Furey, Maggie

Average customer rating:

Continueing on with the tale
The Magic continues!
Well thought, well wrought.
Readable, but confused
Plot heavy

Harp of Winds
Maggie Furey
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Dhiammara
Sword of Flame
Aurian (First Book)
Echo of Eternity (The Shadowleague, Book 3)
Spirit of the Stone: Book 2 of The Shadowleague (The Shadowleague, Book 2)

ASIN: 0553565265
Release Date: 1995-02-01

Customer Reviews:

Continueing on with the tale.......2004-07-17

Aurian can no longer rely on her magic and must fight in other ways to save not only her life, but her unborn childs. The settings are fantastic in this one, having the winged folk, and thier cities in the cliffs.

The Artifacts Of Power books are filled with one running main plot and several sub plots, making it an interesting and in depth series to read. However, by the end of the forth book all the loose ends are pretty much tied up.

The Magic continues!.......2004-01-09

This book is not as good as Aurian, but it is still brilliant. the action moves at a quick pace, but not so quick as to leave you running to catch up, and as usual the descriptions Maggie Furey gives us to explain the events are colourful and vibrant. The book is very easy to follow, even if you haven't read the first one, but who would read a sequel without reading the starter anyway? I loved it.

Well thought, well wrought........2002-10-25

This the second book in The Aterfacts of Power series (following Aurian, and followed by The Sword of Flame and Dhiammara).

After their harrowing ordeal in the blinding desert of glittering gem shards where they recreated the Staff of Earth, one of the lost Artefacts of Power, the Mages Aurian and Anvar find themselves victims of yet another treachery.

Aurian, now several months pregnant and so bereft of her powers, ends up in the stronghold of the Tower of Incondor, prisoner of Harihn, Prince of the Khazalim, whereas Anvar is taken hostage by Blacktalon, High Priest of the Sky Folk, in the high-peaked city of Aerillia. Both are in league with Miathan, who covets Aurian's child, on which he's put a terrible curse.

Shia the great cat might be their only hope.

In this second volume, Maggie Furey takes the opportunity of Aurian and Anvar's confinement not only to develop background characters such as Vannor and his daughter Zanna, Parric, Forral's former horsemaster, or the Nightrunners, but also to introduce the reader with a whole cast of new characters, among which the winsome shapeshifting Xandim Chiamh and Shiannath, therefore letting the story unravel gently, without slowing the pace of action.

And all the while, the mountain is watching...

Readable, but confused.......2002-02-13

Really, the title of my review says it all. I bought the book (actually, the books, since I bought books three and four as well) while browsing in a secondhand bookshop, and mainly because I liked the jacket illustration (I am referring to the English version, which personally I like better than the American one), so I had no preconception, and added to that had not read book one (and couldn't obtain it in France) so I was not in the best of minds to pick up in the middle of the story. Well. I did like the characters-most of them, at any rate.
But two things really account for the score. First, the story. It's not that it's particularly bad, but there's too much in it, too many subplots that get you confused, don't get you very far-when you think about it very little of import actually happens because the story is spread out between so many characters (add to that an annoying tendency of the author-but then it's almost inevitable when you deal with several strands of plots- to cut off at the most interesting moment. that's fine by me, keeps me reading, but the thought of having to wait for fifty to seventy pages before Mrs Furey gets back to them was almost more than I could bear).
Point two, the stereotypes. It's not enough that the plot is somewhat redolent of a typical quest fantasy, and that the main characters on the good side-particularly Aurian and Anvar-are so much the clichéd heroes that they become bland at times- but the villains are really too much of a caricature to be believable. And some scenes are so naive (like the one between Anvar and the Cailleach) that they make you shake your head.
I'd like to add that despite that, I'm in the middle of book three, and I must admit that so far Mrs Furey seems to have made an effort on the cliché side, at least as far as the villains are concerned, but this, coming after the second book, I am afraid, sounds even less believable than the Dark-Lord-villain.
The subplots problem has remained the same. I think it's a good light read, and she does have talent for creating memorable characters-but the ones you keep in mind are, I think, more the secondary characters than the main ones.

Plot heavy.......2002-01-18

Too many plots and sub plots in this second of the series. Getting hard to keep everything and everyone straight. Would have been better keeping all the subplots in a separate book and just getting on with it. It's too much like reading more than one book at the same time.

Average customer rating:

supply your own ending
Unnecessary Sequel
What a next chapter!
Flame, Flame
A bonus volume.

Sword of Flame
Maggie Furey
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

Dhiammara
Harp of Winds
Aurian (First Book)
Echo of Eternity (The Shadowleague, Book 3)
Spirit of the Stone: Book 2 of The Shadowleague (The Shadowleague, Book 2)

ASIN: 0553565273
Release Date: 1996-04-01

Book Description

From the author of Aurian and Harp of Winds comes the latest entry in this remarkable saga. The flame-haired Lady Aurian is not only a mage
of great power, but also a heroine of great verve and spirit. Now, with the birth of her child, she has finally regained her powers and been reunited with her soulmate, Anvar, but the Archmage Miathan's curse still follows her. And until Aurian wins the last of the ancient Artefacts, the mystical Sword of Flame, her victory over the powers of darkness is far from assured.

Customer Reviews:

supply your own ending.......2005-04-27

First I read Aurian... and it was pretty good. Then I read the second installment and I thought, well, one more and it'll be over. The third, Sword of Flame, seemed headed for a neat ending, but alas, in the last few pages Furey manages to turn us around for a fourth volume. I was so frustrated that I sat down at the computer and wrote my own ending. You may want to do so too; or you could stop after reading "Aurian" and move on to some more productive activity, such as rereading Tolkien. Furey's problems as a writer have been accurately described by other reviewers of this book: for one thing, she needs to reduce her vast number of adjectives, and she'd be wise to stop telling us what the bad guys are thinking. And then there are the cliches. And people's inexplicable motivations and compulsions (Aurian's mother is a whole catalog of these). And... oh well.

Unnecessary Sequel.......2004-01-16

I think this book could have been condensed into one of the other sequels. Sword of Flame just made me NOT like Aurian more because she became more self-centered and EVERYTHING relied solely on her. As the book cheesily states, she is "the One". She has a strong cast of supporting companions that I'm sure could have competently taken care of their problems without her, but the author makes it so that Aurian waltzes in, fixes everything and gains adoring fans along the way. Although the author tries to make her more flawless, Aurian becomes more flawed. You can call her ambitious and wishing to fulfill her quest, but there were times I wished she would step back and take more time with her son and lover, who should've gotten more attention than her new friends! It was like once she had a new toy, she was bored with the old..even though she occasionally came back to them. Though I am aware of those not wishing fantasy books to become cheesy romance novels, the relationship she possessed with those she claimed dearest to her made it seem as if they were merely friends, like the rest of the gang. If the author was going to take a step that way, I don't see why she couldn't have made it more heartwarming. However, I did enjoy the previous two books, Aurian and Harp of Winds, and this one for its detailed descriptions (though it did get long-winded at times) although it doesn't leave me as curious to know how everything fares out, for I'm sure the One can make everything right anyway. Nevertheless, I, like many others who can't stand not to finish a story (no matter how disappointing), have hope for the last sequel, Dhiammara. Overall, the writing is definitely not bad, aside from those items I've noted, and I hope to read some more improved books from Ms. Furey.

What a next chapter!.......2004-01-09

Wow! after reading Aurian and the 2nd book - Harp of Winds, I couldn't wait to read this one, and I wasn't disapointed. Its just as rich and exciting and passionate and magical as the other two. Aurian, like anyone has her good days and bad days, but her heart is in the right place, and after all she has been through, you wonder how she can have the strength to stand, let alone fight, but fight she does, and gives the reader another fabulous adventure.

Flame, Flame.......2003-08-15

This book could have been excellent with half the description cut out. It reads like an unfortunate breeding between a bodice-ripper romance novel and the sort of roleplaying-world adventure where you can practically hear the clatter of dice on the table.

Lines like "It was a small, faint hope, but it warmed the heart of Vannor's indomitable daughter," are the rule rather than the exception. "Parric tore himself away with an incoherent shout of anger, his hand on the hilt of his sword." I don't have to search the book for these examples; I open the book at random and pick from the rich selection of over-ornamented purple prose.

It does have some strong female characters (Aurian, a mage; her mother; the strong-willed Zanna, daughter of Vannor, who winds up rescuing her father), and the story is intricately plotted. The strong characters are the saving grace; the plot could be less Byzantine. Only Robert Jordan tangles things more.

I did wind up finishing the book, but I was perilously close to declaring, "I don't care what happens to these people!" and flinging it into the bathtub.

Bottom line? Find it at the library first.

A bonus volume........2002-11-07

This is the third book in The Artefacts of Power tetralogy (after Aurian and Harp of Winds, and before Dhiammara).

Reunited at last, the Mages Aurian and Anvar are ready to set off again in search of the last Artefact of Power, the legendary Sword of Flame. Together with their new friends, they travel to the Xandim fastness, where the shortsighted Windeye Chiamh can help them locate the lost artefact. There they'll have to face the demented former Healer-Mage Meiriel who has but one obsession, to kill Aurian's son. Meanwhile, rebellion is slowly fermenting among the Xandim people.

At the same time in Nexis, young Zanna is trying to rescue her father from the clutches of the fiendish Archmage, while as always, the cupid Eliseth is coming up with more devious ploys to thwart Miathian and seize the power of the Cauldron of Rebirth.

The Sword of Flame is what you could call a typical middle volume, in which many events take place but where the overall story in itself isn't really getting much further. Mark you, I found it quite enjoyable, but as a whole, I was less impressed, less taken aback than I had been by the richness of Harp of Wind. I guess I read it faster because I was in a hurry to jump to Dhiammara, the final volume. Consider this one a bonus.

Average customer rating:

Well if you read this far may as well wrap it up.

dhiammara

What's next?

What next?

A tad disappointing.

Dhiammara
Maggie Furey
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Similar Items:

Sword of Flame

Harp of Winds

Aurian (First Book)

Echo of Eternity (The Shadowleague, Book 3)

Spirit of the Stone: Book 2 of The Shadowleague (The Shadowleague, Book 2)

ASIN: 0553575570
Release Date: 1997-10-01

Book Description

Maggie Furey's glittering epic sweeping from Aurian through Harp of Winds and Sword of Flame, climaxes as Aurian draws near to a deadly enemy lurking in a city forgotten by time. . .

Bearing the Staff of Earth and the Harp of Winds, the Lady Aurian secretly returns to the holy city of Nexis--ten years in the future. Now its marbled towers are desolate, its river port ravaged, its magefolk a mere legend. Here she must begin the search for her vanished soulmate, Anvar, and her lost child. . . and hunt down the evil adversary who stole from her the Sword of Flame, last of the four great primal weapons. But Aurian's final battle awaits her far away in the southlands. For there dwells her old nemesis, the crazed Archmage Miathan--and there, in the ancient city of Dhiammara, broods a dark magic that could shatter forever the destined redemption of her world.

Customer Reviews:

Well if you read this far may as well wrap it up........2005-11-25

This book, aside from not really providing closure, just wasn't very good. Aurian (1st in the series) was great...so was Harp of the winds for that matter. Sword of flame was so-so and so was this novel. This series started out with a bang but dwindled to sparks and smoke. I was surprised to see others say that this installment was too grim....I'd say it wasn't grim enough at all. Too many charachters brought back to life over and over again. I stopped caring if anyone died as either

A. They will cheat death (literally), ignore the call come back to life.
B. Eliseth will use the grail and restore them to life as her puppet.
C. They won't really be dead...that spark of life will remain and Aurian will heal them.
D. This is just another red herring and they only appear to be dead/dying.

I think my disapointment stems from the strong start this series had. Aurian was a great lead and several other lovable characters developed in the course of the story. I think perhaps Fury tried too hard to hold on to some of the characters and I think she intoduced to many irrelevant elements to the book (time travel, switching bodies). I actually found those plot devices to be distracting from the story.
Also the ending was ANTI-CLIMATIC! This was an adventure that spanned roughly 20 years and was hard won. However our two main advesaries are killed off rather easily. Makes one wonder how they lasted that long!
Anyway the first two books really are good, the real strenth in the series is characterization....you'll love the cast, it's fairly light fantasy and has some good romance. My advice: Read Aurian...if you love it then continue. It's never that good again but on the other hand it's never really terrible and you do get to spend some time with the cast!

dhiammara.......2005-01-07

I think, the story is good enough in detail and story lines that I really didn't believe that it would be the last in the series (even though the back cover clearly states In this fourth and final volume....). the conflict in the story in lady aurian when she lost her child and the lady who serectly return to the town knew where the child was . I like the book because it was touching. It taught me to listen to people who are in a higher ranking that you are.

What's next?.......2004-05-16

Overall, I enjoyed the series, but as other reviewers have stated, the last book also left me waiting for more. Unlike her other series based on the Shadowleague, in which she ties up loose ends, this one seems incomplete. The death of the mage Eliseth was anti-climatic, and what happened to Sara? Did I miss her demise? I feel that she left too many loose ends, especially regarding the children of all the main characters, the Phaerie, the great cats, and Nexis, endng the book as if the finale is still to come. Is there any chance that we will meet the characters again in a new series? After looking forward to the completion of the series, I was disappointed.

What next?.......2004-01-09

I loved this book, just like I loved the others but I totally agree with the other reviews. There were a lot of loose ends left at the end, like what happens in Nexis with D'arvan, Maya and the Phaerie, what became of the cats on Steelclaw, and what about Shia and Khanu? I really think Maggie should give us another book or two to wrap everything up. And a movie would be great!

A tad disappointing........2002-11-21

This is the fourth and final book in The Artefacts of Power tetralogy (following Aurian, Harp of Winds and The Sword of Flame).

After failing to make the terrible sacrifice that would have allowed her to claim the Sword of Flame, Aurian and some of her friends find themselves trapped in a time breach. They reappear some eight years later, only to discover nothing but chaos and destruction.

Indeed, not only did her failure release the evil-minded Phaerie who, wasting no time, immediately started ransacking Nexis and raping its inhabitants, sowing terror upon the city, but in the meantime Eliseth has also stolen the Cauldron of Rebirth from Miathan and is about to take the last steps that will finally allow her to quench her thirst for absolute power. Aurian has to stop her at any cost if she wants to save the world and the people she loves. Mustering her troops, she embarks on yet another journey to the Southern Kingdoms, towards the final confrontation.

Even though I was glad to read more about loveable characters such as Grince the young thief, Chiamh the Xandim Windeye or Shia the great cat, I was quite disappointed by Anvar's almost complete absence from this volume, for he was my favourite. The idea of time travel was quite unexpected too, and even though it was interesting to find out what Hargorn and Hebba, or Zanna, Dulsina and the Nightrunners had become in the eight years that had passed, this device didn't serve any other useful purpose and might have been more thouroughly explored, used to more enriching ends.

Although I can say I liked Dhiammara as a whole, I also found this volume somewhat messy and rather grim. Too many things happen and it seems that too many subplots have to be solved. And a fairly high number of people die in bloodshed too. Most of all, I found it was a tad insipid and lacked the suspenseful action of Harp of Winds or The Sword of Flame, and finally the end wasn't very spectacular either. Shame, it looked so promising...

The Heart of Myrial (Shadowleague, 1)
Average customer rating:

Whew...

Solid Read... Well-tied together

Yes, No, and Okay

Furey Strikes Again!

A tragic dissapointment

The Heart of Myrial (Shadowleague, 1)
Maggie Furey
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Furey, Maggie | ( F ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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Similar Items:

Spirit of the Stone: Book 2 of The Shadowleague (The Shadowleague, Book 2)

Echo of Eternity (The Shadowleague, Book 3)

Dhiammara

Harp of Winds

Sword of Flame

ASIN: 055357938X
Release Date: 2000-02-01

Amazon.com

This fast-moving adventure opens Maggie Furey's second fantasy sequence, "The Shadowleague"; her first was the "Artefacts of Power" tetralogy. The Heart of Myrial is set in a particularly artificial-seeming fantasyland, which proves to be not a world but a technomagical construct, divided into isolated regions by sorcerous barriers of force. Thanks to the machinations of a bad guy who may have good motives, these "curtain walls" are now failing--the first symptoms being clashes between the enclaves' different environments, leading to prolonged descriptions of truly lousy weather. In theory the barriers are guarded by and can be penetrated only by Loremasters of the Shadowleague, a secret inner circle of representatives from this patchwork world's various species: humans, dragons, centaurs, wind-sprites, insectile aliens, and more. In practice the Shadowleague is almost impotent.

Against this complex background, various characters struggle across the landscape through terrible weather. A woman Loremaster and her irrepressibly feisty firedrake companion play leading parts in the large cast (many of whom suffer death or worse). After tortuous regroupings and plot twists centered on a particular city that houses a key magical shrine, the book concludes with a gory invasion of nasties through the holed curtain wall. It reads well enough, and of course there's more to come. --David Langford, Amazon.co.uk

Book Description

Three unlikely heroes must penetrate a land of sorcery and secrets to save a world hurtling toward chaos.

From the dazzling imagination of Maggie Furey comes an astonishing new epic of a wondrous world on the brink of collapse...  and the daring trio who will risk the deadliest odds to save it.

The world of Myrial is racing toward apocalypse.  For aeons, its mysterious Curtain Walls have functioned to separate realm from realm, and race from race, so that each cordoned area remains a sanctuary for its species.  But now the miraculous walls that have provided order for so long are disintegrating with disastrous results.

Mingling climates are causing unrelenting rains or deadly droughts, while warlike races are preying mercilessly on the helpless and meek.  And the carnage will only grow worse unless a seasoned woman-warrior, a brazen firedrake, and a venerable Dragon with amazing telepathic powers--all trusted members of the Shadowleague--succeed where everyone else has failed.  For they must first locate the heart of Myrial, where the secret for undoing this disaster resides.  In order to reach their goal, however, they must overcome treachery, intrigue, and evil--and a mysterious figure from the past whose actions threaten to tear the Shadowleague apart.

Customer Reviews:

Whew..........2005-03-14

The back of this book was completely misleading. I assumed that this book would be centered on the three characters Veldan, Kaz, and Aethon, but boy was I wrong. The story starts off with them, sure, but then you are introduced to a slew of other characters, and the whole book follows each of their stories and how their paths cross.

This sounds like a problem, but it really wasn't. I did find myself frustrated occasionally when I wanted to know what happened to another character but had to wait and read a boring story of another. But after the beginning you do get interested in all of them, so the frustration ends quickly. If you read her Aurian books, this is a little different. In those there were also many subplots, but you could easily distinguish the main characters. This book is like one huge subplot though, and even though Veldan and Kaz are on the cover, I still don't get the feeling they are the main characters. I'm hoping that'll change in the next book.

This book moves very slowly time-wise. Everything occurs in about three days, and sometimes its difficult to line up what each character is doing in order. I'm sure thats on purpose though, and it definetly keeps you on your toes.

The characters are very likeable in my opinion, especially Kazail the firedrake. I've noticed Furey is very good at characterization, not making a person completely bad or good, and gives them the ability to change. One thing I preferred about this book over her last series is less wimpy characters. For those of you who read the Artefacts series, you should know what I'm talking about (I can't stand whiners). I'm crossing my fingers that it'll stay that way.

And for all you romance lovers, there isn't any in this book, although some future possibilities seem to be forming. Overall, I really did enjoy this book, even though it had a few flaws. I'm even more glad that I have the next two handy. If you did read her last series (and liked it), I would recommend you pick up all three. Otherwise, try the first one and see how you like it. I think all fantasy readers should give it a shot though.

Solid Read... Well-tied together.......2005-01-15

This book sat on my shelf for almost two years before I picked it up. Than I read it over the course of a single day and I was mighty pleased to discover it! The story is told from the perspectives of many of the characters, good and bad, and this is the greatest strength of the book. It was extremely interesting how nothing and nobody was pure good or pure evil, and how all their motives were well justified. Some people may not like that, but it's real, and I was impressed by how well Maggie Furey pulls it off. It's very interesting when you see how two essentially good people could hate each other and each believe the other was of poor character when the truth lay somewhere inbetween. Whilst the world did not grip me, it is quite unique and different to the fantasy norm and there does seem to be plenty of potential in it. However, it is the characters that pull the story along at a ever increasing rate, especially as all their lives are intertwined in so many clever and surprising ways. The ending is a cliffhanger that will leave you wanting more, and I highly recommend this. As an avid fantasy reader, it is better than a lot of the tripe associated with the genre. Also, it's not too predictable, as I have far too many different ideas as to how the trilogy could be wrapped up! (Beware, the story does start a little slowly...)

Yes, No, and Okay.......2003-08-13

This is a good book. It was good enough for me to get the second and third as soon as they came out in soft back. However, it is not as good at the Aurian books and kind of reminds me of the four Aurian book (Dhiammara) which I did not care for that much.

I happen to like her writing. The charaters are intersting, the story is intersting, but please read all three books one after another. The first two kind of end in the middle of stuff, and there are a *lot* of questions that are not answered until book three. But it comes out as plesant, and full in the end, much worth reading.

But not enough to lsoe sleep over.

Furey Strikes Again!.......2003-07-14

The Heart of Myrial is fairly well-written, with interesting characters and an intriguing plot. At the beginning, the tie-in between most of the characters seemed nonexistant, and I was concerned about the pacing of the action. However, the characters come together--in sometimes unexpected ways--and the action picks up well.

Furey's descriptions are beautiful and (mostly) not overdone, not getting in the way of the action, while still making a nice impression. It helps that the descriptions are often colored by a character's thoughts, instead of just having bland narrative.

The characters vary in temperment, intelligence, and species. Many of them develop in interesting ways, and even characters that I initially disliked usually turned out to have likable aspects. This actually annoyed me slightly, because it's hard to change your opinion of a character from 'bad guy' to 'kind of an okay person' or from 'good guy' to 'despisable bad guy.' Still, it's true to life in that first impressions aren't always perfectly accurate.

I very much enjoyed reading this book & highly recommend it, especially to fans of Furey's previous books. I recommend reading at least the first page before buying it if you haven't read Furey before, for her style doesn't suit everyone. Still, it rates among the best books I have read, and I'm eager to read the sequels. This was a great book.

A tragic dissapointment.......2002-11-22

The plot and basic storyline of this book is intiguing. Maggie Furey creates a magical world filled with mythical beasts with a surprising twist. Each species is divided by a magical curtain that protects both the weaker species from the more aggressive ones and the different environments that each species needs to survive in seperate. I will stop here to avoid spoiling the story, because if I hate one thing about book synopsis or movie previews is that they give away the whole story before I even get a chance to read or watch them.
However, the reason why I give this book two stars is because the writing style kills any enjoyment that can be obtained by reading this book. I find it surprising that such a terrible writer can be published. I mainly blame the editor that could have done a better job at cleaning up the run-on sentences and overuse of discriptives.

Average customer rating:

Couldn't reist Aurian
Aurian almost saves "Aurian"
Fabulous!
A great ride from start to finish
A book like other fantasys, not much talent too.

Aurian (First Book)
Maggie Furey
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Similar Items:

Harp of Winds
Sword of Flame
Dhiammara
Echo of Eternity (The Shadowleague, Book 3)
Spirit of the Stone: Book 2 of The Shadowleague (The Shadowleague, Book 2)

ASIN: 0553565257
Release Date: 1994-07-01

Customer Reviews:

Couldn't reist Aurian.......2005-11-25

I think I agree with most of the reviews here who tell you this is a standard plot, and garden variety fantasy. I give this book ...and it's sequel 4 stars for it's characters. So...they're a little cliche'd but I loved them. I especially fell for Aurian! I love a strong female lead and Aurian provided me with that (Luna readers would take to her and enjoy her romances). She was incredibly compassionate, fairly open-minded, strong-willed, stubborn and extremely tough. I just really liked her...I also like the rest of the cast and even felt a little sorry for poor old Miathan. I think Fury's strenth is her characterization. You grow to love her charachters so you feel their joys, pain and struggle. I've read the entire series and must warn that this is the best of the four novels. Only if you love this one would I reccomend reading the others.
In summary it's non-epic average fantasy with endearing charachters. If you like the human drama behind the fantasy and don't require a really complex world or a lot of originality in plot then pick it up. Especially reccomended for those who aren't into dark fantasy as this is really pretty bubblegum.

Aurian almost saves "Aurian".......2005-04-27

I'm an avid fantasy reader, but anyone who's read more than five fantasy novels and also more than five "normal" novels knows that poor writers are often drawn to write fantasy. This is a case of that. Furey spends way too much time telling us what people are thinking instead of showing it through action and dialogue; she spends way, WAY too much time in the most unpleasant place in her universe (the dark wizard Miathan's brain--WAY too much information on what HE thinks!); and Furey falls prey to every stereotype and cliche in the genre (and there are a lot of those). I could go on and on about her debilities as a writer. But, BUT! Obviously a lot of people loved this book, and they're not necessarily wrong. The key is the character Aurian herself. She is a natural leader, a person with a sense of what's right and the courage to keep going in spite of everything that happens to her (and EVERYTHING happens to her). She's such a good leader that she even leads the reader. In the middle of this dank mess of a novel (and series---the next three installments only get worse) Aurian stands in the light. Maggie Furey is no Tolkien, but Aurian manages to be Frodo, Gandalf and Aragorn all in one, AND she's a strong female character.

Fabulous!.......2005-02-20

I just started getting into fantasy a little over a year ago, and after voraciously reading everything that caught my interest, I had nothing else to read. My friend gave me this series, and after a few months I decided to pick it up. I finished Aurian, the first book in the Artefacts of Power series, within a day. The fast-paced actions kept me hanging on my seat, and although sometimes it was too much, it kept me completely enveloped in the story.

I prefer not to give synopses in my reviews, since they are already available to you. But quickly, Aurian's world is one either ruled by chaos or peace. In this book, chaos is obviously prevailing, and Aurian is the one who will decide the balance. Although the balance will not be restored by the end of this book, she is partly to her goal.

I only had a few problems with this book. Sometimes the action comes so quickly it is easy to get lost, but if you pace yourself it won't become too much of a problem. A map would have been nice, as well as a glossary, and naturally I didn't think to check the next book, which has both. So if you haven't read either yet, pick up both and maybe they will be helpful to you.

Other than that, this book is filled with romance, drama, and action; all the things I look for in a fantasy book. To some of you that may be cliche, but Furey manages too keep the good parts of the cliches while dumping out the annoying parts (at least in my preference). I'd compare this book to another one, but none really comes to mind. But if you are a fan of epic romantic fantasy, pick this up. I'm just starting the second one, so I can't say if the series stays consistently good, but I know that reading the first book was definetly worth it, and I can't imagine that her series will go downhill drastically (you learn to pick this kind of stuff out). I highly recommend this book to all fantasy lovers.

A great ride from start to finish.......2004-07-09

The world building in this book is rather unique, with different magic and government systems then I've read in any other book. The main character, Aurian, is a strong willed woman who isn't afraid to show her true colors. The magic is splendid, the intrigue spell binding, and the romance subtle, but still entrancing.

A book like other fantasys, not much talent too........2004-05-10

I¡¦m sure everyone knows how to spot a good author and a bad author.
This one is a 3/5(0-bad, 5-good). Firstly, the plot. It isn¡¦t actually bad, but it isn¡¦t new. I could really predict what would happen. It is exciting but pulled down by the author¡¦s writing style. No one likes a story pace that¡¦s too fast. Imagine writing about a journey to defeat an evil dragon. A good writer would write about the whole journey, how the character got there, difficulties met, thoughts and emotions etc. Not just: I got on the road to the cave. I fought with the dragon. I killed it, but lost a lot of blood. I got back home and cried myself to death. End.
See what I mean? This is how Maggie Furey writes. It was a total disaster in the first half, no make it 2/3 of the book. Thoughts like ¡¥why did I buy this¡¦ and ¡¥this writer doesn¡¦t know how to write¡¦ floated around in my mind. Maggie Furey, however, improved in the last 1/3 of the book, where Aurian was in the southern country, looking for Anvar. Here, the writing style improved immensely as she actually wrote about the journey, not the main points. But then, it seemed this improvement was short lasting.. When Aurian was traveling through the desert, Maggie Furey got back into her ¡¥too fast pacing¡¦ again. She rushed through the whole thing and all I know is that she defeated a dragon and recreated the Staff of earth(or something like that). What happened to Raven? The others? They were mentioned a bit, but, come on, the world isn¡¦t composed of only two people.
I don¡¦t really plan to buy the second book, unless I can borrow from the library or something. Maggie Furey showed that she CAN write ( in about 1/6 of the whole book, but maybe someone wrote it for her.). If there isn¡¦t some significant improvement in her writing skills, its down the pits for her.

Spirit of the Stone: Book 2 of The Shadowleague (The Shadowleague, Book 2)

Average customer rating:

Pint-sized dragon steals the show!
Spirit of the Stone: book 2 of the Shadowleague
A Middle Book
pretty good for a middle book
Great Book

Spirit of the Stone: Book 2 of The Shadowleague (The Shadowleague, Book 2)
Maggie Furey
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Echo of Eternity (The Shadowleague, Book 3)
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Dhiammara
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ASIN: 055357941X
Release Date: 2002-05-28

Book Description

From Maggie Furey comes this stunning new novel that continues the epic saga of Myrial. Here the survivors of a ravaged city attempt to save their fragile and miraculous world from apocalyptic doom.

Spirit of the Stone

On the world of Myrial, the mysterious Curtain Walls have begun to fall and the realms and races that have been carefully separated from the beginning of time are now confronting each other, with terrible consequences. Hideous winged creatures have attacked the city of Tiarond, turning its streets and public squares into a killing ground. As bewildered groups of survivors flee the city in all directions, others make the treacherous journey to the sacred Temple, where the ancient power that can save the world lies hidden.

Meanwhile, two women warriors and a brazen firedrake journey to the realm of the Shadowleague, taking with them a Dragon Seer’s telepathic knowledge that might be used to repair the Curtain Walls. Yet not even that will be enough. For before the Shadowleague can act to save a rapidly unraveling reality, it must decide if it will trust a ruthless exile with a bloody past who can bring order to Myrial--or hasten its harrowing descent into annihilation.

Customer Reviews:

Pint-sized dragon steals the show!.......2006-02-13

Let this review cover both SPIRIT OF THE STONE and THE HEART OF MYRIAL, since I will not find the time to review both separately.

This is a very good fantasy series. It reminds me a bit of the Rosemary Kirstein series of Steerswoman novels in that it is fantasy with a science-fiction world for a backdrop. It appears that the world of the novels was set up in a perfect balance countless ages before by some super race. Climate was perfect, and various different races and peoples were set on different islands with barriers between them called "curtain walls.' Now the balance of this world has gone way out of kilter and the world is headed for destruction. Even now the weather is so bad crops cannot be grown and starvation stalks some of the lands.

In this setting, we have several most interesting characters on a dire mission, related to an effort by the "Shadowleague" to save the world. Naturally, there's a quest element -- the world cannot be saved if the heroes of the Shadowleague cannot come to a greater understanding of how the world got the way it is, and how it is controlled. Ironically, there is a scientific, central control center for the world which is totally misunderstood by the superstitious and ignorant peasants who now run everything. So this science center is NOW used as a magical temple for the priest class. I mean, sometimes you just want to THROTTLE these fools.

The character that is SO MUCH FUN and really steals the show is Kaz, the firedrake. This character is a pint-sized dragon. Bright red, covered with scales, and with the toothy dragon's jaws and head. HOWEVER, the firedrake is only about the size of a rhinoceros. Big, yes. But not huge, if you get my drift. The firedrake is an intelligent character in the story who communicates with telepathy. He is also a magical creature and a fire creature -- he can launch jets of intense flame for 25 or thirty feet -- the heat is enough to even melt metal. He also has quite a personality, always sneaking off to eat a sheep or two. I mean, this firedrake is a big guy, and those fires need to be stoked, you know?

Just for the record, the books have a few REAL dragons -- and I mean, these guys are really huge. Like about the size of a small freight train. Fortunately, to avoid going too far overboard on dragons and their firedrake cousins, the real dragons take something of a background role in the novels.

Great fun, fast moving, very imaginative -- and Ms. Furey writes VERY well. Some of the other reviewers have complained there's not enough action, but action is a trade-off against characters. To build interesting characters you need lots of dialog, and to supply this the endless action occasionally has to be put on hold. For my part, I think the balance between action and characters is pretty well maintained in the book.

I recommend both Heart of Myrial and Spirit in the Stone. Am looking forward to reading the third one ASAP.

Spirit of the Stone: book 2 of the Shadowleague.......2005-09-08

This is a good continuation of the first episode. Some interesting characters are introduced that I found are worth caring about. There are intriguing plot twists and tensions between characters that obviously aren't going to be solved in the scope of this book.

A Middle Book.......2003-08-13

Book two falls into teh same hole that many second books do. It is a bridge, bad stuff happens a lot, everyone is unhappy, everything is confusing, and you, the reading, have not a clue what is going on because the ends are still hanging and its quite fuzzy.

I did not dislike the book, but when I put it down I debated if I would get the third one because I felt lost. The book just started, and it just ended, in the middle of what was gonig on. I found no satasfaction, just more questions without answers.

Do not think that it is not worth reading, but I advise that you have the third book on hand and just open and start reading it as soon as you finish the second.

pretty good for a middle book.......2003-08-06

I love Maggie Furey's work and this book doesn't fall into the usual "middle book" morass. The story is great, the characters are well-presented, and the writing is wonderful. Furey deserves a lot of credi for her work and this series shows it.

Great Book.......2002-12-17

This book is great. I would suggest it for people who liked the
Wheel of Time and other similar tales. My favorite part about the book is that the main character is female. This book is great and filled with lots of laughs.

Echo of Eternity (The Shadowleague, Book 3)

Average customer rating:

way too long...
Good, good, good!
Neat if a bit to Neat
wonderful concluding novel
As good as the first two

Echo of Eternity (The Shadowleague, Book 3)
Maggie Furey
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Spirit of the Stone: Book 2 of The Shadowleague (The Shadowleague, Book 2)
The Heart of Myrial (Shadowleague, 1)
Sword of Flame
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ASIN: 0553585754
Release Date: 2003-07-01

Book Description

Returning to the world of Myrial, Maggie Furey continues her heroic saga of The Shadowleague. When all is lost, it’s the actions of a few brave souls that will be remembered forever.

Echo of Eternity

The Curtain Walls have fallen--leaving the world of Myrial vulnerable to unknown enemies from other realms. A slaughter by brutal winged invaders has left the city of Tiarond reeling, and the laws governing reality itself no longer seem to hold. Under the rule of a renegade leader, the Shadowleague slowly gathers itself together from its tattered remnants and braces for a devastating attack meant to shatter it forever. Missing is a ring, the symbol of Myrial’s divine power--and a reminder to its new ruler of the part he played in the collapse of the Curtain Walls. It must be found before his secret is discovered.

Missing also is the one man whose mind holds the Dragon Seer’s knowledge of all tribal memories. Two warriors and a firedrake embark on an urgent mission to find him--before the Dragons do.

When all hope seems lost, a young boy points the way to an amazing discovery. Caverns beneath Tiarond hold ancient artifacts that just might be the key they’re all searching for--but which they may be sorry they’ve found…

Customer Reviews:

way too long..........2005-06-03

...and nothing happens. I read this book simply because i read the first two and wanted to know what happened at the end.

At over 500 pages, this book is a whole lot of nothing to wade through at times painful to read thanks to the chain of cliches that make up the ending. Part of the problem is there is no antagonist. Sure there are a few minor battles and "evil" characters, but with no set bad guy, there is nothing to drive the plot forward. You could make a case that the vampyres are the main bad guys, but by this point they are more annoying than compelling. There are only so many times the characters can swoon over how horrifying these creatures are before you start to roll your eyes. Also, who is the main protagonist? Reading the back of the book you'd assume Veldan and Kaz are, but they're barely in the book at all. They appear in one chapter out of at least five before disappearing again for another handful of chapters (which is a shame because Kaz is one of the most interesting characters i've ever met).

It is a shame that such an interesting concept for a series resulted in this disaster. Ms. Furey has enough imagination to create vivid characters and unique worlds, but not enough to see her stories through. I had the same frustration with her Aurian saga: i kept waiting for the story to actually become entertaining.

Skip this series. Or if you're still interested, borrow it from the library so don't have this clunker staring you in the face when you're done.

Good, good, good!.......2003-09-16

I have not finished this book, but I can say that I like it, just as much as I enjoyed the other two. The story is original, the characters are believable, and it is a story I can follow without continously asking myself, "Ok, now what's going on?"
I have not read her other series, but I think I just might once I am done.
I highly, highly recommend this book, heck, the whole series!

Neat if a bit to Neat.......2003-08-13

I liked this book. This is the best out of the three. Prehaps is it beacsue she had somewhere to go and an end. All of the qestions are wrapped up, all of the answers are given. The ending is a many segmented thing, and I guessed at a coupel parts of it because they were rather obvious.

My only problems lay in the fact that it is incredably neat. Everything is answered, resolved, and everyone is happy. Many charaters have made a hundred and eighty degree turn from what they first where.

But I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the answers, the resolutions, and the ending. Buy the series and read it. Read them one after another and you will be pleased.

wonderful concluding novel.......2003-08-06

Maggie Furey completes her trilogy in fine form. She even leaves openings for further novels in her world of "Myrial". While I prefer her "Aurian" series more, this trilogy is worth a read and even a re-read.

As good as the first two.......2003-07-13

Very good, fast read. Didn't end like I thought it would. I cried.

Average customer rating:

The Eye of Eternity (Shadowleague)

The Eye of Eternity (Shadowleague)
Maggie Furey
Manufacturer: Orbit
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Spirit of the Stone: Book 2 of The Shadowleague (The Shadowleague, Book 2)
The Heart of Myrial (Shadowleague, 1)

ASIN: 1841491136

Customer Reviews:

The Eye of Eternity (Shadowleague).......2006-09-21

This is an excellent read, thoughtfully penned and incredibly rich in colour and depth.

Maggie Furey is a brilliant author and I would thoroughly recommend her work to all those who are addicted to the genre.

Average customer rating:

Heart of Myrial
Maggie Furey
Manufacturer: ORBIT (LITT)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K1YEBU

Average customer rating:

Spirit of the Stone
Maggie Furey
Manufacturer: ORBIT (LITT)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K29AFE

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