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Sabazel #1
Sabazel: The Sabazel series, Book One
What if an Amazon queen had a love affair with Alexander the Great?
What if their son had to defend his lands from the Mongol Horde?
What if his sister was the priestess of a bull-cult on Crete?
What if her son started the Trojan War -- between India and Persia?
The Sabazel series, four alternate-history, gonzo-mythology epic fantasy novels: Sabazel, The Winter King, Shadow Dancers, Wings of Power.
Sabazel:
In a world rooted in Mediterranean history and mythology, armies clash, magicks compete, and the gods set their pawns onto the game board.
Danica, a warrior-queen, is forced to form a more-than-political alliance with Bellasteros, a warrior-king, making his enemies her enemies. When she rides into battle at his side, carrying his child, his friends become her enemies, too. Trapped, with no choice but to play the game to the end, they begin to re-evaluate their loyalties.
As their worlds are torn apart by both the clash of arms and supernatural powers, Danica and Bellasteros discover that only overcoming their old prejudices—and leading their followers into the same change—will save them and their child.
". . .I love this book. A functioning Amazonian society with a kickass queen, navigating the waters of political alliance and war? Sign my silly butt up. This is one of those books I read every few years, and I’m always pleasantly surprised by how good it is each time."---Lilith Saintcrow, author of the Dante Valentine series
“Sabazel is the first treatment of amazon society that can be considering a major success. It has the first honest and convincing milieu with wholly believable characters. It's my idea of genuine heroic vision.”
—Jessica Amanda Salmonson
“A marvelous sense of romantic adventure...strong characterizations complimented by an evocative magical poetry in the imagery.”
—Robert Hadji, Borderland
What if their son had to defend his lands from the Mongol Horde?
What if his sister was the priestess of a bull-cult on Crete?
What if her son started the Trojan War -- between India and Persia?
The Sabazel series, four alternate-history, gonzo-mythology epic fantasy novels: Sabazel, The Winter King, Shadow Dancers, Wings of Power.
Sabazel:
In a world rooted in Mediterranean history and mythology, armies clash, magicks compete, and the gods set their pawns onto the game board.
Danica, a warrior-queen, is forced to form a more-than-political alliance with Bellasteros, a warrior-king, making his enemies her enemies. When she rides into battle at his side, carrying his child, his friends become her enemies, too. Trapped, with no choice but to play the game to the end, they begin to re-evaluate their loyalties.
As their worlds are torn apart by both the clash of arms and supernatural powers, Danica and Bellasteros discover that only overcoming their old prejudices—and leading their followers into the same change—will save them and their child.
". . .I love this book. A functioning Amazonian society with a kickass queen, navigating the waters of political alliance and war? Sign my silly butt up. This is one of those books I read every few years, and I’m always pleasantly surprised by how good it is each time."---Lilith Saintcrow, author of the Dante Valentine series
“Sabazel is the first treatment of amazon society that can be considering a major success. It has the first honest and convincing milieu with wholly believable characters. It's my idea of genuine heroic vision.”
—Jessica Amanda Salmonson
“A marvelous sense of romantic adventure...strong characterizations complimented by an evocative magical poetry in the imagery.”
—Robert Hadji, Borderland
200 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
1 person is currently reading
61 people want to read
About the author
Lillian Stewart Carl
64 books58 followersAuthor bio:
Lillian Stewart Carl's work often features paranormal/fantasy themes and always features plots based on mythology, history, and archaeology. Most of her novels take place squarely in the twenty-first century, where the past lingers on into the present, especially in the British Isles, Lillian's home away from home.
She is the author of nineteen novels so far, including the Jean Fairbairn/Alasdair Cameron mystery series---America's exile and Scotland's finest on the trail of all-too-living legends.
Her newest novel is Fairbairn/Cameron number six, THE MORTSAFE.
Of her mystery, fantasy, and sf short stories, twelve are available in a collection titled ALONG THE RIM OF TIME, and thirteen, including three from "Best Of the Year" anthologies, are collected in THE MUSE AND OTHER STORIES OF HISTORY, MYSTERY, and MYTH.
All of Carl's work is available in electronic as well as paper form.
She has also co-edited (with John Helfers) a retrospective of Lois McMaster's Bujold's science fiction work, titled THE VORKOSIGAN COMPANION, which was nominated for a Hugo award.
Lillian Stewart Carl's work often features paranormal/fantasy themes and always features plots based on mythology, history, and archaeology. Most of her novels take place squarely in the twenty-first century, where the past lingers on into the present, especially in the British Isles, Lillian's home away from home.
She is the author of nineteen novels so far, including the Jean Fairbairn/Alasdair Cameron mystery series---America's exile and Scotland's finest on the trail of all-too-living legends.
Her newest novel is Fairbairn/Cameron number six, THE MORTSAFE.
Of her mystery, fantasy, and sf short stories, twelve are available in a collection titled ALONG THE RIM OF TIME, and thirteen, including three from "Best Of the Year" anthologies, are collected in THE MUSE AND OTHER STORIES OF HISTORY, MYSTERY, and MYTH.
All of Carl's work is available in electronic as well as paper form.
She has also co-edited (with John Helfers) a retrospective of Lois McMaster's Bujold's science fiction work, titled THE VORKOSIGAN COMPANION, which was nominated for a Hugo award.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 21, 2015
Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths Reviews
Sabazel is a thinly disguised fantasy take on Alexander the Great: The Macedonian who led the Greek world in their crusade against the Persian Empire and won himself a world spanning empire as well as eternal glory. The only difference between that historical figure and the protagonist in this fantasy novel is that they have different names; here, Alexander is called Marcos Bellasteros.
The story begins with our mighty conqueror leading his armies in their crusade. Before the final battle for control of the empire, however, fate leads Marcos to Sabazel. This small nation-state is a land of warrior-women (Amazons) who worship their goddess and only consort with men at certain religious holidays throughout the year. The leader of Sabazel is named Danica.
Naturally, Alexander . . . err, I mean, Marcos and Danica initially hate one another but eventually fall in love; they then discover that their respective gods wish them to join forces to overthrow the Persian Empire . . . err, I mean the fantasy empire that just kinda, sorta resembles the Persian Empire. Together, they then set out on a quest to recover a magical sword, navigate through inevitable political intrigue, fight the final battle of the war and attempt to remain faithful to the love they share – even though they both realizes they can never truly be together.
If all that sounds like a rather straightforward 1980s fantasy, well, it is. But, all in all, Sabazel is still a decent read. Lillian Stewart Carl does a fine job portraying the Macedonian and Greek culture (albeit in a fantasy context), and the story she crafts has plenty of godly magic, political machinations, racial tensions, and even a bit of warfare – though not as much attention is paid to that as the romantic plot – to keep a reader entertained. But, unfortunately, the novel suffers from the same flaw as many fantasy works from this period: A bit of magic, some weird names, and a few fantasy tropes does not automatically make an epic fantasy.
So if you find this one on a used bookshelf somewhere, ask yourself a few questions before you pick it up. One, do you like Alexander the Great, Greek myths, and Amazons? Two, do you prefer your fantasy more romantic than violent? And three, does knowing what is ultimately going to happen detract from your enjoyment of the story?
If you answered “Yes” to the first two questions and “No” to the last one, then you should pick this one up. If not, you better just stay away. 80s fantasy isn’t for everyone after all.
Sabazel is a thinly disguised fantasy take on Alexander the Great: The Macedonian who led the Greek world in their crusade against the Persian Empire and won himself a world spanning empire as well as eternal glory. The only difference between that historical figure and the protagonist in this fantasy novel is that they have different names; here, Alexander is called Marcos Bellasteros.
The story begins with our mighty conqueror leading his armies in their crusade. Before the final battle for control of the empire, however, fate leads Marcos to Sabazel. This small nation-state is a land of warrior-women (Amazons) who worship their goddess and only consort with men at certain religious holidays throughout the year. The leader of Sabazel is named Danica.
Naturally, Alexander . . . err, I mean, Marcos and Danica initially hate one another but eventually fall in love; they then discover that their respective gods wish them to join forces to overthrow the Persian Empire . . . err, I mean the fantasy empire that just kinda, sorta resembles the Persian Empire. Together, they then set out on a quest to recover a magical sword, navigate through inevitable political intrigue, fight the final battle of the war and attempt to remain faithful to the love they share – even though they both realizes they can never truly be together.
If all that sounds like a rather straightforward 1980s fantasy, well, it is. But, all in all, Sabazel is still a decent read. Lillian Stewart Carl does a fine job portraying the Macedonian and Greek culture (albeit in a fantasy context), and the story she crafts has plenty of godly magic, political machinations, racial tensions, and even a bit of warfare – though not as much attention is paid to that as the romantic plot – to keep a reader entertained. But, unfortunately, the novel suffers from the same flaw as many fantasy works from this period: A bit of magic, some weird names, and a few fantasy tropes does not automatically make an epic fantasy.
So if you find this one on a used bookshelf somewhere, ask yourself a few questions before you pick it up. One, do you like Alexander the Great, Greek myths, and Amazons? Two, do you prefer your fantasy more romantic than violent? And three, does knowing what is ultimately going to happen detract from your enjoyment of the story?
If you answered “Yes” to the first two questions and “No” to the last one, then you should pick this one up. If not, you better just stay away. 80s fantasy isn’t for everyone after all.
Displaying 1 of 1 review