⇒ Download Gratis The Element of Fire Martha Wells 9780615135717 Books

The Element of Fire Martha Wells 9780615135717 Books

Download As PDF : The Element of Fire Martha Wells 9780615135717 Books

The Element of Fire Martha Wells 9780615135717 Books

The Element of Fire is Martha Wells' first published novel. At this point, I've read several of her books, so it was interesting traveling back in time to the earliest point in her professional writing career. I can safely say that I was not disappointed. It seems Martha has always known how to write a good book, even from the very beginning. The Element of Fire reads like a three musketeers story with sword fights and rapier armed guardsmen, but there's the added fun of sorcerers and the fay. With rich characters and a delightfully fun story that carries the action to the very last line of the book, it's a tale worth reading.

There are two stars in the book. One is Thomas Boniface. Thomas is the Captain of the Queen's Guard. On the surface, he's the courageous, loyal guardsmen who would give his life to save the queen. He's skilled with a sword and pistol and considered a bit of a lady's man. But Thomas is also a romantic consort of the Dowager Queen. To further complicate matters, there are two queens in the book. There's the Dowager Queen Ravenna, who is the acting leader of Ile-Rien, and then there's Queen Falaise, the bride of the current King, Roland. Roland is in turn the son of Ravenna. There's no incest going on, it's just a matter of Roland not being quite up to par for ruling the kingdom so Ravenna is doing the real work of leadership. Thomas is one of her most trusted confidants.

The other star of the book is Kade Carrion, the Queen of Air and Darkness. Kade is half fay and half human. She's also King Roland's sister, though not by Ravenna. Unlike Roland, Kade holds no aspirations for the throne and is much more interested in magic. Being half fay, no one trusts her, and her motives are kept very mysterious. But as the story progresses, details are revealed and her character is significantly developed. Her and Thomas become central focal points for the story and the fate of Ile-Rien.

As the book starts out, Thomas leads a rescue mission to save a sorcerer named Dubell from an evil sorcerer named Grandier. However Grandier is only mentioned in the beginning and a lot of the early story darts around the politics of the royal court. The various characters are introduced and their roles are laid out. After the action scene that kicks off the story, there's a slow warm up before things get really good. Yet that build up pays off. By the time the fay arrive and the kingdom falls into chaos, you're already comfortable with the main characters and their roles. And there's a lot of action in the later half of the book. In fact there's action all the way up to the very end, quite literally.

As a reader, I like the more exotic elements in fantasy stories. It adds to the escapism and provides fuel for the imagination. In that respect, The Element of Fire delivers by unleashing a whole horde of bizarre fay creatures who run amuck in Ile-Rien. Plus there are two clashing schools of magic that play a part in the story. On the one hand, there is Dubell and his traditional sorcery. On the other is Kade and her fay magic which uses glamour. Furthermore, the story not only utilizes the fay, but explores several locations in the fay realm. I really enjoyed the scenes in the fay world with their wild environments and gravity defying structures.

Guns, swords, magic, fay, politics, romance, duels, battlefields, there's a little bit of everything in The Element of Fire, but never too much or too little. The story has deep characters, enjoyable action scenes and a fun plot. I'd certainly recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy stories with good characters. It's use of the fay helps it stand out from many other fantasy stories. Yet there really is something to be said about the ending: it's perfect. Not drawn out, not cut short, but just absolutely fitting for the characters. I give The Element of Fire a five out of five.


Tags : The Element of Fire [Martha Wells] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Element of Fire</i> was first published in the US by Tor Books in 1993, and has been published in six languages. It was a finalist for the 1993 Compton Crook/Stephen Tall Award and a runner-up for the 1994 Crawford Award. This new edition has b,Martha Wells,The Element of Fire,Martha Wells,0615135714,Science Fiction - General,FICTION Fantasy General,Fantasy,Fantasy - General,Fiction,Fiction - Fantasy,Fiction Science Fiction General,FIC009000,FIC028000

The Element of Fire Martha Wells 9780615135717 Books Reviews

Disclaimer, I first read this book in manuscript back when Ms. Wells first wrote this and, in fact, it was the first book I ever wrote a blurb for.

We no longer live in the same town so I don't get that privilege anymore, but I still buy all of her books as soon as they come out.

I strongly recommend all of her books but the five Ile Rien books ELEMENT OF FIRE, DEATH OF A NECROMANCER, THE WIZARD HUNTERS, SHIPS OF THE AIR, and GATE OF GODS, hold a special place in my heart and I reread them regularly.
Although the prose has been upgraded (according to the author) the plotting and story is impressive as a first book.
The plot isn't unique in any way but twists and turns, and wiggles enough to mot make it same, same. The story that is told is framed in charm and likable persons, and everyone has motives (although some motives are very strange) that feels believable and you can feel for the entire cast.
Premise Set in the same world as The Wizard Hunters and its sequels, but takes place centuries prior. In the kingdom of Ile-Rien, the Captain of the Queen's Guard goes to rescue an academic sorcerer from a dangerous foreign wizard. It seems simple enough, but with power-hungry sycophants circling the young king, who himself seems disinclined to care about the kingdom, everything is part of someone's plot and everyone will be drawn into the battle for the future of the country.

I really enjoyed this book. Wells seems to have a knack for characters who I find likable because of their abrasive ways. In this book, it's Kade Carrion, half-fay bastard sister to the king. She's all sorts of awesome. She could be powerful, but chooses to mostly skate by on her luck and trickery. She's snarky and sad and simply delightful.

The Dowager Queen Ravenna is pretty spectacular as well. Just because her weak-willed son has reached his majority doesn't mean she'll easily give up the power she's wielded her entire life. She's often cynical and angry, but also extremely clever and hard, as she's needed to be to keep her land safe through violent war.

Captain Thomas Boniface is a bit more generic, but he's a good-hearted sort, although he's learned enough cynicism and deceit from Ravenna to have survived this long at her side.

The story is easy to follow and trips along at a good pace. I did see one twist coming, but just long enough to really feel the foreshadowing hit. The romantic subplot is well handled, and while it informs characters' motivations, it never overwhelms the story.

The descriptions of the various fay creatures are great, and the differences between fay magic and human sorcery (only alluded to loosely in the other books in this world) are explored in depth.

Overall, while neither groundbreaking or perfect, I found this to be a thoroughly engaging and enjoyable read.
Brilliant debut work about sorcery's use and abuse in royal circles. Something seemed to occur on every page. I thought of it as concentrated storytelling. No skimming possible if you want to follow closely. I couldn't put it down after I started, and I began her most heralded work, The Death of the Necromancer, immediately after finishing this book, and I am in a hurry to get back to it. That's how well she writes and how gripping the stories are. Just a brilliant talent, and if you've thought about trying out Martha Wells, as I had for a long time, this is the book to start with. I liked it much more than her City of Bones, which is the first of her works that I tried. A bargain too as this and many of her well known works are low priced.
The Element of Fire is Martha Wells' first published novel. At this point, I've read several of her books, so it was interesting traveling back in time to the earliest point in her professional writing career. I can safely say that I was not disappointed. It seems Martha has always known how to write a good book, even from the very beginning. The Element of Fire reads like a three musketeers story with sword fights and rapier armed guardsmen, but there's the added fun of sorcerers and the fay. With rich characters and a delightfully fun story that carries the action to the very last line of the book, it's a tale worth reading.

There are two stars in the book. One is Thomas Boniface. Thomas is the Captain of the Queen's Guard. On the surface, he's the courageous, loyal guardsmen who would give his life to save the queen. He's skilled with a sword and pistol and considered a bit of a lady's man. But Thomas is also a romantic consort of the Dowager Queen. To further complicate matters, there are two queens in the book. There's the Dowager Queen Ravenna, who is the acting leader of Ile-Rien, and then there's Queen Falaise, the bride of the current King, Roland. Roland is in turn the son of Ravenna. There's no incest going on, it's just a matter of Roland not being quite up to par for ruling the kingdom so Ravenna is doing the real work of leadership. Thomas is one of her most trusted confidants.

The other star of the book is Kade Carrion, the Queen of Air and Darkness. Kade is half fay and half human. She's also King Roland's sister, though not by Ravenna. Unlike Roland, Kade holds no aspirations for the throne and is much more interested in magic. Being half fay, no one trusts her, and her motives are kept very mysterious. But as the story progresses, details are revealed and her character is significantly developed. Her and Thomas become central focal points for the story and the fate of Ile-Rien.

As the book starts out, Thomas leads a rescue mission to save a sorcerer named Dubell from an evil sorcerer named Grandier. However Grandier is only mentioned in the beginning and a lot of the early story darts around the politics of the royal court. The various characters are introduced and their roles are laid out. After the action scene that kicks off the story, there's a slow warm up before things get really good. Yet that build up pays off. By the time the fay arrive and the kingdom falls into chaos, you're already comfortable with the main characters and their roles. And there's a lot of action in the later half of the book. In fact there's action all the way up to the very end, quite literally.

As a reader, I like the more exotic elements in fantasy stories. It adds to the escapism and provides fuel for the imagination. In that respect, The Element of Fire delivers by unleashing a whole horde of bizarre fay creatures who run amuck in Ile-Rien. Plus there are two clashing schools of magic that play a part in the story. On the one hand, there is Dubell and his traditional sorcery. On the other is Kade and her fay magic which uses glamour. Furthermore, the story not only utilizes the fay, but explores several locations in the fay realm. I really enjoyed the scenes in the fay world with their wild environments and gravity defying structures.

Guns, swords, magic, fay, politics, romance, duels, battlefields, there's a little bit of everything in The Element of Fire, but never too much or too little. The story has deep characters, enjoyable action scenes and a fun plot. I'd certainly recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy stories with good characters. It's use of the fay helps it stand out from many other fantasy stories. Yet there really is something to be said about the ending it's perfect. Not drawn out, not cut short, but just absolutely fitting for the characters. I give The Element of Fire a five out of five.