I really like this book. The first half is amazing but the second half hares off on a political maneuvering/war thing that wasn't near as interesting. When I reread it, I usually skim the second half. ( )

En el país de Chiyaden, antaño pacífico y próspero, reina ahora la catástrofe y el miedo. El viejo Emperador ha muerto y su heredero, un joven débil y malcriado, es tan sólo un muñeco en las manos del cruel señor Ghita, que es en realidad quien gobierna. Todos los que eran leales al viejo emperador han muerto o han sido expulsados y sus tierras se han visto arrasadas. Taizu, una joven campesina procedente de la región de Hua, al noreste de Chiyaden, ha perdido a su familia a manos de los sicarios de Ghita. Impulsada tan solo por su deseo de venganza, atraviesa bosques y montañas, esquivando a los bandidos y mercenarios que, en esos días, pueblan los caminos, y pasando mil penalidades, para llegar a las montañas de Mon, al sur del país, donde desde hace nueve años el maestro Saukendar, antiguo miembro de la guardia del viejo Emperador, vive desterrado, absolutamente solo como un ermitaño y ajeno por voluntad propia a todo lo que sucede fuera de los límites de su cabaña. Durante este tiempo, Saukendar ha ido convirtiéndose en un mito y Taizu sólo desea una cosa: que el maestro la acepte como su discípula y le enseñe el arte de la guerra.

I read this after I voted for it in the SciFi and Fantasy Book Club poll for December, it looks like it doesn't have much chance of being picked and I a huge fan of CJ Cherryh, Asian culture and ancient warfare. This book didn't disappoint, it really could have been split into two books the first a master/apprentice tale and the second an action packed war story. I'd recommend this book highly to fans of The Tales of the Otori series by Lian Hearn. ( )

I loved the first half, but felt the second half dragged a bit. ( )

A re-read for me, I've owned a paperback copy for many years, but recently acquired the ebook version.

A pseudo-Oriental low fantasy that's well worth reading.

An aging warlord is living the life of a hermit having retreated from politics after the death of his childhood sweetheart who was married to the Imperial Heir by order of the old Emperor, and executed for adultery along with the Regent after the death of the old Emperor. Greedy and self-seeking men have seized power, and rule in the young Emperor's name even though the regency should have ended.

A peasant girl comes and disturbs his solitude, seeking revenge on one of the Regent's cronies who has killed her lord and her brothers. She persuades the warlord to train her in the arts of war and swordsmanship in exchange for acting as his servant. The warlord would prefer her to share his bed but she refuses and he is too honourable to force the matter although he thinks it would be best for her in the long run to give up the desire for revenge and become a wife and mother, if not a nun. (Although not explicitly stated, it's likely she was raped on her journey across the Empire and fears intimacy.)

The first half of the book deals with her training and the growing attraction both have for each other. It's quite slow-moving - it covers the period of about 2 years. The pace picks up dramatically in the second half when the couple leave their retreat and head to exact retribution on the Regent's crony. On the way, they manage to raise the provinces to rebel and attack the capital and the Regent, and against all odds, they succeed in destroying the Regency.

At the time, it read like a breath of fresh air amid the reams of pseudo medieval high fantasies in vogue at the time. Re-reading it after the space of a couple of decades, the relationship between the warlord and the peasant girl now comes across as a bit pervy given the age difference between the two, but there is a historical precedent in the age difference given that many women died in childbed, and were 'replaced' after a suitable period of mourning. Oddly, it's not the first book I've read recently with the same plotline - Hambly's Darwath series springs to mind, and Peter S Beagle's [b]In Calabria[/b].

Recommended