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Arhel #1
Fire in the Mist
Faia, a shepherd girl, develops her magic powers until she is ready to seek revenge on those responsible for the destruction of her family., From the author whom Mercedes Lackey calls "one of the hottest writers I've come across in a long time", comes a mesmerizing, action-filled story. A simple shepherd girl discovers her wild mage powers after a murderous magician destroys her family. Now every mage in the world wants to train her. But Faia wants only to confront the madman who killed her loved ones.
291 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 1992
24 people are currently reading
1260 people want to read
About the author
Holly Lisle
108 books448 followersHolly Lisle has been writing fiction professionally since 1991, when she sold FIRE IN THE MIST, the novel that won her the Compton Crook Award for best first novel. She has to date published more than thirty novels and several comprehensive writing courses. She has just published WARPAINT, the second stand-alone novel in her Cadence Drake series.
Holly had an ideal childhood for a writer…which is to say, it was filled with foreign countries and exotic terrains, alien cultures, new languages, the occasional earthquake, flood, or civil war, and one story about a bear, which follows:
“So. Back when I was ten years old, my father and I had finished hunting ducks for our dinner and were walking across the tundra in Alaska toward the spot on the river where we’d tied our boat. We had a couple miles to go by boat to get back to the Moravian Children’s Home, where we lived.
“My father was carrying the big bag of decoys and the shotgun; I was carrying the small bag of ducks.
“It was getting dark, we could hear the thud, thud, thud of the generator across the tundra, and suddenly he stopped, pointed down to a pie-pan sized indentation in the tundra that was rapidly filling with water, and said, in a calm and steady voice, “That’s a bear footprint. From the size of it, it’s a grizzly. The fact that the track is filling with water right now means the bear’s still around.”
“Which got my attention, but not as much as what he said next.
” ‘I don’t have the gun with me that will kill a bear,’ he told me. ‘I just have the one that will make him angry. So if we see the bear, I’m going to shoot him so he’ll attack me. I want you to run to the river, follow it to the boat, get the boat back home, and tell everyone what happened.’
“The rest of our walk was very quiet. He was, I’m sure, listening for the bear. I was doing my damnedest to make sure that I remembered where the boat was, how to get to it, how to start the pull-cord engine, and how to drive it back home, because I did not want to let him down.
“We were not eaten by a bear that night…but neither is that walk back from our hunt for supper a part of my life I’ll ever forget.
“I keep that story in mind as I write. If what I’m putting on paper isn’t at least as memorable as having a grizzly stalking my father and me across the tundra while I was carrying a bag of delicious-smelling ducks, it doesn’t make my cut.”
You can find Holly on her personal site:
Hollylisle.com
You can find Cadence Drake, Holly's currently in-progress series, on her site:
CadenceDrake.com
You can find Holly's books, courses, writing workshops, and so on here:
The HowToThinkSideways.com Shop, as well as on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and in a number of bookstores in the US and around the world.
Holly had an ideal childhood for a writer…which is to say, it was filled with foreign countries and exotic terrains, alien cultures, new languages, the occasional earthquake, flood, or civil war, and one story about a bear, which follows:
“So. Back when I was ten years old, my father and I had finished hunting ducks for our dinner and were walking across the tundra in Alaska toward the spot on the river where we’d tied our boat. We had a couple miles to go by boat to get back to the Moravian Children’s Home, where we lived.
“My father was carrying the big bag of decoys and the shotgun; I was carrying the small bag of ducks.
“It was getting dark, we could hear the thud, thud, thud of the generator across the tundra, and suddenly he stopped, pointed down to a pie-pan sized indentation in the tundra that was rapidly filling with water, and said, in a calm and steady voice, “That’s a bear footprint. From the size of it, it’s a grizzly. The fact that the track is filling with water right now means the bear’s still around.”
“Which got my attention, but not as much as what he said next.
” ‘I don’t have the gun with me that will kill a bear,’ he told me. ‘I just have the one that will make him angry. So if we see the bear, I’m going to shoot him so he’ll attack me. I want you to run to the river, follow it to the boat, get the boat back home, and tell everyone what happened.’
“The rest of our walk was very quiet. He was, I’m sure, listening for the bear. I was doing my damnedest to make sure that I remembered where the boat was, how to get to it, how to start the pull-cord engine, and how to drive it back home, because I did not want to let him down.
“We were not eaten by a bear that night…but neither is that walk back from our hunt for supper a part of my life I’ll ever forget.
“I keep that story in mind as I write. If what I’m putting on paper isn’t at least as memorable as having a grizzly stalking my father and me across the tundra while I was carrying a bag of delicious-smelling ducks, it doesn’t make my cut.”
You can find Holly on her personal site:
Hollylisle.com
You can find Cadence Drake, Holly's currently in-progress series, on her site:
CadenceDrake.com
You can find Holly's books, courses, writing workshops, and so on here:
The HowToThinkSideways.com Shop, as well as on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and in a number of bookstores in the US and around the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
March 15, 2015
Fire in the Mist by Holly Lisle isn’t a particularly original story. In fact, it starts with a theme that is extremely common in fantasy books. A young person, in this case a 19-year-old female shepherd named Faia, experiences a tragedy which triggers a powerful display of magic, at which point mages seek her out to teach her how to handle her magic safely. There was more to the story, of course – that was only the beginning. There’s something evil lurking around the mage school that Faia is taken to and most of the plot revolves around the discovery of that evil, learning what exactly it is and how it came to be, and dealing with the situation.
Even though the story wasn’t terribly unique, it held my interest. There were a couple of things that kept me guessing so that I had trouble putting the book down. I also really liked the characters. Although Faia was the main character and most of the book took place from her perspective, we jumped around quite a bit to other characters for short periods. One of the instructors at the school was particularly interesting and I wanted to learn more about her.
However, there were some threads that never really played out in any way. For example, there’s quite a bit going on with wolves in the beginning of the story and their inexplicable behavior is never explained. I can’t explain why without spoiling the story, but there’s no way their behavior had anything to do with what was going on at the school. Also, even though Faia was brought to the mage school to learn how to use her magic safely, we never really saw her actually being taught how to do that nor was there ever any clear sign that she had been taught how “off-page”. Since this is the first book in a trilogy, perhaps some of that will be dealt with in the later books.
So this book had its flaws, and it wasn’t very original, but my ratings are primarily based on how much I enjoy a book. I definitely got four stars’ worth of enjoyment out of this book and I plan to read the next book in the trilogy. Maybe part of the reason I enjoyed it so much was because it was a huge change of pace from the longer and heavier things I’ve read recently. At just under 300 pages, it was a light, quick read. Although I should caution that, by "light", I just mean that there was no mental effort required to read the book. There were some dark and slightly gory descriptions in the book of things done to both animals and humans. I didn't think they were described in excessive detail, but people who are more sensitive to gore might not like it. I found the events themselves more disturbing than the actual descriptions of them, and there was more than one scene that made me go hug the closest animal I could find -- my cat. Since this usually led to belly rubs and neck scratches, my cat gives this book 5 stars.
Even though the story wasn’t terribly unique, it held my interest. There were a couple of things that kept me guessing so that I had trouble putting the book down. I also really liked the characters. Although Faia was the main character and most of the book took place from her perspective, we jumped around quite a bit to other characters for short periods. One of the instructors at the school was particularly interesting and I wanted to learn more about her.
However, there were some threads that never really played out in any way. For example, there’s quite a bit going on with wolves in the beginning of the story and their inexplicable behavior is never explained. I can’t explain why without spoiling the story, but there’s no way their behavior had anything to do with what was going on at the school. Also, even though Faia was brought to the mage school to learn how to use her magic safely, we never really saw her actually being taught how to do that nor was there ever any clear sign that she had been taught how “off-page”. Since this is the first book in a trilogy, perhaps some of that will be dealt with in the later books.
So this book had its flaws, and it wasn’t very original, but my ratings are primarily based on how much I enjoy a book. I definitely got four stars’ worth of enjoyment out of this book and I plan to read the next book in the trilogy. Maybe part of the reason I enjoyed it so much was because it was a huge change of pace from the longer and heavier things I’ve read recently. At just under 300 pages, it was a light, quick read. Although I should caution that, by "light", I just mean that there was no mental effort required to read the book. There were some dark and slightly gory descriptions in the book of things done to both animals and humans. I didn't think they were described in excessive detail, but people who are more sensitive to gore might not like it. I found the events themselves more disturbing than the actual descriptions of them, and there was more than one scene that made me go hug the closest animal I could find -- my cat. Since this usually led to belly rubs and neck scratches, my cat gives this book 5 stars.
March 23, 2011
Hello, misogyny!
Though I have to admit, I did not see that coming. The *heroine* started out as a rather strong-willed interesting character (slightly suffering from the stronger-in-magic-than-everyone-else-and-perfect syndrome), but the character was fleshed out quite well through the first quarter of the book. She had to try and overcome trauma and adjust to a completely foreign environment. So far, ok. She ends up in a female-empowered society, where men hold no power at all. Because history teaches them that men are responsible for all evil. *rollseyes* Seriously?!!
So when female students turn up dead and tortured, the *reasonable* (cough) course of action for the women mages (according to the characterisation in the book, man-hating narrow minded bigots) was killing off everyone in the male side of the city, and of course, the poor oppressed men who were the real heroes all along had to go save the day (with the help of the token *barbarian female warrior mage*!) I'm so tired of that trope...!
And of course, it was the women mages messing with nature (changing creatures, performing child and virgin sacrifices). And the whole nightmare was started by a power-hungry female mage who strongly advertised that killing virgins is a faboulous idea. At least before she found out that her students actually listened to her and sacrificed her daughter (who wasn't supposed to exist in the first place, since she also preached abstinence-only!).
The male 'sajes' are wise scholars, just trying to understand life, of course. *headdesk*
The only sympathetic, somewhat fleshed out character I found was Medwind (the *barbarian headhunter*).
Though I have to admit, I did not see that coming. The *heroine* started out as a rather strong-willed interesting character (slightly suffering from the stronger-in-magic-than-everyone-else-and-perfect syndrome), but the character was fleshed out quite well through the first quarter of the book. She had to try and overcome trauma and adjust to a completely foreign environment. So far, ok. She ends up in a female-empowered society, where men hold no power at all. Because history teaches them that men are responsible for all evil. *rollseyes* Seriously?!!
So when female students turn up dead and tortured, the *reasonable* (cough) course of action for the women mages (according to the characterisation in the book, man-hating narrow minded bigots) was killing off everyone in the male side of the city, and of course, the poor oppressed men who were the real heroes all along had to go save the day (with the help of the token *barbarian female warrior mage*!) I'm so tired of that trope...!
And of course, it was the women mages messing with nature (changing creatures, performing child and virgin sacrifices). And the whole nightmare was started by a power-hungry female mage who strongly advertised that killing virgins is a faboulous idea. At least before she found out that her students actually listened to her and sacrificed her daughter (who wasn't supposed to exist in the first place, since she also preached abstinence-only!).
The male 'sajes' are wise scholars, just trying to understand life, of course. *headdesk*
The only sympathetic, somewhat fleshed out character I found was Medwind (the *barbarian headhunter*).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2018
Society where female and male wizards have put discrimination backwards: mage and saje who distrust each other, have different interests and even managed to get the science dychotomized...
4,5 subjectively. Objectively I start at 5 stars:
- 1 star: my eyeballs got a real hard workout on this one: all the hype about mage and saje things, women who one can only wonder how they even got pregnant, society where one can only wonder how they managed not to lose all the female magic altogether...
+1 star: original world, yes, a real fantasy world (!), I love them when they are properly built!
-1 star: a bit uneven in writing and flow
+1 star: Medwind insta-husband, what was that?
-1 star: stupid issues this society displays: like 1 crazy gal insinuates that some guy killed her child and the society goes on into a full-blow war with a thousand year (or smth like that) rift following it? All the while sajes and mages have polar opposite views on pretty much anything? Then after that thousand-year rift the said crazy gal gets resurrected/invocated (or whatever, don't want to get into specifics) and she repeats the whole shebang? You kidding me? In this scholar-permeated society nobody (other than thebarbarian Medwind) has bothered to learn to think for themselves? Though I must admit I see these very issues in the world of today: many supposedly democratic countries to a crack job appointing the enemies in the media...
So, that's a +1 star as well!
4,5 subjectively. Objectively I start at 5 stars:
- 1 star: my eyeballs got a real hard workout on this one: all the hype about mage and saje things, women who one can only wonder how they even got pregnant, society where one can only wonder how they managed not to lose all the female magic altogether...
+1 star: original world, yes, a real fantasy world (!), I love them when they are properly built!
-1 star: a bit uneven in writing and flow
+1 star: Medwind insta-husband, what was that?
-1 star: stupid issues this society displays: like 1 crazy gal insinuates that some guy killed her child and the society goes on into a full-blow war with a thousand year (or smth like that) rift following it? All the while sajes and mages have polar opposite views on pretty much anything? Then after that thousand-year rift the said crazy gal gets resurrected/invocated (or whatever, don't want to get into specifics) and she repeats the whole shebang? You kidding me? In this scholar-permeated society nobody (other than the
So, that's a +1 star as well!
June 10, 2008
Another strong female lead. This time, a young girl is left village-less and strikes out to be on her own.
Before Harry Potter, there was Faia. Seriously, J.K. Rowling probably either read this or channeled this book.
An overwhelmingly comforting read for me, I enjoy reading it over and over and over again.
Before Harry Potter, there was Faia. Seriously, J.K. Rowling probably either read this or channeled this book.
An overwhelmingly comforting read for me, I enjoy reading it over and over and over again.
December 20, 2020
One of the most graceful, lovely, lucidly brilliant books I've ever read. Truly Holly Lisle is a gift to the world.
September 21, 2014
Here's a treat I always appreciate: a traditional/epic fantasy led by women.
What I liked:
1. An awkward, angry heroine who isn't always easy to like, but who packs a lot of power;
2. A mentor figure who is a heroine in her own right (and who turns out to be the most sympathetic figure in the novel), and who, like the younger woman whom she takes under her wing, is an outsider who must fight to be taken seriously;
3. The two women offering each other both friendship and aid at crucial moments (always a satisfying thing to see);
4. A conflict between the genders in which it's quite clear that women and men are both equally capable of good and evil;
5. A villain who is absolutely and unambiguously loathsome;
6. An intense, dark, violent climax in which a happy ending is not a foregone conclusion. I would not call this "grimdark fantasy," but it does have its share of grimness and darkness, which makes our heroines' triumph all the more satisfying.
What I liked:
1. An awkward, angry heroine who isn't always easy to like, but who packs a lot of power;
2. A mentor figure who is a heroine in her own right (and who turns out to be the most sympathetic figure in the novel), and who, like the younger woman whom she takes under her wing, is an outsider who must fight to be taken seriously;
3. The two women offering each other both friendship and aid at crucial moments (always a satisfying thing to see);
4. A conflict between the genders in which it's quite clear that women and men are both equally capable of good and evil;
5. A villain who is absolutely and unambiguously loathsome;
6. An intense, dark, violent climax in which a happy ending is not a foregone conclusion. I would not call this "grimdark fantasy," but it does have its share of grimness and darkness, which makes our heroines' triumph all the more satisfying.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2020
My new favorite story about an orphan going to a wizard school (and the earliest written one). Original, humorous, and hard to put down once you start.
January 15, 2013
Originally published on my blog here in January 2002.
When shepherdess Faia returns to her home to find that the whole village has been wiped out by plague, she uses one of the spells taught her by her mother to turn it into a pool of lava as part of her response to her grief. This turns out to be a hugely powerful spell, and commands the attention of mages (female) and sages (male) from the town which houses the university in which magicians are trained. An untrained, strong talent is very dangerous, both to its owner and to those around them, so Faia is more or less forced to accompany them back to the Oxbridge style setting of Ariss. Unable to fit in with the generally aristocratic pupils, Faia is stunned when the age old war between the sexes - carefully segregated in the misty city - threatens to break out again.
Even in her early novels like this one, Lisle's concern to promote the role of women in the fantasy genre is apparent. (It is never allowed to affect the interest of her story, however.) Fire in the Mist is an excellent light fantasy novel, with more to it than most, an apprenticeship for the later and more challenging Secret Texts trilogy.
When shepherdess Faia returns to her home to find that the whole village has been wiped out by plague, she uses one of the spells taught her by her mother to turn it into a pool of lava as part of her response to her grief. This turns out to be a hugely powerful spell, and commands the attention of mages (female) and sages (male) from the town which houses the university in which magicians are trained. An untrained, strong talent is very dangerous, both to its owner and to those around them, so Faia is more or less forced to accompany them back to the Oxbridge style setting of Ariss. Unable to fit in with the generally aristocratic pupils, Faia is stunned when the age old war between the sexes - carefully segregated in the misty city - threatens to break out again.
Even in her early novels like this one, Lisle's concern to promote the role of women in the fantasy genre is apparent. (It is never allowed to affect the interest of her story, however.) Fire in the Mist is an excellent light fantasy novel, with more to it than most, an apprenticeship for the later and more challenging Secret Texts trilogy.
March 22, 2010
After the death and destruction of her country village, Faia is taken to city for learning to control her powerful and wild magical talent. The city is split into separate centers of learning for men and women, a division that an ancient evil returns and takes advantage of. Faia is a character that is very likable and easy to identify with. Her outsider and disenchanted viewpoint makes an interesting viewpoint on the magical city. I found the plot line for the ancient evil to be a bit confusing at the major revealing point so it took a bit to catch up from there. But that didn't really detract from my enjoyment of the book. The book stands alone quick nicely though I liked the characters enough to hope for a sequel and was pleasantly surprised to see at the used book store that there are two more books (though only book 3 was available).
March 16, 2017
Faia is a shepherd girl who comes home to find her town dead from plague, travels with the one other survivor to her first city, gets wisked away from him on a flying horse, and helps save another city from war.
July 12, 2017
Started off amazing, really great evocative writing, an interesting character in Faia, and a compelling fantasy world. I didn't mind what some people called cliches (a peasant with powerful magic, etc.) because that's the whole point of this book -- it's advertised that way and you pick it up if you want that kind of story. So it delivered on its promise in that regard.
The other characters in the book are great, notably Medwind Song but also Yaji, the Mottemage, and Flynn the cat. What's really interesting is that this book was published five years before the first Harry Potter book, and you can definitely see some strong similarities -- the magic university, the spookiness of missing students, etc. Makes you wonder if JK Rowling might have been inspired by it!
The last half of the book does have issues. I didn't understand how a city divided into a male half and female half, which only rarely consort, could work -- how are enough children born to continue the population? The villain is kind of weak until the end -- I think there needed to be more strong reminders of the antagonistic presence. Finally, the biggest problem is
Still, the evocative quality of the writing is so strong that despite these problems I gave it four stars. It really did take me to another world and I enjoyed it immensely. There's something fun about these older fantasy books that modern ones seem to lack!
The other characters in the book are great, notably Medwind Song but also Yaji, the Mottemage, and Flynn the cat. What's really interesting is that this book was published five years before the first Harry Potter book, and you can definitely see some strong similarities -- the magic university, the spookiness of missing students, etc. Makes you wonder if JK Rowling might have been inspired by it!
The last half of the book does have issues. I didn't understand how a city divided into a male half and female half, which only rarely consort, could work -- how are enough children born to continue the population? The villain is kind of weak until the end -- I think there needed to be more strong reminders of the antagonistic presence. Finally, the biggest problem is
Still, the evocative quality of the writing is so strong that despite these problems I gave it four stars. It really did take me to another world and I enjoyed it immensely. There's something fun about these older fantasy books that modern ones seem to lack!
September 22, 2023
Now this is the kind of fantasy novel that remind me why I got into reading this genre. Sure it's no GoT nor is it ACOTAR, but it doesn't need to be. It's perfect as it is for what it's trying to be.
Love the cover art for these initial releases, but am not the biggest fan of the newer ones - which means that I'll have some hunting to do until I can read book 2 - but absolutely will be continuing the series.
This book follows our main character, Faia after a terrible thing happens to her home. She's that typical shepherd boy/girl who becomes a chosen one of sorts... except she's not! This book doesn't fall into the pits of standard boring old tropes, it keeps our main a strong woman. She is definitely stubborn in some ways and acts very much her age - 19. Which I actually prefer, as it keeps her from becoming a Mary Sue. No hulking man comes in to sweep the problems out, though men do help in general later on.
It's an interesting look at how us vs. them can spiral out of control and evolve into a society so rigid and critical of what is right or wrong, who is evil or good, that I did appreciate. The main story is fairly wrapped up so you don't have to worry about a devastating cliff hanger, but the author has left many loose threads untied; maybe we'll meet Aldar again, or Yaji.
If there is anything I have to say against this is with Jann, and for those who read the book till the end, you know what happens. I sort of wished it had been different for her, since she seemed to have a lot of potential for future books/plots, but the road took a different turn. This isn't a complaint, just something I think would've been cool if used.
Found this book at a used bookstore, had never heard of it, it's tiny description on the back with delightfully infuriatingly little information tickled my curiosity and I picked it up just to see what would happen. Am I glad I did. Definitely recommend this one, especially if you enjoy books on a similar thread to Tamora Pierce or Mercedes Lackey.
I forgot to add, this is not a kids book!
Also, enjoy a little snippet that made me laugh far too loudly.
"This time it was that pompous little helke bitch Frelle Jann"
Love the cover art for these initial releases, but am not the biggest fan of the newer ones - which means that I'll have some hunting to do until I can read book 2 - but absolutely will be continuing the series.
This book follows our main character, Faia after a terrible thing happens to her home. She's that typical shepherd boy/girl who becomes a chosen one of sorts... except she's not! This book doesn't fall into the pits of standard boring old tropes, it keeps our main a strong woman. She is definitely stubborn in some ways and acts very much her age - 19. Which I actually prefer, as it keeps her from becoming a Mary Sue. No hulking man comes in to sweep the problems out, though men do help in general later on.
It's an interesting look at how us vs. them can spiral out of control and evolve into a society so rigid and critical of what is right or wrong, who is evil or good, that I did appreciate. The main story is fairly wrapped up so you don't have to worry about a devastating cliff hanger, but the author has left many loose threads untied; maybe we'll meet Aldar again, or Yaji.
If there is anything I have to say against this is with Jann, and for those who read the book till the end, you know what happens. I sort of wished it had been different for her, since she seemed to have a lot of potential for future books/plots, but the road took a different turn. This isn't a complaint, just something I think would've been cool if used.
Found this book at a used bookstore, had never heard of it, it's tiny description on the back with delightfully infuriatingly little information tickled my curiosity and I picked it up just to see what would happen. Am I glad I did. Definitely recommend this one, especially if you enjoy books on a similar thread to Tamora Pierce or Mercedes Lackey.
I forgot to add, this is not a kids book!
Also, enjoy a little snippet that made me laugh far too loudly.
"This time it was that pompous little helke bitch Frelle Jann"
October 20, 2024
I've read this author before, and have most of her books, so when I saw this book that I had never read I grabbed a used copy.
Given that the book is over 30 years old, you'd expect it to be fairly dated, but honestly it stands up pretty well to time. Of course, it helps that it's in a fantasy world, but this book has a lot of gender politics involved so I was wondering if it would feel too 'old'. It doesn't.
It's a basic fantasy kind of world where people have magic. Faia, a simple shepherd, suffers a huge tragedy and as a result the powers she's always ignored, burst out of her, causing a huge problem for everyone around her. She's informed that, like it or not, she must learn how to use them.
Which means going off to magic school. Unfortunately, the other students and some of the teachers, don't like the fact that an uneducated peasant is more powerful than them and she quickly makes enemies. So when she stumbles onto a nefarious plot that involves the murder of various female magic crafters... they suspect her involvement at first.
When it becomes clear that it probably wasn't her... their target turns to the male magic users on the other side of the city. People with strong magic are separated by gender from a young age. Boys are taken from their mothers and moved to the male side of the city. The women have the other and they are not supposed to meet at all. Neither side trusts the other, so it's easy for the women to decide the men are doing this to conquer.
But Faia likes men and doesn't buy it. She's used to them and is experienced in their ways so she doesn't think they are capable of this, but no one will listen.
She must convince them before the whole city ends up in a civil war... but how can she when no one trusts her either?
There are some unexpected plot twists and some that were pretty obvious. Overall, a fun read!
Given that the book is over 30 years old, you'd expect it to be fairly dated, but honestly it stands up pretty well to time. Of course, it helps that it's in a fantasy world, but this book has a lot of gender politics involved so I was wondering if it would feel too 'old'. It doesn't.
It's a basic fantasy kind of world where people have magic. Faia, a simple shepherd, suffers a huge tragedy and as a result the powers she's always ignored, burst out of her, causing a huge problem for everyone around her. She's informed that, like it or not, she must learn how to use them.
Which means going off to magic school. Unfortunately, the other students and some of the teachers, don't like the fact that an uneducated peasant is more powerful than them and she quickly makes enemies. So when she stumbles onto a nefarious plot that involves the murder of various female magic crafters... they suspect her involvement at first.
When it becomes clear that it probably wasn't her... their target turns to the male magic users on the other side of the city. People with strong magic are separated by gender from a young age. Boys are taken from their mothers and moved to the male side of the city. The women have the other and they are not supposed to meet at all. Neither side trusts the other, so it's easy for the women to decide the men are doing this to conquer.
But Faia likes men and doesn't buy it. She's used to them and is experienced in their ways so she doesn't think they are capable of this, but no one will listen.
She must convince them before the whole city ends up in a civil war... but how can she when no one trusts her either?
There are some unexpected plot twists and some that were pretty obvious. Overall, a fun read!
February 28, 2017
The start of the book is rather cliche, with strong Conan-ish vibes. Faia , daughter of Scooter, is the Strongest Mage on Earth(tm), apparently, but also sexually liberal and unusually feminist.
After accidentallynuking a village from orbit nuking a village from orbit, she meets a disposable support character (who is soon disposed of), and eventually makes her way to the people who can teach her control.
Weird things start going on, and ancient and obvious knowledge is thrown into doubt! And this is, while not very surprising, at least interesting and not totally cliche!
Of course Lisle can't let us stew in ambiguity, so any time something like this comes up there is either tons of foreshadowing that tells you what's coming up, or just the explanation of what's *actually* going on shows up within a few pages.
Overall, the beginning was surprisingly strong, but then the whole thing went strongly downhill. Still an interesting read, but the amount of nonsense and an almost complete lack of suspense turn the book into a middling 3.
After accidentally
Weird things start going on, and ancient and obvious knowledge is thrown into doubt! And this is, while not very surprising, at least interesting and not totally cliche!
Of course Lisle can't let us stew in ambiguity, so any time something like this comes up there is either tons of foreshadowing that tells you what's coming up, or just the explanation of what's *actually* going on shows up within a few pages.
Overall, the beginning was surprisingly strong, but then the whole thing went strongly downhill. Still an interesting read, but the amount of nonsense and an almost complete lack of suspense turn the book into a middling 3.
July 29, 2025
I don't read enough of this stuff, so I feel like I could come back and reread this. Lisle's branch of practical feminism is new to me, and I feel heard. The tribal women's origins make me think about Natives and how differently gender has developed outside of fertile crescent descendant cultures. Maybe my score is biased upward. The dialogue in the writing is a little formal sounding, and some of the cultural words are smeerps (see glossary https://www.sfwa.org/2009/06/18/turke...). But the setting, story, and to me, uniqueness, still make me want to keep reading the series.
November 7, 2021
I had originally read this something close to two decades ago, and picked it now up again, since I had forgotten most of the smaller details by now.
While in places it's quite apparent that this is one of her first books, I did still quite enjoy re-reading this and will probably find out the other two books in the trilogy from the chaos also known as our bookshelves in not too distant future to go through them too.
While in places it's quite apparent that this is one of her first books, I did still quite enjoy re-reading this and will probably find out the other two books in the trilogy from the chaos also known as our bookshelves in not too distant future to go through them too.
January 22, 2018
Entertaining book, but I don't think I'll be reading any more in this series.
April 18, 2019
I didn’t really enjoy this, as the plot hinges on everyone behaving very stupidly. And the ending didn’t make much sense.
August 20, 2025
Not a bad book. The heroine is likeable, though I wish it didn’t become ANOTHER “here is a magic school” book. Still, it tells a fun little story and doesn’t try to overexplain how magic works.
November 12, 2016
Lovely book, fast paced.
September 15, 2014
An average that turns really really bad somewhere in thhe middle. In the beginning the book seems quite ok.
The story follows the main character which struggles with the personal tragedy. She seems strong willed and intelligent. We quickly find that she possesses a powerful magic talent.
She is found by the mages from the magical university located in city practically devoted to magic, because she is too dangerous to remain in the world untrained.
And there the book seems to unravel. It looks that the heroine doesn't learn much, because it seems she already can do EVERYTHING, and can do it better than everyone. And this is in quite strong contradiction to the beginning of the book where we are told that while she has some strong talent, she is not interested in developing it.
At similar point the mysterious "evil" is introduced.
The further the plot goes the less believable it is, and more logical holes appear. It's hard to explain the logical holes without some major spoilers.
At some point after 50% of book the author apparently decided that the main character is too much of a Mary Sue, and swiftly in one maneuver practically makes her a passive back-seat observer, while the most action responsibility is carried out by new or so far third-plane characters.
At this point I practically lost any interest in the book, because so far I have lost most of my interest in the plot and unbelievable man/woman city setup, and continued just because of the likable main character.
I just forced myself to keep reading to finish, but can't say that It was worth my time.
I don't like when a plot is moved by people acting like complete idiots, or making sudden the out-of-character choices. I don't like it when the plot/setup has so many logical holes an elephant could get lost in them, but most of all I don't like it when something that has a lot of potential turns ugly.
Wish my first review on this site was a positive one, but I feel too disappointed by this book...
The story follows the main character which struggles with the personal tragedy. She seems strong willed and intelligent. We quickly find that she possesses a powerful magic talent.
She is found by the mages from the magical university located in city practically devoted to magic, because she is too dangerous to remain in the world untrained.
And there the book seems to unravel. It looks that the heroine doesn't learn much, because it seems she already can do EVERYTHING, and can do it better than everyone. And this is in quite strong contradiction to the beginning of the book where we are told that while she has some strong talent, she is not interested in developing it.
At similar point the mysterious "evil" is introduced.
The further the plot goes the less believable it is, and more logical holes appear. It's hard to explain the logical holes without some major spoilers.
At some point after 50% of book the author apparently decided that the main character is too much of a Mary Sue, and swiftly in one maneuver practically makes her a passive back-seat observer, while the most action responsibility is carried out by new or so far third-plane characters.
At this point I practically lost any interest in the book, because so far I have lost most of my interest in the plot and unbelievable man/woman city setup, and continued just because of the likable main character.
I just forced myself to keep reading to finish, but can't say that It was worth my time.
I don't like when a plot is moved by people acting like complete idiots, or making sudden the out-of-character choices. I don't like it when the plot/setup has so many logical holes an elephant could get lost in them, but most of all I don't like it when something that has a lot of potential turns ugly.
Wish my first review on this site was a positive one, but I feel too disappointed by this book...
November 6, 2019
I'm not a fantasy reader.
Holly is also a writing teacher. A very good one.
But I've never read any of the over 30 novels she's written. Yeah.
I went in low expectations because this isn't my genre of choice.
The story is fast paced with great world building and interesting characters I could care about, even if they are melting things with magic.
The evil character was scary because it felt real.
My only gripe is that the MC didn't finish school, so what's with that? They forced her to go there to learn to control her magic. But at the end, I can't tell if she's now in control or needs to find a new school...
Holly is also a writing teacher. A very good one.
But I've never read any of the over 30 novels she's written. Yeah.
I went in low expectations because this isn't my genre of choice.
The story is fast paced with great world building and interesting characters I could care about, even if they are melting things with magic.
The evil character was scary because it felt real.
My only gripe is that the MC didn't finish school, so what's with that? They forced her to go there to learn to control her magic. But at the end, I can't tell if she's now in control or needs to find a new school...
January 6, 2011
After the destruction of her village, Faia’s powers are realised not only by herself but by every mage in the world. Suddenly, she is wanted by all and feared by them as well, however, as everyone agreed that it was important to train the wild magic before more destruction occurs something had to be done. She is taken to the city, where men occupy half and women occupy the other half. The division is long standing and the reasons behind it are debatable. Upon her arrival, mysterious things start to happen which turn the two halves of the city against each other.
I found the plot to be complex and a little confusing at times, but not enough to distract me from what was happening. I liked Faia and wanted to know what would become of her. Thinking about it now, I can’t say she grew much throughout the story, but that also didn’t put me off. She had a strong personality and I believe that was enough to hold my attention.
I enjoyed the way the story was written. It was done in such a way that made me read on, when I should have put the book aside and done something else. As a result, I got through the book quite fast (although personal circumstances made me put the book aside for more than three weeks when I was about 75% of my way through the book).
Although I know this is the first book of three, I don’t have to read the other books, if I don’t want to. I was satisfied with the ending. Yet I am willing to purchase the next book and continue on with Faia’s story.
I found the plot to be complex and a little confusing at times, but not enough to distract me from what was happening. I liked Faia and wanted to know what would become of her. Thinking about it now, I can’t say she grew much throughout the story, but that also didn’t put me off. She had a strong personality and I believe that was enough to hold my attention.
I enjoyed the way the story was written. It was done in such a way that made me read on, when I should have put the book aside and done something else. As a result, I got through the book quite fast (although personal circumstances made me put the book aside for more than three weeks when I was about 75% of my way through the book).
Although I know this is the first book of three, I don’t have to read the other books, if I don’t want to. I was satisfied with the ending. Yet I am willing to purchase the next book and continue on with Faia’s story.
August 22, 2011
Premise: Faia's mother tells her she should learn to use her gift, that she needs to decide what she will do with her life. Faia just wants to continue to be a shepherd. But when tragedy strikes, Faia's gift for magic will manifest in a new way, and she'll be thrust into the power struggles of a city not her home.
This was a great book. Stuffed with great characters, an interesting world with a tangled history, interesting magic and cultures.
It had such a great tone, too. A predominance of complex, fabulous women live at the mage-school Faia comes to. The conflicts between the female and male mages bewilder Faia, and she tries to think well of others, all while defending herself from their assumptions about an untrained hill-girl. She's a wonderful character, just flawed enough, just well-meaning enough, just vulnerable enough.
I also really enjoyed her city-fied roommate, her 'barbarian' teacher Medwing... it's just a really fun cast of characters. The twists of the plot feel right, and the settings are interesting. Also there are giant otters.
Overall, a solid, highly enjoyable fantasy.
This was a great book. Stuffed with great characters, an interesting world with a tangled history, interesting magic and cultures.
It had such a great tone, too. A predominance of complex, fabulous women live at the mage-school Faia comes to. The conflicts between the female and male mages bewilder Faia, and she tries to think well of others, all while defending herself from their assumptions about an untrained hill-girl. She's a wonderful character, just flawed enough, just well-meaning enough, just vulnerable enough.
I also really enjoyed her city-fied roommate, her 'barbarian' teacher Medwing... it's just a really fun cast of characters. The twists of the plot feel right, and the settings are interesting. Also there are giant otters.
Overall, a solid, highly enjoyable fantasy.
November 9, 2015
It took me ages to get a hold of this book; ages! When I finally find a copy and settle in to read I was thrilled at the start of the book. A man with a plague and a horse with white feet, okay so maybe he was the bad guy! He would go spread plague while working for some evil hiding out... Nope. Plague just happened. The book could have even taken that out and still it would have ended with the main character leaving sooner or later.
The book really did start out well and was very interesting, until she got to school. Then like someone waking up from a dream it skips stutters and jerks you around from one pov to another one time to a new one. It is /never/ explained what the heck two five days is. Never! The time makes no sense. Then we get to the whole, men are bad women rule. –Fluffs- Screw everyone! Without a guy there would be no brats and without a woman there wouldn’t be either. Get over yourself.
Pass on this book. I give it two stars only because it could have been good. It was like the author was given a world setting and plot all written for them only they threw most of it out.
The book really did start out well and was very interesting, until she got to school. Then like someone waking up from a dream it skips stutters and jerks you around from one pov to another one time to a new one. It is /never/ explained what the heck two five days is. Never! The time makes no sense. Then we get to the whole, men are bad women rule. –Fluffs- Screw everyone! Without a guy there would be no brats and without a woman there wouldn’t be either. Get over yourself.
Pass on this book. I give it two stars only because it could have been good. It was like the author was given a world setting and plot all written for them only they threw most of it out.
August 14, 2014
I stumbled across Holly Lisle‘s book, Fire in the Mist by complete accident—standing in a Half Price Bookstore looking for fantasy novels involving magic.
The main character, Faia, starts off as a simple shepherd. Tragedy strikes, and she finds herself a magic user with a gift she can’t control. She ends up at a university of study where she’s corrupted by the spirit of a murderer. It’s very much a struggle of good vs. evil, but with unusual twists and character growth. I won’t spoil the ending.
I loved the strong character in this book (and the sequels). In the 70′s and 80′s, strong female characters were still fairly hit or miss in science fiction & fantasy. Holly Lisle did a great job with her world building & characters, and after reading this book, I bought each book she published from then on.
This book shows its age a bit and feels like a fantasy book from the 80's/90's, but is still a great read. I prefer the author's more modern novels to this, but it was a great read for me as a teen.
Read the full review here: www.ravenoak.net
The main character, Faia, starts off as a simple shepherd. Tragedy strikes, and she finds herself a magic user with a gift she can’t control. She ends up at a university of study where she’s corrupted by the spirit of a murderer. It’s very much a struggle of good vs. evil, but with unusual twists and character growth. I won’t spoil the ending.
I loved the strong character in this book (and the sequels). In the 70′s and 80′s, strong female characters were still fairly hit or miss in science fiction & fantasy. Holly Lisle did a great job with her world building & characters, and after reading this book, I bought each book she published from then on.
This book shows its age a bit and feels like a fantasy book from the 80's/90's, but is still a great read. I prefer the author's more modern novels to this, but it was a great read for me as a teen.
Read the full review here: www.ravenoak.net
September 13, 2013
I am taking one of the author's courses and was curious to see what the processes she is teaching us help her produce. And wow am I glad I am taking this course now.
This novel has a deep and rich magical, environmental, historical and cultural background, all woven together with great skill. The world feel vibrant, from the stuffy mages and sages - the male and female wizards who have split the magical city and university so they do no have to have contact, to the full of decapitating barbarian, the country girl who has never seen a city and so many more in between
The combination of integrating us into this alien world, making friends (and enemies), murders and adventure, I felt the book was perfectly balanced.
Somebody who has never read any fantasy may find it a difficult starter book as the beginning assumes some knowledge of common terminology, but the glossary in the back will get even the least seasoned reader though in no time
This novel has a deep and rich magical, environmental, historical and cultural background, all woven together with great skill. The world feel vibrant, from the stuffy mages and sages - the male and female wizards who have split the magical city and university so they do no have to have contact, to the full of decapitating barbarian, the country girl who has never seen a city and so many more in between
The combination of integrating us into this alien world, making friends (and enemies), murders and adventure, I felt the book was perfectly balanced.
Somebody who has never read any fantasy may find it a difficult starter book as the beginning assumes some knowledge of common terminology, but the glossary in the back will get even the least seasoned reader though in no time
November 17, 2013
Fast-paced, engrossing, but feels like it lacks something . . . the characters were difficult to empathize with and the whole male / female segregated city was just weird, and presented a slightly distracting, overt undercurrent of social commentary that I could've done without. The same thing could've been achieved with just rival schools, surely?
Also, the second half of the novel felt disjointed from the first. I have a lot of questions about the beginning of the novel that were never answered.
So, although I admire the fast-paced action and the crafting of a world that's not *too* unbearably unbelievable, I finished the book feeling a bit frustrated. . .
3-4/5 stars - despite its faults I still think it's a quick, entertaining read for a rainy day.
Also, the second half of the novel felt disjointed from the first. I have a lot of questions about the beginning of the novel that were never answered.
So, although I admire the fast-paced action and the crafting of a world that's not *too* unbearably unbelievable, I finished the book feeling a bit frustrated. . .
3-4/5 stars - despite its faults I still think it's a quick, entertaining read for a rainy day.
April 7, 2011
Clearly one of Holly's early books, and I can see the difference between it and her most recent
Talyn
and
Hawkspar
. However, I enjoyed Fire in the Mist immensely, immediately upon finishing it desiring to read the next in the series (which I'll have to find on the used market). These early characters display a depth of personality that Holly still is known for. And the fictional world is all Holly Lisle, up to her usual standards. A wonderful read.
July 5, 2011
If you like high fantasy and strong female characters, this book is for you. Although it was originally published in '92, it feels like old fantasy to me, something from the 70s or maybe 80s. In any case, it was a fairly engaging tale, if a touch predictable, and there were a lot of great women in this. I feel like I've been starved for awesome ladies in fantasy lately, and this definitely solved that problem.
It's the first book in a trilogy, although it doesn't end abruptly. I don't think that I liked it enough to find the other two books, but if you're really into high fantasy then it's worth picking up. I'm just really picky with high fantasy novels.
It's the first book in a trilogy, although it doesn't end abruptly. I don't think that I liked it enough to find the other two books, but if you're really into high fantasy then it's worth picking up. I'm just really picky with high fantasy novels.
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