First Rider's Call

by Kristen Britain

Daw, August, 2003.
Hardcover, 639 pages.
ISBN: 0756402093

First Rider's Call by Kristen Britain Karigan G'ladheon has finally accepted the fact that she is a Green Rider, one of the King's elite messenger corps, who are chosen by being "called" by a voice that compels them to take up their noble -- and magical -- profession. The D'Yer Wall, which protects the land of Sacoridia from the evil which hides in Blackveil forest, has now been breached; an evil force which has been imprisoned for hundreds of years has begun to break its chains of imprisonment. No one alive has the skills to remake the magical wall, and the dark magic is seeping into Sacoridia, causing the Green Riders' magic to become erratic and odd things to happen throughout the land, such as people being turned into stone and the appearance of bloodthirsty creatures. Karigan knows that she and the other Riders are in for the fight of their lives, but she's got another problem: she keeps seeing the ghost of the very first Green Rider: Lil Ambriodhe. Karigan must find out what her connection is to Lil and how they can repair the Wall, before the entire kingdom of Sacoridia is destroyed.

It has been a long few years for the many readers who read and enjoyed Kristen Britain's first novel, The Green Rider, and have been waiting for this sequel. The author does not disappoint her fans. In fact, it really isn't necessary to have read the first book in the series to enjoy this marvelous fantasy adventure, although anyone who didn't read The Green Rider is missing something truly special. Kristen Britain has a unique way of approaching a fantasy world -- her ideas are fresh and inventive. She is also adept at infusing the story with raw human emotion, and some of the scenes are really heartbreaking. But there is also enough humor, adventure, magic and romance to energize even the most jaded fantasy reader.

--Claire E. White

First Rider's Call is available for purchase on Amazon.com

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This review was published in the September-October, 2003 of The Internet Writing Journal.

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