The Destroyer Goddess: In Fire Forged, Part 2 (In Fire Forged, 2)

By Laura Resnick

Book Overview

An epic saga of such grand scale it must be told in two books Laura Resnick, author of In Legend Born, has created a novel so epic in power and scope that it could only be told in two parts. In The White Dragon, part one of In Fire Forged, the island nation of Sileria had finally been freed from the tyranny of foreign Valdani rule by Josarian, the rebel leader who became the Firebringer foretold in prophecy. But Josarian was slain by the White Dragon, a creation of Kiloran, the most ruthless of the powerful mages called waterlords, who terrorize thosewho depend on their mercy for the water that all life must have. Now that mercy is denied. As the waterlords begin a reign more terrible than that of the Valdani, Tansen, Josarian's second-in-command, joins forces with Mirabar, a Guardian who is feared and admired for her fire magic, and Zarien, a mysterious sea-born boy. Mirabar and her bitter enemy, Torena Elelar, the faithless wife of a Valdani aristocrat, contend with prophecies both vague and daunting, each destined to serve the destroyer goddess in her own way as they try to discover the meaning of Mirabar's visions. The fragile alliances forged by Tansen between the peasant shallaheen and the Guardian resistance begin to crumble as he tries desperately to save Sileria. Zarien, however, is determined to bring Tansen to the sea goddess Sharifar to be her consort. But no goddess is as easy to placate as mortals may think . . . . And Kiloran will stop at nothing to trap Tansen and crush the resistance in order to maintain his tyrannical reign. As the power struggle among Sileria's warring factions intensifies to a fevered pitch, the tremors of Mount Darshon increase, threatening to engulf them all in molten death. Kiloran and Tansen prepare for a final confrontation that will change Sileria forever. But no one may triumph unless the destroyer goddess wills it . . . . With masterful storytelling, Laura Resnick brings this great epic tale to a conclusion that readers will find riveting and enthralling.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765308754
• ISBN13: 9780765308757
• Release Date: December 2003
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 1.87 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.5" x 6.4"

Customer Reviews

Really something

"The Destroyer Goddess" the last in the wonderful trilogy by Laura Resnick actually does what few last fantasy books accomplish-it wraps up the series nicely and answers all the questions the previous books posed. I will be brief in this review as I have not in those I wrote for the previous two books, because basically, if you finished the second book, nothing will stop you from reading this one, so here is basically some of what happens in this book. Mirabar does in fact marry the insane Waterlord Baran, but only after she and Tansen have admitted they love each other. Tansen is understandably pissed, but understands the duty and destiny aspect of the whole situation. We find out why exactly Baran and Kiloran hate each other so much. We learn about Zarien's biological parents, and his true destiny. His relationship with Tansen, as his new blood son continues to mirror Tansen's with his own blood father in that Zarien somehow wants Tansen to be a different man (of course of all of this, and the father/son Tansen/Armien, Tansen/Zarien stuff in this book in the last are clearly leading to something big.) Tansen continues on his quest to rid the country of Waterlords. The Volcano Goddess continues to throw increasing tantrums and visions in the sky continue and pilgrims head to Dar's Volcano in religious fervor waiting for something. Mirabar attempts to get pregnant while trying to find the new leader of the country-who will also be a child. Cheylan acts very evil . Kiloran acts very evil. Elelar does very surprising things. Ronall and Najdan debate the pros and cons of Tansen beating his son. And the sea king is found. All in all, I just love this book. In spite of the difficulties a marriage to another man brings to our romantic couple, this is a romantic novel. Its also surprising, funny and like all the books in the series has the completely charming characters, in life or death situations, often just losing it and arguing about really stupid things, which is just so normal that it makes it feel real. And the ending is something. Really something. I only wish the author would finally return to this world with more books. I know she intended to explore the other countries of the "world" in some books, but personally I'd be happy with more of this particular little Island nation. Five stars.

Rousing Finish!

A rousing finish to what I now think is one of my favorite fantasy series. This book provide a satisfying conclusion to the many subplots in the story. I am quite impressed with Ms. Resnick's storytelling ability and her writing style. The plotting and character development were outstanding, but what I liked most of all was the witty dialogue and often realistic-sounding exchanges between father-son, lovers, friends, etc. My only minor quibble is that the book uses the term "dryly" a bit too much when describing dialogue. It was dry and witty, but there was no need to point this out all the time! All-in-all, very nicely done.

Best book in a very nice series

The Valdani have finally left Sileria after hundreds of years of occupation but now the water lords, led by their powerful chief Kiloran, intend to take over. Their rule, should they be successful, will be far harsher and far more complete than anything the Valdani dreamed of. And all that stands in their way are a handful of guardians (fire mages) and Tansen--a great warrior to be sure, but hardly a cult leader like his brother, now killed by Kiloran. Things only get worse for Tansen when the great fire-mage and prophet, Mirabar--the woman he loves despite her cruelty to him--decides to marry a crazy waterlord. They need dissension among the waterlords, but Tansen hates the idea that any man but he will touch Mirabar. Tansen, along with his adopted son, do their best to stir up troubles among the waterlords, playing them off against each other. But the prophecies require children to be born for real freedom--and Kiloran's assassins are doing their best to kill any of the likely candidates. Author Laura Resnick has created a fascinating magical world. Tansen and the half-Valdani lord Ronall, in particular, come to life as flawed but fascinating characters. The magic system with its battles between water and fire magic is fully developed and very nice. Resnick's word pictures of the water magic are especially powerful. THE DESTROYER GODDESS is the strongest of the three novels in this series. The plot is more tightly integrated as the characters come together for the resolution of the centuries-old struggle between fire and water, between the Society and the Guardians, and between the peasants and the sea. Even the gods come ito play in this one. The novel could be read as a stand-alone but readers will find it more interesting if they read the three novels in the order they were written.

Great Conclusion to a Great Series

This is the third book of the series In Legend Born. I've waited for this book for 3+ years and although I have forgotten some of the minor characters (such as Jalilar) this book is a very memorable conclusion of the series. It has many plot twists, many of which are predictable (but I don't read a story for the twists, i read it for the story) and has very full characterizations of the main characters. The war against the Waterlords are also occasionally analyzed in a big-picture objective, omnipresent view which helps with clarifying what has been happening. My biggest gripe with the book is that it gives us no sense of how much time has passed, and when it does [fastforward through time], time passes so fast, that u wish it had more details so that there would be more to read. However it does not demerit it enough to a 4. All in all this is a high-quality political, magical and adventure fantasy book with strong themes (which i didn't feel like covering) and highly recommended