Product Description

The Aldabreshin Archipelago has been ravaged by war, its fragile alliances sundered by new enemies - enemies wielding forbidden elemental magic and spreading terror throughout the scattered southern realm. Warlord Daish Kheda has vowed to reclaim his people's land. Exiled from the kingdom and separated from his family, Daish journeys north to seek answers. The wizard Dev has pledged to assist him, hungry to discover the secrets of this powerful dark magic. And it is Dev's obsession that will lead the men to further conflict and into a political battle where strength in magic is key to the highest rank of all.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #322280 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 608 pages

Review
'Southern Fire is quite possibly one of the best fantasy epics that I have read' www computercrowsnest.com

About the Author
Juliet E. McKenna has worked as a bookseller, but is now a full-time mother and writer.

Customer Reviews

An Excellent Read
I was really pleasantly suprised by this book which had me unable to put it down.

There is a fast-moving plot with a complete civilisation created along with its own customs and traditions. There is an attention to detail which initially had me a bit impatient to get on with the action, but soon had me hooked. The insights into the workings of the mind of the key character were invaluable to explain the way this fictional world functioned.

At the end of this book I was already in posession of the next two. . . . Will certainly be sampling more of this author.

A solid entry in this series
After Southern Fire comes Northern Storm, and although you could read them standalone, I'd certainly recommend reading them in order, since McKenna has developed the characters considerably in the first book. Northern Storm follows Kheda, warlord to a new domain, his old domain left to his children. The new domain borders unknown southern waters, and it is from here a new threat emerges. The dragon in question, and indeed the magics throughout the book, are exquisitely detailed. A new character is introduced to aid Kheda, Dev and Risala in their defence of the domain, and this character ventures in to new territory seeking answers that the party will clearly need. The endgame is well executed, although perhaps overly lengthy, however Northern Storm is mostly an enjoyable and fresh approach to fantasy fiction.

A stepping stone?
I was disappointed with this book, particularly after the first one in the series, immersed you so completely in the Aldebrashin world. I think this book is probably a stepping stone to the next in the series as it felt incomplete with a vaguely dis-satisfying ending.

The protagionist Kheda, annoyed me and if there was one reference to him wanting to kill his ally Dev, there were a dozen, a bit laboured for me I'm afraid.

However from my experience with the author's first series, the tales of Einarinn,(five in all) which I highly recommend; the series will be hugely enjoyable, with some books more captivating than others.