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Book Review
May. 3rd, 2020 11:01 pmAvaryan Rising
by Judith Tarr
This absorbing epic fantasy trilogy opens with the story of Mirain, son of a priestess and the sun god, Avaryan, who must first prove himself in his mother's native northern kingdom of Ianon before going on to create an empire. The second book is about Elian, the princess and childhood friend of Mirain and how she becomes his empress. The final book follows Mirain and Elian's son and heir Sarevadin, as he attempts to prevent a cataclysmic war between Mirain's empire and the ancient empire of Asanion.
I really enjoyed reading this whole trilogy; it was exactly the kind of grand adventure I needed during this pandemic. I liked Tarr's worldbuilding a lot: she created a compelling world that draws on ancient Egypt, the medieval mediterranean, and ancient China. The only thing I found a bit lacking was any exploration of the other religions and deities besides Avaryan. Her characters were also interesting and dynamic, with deep relationships and complicated feelings for each other as well as strong developmental arcs. For a work written in the late 1980s, Avaryan Rising also had a surprisingly forward-looking view of sexuality and gender - bisexuality was the normative default and in most parts of the world, women were not relegated to a lesser status. Throughout the story, Tarr tackles the limits and pitfalls of power, the the value of the bonds of love, and the weight and price of choices.
by Judith Tarr
This absorbing epic fantasy trilogy opens with the story of Mirain, son of a priestess and the sun god, Avaryan, who must first prove himself in his mother's native northern kingdom of Ianon before going on to create an empire. The second book is about Elian, the princess and childhood friend of Mirain and how she becomes his empress. The final book follows Mirain and Elian's son and heir Sarevadin, as he attempts to prevent a cataclysmic war between Mirain's empire and the ancient empire of Asanion.
I really enjoyed reading this whole trilogy; it was exactly the kind of grand adventure I needed during this pandemic. I liked Tarr's worldbuilding a lot: she created a compelling world that draws on ancient Egypt, the medieval mediterranean, and ancient China. The only thing I found a bit lacking was any exploration of the other religions and deities besides Avaryan. Her characters were also interesting and dynamic, with deep relationships and complicated feelings for each other as well as strong developmental arcs. For a work written in the late 1980s, Avaryan Rising also had a surprisingly forward-looking view of sexuality and gender - bisexuality was the normative default and in most parts of the world, women were not relegated to a lesser status. Throughout the story, Tarr tackles the limits and pitfalls of power, the the value of the bonds of love, and the weight and price of choices.
