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Havenstar
The Eight Stabilities are islands of order surrounded by lethal chaos—and the order is being swallowed by the unstable. The religious leaders of Chantry try to maintain the Stabilities by ordering the necessity of a once in a lifetime pilgrimage across the chaos. And in that ever-changing world, the most important person is a mapmaker who can make a chart of secure pilgrimage routes…Keris Kaylen is a mapmaker's daughter. When her father is murdered and a mountain disappears, Keris is betrayed by her brother. Forced to flee into the Unstable, she finds her safety is in the hands of a man bonded to the Lord Carasma, the Unmaker…and her ordered life is turned upside-down. Her survival will depend on a map and a place called Havenstar—but she can't reproduce the map, and Havenstar may not even exist…
490 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
6 people are currently reading
704 people want to read
About the author
Glenda Larke
26 books377 followersGlenda was born in Western Australia, the daughter of a farmer. She was educated at government state schools and the University of Western Australia, where she obtained a degree in history and a diploma in education. Married to a Malaysian scientist, she has grown-up children, and now lives in Malaysia, where she is actively involved in rainforest conservation.
Author of The Isles of Glory trilogy (The Aware, Gilfeather, The Tainted); The Mirage Makers trilogy (Heart of the Mirage, The Shadow of Tyr, Song of the Shiver Barrens) and, writing as Glenda Noramly, a stand-alone book Havenstar.
Author of The Isles of Glory trilogy (The Aware, Gilfeather, The Tainted); The Mirage Makers trilogy (Heart of the Mirage, The Shadow of Tyr, Song of the Shiver Barrens) and, writing as Glenda Noramly, a stand-alone book Havenstar.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
March 12, 2013
This is the book that started it all! My mum picked up for 99p at some sea-side tourist store thinking it was some love in the dust romance. Upon realizing it wasn't she handed it to me when I was just a kid not even a teenager yet. I shared it with my friends and my original copy disappeared for years because I lent to to someone who lent it to someone else.
I went to ebay to find another copy and thats where I found out that it wasn't actually in print anymore due to publishing problems. It was ranging from anywhere between 75 - 150 pounds at the time. I managed to swipe a copy for 12 quid through much patience.
It was THE book that started my love for Fantasy books, and I can still pick this book up today and fall in love with the pages and characters all over again. Whenever people ask what my favorite book is it is the first thing I think of.
The word is deep, engrossing and frightening and the story goes through some unexpected turns. The characters are colorful and flawed and I adore each one whether they be the bad guy or the good guy or the guy who can't make up their mind. I just love this book to death and don't want to say anything that could spoil the story for anyone curious about reading it.
I went to ebay to find another copy and thats where I found out that it wasn't actually in print anymore due to publishing problems. It was ranging from anywhere between 75 - 150 pounds at the time. I managed to swipe a copy for 12 quid through much patience.
It was THE book that started my love for Fantasy books, and I can still pick this book up today and fall in love with the pages and characters all over again. Whenever people ask what my favorite book is it is the first thing I think of.
The word is deep, engrossing and frightening and the story goes through some unexpected turns. The characters are colorful and flawed and I adore each one whether they be the bad guy or the good guy or the guy who can't make up their mind. I just love this book to death and don't want to say anything that could spoil the story for anyone curious about reading it.
January 19, 2019
At first I wasn't sure what the names of things were but as the story unfolded & these were explained, it became even more interesting.
I found this book really hard to put down & when I did, it still stayed in my mind! I couldn't wait to see what happened next because I haven't come across anything quite like this before. I couldn't even guess what I might be experiencing next because it was all so new.
I also loved all of the characters. For me, a great read.
I found this book really hard to put down & when I did, it still stayed in my mind! I couldn't wait to see what happened next because I haven't come across anything quite like this before. I couldn't even guess what I might be experiencing next because it was all so new.
I also loved all of the characters. For me, a great read.
July 21, 2014
Clever, clever stuff. Glenda Larke has created a fascinating world for her novel which we uncover slowly and steadily as the story progresses. No boring "info dumps' and only occasional passages describing the past events which led to the current situation. The characters are all nicely fleshed out, including the secondary ones. The story flows well and ends in a good way for nearly everyone. I am very glad I read it and will now look out for more of her books.
August 12, 2017
Sigh... Another book with delusions of grandeur. A romance story that fancied itself as an epic fantasy. Had great concept, but poor delivery. World had so muh potential, but it was glossed over. Where more detail was appropriate, there was none, and where it wasn't, there was too much. The romance didn't make sense. The heroine was meh. The hero was meh. The old blind man was also meh (and had a personality pretty uncoordinated with what it was supposedly written as). All the characters felt weird. Like the author forgot halfway through what those people's personalitites were, and just went along. The ending was meh. I took nothing from it, learned nothing from it. This barely entertained me.
October 4, 2019
One of my favourite books. It never gets old: this tale about friendship, love, courage, believes, and humanity. I finally got my hands on an original copy (always read the translation) and it was as good and perfect as the version I've always read until now.
Oh, and don't let yourself be fooled by the books horrible covers. It has nothing of a run-on-the-mill romance or fantasy book. In the 1980/90ies they created some abominable covers for books. I'm sure someone wrote a scientific paper about the why and how. ;p
Oh, and don't let yourself be fooled by the books horrible covers. It has nothing of a run-on-the-mill romance or fantasy book. In the 1980/90ies they created some abominable covers for books. I'm sure someone wrote a scientific paper about the why and how. ;p
January 20, 2020
CW:
This book was okay but felt pretty meh for me by the end. The world building was quite interesting, but I didn't feel very attached to the characters and I thought some of the characterization was inconsistent.
The religion of the world is a huge force and the way it was written was interesting, but I didn't find the ending that satisfying and felt there were some unanswered questions.
I also thought
Anyway, I can see why others like it, but it wasn't for me.
This book was okay but felt pretty meh for me by the end. The world building was quite interesting, but I didn't feel very attached to the characters and I thought some of the characterization was inconsistent.
The religion of the world is a huge force and the way it was written was interesting, but I didn't find the ending that satisfying and felt there were some unanswered questions.
I also thought
Anyway, I can see why others like it, but it wasn't for me.
November 2, 2016
This was the author’s first published work, but shortly after its appearance in 1999 the publisher sank, and the book with it. Now the author has self-published it (hurray for the digital age). Not only is it available once more, it has been picked up by a traditional publisher too. A result whichever way you look at it.
The story has one of the most original settings I’ve encountered. A cataclysmic event tore the world apart, spreading chaos everywhere apart from a few islands of stability which are kept that way by rigorous adherence to a religion-based system of rules. Travel between these islands is made possible by accurate mapping of the chaotic patches between them. Main character Keris is the daughter of a mapmaker who dies under mysterious circumstances in the unstable lands between islands, and she is forced away from her home as a result. And that doesn’t begin to describe the complexities of this world.
There’s no easy entry here. The reader is dropped into this complicated background without a parachute, so the early chapters are riddled with jargon and references to unexplained events, places, people. It isn’t long, however, before explanations begin to appear, and although it took me a long time to work out the differences between tainted, unbound, excluded, unstablers, ley-lit and the like, things do become clearer. The ley lines are the most significant element; these are the ever shifting rivers of chaotic energy which criss-cross the landscape, the source of power for Carasma, the lord of chaos and his minions.
Keris is accompanied on her journey into the unstable world between the eight stabilities by a motley collection of people - a priest following orders, a high-ranking man making a pilgrimage alone, a brothel-keeper repenting of her sins, a timid man trying to impress his father and so on. The guide, Davron, and his tainted assistant, Scow, seem almost normal by comparison. And then there's the mysterious Meldor, who is blind but surprisingly adept for all that. All of them feel like real, fully rounded people, and if they aren’t exactly people you would meet down the pub (Scow is described thus: ‘His head was built on a grand scale, perhaps twice normal size, and his outsized face was circled by an animal’s mane. The hair—fur?—of it cascaded down on to his shoulders, hiding his neck.’), they all have their own secrets and tragedies. The tainted, in particular (those caught out while crossing a ley-line and transformed in some way) are very tragic figures, unable to return to the stabilities, unable even to touch other people. Davron is particularly tragic, and the way he and Keris gradually come to understand one another, and the development of their slowly unfurling love story, undeniable and yet impossible, is masterfully done.
The story is intriguing right from the first page, and quickly builds to a fast paced and dramatic adventure. The consequence of a world infused with chaos is that anything can happen at any moment, creating a tale which crackles with tension and (I’ll be honest) fear; some of those tainted and wild creatures were pretty horrifying. And yet there was always humour, too, especially from Corrian, the pipe-smoking former brothel-keeper with her down-to-earth attitude and appetite for life, and the timid Quirk, who takes to life in the unstable world with surprising nonchalance.
The religion of this world is not, at first sight, much different from any other hierarchical, rigid, dogmatic religion, but beneath the surface it’s unusual. For one thing, it’s an integral part of the division between stable and unstable areas. The stable zones are maintained by the continuous application of kinesis (a kind of gesture) around the borders and rigorous adherence to exhaustively detailed rules within the boundaries, which prescribe what may be grown where, what colours and styles of clothing may be worn, how many children may be born and what jobs they can do. All of this is intended to minimise the number of changes occurring and thus maintain order, a kind of stultifying stasis. Inevitably, this leads to some painfully inhumane results. Babies surplus to the permitted two are removed at birth and brought up in the religious order. Those who are deformed or who defy authority are thrown out of the stabilities altogether, left to survive as best they can. Inevitably, such a system has its share of the secretly defiant, the petty tale-tellers and the corrupt, who will bend the rules or turn a blind eye for a consideration. I wasn’t sure whether the author was making a general point about organised religion, but I found it very thought-provoking.
This book is awesome. It has all the characteristics I look for in fantasy: an original, well thought out world, a simple but powerful magic system, compelling characters who behave realistically, and a plot which never lets up for a moment. It’s emotionally engaging, too; I always cared about the characters and there were moments that reduced me to tears. Keris the map-maker’s daughter is a fantastic heroine, and the ending - well, the ending was perfect, I can’t describe it any other way. A truly wonderful story. Five stars.
The story has one of the most original settings I’ve encountered. A cataclysmic event tore the world apart, spreading chaos everywhere apart from a few islands of stability which are kept that way by rigorous adherence to a religion-based system of rules. Travel between these islands is made possible by accurate mapping of the chaotic patches between them. Main character Keris is the daughter of a mapmaker who dies under mysterious circumstances in the unstable lands between islands, and she is forced away from her home as a result. And that doesn’t begin to describe the complexities of this world.
There’s no easy entry here. The reader is dropped into this complicated background without a parachute, so the early chapters are riddled with jargon and references to unexplained events, places, people. It isn’t long, however, before explanations begin to appear, and although it took me a long time to work out the differences between tainted, unbound, excluded, unstablers, ley-lit and the like, things do become clearer. The ley lines are the most significant element; these are the ever shifting rivers of chaotic energy which criss-cross the landscape, the source of power for Carasma, the lord of chaos and his minions.
Keris is accompanied on her journey into the unstable world between the eight stabilities by a motley collection of people - a priest following orders, a high-ranking man making a pilgrimage alone, a brothel-keeper repenting of her sins, a timid man trying to impress his father and so on. The guide, Davron, and his tainted assistant, Scow, seem almost normal by comparison. And then there's the mysterious Meldor, who is blind but surprisingly adept for all that. All of them feel like real, fully rounded people, and if they aren’t exactly people you would meet down the pub (Scow is described thus: ‘His head was built on a grand scale, perhaps twice normal size, and his outsized face was circled by an animal’s mane. The hair—fur?—of it cascaded down on to his shoulders, hiding his neck.’), they all have their own secrets and tragedies. The tainted, in particular (those caught out while crossing a ley-line and transformed in some way) are very tragic figures, unable to return to the stabilities, unable even to touch other people. Davron is particularly tragic, and the way he and Keris gradually come to understand one another, and the development of their slowly unfurling love story, undeniable and yet impossible, is masterfully done.
The story is intriguing right from the first page, and quickly builds to a fast paced and dramatic adventure. The consequence of a world infused with chaos is that anything can happen at any moment, creating a tale which crackles with tension and (I’ll be honest) fear; some of those tainted and wild creatures were pretty horrifying. And yet there was always humour, too, especially from Corrian, the pipe-smoking former brothel-keeper with her down-to-earth attitude and appetite for life, and the timid Quirk, who takes to life in the unstable world with surprising nonchalance.
The religion of this world is not, at first sight, much different from any other hierarchical, rigid, dogmatic religion, but beneath the surface it’s unusual. For one thing, it’s an integral part of the division between stable and unstable areas. The stable zones are maintained by the continuous application of kinesis (a kind of gesture) around the borders and rigorous adherence to exhaustively detailed rules within the boundaries, which prescribe what may be grown where, what colours and styles of clothing may be worn, how many children may be born and what jobs they can do. All of this is intended to minimise the number of changes occurring and thus maintain order, a kind of stultifying stasis. Inevitably, this leads to some painfully inhumane results. Babies surplus to the permitted two are removed at birth and brought up in the religious order. Those who are deformed or who defy authority are thrown out of the stabilities altogether, left to survive as best they can. Inevitably, such a system has its share of the secretly defiant, the petty tale-tellers and the corrupt, who will bend the rules or turn a blind eye for a consideration. I wasn’t sure whether the author was making a general point about organised religion, but I found it very thought-provoking.
This book is awesome. It has all the characteristics I look for in fantasy: an original, well thought out world, a simple but powerful magic system, compelling characters who behave realistically, and a plot which never lets up for a moment. It’s emotionally engaging, too; I always cared about the characters and there were moments that reduced me to tears. Keris the map-maker’s daughter is a fantastic heroine, and the ending - well, the ending was perfect, I can’t describe it any other way. A truly wonderful story. Five stars.
September 5, 2017
Very difficult and slow starting out...but keep at it because it all comes together and makes sense!
December 21, 2012
Havenstar has a history, a bit of a sad one. It was Glenda Larke’s (writing as Glenda Noramly) first novel, released in 1999 under the then Virgin books SF imprint.
It raced up the Amazon charts(getting to 81 on the general list) only to be orphaned and out of print as the publisher imploded.
Thankfully Glenda was made of stern stuff and has gone on to release another 9 novels with more on the way.
She decided to re-release Havenstar as a self published eBook. No longer do fans have to contemplate inflated prices of paperback copies on Amazon (of which none of the money is seen by Glenda), it’s now available from a number of digital outlets.
The Eight Stabilities are islands of order surrounded by lethal chaos—and the order is being swallowed by the unstable. The religious leaders of Chantry try to maintain the Stabilities by ordering the necessity of a once in a lifetime pilgrimage across the chaos. And in that ever-changing world, the most important person is a mapmaker who can make a chart of secure pilgrimage routes…
Keris Kaylen is a mapmaker's daughter. When her father is murdered and a mountain disappears, Keris is betrayed by her brother. Forced to flee into the Unstable, she finds her safety is in the hands of a man bonded to the Lord Carasma, the Unmaker…and her ordered life is turned upside-down. Her survival will depend on a map and a place called Havenstar—but she can't reproduce the map, and Havenstar may not even exist…
Havenstar is a debut novel and to be expected there were some sections where I felt characters voice and register were a bit inconsistent. That’s really nit picking though, what is a rather original piece of fantasy writing. A strong female character and mapmaker as lead, an interesting mix of religion and magic.
I think Havenstar still stacks up against anything current in fantasy and exceeds quite a few in execution and concept.
It feels familiar in places – a society controlled by the church and its Rule and exotic in others with the concept of the unstable and the unmaking of the world. There’s enough of a touchstone for a reader of the heirs of Tolkien that you won’t feel lost and enough fresh concept to reinvigorate you reading.
It’s a stand alone book for those with an irrational fear of trilogies (or a lack of time) and a great introduction to Larke, who seems to me to be somewhat of a hidden gem in Australian Fantasy writing circles.
If you are looking for some quality fantasy writing to fill your ereader after Christmas then try it out, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
It raced up the Amazon charts(getting to 81 on the general list) only to be orphaned and out of print as the publisher imploded.
Thankfully Glenda was made of stern stuff and has gone on to release another 9 novels with more on the way.
She decided to re-release Havenstar as a self published eBook. No longer do fans have to contemplate inflated prices of paperback copies on Amazon (of which none of the money is seen by Glenda), it’s now available from a number of digital outlets.
The Eight Stabilities are islands of order surrounded by lethal chaos—and the order is being swallowed by the unstable. The religious leaders of Chantry try to maintain the Stabilities by ordering the necessity of a once in a lifetime pilgrimage across the chaos. And in that ever-changing world, the most important person is a mapmaker who can make a chart of secure pilgrimage routes…
Keris Kaylen is a mapmaker's daughter. When her father is murdered and a mountain disappears, Keris is betrayed by her brother. Forced to flee into the Unstable, she finds her safety is in the hands of a man bonded to the Lord Carasma, the Unmaker…and her ordered life is turned upside-down. Her survival will depend on a map and a place called Havenstar—but she can't reproduce the map, and Havenstar may not even exist…
Havenstar is a debut novel and to be expected there were some sections where I felt characters voice and register were a bit inconsistent. That’s really nit picking though, what is a rather original piece of fantasy writing. A strong female character and mapmaker as lead, an interesting mix of religion and magic.
I think Havenstar still stacks up against anything current in fantasy and exceeds quite a few in execution and concept.
It feels familiar in places – a society controlled by the church and its Rule and exotic in others with the concept of the unstable and the unmaking of the world. There’s enough of a touchstone for a reader of the heirs of Tolkien that you won’t feel lost and enough fresh concept to reinvigorate you reading.
It’s a stand alone book for those with an irrational fear of trilogies (or a lack of time) and a great introduction to Larke, who seems to me to be somewhat of a hidden gem in Australian Fantasy writing circles.
If you are looking for some quality fantasy writing to fill your ereader after Christmas then try it out, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
January 19, 2021
Overall an entertaining read where the real star is the setting. It is in many ways a classic high fantasy in its themes and tropes. Probably even a hero's journey as it focuses literally around a journey.
While the characters are entertaining and interesting enough to carry the story, they appear to be relatively basic in their personalities and motivations. I was able to excuse this as given the near constant danger and urgency the cast is in, it makes sense that there is not always time for in depth character interaction to drive development and reveal character traits in an organic way.
In this regard I would say the book broadly suffers from telling rather showing, especially when attempting to convey the menace and horror portrayed by the antagonists. Again, for me, the interesting and imaginative setting was enough to keep me engaged and finish the story.
(Potentially minor spoilers ahead)
My only major gripes are with the relative quick pace of how a method to defeat the previously undefeatable principal antagonists and indeed a method to solve nearly all the problems in the world are researched, developed and implemented in last seemingly 20% - 10% or so of the story, after what had been a competently handled slow build up. It gives the pace a bizarrely rapid sense of acceleration which I found jarring.
My other major grip is the principal romance, which, while very melodramatic as suits the genre just didn't sit right with me. I struggled to care about the romantic element of the two character's relationship, and its increasing centrality I thought detracted from other better written aspects of the plot.
Overall I would have given it 4 stars but I am sucker for a an interesting world and worldbuilding and think it can easily support weaker elements of a story.
I am now keen to look up other stories from Glenda Larke
While the characters are entertaining and interesting enough to carry the story, they appear to be relatively basic in their personalities and motivations. I was able to excuse this as given the near constant danger and urgency the cast is in, it makes sense that there is not always time for in depth character interaction to drive development and reveal character traits in an organic way.
In this regard I would say the book broadly suffers from telling rather showing, especially when attempting to convey the menace and horror portrayed by the antagonists. Again, for me, the interesting and imaginative setting was enough to keep me engaged and finish the story.
(Potentially minor spoilers ahead)
My only major gripes are with the relative quick pace of how a method to defeat the previously undefeatable principal antagonists and indeed a method to solve nearly all the problems in the world are researched, developed and implemented in last seemingly 20% - 10% or so of the story, after what had been a competently handled slow build up. It gives the pace a bizarrely rapid sense of acceleration which I found jarring.
My other major grip is the principal romance, which, while very melodramatic as suits the genre just didn't sit right with me. I struggled to care about the romantic element of the two character's relationship, and its increasing centrality I thought detracted from other better written aspects of the plot.
Overall I would have given it 4 stars but I am sucker for a an interesting world and worldbuilding and think it can easily support weaker elements of a story.
I am now keen to look up other stories from Glenda Larke
November 3, 2017
Basic plot: The realm is divided up into "safe" areas and unstable areas where ley (kind of magic?) and chaos rule. People live in the "safe" areas and have to live by fairly strict rules in order to maintain the safety of those zones. Along comes Keris who has run away from home and falls in with a group who are out to change the world- a group that doesn't believe people need to follow strict rules and that thinks that the unstable chaos areas can be conquered. There is a basic romance which has no real development, it's just *poof* there. It's very much a traveling adventure book with a band of characters getting into dilemmas along the way.
This book has an amazing world with fully fleshed out details of how things operate. It was honestly very interesting. You also learn as you go, there is no info-dumping or any dumb moments in a classroom where a kid explains the entire universe, so some things are a bit unclear in the beginning but you figure it out eventually.
The romance wasn't fleshed out, it went from "ew you're mean," to "omg why do I want you so bad," to "tweeeee we're in love!!1!" It was disappointing.
For such a well thought out world and characters the OMG-climax-discovery-of-how-to-fix-the-shrinking-world was a MASSIVE let down and way too simplistic. It felt like a dumb cop out. The ending kind of fizzled out for me with all sorts of deus ex machina simplistic answers and a handful of loose threads.
Overall worth the read, but not worth a re-read.
This book has an amazing world with fully fleshed out details of how things operate. It was honestly very interesting. You also learn as you go, there is no info-dumping or any dumb moments in a classroom where a kid explains the entire universe, so some things are a bit unclear in the beginning but you figure it out eventually.
The romance wasn't fleshed out, it went from "ew you're mean," to "omg why do I want you so bad," to "tweeeee we're in love!!1!" It was disappointing.
For such a well thought out world and characters the OMG-climax-discovery-of-how-to-fix-the-shrinking-world was a MASSIVE let down and way too simplistic. It felt like a dumb cop out. The ending kind of fizzled out for me with all sorts of deus ex machina simplistic answers and a handful of loose threads.
Overall worth the read, but not worth a re-read.
March 5, 2014
Pretty decent read, and I guess I'd round this up to 3.5 overall stars.
The world building was complex and intricate and I struggled to follow all the "rules", but the author did a fab job of not info dumping and letting the story naturally progress so that you learned as things happened.
The plot was fast paced and there was a lot of goings on in this cross country journey. The secondary characters were all well rounded and added a bit of comic relief to what could have been a bit of dark fantasy read.
Of course to really enjoy a story I have to like my MC, and Keris was pretty awesome. The love story had real potential to be fantastic but fell a bit short somewhere. I'm not sure if they fell for each other too fast (it still took them like 300 pages in before they admitted it) but still, sometimes I like a little more angst before we go straight to "I love you's" and "We're going to get married".
However I still really enjoyed the story and would read a sequel if there was one.
The world building was complex and intricate and I struggled to follow all the "rules", but the author did a fab job of not info dumping and letting the story naturally progress so that you learned as things happened.
The plot was fast paced and there was a lot of goings on in this cross country journey. The secondary characters were all well rounded and added a bit of comic relief to what could have been a bit of dark fantasy read.
Of course to really enjoy a story I have to like my MC, and Keris was pretty awesome. The love story had real potential to be fantastic but fell a bit short somewhere. I'm not sure if they fell for each other too fast (it still took them like 300 pages in before they admitted it) but still, sometimes I like a little more angst before we go straight to "I love you's" and "We're going to get married".
However I still really enjoyed the story and would read a sequel if there was one.
December 16, 2012
The first published book by one of my favourite authors (i.e. Glenda Larke). This book is out of print. I paid $50 for a second-hand copy of this book and don't regret the expense one bit. It now goes for anything up to $400 (as of December 2012).
Why am I reviewing this book now? First, I wasn't on Goodreads when I read it, duh. Second, it is now available as an eBook.
This book, and now the eBook version, is a must read book for all Glenda Larke fans. I also highly recommend it to all lovers of fantasy stories with fabulous settings, because the world, in my opinion, is one of the highlights of this story.
Why am I reviewing this version and not the eBook? Well, that's because I have a cherished (and signed) copy of this version. See above.
Gloats.
Why am I reviewing this book now? First, I wasn't on Goodreads when I read it, duh. Second, it is now available as an eBook.
This book, and now the eBook version, is a must read book for all Glenda Larke fans. I also highly recommend it to all lovers of fantasy stories with fabulous settings, because the world, in my opinion, is one of the highlights of this story.
Why am I reviewing this version and not the eBook? Well, that's because I have a cherished (and signed) copy of this version. See above.
Gloats.
February 17, 2016
A bit too blatant in its Christianity/religious fervor (even it it is somewhat veiled in fantasy terms). Also in need of some editing (dragged on in places and the final resolution seemed a bit too simple - in the "really, no one had thought of that in a thousand years?" way).
Bit of insta-love as well - that did not help.
Bit of insta-love as well - that did not help.
November 20, 2023
Хотілось якесь фентезі прочитати в середньовічному антуражі і т.д, т.т.. Дивлюся на обкладинку, така мамзель з луком, на коні, красива назва, не зміг пройти повз.
Люблю такий троп як подорож з точки А в Б по всяким їбеням, там з ними всяке коїться і в кінці хороший чи поганий фінал.
Початок трішки душив, але я прямо прочуяв як Керіс було хреново серед цього гівна. Є тема церкви, релігії і я не дуже люблю цю бадю.
Точно знаю який гарний хуй стирчить в Карасми. Чомусь саме хуй Карасми видався дуже важливим для автора. Думаю там якісь приховані сенси, ну та хуй з ними.
Книга не в останню чергу про фемінізм, коли це ще не було мейнстрімом (1999 рік таки) і не перетворилось на секту радикалів. Про веселкових АБВГ+ теж не забули. В принципі авторка виклала все по ділу, прямо немає до чого доїбатись.
Люблю такий троп як подорож з точки А в Б по всяким їбеням, там з ними всяке коїться і в кінці хороший чи поганий фінал.
Початок трішки душив, але я прямо прочуяв як Керіс було хреново серед цього гівна. Є тема церкви, релігії і я не дуже люблю цю бадю.
Точно знаю який гарний хуй стирчить в Карасми. Чомусь саме хуй Карасми видався дуже важливим для автора. Думаю там якісь приховані сенси, ну та хуй з ними.
Книга не в останню чергу про фемінізм, коли це ще не було мейнстрімом (1999 рік таки) і не перетворилось на секту радикалів. Про веселкових АБВГ+ теж не забули. В принципі авторка виклала все по ділу, прямо немає до чого доїбатись.
May 7, 2016
Oh, wow.
Oh, wow.
Where do I even begin with this book? Seriously. When I read and adored Larke's Watergivers trilogy, Havenstar was out of print, but numerous people told me that it was the best of all Larke's work. I found it hard to believe that anything could be better than the Watergivers books, but when it showed up as an ebook I snatched it up instantly.
And you know what? Every one of those people was right. I'm still amazed that it's possible, but this is even better.
Havenstar starts out with what seems like a typical premise; a young woman, Keris, is unsatisfied with her life, and makes her escape. We've all read variations of that before, right? Except that Keris' problems are not easily solved by her leaving home. Far from it. Because the source of her problems, the Rule, is enforced everywhere - forbidding women from dozens of careers, stifling creativity and banning change or original thought. Wherever she goes, she will have the Rule to deal with.
Again, this sounds vaguely familiar. The Rule is even interpreted and enforced by the Chantry, recognisable as a stand-in for the Judeo-Christian church. It all sounds like something I've read a hundred times.
But for once, the religious order is not blandly corrupt, imposing ridiculous rules for no apparent reason. Here, the Rule is of the utmost importance - because keeping Order helps prevent Chaos from eating away at the world, in a very un-metaphorical manner. In fact, Keris' world is divided into eight small pieces, separated by vast tracks of wilderness ruled over by Lord Carasma - the traditional Adversary god as you've never seen him before. And Carasma, bit by bit, is winning his war with the Maker - the safe havens, no matter how strictly they are Ordered, are growing smaller and smaller.
It might not be such a problem if the wild spaces in between were not so - well, wild. Order does not exist there. Mountains can disappear without warning. Rivers alter their course. Gravity abruptly stops working, holes open up in the ground, monsters abound, and things other than water can rain down on the land. Worst of all, it's criss-crossed with ley-lines - rivers of evil power that can kill, taint or twist the people who are forced to cross them.
In a world where the landscape changes daily, and no settlement is self-sufficient, maps are of the highest importance. And that is what Keris wants to do - make maps. The daughter of a famous map maker, forbidden to follow in his footsteps by the Rule, Keris escapes her horrible brother to try and find some freedom. Unfortunately, said brother follows her, and she has to join a pilgrimage to a far-away settlement to get away from him.
Her fellow pilgrims, and their guides, turn out to be somewhat more than expected.
Larke has created another amazing world here, one with believable attitudes, politics, religion and mythology. Her characters, as usual, leap off the page and breathe; I especially loved the frustration felt by many of the characters towards the stifling Rule. But the story is much more than that. Larke could have taken the easy route, condemning the Chantry and making Havenstar a battle between a strict organised religion and a more creative pagan one, but in fact it's nothing so simple. Both sides have their flaws, and both their good sides. The Chantry may be overbearing and hypocritical, but Larke makes it very clear that they genuinely believe what they preach. It's also clear that the Chantry are not wholly wrong, or even mostly wrong; one conversation between Keris and Meldor, towards the end of the book when Keris finally reaches the eponymous Havenstar, sticks out especially - there is a discussion of mining and such that won't make sense out of context, but beautifully encapsulates the way in which the Chantry are right as well as wrong. That said, it is very difficult to side with them over Keris and her friends.
But it is definitely the characters who stand out the most. Keris is a wonderful heroine, an interesting mix of intelligent, naive and stubborn; she knows what she wants but struggles to accept that she is allowed to have it, and despite her dislike of the Rule finds it hard to let go of the Chantry's teachings. The rest of the cast is beautifully human as well; no one is perfect, people lose their temper and make mistakes, and named characters get hurt and die. Meldor in particular is a wonderful change from the usual idealistic resistance leaders - but I can't say more than that without spoiling the plot.
And even more than that are the themes Larke weaves so deftly into her book. Good and evil often crop up in fantasy, but I've never seen them dealt with quite this way before; despite the existence of an Adversary-type god and his evil minions, the actual meaning of evil is questioned over and over. Chaos and order are re-examined again and again throughout the story, as are issues of religion, loyalty to government, immortality, sexuality... Larke even, unusually for this type of epic High Fantasy, includes a handful of LGBT characters, which gets her mega points from me. (Don't be put off by the fact that the first one we meet is a bad guy. That, too, is something Larke examines and plays with, and there are a pair of awesome lesbians who are very much on the Light side).
All in all, this has gone straight onto my favourites shelf, and is going to get recced to everyone I know.
Oh, wow.
Where do I even begin with this book? Seriously. When I read and adored Larke's Watergivers trilogy, Havenstar was out of print, but numerous people told me that it was the best of all Larke's work. I found it hard to believe that anything could be better than the Watergivers books, but when it showed up as an ebook I snatched it up instantly.
And you know what? Every one of those people was right. I'm still amazed that it's possible, but this is even better.
Havenstar starts out with what seems like a typical premise; a young woman, Keris, is unsatisfied with her life, and makes her escape. We've all read variations of that before, right? Except that Keris' problems are not easily solved by her leaving home. Far from it. Because the source of her problems, the Rule, is enforced everywhere - forbidding women from dozens of careers, stifling creativity and banning change or original thought. Wherever she goes, she will have the Rule to deal with.
Again, this sounds vaguely familiar. The Rule is even interpreted and enforced by the Chantry, recognisable as a stand-in for the Judeo-Christian church. It all sounds like something I've read a hundred times.
But for once, the religious order is not blandly corrupt, imposing ridiculous rules for no apparent reason. Here, the Rule is of the utmost importance - because keeping Order helps prevent Chaos from eating away at the world, in a very un-metaphorical manner. In fact, Keris' world is divided into eight small pieces, separated by vast tracks of wilderness ruled over by Lord Carasma - the traditional Adversary god as you've never seen him before. And Carasma, bit by bit, is winning his war with the Maker - the safe havens, no matter how strictly they are Ordered, are growing smaller and smaller.
It might not be such a problem if the wild spaces in between were not so - well, wild. Order does not exist there. Mountains can disappear without warning. Rivers alter their course. Gravity abruptly stops working, holes open up in the ground, monsters abound, and things other than water can rain down on the land. Worst of all, it's criss-crossed with ley-lines - rivers of evil power that can kill, taint or twist the people who are forced to cross them.
In a world where the landscape changes daily, and no settlement is self-sufficient, maps are of the highest importance. And that is what Keris wants to do - make maps. The daughter of a famous map maker, forbidden to follow in his footsteps by the Rule, Keris escapes her horrible brother to try and find some freedom. Unfortunately, said brother follows her, and she has to join a pilgrimage to a far-away settlement to get away from him.
Her fellow pilgrims, and their guides, turn out to be somewhat more than expected.
Larke has created another amazing world here, one with believable attitudes, politics, religion and mythology. Her characters, as usual, leap off the page and breathe; I especially loved the frustration felt by many of the characters towards the stifling Rule. But the story is much more than that. Larke could have taken the easy route, condemning the Chantry and making Havenstar a battle between a strict organised religion and a more creative pagan one, but in fact it's nothing so simple. Both sides have their flaws, and both their good sides. The Chantry may be overbearing and hypocritical, but Larke makes it very clear that they genuinely believe what they preach. It's also clear that the Chantry are not wholly wrong, or even mostly wrong; one conversation between Keris and Meldor, towards the end of the book when Keris finally reaches the eponymous Havenstar, sticks out especially - there is a discussion of mining and such that won't make sense out of context, but beautifully encapsulates the way in which the Chantry are right as well as wrong. That said, it is very difficult to side with them over Keris and her friends.
But it is definitely the characters who stand out the most. Keris is a wonderful heroine, an interesting mix of intelligent, naive and stubborn; she knows what she wants but struggles to accept that she is allowed to have it, and despite her dislike of the Rule finds it hard to let go of the Chantry's teachings. The rest of the cast is beautifully human as well; no one is perfect, people lose their temper and make mistakes, and named characters get hurt and die. Meldor in particular is a wonderful change from the usual idealistic resistance leaders - but I can't say more than that without spoiling the plot.
And even more than that are the themes Larke weaves so deftly into her book. Good and evil often crop up in fantasy, but I've never seen them dealt with quite this way before; despite the existence of an Adversary-type god and his evil minions, the actual meaning of evil is questioned over and over. Chaos and order are re-examined again and again throughout the story, as are issues of religion, loyalty to government, immortality, sexuality... Larke even, unusually for this type of epic High Fantasy, includes a handful of LGBT characters, which gets her mega points from me. (Don't be put off by the fact that the first one we meet is a bad guy. That, too, is something Larke examines and plays with, and there are a pair of awesome lesbians who are very much on the Light side).
All in all, this has gone straight onto my favourites shelf, and is going to get recced to everyone I know.
December 10, 2020
It was a good story, interesting world, and good characters. I enjoyed it whenever I was reading it, but somehow I often let it lie for weeks on end. I don't really know why, but it was not pulling me in, even though it had all the potential. It could have been my mood, this has been a stressful year and my brain could not always cope with things less readily accessible.
October 15, 2019
It's very much not perfect, but I cared about the characters and plot a lot. I also thought it did a really good job of fleshing out common trope characters, and I loved Keris's practicality and pragmatism.
January 19, 2020
Interesting story that plays on the ideas of good vs evil, chaos vs stability, gender roles, prophecy, and so much more. The main character is a female mapmaker in a world where women could not follow that career path. I really enjoyed this book.
May 29, 2020
I read 7% of this book till I lost interest. The switch in POV before establishing a character enough, lack of big plot promise and filler made me put it down. Incomparable to the amazing Coldfire vy CS Friedman.
September 1, 2025
I'm honestly shocked that it took so long for this book to hit my radar. It was so well written, entertaining, and rich with world building mastery. I've read so many other Glenda Larke books, and they were some of my favorite reads. I'm so thrilled to discover this classic!
October 24, 2020
What a fantastic story! I was engaged from the first page. The characters were likeable and their overall development a pleasure to read. I sincerely hope the author continues her writings in Havenstar because I would love to read more about this wonderfully magical world.
November 5, 2017
A couple of housekeeping items: again the Goodreads description is short and lacking. And also, this is currently only available on Smashwords, but I understand it will be released soon on Amazon in physical format. This was Larke’s first novel, before the Isles of Glory series, and was written as Glenda Noramly.
Havenstar had all the excellent detailed worldbuilding I’ve come to expect from a Larke novel. The characters had complex back stories and fleshed out personalities, where they could’ve easily been flat and ordinary, used only to move the plot forward. Complex secondary characters really round out a novel and help the reader connect to the story, and this is something that Larke does very well.
Keris loves map-making and has considerable talent, but the archaic Rule prohibits her from inheriting her father’s shop. She runs away in order to avoid marriage to an awful man who only wants her money, and meets Davron, Scow and Meldor. Davron has all the tragic back story and tortured circumstances that make for a angst-filled love interest, but the age difference and said circumstances prevent a relationship between him and Keris. Scow has been “tainted” by the ley, and lives with the mind and desires of a man, in a body that can never be normal again. Quirk, one of the travelers, starts out timid and afraid, the kind of mousy character I’m always sure I’ll hate, but he grew on me. Meldor’s characterization was particularly layered. Davron trusts him, and Keris can’t quite figure him out. Even as far as 3/4 of the way through the book, Larke utilizes language in such a way that the reader still isn’t sure whether or not to trust Meldor. He blatantly uses people to serve his purpose, and he doesn’t seem at all interested in their feelings or their personal well-being, as long as he achieves his ultimate goal, but his status as the blind wiseman sort of causes you to pass over that. I just assumed that his judgment was not to be questioned, even as I thought, “He could turn out to be totally evil.”
The plot was interesting and the use of ley lines as a destructive, unbalanced force was particularly cool. When the traveling party goes out into the Unstable, the laws of physics are literally unbound. Things crumble into dust, or there’s a field one minute and a crater the next, and it’s all constantly changing because they are walking in Chaos. The setting provided a very effective feel to the whole book, where Chaos is alive and actively assaulting the land, beating away at Stability, eating it away a little at a time until the people are trapped in tiny islands of safety amidst a world of swirling, dangerous ley energy.
As with Larke’s other novels, the themes are decidedly more “adult,” and I only mention this because I review so much YA on this blog, and YA is usually less descriptive with sexual themes.
A solid 3.5 stars for the book! I really liked it, and it’s definitely one I’d recommend if you like high fantasy and a strong heroine.
The review "Havenstar" first appeared on StarlightBookReviews.com.
Havenstar had all the excellent detailed worldbuilding I’ve come to expect from a Larke novel. The characters had complex back stories and fleshed out personalities, where they could’ve easily been flat and ordinary, used only to move the plot forward. Complex secondary characters really round out a novel and help the reader connect to the story, and this is something that Larke does very well.
Keris loves map-making and has considerable talent, but the archaic Rule prohibits her from inheriting her father’s shop. She runs away in order to avoid marriage to an awful man who only wants her money, and meets Davron, Scow and Meldor. Davron has all the tragic back story and tortured circumstances that make for a angst-filled love interest, but the age difference and said circumstances prevent a relationship between him and Keris. Scow has been “tainted” by the ley, and lives with the mind and desires of a man, in a body that can never be normal again. Quirk, one of the travelers, starts out timid and afraid, the kind of mousy character I’m always sure I’ll hate, but he grew on me. Meldor’s characterization was particularly layered. Davron trusts him, and Keris can’t quite figure him out. Even as far as 3/4 of the way through the book, Larke utilizes language in such a way that the reader still isn’t sure whether or not to trust Meldor. He blatantly uses people to serve his purpose, and he doesn’t seem at all interested in their feelings or their personal well-being, as long as he achieves his ultimate goal, but his status as the blind wiseman sort of causes you to pass over that. I just assumed that his judgment was not to be questioned, even as I thought, “He could turn out to be totally evil.”
The plot was interesting and the use of ley lines as a destructive, unbalanced force was particularly cool. When the traveling party goes out into the Unstable, the laws of physics are literally unbound. Things crumble into dust, or there’s a field one minute and a crater the next, and it’s all constantly changing because they are walking in Chaos. The setting provided a very effective feel to the whole book, where Chaos is alive and actively assaulting the land, beating away at Stability, eating it away a little at a time until the people are trapped in tiny islands of safety amidst a world of swirling, dangerous ley energy.
As with Larke’s other novels, the themes are decidedly more “adult,” and I only mention this because I review so much YA on this blog, and YA is usually less descriptive with sexual themes.
A solid 3.5 stars for the book! I really liked it, and it’s definitely one I’d recommend if you like high fantasy and a strong heroine.
The review "Havenstar" first appeared on StarlightBookReviews.com.
March 12, 2016
DNF
Started ok...then became promising and I really like the whole map idea, until the bad guy, Carasma, made his appearance...And I thought, really?I mean I get it that the author wanted to emphasize the seductive nature of evil but it felt like she was stressing a bit too much that the Lord of Chaos had a huge...well, that he was too-well endowed!And later, a bad guy makes his appearance and again he is naked and the stress is put on his sexuality a bit too much...I have nothing against sexuality at all, but it felt that the author was overstressing that aspect of some charactes a bit too much, and it felt a bit out of place, or even funny, picturing the Lord of Chaos and his minions like that...couldn't connect...and the fact that one of the charactes sells his immortal soul so that he can be sexually together with other men didn't feel like a true motive to me. He could do that in secret without having to sell his soul to the devil!It wasn't like he was in love with someone so much that he couldn't bear it being apart...Apart from that, the story felt a bit weak at points, and it was kind of an insta-love between the main characters. The author describes Keris as being plain a lot of times, and yet, for unknown reasons, Davron fells in love with her a bit too quickly, without getting to know her at all...The only character I really liked was Meldor, who seemed to have a lot of layers. In general not my cap of tea.
Started ok...then became promising and I really like the whole map idea, until the bad guy, Carasma, made his appearance...And I thought, really?I mean I get it that the author wanted to emphasize the seductive nature of evil but it felt like she was stressing a bit too much that the Lord of Chaos had a huge...well, that he was too-well endowed!And later, a bad guy makes his appearance and again he is naked and the stress is put on his sexuality a bit too much...I have nothing against sexuality at all, but it felt that the author was overstressing that aspect of some charactes a bit too much, and it felt a bit out of place, or even funny, picturing the Lord of Chaos and his minions like that...couldn't connect...and the fact that one of the charactes sells his immortal soul so that he can be sexually together with other men didn't feel like a true motive to me. He could do that in secret without having to sell his soul to the devil!It wasn't like he was in love with someone so much that he couldn't bear it being apart...Apart from that, the story felt a bit weak at points, and it was kind of an insta-love between the main characters. The author describes Keris as being plain a lot of times, and yet, for unknown reasons, Davron fells in love with her a bit too quickly, without getting to know her at all...The only character I really liked was Meldor, who seemed to have a lot of layers. In general not my cap of tea.
September 9, 2013
I discovered this fantasy novel when exploring self-published e-books. There's much to like about Havenstar: likable main characters, world building that strays a little from the norm, moral dilemmas, religious criticism (for some readers that may be a turn-off), imaginative monstrosities that actually make the novel proper fantasy and not just "a medieval themed story set in a parallel universe", and decent action scenes. Naturally, it also comes with a dose of slightly-teenage-flavored romance.
My favorite aspect is probably the world, and if this had not been a standalone novel, I'd definitely have snatched up the "next in the series" title, too. Then again, it's nice to find worthwhile fantasy books that don't require the reader to make a large time investment by having to commit to an entire series. Still, I'd like to read more books set in Glenda Larke's torn fantasy universe.
All in all, a solid fantasy novel that is suitable for both young adults and not-so-young adults. It's a beautiful book.
My favorite aspect is probably the world, and if this had not been a standalone novel, I'd definitely have snatched up the "next in the series" title, too. Then again, it's nice to find worthwhile fantasy books that don't require the reader to make a large time investment by having to commit to an entire series. Still, I'd like to read more books set in Glenda Larke's torn fantasy universe.
All in all, a solid fantasy novel that is suitable for both young adults and not-so-young adults. It's a beautiful book.
February 12, 2017
Love this book re read it regularly!
June 13, 2014
I'm not sure what to think of this book. I think it's more of a 3.5 stars, but I rounded up.
First, I loved the worldbuilding. This was an extremely unique concept, and I thought it was very well-executed.
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
The story is pretty typical hero's journey. I thought the love story between Keris and Davron was completely unnecessary, forced, and contrived. It seemed amazingly abrupt, and it didn't add much to the story at all.
The final battle was amazingly anticlimactic.
The book also seemed a bit long. I feel like maybe 50 pages could've been cut out, and the story wouldn't have been impacted in any way.
Overall, not terrible, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped, based on other reviews.
First, I loved the worldbuilding. This was an extremely unique concept, and I thought it was very well-executed.
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
The story is pretty typical hero's journey. I thought the love story between Keris and Davron was completely unnecessary, forced, and contrived. It seemed amazingly abrupt, and it didn't add much to the story at all.
The final battle was amazingly anticlimactic.
The book also seemed a bit long. I feel like maybe 50 pages could've been cut out, and the story wouldn't have been impacted in any way.
Overall, not terrible, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped, based on other reviews.
July 2, 2014
There is so much I want to say about this novel but some how the words fail me. I've read a lot of books this year, for uni, for judging and for personal pleasure. This book is, without shadow of a doubt, my favourite to date. There was absolutely nothing I didn't love about this work: the characters, the setting, the world-building and the religion, each and every part of it was pitch perfect and believable. I fell into the world of Stabilities and Instabilities, into Havenstar and into the Chantries seamlessly.
I can only gush about this work and how amazing it is. A masterpiece of our time.
I just want to add that the edition I read was published by Ticonderoga. There's history to this book and I'm glad Russell Farr went ahead and picked up with others left off.
Brilliant.
I can only gush about this work and how amazing it is. A masterpiece of our time.
I just want to add that the edition I read was published by Ticonderoga. There's history to this book and I'm glad Russell Farr went ahead and picked up with others left off.
Brilliant.
January 9, 2017
I have conflicted feelings about this book. On one hand, it's a fabulous world building, very rich and original. Characters, though none exactly captivating to me, are dimensional. On the other hand, I dislike the religious implications, the obsession of people with the "Maker". Well, sure, in fantasy gods exist in whatever way the author wants, and after all there are "magic" in those worlds, what can better explain it than gods? The problem is the "Maker" in this book holds too much resemblance to the one worshiped by Abrahamic religions, whatever "magical" might be allegorical to some natural phenomenons, you know. Why not a single character belongs to the scientist type? I am an atheist, so...
May 6, 2009
An old favourite. Havenstar is just a beautifully written book. It's fantasy at it's finest, combined with the best elements of urban fantasy (a strong female lead and plenty of adventure).
Noramly knows her heroine and she knows her world and she knows exactly what she wants to say with this book. It almost reads like a twisted fairytale, twisted in a dark way, twisted in a role-reversal way. It's just an exciting, creative, suspenseful adventure all the way from beginning to end, and I read it at least once a year just to remember what it is I want to achieve as a writer. And it's this. Tight, smooth prose, strong characters, and a solid, twisting plot.
Noramly knows her heroine and she knows her world and she knows exactly what she wants to say with this book. It almost reads like a twisted fairytale, twisted in a dark way, twisted in a role-reversal way. It's just an exciting, creative, suspenseful adventure all the way from beginning to end, and I read it at least once a year just to remember what it is I want to achieve as a writer. And it's this. Tight, smooth prose, strong characters, and a solid, twisting plot.
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