A Tremor in the Bitter Earth

by Katya Reimann

Book Overview

It is a time for celebration in Tielmark, at long last free from the age-old rule of the decadent but powerful Bissanty empire. Yet as the young glamour witch Gaultry Blas travels to witness the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312860080
• ISBN13: 9780312860080
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 381 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 8.6" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

Superb Brooding Dark Fantasy

An amazing, fresh, sf-fantasy novel, with a gut-wrenching beginning. Lots of terrific creative new ideas such as the "Sha Muira" assassin that figures so prominently in the story. I really enjoyed the tension between Gaultry during the slow transformation of the young assassin. I enjoyed this book the first time I read it and I am now re-reading it once again. It is just as good on the second reading, although, the surprise element is gone. Now I look forward to reading the earlier book in this series, as well as the newer sequels to this excellent book.

Witches & spells!!

An engaging story, the heroin is strong & magical. The story is original & light. This book follows Gaultry -the Glamour/Witch- in her fight to free Teilmark from The Bissanty Empire's clutches. You get to know more about Bissanty & the way the people live & feel. I was intrigued by the religion they follow. I still want to know more about Mervion, Gaultry's sister & Martin. My only remark is that sometimes Ms. Reimaan writing is a little distracting, like she is trying a little too hard to convey a thought or describe a scene.All in all a very good story. Thank you Ms. Reimann. Can't wait to read the 3rd book.Get it & READ IT!(...)

Can a Good Witch Save an Evil Empire?

The second of Katya Reimann's books, this book starts off differently than the first, and takes us on a whole new journey.The restless Gaultry Blass, serving as an honored guest in the court of the new Prince of Tielmark. She secretly hopes for something to do, and gets it when she and her sister foil an assassination attempt against the prince. However, one of the assassins from the Sha Muir nears death, and Gaultry saves his life. In doing so, she gets her wish for "something to do", as she must take the spy back to enemy soil in an attempt to save the life of her friend Martin Stalker.Once again, we have a whole world to discover, and it is refreshing to read about the Bissantry Empire from their point of view. Unlike the typical (and simplistic) good and evil, we can see the way each country sees the other, and it is a theme that can apply to how we see other people and other nations. In the end, we wonder what influence both the huntress and the assassin have on each other, and will this new experience change the way the countries develop.My only regret is that we still do not get a feel for Gaultry's twin sister, Mervion, who could and should be important in the development of the character. I believe that the twins were set up to explore the two personalities that women (and men) feel, and yet we only see the side of the independent Gaultry, not seeing the saavy Mervion, nor the relationship of the two sisters. I hope this is explored in future novels.Overall, another enjoyable read.

A great work

This searies is proabaly one of the best i have ever read. The characters are deep and easy to beleave. I love how Reimann describes our heros outlook on things. She is very independant and strong. I really loved this book and if you really love good fantasy, you should give this a try.

A heroine with real faults-FINALLY

Gualtry Blas is a woman, a sister, a lover, a daughter.....with real feelings that any person can relate to. She is neither made into a goddess, super warrior saving the world, nor the lowest sea-urchin, but Gualtry's view of herself is the most important of all because this is where the audience is able to connect with Gualtry and even switch places with her. Not only does Reinmann allow for you to understand one character, but she gives the audience several chances to act out other roles and experience dramatic irony. These novels are written at somewhat of an advanced level touching on stream of conciousness, dramatic irony, 1st person as well as 3rd person omiscenisent, so on so forth. These techniques combined inable the author to give the reader an accurate portrayal of events, and such occurences create a beautiful, well mastered story without knocking you off of your feet with pazzazz or glamour.