on tsar and Russia. Automatically, I thought of a typical Russian novel set in a palace. My expectations took a quick swerve though as I read the prologue. Instead, the story starts with the mythical beginnings of the Tartars. The prologue was a nice surprise and rather interesting. After the prologue we meet Nasan, a Tartar girl who is sort of tomboyish in demeanor. She likes to hunt, shoot, ride horses, sneak out of the house, practice martial arts, etc. Her behavior is not totally out of the ordinary for a girl in her culture, but she’s getting to the age where she needs to start worrying about wifely duties. Without going into too much, events happen and Nasan ends up married to a Russian, whose cultural norms differ drastically from Nasan’s. Although there are some historical characters included in the story, this is not a historical fiction book about them. The story’s main focus is about Nasan, her cultural assimilation, her night time adventures and more importantly about solving a mystery.
Overall, I liked the characters and the story. Sometimes the internal dialogue was a bit too much for me. The inner dialogue tended to bring the story down a bit by being obvious and repetitive. I would have liked more showing than telling in those parts. However, I did like Nasan. I thought she was a kick ass heroine. I liked seeing Nasan assimilate into her new life and grow into a woman. I also loved the cultural and religious touches in the book. Things like the grandmother doll and the “beautiful corner” stood out for me. It made the story rich and interesting.
I think anyone who is looking for a different kind of historical fiction book with a bit of romance, mystery and adventure thrown in will be able to appreciate this book. I look forward to reading the next one in the series.
Disclosure:
This book was chosen in my Historical Fictionistas group as a Featured Author Read. C.P. Lesley was kind enough to send me a free copy for the discussion.
Overall, I liked the characters and the story. Sometimes the internal dialogue was a bit too much for me. The inner dialogue tended to bring the story down a bit by being obvious and repetitive. I would have liked more showing than telling in those parts. However, I did like Nasan. I thought she was a kick ass heroine. I liked seeing Nasan assimilate into her new life and grow into a woman. I also loved the cultural and religious touches in the book. Things like the grandmother doll and the “beautiful corner” stood out for me. It made the story rich and interesting.
I think anyone who is looking for a different kind of historical fiction book with a bit of romance, mystery and adventure thrown in will be able to appreciate this book. I look forward to reading the next one in the series.
Disclosure:
This book was chosen in my Historical Fictionistas group as a Featured Author Read. C.P. Lesley was kind enough to send me a free copy for the discussion.
February 13, 2017
Lovers of historical fiction and historical romance, fasten your seat-belts and prepare for a fascinating journey to 16-th century Russia, from Moscow with its cutthroat intrigues to the bloodshed and brutality of the Tatar steppes.
Nasan, daughter of a Tatar khan, finds herself thrust into a political marriage with the handsome young Russian Daniil Kolychev to end a blood feud. This is a challenging situation for a feisty 16-year-old who loves doing boy things and does not envision herself as a demure Orthodox Christian wife. The attraction between the two young people enables them to overcome their differences, however, and pave way to a working marriage - all while being implicated by deadly schemes surrounding the Russian throne.
This book won't disappoint fans of the Olden Days, lovers of culture-clash romance, and people who appreciate everything Russian.
Nasan, daughter of a Tatar khan, finds herself thrust into a political marriage with the handsome young Russian Daniil Kolychev to end a blood feud. This is a challenging situation for a feisty 16-year-old who loves doing boy things and does not envision herself as a demure Orthodox Christian wife. The attraction between the two young people enables them to overcome their differences, however, and pave way to a working marriage - all while being implicated by deadly schemes surrounding the Russian throne.
This book won't disappoint fans of the Olden Days, lovers of culture-clash romance, and people who appreciate everything Russian.
June 17, 2013
I bought "The Golden Lynx" because of Zoe Saadia's review and I respect her opinion. The book has mightily surprised me, however, because I can't recall ever having read any historical novels set in medieval Russia, let alone one as richly written as this. As Zoe has said, reading a good historical novel is such a delightful way to learn about our world and its past, and this geographical locale and this setting in time have been essentially unknown to me prior to reading this book.
Ms. Lesley manages to project herself into the characters in a very intimate way. Their personalities, values and inner feelings are revealed, not just their actions. I like her handling of plot development too. Even though, right from the beginning, the villain is identified, ms. Lesley kept me on the edge wondering how she would expose his perfidy and bring him to justice.
I loved the story. It is interesting that the protagonist is a young Muslim woman and I like the way the author portrays her, her family, and her Tatar culture. And I can't wait to read the next book in the series. The fact that "The Golden Lynx" is but the first in a series is great! I so enjoy a collection of books that allow a story to be thoroughly developed and the characters evolved over time. I get so engrossed that it is such a letdown when the series ends. Fortunately, I'll have to wait awhile for this saga to end.
Ms. Lesley manages to project herself into the characters in a very intimate way. Their personalities, values and inner feelings are revealed, not just their actions. I like her handling of plot development too. Even though, right from the beginning, the villain is identified, ms. Lesley kept me on the edge wondering how she would expose his perfidy and bring him to justice.
I loved the story. It is interesting that the protagonist is a young Muslim woman and I like the way the author portrays her, her family, and her Tatar culture. And I can't wait to read the next book in the series. The fact that "The Golden Lynx" is but the first in a series is great! I so enjoy a collection of books that allow a story to be thoroughly developed and the characters evolved over time. I get so engrossed that it is such a letdown when the series ends. Fortunately, I'll have to wait awhile for this saga to end.
April 19, 2014
Not my usual genre at all, and after an enforced break, I found it difficult to pick up the thread again. But I persevered and having just finished, locked into the smallest room to avoid interruptions, I am so very glad I did.
This is the story of Nasan, a Tatar princess, whose sudden forced maturity is hastened by the death of her beloved brother at the hand of a Russian noble. Nasan swears revenge, but after the clan kills the apparent perpetrator, a peace offering must be made, for the sake of politics. That offering is Nasan.
Sent to Moscow, immersed in a language she does not speak, a culture she does not understand, and married to a playboy used to pleasuring himself with slave girls, Nasan is desolate and alone. She relies on her ancestral resources, her own intelligence and fighting determination to assert herself and rescue the less fortunate.
This intricately detailed plot and historical detail surrounding a mysterious world gradually spun a web which caught me and held my attention till the very last satisfying words. It’s a slow-burner, but by the time the story caught fire, I knew and understood the characters and politics so well, I was literally arguing with words on a page.
Relax, unwind and dive in. You won’t regret it.
This is the story of Nasan, a Tatar princess, whose sudden forced maturity is hastened by the death of her beloved brother at the hand of a Russian noble. Nasan swears revenge, but after the clan kills the apparent perpetrator, a peace offering must be made, for the sake of politics. That offering is Nasan.
Sent to Moscow, immersed in a language she does not speak, a culture she does not understand, and married to a playboy used to pleasuring himself with slave girls, Nasan is desolate and alone. She relies on her ancestral resources, her own intelligence and fighting determination to assert herself and rescue the less fortunate.
This intricately detailed plot and historical detail surrounding a mysterious world gradually spun a web which caught me and held my attention till the very last satisfying words. It’s a slow-burner, but by the time the story caught fire, I knew and understood the characters and politics so well, I was literally arguing with words on a page.
Relax, unwind and dive in. You won’t regret it.
October 8, 2014
he Golden Lynx is set in 16th century Russia, with Nasan, an Islamic Tatar as protagonist. Nasan witnesses the murder of her brother by a Russian, triggering a battle, and the young Tatar princess becomes the peace offering. Nasan is sent by her parents, far away from her homeland to marry Daniil, who is related to her brother’s killer. Before long, Nasan finds herself caught up in events that will decide the future of Russia.
This was a period of history about which I knew next to nothing, and I enjoyed learning about it through this story, which is always a sign of good historical fiction for me. I loved the author’s excellent descriptions, and her intriguing exploration and contrast of the two cultures.
Nasan, in her refusal to play the expected role of women in this society, comes across as strong independent, but I would have liked to witness more of her nightly escapades.
I loved the idea of the Golden Lynx playing “detective” in parallel to Daniil, and, all in all, found this a compelling 16th century adventure. I look forward to reading the next book from this author, The Winged Horse.
This was a period of history about which I knew next to nothing, and I enjoyed learning about it through this story, which is always a sign of good historical fiction for me. I loved the author’s excellent descriptions, and her intriguing exploration and contrast of the two cultures.
Nasan, in her refusal to play the expected role of women in this society, comes across as strong independent, but I would have liked to witness more of her nightly escapades.
I loved the idea of the Golden Lynx playing “detective” in parallel to Daniil, and, all in all, found this a compelling 16th century adventure. I look forward to reading the next book from this author, The Winged Horse.
May 4, 2013
The Golden Lynx is set in 16th century Russia, with Nasan, an Islamic Tatar as protagonist. Nasan witnesses the murder of her brother by a Russian, triggering a battle, and the young Tatar princess becomes the peace offering. Nasan is sent by her parents, far away from her homeland to marry Daniil, who is related to her brother’s killer. Before long, Nasan finds herself caught up in events that will decide the future of Russia.
This was a period of history about which I knew next to nothing, and I enjoyed learning about it through this story, which is always a sign of good historical fiction for me. I loved the author’s excellent descriptions, and her intriguing exploration and contrast of the two cultures.
Nasan, in her refusal to play the expected role of women in this society, comes across as strong independent, but I would have liked to witness more of her nightly escapades.
I loved the idea of the Golden Lynx playing “detective” in parallel to Daniil, and, all in all, found this a compelling 16th century adventure.
I look forward to reading more of this author's work.
This was a period of history about which I knew next to nothing, and I enjoyed learning about it through this story, which is always a sign of good historical fiction for me. I loved the author’s excellent descriptions, and her intriguing exploration and contrast of the two cultures.
Nasan, in her refusal to play the expected role of women in this society, comes across as strong independent, but I would have liked to witness more of her nightly escapades.
I loved the idea of the Golden Lynx playing “detective” in parallel to Daniil, and, all in all, found this a compelling 16th century adventure.
I look forward to reading more of this author's work.
September 3, 2016
An enjoyable story, almost a romance in the vein of Georgette Heyer, transferred to 16th century Russia. There aren't too many novels taking place in this place or era, so getting to know how people lived in that period was a bonus. Great cover art too.
July 5, 2016
Just won this in a goodreads first-read giveaway! Yippee! Can't wait! I'm a history buff, so this story sounds amazing!
March 23, 2013
The story wad okay. I enjoyed the adventure but toward the end it became predictable.
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