Welcome to the Speculative Chic Book Club! Each month, we invite you to join us in reading a book that is voted on by YOU, our readers. Following a short review, please feel free to discuss the book in the comments!
Mystic and Rider (2006)
Written by: Sharon Shinn Genre: Fantasy Pages: 448 Pages (hardcover) Series: Book One of Twelve Houses
Publisher: Ace
Why I nominated this for book club: I was looking for books that were about a journey, and this is definitely one of them. It’s also a favorite book of mine in general, so I was happy it got picked for this month!
The premise:
Gillengaria seethes with unrest. In the south, hostility toward magic and its users has risen to a dangerous level, though King Baryn has ordered that such mystics are to be tolerated. It is whispered that he issued the decree because his new wife used her magic powers to ensnare him…
The King knows there are those in the noble Twelve Houses who could use this growing dissent to overthrow him. So he dispatches the mystic Senneth to assess the threat throughout the realm. Accompanying her is a motley band of magic-users and warriors including Tayse, first among the King’s Riders—who holds a hard view of mystics in general, and Senneth in particular.
But as the unlikely allies venture farther into the south, they will face death in a land under the sway of a fanatical cult that would purge Gillengaria of all magic users. And they will come to realize that their only hope of survival lies in standing together…
Obvious spoiler warning is obvious.
Discussion: Sharon Shinn has been one of my “buy on release day” authors since I first read Archangel back in 1997. She’s only disappointed me once in my entire life and honestly, that’s pretty good odds for an author. And this particular book has always been one of my favorites.
I don’t even quite know how to pinpoint my biggest loves. Senneth is an amazing character. I remember the first time I read it, I knew she had to be something other than what she said she was, and I knew she had to be someone from the 12 Houses. But I just wasn’t expecting as tragic a tale as she wove. She’s been through so much, and watching her quietly and gently just fall ass over tea kettle in love with Tayse was so great. I love reading love stories about people I genuinely root for.
One of Sharon Shinn’s strengths for me has always been her characters. She builds such interesting, complex, and fully realized people. The weakest link in this entire series is probably Donnal, but he probably likes it that way anyway. I love reading the way her characters interact with each other, the histories that they each bring to the interactions. They’re all so distinct.
I have a big and loving family and you’d think that the notion of found family wouldn’t resonate quite as much with me as it does, but I’ve always responded emotionally to found families in fiction. This group of six isn’t even quite as codependent as they get later, but the beginnings of it are certainly there in this book.
Magic is magic, but I like when it’s given an interesting source. It’s never fully realized in this series, but I like the idea that different gods watch over the different mystics, giving them their powers. It makes me wonder how the other gods got forgotten and why only the Pale Mother survived.
In conclusion: This book has been a favorite for 12 years and counting and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
book clubmystic and ridersharon shinn