The White Tribunal

by Paula Volsky

Book Overview

Magic is entirely forbidden in Upper Hetzia, a town scarred by the Sortilegious Wars.??Those who are suspected of practicing magic are executed in the infamous White Tribunal.??Tradain liMarchborg... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553575813
• ISBN13: 9780553575811
• Release Date: August 1998
• Publisher: Spectra Books
• Length: 512 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

4.5 stars-ignore the bad reviews-this IS worth your time

I'm going to be real honest here and admit that the reviews I read for this book made no sense for me-I bought it purely because of who the author is. Turns out that was a good decision because this just might be the best of Paula Volsky's books. As basically every other reviewer has said, the premise of this book is based on the "Count of Monte Cristo"-now I said the premise-the whole book is not, and I say that having read the aforementioned book. The main character, Tradain, is the youngest son of a noble family. At the beginning of the book he's out exploring the ruins of an old house-the mansion of an old sorcerer killed by a mob for his crimes (hint hint HINT!!!!!) predictably for Tradain, he's followed by young Glennian, a noble daughter of another house, the daughter of his father's best friend who in spite of the fact that she's a musical prodigy and completely eidetic (photographic memory) tends to follow him like a puppy. The girl warns him her father is leaving the country the next day in fear of the white tribunal (a sort of witch hunting agency/inquisition for sorcerers.) Surprise, surprise when in the middle of the night our hero wakes up to his whole family (except the stepmom) being arrested by the soldiers of the light-even him, even though at 13, he's a minor. The next part is almost strait out of "Count of Monte Cristo", we have a prison on a rock in the water, an old, old man with helpful intentions, a secret stash of power with great consequences behind it-and a never ending quest for revenge. But the thing about revenge is, if you let it consume your life, if it becomes the only thing you are, the only thing you care about, what happens when you finish your work? Throw in a short time line measured by a magic hourglass (it shows how much power our hero has expended) a romance, a country in uprising against unfair use of the justice system and what do you get-a good book. Is it at as tightly written as "illusion"-no, it's not. And as usual with Volsky, the romance needs serious editing, but it's also not as bland in spots as "The Grand Ellipse." And the religion is just fascinating! You see sorcerers get their power from beings that the people in this book call "malevolence's" these are considered to be of the same species as their god, who is seen as an anomaly among the species who fights against these evil gods to protect humanity. Humans can barter their souls to the evil gods and get magical power-but it's limited and illegal and seen as hurting the good god. Just keep in mind while you're reading this book that all religion is based on the assumption that you can place total faith in something can that can never be proved-only in this case you can reach out and communicate with the gods-if you happen to be a sorcerer. So only those who commit acts abhorred by society can really know anything-true or false-about the accepted religion. Interested yet? Ignore the bad reviews, this is worth your time. Four point f

4.5 stars-ignore the bad reviews-this IS worth your time

I'm going to be real honest here and admit that the reviews I read for this book made no sense for me-I bought it purely because of who the author is. Turns out that was a good decision because this just might be the best of Paula Volsky's books. As basically every other reviewer has said, the premise of this book is based on the "Count of Monte Cristo"-now I said the premise-the whole book is not, and I say that having read the aforementioned book. The main character, Tradain, is the youngest son of a noble family. At the beginning of the book he's out exploring the ruins of an old house-the mansion of an old sorcerer killed by a mob for his crimes (hint hint HINT!!!!!) predictably for Tradain, he's followed by young Glennian, a noble daughter of another house, the daughter of his father's best friend who in spite of the fact that she's a musical prodigy and completely eidetic (photographic memory) tends to follow him like a puppy. The girl warns him her father is leaving the country the next day in fear of the white tribunal (a sort of witch hunting agency/inquisition for sorcerers.) Surprise, surprise when in the middle of the night our hero wakes up to his whole family (except the stepmom) being arrested by the soldiers of the light-even him, even though at 13, he's a minor. The next part is almost strait out of "Count of Monte Cristo", we have a prison on a rock in the water, an old, old man with helpful intentions, a secret stash of power with great consequences behind it-and a never ending quest for revenge. But the thing about revenge is, if you let it consume your life, if it become the only thing you are, the only thing you care about, what happens when you finish your work? Throw in a short time line measured by a magic hourglass (it shows how much power our hero has expended) a romance, a country in uprising against unfair use of the justice system and what do you get-a good book. Is at as tightly written as "illusion"-no, it's not. And as usual with Volsky, the romance needs serious editing, but it's also not as bland in spots as "The Grand Ellipse." And the religion is just fascinating! You see sorcerers get their power from beings that the people in this book call "malevolence's" these are considered to be of the same species as their god, who is seen as an anomaly among the species who fights against these evil gods to protect humanity. Humans can barter their souls to the evil gods and get magical power-but it's limited and illegal and seen as hurting the good god. Just keep in mind while you're reading this book that all religion is based on the assumption that you can place total faith in something can that can never be proved-only in the case you can reach out and communicate with the gods-if you happen to be a sorcerer. So only those who commit acts abhorred by society can really know anything-true or false-about the accepted religion. Interested yet? Ignore the bad reviews, this is worth your time. Four point five s

on characters

i feel like all of the people who said that the characters are flat weren't thinking of real people. One problem I have is that Tradain sort of *is* the book. We get a veiw of thrid person limited from the antagonists almost soley when we are watching his magic. I think that if there were atleast a prologue building Gnaus as a character, and highlighting his break from liMarchborg and liTarngrav that would have improved out sense of the character. More history on how and why the witch-hunts grew so visious, and why people were so afraid to come out against them might have been nice too. Maybe she was afraid of ripping off illusion. As far as complaints about Tradain.... what kind of character would you expect after what he goes through? I'm familiar (to a degree) with the psych of trauma. He shows some of the traits beautifully. The person who suggested that reading the Compte of Monet Crisco may have been right that you need some sort of background that most people don't have to appreciate this book. As far as Glennian goes I don't attribute her offer to Xyleel to the budding romance... I attributed it to her ideals, and her demonstrated impulsitivity. That she doesn't, on her own, recognize Kwieseldt for the treachery he committed makes sense based on numerous theories across various feilds of psych and soc. Even if she did think about it she would probably just have assumed that he agreed with someone else's statement to avoid getting himself thrown in the pot-- much against his will. Some fuel for his paranoia did included that he had been among the most loyal of servants. I think people didn't like this book because it didn't have a happy ending. All that aside, I just plain LIKE the book, though i would have given it a 4 if there weren't so many horribly negative reviews.

Redeeming because it was so creepy and full of horror...

All of the other criticisms of this book are pretty much on target. The story _did_ have a skimpy sort of vagueness to it remarkably similar to the foggy description given to the city of Liz Folaze. There were some plot holes too. For example, how did Yarune the Bloodless become such a terror to behold when the amount of power given by Xyleel was so limited that Tradaine used it all up in a matter of weeks? And if magical items continue to consume power with each use (as did the Vigilance created by "Dr. Flambeska"), how did the enchanted projection of Autonn keep working a century after the sorceror's demise?But these problems can be excused when considered against the sheer force of personality of the liGurvohl character (I was actually scared of him!), the vividness of the torture scenes (I could feel the heat of the cauldron and imagine the suffering), and the black mood the author conveyed with the surety of Tradaine's awaiting torment when the last grain of his power fell. The finitude of magic in this world was a nice touch, as it paved the way for a character forced to consider each move carefully, and who must be preoccupied by his own unavoidable personal hell. Anyone who has ever been bullied or impelled by circumstances beyond their control would appreciate a tale such as this, where a weaker character pays the ultimate cost for the mastery of his destiny, if only for a short while. While many of the deeper existential issues broached here are never really explored by the story itself, I continued to mull them long after I turned the last page. I'll remember this one for some time to come, and will try some of Volsky's other works.

chilling saga of sorcery, revenge and romance

Volsky has done it again! She tells a story of land where magic is feared and a reign of terror is installed by a fanatical group called the white tribunal.When a boy is falsely imprisoned and his father and brothers are executed by the white tribunal.After spending thirteen years in hellhole type prison he escapes. The young man sells his soul to dark powers so he can exact a terrible revenge against his accusers.In shades of Dumas's Count of Monte Cristo, Volsky has written a haunting saga of hate, revenge and magic that can only be conquered by love.