Senrid

Sartorias-deles (Timeline Order) #13

by Sherwood Smith

The kids on the good side are united in one thing: regarding Senrid as a villain. So what do you do when you’re fifteen, supposedly king of one of the most powerful kingdoms in the world, but all you have on your side are wit, will, and maybe a few skills? And what if the people you like best are your enemies, and your powerful uncle, the regent, want to see you dead?

This is actually three novelettes and a novella, forming an arc with Senrid at the center, first written after Sherwood Smith turned fifteen, the age of the kids in the stories.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Childrens, Magic, Adventure, Science Fiction Fantasy, War

448 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2007

About the author

I am a writer,( Patreon here) but I'm on Goodreads to talk about books, as I've been a passionate reader as long as I've been a writer--since early childhood.

I'm not going to rate books--there are too many variables. I'd rather talk about the reading experience. My 'reviews' of my books are confined to the writing process.

Reviews

[Sherwood Smith]

This book is one of those learning lessons that creative writing teachers tell writer, with good reason, "Don't do this." The reason why I did it anyway is because it's a crucial part of the storyline centered around Senrid, one of the key characters in the long arc of Sartorias-deles books (direct descendant of Inda).

What I had to learn, and took various tries over the decades (including very recently), was to combine the kid's eye view as written in the early drafts when I was in my mid-teens, but take the "chibi" out (anime term) for non-kid readers. Trying to find that balance took me decades--and of course it's up to readers if my latest attempt is anymore successful than the earlier ones!

[Ay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm grinding my way through this sub-series to ensure I'm up to speed with the later books which Smith wrote as an adult. I am not the target market for this book.

This book was written by a 15 year old (in the 60s), starring other 15 year olds. Many of whom have done anti-aging spells to remain 15 year olds for a while, so that they can Get Stuff Done. Like saving kingdoms, learning magic and learning how to be monarchs and Fighting Evil. As you do.

Before romance and stuff Gets In the Way, to Ruin Your Life.

I get the impression that the 15 year old author was not looking forward to adulthood as she wrote this book.

So anyway, in this one we meet Senrid who is 15 and a king with a regent. There are adventures, magic, some fighting, etc.

There is an ongoing debate between him and his fellow 15 year old rulers/adventurers about good and evil, how to be good, is there any point, is being "good" just bullshit made up to justify doing what you want and claiming the moral high ground? Does the end justify the means? How do you Get Stuff Done when you are a kid and need to save your kingdom, and Grown Ups are getting in the way?

Part of the deal in reading these books is that people and places turn up which and who have obviously been fleshed out in earlier stories. Presumably when the author was about 8 or so. These stories are available, I believe, from Bookview Cafe, but I just can't face reading them.

It is interesting to immerse myself in the lifeworld of the author and through her, these characters. While being a middle aged ex-government lawyer.

When you are creating your own fantasy universe at age 8, why wouldn't you invent "magic cleaning frames" which you just walk through to wash yourself, wash your clothes, was dishes etc etc? And magic lights and other magic stuff to clean things, dispose of dead bodies, animal manure etc? And keep fleshing it all out as you get older?

By the end of each of these books I do tend to have enjoyed the experience. This renders these books, in my view, quite impressive.

[Lekhana Gogineni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Despite how it was focused on, and only gave power to kids in the 12-15 age range, and also used immature, made up curse words--it was still a really good book. I liked seeing the beginning of Senrid's character arc. How Sherwood Smith created such a complex, brilliant character when she was only fifteen amazes me. There were a lot of loose ends in this book, but I didn't mind them since I know the author's going to tie them off in other books.

3.75 stars, but the author should get some credit, cause she wrote this when she was fifteen.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to read this companion novel to the Crown and Court Duel series, but just could not get into this one. I would never have guessed that it is supposed to be set in the same world had I not been told already.

This story was originally written when the author was 15 years old and then rewritten later for publication. Unfortunately, it still reads like a 15 year old wrote it. There are so many characters with so many different back stories here that it is distracting. It's like she had too many ideas in her head and tried to cram them all into one story.

The characters are all kids or teenagers who are running various kingdoms and playing politics with one another. They are not overly fond of adults and the result is a little juvenile. The most annoying part of the book for me is the made-up slang words that she throws around left and right, with no indication of their meaning. Also, the many people and place names that are virtually unpronounceable can get very distracting.

Sadly, this one became too frustrating to get through and I ended up skimming the last half of the book. Hopefully my love for the Crown and Court Duel books will keep me from giving up on this author all together.

[Emily Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Senrid is only the 3rd of Sherwood Smith's books I've read, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. As some reviews have said, the story is a bit fragmented until Senrid comes to the fore. The latter half of the book picks up speed and coherence as events bring the disparate narratives together. Overall, Senrid is a compelling and imperfect character who experiences extraordinary challenges and victories. After reading A Stranger to Command, I was grateful for the chance to get to know this intriguing character.

[Anne Osterlund · Rating 3 out of 5]

Senrid is an Oz-esque, magical adventure. For kids. Because, of course, as Kitty, Leander, and even the mysterious boy, Senrid—who seems to have a frighteningly questionable array of secrets—all know, adults are totally incapable of stumbling upon gates from one world to another, rescuing prisoners from the jaws of execution, and, oh yes, defeating the greatest evils of Norsunder.

[Stephanie C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely not the polished work of Sherwood Smith's later years, but I still loved it!

The switching perspectives took some adjustment and I couldn't always tell who was narrating, but I just enjoyed spending time in her world. As always, she references ancient history, unknown characters and backstory that I know nothing about.

Does that annoy me? Yes.

Does it intrigue me? Yes! Those sly references make me want to read everything she's ever written (even her juvenilia), pour over maps, and make lists of cross references. I am a nerd.

I give it 4 stars, not for the writing, but for the characters, and for the world. I look forward to reading the sequel!

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I read this before reading A Stranger to Command because it gives some spoilers to Senrid’s life. Other than that, I had a hard time getting into this one but I’m glad I persisted and finished it (it gets better). It involves CJ and some of the other characters from Mearsies Heili I only read the first of CJs notebooks and didn’t continue because it was too childish for me. Many of the characters are childish and petty (they are 12-15 after all) but over time the book became interesting. I like reading how Senrid feels about light magic and people who supposedly do things for the “greater good”

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too often a trend in YA fiction is to more or less ridicule the innocence and unique perspective of children as young characters race headfirst into violence (and adulthood). In contrast, in this book I really appreciated the careful exploration of what it means to rule and have power, balanced with respect for the perspective and prerogatives of young characters.

3 star rating because it lacked some polish (found a few typos), and I found the first half disjointed.

[Lenore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was originally conceived and written when the author was herself a young teen, and it shows. There is a preference for children/teens over adults but once one gets used to it, it's actually a good book and very much reflects the way of thinking by young teens. The book is very much a smaller slice of a larger story. Sherwood Smith does a good job in having characters grow as people, except Leander- he's a moron.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for completeness--I wanted to know what happened to Senrid before A Stranger to Command. But some of Smith's oldest writing is only okay. I mean, she wrote it when she was 15, and it's pretty good for that, but it's still nothing like as good as how she writes now. But now I know what happened and can carry on with the newer books.

[Erin DeLaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book in a later Sherwood Smith cycle. This is set thousands of years after the Inda series but the main character is a direct descendant and some of it takes place in the same cities. I really enjoyed seeing how the world has changed over time, and I think the multiple kids' storylines fit in together well.

[Kes · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is apparently a revised version of what Sherwood Smith wrote in her early years, and it shows. It's a series of interconnected short stories, and each character has their own backstory. Except for Senrid (whose story is worked in), the book feels like a sequel to another few books.

I liked the musing on the principles of governance.

3/5 stars

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first quarter of the story, I was frustrated with everyone. The kids were dumb and everyone kept making stupid decisions.
I've read several of the later books before, so once I was able to get to the part where those stories were connecting, I thought the plot got much better.
Kyale is still annoying as heck.

[Blythe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I reviewed this before when I didn't read the book all the way through. Which would be okay, if it were an awful book--but this book warmed my heart when I finished it. I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by nostalgia reading about Sherwood Smith's world. It recalled my childhood spent pretending in far-off places inside my head. I read the back flap of my copy first and realized that this book's world had been a long time in the making.

On to reviewing, though. I'll say what I didn't like first, get that over with.

I didn't like the deluge of information--ie, names. I know that when one is intimately familiar with worlds and characters, it's easy to forget that others have never heard of them before...and Sherwood Smith's forgetfulness of this was what turned me off when I first started reading this a couple years ago. I had too many names thrown at me one after another. While high context narration is a good thing and can let readers be satisfied by piecing things together rather than being told, with the names of people and countries, Senrid had way too much. It needed to be toned down.

I didn't like the author using her own name as the last name of the group of girls in the country, which country's name I cannot recall. (Those names were seriously the hardest part of the book. I remember first names of characters that played a part, but that's about it). Anyway, later research revealed that these girls had the name of Sherwood before the author did. She actually changed her name and adopted herself into the group in her imaginary world when she was eight, which COMPLETELY charmed the "Anne Shirley" in me, who loves imaginative and romantic (in a picturesque sense) things like that. The only complaint is that it, for a moment, jerked me from the 'suspension of disbelief' that accompanies reading a fantasy or fiction book. I was brought plummeting to earth out of a delightful imagined world (albeit with too many names for me to keep straight) because the name "Sherwood" reminded me that I was just sitting reading a book, not actually experiencing an adventure.

The last thing I'll complain about is really just being picky. There were some magical things that were just 'explained' in the narration, which didn't fit the tone she'd set before. However, Smith wrote Senrid when she was FIFTEEN. FIFTEEN, people. That is incredibly good for a fifteen-year-old (and incredibly dedicated, I might add. I like writing but I've never ever finished a story I've written...so kudos to fifteen year old Sherwood Smith!)

Well, now, enough complaining! On to the stuff I liked! I did indeed get pulled into the world (thus the pulling out of it mentioned previously). It took a while, because I struggled with all those names, but I was charmed by the characters, Princess Kyale especially. Everyone seemed to think her annoying, but I was thinking "Gosh, she's only what? Twelve? Give her a little slack!" I actually liked her tirades and pouting, because it made her very three-dimensional.

I'm a sucker for brother-sister relationships (since I have brothers of my own), so I adored Leander (is that how it was spelled?). Senrid annoyed me. I was very sympathetic with Kitty most of the time, wanting to slap him. He improved on me over the course of the book and I was stuck wishing that he and Kitty and Leander could understand each other so that they'd finally be able to cement a friendship.

So, characters--YES! Loved them! World, check! Loved it! It was a little too convenient in spots, but I really just couldn't help but turn a blind eye to all that sort of thing...I was thinking so much of the worlds I made up and pretended in as a child.

I'm definitely glad I read it. I recommend it wholeheartedly, as long as you can at least keep the main characters straight. (There are a lot of those, more names). It really comes down to the names. If I had been able to keep all those countries and people straight in my head, I'd have enjoyed it much better and probably given it a four or five! As it stands, I just had a lot of name trouble (have I said that too much?) but I was quite glad I read it before getting rid of it. It is going to stay right where it is on my bookshelf, right next to Crown Duel. I am keeping this book for when I need a minute as a kid again.

Thanks, Sherwood Smith.

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conflict is coming between the two kingdoms of Vasande Leror and Marloven Hess. The young king of the smaller Vasande Leror has been expecting this, ever since his people overthrew the scheming and usurping queen (who was also a Marloven Hess buddy) before him. However, he did not expect to have a red headed, freckle faced girl show up in the middle of the night with a warning on an imminent attack, not to mention the solution.

So the chess game begins! With multiple campaigns, involving more than just the main two kingdoms and taking in many of the characters from Mearsies Heili (Ms. Smith's C.J. books) as well as introducing the new cast including the conflicted title character, Senrid, there was honestly a lot more plot then I expected. From the beginning, I thought it was going to be a villain in hiding, taking advantage of people and turning them against each other tale, which it isn't. Than I expected a catch-and-release plot line of the characters taking turns being captured and rescued, which there is a bit, but nowhere near as much as I was dreading. Instead this is an adventure story, with a giant chess match in the background that our characters are part of, but not in control (which rankles Senrid no end!).

Content notes: No swearing issues, but as C.J. and the girls are back, they do still have a fondness for giving horrible names to those they dislike. (They call them pocalubes, and they are supposed to be humorous, but they always come off to me as petty. And I don't like my heroes petty, which is what brought this down from a four star ranking.) No sensuality issues, arranged marriages are mentioned, but the characters are all rather young for romance. There is a bit of violence, mostly daggers and arrows type, though there is also some magical violence; the worst being the battle at the end, which isn't described in detail, just that it is going very badly and a lot of people are dying (or will).

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book really is a fantasy book written for younger teenagers. The kid heroes don't seem to think to highly of adults. ;) If you haven't read Sherwood Smith's Crown Duel book, read that before reading this one.

This book is a lot less polished than Crown Duel (for good reason). While the characters and adventures are interesting, I really only found them so interesting because I wanted to read more adventures set in the same world as Crown Duel.

World-building is one of Sherwood Smith's strong points, but the world building in this book is only "good." The pacing is also good. The characters are engaging and the adventures interesting, but somehow the threat never really felt real--I never worried the 'good' characters would die or felt they really were hurt, even though they got into some pretty dangerous positions.

I'll also mention that a lot of the names were very long and sometimes I couldn't even figure out how to pronounce them. If you like Sherwood Smith's other books, certainly give this one a try.

[Tales Untangled · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had enjoyed A Stranger To Command so much I wanted to read more books by Sherwood Smith. I did not realize Senrid was originally written when the author was 15, and changed my criticisms once her age became apparent.

Because Smith was 15 when originally writing this novella the ideas and structure is choppy, there are dangling ends and jumps of faith across space and time.

Even so, if you are really excited about the world of Crown Duel you will enjoy Senrid. At this early stage of world building she had already developed all the major influences. The rules of magic are established, the varying kingdoms, the back story for the development of evil forces, even how this new world was originally populated. I was never sure why Senrid...

To read the full review and suggestions for other books go to www.talesuntangled.wordpress.com

[SBC · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite being a fan of Smith's writing, I couldn't get into this particular book. I think it was because there was such a great level of detail and variety of characters that I had trouble fixing my sympathies with a definitive protagonist, and so much seemed to be going on I had trouble following the plots and all the different place names, etc. I really enjoyed the Inda series, which is set far back in the history of this world, and I remember finding it hard to get into the first book of that as well, until I got my head around all the specialist language of the culture. However, in this book (being singular rather than 1 of 4) the pace was much faster. Also, I found the linguistic style quite different and the focus on a huge range of special 'kids' less convincing.

[Miss Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, but I would have liked to have heard more about Kyale and Leander. What was Erdrael? Really. What happens to all these kids? Do they all have their own stories, just not published yet? Do they all grow up? How does the no-aging/ youth spell work? What was the backstory of Mara Jinea and the coup? Definitely need to read Over the Sea now. I really hope to start seeing more of the stories about these characters and this world available to all of us crazy fans out there!!!!

[thistle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked parts of this.... Its strength is the multiple views of the eponymous character, whose struggles would seem too simple without that context. I don't mean that Smith complicates things unnecessarily, rather that it'd be hard for the reader to grasp the whole without the antagonistic reactions conveyed by Faline, Kyale, and the rest.
The epub version has a few distracting errors, which I didn't note down.

[Jayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just reread Senrid after Ms. Smith re-edited it. (3.5 stars- goodreads really needs to allow partial stars!)

This is a hard book to get a grasp on - its not a straight up adventure book - lots of political thinking in the book that appeals to me as an adult but might have bored me as a teen. Many of the characters are teens/children and sometimes their childishness seems repetitive.

Going to think some more on this review.....to be continued

[D.w. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why wasn't I spared from such horrible clap trap... The material that Sherwood Smith wrote as an adult in the Inda world is decent. The items she wrote as a juvenile, is juvenile and a decent editor would have spared us all. It is a shame that Smith had to use her popularity to flog such a piece of drek.

[Jennybeast · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you’re one of those readers who wants all the little details of a fantasy world – its origins and development and obscure stories from when the author was just starting to play around in it, then by all means, check this one out. Otherwise, the author was very young when she wrote it, and it hasn’t been polished up all that much.

[Sbuchler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Written when the author was 15. It shows. The best I can say is it inspired me to read The Fox which is set in the same world (and has much tighter plotting & characterizations)

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time keeping up with all the different characters and kingdoms, but it was a good book overall. My problem was that I didn't realize until after I read it that it is part of a series, that explains why I felt so lost.

[Maren · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a story that Smith wrote when she was 15, and unfortunately, it really shows. I've liked every other book of hers that I've read, but Senrid requires too much investment for the return and I gave up 2/3 of the way through. Skip this one and pick another of Smith's books to read.

[Jodie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Despite wanting some more background on Senrid from reading other books by this author, this book was just badly written and I felt that if I had read more, it probably would of detracted from the other books.

[Teresa Carrigan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as the other books set in this universe, but it does tell the story of how Senrid became king. Takes place before "A Stranger to Command" which is prequel to "Crown Duel" and "Court Duel".

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it, not as much as A Stranger to Command though. It was also YA, which I didn't realize until after I started reading it. I assumed Senrid would be the protagonist of the story, and was mildly surprised to find that he wasn't, really. I don't really have a lot to say about this one.