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In the Hand of the Goddess (Song of the Lioness) (Paperback)
by Tamora Pierce
| Category:
Teens, Magic tales, Fantasy |
| Market price: ¥ 98.00
MSL price:
¥ 88.00
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
An outstanding, heart lifting adventure that will make you want to read it again and again. |
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Author: Tamora Pierce
Publisher: Simon Pulse; Reprint edition
Pub. in: January, 2005
ISBN: 0689878567
Pages: 288
Measurements: 6.9 x 3.9 x 0.6 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BC00341
Other information: ISBN-13: 978-0689878565
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- Awards & Credential -
Tamora Pierce is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of fantasy books for teenagers. Her books, known for their teenaged girl warriors and wizards, have received critical acclaim and a strong fanbase. |
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- MSL Picks -
This is the second book in Tamora Pierce's Quartet about The Lioness, the King's Champion. In this book, Alanna is still disguised as a boy, although Prince Jonathan, whom she serves as squire, knows her secret. This book tells about her years as a squire,up through herordeal of knighthood.
Alanna continues to be a strong female character. What is especially interesting in this book is watching Alanna start to realize that in addition to being a knight, she also wants to be a female and wants to be recognized as such.
The book also gives Alanna's brother, Thom, a larger role, as he and Alanna appear to be the only two people who suspect that the prince's cousin, Duke Roger, is not all that he seems to be. Sir Myles also plays a bigger role in this book and comes across as a wise man who doesn't let much get by him.
This is a good book with a strong female character. I liked it as much for the hint of romance as for the adventure and fantasy elements. While some might protest at the fact that Alanna repeatedly sleeps with Jonathan, Pierce handles that so deftly and matter of factly that the reader barely knows it's there. This is a 5-star read for sure!
(From quoting Dindy Robinson, USA)
Target readers:
Young adults.
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In the sixth grade, Tamora Pierce was encouraged by her father to start writing and she immediately got hooked. Once she discovered fantasy and science fiction, she tried to write the same kind of stories she read, only with teenaged girl heroines who were usually missing from the 1960s stories.
Before her junior year at the University of Pennsylvania where she studied psychology, Pierce rediscovered writing when she wrote her first original short story since tenth grade. She sold her first story a year later and then enrolled in a fiction writing course during her senior year. When her teacher suggested that she tackle a novel, her childhood ideas came back to her and she began her first sword and sorcery novel.
Pierce then worked as a housemother in an Idaho group home for teenaged girls, who loved hearing Alanna’s story from the in-progress quartet, Song of the Lioness. As Pierce continued to write and send out manuscripts, she moved to Manhattan to get her publishing career off the ground.
Pierce still lives in Manhattan with her husband, writer/filmmaker Tim, and their three cats, two parakeets, plus a floating population of rescued wildlife. She enjoys her hectic life as a full-time writer and she hopes that her books leave her readers with the feeling that they can achieve anything if they want it badly enough.
Tamora Pierce is a popular author of fantasy books for teenagers. In her latest quartet, Protector of the Small, readers follow heroine Kel as she rigorously trains for the knighthood.
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From The Publisher
"I don't want to fall in love. I just want to be a warrior maiden."
Still disguised as a boy, Alanna becomes a squire to none other than the prince of the realm. Prince Jonathan is not only Alanna's liege lord, he is also her best friend - and one of the few who knows the secret of her true identity. But when a mysterious sorceror threatens the prince's life, it will take all of Alanna's skill, strength, and magical power to protect him - even at the risk of revealing who she really is...
Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, Alanna's second adventure continues the saga of a girl who dares to follow her dreams - and the magical destiny that awaits her.
Alanna's journey continues...
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| View all 10 comments |
A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-27 00:00>
Dear Team of the world, I personally think that Tamora Pierce's In the Hand of the Goddess is a brilliant book. If you don't agree with me, here are some good reasons why I like it.
This book has a great plot that just pulls you in and won't let you go. Some people who can't appreciate fantasy writing might say it's boring, but I assure you, it is by no means boring. There are no lengthy, dull introductions that give billions of little details no one would in their right mind would actually be interested in. This book is not taking ideas from anywhere I have seen. It's a new and unique idea. This book has a great plot. The first page, you find out a little about the character Alanna (introduction). Then she meets the "Great Mother Goddess" (narrative hook). There is a duel, and then a war. During the war, Alanna is taken prisoner (this is all the rising action) and is rescued by the prince, Jonathan. Then she goes to her friend's house, the friend is a woman who lives in the city. There she learns to act like a girl. That result is that she falls in love with Jonathan. She eventually graduates from the Prince's squire to a knight. She discovers that Jonathan's cousin, the popular Duke Roger, is killing the queen. She exposes him and they fight to the death (climax). After she wins, her real identity exposed, she rides of to the desert to "spend the rest of the winter being warm". That plot grabs you and holds you until you're done. This book gets to the point. It's not boring and it doesn't drone on and on in the beginning. As in paragraph two, there is a lot of action. Alanna meets the goddess and beats a boasting knight in the first two chapters! She is the squire to the prince of Tortall, next in line for the crown.
There are no long descriptions in the beginning , you go right out and meet Alanna. You learn things as you go along with the girl on her adventures while disguised as a boy. This book has a lot of new and unique ideas. I found a review done by an unnamed fantasy fan, who said, "I liked it because it was a different kind of fantasy." Another reviewer, who gave her name as Ann said, "This book is an outstanding, heart lifting adventure that will make you want to read it again and again." I kept wishing that there were more books like Tamora's outstanding quartet, and since I read a lot, there can't be that many!! This book introduces new types of magic, new people, talking cats whom you only hear when it wants you to, and new gods. I say that those ideas are very unique from any I have read before. Naturally, there are some of you out there that would criticize this book. Susan Faust said, "The story in readable, romantic, robust, but in many ways pedestrian in it's vision." In English, the book is for the slow-minded. Actually, I would rate this book as very complexed. I had a job figuring out how the war was fought and where exactly Alanna was going. It is not for the slow-minded at all. Susan also states, "She is a warrior-maiden, but her perspective is narrow, herself and her king." Now if you are going to criticize a great book, could you at least be correct? The king is barely mentioned in the book, it's the prince Alanna looks after. Also, Jon is not the only one she worries about, she wonders if any of her other friends are going to live through the next battle in the war for the valley. She half killed herself to find her friend Thor! An unknown reviewer said, "In this doldrums sequel, Alanna battles a bit, flings with the king and all in all whines and complains that her life is the best."
Again, it's the Prince she "flings with"! Another thing I don't understand about that quote is; how do you "whine and complain" that your life is the best? Doldrums, by the way, means boring. If you thinks so too, please go back to the second and third paragraphs! There are tons of things going on in the book that are not boring at all!! This book is great because it has unique ideas, is action-packed from the beginning, and has a captivating plot line. If you read this book, you may end up getting fencing lessons, calling yourself Alanna, your mean arch-enemy Roger, and your boyfriend Jonathan. |
A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-27 00:00>
It's been years since I read Pierce's series about Alanna, but I still return to them every so often and reread the entire set. In the Hand of the Goddess is probably the best of them all, I remember staying up incredibly late at 13 just to finish the book. The conflict between Alanna and Duke Roger, which builds throughout the book, is so interesting and a true example of adventure at its finest. Alanna's interaction with the Goddess and with magic is also exciting. And of course, the romantic parts of the book, very satisfying. This book is definitely my favorite of the series. I'm trying to find the whole series in 1st edition hardbacks, identical to the copies I read from the library years ago... Anyone have any tips? The more recent cover art for the mass market paperbacks really doesn't do the story or the characters justice.
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Erika Sorocco (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-27 00:00>
Song Of The Lioness: Book II - In The Hand Of The Goddess, takes us through three-years of Alanna of Trebond's life, from her fifteenth birthday, through her eighteenth.
Alanna is still disguised as a boy, with few people knowing her true identity. She has claimed the duty of being Squire to Prince Jonathan, her lord and best friend. Jonathan knows Alanna's secret, and vows to keep it just that, in an attempt to help her win her knight's shield. However, now a mysterious sorcerer has come out in an attempt to attack the prince. Alanna knows that it is up to her as the prince's squire and best friend, to protect him from the sorcerer by using her magical powers, and learned strengths and skills that will keep him safe from harm, even if, by doing so, her true identity is revealed to those around her.
I could never imagine myself enjoying books about a girl trying to become a knight, but I find myself hungrily devouring Tamora Pierce's SONG OF THE LIONESS books one by one at record speed. Each one leaves me on the edge of my seat, and unable to close the book until I am completely done with them. IN THE HAND OF THE GODDESS is no acception. I enjoyed Alanna's personality even more in this installment in the quartet than in the first one, ALANNA: THE FIRST ADVENTURE. It was wonderful to see Alanna embracing her feminine side, yet, at the same time, holding tight to her feisty side. I also enjoyed that we were able to meet her twin brother better, and learn a bit more about him. Pierce has outdone herself with this series, and will find new fans, young and old, grappling to read about the amazing adventures that her characters face in each installment. A wonderful book that will be loved by all. |
Beth (MSL quote) , USA
<2007-02-27 00:00>
By Far, this is my favorite book in the Lioness series. All four of the books are excellent, but this is the book where we really meet Alanna for who she is... female. Alanna has been hiding her true identity from everyone. Forced by the rules only men can become knights, Alanna has secretly kept her female nature hidden from everyone but two friends Jon and George. In this novel, Alanna must face her greatest fears... falling in love and fighting her nemesis, Duke Roger. The suspense and romance make Alanna an excellent role model for any girl. She contains the vulnerability but strenghth that drives people to say females are an oxy-moron. In her weakness, Alanna triumphs over her enemies because her feminine nature many times keeps her from the prejudices, inability to open thinking and tendency towards segregation many of her male knight friends have. A truly enigmatic character, Alanna comes into her own in the In the Hand of the Goddess and this self-actualization process makes this book one of the best reads ever. I'm 25 and own this whole series and still read them when I'm in need of an inspiring female role model.
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