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Celaeno #3
The Temple at Landfall
Lynn is an imprinter, one chosen by the Goddess to receive her greatest gift, that of creating new life. So why does she feel like a prisoner in the Temple?
When Lynn learns that she is to be relocated to the temple at Landfall, the arduous journey seems more like a gift―her last chance to see something of the outside world. She does not anticipate the dangers and temptations she will encounter along the way, nor does she expect Lieutenant Kim Ramon, an officer in the squadron of Rangers assigned to protect her. Despite all prohibitions forbidding it, attraction grows between the two women.
Against them stand the powerful religious Sisterhood and their holy warriors―the Temple Guards. In a world ruled by the Church, what chance is there that Lynn can escape?
When Lynn learns that she is to be relocated to the temple at Landfall, the arduous journey seems more like a gift―her last chance to see something of the outside world. She does not anticipate the dangers and temptations she will encounter along the way, nor does she expect Lieutenant Kim Ramon, an officer in the squadron of Rangers assigned to protect her. Despite all prohibitions forbidding it, attraction grows between the two women.
Against them stand the powerful religious Sisterhood and their holy warriors―the Temple Guards. In a world ruled by the Church, what chance is there that Lynn can escape?
176 pages, Paperback
First published November 28, 1999
11 people are currently reading
1096 people want to read
About the author
Jane Fletcher
21 books200 followersJane Fletcher is a GCLS award-winning writer and has also been short-listed for the Gaylactic Spectrum and Lambda Literary awards. She is author of two ongoing sets of fantasy/romance novels: the Celaeno series—The Walls of Westernfort, Rangers at Roadsend, The Temple at Landfall, Dynasty of Rogues, and Shadow of the Knife; and the Lyremouth Chronicles—The Exile and The Sorcerer, The Traitor and The Chalice, The Empress and The Acolyte, and The High Priest and the Idol.
Her love of fantasy began at the age of seven when she encountered Greek Mythology. This was compounded by a childhood spent clambering over every example of ancient masonry she could find (medieval castles, megalithic monuments, Roman villas). Her resolute ambition was to become an archaeologist when she grew up, so it was something of a surprise when she became a software engineer instead.
Born in Greenwich, London, in 1956, she now lives in southwest England where she keeps herself busy writing both computer software and fiction, although generally not at the same time.
Her love of fantasy began at the age of seven when she encountered Greek Mythology. This was compounded by a childhood spent clambering over every example of ancient masonry she could find (medieval castles, megalithic monuments, Roman villas). Her resolute ambition was to become an archaeologist when she grew up, so it was something of a surprise when she became a software engineer instead.
Born in Greenwich, London, in 1956, she now lives in southwest England where she keeps herself busy writing both computer software and fiction, although generally not at the same time.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
June 19, 2015
This is a review for the entire series. Possible mild spoilers ahead, mainly because I feel the book blurb is too bland and generic to generate any excitement, much less interest in the entire series. I admit I've known about this series for years, but haven't gotten the urge to start it until my GR friends did and loved it.
This series laid down an astounding premise--possibly the most original in lesfic. A pre-industrial all-women society has found a way to procreate with the help of psychically gifted individuals. Control of these individuals means the priestess class has the rest of the population at their beck and call. Militia, rangers and especially temple guards all serve them in some protective capacity or another. Other classes mentioned in the book include farmers, merchant classes, and other specialized trades, even bandits and heretics--but all society revolves around the procreation process called 'Imprinting' and the divination and worship of the 'Goddess' who created it. What makes this series stand out from other alternate universe/dystopian works though, is the origin story. That, of course, is for the reader to discover.
The first two books seamlessly cross over so many genres--fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, adventure, character study and romance--its impossible to slot it into any particular one. It starts off as a simple though exciting fantasy adventure, as we get to know more about the inner workings of this society through the eyes of the protagonists. There are hints and undercurrents of deeper issues but nothing full-on till book 2, so don't give up too soon. The third to fifth books are all prequels featuring minor characters from Books 1-2. A bit disappointing in terms of story progression, but all are nevertheless very well-written lesfic adventure/romances. I've only been gushing about the plot so far, but the author writes very good lesfic romance in every single book--the kind we pay good money for. So you can pick up any of the Books 3 to 5 independently of the series and still get your money's worth. But, I can understand Frank's disappointment. They could very well have been classics.
As things stand now, there is no closure, no true ending. The author has set up one of the most amazing stories ever--we get the big reveal--but we don't get to see what happens next. Its been seven years since the publication of Book 5. Will there be a book 6 ?
This series laid down an astounding premise--possibly the most original in lesfic. A pre-industrial all-women society has found a way to procreate with the help of psychically gifted individuals. Control of these individuals means the priestess class has the rest of the population at their beck and call. Militia, rangers and especially temple guards all serve them in some protective capacity or another. Other classes mentioned in the book include farmers, merchant classes, and other specialized trades, even bandits and heretics--but all society revolves around the procreation process called 'Imprinting' and the divination and worship of the 'Goddess' who created it. What makes this series stand out from other alternate universe/dystopian works though, is the origin story. That, of course, is for the reader to discover.
The first two books seamlessly cross over so many genres--fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, adventure, character study and romance--its impossible to slot it into any particular one. It starts off as a simple though exciting fantasy adventure, as we get to know more about the inner workings of this society through the eyes of the protagonists. There are hints and undercurrents of deeper issues but nothing full-on till book 2, so don't give up too soon. The third to fifth books are all prequels featuring minor characters from Books 1-2. A bit disappointing in terms of story progression, but all are nevertheless very well-written lesfic adventure/romances. I've only been gushing about the plot so far, but the author writes very good lesfic romance in every single book--the kind we pay good money for. So you can pick up any of the Books 3 to 5 independently of the series and still get your money's worth. But, I can understand Frank's disappointment. They could very well have been classics.
As things stand now, there is no closure, no true ending. The author has set up one of the most amazing stories ever--we get the big reveal--but we don't get to see what happens next. Its been seven years since the publication of Book 5. Will there be a book 6 ?
July 21, 2017
This was really good. Rangers is still my favorite so far, but this would be second. It was nice to have the characters that are your favorites from Rangers in this book too. I'm reading the books in Chronological orders, just started The Walls of Westernfort now. I am so happy to read in this order, the story really flows. I'm glad I didn't go with the order they were written in or the stories of the Rangers, my favorite characters, would be all jumbled and as a reader you would know the outcome of events before reading.
I would recommend to any newbies to read in chrono order too. Shadow, Rangers, Temple, Westernfort, Rogues. You won't be disappointed!
I would recommend to any newbies to read in chrono order too. Shadow, Rangers, Temple, Westernfort, Rogues. You won't be disappointed!
October 13, 2012
Goodread kept throwing this book at me based on other books that I adored so I decided to give it a go despite my doubts about the female world thing.
At first, it seemed I'd done well listening to the recommendations. I was loving the start of the book. While the world building didn't feel that amazing, it seemed well enough and Lynn was pretty likeable. The first action scene we get was well written and had me excited about the book.
And then suddenly it feels like the author decided she needed to hurry the story along. The book could have really used some more development, letting the characters be around each other before the sudden breakup.
Then there was the worldbuilding which felt like it got out of hand about as much as the character's story did. This fantasy novel didn't need the scifi aspects. It felt a cheap and easy way out and just didn't fit with the story. I feel like the revelations we get at the end of the book should have been the beginning of the book. Like it would have helped to keep the flow of the story and not come across as quite so farfetched as it did now. I also agree that the only female world doesn't really add to the story and that she could have done so much more with it.
It's not that this is a horrible book. It's enjoyable and the characters are very likeable. It does suffer from a clumsy writing style. It feels like this author is capable of much more and by not wanting to make the romance the main drive, she hurried over important bonding scenes, making it a bit unbelievable that these characters are as attached to each other as they are. Sometimes it's good to leave the reader wanting more, but in this case, it made the rest of the story suffer. I'm going to pick up the next book in the series to see if the author learned from her mistakes in this one. This could have been so much more than it is.
At first, it seemed I'd done well listening to the recommendations. I was loving the start of the book. While the world building didn't feel that amazing, it seemed well enough and Lynn was pretty likeable. The first action scene we get was well written and had me excited about the book.
And then suddenly it feels like the author decided she needed to hurry the story along. The book could have really used some more development, letting the characters be around each other before the sudden breakup.
Then there was the worldbuilding which felt like it got out of hand about as much as the character's story did. This fantasy novel didn't need the scifi aspects. It felt a cheap and easy way out and just didn't fit with the story. I feel like the revelations we get at the end of the book should have been the beginning of the book. Like it would have helped to keep the flow of the story and not come across as quite so farfetched as it did now. I also agree that the only female world doesn't really add to the story and that she could have done so much more with it.
It's not that this is a horrible book. It's enjoyable and the characters are very likeable. It does suffer from a clumsy writing style. It feels like this author is capable of much more and by not wanting to make the romance the main drive, she hurried over important bonding scenes, making it a bit unbelievable that these characters are as attached to each other as they are. Sometimes it's good to leave the reader wanting more, but in this case, it made the rest of the story suffer. I'm going to pick up the next book in the series to see if the author learned from her mistakes in this one. This could have been so much more than it is.
May 27, 2016
3.5 stars. Nice fantasy world building. It hooked me right away. I really did like all the characters, and hated the villains as it should be. The action and battles were well done and easily pictured in my mind. It has a touch of SciFi elements but I'm undecided if it worked or not.
It is confusing to figure out what order to read this series. In some book blurbs it's labeled as #1 and others it's #3. When I come back to the series, I'm planning to read #2 Rangers - it sounds the most appealing.
Can I say something about the disappointing cover? The background is a little washed out but ok, however the figure is ugly and I'm not sure which scene it is depicting. IMO fantasy & SciFi covers have some of the best art but I haven't seen many in the f/f genre. I admit I'm biased as I collect book & comic book art (mostly lust after). Google Donato, Charles Vess, Michael Whelan & Kinuko Craft. I know price is a HUGE factor for these Indy publishers but I can't help to compare to the best of the best. I understand it's unfair of me. But there are a lot of talented artists out there looking for an opportunity.
It is confusing to figure out what order to read this series. In some book blurbs it's labeled as #1 and others it's #3. When I come back to the series, I'm planning to read #2 Rangers - it sounds the most appealing.
Can I say something about the disappointing cover? The background is a little washed out but ok, however the figure is ugly and I'm not sure which scene it is depicting. IMO fantasy & SciFi covers have some of the best art but I haven't seen many in the f/f genre. I admit I'm biased as I collect book & comic book art (mostly lust after). Google Donato, Charles Vess, Michael Whelan & Kinuko Craft. I know price is a HUGE factor for these Indy publishers but I can't help to compare to the best of the best. I understand it's unfair of me. But there are a lot of talented artists out there looking for an opportunity.
January 19, 2015
The first book I've read by Ms. Fletcher was Wolfsbane Winter, another fantasy novel. It had all the staples of the genre, but near the end, she gave me some tantalizing hints about the world before the demons came down. No way around it: that world was 21st century earth. I found that highly intrigueing, but it wasn't given much thought as the ending slammed all doors of a possile sequel shut.
I was setlling down with The Temple at Landfall with another fantasy novel in mind. I must admit, there was a lot of religious rhetoric going on and I wasn't sure where it all would be going (except that my hatred for Sister Smith was instantaneuos). Luckily all that religious crap was offset by the thoughts of Lynn. And then came the word DNA and I get introduced to the Imprinting procedure which sounded magical at first but I was seriously confused by how scientic it was. And then I remembered Wolfsbane Winter and I knew something similar was going on.
And indeed it was. There were many instances where I found myself in a situation that had me wondering how it would be explained. And when we meet the heretics in the second part of the book (it's divided in three parts) it all made sense. I'm not going to elaborate futher on it, it's better when you read it yourself.
I absolutely loved it. And the Appendix explains it even further. It's almost a blueprint on how to start a religion.
And I'll admit it took me a long while to find the joke with the moons. :)
I was setlling down with The Temple at Landfall with another fantasy novel in mind. I must admit, there was a lot of religious rhetoric going on and I wasn't sure where it all would be going (except that my hatred for Sister Smith was instantaneuos). Luckily all that religious crap was offset by the thoughts of Lynn. And then came the word DNA and I get introduced to the Imprinting procedure which sounded magical at first but I was seriously confused by how scientic it was. And then I remembered Wolfsbane Winter and I knew something similar was going on.
And indeed it was. There were many instances where I found myself in a situation that had me wondering how it would be explained. And when we meet the heretics in the second part of the book (it's divided in three parts) it all made sense. I'm not going to elaborate futher on it, it's better when you read it yourself.
I absolutely loved it. And the Appendix explains it even further. It's almost a blueprint on how to start a religion.
And I'll admit it took me a long while to find the joke with the moons. :)
January 5, 2016
It's been a surprising book. A wonderful construction of a world and an enthralling reading.
Unfortunately there isn't much to say about it without touching a major spoiler , for there is a wonderful twist of the plot.
I really liked the characters, the adventure cut, the fantastic creatures, and the plot.
I'm not giving five stars because I feel the romance between Lynn and Kim is lacking depth. They both are nice, but there's a bit of superficiality, as they don't really get to know each other well, and they don't talk enough.
Just a quick consideration: a society without men is described as very very similar to our one. Just a bit of male pride, maybe, but it would be interesting to see more differences, a different balance, or unbalance, I don't know.
Unfortunately there isn't much to say about it without touching a major spoiler , for there is a wonderful twist of the plot.
I really liked the characters, the adventure cut, the fantastic creatures, and the plot.
I'm not giving five stars because I feel the romance between Lynn and Kim is lacking depth. They both are nice, but there's a bit of superficiality, as they don't really get to know each other well, and they don't talk enough.
Just a quick consideration: a society without men is described as very very similar to our one. Just a bit of male pride, maybe, but it would be interesting to see more differences, a different balance, or unbalance, I don't know.
May 20, 2019
This is one nice serie and pretty interesting world that came to life with this book.
I started with it, because I like following the publication order.
I love the science fantasy subgenre and JF pulled it off pretty well.
There is one hilarious last chapter that is definetely worth checking out on this thematic.
I read them all almost a year ago and kept a nice fuzzy feeling from it. And since that's what I needed, I gave it another go and don't regret it.
Each volume is build on the same universe, with main characters sometimes reappearing as minor one in another.
Writing this, I'm adding a star to my initial rating, because, despite some minor imperfections
The romance is a bit sudden, the miscommunication is overused (in all the books of the serie), still, the story left me warmed, happy and wanting more.
I started with it, because I like following the publication order.
I love the science fantasy subgenre and JF pulled it off pretty well.
There is one hilarious last chapter that is definetely worth checking out on this thematic.
I read them all almost a year ago and kept a nice fuzzy feeling from it. And since that's what I needed, I gave it another go and don't regret it.
Each volume is build on the same universe, with main characters sometimes reappearing as minor one in another.
Writing this, I'm adding a star to my initial rating, because, despite some minor imperfections
The romance is a bit sudden, the miscommunication is overused (in all the books of the serie), still, the story left me warmed, happy and wanting more.
June 6, 2017
I'm going with another 4.5. The previous book was a little more exciting but this book gave me more insight into their world. It's also a nice start to what I am hoping is a big throw down between heretics and the sisters in the coming books. I guess I'll see.
I never did read the first book. I think I'll have to circle back once I finish these.
I never did read the first book. I think I'll have to circle back once I finish these.
December 23, 2016
This book stars Kim Ramon, the heretic, and Lynn NoLastNameAllowed, the holy-chosen-beloved-of-Celaeno aka slave of the Sisterhood.
This book is both the first and third book in the series. Published first, in 1999 and called ‘The World Celaeno Chose’, it is also the third book chronologically in the series. And that does actually matter. The chronological thing – because the books do build upon themselves. It’s true the main characters in the ‘first’ book, chronologically, don’t matter a hill of beans in the series, the side characters matter in later books, and many of the other characters pop up in the other books as well as the books advance. Quite frankly, I’ve no clue how anyone could read this series in the disjointed way it was published (on one level it’s ‘worse’ than James Fennimore Cooper’s Leatherstocking series – where the first book chronologically was the last book published (though that happened here as well, it’s just I think that was the only book out of order in the Cooper series; here the books jump all of the place (chronologically with publish order in (): 1st Shadow of the Knife (5), 2nd Rangers at Roadsend (3), 3rd The Temple at Landfall (1), 4th The Walls of Westernfort (2), 5th Dynasty of Rogues (4).
Right, but this book was/is about Lynn and Kim. Not the series as a whole. Lynn was around 12 when her family took her to be tested (as is done). She had shown some ‘healing’ abilities. She was tested and found to have so much ‘power’ as to be an Imprinter – therefore she was immediately forced to go with the Sisterhood and begin training. Imprinters are the ones who are able to create new human babies – important on a world on which only women number among the population. As such they are held in much awe and esteem – they have been the ‘chosen’ ones of the Goddess Celaeno (otherwise known as the spaceship/colony ship that brought the humans across the stars to this planet – yes, you have a world that has, for 500 years, worshiped a starship – and it’s not even one that had an A.I. to talk with (well, one hasn’t been mentioned) it’s just a hunk of metal). Despite being held in such a position – you know, that ‘chosen one’ thingie – they are basically the slaves of the Sisterhood. Forced to be celibate (the sisters are supposed to be as well, but they are corrupt) and continuously ‘create babies’ (the Sisters are quite eager for that – because they collect fees for the imprinting – the sisters do, the Imprinters get nothing.
Well – Lynn has shown signs of being quite . . . good at her job and rumors of this ability has reached one of the sisters wiggling piously and corruptly for higher and higher position at the Temple. So this Sister has gone out to collect Lynn, and bring her back to Landfall. The book follows Lynn and three sisters on their journey. Traveling in a carriage, zooming along, encountering worse and worse conditions. Until finally their journey has to make detour after detour. Until they find themselves in a specific town. If they go over a mountain pass they’ll get to Landfall before the Landfall celebrations. If they don’t, they won’t. Everything is set in motion but . . . news comes of big cats bouncing around up there. Everyone urges the sisters and party to go a different route. The main evil bitchy sister demands her chosen route be the one to follow.
Into this comes the 23rd Rangers Squadron. There to take care of the cats. One thing leads to another, and now the squadron is doing escort duty over the pass.
Eventually . . . well, I don’t want to give everything away, and I haven’t really progressed the story much as it is so I’ll stop before I go too far.
Interesting story. More and more of the backstory is revealed, leading this from being a purely fantasy world to one that’s science – fantasy, or a mix of the two (science fiction and fantasy).
Rating: 4.25
December 23 2016
This book is both the first and third book in the series. Published first, in 1999 and called ‘The World Celaeno Chose’, it is also the third book chronologically in the series. And that does actually matter. The chronological thing – because the books do build upon themselves. It’s true the main characters in the ‘first’ book, chronologically, don’t matter a hill of beans in the series, the side characters matter in later books, and many of the other characters pop up in the other books as well as the books advance. Quite frankly, I’ve no clue how anyone could read this series in the disjointed way it was published (on one level it’s ‘worse’ than James Fennimore Cooper’s Leatherstocking series – where the first book chronologically was the last book published (though that happened here as well, it’s just I think that was the only book out of order in the Cooper series; here the books jump all of the place (chronologically with publish order in (): 1st Shadow of the Knife (5), 2nd Rangers at Roadsend (3), 3rd The Temple at Landfall (1), 4th The Walls of Westernfort (2), 5th Dynasty of Rogues (4).
Right, but this book was/is about Lynn and Kim. Not the series as a whole. Lynn was around 12 when her family took her to be tested (as is done). She had shown some ‘healing’ abilities. She was tested and found to have so much ‘power’ as to be an Imprinter – therefore she was immediately forced to go with the Sisterhood and begin training. Imprinters are the ones who are able to create new human babies – important on a world on which only women number among the population. As such they are held in much awe and esteem – they have been the ‘chosen’ ones of the Goddess Celaeno (otherwise known as the spaceship/colony ship that brought the humans across the stars to this planet – yes, you have a world that has, for 500 years, worshiped a starship – and it’s not even one that had an A.I. to talk with (well, one hasn’t been mentioned) it’s just a hunk of metal). Despite being held in such a position – you know, that ‘chosen one’ thingie – they are basically the slaves of the Sisterhood. Forced to be celibate (the sisters are supposed to be as well, but they are corrupt) and continuously ‘create babies’ (the Sisters are quite eager for that – because they collect fees for the imprinting – the sisters do, the Imprinters get nothing.
Well – Lynn has shown signs of being quite . . . good at her job and rumors of this ability has reached one of the sisters wiggling piously and corruptly for higher and higher position at the Temple. So this Sister has gone out to collect Lynn, and bring her back to Landfall. The book follows Lynn and three sisters on their journey. Traveling in a carriage, zooming along, encountering worse and worse conditions. Until finally their journey has to make detour after detour. Until they find themselves in a specific town. If they go over a mountain pass they’ll get to Landfall before the Landfall celebrations. If they don’t, they won’t. Everything is set in motion but . . . news comes of big cats bouncing around up there. Everyone urges the sisters and party to go a different route. The main evil bitchy sister demands her chosen route be the one to follow.
Into this comes the 23rd Rangers Squadron. There to take care of the cats. One thing leads to another, and now the squadron is doing escort duty over the pass.
Eventually . . . well, I don’t want to give everything away, and I haven’t really progressed the story much as it is so I’ll stop before I go too far.
Interesting story. More and more of the backstory is revealed, leading this from being a purely fantasy world to one that’s science – fantasy, or a mix of the two (science fiction and fantasy).
Rating: 4.25
December 23 2016
August 23, 2023
On the reread: This was one of the first wlw genre fiction books I read, and it definitely threw me for a loop the first time I read it, but slowly the reveals make it make sense, and the story itself has a very readable writing style and a pretty good story. It had been so long since I read it that I was tempted to see how it held up, and I'm glad to say it held up very well! Still a solid SFF read, and kind of refreshing to see women inhabiting every part of their society, from the burly generals and blacksmiths to the farmers and scientists. Overall I would still recommend this one, though you might have to stick with it through some worldbuilding confusion for the first several chapters.
Original review: Even after I decided to buy the e-book, it took me literally weeks to get past the first five pages. Out of experience, I just had almost no faith in lesbian genre fiction. So much of it is so poorly written and conceived. So when this book started off like it did, I just kept huffing and going "What is this? Magical DNA splicing? In a fantasy book? Where they actually call it DNA and everything? Really?" Finally, I convinced myself to shrug that off and keep going. I paid for the whole book after all. So I continued. Only to stop again two chapters later, huffing again, now going "Really? Every named character in the whole book so far is female? What are the odds of that? I mean, I know it's a lesbian book, but seriously?!" But then I kept reading, and I kept reading, and I started going "...Wait... Are... all the people in this book female? Like... the whole population? What's with those statues? Why do they know about DNA? What's going on?" And then, of course, the reveal happened, and I felt like a total heel. "Oh. It was all entirely intentional. It was supposed to seem weird." And man it does a good job of sneaking up on you bit by bit, making you start to really wonder about the worldbuilding, until it all suddenly makes sense and you're just left with your mouth open, feeling like an idiot, because it was all entirely on purpose and they pulled it off perfectly.
So far, I've read the first two in this series, and they are shining lights in the grim, often stupid darkness that is lesbian genre fiction. I love being pleasantly surprised.
Original review: Even after I decided to buy the e-book, it took me literally weeks to get past the first five pages. Out of experience, I just had almost no faith in lesbian genre fiction. So much of it is so poorly written and conceived. So when this book started off like it did, I just kept huffing and going "What is this? Magical DNA splicing? In a fantasy book? Where they actually call it DNA and everything? Really?" Finally, I convinced myself to shrug that off and keep going. I paid for the whole book after all. So I continued. Only to stop again two chapters later, huffing again, now going "Really? Every named character in the whole book so far is female? What are the odds of that? I mean, I know it's a lesbian book, but seriously?!" But then I kept reading, and I kept reading, and I started going "...Wait... Are... all the people in this book female? Like... the whole population? What's with those statues? Why do they know about DNA? What's going on?" And then, of course, the reveal happened, and I felt like a total heel. "Oh. It was all entirely intentional. It was supposed to seem weird." And man it does a good job of sneaking up on you bit by bit, making you start to really wonder about the worldbuilding, until it all suddenly makes sense and you're just left with your mouth open, feeling like an idiot, because it was all entirely on purpose and they pulled it off perfectly.
So far, I've read the first two in this series, and they are shining lights in the grim, often stupid darkness that is lesbian genre fiction. I love being pleasantly surprised.
June 28, 2024
On a world populated only by women, Lynn is an imprinter, responsible for creating new life. She spends most of her time imprinting or praying. Bored of the monotony and loneliness in the temple where she lives and works, she finds her dull routine disrupted when she learns she is to travel to another temple in the south.
It took a while for me to get into the book. The first half is a little slow, although the appearance of the snow lions brings a bit of excitement. Lynn and her ranger love interest fall into insta-love and this results in some ridiculously extreme consequences. I did like some of the action and drama that takes place with the mysterious mission out west and the rivalry between the rangers and the guards. The book is told through the POVs of Lynn and Kim. Kim’s chapters are more enjoyable than Lynn’s as Kim has a lot more going on and makes a lot of decisions that affect the course of the plot while Lynn has relatively little to do.
Religion makes up an important aspect of the world. The characters worship a goddess they call Celaeno whom they believe created the world and gifted certain women with special abilities like healing, cloning, and imprinting. The temple dedicated to Celaeno is run by an order of women who wear white robes and masks and refer to themselves as the “Sisterhood.” As an imprinter, Lynn’s life has been controlled by these Sisters ever since they took her to the temple at age twelve. She owns no personal possessions. She cannot go anywhere without permission, and if she does go somewhere she is accompanied by guards. She is not permitted close relationships with other people and she is expected to remain celibate. At first I was disappointed that the author had chosen to make the religion of the all-women society resemble a patriarchal medieval iteration of Catholicism. Why, I wondered, would women associate sexual desire with sin and perverted lust in a world without misogyny? But as Fletcher gradually reveals the history of the world and how the culture came to be the way it is, I saw that the characters’ religious beliefs made a little more sense. However, it still really irked me to see a character go on trial for an attempted rape of which everyone knew she was not guilty and of which the supposed victim never accused her. In the real world, trials are expensive and time-consuming. In this world, apparently these people have the time, energy, and resources to waste on a farce of a trial just because they don’t want anyone to touch the imprinters.
My biggest problems with this book are the characters making really stupid choices and the weak antagonists. Here we have yet another case of characters you’re supposed to root for refusing to kill the sadistic, psychopathic murderer antagonist when they have multiple chances to do so. Imagine an evil woman who massacres people just because they believe differently than she does, takes pleasure in torturing people, tries to kill you multiple times and almost succeeds, hunts you and people you care about fully intending to slaughter all of you, and then you foil her plan. Do you a) kill her immediately and remove the threat she poses to yourself and your loved ones, or b) let her go because it’s mean to kill your enemy once you’ve disarmed her, and uh, revenge is bad, so it’s better for her to regroup and continue to kill people and continue to try to kill you. If you chose a), congratulations, you’re a normal, mentally stable person with a sense of self-preservation and protection for others. If you chose b), you’re too stupid to live, but you’d fit right in this book.
The only reason the protagonists survive making such dumb decisions is that the antagonists are even dumber than the protagonists. The rangers are good fighters and scouts and know the wilderness very well while the guards’ main purpose seems to be to look pretty in their uniforms. It’s a running gag through the book that the guards are so utterly incompetent at camping, tracking, basic survival skills, and even basic security which they are supposed to be specifically trained for. It begs the question of why the Sisters bother using training methods that are so laughably ineffective instead of giving all the guards the same training as the rangers receive. It makes absolutely no sense that the Sisters would not have been using rangers this entire time, especially since it’s established early in the book that the Sisters have political authority to command rangers. Of course this dynamic changes later on, but it still doesn’t answer the question of why the Sisters don’t significantly improve the guards’ training; they certainly don’t lack the resources.
One last thing that didn’t make any sense is the characters’ lack of curiosity. Kim finds out that the temple library houses a vast array of books on all kinds of useful information, including the world’s history and civilisation. Nobody reads the books, not even the Sisters. It is forbidden for people to read them. And it seems that in several hundred years, only one person who had access to the books was curious enough to disobey the rule and read them anyway. Knowing the unlimited bounds of human curiosity, coupled with the dull and stifling life in the temple, I just don’t buy that out of the thousands of people who go to the temple, absolutely none of them would attempt to sneak into the library to read books. It should be pretty easy to do, since the guards are so daft at their jobs. If the Sisters want to control how people think, and if they have some means to control the general public’s access to information, they can only do so up to a certain extent. People would definitely steal the forbidden books as surely as they would steal artifacts or diamonds or candy or even totally useless and valueless junk. Also how is it that not a single percentage of the population had some useful information passed down through the generations? That the Sisters themselves, a large powerful group of people, just hasn’t cared about a wealth of knowledge at their disposal for hundreds of years is completely absurd. In most sci-fi worlds where centuries’ worth of knowledge is lost, the loss is due to a catastrophic event like a nuclear war or an apocalypse. In this sci-fi world, knowledge is lost due to apathy and a lack of curiosity. Completely unbelievable.
It took a while for me to get into the book. The first half is a little slow, although the appearance of the snow lions brings a bit of excitement. Lynn and her ranger love interest fall into insta-love and this results in some ridiculously extreme consequences. I did like some of the action and drama that takes place with the mysterious mission out west and the rivalry between the rangers and the guards. The book is told through the POVs of Lynn and Kim. Kim’s chapters are more enjoyable than Lynn’s as Kim has a lot more going on and makes a lot of decisions that affect the course of the plot while Lynn has relatively little to do.
Religion makes up an important aspect of the world. The characters worship a goddess they call Celaeno whom they believe created the world and gifted certain women with special abilities like healing, cloning, and imprinting. The temple dedicated to Celaeno is run by an order of women who wear white robes and masks and refer to themselves as the “Sisterhood.” As an imprinter, Lynn’s life has been controlled by these Sisters ever since they took her to the temple at age twelve. She owns no personal possessions. She cannot go anywhere without permission, and if she does go somewhere she is accompanied by guards. She is not permitted close relationships with other people and she is expected to remain celibate. At first I was disappointed that the author had chosen to make the religion of the all-women society resemble a patriarchal medieval iteration of Catholicism. Why, I wondered, would women associate sexual desire with sin and perverted lust in a world without misogyny? But as Fletcher gradually reveals the history of the world and how the culture came to be the way it is, I saw that the characters’ religious beliefs made a little more sense. However, it still really irked me to see a character go on trial for an attempted rape of which everyone knew she was not guilty and of which the supposed victim never accused her. In the real world, trials are expensive and time-consuming. In this world, apparently these people have the time, energy, and resources to waste on a farce of a trial just because they don’t want anyone to touch the imprinters.
My biggest problems with this book are the characters making really stupid choices and the weak antagonists. Here we have yet another case of characters you’re supposed to root for refusing to kill the sadistic, psychopathic murderer antagonist when they have multiple chances to do so. Imagine an evil woman who massacres people just because they believe differently than she does, takes pleasure in torturing people, tries to kill you multiple times and almost succeeds, hunts you and people you care about fully intending to slaughter all of you, and then you foil her plan. Do you a) kill her immediately and remove the threat she poses to yourself and your loved ones, or b) let her go because it’s mean to kill your enemy once you’ve disarmed her, and uh, revenge is bad, so it’s better for her to regroup and continue to kill people and continue to try to kill you. If you chose a), congratulations, you’re a normal, mentally stable person with a sense of self-preservation and protection for others. If you chose b), you’re too stupid to live, but you’d fit right in this book.
The only reason the protagonists survive making such dumb decisions is that the antagonists are even dumber than the protagonists. The rangers are good fighters and scouts and know the wilderness very well while the guards’ main purpose seems to be to look pretty in their uniforms. It’s a running gag through the book that the guards are so utterly incompetent at camping, tracking, basic survival skills, and even basic security which they are supposed to be specifically trained for. It begs the question of why the Sisters bother using training methods that are so laughably ineffective instead of giving all the guards the same training as the rangers receive. It makes absolutely no sense that the Sisters would not have been using rangers this entire time, especially since it’s established early in the book that the Sisters have political authority to command rangers. Of course this dynamic changes later on, but it still doesn’t answer the question of why the Sisters don’t significantly improve the guards’ training; they certainly don’t lack the resources.
One last thing that didn’t make any sense is the characters’ lack of curiosity. Kim finds out that the temple library houses a vast array of books on all kinds of useful information, including the world’s history and civilisation. Nobody reads the books, not even the Sisters. It is forbidden for people to read them. And it seems that in several hundred years, only one person who had access to the books was curious enough to disobey the rule and read them anyway. Knowing the unlimited bounds of human curiosity, coupled with the dull and stifling life in the temple, I just don’t buy that out of the thousands of people who go to the temple, absolutely none of them would attempt to sneak into the library to read books. It should be pretty easy to do, since the guards are so daft at their jobs. If the Sisters want to control how people think, and if they have some means to control the general public’s access to information, they can only do so up to a certain extent. People would definitely steal the forbidden books as surely as they would steal artifacts or diamonds or candy or even totally useless and valueless junk. Also how is it that not a single percentage of the population had some useful information passed down through the generations? That the Sisters themselves, a large powerful group of people, just hasn’t cared about a wealth of knowledge at their disposal for hundreds of years is completely absurd. In most sci-fi worlds where centuries’ worth of knowledge is lost, the loss is due to a catastrophic event like a nuclear war or an apocalypse. In this sci-fi world, knowledge is lost due to apathy and a lack of curiosity. Completely unbelievable.
July 12, 2015
Great book! I am so glad I read it because it is a rare gem indeed. And this applies to both book 1 and 2. Very ambitious premise but the author pulled it off marvelously. My thanks to Jem and Frank for their fantastic reviews and recommendations (go read their reviews and be convinced to read this too! :p), because I would not have read this book otherwise and that would be my loss. In short, amazing read, wonderful writing, lovely romance, the only thing that needs to be changed is the cover. It definitely needs a more dynamic and attractive cover, this dull cover does not do it justice at all. Anyway, I love this book and hopefully, we will have a proper sequel to book 2 in the future. :)
April 12, 2015
Another great series from Fletcher. Every time I reread the Celaeno series a little part of me wants to be whisked to their world. But that does not mean that I would ever live in a commune on our world :)
December 22, 2025
un romance secondo l'autrice: protagoniste si incontrano e si piacciono subito perché sì ---> 100 pagine in cui non interagiscono ---> protagoniste si ritrovano e dopo due pagine si dichiarano amore eterno ---> fine♥️ 3.5
May 4, 2013
After finishing
Rangers at Roadsend
, I knew I wanted to read more of Fletcher's works. When a good sale came around, I bought almost all of her stuff in one go, although it was a while before I got around to reading any of them. The Temple at Landfall turned out to be just what I needed to help get me out of a bit of a reading slump.
One of my biggest issues with Rangers at Roadsend was its pacing. I'm happy to say that the pacing of The Temple at Landfall was much better, at least during the first half of it. I loved getting to learn a little more about the world through Lynn's eyes. The decision to transfer her to another temple came fairly early on, and there was even a good bit of action when Sister Smith opted to ignore all advice and move forward, despite reports of snow lions in the area. I loved Lynn and Kim's earliest conversations – Kim assumed that Lynn was just as foolish as Sister Smith, and Lynn corrected that impression quickly. The two of them had some very cute moments together.
While I enjoyed the forbiddenness of Kim and Lynn's attraction to one another, it did lead to some moments that were difficult to read, because I liked the two of them so much. I knew, pretty much from the instant that they acted on their attraction, that things could not end well – I just hadn't expected things to go so badly so soon. I was on the edge of my seat, hoping things would turn out all right for the two of them and wondering how Fletcher was going to get them back together after they were separated.
Even though I enjoyed reading about the two of them, I must admit that Chip and Katryn's romance in Rangers at Roadsend was better and more believable. For a good chunk of the book, I couldn't get over my feeling that Lynn's feelings for Kim could easily be puppy love. Kim was basically the first non-Sister Lynn had spent much time with since she was a child. Also, Kim was the one who protected and saved Lynn during the snow lion attack – it would be perfectly understandable for Lynn to develop strong feelings for her. I wish more of the word count had been devoted to developing Kim and Lynn's relationship after they met up again.
The weakest parts of the book, for me, were all the philosophical/theological/world-building conversations with the heretics. Those began maybe halfway through the book, and I felt they interrupted the flow of the story (certainly the pacing), felt kind of clunky, and just generally took me out of the story. The world-building information was worked into the story better during the first half of the book. I had enjoyed recognizing the science-speak in some of the Sisters' prayers (like the one that refers to “Himoti's sacred petri dish”). The discussions with the heretics broke that stuff down in a way that I didn't feel was necessary, at least not for that many pages.
Unfortunately, the more detailed look at the world-building that the discussions with the heretics and the appendix (extracts from the diary of Peter McKay, one of the founding colonists) provided brought some glaring issues to light that I might otherwise have been able to ignore. For instance, only one in one thousand people are Cloners, and one in ten thousand are Imprinters. Saying they're rare is one thing, but these more specific numbers made it difficult to imagine how the colony was even still alive. It takes even Lynn, who is widely known as a very talented Imprinter, hours to combine genetic information and help a single woman become pregnant. If only one in ten thousand people are Imprinters, I don't see how the number of births could keep pace with the number of deaths, much less allow the population to grow. As detailed as the world-building is, it doesn't always seem to be very well thought out.
Despite the issues I had with this book, I still enjoyed it. It hit all the right soft sci-fi buttons for me, and I'm glad I already own more books in the series. I plan to continue reading in chronological order, so it looks like next up is The Walls of Westernfort , which appears to take place right after the events of this book. The main character wants to be a Temple Guard. After the way the Rangers kicked the butts of the Temple Guards in this book (the Rangers are awesome), it'll be interesting to see if I can take this new main character seriously.
(Original review, with read-alikes and watch-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
One of my biggest issues with Rangers at Roadsend was its pacing. I'm happy to say that the pacing of The Temple at Landfall was much better, at least during the first half of it. I loved getting to learn a little more about the world through Lynn's eyes. The decision to transfer her to another temple came fairly early on, and there was even a good bit of action when Sister Smith opted to ignore all advice and move forward, despite reports of snow lions in the area. I loved Lynn and Kim's earliest conversations – Kim assumed that Lynn was just as foolish as Sister Smith, and Lynn corrected that impression quickly. The two of them had some very cute moments together.
While I enjoyed the forbiddenness of Kim and Lynn's attraction to one another, it did lead to some moments that were difficult to read, because I liked the two of them so much. I knew, pretty much from the instant that they acted on their attraction, that things could not end well – I just hadn't expected things to go so badly so soon. I was on the edge of my seat, hoping things would turn out all right for the two of them and wondering how Fletcher was going to get them back together after they were separated.
Even though I enjoyed reading about the two of them, I must admit that Chip and Katryn's romance in Rangers at Roadsend was better and more believable. For a good chunk of the book, I couldn't get over my feeling that Lynn's feelings for Kim could easily be puppy love. Kim was basically the first non-Sister Lynn had spent much time with since she was a child. Also, Kim was the one who protected and saved Lynn during the snow lion attack – it would be perfectly understandable for Lynn to develop strong feelings for her. I wish more of the word count had been devoted to developing Kim and Lynn's relationship after they met up again.
The weakest parts of the book, for me, were all the philosophical/theological/world-building conversations with the heretics. Those began maybe halfway through the book, and I felt they interrupted the flow of the story (certainly the pacing), felt kind of clunky, and just generally took me out of the story. The world-building information was worked into the story better during the first half of the book. I had enjoyed recognizing the science-speak in some of the Sisters' prayers (like the one that refers to “Himoti's sacred petri dish”). The discussions with the heretics broke that stuff down in a way that I didn't feel was necessary, at least not for that many pages.
Unfortunately, the more detailed look at the world-building that the discussions with the heretics and the appendix (extracts from the diary of Peter McKay, one of the founding colonists) provided brought some glaring issues to light that I might otherwise have been able to ignore. For instance, only one in one thousand people are Cloners, and one in ten thousand are Imprinters. Saying they're rare is one thing, but these more specific numbers made it difficult to imagine how the colony was even still alive. It takes even Lynn, who is widely known as a very talented Imprinter, hours to combine genetic information and help a single woman become pregnant. If only one in ten thousand people are Imprinters, I don't see how the number of births could keep pace with the number of deaths, much less allow the population to grow. As detailed as the world-building is, it doesn't always seem to be very well thought out.
Despite the issues I had with this book, I still enjoyed it. It hit all the right soft sci-fi buttons for me, and I'm glad I already own more books in the series. I plan to continue reading in chronological order, so it looks like next up is The Walls of Westernfort , which appears to take place right after the events of this book. The main character wants to be a Temple Guard. After the way the Rangers kicked the butts of the Temple Guards in this book (the Rangers are awesome), it'll be interesting to see if I can take this new main character seriously.
(Original review, with read-alikes and watch-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
January 3, 2018
Gosh I just have so many thoughts about this book, nitpicks and faves aplenty. All in all I did NOT expect to like it as much as I did, and I like it a LOT.
First the good! When I realised this was a book about a planet full of women my heart kinda sank because I couldn't help but be afraid it would be full of terf bullshit. But we're safe on that front. The explanation behind the planet's makeup made sense, and while it was as ciscentric as expected of a novel written in 1999, it was handled well all in all! (In my opinion. I'm cis so take all of that with a grain of salt.)
Great worldbuilding, in that it was interesting and engaging, and it all unfolded at a good pace. I really liked it, because even though I had a vague idea of what was coming and what the reveals would be, I was never bored. It would so cool to finally realise who and what Unsa, Calaeno, Himoti and Peter were. I definitely wanted more, but there are four more book in the series, so I'm not too impatient about that. I'm sure I'll get it! Also, I LOVED the appendix. The book would have been great without it, but I really enjoyed hearing the story of the Landfall from beginning to (sort of) end.
I loved the characters a lot!!! Characters are always what makes a story for me, and Lynn and Kim carried the tale super well. I was just as invested in their romance as I was in the science fiction/fantasy plotting unfolding. They were both so good. Kim is the butch of my dreams; I was swooning for her from the absolutely first mention of how tall and capable she was. It had all those romance tropes that I love and hate, with the misunderstandings and the separations and a really sweet happy ending. I especially love that it ended without letting us know if Lynn still had her gift (though I mean, obviously she does) because it underlines that it's way more important that she and Kim have found love together. The cast of supporting characters was also great!
About the appendix real quick...
And now the bad... some parts of the book could have definitely been structured better. We should have spent more time in Petersmine to show the growing relationship between Kim and Lynn, and we DEFINITELY should have spent more time in the temple at Landfall before Lynn left. It's the place the book is named after, come on! When the plot with the heretics started it went from 0 to 100 in ten seconds, and while I didn't mind at the time because I was so hungry for more, in retrospect, it could have been better plotted. The Guards vs Rangers got a little ridiculous at times, and the Guards' ineptitude was just plain silly after a while. And that bit in the Appendix about all humans being innately sexual? Fuck off.
So yeah, I have my complaints but I serious love this book and I'm really happy to be beginning a new science fiction series. One that's full of LESBIANS, YEAAAAAAAAH!
First the good! When I realised this was a book about a planet full of women my heart kinda sank because I couldn't help but be afraid it would be full of terf bullshit. But we're safe on that front. The explanation behind the planet's makeup made sense, and while it was as ciscentric as expected of a novel written in 1999, it was handled well all in all! (In my opinion. I'm cis so take all of that with a grain of salt.)
Great worldbuilding, in that it was interesting and engaging, and it all unfolded at a good pace. I really liked it, because even though I had a vague idea of what was coming and what the reveals would be, I was never bored. It would so cool to finally realise who and what Unsa, Calaeno, Himoti and Peter were. I definitely wanted more, but there are four more book in the series, so I'm not too impatient about that. I'm sure I'll get it! Also, I LOVED the appendix. The book would have been great without it, but I really enjoyed hearing the story of the Landfall from beginning to (sort of) end.
I loved the characters a lot!!! Characters are always what makes a story for me, and Lynn and Kim carried the tale super well. I was just as invested in their romance as I was in the science fiction/fantasy plotting unfolding. They were both so good. Kim is the butch of my dreams; I was swooning for her from the absolutely first mention of how tall and capable she was. It had all those romance tropes that I love and hate, with the misunderstandings and the separations and a really sweet happy ending. I especially love that it ended without letting us know if Lynn still had her gift (though I mean, obviously she does) because it underlines that it's way more important that she and Kim have found love together. The cast of supporting characters was also great!
About the appendix real quick...
And now the bad... some parts of the book could have definitely been structured better. We should have spent more time in Petersmine to show the growing relationship between Kim and Lynn, and we DEFINITELY should have spent more time in the temple at Landfall before Lynn left. It's the place the book is named after, come on! When the plot with the heretics started it went from 0 to 100 in ten seconds, and while I didn't mind at the time because I was so hungry for more, in retrospect, it could have been better plotted. The Guards vs Rangers got a little ridiculous at times, and the Guards' ineptitude was just plain silly after a while. And that bit in the Appendix about all humans being innately sexual? Fuck off.
So yeah, I have my complaints but I serious love this book and I'm really happy to be beginning a new science fiction series. One that's full of LESBIANS, YEAAAAAAAAH!
December 18, 2018
SO SO SO SO SO GOOD. Beyond intricate, suspenseful, love the characters (also hate some, rightfully). Well worth the read. It was suggested to read Rangers and Roadsend first and I'm glad I did.
October 23, 2013
I'm a big fan of Jane Fletcher and she hasn't disappointed me yet with her novels. I love the world of only females that this series takes place in. What I like the most however is that each book has a unique storyline and strong characters but yet in the same familiar world from the other books. Often when I read a book I find myself wondering what a characters story would be like that you only meet briefly. Jane Fletcher gave me that and I'm truly greatful
March 17, 2009
The outstanding first book of the Celaeno series. Every book is captivating.
October 21, 2011
I really like all Jane Fletcher books. Therefore my suggestion is, you should read all her books :)
February 24, 2025
A fast, pleasant read. Occasionally a little clunky with the exposition, but if you like '90s milSF style writing (as in, "here are the competent irregular soldiers, here they are dissing the incompetent overly stiff ones, here's the heroine and you can tell she's the heroine because she's an independent spirit who's always running on the ragged edge of what the stuffy bosses will tolerate") and/or really dorky lesbians straight off of Ao3 (the butch heroine's BFF even does the "I am sick and tired of you dumb lesbians mooning over each other and deluding yourselves into moping and thinking the other doesn't share your feelings, everyone can see it, freaking kiss already" bit) you're probably gonna like it. A very comforting sort of read that doesn't try to be more than it needs to be, merely trying to be very good at exactly what it needs to be, and succeeds splendidly as a result.
The backstory is basically an excuse to have an all-lesbian world and all-lesbian cast, but then the author weaves it into the society presented, which works quite well. The political themes are pretty simple (authoritarian corrupt theocracy ruling a capitalist society bad, freethinker atheist cottagecore commune good, stuffy sexphobic zealots bad, love and sex natural and good) but I like them.
Our protagonists start out as fairly archetypal characters--Lynn has magic psychic pregnancy-facilitation powers and is exploited by the theocracy as a de facto slave as a result, she longs to be free and live under the sky, Kim is a badass scout/irregular/special-forces soldier who secretly wants to find a family and is too emotionally constipated to realize that she's kinda fallen into that, they meet, fall for each other after some suitably tropey "butch heroine saves femme heroine and then femme heroine shows wit as she doctors injured butch heroine" scenes (done quite well, both characters come off as intelligent and likable and don't grab the idiot ball for the sake of the tropes), then run afoul of the oppressive theocracy immediately after their first kiss. Lynn sacrifices what few freedoms she had in a desperate attempt to protect Kim and Kim is left basically an Undesirable and has to dodge assassination attempts from her superiors.
Predictably, they escape (done quite well--much of what makes this book stand out is the execution, where tropey scenes are set up and then the characters continue to be intelligent and realistic as they go through the scene) and find an atheist freethinker commune and set about helping the other lesbians make babies with Lynn's powers while being too gay to admit they desperately love each other. Bad guys come calling and Kim must protect Lynn and the commune by being a badass sword lesbian.
The heroines are quite likable and realistic. Their emotional constipation is the stuff of Tumblr lesbian memes, of course, but it makes sense considering Kim's traumatic past and Lynn's isolated upbringing. Lynn's resentment of her admittedly miserable situation never clouds her empathy, and she is consistently intelligent and competent without ever feeling like she's trying too hard because the author feels guilty about the tropes being written (indeed, the author never seems to feel guilty about the tropes, which I respect). Kim's competence and loyalty are displayed early on and you really understand her friends' actions in her defense, though I do think her tragic backstory could've been revealed earlier on. The villains--primarily an ambitious theocrat and a sadistic fascist religious-fanatic stormtrooper--never become histrionic, their villainy feels raw and real.
This is how you do tropey lesbian romance. 4 stars, would read about thirsty sword lesbian and thirsty magic psychic lesbian again.
The backstory is basically an excuse to have an all-lesbian world and all-lesbian cast, but then the author weaves it into the society presented, which works quite well. The political themes are pretty simple (authoritarian corrupt theocracy ruling a capitalist society bad, freethinker atheist cottagecore commune good, stuffy sexphobic zealots bad, love and sex natural and good) but I like them.
Our protagonists start out as fairly archetypal characters--Lynn has magic psychic pregnancy-facilitation powers and is exploited by the theocracy as a de facto slave as a result, she longs to be free and live under the sky, Kim is a badass scout/irregular/special-forces soldier who secretly wants to find a family and is too emotionally constipated to realize that she's kinda fallen into that, they meet, fall for each other after some suitably tropey "butch heroine saves femme heroine and then femme heroine shows wit as she doctors injured butch heroine" scenes (done quite well, both characters come off as intelligent and likable and don't grab the idiot ball for the sake of the tropes), then run afoul of the oppressive theocracy immediately after their first kiss. Lynn sacrifices what few freedoms she had in a desperate attempt to protect Kim and Kim is left basically an Undesirable and has to dodge assassination attempts from her superiors.
Predictably, they escape (done quite well--much of what makes this book stand out is the execution, where tropey scenes are set up and then the characters continue to be intelligent and realistic as they go through the scene) and find an atheist freethinker commune and set about helping the other lesbians make babies with Lynn's powers while being too gay to admit they desperately love each other. Bad guys come calling and Kim must protect Lynn and the commune by being a badass sword lesbian.
The heroines are quite likable and realistic. Their emotional constipation is the stuff of Tumblr lesbian memes, of course, but it makes sense considering Kim's traumatic past and Lynn's isolated upbringing. Lynn's resentment of her admittedly miserable situation never clouds her empathy, and she is consistently intelligent and competent without ever feeling like she's trying too hard because the author feels guilty about the tropes being written (indeed, the author never seems to feel guilty about the tropes, which I respect). Kim's competence and loyalty are displayed early on and you really understand her friends' actions in her defense, though I do think her tragic backstory could've been revealed earlier on. The villains--primarily an ambitious theocrat and a sadistic fascist religious-fanatic stormtrooper--never become histrionic, their villainy feels raw and real.
This is how you do tropey lesbian romance. 4 stars, would read about thirsty sword lesbian and thirsty magic psychic lesbian again.
March 29, 2025
I can't believe that this is the first book that Jane Fletcher published! It's battling with The Empress And the Acolyte for the position of my most favourite book written by this author. I loved Lynn from the first page, her resilience and subtle defiance in the face of what was essentially indentured servitude won me over instantly. The rest of the characters were pretty neat as well, the best being the other pov character, Kim, of course, and her friend, Chip. The romance was a tad rushed, but it was sweet. The plot, on the other hand, was very well done, compelling and thrilling and containing a very nice twist; I was kept on the edge of my seat for most of the book.
I've noticed an upward trend in my enjoyment of the "Celaeno" series with every singe book so far, so I'm hoping that I'll enjoy The Walls of Westernfort even more when I finally have a chance to read it.
I've noticed an upward trend in my enjoyment of the "Celaeno" series with every singe book so far, so I'm hoping that I'll enjoy The Walls of Westernfort even more when I finally have a chance to read it.
May 18, 2020
This book was a real surprise. It starts out as a slow, mediocre fantasy and quickly turns into a fast-paced, action-packed, lesbian science fantasy dystopia. Yeah. I found it gripping and very well written. It’s about a planet of all women who have developed psychic gene splicing by special gifted women called imprinters. They also do psychic cloning of animals and psychic healing. A strange religion has grown up around the imprinters, a sisterhood, which was reminiscent of my Catholic school experience with a few evil nuns. There are battles with snow lions, conflict between factions of soldiers, and cynical heretics to add adventure, excitement, and humor to the book. You just have to get past the first twenty or thirty pages for it to get exciting. This book was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award in 2006. It’s part of a series of five books and there are several ways you can order your reading of the books. This one is the first published.
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November 18, 2025
I've been reading these in chronological order, so this is my third, though I believe it was the first published. Shadow of the Knife and Rangers at Roadsend were good reads, but they didn't really interact with the setting in any meaningful way. By which I mean that the stories and characters could've been switched into a different fantasy setting or even some historical setting without much changing (aside from the obvious fact that everyone is a woman). That felt very weird, since the setting is the most unique part of this series! I've read a few books set in lost colonies that regress towards medieval technology, but not many. (The others are The Steerswoman and Elder Race, both of which I loved, if you're curious).
In comparison, the Temple at Landfall is about all the things that make the setting unique. The main character is an Imprinter, something I think is basically completely unique to this series, and the lost knowledge and odd social adaptations hang over the whole story. It's my favorite of the three I've read so far.
In comparison, the Temple at Landfall is about all the things that make the setting unique. The main character is an Imprinter, something I think is basically completely unique to this series, and the lost knowledge and odd social adaptations hang over the whole story. It's my favorite of the three I've read so far.
April 23, 2023
It's SciFi. It's Fantasy. It's irrevocably Sapphic.
The injustices and the petty happenstances and the capacity of hatred in the Bad Guys on a planet where survival is brutal and the Sex Pollen is just excessive Estrogen - I didn't expect to get so caught up in what I expected to be quite an aged series but hot damn if the world building isn't top notch and the villains extravagantly evil and the history and scientific explanations so interesting that I'm 3 deep and dreading finishing the series.
I'm still Big Mad about the (chronological) first book though. Big Mad.
The injustices and the petty happenstances and the capacity of hatred in the Bad Guys on a planet where survival is brutal and the Sex Pollen is just excessive Estrogen - I didn't expect to get so caught up in what I expected to be quite an aged series but hot damn if the world building isn't top notch and the villains extravagantly evil and the history and scientific explanations so interesting that I'm 3 deep and dreading finishing the series.
I'm still Big Mad about the (chronological) first book though. Big Mad.
September 21, 2013
As usual, I’ll assume anyone reading this has already checked out the book’s plot summary on Goodreads, Amazon, or elsewhere. Since others have extolled some of the virtues of the The Temple at Landfall, maybe I’ll have a go at a few of the detractors.
First, the romance: Some have complained about the briefness of Lynn and Kim’s time together before they’re separated. Personally, I think Fletcher quite adequately shows their growing attraction, albeit subtly, and there is more than enough time spent at the way station, after the snow lion attack, for strong feelings to develop. Incidentally, I liked that it occurs without any physical closeness, not that I have any aversion at all to sex scenes, but, given Lynn‘s background, they would be out of place so early on. It’s once Lynn arrives at Westernfort that I think things proceed too quickly. I’d like to have seen the couple gradually spend more time together, so their first time together doesn’t have that instant lesbianism feeling of bad girl/girl flics.
It’s also been suggested that, given Lynn’s inexperience, what she feels may be just a crush, and that’s not without merit. But, you know, first romances can sometimes be “the real thing,” your first crush can be “the one.” I think what makes the romance work is Kim’s character. she’s really not quite the “player” the Rangers portray her as. But, again, I would like to have seen things develop more slowly. The "avoid, avoid, avoid, have sex" thing doesn’t quite work. The sex scene, when it comes, though, is nicely written, and its mild eroticism doesn’t feel at all gratuitous.
I’m surprised, and a little dismayed, by all the various objections to the introduction of science-fiction elements. (Please, please don’t say “sci-fi. Okay?) This really isn’t a fantasy novel, as some have suggested. I had only read a few pages when I began wondering where these people came from, as it‘s clearly not a post-apocalyptic society on Earth. After a few more pages, I wanted to know how the technology of imprinting originated, and it is technology, make no mistake. By the time Lynn and the nuns, in the company of the Rangers, set out for Landfall, my interest was absorbed in the characters, and those earlier questions may have been put on hold, but they were still there.
To those who complained that the science-fiction elements were intrusive, on the contrary, they’re the essential underpinning of the tale. Without them, there’d be no story. What, some witch casts a spell and suddenly certain women can manipulate DNA and transfer genetic material? Sorry, not buying that this could be pure fantasy in any way, shape or form.
I imagine such complaints mostly refer to the appended journal of Peter McKay. For me, it’s a perfect ending to novel, nicely, even poignantly answering the questions I’d had earlier in the book. For those who suggest it should have been placed at the beginning, I think that might well have ruined the novel, taken away the mystery of how the highly advanced technology of Imprinting exists in a society on a level somewhere between the Roman Empire and the medieval period, as well as making the technology the focus rather than the characters and the conflict between Sisters and the Heretics. Placed at the end, when we’ve invested ourselves in the characters and the world Fletcher has built, reading the diary seems almost nostalgic, and a satisfying denouement.
At least one reader complained about how, in the absence of men, some women essentially “become” men, even in the absence of a sexual duality. I assume she means the self-centered, belligerent, dictatorial, power mad, reactionary demagogues. In other words, some women in this society become “the bad guys”, so to speak, which this reader equates with men.
Sorry to disappoint the Robin Morgan/Andrea Dworkin types out there -- and, honestly, I completely understand and sympathize with your righteous anger -- but good/bad is a human trait, not a gender-based one. Hope that doesn’t smack too much of Manicheism for your taste. In any society, hierarchy is going to arise, and there are always going to be the “haves” who want to hold on to whatever it is they have, particularly if it’s power. To call the authoritarian characters in Fletcher‘s novel “substitute men” is to fail to understand the human condition.
I like the book a lot. I thought the characters were great, especially Kim, and enjoyed the world Fletcher has created. To be sure, some elements were predictable, but, the story itself was enjoyable enough and the characters likable enough, to overcome that.
So, why only four stars? While the writing was competent, I though it could have been better. When I was finished, I felt about Fletcher a little like I do about Jo Rowling: great storyteller, but just okay as a writer. I no way was the writing bad, I just thought it wasn’t up to the level of the actual story. The exception, I felt, was the diary at the end, which wouldn’t be out of place in any annual collection of the year’s best science fiction.
My other problem with The Temple at Landfall is that the villains of the piece, some of the Sisters and Major Rozek, are painted with such a broad brush as to be more caricature than character.
That said, I would definitely recommend this and will certainly read the rest of the series at some point.
First, the romance: Some have complained about the briefness of Lynn and Kim’s time together before they’re separated. Personally, I think Fletcher quite adequately shows their growing attraction, albeit subtly, and there is more than enough time spent at the way station, after the snow lion attack, for strong feelings to develop. Incidentally, I liked that it occurs without any physical closeness, not that I have any aversion at all to sex scenes, but, given Lynn‘s background, they would be out of place so early on. It’s once Lynn arrives at Westernfort that I think things proceed too quickly. I’d like to have seen the couple gradually spend more time together, so their first time together doesn’t have that instant lesbianism feeling of bad girl/girl flics.
It’s also been suggested that, given Lynn’s inexperience, what she feels may be just a crush, and that’s not without merit. But, you know, first romances can sometimes be “the real thing,” your first crush can be “the one.” I think what makes the romance work is Kim’s character. she’s really not quite the “player” the Rangers portray her as. But, again, I would like to have seen things develop more slowly. The "avoid, avoid, avoid, have sex" thing doesn’t quite work. The sex scene, when it comes, though, is nicely written, and its mild eroticism doesn’t feel at all gratuitous.
I’m surprised, and a little dismayed, by all the various objections to the introduction of science-fiction elements. (Please, please don’t say “sci-fi. Okay?) This really isn’t a fantasy novel, as some have suggested. I had only read a few pages when I began wondering where these people came from, as it‘s clearly not a post-apocalyptic society on Earth. After a few more pages, I wanted to know how the technology of imprinting originated, and it is technology, make no mistake. By the time Lynn and the nuns, in the company of the Rangers, set out for Landfall, my interest was absorbed in the characters, and those earlier questions may have been put on hold, but they were still there.
To those who complained that the science-fiction elements were intrusive, on the contrary, they’re the essential underpinning of the tale. Without them, there’d be no story. What, some witch casts a spell and suddenly certain women can manipulate DNA and transfer genetic material? Sorry, not buying that this could be pure fantasy in any way, shape or form.
I imagine such complaints mostly refer to the appended journal of Peter McKay. For me, it’s a perfect ending to novel, nicely, even poignantly answering the questions I’d had earlier in the book. For those who suggest it should have been placed at the beginning, I think that might well have ruined the novel, taken away the mystery of how the highly advanced technology of Imprinting exists in a society on a level somewhere between the Roman Empire and the medieval period, as well as making the technology the focus rather than the characters and the conflict between Sisters and the Heretics. Placed at the end, when we’ve invested ourselves in the characters and the world Fletcher has built, reading the diary seems almost nostalgic, and a satisfying denouement.
At least one reader complained about how, in the absence of men, some women essentially “become” men, even in the absence of a sexual duality. I assume she means the self-centered, belligerent, dictatorial, power mad, reactionary demagogues. In other words, some women in this society become “the bad guys”, so to speak, which this reader equates with men.
Sorry to disappoint the Robin Morgan/Andrea Dworkin types out there -- and, honestly, I completely understand and sympathize with your righteous anger -- but good/bad is a human trait, not a gender-based one. Hope that doesn’t smack too much of Manicheism for your taste. In any society, hierarchy is going to arise, and there are always going to be the “haves” who want to hold on to whatever it is they have, particularly if it’s power. To call the authoritarian characters in Fletcher‘s novel “substitute men” is to fail to understand the human condition.
I like the book a lot. I thought the characters were great, especially Kim, and enjoyed the world Fletcher has created. To be sure, some elements were predictable, but, the story itself was enjoyable enough and the characters likable enough, to overcome that.
So, why only four stars? While the writing was competent, I though it could have been better. When I was finished, I felt about Fletcher a little like I do about Jo Rowling: great storyteller, but just okay as a writer. I no way was the writing bad, I just thought it wasn’t up to the level of the actual story. The exception, I felt, was the diary at the end, which wouldn’t be out of place in any annual collection of the year’s best science fiction.
My other problem with The Temple at Landfall is that the villains of the piece, some of the Sisters and Major Rozek, are painted with such a broad brush as to be more caricature than character.
That said, I would definitely recommend this and will certainly read the rest of the series at some point.
July 23, 2018
It's not exactly that it's a bad book, but I can't say it was okay either. I will only mention that I am very confused as to the reasons to have a world populated entirely and only by women (what about trans folks, if nothing else?) that reproduces the exact same dynamics as a world entirely shaped and primarily (publicly) populated by men.
May 3, 2021
A good read, altough i would have preferred more interactions between Kim and Lynn in the first part of the book to help develop the chemestry between them.
As it is, it felt a bit forced to me.
I've been reading in chronological order, and thus far i'm really loving this series, although the total lack of physical description in the characters is quite annoying.
The sci-fi aspect is useful to justify the worldbuilding, but could have defenitely been shorter.
3.5
As it is, it felt a bit forced to me.
I've been reading in chronological order, and thus far i'm really loving this series, although the total lack of physical description in the characters is quite annoying.
The sci-fi aspect is useful to justify the worldbuilding, but could have defenitely been shorter.
3.5
March 27, 2023
I loved this and am so eager for the rest in the series.
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Tried to put this out of sight because it's completely unrelated to the story at all but the cover is perplexing. Both the outfit and character's physical features are markedly different from how anyone is described in the book. I genuinely wonder why they chose this.
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Tried to put this out of sight because it's completely unrelated to the story at all but the cover is perplexing. Both the outfit and character's physical features are markedly different from how anyone is described in the book. I genuinely wonder why they chose this.
May 18, 2019
This author's story gets better by the page. I am floored by her imagination and length at which she weaves it. Most especially the epilogue... That was just ingenuis, I got to a moment that I thought I was in the story...a character albeit in the backdrop.
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