Fire Logic

Rating:
Summary: Written with finesse, achieving multi-climactic satisfaction
Review: I struggled with the first hundred or so pages of this book, adrift in the world Marks was creating and unsure how to orient myself to the characters. Yes, I could see who the 'main' characters were going to be--but I just couldn't work out where Marks was going with them.

I kept reading.

By the time I set the book down, Marks's world and vision had utterly seduced me. Looking back--what had seemed to be a "confused" start was neither a problem nor a weakness. *Fire Logic* is about a land at war--and war *is* confusing and chaotic (particularly a war fought without the benefits of modern communication technology). Until the moment enemies can manuver into a position in which they can engage each other, it *should* be hard to see the form that will come together. Marks recognizes this and incorporates it into a plot strength for her book.

I don't want to be too clever here--the book is a fun read, the characters are engaging, the choices that they face are moving. It's the kind of book that can be read very fast, just for the enjoyment of it, without elaborate philosophical analysis.

However, the deeper levels are there, which for me as a reader is highly rewarding.

*Fire Logic* reads like a great battle is fought and won--much marshalling of troops and gathering of courage, followed by a great push and achievement.

Rating:
Summary: Bring on the next one...
Review: I've been a reader of Laurie J. Marks since the very beginning, couldn't call myself a fan just a casual reader. That was until this series, I love the way this book plays out. One small gripe is that there is an awful lot of damage that Ms. Marks puts Zanja through, honey I love just as deeply, but come on, put me to the brink of death once that is an oopsie, do it multiple times and honey we have to talk. I want more, I need more from this land and these people and later today when my book arrives, I'll have the second one...

This was the most worthwhile read that I've had in a long time. Please do yourself a favor and pick it up and get lost in it. Enjoy.


Rating:
Summary: Why aren't YOU reading Laurie J. Marks?
Review: Laurie J. Marks is an undiscovered treasure of a writer. Her plots are some of the most original I've ever read -- see also Dancing Jack -- and her characters feel, if alien, like real, whole people. She has mastered the trick of letting her readers figure out the rules of her world while never resorting to "As you know, Bob..." creakiness. I did not give this book 5 stars only because I found the ending very confusing. But I look forward to re-reading it and anxiously await the rumored Earth Logic, the second book set in this world.

Rating:
Summary: Well realized fantasy world, but a few problems . . . .
Review: Laurie Marks has created a very interesting and well realized imaginary world. As in many swords and sorcery novels, we find a world at war. This war is fought on many levels. Conflicts between the characters tend to reflect some of the larger conflicts of the social order.

Ms. Marks does well in creating some interesting characters. They tend to fall into a number of categories-- elemental witches, sorcerors, warriors, psychics, seers, healers. This panoply of roles reminds one a bit of the "Forbidden Realms" fantasy games. Marks handles dialog well. There are all the traits that make characters seem alive, to include humor, rage, passion, and grief. I found myself really believing in the characters and caring what happened to them. There are some battles of spirit that add depth-- for instance, Karis's struggle to overcome narcotics addiction.

I found some problems in the book also. The strange sexual orientation of the book's social order was confusing. We are not talking about one gay relationship here -- but ALL the relationships in the book. The women are ALL involved in various intimate Lesbian relationships. The men soon pair off into their own counterpart gay relationships. There's no amorous relationship in the book between a man and a woman.

Nowhere in the book does one see a family. The Sainnite society of warriors takes all of the women they capture and puts them into villages of prostitutes. Their relationships with these women are just serial rape. The children born of these rapes are taken from the mothers and transported to other villages that are filled with "nannies." They are raised as replacement soldiers. Is this believable, even in fiction?

In a like vein, the one woman in the book who bears a child -- Norina -- gives the baby over to a nurse about two weeks after giving birth and essentially leaves the baby behind. This is the norm. Norina's "husband" is a joke. He's a weak milktoast of a man who Norina has taken as a convenience. She states bluntly that she soon plans to leave him, and he accepts this with a hangdog look.

It seems that the women in the book are strong both spiritually and physically. They are the real warriors. The men are weak and effeminate. Medric, a male seer, is a prime example. One can't help sensing that Marks has warped her fantasy creation to reflect a personal agenda. It is difficult to imagine such a social order coming into existence or surviving. For instance, one can hardly imagine a world with no stable environment to rear children, or where almost the only intimacy to be found is in gay relationships. For one obvious point, where would the children come from? (Serial rape, but that seems equally implausible.)

Another problem with the book is motivational. In a flash of jealousy between two women who are the book's protagonists, Norina blindly attacks Zanja. She hurts Zanja very badly, inflicting deep wounds and breaking bones. But then, hatefully, instead of administering the coup de grace, Norina decides to leave the severely cripped Zanja to be captured by their bitter enemies, who are at that moment close at hand. This seems almost diabolic. Remember, up to this point Zanja and Noriana have been traveling together, and are dearest friends. Zanja doesn't even defend herself properly because she can't believe Noriana is attacking her.

A few chapters later, Zanja and Noriana are thrown together again. Zanja -- implausibly -- takes the attitude, "oh, what the heck," embraces Noriana, and they are once again best friends. This is just totally implausible. Quite a bit of this inexplicable motivation occurs throughout the story. The female character Mabin also falls into this pattern. She does almost diabolically evil deeds at times, but there's no motivation for it that makes any sense.

The book is interesting and not without merit. However, for me it has some deep flaws. Subsequent volumes continue to build onto this fantasy world, but I am not certain I will try to obtain or read them for reasons I've given here.

In a forward to this book, Laurie Marks thanks her fellow writer Rosemary Kirstein for her support. Kirstein is a wonderful writer. Her fantasy novels explore Lesbian relationships, but do so with taste and subtlety. Would that these qualities were more in evidence in FIRE LOGIC.




Rating:
Summary: An excellent tale
Review: Many fantasy books have good ideas but are poorly written. Others are well-written but bring nothing new to the table. THIS book has characters that are fresh and interesting, scenes that are emotionally strong without being overwrought, and the story kept me reading straight through.

What I liked best: Compelling characters that seemed real and unique to me, antagonists who had real reasons (in their own minds) for doing bad things, and several sweet twists in the plot that kept me reading.

Aspects I wish were better: Not enough description in some spots so that I didn't feel I was fully SEEING the world of the book. Also, violence that got a bit repetitive. I mean, torture loses its impact if a character gets hurt and healed repeatedly . . .

All in all, though this was a great book, and I will be reading all Ms. Marks previous books and her future ones as well. Well worth buying in hardcover, as this is one you will loan out to friends. :-) Mine is already loaned out.

Rating:
Summary: AN INTERESTING IF UNEXCEPTIONAL STORY
Review: Mix a little magic with a pinch of politics, add a healthy dose of invasion and guerilla warfare, flavor it with a dash of romantic involvement and you get FIRE LOGIC. The four elements, fire, water, air and earth infuse magic in certain people giving them supernatural powers in the land of Shaftal, but Shaftal has been invaded and is being occupied by a brutal oppressor. FIRE LOGIC is the first book in a series that deals with the lands wounds and the subsequent attempts to heal them.

The characters are strong and fairly well developed but to be honest not particularly diverse. Almost all the primary female characters are extremely masculine (...). Of course most of the male characters are effeminate and gay, except one who is masculine, and gay. In fact one must wonder just how there are any little Shaftaler's running around at all, the concept of heterosexual romance seems to be totally unheard of in this world. Well if you're interested in that type of romance then I suppose you will find FIRE LOGIC entertaining. For those of us who find it rather uninteresting it is merely dull.

The plot itself is decent. It's not the type that grabs you and won't let you put the book down from beginning to end, but it's good enough to keep you interested and maybe even look forward to the next volume.

Average, professionally done work. Good enough to be RECOMMENDED but don't think you'll be reading the next great American novel.

Rating:
Summary: AN INTERESTING IF UNEXCEPTIONAL STORY
Review: Mix a little magic with a pinch of politics, add a healthy dose of invasion and guerilla warfare, flavor it with a dash of romantic involvement and you get FIRE LOGIC. The four elements, fire, water, air and earth infuse magic in certain people giving them supernatural powers in the land of Shaftal, but Shaftal has been invaded and is being occupied by a brutal oppressor. FIRE LOGIC is the first book in a series that deals with the lands wounds and the subsequent attempts to heal them.

The characters are strong and fairly well developed but to be honest not particularly diverse. Almost all the primary female characters are extremely masculine (...). Of course most of the male characters are effeminate and gay, except one who is masculine, and gay. In fact one must wonder just how there are any little Shaftaler's running around at all, the concept of heterosexual romance seems to be totally unheard of in this world. Well if you're interested in that type of romance then I suppose you will find FIRE LOGIC entertaining. For those of us who find it rather uninteresting it is merely dull.

The plot itself is decent. It's not the type that grabs you and won't let you put the book down from beginning to end, but it's good enough to keep you interested and maybe even look forward to the next volume.

Average, professionally done work. Good enough to be RECOMMENDED but don't think you'll be reading the next great American novel.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific story!
Review: The G'deon who ruled Shaftal died, without an heir. Thus Shaftal had been thrown into turmoil and the Sainnites began invading. The Shaftali created a guerrilla army to withstand the Sainnites, but slowly they began to lose.

Emil was a Paladin and of fire blood. Zanja was the Speaker for people, also of fire blood. Norina was a Truthken and an air elemental. Karis was a giant, worked as a metalsmith, and an earth witch. These four souls would be called upon by Fate to determine the course of their people.

**** The story followed Zanja as she and the others dealt with war, torture, honor, politics, betrayal, lots of courage, and a bit of friendship. There were parts that left me breathless. Often reality intruded upon my reading and I found myself eager to return to this magical world as quickly as possible. Author Laurie J. Marks proves her talent for creating realistic characters and awesome plots! Recommended! ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch.

Rating:
Summary: Fire on
Review: The land of Shaftal was ruled by an earth witch, but with his death and no apparent heir, it was an easy target for the invading Sainnites. Those remaining Shaftali paladins have grouped together as a guerrilla army to do what they can against the mighty Sainnites. Zanja is the last survivor of a peaceful tribe eradicated by the Sainnites, and her fire witch powers give her glimpses into the future. Emil is a paladin and also a fire witch, but his powers make him more of an excellent judge of character, although working in tandem with Zanja brings luck. Karis is an earth witch whose powers are stifled by her drug addiction, but she can't help but be drawn inexplicably to Zanja. The two women find events moving beyond their understanding and between them, they might just be able to save Shaftal, if they can save themselves first. Peppered with political intrigue, powerful magic, and personal struggles, "Fire Logic" wants to be a potent story, but it just doesn't make it. The first eighty or so pages flit through fifteen years of story, and this disconnected feeling never disappears. The love stories (between Zanja and Karis, between Emil and a young man who's a Sainnite) are told to us, more than shown, so we never fall in love with the characters as they fall in love with each other. The complex characters and the fascinating magic-laden world kept me reading and interested, and for that the book is recommendable, but overall it lacks.

Rating:
Summary: Almost a great book
Review: The Shaftali nation has been left leaderless and is under attack by invading Sainnites. Bands of guerillas fight back, but without the magical power of their leader, the Shaftali seem helpless. And even magic seems insufficient. Certainly Zanja's fire magic is inadequate to prevent the complete destruction of her people. Rescued by a giantess, Zanja joins the guerilla movement, but even here she finds enemies and secrets.

Author Laurie J. Marks creates an intriguing world with a magic system based on cryptic glyphs and upon the elements of air, earth, fire, and water. Law has always been used to constrain and control these magics, yet the magics remain the center of the civilization--a contradiction that threatens to destroy what is left of the nation. Marks may also please or upset readers through her frank discussions of the gay and lesbian relationships between many of her characters--relationships that are perfectly understood and accepted within her fantasy world.

FIRE LOGIC is enjoyable reading, yet Marks falls short of delivering the full emotional intensity deserved by her subject matter. The physical and social suffering that Zanja survived shoud have been powerful and compelling--instead, it was matter of fact. The love between Zanja and Karis was described, but not really felt. This was almost a truly wonderful novel.