 | Green Rider by Kristen Britain
Green Rider by Kristen Britain
A fun beginning to an interesting-looking series
I've sat on this book for a couple years, waiting to get my hands on the rest of the trilogy before reading it. I found it to be a fun book, fast paced and quite well-written for a first effort. While it did follow the "standard plot" for a sword & sorcery-type fantasy novel pretty much down the line, it did so in an entertaining manner and with enough detours and differences to make it interesting.
Karigan G'ladheon has been expelled from school for, basically, winning a duel against a young nobleman. Rather than wait in shame for her father to come and get her, she gathers the bare necessities and sets out on her own to go home. Along the way, she is suddenly accosted by a Green Rider - a member of the King's elite messenger service - who is barely able to stay on his horse due to two black arrows in his back. As he slumps to the ground, he begs Kari to take over his errand, saying that the letter he has must be delivered to the King and is a matter of life and death. He convinces Kari and expires; Karigan is left with his horse (who, yes, she calls simply The Horse at first since the Green Rider had the lack of courtesy of dying before introducing her; once she discovers her steed's name, she uses it. BTW, The Horse's real name is Condor), his greatcoat and his saddlebags, containing some provisions, with no idea of exactly what she is supposed to do. She sets out for Sacor City, where the King lives, and that's when the adventure begins. Because there is a mysterious rider in grey, upon a grey horse (who is known as simply the Grey One or Grey Man through much of the text, in order to preserve the mystery of his identity - and no, I won't tell you THAT!), who will do anything and kill anyone to stop that message. Dark forces and fell magics are stirring to life in Sacordia for the first time in a millennium - and there is no one left who understands enough about magic to hold them at bay.
While some reviewers have felt that the work is derivative and therefore not original, I would disagree. It is true that, as a genre piece, the story does follow a certain ... guideline, I guess is the best term ... to steer its plot. However, I believe that Ms. Britain has admirably created a unique setting for her world and set into motion events that will spill over into the remaining books in the trilogy, providing a satisfactory reading experience for anyone who not only likes the specific genre, but anyone who enjoys a good book. Keep an eye on my reviews in upcoming weeks to see my reviews of the remaining books in the trilogy!
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