An Earthly Crown (The Jaran, Book 2; The Sword of Heaven, Book 1)

by Kate Elliott

Book Overview

The nomadic tribes of the jaran are uniting the settled cities of their homeland one by one. Their charismatic leader, Ilya Bakhtiian, has his loyal wife by his side, but there is something about her... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0886775469
• ISBN13: 9780886775469
• Release Date: March 1993
• Publisher: DAW
• Length: 512 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.5" x 1.3" x 4.0"

Customer Reviews

The saga continues . . .

After reading some of the other reviews I almost didn't buy this book. But I'm very glad I did. If you're interested in complex characters, a fascinating exploration of differing cultures and what happens when they begin to intermix, and if you enjoy great story telling, then you should definitely read this book. And unlike some other reviewers, I found the homosexual part of the storyline to be interesting--observing the various relevant characters explore and struggle to deal with beliefs and feelings in light of their corresponding culture's rules and ideas of morality. I have no idea where one reviewer got "our heroine asks another man to sodomize her husband while she watches." That's not in the story like that at all. That makes it sound incredibly crass--and that's not how Ms. Elliott handles it at all. Some reviewers complained about the lack of plot and slow movement. Yes, it does move a little slow. But if you approach it as a journey to be savored for what it is, I think you'll enjoy it. I look forward to reading the other 2 books in the series. And if you like this kind of story/series, I strongly recommend that you read the "Warprize" 3-book series by Elizabeth Vaughan. Happy reading!

Continuing the Jaran story

This book is rather different in style from the first of the four Jaran novels, but I can't really agree with the reviewers who said it was weaker.The basic setting for the series is that humans are a subject race in a domineering, but relatively benign, empire under the highly hierarchic alien Chapalii. Charles Soerenson, the only human to hold a high position in the Chapalii empire, is secretly using his position to prepare a revolt against the Chapalii. Meanwhile, his sister and heir, Tess, becomes stranded on the planet Rhui, populated by technologically backwards humans who Soerenson has ordered, with the consent of the Chapalii, are not to be aware of the existence of other populated worlds and advanced technology. While there, she falls in love with a Genghis Khan like figure, Bakhtiian, who has united the nomadic and matriarchal Jaran under his leadership and is preparing a campaign of conquest against the settled peoples of Rhui. The Jaran seem to be based roughly on the Russian/Mongolian cultures of the Russian steppes, and Jaran names are recognizably Russian.In this novel, second in the series a few years ater the end of "Jaran", Charles Soerenson is visiting the Jaran along with some of his aides and a troupe of Earth actors, with the goals of exploring the Chapalii monument that Tess discovered in the prequel and persuading Tess to return with him. A final goal is gradually furthering the evolution of Jaran and Rhuian culture, with the expectation that they will eventually recontact galactic society. The visit takes place against the backdrop of Bakhtiaan's continuing campaign of conquest.The actors, unmentioned by the other reviewers here, are central to the story, because their objective of using the language-based art of Shakespeare and classic theater to communicate across linguistic and cultural barriers reflects the novel's theme of how different cultures, and people from them, understand and misunderstand each other. This is also developed in a romance between an actress in the troupe and a Jaran warrior that progresses in spite of their lack of a common language, and a sometimes comic subplot of an arrogant young nobleman sent as a diplomat to the Jaran from a deeply patriarchal feudal kingdom, who is so shaped by his own culture that he is incapable of even understanding how little he understands the Jaran. A related theme that is developed by suggestion in both this book and the prequel, perhaps for a more direct exploration before the series concludes, is the similarity between Charles's rule over Rhui and the Chapalii rule over Earth and mankind that Charles is in rebellion against.The story generally involves far less action, and a bit less sex, than the first installation. It does feature a plot of repressed homosexual attraction that reaches an unpersuasive climax, so to speak, in a threesome. But in general, Elliott is elaborating the ideas and characters of the first volume and preparing for crises to come

It is Addicting

This has been one of the best books I have ever read! It just keep going on. I just could'nt put it down and had to get the next book. It was perfect.

Excellent book

I enjoyed this book very much. Her characters are well drawn. While I enjoyed the first book in the series the most (learning about the jahar), I find myself unable to put these books down!

Brilliant, as usual

Kate's work is always complex and intriguing. Her characters are fully developed entering this book, but she manages to flesh them out further. Anyone who read the first Jaran books or her latest series, Crown of Stars, will love this book.