Treason Keep(Hythrun Chronicles Series)

From Booklist
The suspense of Medalon [BKL My 15 04], book one of the Hythrun Chronicles, continues in this spirited sequel. Treachery and political intrigue are rampant, and all-out war looms as the High Prince of Karien prepares to invade Medalon under the direction of the god Xaphista. R'shiel, the demon child created by the gods to slay Xaphista, was fatally wounded in Medalon; healed by Cheltaran, the god of healing, R'shiel is now recovering under the ministrations of the Harshini, a people legendary for magic. Medalon's only chance for thwarting the invaders lies in allying with the Hythruns and their storied warlord. Meanwhile, the gods are still blithely interfering in human affairs. Emerging from the Harshini sanctuary, R'shiel finds herself at the center of events, even though she is still learning her powers. Fallon maintains her carefully crafted world and her multifaceted characterizations in a quite complex story that, leavened by romance and some comic relief, flows smoothly. All of its threads fall into place, making this a sequel sure to please fans. Sally Estes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Jacqueline Carey
Fantasy readers in the U.S. will welcome Jennifer Fallon, Australia's latest expport.


Review
Following up on the success of her debut novel Medalon, Australian author Jenniffer Fallon is back with the second installment of her rousing Demon Child Trilogy. There's more action and a rash of political shenanigans in Treason Keep, but it's the warmth and humanity of her characters that will keep you reading.


Book Description
In Medalon, Book One of the Hythrun Chronicles, Tarja Tenragen and his half-sister R'shiel were forced to lead a rebellion against their power hungry mother, who ruled Medalon as the First Sister of the Blade. But their mother's defeat came at great cost: not only does it leave Medalon vulnerable to invasion, R'shiel is mortally wounded.

As Treason Keep begins, R'shiel is on the brink of death. Her only hope is the healing powers of the Harshini--magical beings long thought extinct. Even they will be hard-pressed to save the Demon Child of prophecy . . .

On Medalon's northern border, Tarja and the Defenders are far too few to stand against the invaders from Karien, even with the new fortifications built onto Treason Keep. The only thing that can save them is an alliance with Hythria, with whom the Medalon have been skirmishing for generations. But can Tarja trust Damin Wolflblade, warlord and heir to the throne of Hytrhia, with whom Tarja has personally crossed blades upon the field of battle?

Meanwhile, King Hablet of Fardohnya weds his eldest daughter, the stunningly beautiful but shrewish Princess Adrina, to the Karien Heir. Hablet hopes to place his grandchild on the Karien throne. But the wayward and rebellious Adrina has her own plans, and the fate of three nations dangle upon her insolent whim.

Featuring a heady blend of political intrigue, war, and one of the great love-hate relationships in fantasy fiction, Treason Keep is sure to please the many fans of epic fantasy.



From the Inside Flap
Praise for Treason Keep:
"Fantasy readers in the U.S. will welcome Jennifer Fallon, Australia's latest export."--Jacqueline Carey

"Jennifer Fallon structures her novels to capture the reader from the opening paragraph and you can only break from her grasp when you reach the final page. I recommend Treason Keep."--Altair

"Following up on the success of her debut novel Medalon, Australian author Jennifer Fallon is back with the second installment of her rousing Demon Child Trilogy. There's more action and a rash of political shenanigans in Treason Keep, but it's the warmth and humanity of her characters that will keep you reading."--TV Week (Australia)



About the Author
The ninth child in a family of 13 girls, Jennifer Fallon was born in a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. After living in various areas of Australia, including Canberra, Darwin, and a remote mining settlement, Fallon settled in the Northern Territory in 1980. She has two daughters and a son. She has had 32 foster children and friends refer to her home as "the ashram" due to the large number of stray teenagers that still inhabit her house at irregular intervals.

Fallon has worked as a youth worker, a store detective, shop assistant, an advertising sales rep and executive secretary, among other things. She has managed two hire car companies, an ISP, and a video shop, as well as founding the Anzac Hill Gymnastics Club in 1991. She is a member of the Business & Professional Women's Association and is often in demand as a guest speaker.

Fallon started writing when she was about 14. Her mother, who died when Fallon was 13, was an aspiring children's writer who encouraged her daughter to write. She started writing fantasy in 1990 when she decided she would be better off writing something for herself, rather than trying to please everyone else. In 1995, Jennifer vowed to either get published by the year 2000 or give up writing and get a real job. Her first novel, Medalon, was released in Australia in August 2000 and hit the bestseller list the first week it was released, as well as being shortlisted for the 2000 Aurealis Awards as the best Fantasy novel.



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Second in the Hythrun Chronicles (Medalon, p. 206), a fantasy about the fate of nations hanging on the doings of one R'Shiel, a young woman with great magical powers. Things open with R'Shiel dangerously wounded in the battle that concluded the previous volume. She's at Sanctuary, the home of the magical race that she's half-descended from. Her half-brother Tarja is at a fort in the north of their native kingdom, Medalon, awaiting an anticipated attack from Karien, a northern kingdom intent on spreading its monotheistic religion. And King Hablet of the decadent southern kingdom of Fardohnya has sent Princess Adrina, his shrewish eldest daughter, to marry the Karien heir, the puritanical prince Cratyn. The two have so little in common that it's almost a given that their marriage will fall apart quickly and disastrously. From this beginning, Fallon builds a fast-moving tale full of Machiavellian schemes, extreme character conflict, sudden reverses of fortune, and capricious interventions of gods whose power waxes and wanes in proportion to the number of their human followers. Fallon takes the theory of character abuse about as far as it can go, with R'Shiel once again captured and left in the hands of her most bitter enemy. Meanwhile, Adrina lords it over Cratyn until he suddenly turns the tables, revealing himself to be far more dangerous than she realized. Tarja, along with the dashing southern warlord Damin, does his best to prepare for the Karien assault they know is coming-until a far-too-easy victory is followed by a shocking betrayal. Fallon orchestrates all this with a smooth sense of dialogue and a sure feeling for pace-and she has the ability to juxtapose the comic and thedramatic without undercutting either. A well-executed "popcorn" fantasy, with complex characters and entertaining style.


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