Luthiel's Song: Dreams of the Ringed Vale

By Robert Fanney

"Luthiels Song" is an epic fantasy novel for young adults. First Summers Eve has come and all elves celebrate as the black moons shadow fades from the world. It is also Luthiels 15th birthday. With it... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0976422603
• ISBN13: 9780976422600
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Dark Forest Pr
• Length: 328 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.8" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

A Book that Deserves to be Read

A little over a year ago, I set out to find a solid, female-led novel. I'd gotten my fill of fist-pumping testosterone action, and I was looking for a little bit of girl power to serve as a change of pace. I excitedly ventured into Barnes and Noble, to find the book that would satisfy this desire. I won't name the first book I bought. In fact, I won't even name the second book that I bought several weeks later. I won't name them, because I didn't finish either of them. I couldn't finish either of them. They went on my shelf, never to be read (or cared about) again. They were terrible. So much for girl power. Or so I thought... I recently stumbled upon Luthiel's Song: Dreams of Ringed Vale. In short, it is the story of a young elf named Luthiel, a girl who is given the opportunity to essentially sacrifice herself to save the life of her sister. How? By replacing her sister as a sacrifice, to be handed over to the bloodthirsty monsters known as the Vyrl. You see, the Vyrl demand these sacrifices. If these demands are not met...let's just say bad things tend to happen to the general populace. I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to pick up a novel, start reading it, and by the fifth page have decided that only the slow and painful death of the main character will make the book worthwhile. Some authors simply don't get it. No one wants to empathize with a character that begs to be hated. Do we love cruel characters? Of course. They add so much to the story. But you see, that's the whole point. They add to the story. They aren't the story. Being in the thoughts of a main character that you utterly despise is one of the most irritating aspects of literature. That's not a problem in Dreams of the Ringed Vale (hereby shortened to DotRV). Luthiel, as a protagonist, is immediately likeable. She's good-natured, she's loyal, and she's flawed. Without flaws, a character isn't real. Luthiel has just enough to make her the perfect underdog girl to root for. You want to read on, because you want to see her succeed. You want to see her victorious. You want to see things work out for her in the end. That's one of the great things about this story. It's a good story. It's genuine, and it's the kind of thing you can get behind. It's the story of a girl who--whether she realizes it or not--is trying to be her sister's hero. That's unconditional love, and that's a very refreshing thing to read about. In a literary world full of gimmicks, grandeur, and garbage, DotRV stands out in the crowd as decidedly straightforward and pure. Not many authors have the self-confidence (or morality) to write something like that. Fannéy pulls it off like a pro. I won't talk much about secondary characters, as to not inadvertently give anything away, but I will say this: they're diverse and they're excellent. Make no mistake...you're going to get attached to someone other than Luthiel. It's going to happen. There is one thing I'll caution you about, though. If you're looking

Ordinary Lives; Extraordinary Adventures

This story centers on a young girl, Luthiel, and her adventures in a mystical land. Luthiel is an orphan with an uncertain past who was adopted by a loving family. The family has a younger daughter and the two are lovingly devoted to each other; the book opens with a scene of them playing in the friendly woods around their village. Their life, briefly described, is very ordinary in a small and intimate village in the middle of a big and mostly unknown world. The village is beset by evil that appears during their woodland play; Luthiel is drawn into it. Luthiel starts on a frightning and lonely journey to try to save her sister and her village. Her adventures reach a temporary conclusion as this first volume ends. A very satisfying read. Even in my busy life, I had to read a chapter a day, and I didn't want to read faster so as to make it last longer. Highly recommended and waiting anxiously for the second volume.

Amazing

I just got done with the book today and must say I enjoyed the book to the utmost. Already I have ranked it among my top favorites, and with the many books within the fantasy genre that I have read, that is saying much. The characters are just amazing, causing instant adoration for every single one, even the cold and grim Gormtoth claims a place in my heart. True, a much smaller place than Luthiel and Leowin, but still he stands there, majestic and terrible within his dragon armor. And the language of the story is, itself, magic. The words chosen to describe each and every motion of the characters paint such a vivid picture that even know they will not fade from before my eyes. My favorite example of this is when Vayne, the Bladedancer, and Leowin actually dance. The gentle grace and effortless speed are made known to us exactly as they should be due to the choice of words and style. It is so very masterfully done. This world is rich in a history that gives this place a feeling of being real. I get done with a chapter and look out the window, expecting to see the light from two suns instead of one, it is so very real to me. I will say no more till others finish the book for fear that I may spoil one or more of the suprises. But I must say this was a book I shall be reading more than once. In fact, I think I will go and begin anew right now. Masterfully done. A piece of art among a genre where much has gone to decay and ruin.

An Impressive Debut

I am writing this review as someone who has known the author for several years, and is in general a harsh critic of writing, especially from people I consider my friends. (I'm much nicer to strangers when it comes to critiquing their work.) So I am rather surprised and pleased to be able to recommend this book so highly; it is tenderly, lovingly written, and bristles with tension without insulting you by resorting to typical fantasy swords-and-sorcery spectacle. It's set on an imagined world that is full of history and myth, with fabulous little details--from what the insects look like, to the ever-changing beauty of the night sky, to how their chocolate tastes. Yet, despite all this thick detail, which the author obviously has spent years crafting, he never loses the desperate forward drive of Luthiel's story. It was really refreshing to read about a young female hero whose strength isn't some self-congratulatory novelty, and which doesn't require her to turn into some geek-fantasy Xena Warrior Princess. Instead, all the things that are great about women are the things that make Luthiel great. I may be a little behind the times here, but I think women are QUITE different from men, and that's what makes them better than we are. It's one of the many things that make this book so enjoyable, and since it's the author's first published novel, it's full of fresh energy and I can tell it's only going to get better in the promised sequels--which, given the tightly-wound-spring of an ending, I can't wait to read.