In this series, I’ve been reviewing each of Tamora Pierce’s Tortall books. In this post I’ll be going over the first book in the Protector of the Small series, First Test.
Kel was my first Tamora Pierce heroine, and she’ll always be my favorite.
Revisiting Corus: “Dragon’s Tale” and “Lost”
In the Revisiting Corus series, I’m rereading all of the published stories that take place in the Tortallan universe prior to the release of the long-anticipated Numair novel, Tempests and Slaughter, in February. This post covers two short stories set in the Tortall universe, “Dragon’s Tale” and “Lost.”
I’ve never read these stories before, so this was an interesting dive into some new material, for me. However, both are relevant to the Immortals quartet I just finished reading; “Dragon’s Tale” is about an adventure Kitten has and “Lost” is a story about some of the darkings.
Revisiting Corus: The Realms of the Gods
I’m rereading all 19 books set in the Tortall universe, as well as Tortall ephemera, in preparation for Tempests and Slaughter‘s release in February. In this installment, I’ll be talking about the fourth and final book in the Immortals quartet, The Realms of the Gods.
I’ve always thought this book was fantastic. My thoughts on some elements of it have been complicated over time, but it still remains that it’s a fantastic book.
A Bride’s Story: Telling Rich Stories of Womanhood in Central Asia
A Bride’s Story is my favorite manga. I’m no expert on manga, but even if I read three volumes of Naruto a day, I’d probably still think A Bride’s Story was the best manga ever made. It’s beautiful. It’s sumptuous. It’s intimate. It’s–everything.
Revisiting Corus: Emperor Mage
In this review series, I’ve been reading all of Tamora Pierce’s Tortall books. In this post I’ll be going over Emperor Mage, the third book in the Immortals quartet.
This book is definitely my favorite out of this quartet–the lush setting, the complex intrigue that doesn’t bog down plot progression, and the wide range of animals make this an exemplary book, showing off the best of Daine and her companions. Emperor Mage takes Daine out of her comfort zone to the barren, troubled shores of Carthak. I promised in a previous post to talk about Carthak’s relationship to Egypt and whiteness in nobility, so let’s start with that.
Revisiting Corus: “Elder Brother” and “The Hidden Girl”
Leading up to a new Tortall book coming out, I’m reading all of Tamora Pierce’s Tortall books and Tortall ephemera. In this post I’ll be reviewing the short stories “Elder Brother” and “The Hidden Girl.”
At the end of Wolf Speaker, Numair turns a man into a tree with a word of power. He mentions in that book that, as a result, somewhere else in the world a tree has become a man. “Elder Brother” is the story of that tree.
Revisiting Corus: Wolf Speaker
I’m reading the 19 Tortall books, as well as Tortall ephemera, before the 20th Tortall novel comes out this February. In this post I’ll be reviewing the second Immortals quartet book, Wolf Speaker.
In reading Alanna’s books, a lot of what I focused on was how Tamora Pierce’s writing and Alanna’s arc grew and matured over the course of the books. This book doesn’t fit that structure.
Shower Comics: The Ugly and The Sensational
The Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang run of Wonder Woman was extremely excellent; I started pulling issues with my local shop towards the climax, and it did not disappoint. It was sad when the writing and art went to Meredith and David Finch, simply because the old run was over, but I figured I could give it a shot. I ended up putting their first issue down and writing them off within a couple of pages, and I’ll tell you why: it was the shower scene.
Revisiting Corus: Wild Magic
In this review series, I’m rereading all of Tamora Pierce’s books set in the Tortall universe in preparation for Tempests and Slaughter, the 20th Tortall book. In this post I’ll be reviewing Wild Magic the first book in the Immortals quartet.
Revisiting Corus: “Student of Ostriches”
In the lead-up to Tamora Pierce’s 20th Tortall book, Tempests and Slaughter, I’m rereading everything to do with Tortall. This post is about the short story “Student of Ostriches.”