Fire in the Mist

by Holly Lisle

Book Overview

Faia, a shepherd girl, develops her magic powers until she is ready to seek revenge on those responsible for the destruction of her family. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671721321
• ISBN13: 9780671721329
• Release Date: August 1992
• Publisher: Baen Books
• Length: 291 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Wild!

With all twists and turns, Holly Lisle, writes another trilogy which i found most exciting. The whole book keeps you asking questions until it builds up upon the real villian.Faia (main charcter) is a simple shepherd girl with wild magic coursing through her veins, but when plague strikes her home town and she returns to find everything and everyone she ever loved dead...Well lets just say its not pretty. Struck down with despair Faia finds only one other survivor of her home town and together they go off to find a better life.But that doesn't happen for the mages and sajes of Ariss have tracked her down. Faia is forced to return with the mages to Ariss where the magic that runs through her blood can be controlled.However Faia doesn't find it easy in her new home, espeacially when murders have been taking place and it could result in war between the two cities of Ariss: Mage Ariss and Saje Ariss.Its all very exciting and very suspense full and definetly full of suprises. I defintely recomend this book to any fans of "The Secret Texts" trilogy and other readers who enjoy female heroines for a change!

Magical read!

Fire in the Mist, an early fantasy novel by Holly Lisle, is a delight! Fire in the Mist is filled with engaging characters, especially the main character: Faia Rissedote. Others, also interesting and memorable in their own way, are Medwind Song, Yaji Jennedote, and Rakell and her cat (with hands) Flynn. Even the villain of the novel has some sympathetic qualities.Besides intriguing, realistic characters, is the excellent play of foreshadowing and plot twists.The mage academy Daane is equally interesting, so is the unfolding history of Ariss, and the magic that exists in this world, as well as the people who wield it.If there isn't a sequel, I wish there were. Fire in the Mist is an excellent novel, and I encourage everyone who likes fantasy, originality, and Holly Lisle's other works, to read this one soon.

Poignant

The poignant start to this story, is fitting for this tragic heroine. I felt so sad for her intro where she discovers magic/power (lets just say it's not a happy experience). It felt like a tide that was drownding this character....but she always kept trying to keep her head above the water. I have re-read this book several times, and enjoy it every time. This hero isn't some perfect paladin. She has accidentely precipiated some horrible things, and no matter what good she does that will always be a part of her persona. No don't get me wrong, this book isn't some dark gritty thing, but the characters do have multiple fascits to them. Nothing is absolutly good and has been, and vice versa. I can't recommend this book enough!

A Great First

This was the first of Holly Lisle's books and the first I have ever read. What a first effort! A wonderful setting in a city divided on sex lines between the Mages (women) and Sages (men). Both have their legends about the cause of the rift. Both are right, and wrong. Faia Rissedotte is a young woman with great powers of magic and an attitude of defiance who finds herself among the Mages. And ancient evil is awakening, and only Faia has the ability to see past the hatred of the two groups of magicians and dicern the truth. A page turner and recommended for anyone with a love of high fantasy.

Culture clashes and the consequences of gender segregation

The above description is misleading. The main character, Faia, drives her sheep home after months in the highlands, only to find her entire village dead of plague and unburied. She calls upon her untrained magic to cleanse the place, cremating the entire village in arcane flame. Far-off magic users feel the power drain, and track her down to bring her under control. So this uneducated shepherd girl finds herself in the big city, at an all-female college of magic. Both students and teachers at the college regard her as half savage; she finds them lacking in common sense. And then her fellow students start dying. . . . This book is a good, solid fantasy, with a well-realized world and some unconventional plot twists. There are some excellent scenes, both tragic and comic, but the characters are most creative. There is a professor at the college from a truly savage background, though she doesn't wear warpaint while teaching. There's a mage experimenting with winged horses that no sane person would ride. There's a cat with hands who likes to play with matches. There are magic otters, subversive activities, an ancient feud and one small dangerous quest. The story may not have something for everybody, but people who like to see strong women think their way through difficult circumstances will enjoy it