First and Last Sorcerer

Noble Dead Saga #13

by Barb Hendee, J.C. Hendee

The New York Times bestselling authors of The Night Voice present the penultimate chapter in the Noble Dead Saga.

Waylaid in their quest for the orb of the Air, Magiere, Leesil, Chap, and Wayfarer have all been wrongly imprisoned. But it is Magiere, the dhampir, who suffers the most at the hands of a cloaked interrogator employing telepathic torture.

Arriving at the Suman port city in search of Magiere, Wynn Hygeorht and her companions—including vampire Chane Andraso—seek out the Domin Ghassan il’Sänke for assistance, which proves no easy task. The domin is embroiled in a secret hunt for a spectral undead with the power to invade anyone living and take the body as its host.

Even if Wynn manages to free her friends from prison, battling this entirely new kind of hidden undead may be a challenge none of them can survive....

Genres: Fantasy, Vampires, Horror, High Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy

395 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 6, 2015

About the author

[See barbhendee.org]

Like most writers, I've worked at many jobs in my life, including teaching pre-school until I completed my master's degree in Composition Theory. Between 1993 and 2006, I taught college English while writing fiction on the side, some independently and some with my husband and life-long partner J.C.

Over the years, we've lived in Washington State, Idaho, Colorado, and now moved just south of Portland, Oregon. I love the Northwest, and it's a great place to write.

We have a lovely and talented daughter, Jaclyn, who lives in Houston, Texas along with our wonderful and talented son-in-law, Paul.

J.C. and I sold Dhampir in 2001, which changed our lives considerably. It was published in January 2003, and we've published a book in the Noble Dead Saga every year since. In May of 2006, we were both able to quit our teaching jobs and move into full time writing.

Recently, I've begun writing romance/suspense novels, beginning with: Alone with a Soldier. I am so glad my books have found an audience because I love to write fiction more than anything else in the world... and I'm not really good at anything else.

Reviews

[Jeremy Wilkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it was amusing for a little of the character interaction, the end was no spoiler. You could see it coming for some time. Mind candy. But I will probably read the next as I have trudged through the series so far. If you have not started this series... Find another one to start.

[R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

After having taken a longer break than just waiting for the newest release required, I found I enjoyed coming back to the series more with this book than I have for awhile. I remembered enjoying the series originally and losing interest more recently as the books shifted focus and started to feel like they were dragging on. There's still a bit of lag, and this book seems to divide almost equally between Wynn's group and Margerie's, especially as the two end up joining back together for the majority of the story. The epilogue is the biggest twist though as it appears that the groups efforts to kill or cage the Children have been in vain as they sought out the orbs. Double the danger now as the "domin" is inside their group and hears their plans for these final two orbs along with being able to mess with their memories. Not a good recipe for this group of would-be heroes. It would be interesting, however, to see what a trip to these other elven lands might mean for Osha and Wayfarer. Certainly doesn't look like the adventure is over yet, despite the group's hopes for a quick resolution.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been reading this series since the very beginning and have put off finishing because I was reluctant to give up the characters. These characters have stayed true to who they are based on their original introduction, though they have grown and matured somewhat. My only complaint about the characters is that they have also become more annoying and set in their ways. There has not been much really said about their new location in the Suman empire other than talk about the Emperor and Prince.

Magiere and her friends, Chap, Wayfarer, and Leesil are waylaid as they search for the orb of Air and are wrongfully imprisoned. But it is Magiere who suffers the most as a cloaked interrogator uses telepathic torture against her. Leesil, Chap, and Wayfarer are separated from Magiere and being kept barely alive for an unknown reason.

Wynn Hygeorht and her companions, Chane Androso, Osha, and Shade arrive in the Suman port city in search of her friends and seek out Domin Ghassan il'Sänke for assistance. The Domin is in a secret hunt for a spectral undead. When she is informed of what has happened to them she makes plans to get them out before dealing with the Domin who has his own agenda.

This is the last to the final entry in a long and hard-fought battle that has our group reuniting for one final push against an enemy they have never seen. They keep hoping that each find will be the last task they must complete in order to finally be able to return home, but it is never that simple. And to complicate things even more an old enemy returns as Sau'ilahk follows Chane in order to exact revenge. He meets an old frenemy who is ready to suck him into his plans. The final showdown is coming.

Enjoy this because things are about to get even more crazy.

[L.E. Doggett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good series even though dark. I am not always sure of the main characters' responses sometimes they get a little trying but still over all excellent writing. The descriptions and good, the actions easily followed, plot goes along well. A very imaginative world.

I recommend it fully but start at the beginning.

[Dominique · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book would have been better as a short story rather than a full length novel. Nothing really happened for the first one hundred fifty pages.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the fresh setting of the desert/middle-east inspired atmosphere. The intrigue of palace drama, the 'who is it' kind of villain, etc. It's fun trying to figure out who the bad guy is when it could literally be anyone.

I found myself wanting to see more of the side characters and engage in their private lives along with the main story. The prince, his story is interesting.

Everyone in the main party has a reason to hate each other, so there's a tense dynamic that includes a lot of pride and arrogance. Someone said the characters are too set in their ways, and that's a good way of looking at it. Sometimes we need an outsider's view to help drive on, and Ghassan is interesting enough to pull it off, even if he's not 100% trustworthy. You can't expect someone to just open up to anyone though, to be fair. I quite like him, he's powerful, knows what he's doing, smart and tactical, though he can be secretly cruel when looking down on someone else. (Like Wynn).

Magiere hates Chane, Chap doesn't trust Brot'an's motives, Osha is mad at Wynn for liking Chane more, Wayfarer is mad at Osha for staying behind for Wynn, and Shade is mad at Chap for abandoning her. It's a real drama-made situation, and I love it. The team has to work together if they want to overcome the next big bad for the orbs.

I will say that the first half of the book seemed to drag on, I didn't think anything was happening. And the scene involving the next orb was slightly underwhelming, though disturbing. On one hand, it feels too easy, but on the other, they're growing with experience and learning to work as a team (and around Magiere's nature). So it's not exactly far-fetched, I just like action.

But the book is written so well, that I literally enjoy just hearing the words in my mind. And as always, the epilogue makes me eagerly look forward to the next one~! I wish we had more information about the characters, their birthdays and profiles, things like that, more pictures, just for fun~!

[Vickey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am really struggling to read my way through these final 3 books. They aren't fun. All the dramatic tension is caused by people not trusting each other and the cast of characters is so big that none really stand out. The evil-seeming guy is evil. The guy this book is nominally about just hovers on the fringes, watching silently. It's not very interesting so I kept putting it down to do other things. Ah well one more to go...may as well.

[Robert Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75/5
This review is taken from my notes from when I finished the book years ago.

Mageire, Leesil, and company have been imprisoned. Mageire is being psychically tortured by an undead. Wynn and her group meet up with Ghassan Il'Sanke and attempt to free them. And then they must deal with the body stealer and get the fifth orb. How will Chane and Magiere Get along? What about Leesil and Brot'an or Osha and Wayfarer? And does anyone trust Il'Sanke?

[Cassandra Ulrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover only scratches the surface of what becomes of Magiere. This story is one of the most suspenseful in the series, and I enjoyed every moment. As always, Hendee stories read fairly quickly which left me wanting more, especially with the shocking ending.

[Tracey Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve loved this series for years. I’ve done many rereads. I have both read the books and listened to the audiobooks. I prefer the audiobook. The narrator did a good job, and I enjoyed the mix of accents. Though she does mispronounced somethings that didn’t take away from the whole series.

[Julie Bergley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy crap! This book was intense. I need The Night Voice ASAP to find out how this giant epic wraps up. It's been such a ride!

[AJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Nobel dead saga but I will say I’ll never be a fan of Wynn

[Severind Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of me probably rated this book five stars because I loved the cover. I mean, look. This is a fourteen part series, and MOST of the covers are pitiful excuses for photomanipulation, and sometimes the characters didn't even look like the characters they were supposed to be. So when I saw this one, I was pretty happy because it didn't look cheap or cheesy or outright bad. And actually, I quite liked this book too. I read it in practically no time at all. And yes, it is one of the shorter installments in the series, but clearly I enjoyed it when I gave it five stars.

While a lot of the details are lost, I do remember Leesil and Magiere being imprisoned. If I remember correctly, as a result of this, much of the book came from Wynn's perspective because it was up to her to get the others out. I've made it no secret that Wynn isn't my favorite among our characters, and that reading from her perspective was a bit tedious in the grand scheme of things. But I wasn't mad at it. Wynn might annoy me, but she's also loyal to her friends, and they've certainly come a long way since the beginning.

I think the main thing I remember though, was that feeling I got when I was about halfway through, thinking to myself, "How the hell is this series supposed to wrap itself up in just one more book?" I retained that feeling throughout the rest of this book and well into the next, because it seemed like so much was going on that it couldn't POSSIBLY wrap itself up in under 500 pages for the next installment. Nevertheless, this made me eager to continue. As reluctant as I was to finish the series (because as flawed as it is, I adored every minute of it and was not ready to let go of the characters despite being desperate to see the ending), I jumped immediately into the final book after this one. I specifically recall sitting on my bedroom floor one night, setting this book down, and snatching the next one from the shelf, mourning the fact that I could not start it right then. So if anything stands out about this book, it's THAT feeling.

[Dion Cassidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah finally both groups meet up, this has been a long time in the coming.

I love the fact that all the females are strong in their own right and they continue to lead the fight, whether by sword, knowledge or simple compassion.

The males aren't too bad either, driven by purpose and love. Even if they don't realise it yet.

I am excited to reach the last book, but this one has been adventure and I am glad to see it through to the end.

Speaking of endings.... The price for this orb was truly heartbreaking and to happen to Magiere who truly longs to have a family makes it even more tragic. But I won't say more as I don't want to spoil it.

The epilogue is setting us up for something big and bad in the next book. Tally-ho and on I go to the Night Voice.

[Kirstie Hestem · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with all their books the Hendees have once again produced a story I could not put down. If it hadn't been for my responsibilities with work I would have read it in a day.
The plot was fast paced, action packed, and you were never sure if the characters would make it through. They made me laugh, and cry, and the characters developed even more interesting facets during the course of this latest instalment. I cannot wait for the next one and highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys dark fantasy, mythology, and a really great story.

[Kim Ⓥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this wasn't my favorite book in the NDS, it was a good addition. Having Magiere, Leesil and Chap forced to work with Chane shows that they are finally coming around to the idea that not all vampires are bad. The Wynn, Osha and Chane complexities could have been resolved or delved into a bit more in this novel, but I'm hoping they touch on that in the last book. I'm worried that there is so much story that it could go on for 5 more books and they're only writing one more book. Crossing my fingers that the final installment is epic!

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is last published book of this epic quest series, but not the end of the story. It's not a a boring or badly written S&S epic. The characters are interesting, the writing clear even if the author has to keep reminding you of the same details in every book.
It isn't deeply philosophical or creative such as the likes of "The Books Of The Fallen" but the books aren't 600 pages either. Each runs around 300 so a light and entertaining read.

[Whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel kind of felt like a side story compared to the other novels. Like a sort of side adventure that wasn't totally necessary for the broad overall story line. That being said, I liked it, but I just didn't feel like it took us as far in the story as I would have thought this novel would, being the second to last in the series and all. Still excited to see how the series concludes though!

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent novel. Even though it’s a novel set near the end of the third cycle of novels (12?), it didn’t feel like I was missing significant amounts of context. The world and characters with all their interactions were all well done and the story was well told from multiple perspectives.

[Ian James · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more i think about it. I like the books with either just Wynn, Chane and Shade or Lessil, Margiere and Chap.

I do not like the way they put the teams together too much to follow and too much "oh noes Chane and Magerie hate each other"

[Tari · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two and a half stars.

[BibliofiendLM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review: http://tinyurl.com/jv5ctzl
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I was worried with so many characters in peril. That twist at the end is a doozy.

[Gregory · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty much ending the series for me.

[Vonnie]

Good book, best if familiar with the series.