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Avaryan Rising #1-3
Avaryan Rising
The classic series now in one volume for the first time!
He appeared out of the northern mountain fastness, wielding powerful magics and claiming to be the Sun God's own child. His burning desire was to rule the entire world, and he inspired the loyalty of men who would fight for it with him. But conquering an empire, and ruling it, are two very different things. Even for the children of a demi-God.
He appeared out of the northern mountain fastness, wielding powerful magics and claiming to be the Sun God's own child. His burning desire was to rule the entire world, and he inspired the loyalty of men who would fight for it with him. But conquering an empire, and ruling it, are two very different things. Even for the children of a demi-God.
864 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
9 people are currently reading
180 people want to read
About the author
Judith Tarr
121 books419 followersAKA Caitlin Brennan, Kathleen Bryan.
Judith Tarr (born 1955) is an American author, best known for her fantasy books. She received her B.A. in Latin and English from Mount Holyoke College in 1976, and has an M.A. in Classics from Cambridge University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Medieval Studies from Yale University. She taught Latin and writing at Wesleyan University from 1988-1992, and taught at the Clarion science-fiction-writing workshops in 1996 and 1999.
She raises and trains Lipizzan horses at Dancing Horse Farm, her home in Vail, Arizona. The romantic fantasies that she writes under the name Caitlin Brennan feature dancing horses modeled on those that she raises.
Judith Tarr (born 1955) is an American author, best known for her fantasy books. She received her B.A. in Latin and English from Mount Holyoke College in 1976, and has an M.A. in Classics from Cambridge University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Medieval Studies from Yale University. She taught Latin and writing at Wesleyan University from 1988-1992, and taught at the Clarion science-fiction-writing workshops in 1996 and 1999.
She raises and trains Lipizzan horses at Dancing Horse Farm, her home in Vail, Arizona. The romantic fantasies that she writes under the name Caitlin Brennan feature dancing horses modeled on those that she raises.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 30, 2015
Friends, I am disappointed. :/
The first book was okay, if a bit slow to get going. Then I started the second book & was bored almost immediately. So I skipped to the end of book 2, read the last few pages, & started book 3.
Still boring. And now with SUPERSIZED NEBULOUS POWERS!!(tm) that were confusing as hell.
Not worth the effort. DNF after 350-some pages.
(N.B.: I did enjoy Tarr's use of language & imagery, so eventually I'll try her historical fiction.)
The first book was okay, if a bit slow to get going. Then I started the second book & was bored almost immediately. So I skipped to the end of book 2, read the last few pages, & started book 3.
Still boring. And now with SUPERSIZED NEBULOUS POWERS!!(tm) that were confusing as hell.
Not worth the effort. DNF after 350-some pages.
(N.B.: I did enjoy Tarr's use of language & imagery, so eventually I'll try her historical fiction.)
January 16, 2009
Having read and enjoyed the Falcon and the Hound series from Tarr, I begin this one with great hopes but all I can remember after 25 years is how incredibly annoying I found the main characters.
It soured me on Tarr for evermore.
It soured me on Tarr for evermore.
April 16, 2008
I thoroughly enjoyed my first experience of Judith Tarr despite the fact that Avarayan Resplendent as the second trilogy in a series might not have been the best place to start.
The great Avarayan empire is ruled by the children of the Sun God who wield great magic and live much longer than mere mortals, but the three novels in this omnibus edition focus primarily on their humanity
In Arrows of the Sun the young Estarion, emperor of twin empires is forced to leave the beloved Endros part of his empire for the hated and mistrusted Asanion. Here amidst the suffocating protocols of the golden palace where he witnessed the assassination of his own father many years before he is surrounded by deadly plots and counter plots. Though Estarion finds passion, he is forced to make great sacrifices to perceive his life and throne. This was my favourite novel of the three mostly because I enjoyed watching the arrogant yet humorous and charming Estarion learn how to be an emperor.
The protagonist of the second book Spear of Heaven the Emperors wilful heir and grand daughter the Sun born Daruya is less charming. Why are all the women with power in these books and indeed in lots of fantasy so grouchy and humourless? I know power can be a burden but the male protagonist manages to wear his power much more comfortably Fortunately the other viewpoint character her six year old daughter Merian is more fun and the story is superb set in a kind of Himalayan Shangri-la. Our protagonists have left the Twin Empires to investigate the causes of broken Worldgates. A wonderful portrait of cultural clashes and some subtle political manoeuvring ensues. Interestingly naive view of the relations between small and large countries given the current state of American foreign policy, mind you, but this is fantasy after all. It would be churlish to make too much of this.
In book three, Tides of Darkness features Merian again but as an adult. She too has lost her sense of humour now she has become powerful, but this doesn’t really matter as the male protagonists are once again fun. Sorcerers come in the night, kidnap whole villages and turn them into zombies. The world gates suddenly become to dangerous to use and Estarion finds himself stranded in another world entirely a world which is very like the ancient Egypt of our world almost no magic and as Merian, Estarion and a delinquently young mage join forces, a terrifying conspiracy that effects thousands of worlds is revealed.
The writing style has an olde worldly feel which ties in nice with the ancient empire feel of the world, but isn’t hard to read and can at time be luminous poetic. A wonderfully realised world with a marvellous ancient history feel leaning toward the Ancient Egyptian but taking in other cultures as well (it is after all a very large empire) and well worked out magic. Each story had a kernel of romance in the centre and and exciting twist in its tale. This is fantasy for those who like intricate tales of political manoeuvring rather than great sagas of sword fighting and daring do. The three books bound as one look daunting but the trilogy was a real page turner. Good-O!
The great Avarayan empire is ruled by the children of the Sun God who wield great magic and live much longer than mere mortals, but the three novels in this omnibus edition focus primarily on their humanity
In Arrows of the Sun the young Estarion, emperor of twin empires is forced to leave the beloved Endros part of his empire for the hated and mistrusted Asanion. Here amidst the suffocating protocols of the golden palace where he witnessed the assassination of his own father many years before he is surrounded by deadly plots and counter plots. Though Estarion finds passion, he is forced to make great sacrifices to perceive his life and throne. This was my favourite novel of the three mostly because I enjoyed watching the arrogant yet humorous and charming Estarion learn how to be an emperor.
The protagonist of the second book Spear of Heaven the Emperors wilful heir and grand daughter the Sun born Daruya is less charming. Why are all the women with power in these books and indeed in lots of fantasy so grouchy and humourless? I know power can be a burden but the male protagonist manages to wear his power much more comfortably Fortunately the other viewpoint character her six year old daughter Merian is more fun and the story is superb set in a kind of Himalayan Shangri-la. Our protagonists have left the Twin Empires to investigate the causes of broken Worldgates. A wonderful portrait of cultural clashes and some subtle political manoeuvring ensues. Interestingly naive view of the relations between small and large countries given the current state of American foreign policy, mind you, but this is fantasy after all. It would be churlish to make too much of this.
In book three, Tides of Darkness features Merian again but as an adult. She too has lost her sense of humour now she has become powerful, but this doesn’t really matter as the male protagonists are once again fun. Sorcerers come in the night, kidnap whole villages and turn them into zombies. The world gates suddenly become to dangerous to use and Estarion finds himself stranded in another world entirely a world which is very like the ancient Egypt of our world almost no magic and as Merian, Estarion and a delinquently young mage join forces, a terrifying conspiracy that effects thousands of worlds is revealed.
The writing style has an olde worldly feel which ties in nice with the ancient empire feel of the world, but isn’t hard to read and can at time be luminous poetic. A wonderfully realised world with a marvellous ancient history feel leaning toward the Ancient Egyptian but taking in other cultures as well (it is after all a very large empire) and well worked out magic. Each story had a kernel of romance in the centre and and exciting twist in its tale. This is fantasy for those who like intricate tales of political manoeuvring rather than great sagas of sword fighting and daring do. The three books bound as one look daunting but the trilogy was a real page turner. Good-O!
May 4, 2020
This absorbing epic fantasy trilogy opens with the story of Mirain, son of a priestess and the sun god, Avaryan, who must first prove himself in his mother's native northern kingdom of Ianon before going on to create an empire. The second book is about Elian, the princess and childhood friend of Mirain and how she becomes his empress. The final book follows Mirain and Elian's son and heir Sarevadin, as he attempts to prevent a cataclysmic war between Mirain's empire and the ancient empire of Asanion.
I really enjoyed reading this whole trilogy; it was exactly the kind of grand adventure I needed during this pandemic. I liked Tarr's worldbuilding a lot: she created a compelling world that draws on ancient Egypt, the medieval mediterranean, and ancient China. The only thing I found a bit lacking was any exploration of the other religions and deities besides Avaryan. Her characters were also interesting and dynamic, with deep relationships and complicated feelings for each other as well as strong developmental arcs. For a work written in the late 1980s, Avaryan Rising also had a surprisingly forward-looking view of sexuality and gender - bisexuality was the normative default and in most parts of the world, women were not relegated to a lesser status. Throughout the story, Tarr tackles the limits and pitfalls of power, the the value of the bonds of love, and the weight and price of choices.
I really enjoyed reading this whole trilogy; it was exactly the kind of grand adventure I needed during this pandemic. I liked Tarr's worldbuilding a lot: she created a compelling world that draws on ancient Egypt, the medieval mediterranean, and ancient China. The only thing I found a bit lacking was any exploration of the other religions and deities besides Avaryan. Her characters were also interesting and dynamic, with deep relationships and complicated feelings for each other as well as strong developmental arcs. For a work written in the late 1980s, Avaryan Rising also had a surprisingly forward-looking view of sexuality and gender - bisexuality was the normative default and in most parts of the world, women were not relegated to a lesser status. Throughout the story, Tarr tackles the limits and pitfalls of power, the the value of the bonds of love, and the weight and price of choices.
August 5, 2019
After a while, the sexuality stuff gets to be too much.
Somehow the greats like Sturgeon, Heinlein, Niven can include all kinds of sexualities and varieties in a book and it flows. Others - like this one - try to prove too much and lose the track.
I read this in the late 1980s/early 1990s, promised myself I'd get back to it one of these days, and just never did. It's now going to donation after being moved countless times. I'm not going to fall in a consistency trap over it, though - save that for chumps Westmoreland and McNamara.
Somehow the greats like Sturgeon, Heinlein, Niven can include all kinds of sexualities and varieties in a book and it flows. Others - like this one - try to prove too much and lose the track.
I read this in the late 1980s/early 1990s, promised myself I'd get back to it one of these days, and just never did. It's now going to donation after being moved countless times. I'm not going to fall in a consistency trap over it, though - save that for chumps Westmoreland and McNamara.
July 31, 2023
Really well written… just very boring. Couldn’t finish it.
March 29, 2009
One thing that really sets these books apart from other high fantasy I've read is the prevalence of melanin in the main characters' skins. Most of the major players, particularly in this first omnibus, are dark, ranging from black to bronze to gold in skin color. I've also realized that I really don't know anything about northern African and Mediterranean geography and culture. I'm fairly sure that's the basis of the fantasy setting--the characters' coloring and the unexpected appearance of a distinctly Minoan form of dress helps--but I don't know where reality ends and the fantasy begins in relation to the world building here.
1) The Hall of the Mountain King
This book introduces the world of the series and the son of the sun god as he reclaims his birthright in his human grandfather's court, stealing the position from his less favored uncle. Mirain, despite some pretty spectacular powers and fighting ability, is a clean-shaven teenage priest so he spends a significant portion of the book with the other characters underestimating him... to their detriment. We primarily view him through the eyes of his unwilling squire/new best friend who's pretty sure Mirain's insane. The book sets up the idea of the dichotomy and conflict between a god of light and a goddess of darkness, one good and life sustaining, the other evil and bringer of death.
2) The Lady of Han-Gilen
This is the story of how Mirain gets married. In it we are introduced to the polygamous culture of this world (not that the harem women are addressed at all, grrr) in the form of the opposing suitor for the titular lady's hand. Despite the opposing suitor being more clearly portrayed as totally head over heels for her, she chooses her childhood crush. Of course. The logic behind the marriage choice seems to be based more on stubbornness and a childhood promise than actual chemistry. Characters being at odds and then falling into a bed is a popular and often fun trope, but here I found the romance pretty underdeveloped and was more interested in the politics, which usually aren't my thing. (I'm more of a fluff person when it comes to my entertainment.) And a major pet peeve: Mirain, the singer, dang it! Did you just forget her from the first book to this one? Why do you not ever mention or honor her?
3) A Fall of Princes
This is the book that made me sit back and demand "What the heck?!" It's also pretty much the only reason I continued on to the second omnibus. I had to see if Tarr could top this. There's some copious crack to be found here, featuring the kids of book two's main characters. We've got improbable physical descriptions, arrogant little snots in difficult circumstances, arrogant older snots who are good at everything, underage sex (Seriously, the book should not leave me sputtering, "But the physical description made it sound like he hadn't finished puberty yet and now he has some great sexual prowess?? Excuse me, wait a minute here!"), antagonism followed by buddy bonding and then boys love, sons disagreeing with the beliefs of their fathers, gender switching, mpreg, complete and utter chaos, little addressing of psychological repercussions resulting from complete and utter chaos, and an unexpected appearance by Rip Van Winkle. The ending isn't quite "rocks fall; everyone dies" but close enough.
1) The Hall of the Mountain King
This book introduces the world of the series and the son of the sun god as he reclaims his birthright in his human grandfather's court, stealing the position from his less favored uncle. Mirain, despite some pretty spectacular powers and fighting ability, is a clean-shaven teenage priest so he spends a significant portion of the book with the other characters underestimating him... to their detriment. We primarily view him through the eyes of his unwilling squire/new best friend who's pretty sure Mirain's insane. The book sets up the idea of the dichotomy and conflict between a god of light and a goddess of darkness, one good and life sustaining, the other evil and bringer of death.
2) The Lady of Han-Gilen
This is the story of how Mirain gets married. In it we are introduced to the polygamous culture of this world (not that the harem women are addressed at all, grrr) in the form of the opposing suitor for the titular lady's hand. Despite the opposing suitor being more clearly portrayed as totally head over heels for her, she chooses her childhood crush. Of course. The logic behind the marriage choice seems to be based more on stubbornness and a childhood promise than actual chemistry. Characters being at odds and then falling into a bed is a popular and often fun trope, but here I found the romance pretty underdeveloped and was more interested in the politics, which usually aren't my thing. (I'm more of a fluff person when it comes to my entertainment.) And a major pet peeve: Mirain, the singer, dang it! Did you just forget her from the first book to this one? Why do you not ever mention or honor her?
3) A Fall of Princes
This is the book that made me sit back and demand "What the heck?!" It's also pretty much the only reason I continued on to the second omnibus. I had to see if Tarr could top this. There's some copious crack to be found here, featuring the kids of book two's main characters. We've got improbable physical descriptions, arrogant little snots in difficult circumstances, arrogant older snots who are good at everything, underage sex (Seriously, the book should not leave me sputtering, "But the physical description made it sound like he hadn't finished puberty yet and now he has some great sexual prowess?? Excuse me, wait a minute here!"), antagonism followed by buddy bonding and then boys love, sons disagreeing with the beliefs of their fathers, gender switching, mpreg, complete and utter chaos, little addressing of psychological repercussions resulting from complete and utter chaos, and an unexpected appearance by Rip Van Winkle. The ending isn't quite "rocks fall; everyone dies" but close enough.
August 28, 2015
This is actually a trilogy composed of 3 book - The Hall of the Mountain King, The Lady of Han Gilen, & A Fall of Princes - written in the late 80s by Judith Tarr. It's another book I picked up at the UDel library, although this time I had gone searching for books by Tarr and it was the only one on the shelves.
The novel is fairly different from Tarr's other works I've come across, most of which are historical fiction based in "ancient times" (B.C.E. years). This trilogy, however, is a fantasy novel - entirely fictional in nature, and taking place in a different world from ours.
What I liked a lot about this book was the language she developed for this world. It really is beautiful, flows right off the tongue and doesn't sound like any modern language I know. Personally, I like it much better than the Elven and Dwarvish languages developed by Tolkein and other contemporary fantasy writers.
I was also pleasantly surprised at her approach to love and sex. She didn't restrict love to M/F couples - there were also M/M couplings, and in one case (with Mirain, Elian, & Vadin) a polyamorous-type relationship that went far deeper than just earthly love & sex, it was like a soul-bonding between the three of them. While only Mirain & Elian actually had sex (as far as we know, anyway), they all felt for each other a deep, tying love and connection. I was disappointed that there were no F/F couples made known to the readers. Given Tarr's strong bent towards feminist writing, I am not sure it was intentionally sexist - rather, my guess is that she felt that the male-centrism of the storyline would have made that seem out-of-place or frivolous.
I liked the 2nd book the best, mostly because it was written from Elian's point of view (3rd person omniscient, but most of the focus was on what happened to Elian). She is a kick-ass character, a fiery-maned tomboy-ish woman who doesn't take shit from anyone and goes after what she really wants at any cost. I wasn't as pleased with Sevayin (Serevadin after he was turned into a woman) - she was was strong-willed, but wimpy all the same, letting the men do most of the work.
Overall, a long but decent read.
The novel is fairly different from Tarr's other works I've come across, most of which are historical fiction based in "ancient times" (B.C.E. years). This trilogy, however, is a fantasy novel - entirely fictional in nature, and taking place in a different world from ours.
What I liked a lot about this book was the language she developed for this world. It really is beautiful, flows right off the tongue and doesn't sound like any modern language I know. Personally, I like it much better than the Elven and Dwarvish languages developed by Tolkein and other contemporary fantasy writers.
I was also pleasantly surprised at her approach to love and sex. She didn't restrict love to M/F couples - there were also M/M couplings, and in one case (with Mirain, Elian, & Vadin) a polyamorous-type relationship that went far deeper than just earthly love & sex, it was like a soul-bonding between the three of them. While only Mirain & Elian actually had sex (as far as we know, anyway), they all felt for each other a deep, tying love and connection. I was disappointed that there were no F/F couples made known to the readers. Given Tarr's strong bent towards feminist writing, I am not sure it was intentionally sexist - rather, my guess is that she felt that the male-centrism of the storyline would have made that seem out-of-place or frivolous.
I liked the 2nd book the best, mostly because it was written from Elian's point of view (3rd person omniscient, but most of the focus was on what happened to Elian). She is a kick-ass character, a fiery-maned tomboy-ish woman who doesn't take shit from anyone and goes after what she really wants at any cost. I wasn't as pleased with Sevayin (Serevadin after he was turned into a woman) - she was was strong-willed, but wimpy all the same, letting the men do most of the work.
Overall, a long but decent read.
April 24, 2013
A trilogy I first read many years ago, but all three books are still amongst my favourites. I particular enjoy the fact that each stands on its own; you don't need to have read the first to appreciate and understand the second or third. My personal favourite is the last in the series, A Fall of Princes. The central relationship is unusual in high fantasy - or at least it was when it was first written - and has a very unexpected twist to it.
Tarr creates fascinating characters in all three books - Mirain, Vadin, Elian, Hirel, just to name four. (Hirel is delicious and, when I first encountered him, I would happily have run off with Vadin). She also writes interesting, expressive prose that captures and holds the attention. And I liked the blurring of lines between what was 'good' and what was 'evil' as the trilogy developed, the growing suspicion of religious fanaticism on both sides.
I still go back and read these periodically. In fact I haven't read them for a while so . . .
Tarr creates fascinating characters in all three books - Mirain, Vadin, Elian, Hirel, just to name four. (Hirel is delicious and, when I first encountered him, I would happily have run off with Vadin). She also writes interesting, expressive prose that captures and holds the attention. And I liked the blurring of lines between what was 'good' and what was 'evil' as the trilogy developed, the growing suspicion of religious fanaticism on both sides.
I still go back and read these periodically. In fact I haven't read them for a while so . . .
July 6, 2014
There are very few books that I've ever read that I just could not get into. Based on the reputation of this trilogy, I read the first novel in the omnibus, and made it partways into the second, before ultimately giving up.
Yes, it's fantasy. Yes, there are large, world-wide themes, and a sweeping plot that lingers just under the surface. But we never see them. Things just happen, one after another like a machine stamping out plates with text on them. The events are unsurprising, and the characters (aside from Vadin) are just there. I can't describe any of them beyond their roles, because they don't have personalities that I can see! If I had to pinpoint a problem it'd be this: Everything is "tell" rather than "show." You can't expect emotional involvement of your readers when they can't make emotional connections to anyone in the story, or even become invested in the events!
Yes, it's fantasy. Yes, there are large, world-wide themes, and a sweeping plot that lingers just under the surface. But we never see them. Things just happen, one after another like a machine stamping out plates with text on them. The events are unsurprising, and the characters (aside from Vadin) are just there. I can't describe any of them beyond their roles, because they don't have personalities that I can see! If I had to pinpoint a problem it'd be this: Everything is "tell" rather than "show." You can't expect emotional involvement of your readers when they can't make emotional connections to anyone in the story, or even become invested in the events!
June 9, 2007
I actually only got through the first book of this three in one volume. After having read so much fantasy with female leads, it was sort of cool to read one with a male lead. And I did rather like Mirain, who stood out for me as a brown character in fantasy. And I guess the bisexual undertones of the novel made it a good read for me as well, especially given the rather normal way in which it was treated rather than making a deal out of it.
I didn't read the second mostly because the main character was Mirain's mother, rather than Mirain himself. Not that hes the main character of the first, but he didn't appear to show up with the same regularity in the second.
I didn't read the second mostly because the main character was Mirain's mother, rather than Mirain himself. Not that hes the main character of the first, but he didn't appear to show up with the same regularity in the second.
September 8, 2009
Probably more like a 2.5. This is a series I originally read in junior high ... in retrospect, it's weak in terms of characterization (but less so in the third book). Its strengths are in the description and, hmm, call it wordcraft.
The book club edition has typoes I don't remember from either the individually published books or the later edition of the first three novels. But maybe I just forgot about them or didn't notice them.
The book club edition has typoes I don't remember from either the individually published books or the later edition of the first three novels. But maybe I just forgot about them or didn't notice them.
January 8, 2013
Can I give this 10 Stars? This trilogy ranks among my all time favorites. Judith Tarr writes a fascinating tale with very unexpected protagonists. Mirain ranks among my top 5 favorite fantasy characters ever. Loved the worldbuilding and the characters, magic, political intrigue. And each of the books takes the story in unexpected directions. I don't want to give away any of the plot. Go and read it.
May 8, 2016
I am a big fan of Judith Tar, her Hound and Falcon series remains one of my all time favorites. I love Tarr's use of words and her world building is awesome. I first read this series long ago but have read it almost on a yearly basis because it's that good. If you like fantasy books such as Game of Thrones, this one will not disappoint you.
July 12, 2010
What a trilogy! I remember reading them as small paperback while on the boat- the last one A Fall of Princes I was reading when the Clinton-Lewinski Scandal broke- Mom, Chris, Dom, and I were eating pizza at some shore-town while the tv played his "I did not sleep with that woman" interview.
June 16, 2009
Found this one disappointing. The beginning was confusing, got more interesting in the middle, then back to confusing and just plain weird at the end. Oh well.
December 27, 2012
I read this a while ago and just now remembered what it was called. I remember really liking it at the time.
August 30, 2015
Wonderful location descriptions!
June 15, 2019
Yes. Read them and fall under the spell of Tarr's tale-telling.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews