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Firebringer #1
Birth of the Firebringer
Volume One of the Firebringer Trilogy
Jan, the prince of the unicorns, is high-spirited, reckless-and the despair of his mighty father, Korr. Reluctantly, Korr allows Jan to accompany the other initiate warriors on a pilgrimage. Soon Jan's curiosity leads him, along with his friend Dagg, and their mentor, the female warrior Tek, into the greatest dangers-deadly gryphons, sly pans, wyverns, pards, and renegade unicorns. Yet time after time they are rescued, leading Jan to Am I the heir to a special destiny?
"The language is poetic, with wonderful rhythm and sweeping images...The world is a compelling one, and Jan is a dramatic hero."— Booklist
Jan, the prince of the unicorns, is high-spirited, reckless-and the despair of his mighty father, Korr. Reluctantly, Korr allows Jan to accompany the other initiate warriors on a pilgrimage. Soon Jan's curiosity leads him, along with his friend Dagg, and their mentor, the female warrior Tek, into the greatest dangers-deadly gryphons, sly pans, wyverns, pards, and renegade unicorns. Yet time after time they are rescued, leading Jan to Am I the heir to a special destiny?
"The language is poetic, with wonderful rhythm and sweeping images...The world is a compelling one, and Jan is a dramatic hero."— Booklist
202 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
38 people are currently reading
4768 people want to read
About the author
Meredith Ann Pierce
14 books642 followersMeredith Ann Pierce is a fantasy writer and librarian. Her books deal in fantasy worlds with mythic settings and yet overturn standard expectations, frequently featuring young women who first wish only to love and be loved, yet who must face hazard and danger to save their way of life, their world, and so on, usually without being respected for their efforts until the end of the story.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
April 29, 2009
This was the first true fantasy story I ever read as a youngster. It was what led me to other authors, like McCaffrey, and my continued descent into UF and the entire paranormal genre.
I still have the original mass market paperback that I bought from the school's book club.
And yet... I never even knew there were sequels to it.
I think one of the things I liked about Pierce's writing, and this book in particular, the most -- was the worldbuilding. The way she took a nonhuman sentient species and gave them an entire society and culture, a structure of religious beliefs and even racial taboos... If I'm entirely honest, I must lay the blame for the greatest influence on my writing right here.
I still have the original mass market paperback that I bought from the school's book club.
And yet... I never even knew there were sequels to it.
I think one of the things I liked about Pierce's writing, and this book in particular, the most -- was the worldbuilding. The way she took a nonhuman sentient species and gave them an entire society and culture, a structure of religious beliefs and even racial taboos... If I'm entirely honest, I must lay the blame for the greatest influence on my writing right here.
June 4, 2016
THIS IS THE BOOK I WAS BORN TO READ! I loved every beautiful moment, word, image, and character. The writing is lavish, the imagery intense. The writer uses archaic words to great effect, creating a universe that feels foreign but familiar, new but also ancient. This story brings the world of the unicorns to life. They are graceful moondancers and bearded warriors who have been kicked out of their homeland by cunning wyverns. Intelligent pans, aggressive gryphons, and renegade unicorns also surround the Vale where they live. The main character Jan is a princeling unicorn, colt of Korr, the prince of the unicorns. Jan has a big destiny and an even bigger heart. His friends Daag and Tek make wonderful companions.
In short, this book took my breath away. All horse lovers, Guardian Herd fans, lovers of mythical creatures and fantasy novels should read this trilogy! I'm on #2 now, Dark Moon and it's just as gripping and exciting (I'm on chapter 6)
In short, this book took my breath away. All horse lovers, Guardian Herd fans, lovers of mythical creatures and fantasy novels should read this trilogy! I'm on #2 now, Dark Moon and it's just as gripping and exciting (I'm on chapter 6)
June 25, 2015
I don’t remember how this book ended up in my hands but I do remember the condition it was in, missing cover with pages torn and corners bent. I found a sleeve of plastic and gently wrapped it up, deciding the best place to store it was nestled in the stuffed animal net hanging above the top right-hand corner of my bed. High and out of reach for a younger sister that couldn’t keep her grubby paws off of anything I owned and especially treasured.
I adored this book from the second I laid eyes on it and it is one of the few books I have read multiple times. It captured and held my imagination like no other book I had read before it and whenever I look back to my childhood reads, it’s one of the first to push to the front of my mind.
I still have the tattered, well-loved copy stored away and it is one of my dreams to get my hands on a pristine copy to place alongside it.
I adored this book from the second I laid eyes on it and it is one of the few books I have read multiple times. It captured and held my imagination like no other book I had read before it and whenever I look back to my childhood reads, it’s one of the first to push to the front of my mind.
I still have the tattered, well-loved copy stored away and it is one of my dreams to get my hands on a pristine copy to place alongside it.
March 14, 2017
I thought this would read kinda childish based on the concept, but I was v pleasantly surprised by the use of language and some of the beautiful sentences. The plot was intriguing, the conflict exciting, and I am more than excited to read the rest of the series.
January 20, 2020
. . . . I read this late in the summer of 2011 and fell in love with fantasy from that point forward. Unicorns, Griffins, all manner of magical fantastical creature just about made me moony eyeed. Clinging to the story for days afterwords is a by product of reading this wonderful novel. Good Lord, I can't say enough good about it. The narritive flows and is magical in it's own right. This a book for multi-generational readers. It's just as enjoyable to read it at age 10 as it was at age 20. ( I read read it last year.)
February 22, 2016
One of the best books I've read in a long time.
It starts off slow. Typical misfit prince who doesn't see things his father's way. As the story progresses there is increasingly a sense that things aren't quite what they seem. The mythology is rich, the storytelling is excellent, and the characters are real enough that you rage when they rage, or feel wonder when they feel wonder.
Earlier this week I asked a friend why I subject myself to things that inevitably leave me feeling what my generation is calling 'triggered', his response was that I appreciate beautiful things, even when they hurt me.
Nothing captures that sentiment as thoroughly as this book.
It starts off slow. Typical misfit prince who doesn't see things his father's way. As the story progresses there is increasingly a sense that things aren't quite what they seem. The mythology is rich, the storytelling is excellent, and the characters are real enough that you rage when they rage, or feel wonder when they feel wonder.
Earlier this week I asked a friend why I subject myself to things that inevitably leave me feeling what my generation is calling 'triggered', his response was that I appreciate beautiful things, even when they hurt me.
Nothing captures that sentiment as thoroughly as this book.
June 9, 2016
Though Meredith Ann Pierce has clearly thought through the rules under which her society of unicorns should operate, there is something about this book, the first in the Firebringer trilogy, that doesn't quite click. Readers who can slip easily into the blatant personification of the unicorn characters will likely enjoy this book, but as a reader I would probably have more enjoyed a novel that takes a further step away from writing about humans, and challenges the reader not only to empathize with non humans, but to empathize with non humans that actually think in a way different from humans.
January 21, 2016
Gorgeous writing, epic storyline, and UNICORNS. Super awesome warrior unicorns with magic and visions and prophecies and ancient mortal enemies that they sing songs about and what I'm saying is that this book is awesome and you should read it. Because unicorns.
March 18, 2024
The person who recommended this to me is someone I might call a friend, even though we've only met once or twice at conventions in San Francisco between the years 2012 and 2014. She intrigued me with her stories of Morocco, where her family is from. She made Morocco sound friendly, warm in spirit. I might one day visit Morocco, if for no other reason than the beautiful picture she painted in my head.
She recommended this book, of all books, because it is about badass unicorns. She told me it captured unicorns in a way that made them look brave, powerful, and cool as heck. It pushed the lines of a what a story about unicorns could be. It had heroes, lore, danger, magic. She was painting another picture in my head, a thing, to her credit, she is very good at.
I read this book over the course of a few weeks in August of 2014. By the end of that August, I had doubts about ever going to Morocco.
She recommended this book, of all books, because it is about badass unicorns. She told me it captured unicorns in a way that made them look brave, powerful, and cool as heck. It pushed the lines of a what a story about unicorns could be. It had heroes, lore, danger, magic. She was painting another picture in my head, a thing, to her credit, she is very good at.
I read this book over the course of a few weeks in August of 2014. By the end of that August, I had doubts about ever going to Morocco.
August 10, 2009
This book long predates such animal-based series as Warriors, and it far outshines them. It was published back in my childhood, and is a three-part series. The first is the best and most interesting read, rife with a wonderful prophecy, very accurate animal depiction, and great fantasy elements. It is set among a group of war unicorns, yet these unicorns are nothing like the white, virgin-seeking typical story we see. These unicorns are a varied, honorable, dangerous race that is in the middle of an age old battle with dragons. There are no men in this series (although something like them are mentioned at one point) and the world is lovely. Great, often overlooked fantasy book and one I often carry extra copies of so I can lend it to friends.
February 1, 2022
Rating: All-Time Favorite, Reread
This is a reread of one of my all-time favorite series. I haven't read it since my early teens, so it was really interesting to read as an adult. This is the story of warrior unicorns, sort of the coming of age of the Chosen One amongst them.
There is some strangely formal and old-fashioned dialogue amongst the characters, which was somewhat jarring, and there is a sequence at the end that I thought was way too over-the-top. But for the most part, it stood up! Jan is the son of the prince of the unicorns, Korr, and I love that the author creates him as a character with an open mind. Jan is open to understanding other races and people (gryphons, pans, Renegades), where the rest of his people, especially his father, are not.
This was a super fast, fun and cozy reread that brought me a lot of joy. I will be continuing my reread of the series!
This is a reread of one of my all-time favorite series. I haven't read it since my early teens, so it was really interesting to read as an adult. This is the story of warrior unicorns, sort of the coming of age of the Chosen One amongst them.
There is some strangely formal and old-fashioned dialogue amongst the characters, which was somewhat jarring, and there is a sequence at the end that I thought was way too over-the-top. But for the most part, it stood up! Jan is the son of the prince of the unicorns, Korr, and I love that the author creates him as a character with an open mind. Jan is open to understanding other races and people (gryphons, pans, Renegades), where the rest of his people, especially his father, are not.
This was a super fast, fun and cozy reread that brought me a lot of joy. I will be continuing my reread of the series!
October 1, 2023
I love reading any sort of fantasy but this book was too juvenile for me.
I mean... it's about unicorns prancing around fighting off worms lol :P It was good but I just don't have the patience for these type of books as I use to. It was still good and all but too kiddy.
It's ironic though because the length of the book and the vocabulary is too adult for a child. So It doesn't really fall in child or teen fantasy nor adult fantasy lol
I mean... it's about unicorns prancing around fighting off worms lol :P It was good but I just don't have the patience for these type of books as I use to. It was still good and all but too kiddy.
It's ironic though because the length of the book and the vocabulary is too adult for a child. So It doesn't really fall in child or teen fantasy nor adult fantasy lol
October 10, 2018
Wonderfully imaginative and vivid, this book was a fantastic fantasy story.
October 25, 2022
Yeah I can't imagine what about the unicorn book where the characters exist in an extremely authentic animal headspace but also have a society and everything is SUPER pagan and also there's moral relativity and also the main perils fall into the category of 1) vore, 2) mind control, 3) literally a tornado coulda possibly appealed to me. Just really drawing a blank here!
There are one or two minor annoyances towards the end of the book, specifically the fact that Tek and Dagg basically no-sell their best friend (and future love interest for at least one of them probably) almost dying? Like, they don't really react at all when he wakes up and is fine? And you really are kinda missing that moment where they're like OMG YOU'RE OKAY. Its absence feels pretty glaring? The other issue, which actually happens basically simultaneously, is that there's a brief shift to first-person narration which in and of itself is fine especially since the prologue and epilogue are both that way, but in those cases the first person bits are italicized and here it isn't? And the first person isn't even maintained consistently throughout that entire passage? Like, there's a part where it briefly lapses back into third person and even tells us what another character is thinking?
But that kind of thing is pretty understandable in someone's first book, and the things I love about this book are so vital and so unique that a few warts that are that nitpicking REALLY KINDA DON'T MATTER? Like, this is the kind of thing that would super annoy me in a more conventional book but it's really kinda beside the point here?
There are one or two minor annoyances towards the end of the book, specifically the fact that Tek and Dagg basically no-sell their best friend (and future love interest for at least one of them probably) almost dying? Like, they don't really react at all when he wakes up and is fine? And you really are kinda missing that moment where they're like OMG YOU'RE OKAY. Its absence feels pretty glaring? The other issue, which actually happens basically simultaneously, is that there's a brief shift to first-person narration which in and of itself is fine especially since the prologue and epilogue are both that way, but in those cases the first person bits are italicized and here it isn't? And the first person isn't even maintained consistently throughout that entire passage? Like, there's a part where it briefly lapses back into third person and even tells us what another character is thinking?
But that kind of thing is pretty understandable in someone's first book, and the things I love about this book are so vital and so unique that a few warts that are that nitpicking REALLY KINDA DON'T MATTER? Like, this is the kind of thing that would super annoy me in a more conventional book but it's really kinda beside the point here?
April 8, 2018
Ok, I'll admit it. I am definitely length-biased when it comes to books. I prefer any book I read to be around three hundred pages... I am so glad that I didn't even look at how many pages this little treat had before I ordered it from the library. This was a masterpiece. She totally could have embellished the story and made a five hundred page book, just out of the first one. But this book is perfection just the way it is. We have a detailed history (one and a half pages as the prologue), a dramatic plot complete with battles and inner conflict for our character (and don't forget a budding romance), plot twists like crazy, and a total cliff hanger at the end. I will also admit, that I read the prologue and then immediately ordered the whole trilogy from thriftbooks. I'll be getting it this week ;) This series is totally making my favorites shelf! If any of you out there enjoyed The Mountain's Call, Green Rider, Arrows of the Queen, etc etc (basically horse fantasy) you will love this book! I definitely recommend it! Five out of five stars to Birth of the Firebringer!
March 15, 2018
The only reason I'm giving this book 2 stars instead of 1 is because I love unicorns so much. But it was such a huge disappointment. I had to struggle so hard to sit through the whole thing because it was just so dull. First thing I should mention is that this book is called "Birth of the FireBringer" but you don't even find out who the FireBringer IS until page 228/234. Secondly, the author wrote the word 'smoke' about 50 times in 2 chapters. Thirdly, the book is at least 30% of describing what color things are, and not even that is done clearly (example: pg. 151 - It's surface rosy crystalline, or green, or amethyst.) Fourthly, the unicorns don't even have magic in this book. And unicorns are literally a magical creature. They were just horses with horns pretty much. And the main character just whines and breaks rules and puts his herd in danger by pulling pranks for the entire first half of the novel. Anyway, I'll stop ranting now but this book was really not worth my time.
August 16, 2010
I wanted to like this series more than I did, because I like Pierce's Darkangel books and her short stories so much. It's about unicorns, which I was a little worried about, but I thought Pierce pulled that off pretty well, actually; her unicorns aren't pretty, fluffy things, but warriors who fight for their lives and land against other beasts, gryphons and wyverns.
I think what I mostly didn't like was the main character, Jan the unicorn prince, who was all too often (particularly in the last book) incredibly dim, in a way that seemed to serve the plot (so that the big reveals could happen at the right time) more than the character. Come to think of it, that's rather how I felt about Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood, too. Still, I love Pierce's writing and find her worldbuilding absorbing, so I'm not at all sorry I read these.
I think what I mostly didn't like was the main character, Jan the unicorn prince, who was all too often (particularly in the last book) incredibly dim, in a way that seemed to serve the plot (so that the big reveals could happen at the right time) more than the character. Come to think of it, that's rather how I felt about Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood, too. Still, I love Pierce's writing and find her worldbuilding absorbing, so I'm not at all sorry I read these.
June 20, 2011
As a kid I bought this book for the cover - It had a unicorn, and I was horse crazy. I dove in and fell in love, though I'm sure I missed all the subtext about how Jan's journey might perhaps relate to my own young teen-aged struggles. None the less, I cherished this book, and years later read it again as an adult with new perspective. I love it even more now.
This is the kind of book all parents, uncles, aunts, anyone who mentors kids should pass on to the young readers in their lives. It is full of lessons on persevearance, learning from others, believing in yourself, and being a part of the whole even when you might feel like the odd one out. Lesson we could all stand to hear more often as teens or adults.
This is the kind of book all parents, uncles, aunts, anyone who mentors kids should pass on to the young readers in their lives. It is full of lessons on persevearance, learning from others, believing in yourself, and being a part of the whole even when you might feel like the odd one out. Lesson we could all stand to hear more often as teens or adults.
July 25, 2008
I ADORE this book! Imagine a world of unicorns, their coats in all the colors of the rainbow: red and blue and pink and butter yellow. Now imagine that these cute blue and pink unicorns are engaged in a long-standing war! A brilliant fantasy with a prophecy, a reluctant hero, and loads of clever twists.
June 28, 2009
yes, this is a young adult book about UNICORNS...but it will always be one of my favorites as it was my very first taste of fantasy fiction, this book is the one that got me addicted to reading! And I only picked it up by accident when I was in 6th grade. (ok, so I think I might have been 21 when I stopped believing in unicorns, yes i am a dork, suck it!)
January 11, 2017
Wow. Just, wow. This book is breathtaking. The rich storytelling, fantastic world building, unforgettable characters, incredible deliverance and fascinating plot make readers unable to put this book down. You'll be flying through the pages and before you know it, you'll be finished, awed. 5 out of 5 stars, a favorite for years to come!
September 5, 2017
Another childhood favorite I will never tire of rereading. Pierce has perfected high fantasy without resorting to swordplay -- or even humans in this case. Perfect for fans of The Last Unicorn, The Princess Bride, and The Neverending Story (all of which you MUST read in novel form, they're all extraordinary).
April 19, 2009
This is a moving and timeless book about growing up. Reading it is one of my fondest childhood memories. Whenever a thunderstorm is rising, I think of it.
April 18, 2016
This weekend past, my husband Terry and I had to make a 15 hour overnight drive from Georgia back home to Massachusetts. Our chariot was a rusted-out U-Haul with no cruise control. Terry experiences motion sickness while reading in the car, and the noise of the cabin made it difficult to understand podcasts through the small speaker we'd brought with us, so he did much of the driving while I read to him over the roar of the highway. I'd set aside an anthology of short horror stories that I thought looked intriguing for exactly this occasion--but it proved to be really, hilariously bad. We threw it aside after the first story about a haunted doll (v. original) failed to impress.
I looked at the small, ancient paperback I'd impulsively stuffed into my purse, intending to reread on my own, and asked Terry if he was up for a middle-grade fantasy read about warrior unicorns. Obviously, I would not have married him if his answer were "no." I shouted the entire novel to him over the course of our long drive, reaching the last page as signs for our town began to appear on highway exit ramps.
This was my favorite book as a child. I assumed it was because, well, unicorns. Meredith Anne Pierce was, for years, the only person onboard the tribalistic-warrior-animal-middle-grade-fantasy train, and she kicked it off in glorious style, with the best possible animal to make into a badass society of warriors, UNICORNS, OBVIOUSLY. And there is a tremendous amount of skill and craft that sets Pierce apart. She's almost bafflingly good at world-building; I read her fabulous Darkangel trilogy 2-3 times before I realized I was reading sci-fi disguised as fantasy. Pierce's language is also a standout quality of her writing; reading aloud is not forgiving to boring internal prose, and Firebringer is crammed with interesting word choices and turns-of-phrase that invoke a deep sense of history and culture for her characters. Speaking of characters, they are stock, but that is appropriate for this age demographic, and she performs a neat trick of walking them down predictable paths in their first book, then doubling back to strange and more difficult terrain as their stories deepen in complexity. All of that remained intact in this, my first re-read in a decade.
...But that is not the reason this was my favorite book.
This was my favorite book because it started the process of my atheism.
An ardently devout Catholic for the early part of my life, I threw myself into the church with rabid enthusiasm, seeking the comforts of tradition, community, and a sense of purpose. My early years were very unhappy, and the church was the only place giving me a message that resonated with my internal struggle. I spent a lot of time thinking about how the people who had been abusive to me would one day have to hear God giving them a Ru-esque reading of all the horrible things they'd said and done to me, while I sat at his right hand, nodding smugly. As an adult this all sounds ridiculous, but it reinforced my survival strategy: suffer, don't fight back, wait for someone powerful to notice and intervene. Ascribing to this mythology gave me tiny fragment of the senses of control and identity I couldn't find elsewhere. So I clung to my religion with all my might...until about the time I read this book.
Jan's journey is an escape from ingrained dogma. His people worship a mother-goddess who looks like them, talks like them, thinks like them, values their values, hates their enemies, punishes their sins, and watches everything they do, ready to strike the moment they set one cloven unicorn-toe out of line. Throughout the course of the book, Jan leaves his lil' unicorn hometown for the first time, and is confronted with events that contradict this tribe's mythology. He meets people who aren't like him, and sees instances where religious dogma brings out the absolute worst in his own kind. Although he maintains unshakable faith in his goddess's existence, he begins to question the authority of her more terrestrial interpreters.
Eventually his goddess is reveal to be real, but she is quite beyond the big-bearded-sky-unicorn depicted in the lore of his people. Rather, she's a quasi-benevolent cosmic presence that orchestrates a never-ending dance of life and death. She gives Jan a Pale Blue Dot moment, showing him his own people, then zooming out to see how they are just one tribe among many, and one species among many, in a tiny corner of a huge world, that floats around a star with other planets, which floats around a galaxy with more stars, that spins in a vast and unknowable universe. She follows this up with, essentially: "So, uh, I'm super busy, tbh I super don't care about the dumb laws y'all make for y'allselves. What is even up with those."
It was the first time in literature (or life) I had encountered the viewpoint that spirituality and religion are not necessarily intertwined, and in retrospect it was the first Jenga block removed in the tower of my own dogma. I, like Jan, was so close to my own religion that I ignored its obvious contradictions and deficiencies by habit. The Catholic hell is populated with stillborn babies, saintly people raised in other religions, and indigenous people living beyond the contact of Western missionaries--I knew this. And I knew it felt wrong, very wrong--but I accepted it, because that was The Way Things Worked. In doing so, I accepted the dominion of a god who, under this logic, was far worse than genocidal. Nazis killed, but it was MY god who sent them to everlasting, unescapable torture. And believe me, I know it sounds a bit ridiculous to compare my spiritual journey to a middle-grade children's novel about anthropomorphized unicorns... But Jan's nativist punitive religion shared so many of the qualities of my own that it was impossible for me not to being to draw patterns. The unicorns are made in their goddess's image, and she is their favorite--isn't that weird? That of all the tens of thousands of species that exist on our relatively insignificant planet, the cosmic deity has ONE special favorite? Like god is a giant unicorn playing Sims?? Heyyy, isn't that just like how we think about OUR species...? The parallels were obvious but also completely sailed over my head over years of rereading these books. But it planted invaluable seeds in the garden of my sixth-grade brain, which would eventual sprout into critical thinking, objectivity, empathy, morality, and a global perspective. I entered this series at an age where I was still seeking out the comforts of tradition, and I exited with a healthy suspicion of traditions, and the undeserving authorities they propagated.
...Also, one of the unicorns is a beard. I mean, they all HAVE beards, they're classic less-horse-more-goat/deer models...but one of the unicorns IS a beard. This unicorn society is so perfectly repressed, I do declare.
Anyway, this book is amazing. The later books only get better, as the religious angle sharpens and the characters are dragged into deep, dark, unexpected places as a result. I am beyond thrilled that this series was recently republished. I hope it will continue to work its way into the hands of the kids that need the very affirming messages it insidiously communicates.
#GayAtheistUnicorn 2016.
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I looked at the small, ancient paperback I'd impulsively stuffed into my purse, intending to reread on my own, and asked Terry if he was up for a middle-grade fantasy read about warrior unicorns. Obviously, I would not have married him if his answer were "no." I shouted the entire novel to him over the course of our long drive, reaching the last page as signs for our town began to appear on highway exit ramps.
This was my favorite book as a child. I assumed it was because, well, unicorns. Meredith Anne Pierce was, for years, the only person onboard the tribalistic-warrior-animal-middle-grade-fantasy train, and she kicked it off in glorious style, with the best possible animal to make into a badass society of warriors, UNICORNS, OBVIOUSLY. And there is a tremendous amount of skill and craft that sets Pierce apart. She's almost bafflingly good at world-building; I read her fabulous Darkangel trilogy 2-3 times before I realized I was reading sci-fi disguised as fantasy. Pierce's language is also a standout quality of her writing; reading aloud is not forgiving to boring internal prose, and Firebringer is crammed with interesting word choices and turns-of-phrase that invoke a deep sense of history and culture for her characters. Speaking of characters, they are stock, but that is appropriate for this age demographic, and she performs a neat trick of walking them down predictable paths in their first book, then doubling back to strange and more difficult terrain as their stories deepen in complexity. All of that remained intact in this, my first re-read in a decade.
...But that is not the reason this was my favorite book.
This was my favorite book because it started the process of my atheism.
An ardently devout Catholic for the early part of my life, I threw myself into the church with rabid enthusiasm, seeking the comforts of tradition, community, and a sense of purpose. My early years were very unhappy, and the church was the only place giving me a message that resonated with my internal struggle. I spent a lot of time thinking about how the people who had been abusive to me would one day have to hear God giving them a Ru-esque reading of all the horrible things they'd said and done to me, while I sat at his right hand, nodding smugly. As an adult this all sounds ridiculous, but it reinforced my survival strategy: suffer, don't fight back, wait for someone powerful to notice and intervene. Ascribing to this mythology gave me tiny fragment of the senses of control and identity I couldn't find elsewhere. So I clung to my religion with all my might...until about the time I read this book.
Jan's journey is an escape from ingrained dogma. His people worship a mother-goddess who looks like them, talks like them, thinks like them, values their values, hates their enemies, punishes their sins, and watches everything they do, ready to strike the moment they set one cloven unicorn-toe out of line. Throughout the course of the book, Jan leaves his lil' unicorn hometown for the first time, and is confronted with events that contradict this tribe's mythology. He meets people who aren't like him, and sees instances where religious dogma brings out the absolute worst in his own kind. Although he maintains unshakable faith in his goddess's existence, he begins to question the authority of her more terrestrial interpreters.
Eventually his goddess is reveal to be real, but she is quite beyond the big-bearded-sky-unicorn depicted in the lore of his people. Rather, she's a quasi-benevolent cosmic presence that orchestrates a never-ending dance of life and death. She gives Jan a Pale Blue Dot moment, showing him his own people, then zooming out to see how they are just one tribe among many, and one species among many, in a tiny corner of a huge world, that floats around a star with other planets, which floats around a galaxy with more stars, that spins in a vast and unknowable universe. She follows this up with, essentially: "So, uh, I'm super busy, tbh I super don't care about the dumb laws y'all make for y'allselves. What is even up with those."
It was the first time in literature (or life) I had encountered the viewpoint that spirituality and religion are not necessarily intertwined, and in retrospect it was the first Jenga block removed in the tower of my own dogma. I, like Jan, was so close to my own religion that I ignored its obvious contradictions and deficiencies by habit. The Catholic hell is populated with stillborn babies, saintly people raised in other religions, and indigenous people living beyond the contact of Western missionaries--I knew this. And I knew it felt wrong, very wrong--but I accepted it, because that was The Way Things Worked. In doing so, I accepted the dominion of a god who, under this logic, was far worse than genocidal. Nazis killed, but it was MY god who sent them to everlasting, unescapable torture. And believe me, I know it sounds a bit ridiculous to compare my spiritual journey to a middle-grade children's novel about anthropomorphized unicorns... But Jan's nativist punitive religion shared so many of the qualities of my own that it was impossible for me not to being to draw patterns. The unicorns are made in their goddess's image, and she is their favorite--isn't that weird? That of all the tens of thousands of species that exist on our relatively insignificant planet, the cosmic deity has ONE special favorite? Like god is a giant unicorn playing Sims?? Heyyy, isn't that just like how we think about OUR species...? The parallels were obvious but also completely sailed over my head over years of rereading these books. But it planted invaluable seeds in the garden of my sixth-grade brain, which would eventual sprout into critical thinking, objectivity, empathy, morality, and a global perspective. I entered this series at an age where I was still seeking out the comforts of tradition, and I exited with a healthy suspicion of traditions, and the undeserving authorities they propagated.
...Also, one of the unicorns is a beard. I mean, they all HAVE beards, they're classic less-horse-more-goat/deer models...but one of the unicorns IS a beard. This unicorn society is so perfectly repressed, I do declare.
Anyway, this book is amazing. The later books only get better, as the religious angle sharpens and the characters are dragged into deep, dark, unexpected places as a result. I am beyond thrilled that this series was recently republished. I hope it will continue to work its way into the hands of the kids that need the very affirming messages it insidiously communicates.
#GayAtheistUnicorn 2016.
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June 24, 2019
I’m mad it’s taken me this long to find this book. I’m not sure how it stayed hidden, but I’m glad it’s finally been uncovered and wish more people to find it.
It holds the classic tale found in animal centric fantasy akin to the similarly named and more known Fire Bringer by David Clement-Davies; a familiar pattern of prophecy, growth, and charm. But what this book has that others don’t is more heart woven between 200 pages of lyrical lines than I’ve seen in something as far reaching as a thousand.
It holds the classic tale found in animal centric fantasy akin to the similarly named and more known Fire Bringer by David Clement-Davies; a familiar pattern of prophecy, growth, and charm. But what this book has that others don’t is more heart woven between 200 pages of lyrical lines than I’ve seen in something as far reaching as a thousand.
May 29, 2017
Yan is een jonge eenhoorn, de zoon van de eenhoornprins. Hij houdt er niet van om volgens de regels van de groep te leven, wat hem meer dan eens in moeilijkheden brengt. Maar uiteindelijk blijkt dat er voor Yan een grote taak weggelegd is. Samen met zijn vriend Dagg en de jonge vrouwelijke krijger Tek kan hij de troep voor een ramp behoeden.
Een boek dat je niet kan wegleggen!
Een boek dat je niet kan wegleggen!
abandoned
May 17, 2017I'm abandoning this one - the cheese is just too great. There is definitely a place for cheese in my heart but I'm just not in the mood right now (#RobinHobbBookHangover2017). I wish I had known about this book when I was 10!
February 20, 2022
I can't give this book a fair review because this is one of the core stories that shaped my childhood. Like The Last Unicorn, I will never be able to see this as anything but a foundation upon which all future unicorn lore must stand.
When I first found this book in my middle school library in the 90's, I wanted to buy a copy but it was out of print everywhere. (This was before the reprinting in 2003.) Ordering online wasn't a thing back then and my local bookstore couldn't help, so I had few options. Me, as a young child, decided to carefully TYPE OUT THE ENTIRE NOVEL on my little home Mac computer, so I could own a copy of the book, and then returned it to the library. It took me almost a month. (I got permission from the library to have it that long.)
Rereading it as an adult, I'm still delighted and enchanted by Pierce's beautiful world and the cultures she has created.
When I first found this book in my middle school library in the 90's, I wanted to buy a copy but it was out of print everywhere. (This was before the reprinting in 2003.) Ordering online wasn't a thing back then and my local bookstore couldn't help, so I had few options. Me, as a young child, decided to carefully TYPE OUT THE ENTIRE NOVEL on my little home Mac computer, so I could own a copy of the book, and then returned it to the library. It took me almost a month. (I got permission from the library to have it that long.)
Rereading it as an adult, I'm still delighted and enchanted by Pierce's beautiful world and the cultures she has created.
October 19, 2024
Bullet review:
+ Some genuinely great world-building (minus one minor issue) with lots of races and there being more to them than meets the eye.
+ A great climax and villain.
+ Main character is genuinely well-written and rounded, being flawed but still having a strong moral compass and relying on wits rather than strength to win during the climax.
+ Tek is the best character, I also loved Dagg.
- While overall the world-building is great, I'm not sure how to feel about humans existing in this realm. It's overall VERY high-fantasy and otherworldly, so to suddenly read that humans exist in this otherwise very fantastical world feels a bit, I don't know, off. I'm not sure how Pierce will handle it in future installments, maybe it'll be well done. But it did throw me off when humans (and normal horses) were mentioned here as they feel very out of place compared to everything else that was established before.
Full review at: https://skybookcorner.blogspot.com/20...
+ Some genuinely great world-building (minus one minor issue) with lots of races and there being more to them than meets the eye.
+ A great climax and villain.
+ Main character is genuinely well-written and rounded, being flawed but still having a strong moral compass and relying on wits rather than strength to win during the climax.
+ Tek is the best character, I also loved Dagg.
- While overall the world-building is great, I'm not sure how to feel about humans existing in this realm. It's overall VERY high-fantasy and otherworldly, so to suddenly read that humans exist in this otherwise very fantastical world feels a bit, I don't know, off. I'm not sure how Pierce will handle it in future installments, maybe it'll be well done. But it did throw me off when humans (and normal horses) were mentioned here as they feel very out of place compared to everything else that was established before.
Full review at: https://skybookcorner.blogspot.com/20...
October 28, 2020
It looks like I might be the first male to be reviewing this book on Goodreads. I got this in one of the Scholastic order forms in fourth or fifth grade, and it's been on my shelf ever since, but I only finished reading it today. Part of the problem was the paper and print quality, unless I just now, at 44, need reading glasses (although the fine print in Arden Shakespeare notes wasn't a struggle for me apart from the 3s and the 5s), but I'm pretty sure that was a struggle for me when I was younger, too. I've looked over most of the reviews, and I agree with most of them, both good and bad. The book is pretty slow, and the subpar legibility of the print didn't help matters. This made me feel like I was often relating too closely to Jan as he was being hypnotized by the Mistress of Mysteries in the cave, a section of the story that lasted for several chapters. One might call such a pacing "deliberate" because the author seems fully conscious of how much space is being devoted to a comparatively brief period of time. Indeed, the book is in third person so long that the transition back to first-person is rather jarring, but you'll probably remember the introduction eventually as you read the last portion of the book.
As others have said, Pierce's presentation of the unicorn culture is one of the strongest aspects of the book. It definitely feels like a full picture of a proud people, often to the point of racism. The next-best established are the wyverns, but as they are the enemy, our picture is much less limited. The gryphons seem to be the principle enemy at first, and a large battle with them comes at an unusual place--comparatively near the beginning but certainly not the opening. We learn some about their culture, too. We also learn about pans (a bit disconcerting that she uses this term rather than "satyr" or "faun"--in the mythology Pan was one guy) and touch slightly upon the dragons and pards (which I initially took as an alternate name for gryphons, which are also called wingcats. Pierce's description of the wyverns makes them very snake-like. Traditionally, wyverns are winged, bipedal dragons with spikes or diamond shapes in their tails. At no point does Pierce mention wings or flight. The wyverns' legs are described as stubby and superficial and have poison stingers in their tails. They also develop a peculiarity later on in life is seem as freakish in real-life reptiles but does happen on occasion. They themselves treat it as old age but see lack of a sting as freakish and, at least at one time, a reason to eat their own young who possess that trait.
SPOILER SPACE
END SPOILER SPACE
One of the reviews complains that you don't learn who the Firebringer is until it's almost over. I assumed that the main character would turn out to be the Firebringer before I even ordered the book. Pierce gives us many reasons to doubt that it would be him and drops many red herrings. Everything prophesied about the Firebringer is true, even those dismissed as being from false prophets, and the ways in which Jan does not resemble the Firebringer alter across the story so that he does match with the prophecies, after all.
The book is clearly an origin story, and it would have been surprising if the Firebringer had turned out to be a different character. It's also clearly a coming of age story, as is typical in YA novels. Pretty much any YA novel that did not involve the main character maturing and stepping into an important role of responsibility and discovering previously unknown and feelings for a friend of the opposite sex (mercifully limited to a couple of sentences here, which I mention because my own life experience with developing feelings for friends of the opposite sex is getting rebuffed or worse, but always seems effortless in YA books) was seriously looked down upon and derided by parents, teachers, and school librarians, although that seems to be less so today. In this they resemble the sort of "great man" motif in biographies, particularly of men (Dennis Bingham, one of my principle undergraduate professors, who has written extensively on biopics, argues that historically biographies of women have been a different genre that has emphasized masochism and victimization).
Pierce's writing is strong, and probably more brutal than I would have appreciated at the time I bought this, when fantasy to me was Oz and Wonderland. This is certainly not My Little Pony. It would have benefited greatly from a glossary, particularly as the internet was basically BBSs at the time that only big-time computer nerds like my older brother used. She uses a a lot of equestrian jargon, certainly appropriate for the nature of the material, that can make it difficult for people not familiar with it. Wikipedia wasn't always helpful (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossar...). "Wheel" is one of the words she uses most commonly, and I could interpret it only with an educated guess, as it's not in the article."Shying" is defined on Wikipedia as "When a horse jumps in fright, usually at a sudden movement or an unfamiliar object." The source given is Steven D Price and Jessie C. Shiers. The Lyons Press Horseman's Dictionary: Full Explanations of More than 2,000 Terms and Phrases Used by Horsemen. (2007). At several points, unicorns are commanded to shy, which, with this definition, seems a strange thing to order of someone. She also refers to "foals and fillies" at numerous points, which sounds incorrect and ccontinues to sound incorrect based on the Wikipedia glossary in which foal is a gender-neutral term. The word "colt" appears occasionally in the book, but it doesn't seem to have the most positive connotations. For reasons of usage alone, including a glossary would have been ideal. Overall, though, despite the slow parts and somewhat predictable course of the story (certainly not in terms of specifics, just in use of tropes outlined above), I am intrigued enough to want to read the other two books, even if they will not be my immediate next reads.
As others have said, Pierce's presentation of the unicorn culture is one of the strongest aspects of the book. It definitely feels like a full picture of a proud people, often to the point of racism. The next-best established are the wyverns, but as they are the enemy, our picture is much less limited. The gryphons seem to be the principle enemy at first, and a large battle with them comes at an unusual place--comparatively near the beginning but certainly not the opening. We learn some about their culture, too. We also learn about pans (a bit disconcerting that she uses this term rather than "satyr" or "faun"--in the mythology Pan was one guy) and touch slightly upon the dragons and pards (which I initially took as an alternate name for gryphons, which are also called wingcats. Pierce's description of the wyverns makes them very snake-like. Traditionally, wyverns are winged, bipedal dragons with spikes or diamond shapes in their tails. At no point does Pierce mention wings or flight. The wyverns' legs are described as stubby and superficial and have poison stingers in their tails. They also develop a peculiarity later on in life is seem as freakish in real-life reptiles but does happen on occasion. They themselves treat it as old age but see lack of a sting as freakish and, at least at one time, a reason to eat their own young who possess that trait.
SPOILER SPACE
END SPOILER SPACE
One of the reviews complains that you don't learn who the Firebringer is until it's almost over. I assumed that the main character would turn out to be the Firebringer before I even ordered the book. Pierce gives us many reasons to doubt that it would be him and drops many red herrings. Everything prophesied about the Firebringer is true, even those dismissed as being from false prophets, and the ways in which Jan does not resemble the Firebringer alter across the story so that he does match with the prophecies, after all.
The book is clearly an origin story, and it would have been surprising if the Firebringer had turned out to be a different character. It's also clearly a coming of age story, as is typical in YA novels. Pretty much any YA novel that did not involve the main character maturing and stepping into an important role of responsibility and discovering previously unknown and feelings for a friend of the opposite sex (mercifully limited to a couple of sentences here, which I mention because my own life experience with developing feelings for friends of the opposite sex is getting rebuffed or worse, but always seems effortless in YA books) was seriously looked down upon and derided by parents, teachers, and school librarians, although that seems to be less so today. In this they resemble the sort of "great man" motif in biographies, particularly of men (Dennis Bingham, one of my principle undergraduate professors, who has written extensively on biopics, argues that historically biographies of women have been a different genre that has emphasized masochism and victimization).
Pierce's writing is strong, and probably more brutal than I would have appreciated at the time I bought this, when fantasy to me was Oz and Wonderland. This is certainly not My Little Pony. It would have benefited greatly from a glossary, particularly as the internet was basically BBSs at the time that only big-time computer nerds like my older brother used. She uses a a lot of equestrian jargon, certainly appropriate for the nature of the material, that can make it difficult for people not familiar with it. Wikipedia wasn't always helpful (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossar...). "Wheel" is one of the words she uses most commonly, and I could interpret it only with an educated guess, as it's not in the article."Shying" is defined on Wikipedia as "When a horse jumps in fright, usually at a sudden movement or an unfamiliar object." The source given is Steven D Price and Jessie C. Shiers. The Lyons Press Horseman's Dictionary: Full Explanations of More than 2,000 Terms and Phrases Used by Horsemen. (2007). At several points, unicorns are commanded to shy, which, with this definition, seems a strange thing to order of someone. She also refers to "foals and fillies" at numerous points, which sounds incorrect and ccontinues to sound incorrect based on the Wikipedia glossary in which foal is a gender-neutral term. The word "colt" appears occasionally in the book, but it doesn't seem to have the most positive connotations. For reasons of usage alone, including a glossary would have been ideal. Overall, though, despite the slow parts and somewhat predictable course of the story (certainly not in terms of specifics, just in use of tropes outlined above), I am intrigued enough to want to read the other two books, even if they will not be my immediate next reads.
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