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Alanna: The First Adventure (1) (Song of the Lioness) Hardcover – October 21, 2014
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“From now on I’m Alan of Trebond, the younger twin. I’ll be a knight.”
In a time when girls are forbidden to be warriors, Alanna of Trebond wants nothing more than to be a knight of the realm of Tortall. So she finds a way to switch places with her twin brother, Thom. Disguised as a boy, Alanna begins her training as a page at the palace of King Roald. But the road to knighthood, as she discovers, is not an easy one. Alanna must master weapons, combat, and magic, as well as polite behavior, her temper, and even her own heart.
Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, Alanna’s first adventure begins—one that will lead to the fulfillment of her dreams and make her a legend in the land.
- Print length272 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level7 - 9
- Lexile measure690L
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.9 x 8.25 inches
- PublisherAtheneum Books for Young Readers
- Publication dateOctober 21, 2014
- ISBN-101481439588
- ISBN-13978-1481439589
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Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
“THAT IS MY DECISION. WE need not discuss it,” said the man at the desk. He was already looking at a book. His two children left the room, closing the door behind them.
“He doesn’t want us around,” the boy muttered. “He doesn’t care what we want.”
“We know that,” was the girl’s answer. “He doesn’t care about anything, except his books and scrolls.”
The boy hit the wall. “I don’t want to be a knight! I want to be a great sorcerer! I want to slay demons and walk with the gods—”
“D’you think I want to be a lady?” his sister asked. “?‘Walk slowly, Alanna,’?” she said primly. “?‘Sit still, Alanna. Shoulders back, Alanna.’ As if that’s all I can do with myself!” She paced the floor. “There has to be another way.”
The boy watched the girl. Thom and Alanna of Trebond were twins, both with red hair and purple eyes. The only difference between them—as far as most people could tell—was the length of their hair. In face and body shape, dressed alike, they would have looked alike.
“Face it,” Thom told Alanna. “Tomorrow you leave for the convent, and I go to the palace. That’s it.”
“Why do you get all the fun?” she complained. “I’ll have to learn sewing and dancing. You’ll study tilting, fencing—”
“D’you think I like that stuff?” he yelled. “I hate falling down and whacking at things! You’re the one who likes it, not me!”
She grinned. “You should’ve been Alanna. They always teach the girls magic—” The thought hit her so suddenly that she gasped. “Thom. That’s it!”
From the look on her face, Thom knew his sister had just come up with yet another crazy idea. “What’s it?” he asked suspiciously.
Alanna looked around and checked the hall for servants. “Tomorrow he gives us the letters for the man who trains the pages and the people at the convent. You can imitate his writing, so you can do new letters, saying we’re twin boys. You go to the convent. Say in the letter that you’re to be a sorcerer. The Daughters of the Goddess are the ones who train young boys in magic, remember? When you’re older, they’ll send you to the priests. And I’ll go to the palace and learn to be a knight!”
“That’s crazy,” Thom argued. “What about your hair? You can’t go swimming naked, either. And you’ll turn into a girl—you know, with a chest and everything.”
“I’ll cut my hair,” she replied. “And—well, I’ll handle the rest when it happens.”
“What about Coram and Maude? They’ll be traveling with us, and they can tell us apart. They know we aren’t twin boys.”
She chewed her thumb, thinking this over. “I’ll tell Coram we’ll work magic on him if he says anything,” she said at last. “He hates magic—that ought to be enough. And maybe we can talk to Maude.”
Thom considered it, looking at his hands. “You think we could?” he whispered.
Alanna looked at her twin’s hopeful face. Part of her wanted to stop this before it got out of hand, but not a very big part. “If you don’t lose your nerve,” she told her twin. And if I don’t lose mine, she thought.
“What about Father?” He was already looking into the distance, seeing the City of the Gods.
Alanna shook her head. “He’ll forget us, once we’re gone.” She eyed Thom. “D’you want to be a sorcerer bad enough?” she demanded. “It means years of studying and work for us both. Will you have the guts for it?”
Thom straightened his tunic. His eyes were cold. “Just show me the way!”
Alanna nodded. “Let’s go find Maude.”
Maude, the village healer, listened to them and said nothing. When Alanna finished, the woman turned and stared out the door for long minutes. Finally she looked at the twins again.
They didn’t know it, but Maude was in difficulty. She had taught them all the magic she possessed. They were both capable of learning much more, but there were no other teachers at Trebond. Thom wanted everything he could get from his magic, but he disliked people. He listened to Maude only because he thought she had something left to teach him; he hated Coram—the other adult who looked after the twins—because Coram made him feel stupid. The only person in the world Thom loved, beside himself, was Alanna. Maude thought about Alanna and sighed. The girl was very different from her brother. Alanna was afraid of her magic. Thom had to be ordered to hunt, and Alanna had to be tricked and begged into trying spells.
The woman had been looking forward to the day when someone else would have to handle these two. Now it seemed the gods were going to test her through them one last time.
She shook her head. “I cannot make such a decision without help. I must try and See, in the fire.”
Thom frowned. “I thought you couldn’t. I thought you could only heal.”
Maude wiped sweat from her face. She was afraid. “Never mind what I can do and what I cannot do,” she snapped. “Alanna, bring wood. Thom, vervain.”
They rushed to do as she said, Alanna returning first to add wood to the fire already burning on the hearth. Thom soon followed, carrying leaves from the magic plant vervain.
Maude knelt before the hearth and motioned for the twins to sit on either side of her. She felt sweat running down her back. People who tried to use magic the gods had not given them often died in ugly ways. Maude gave a silent prayer to the Great Mother Goddess, promising good behavior for the rest of her days if only the Goddess would keep her in one piece through this.
She tossed the leaves onto the fire, her lips moving silently with the sacred words. Power from her and from the twins slowly filled the fire. The flames turned green from Maude’s sorcery and purple for the twins’. The woman drew a deep breath and grabbed the twins’ left hands, thrusting them into the fire. Power shot up their arms. Thom yelped and wriggled with the pain of the magic now filling him up. Alanna bit her lower lip till it bled, fighting the pain her own way. Maude’s eyes were wide and blank as she kept their intertwined hands in the flames.
Suddenly Alanna frowned. A picture was forming in the fire. That was impossible—she wasn’t supposed to See anything. Maude was the one who had cast the spell. Maude was the only one who should See anything.
Ignoring all the laws of magic Alanna had been taught, the picture grew and spread. It was a city made all of black, shiny stone. Alanna leaned forward, squinting to see it better. She had never seen anything like this city. The sun beat down on gleaming walls and towers. Alanna was afraid—more afraid than she had ever been….
Maude let go of the twins. The picture vanished. Alanna was cold now, and very confused. What had that city been? Where was it?
Thom examined his hand. There were no burn marks, or even scars. There was nothing to show that Maude had kept their hands in the flames for long minutes.
Maude rocked back on her heels. She looked old and tired. “I have seen many things I do not understand,” she whispered finally. “Many things—”
“Did you see the city?” Alanna wanted to know.
Maude looked at her sharply. “I saw no city.”
Thom leaned forward. “You saw something?” His voice was eager. “But Maude cast the spell—”
“No!” Alanna snapped. “I didn’t see anything! Anything!”
Thom decided to wait and ask her later, when she didn’t look so scared. He turned to Maude. “Well?” he demanded.
The healing woman sighed. “Very well. Tomorrow Thom and I go to the City of the Gods.”
At dawn the next day, Lord Alan gave each of his children a sealed letter and his blessing before instructing Coram and Maude. Coram still did not know the change in plan. Alanna did not intend to enlighten him until they were far from Trebond.
Once Lord Alan let them go, Maude took the twins to Alanna’s room while Coram got the horses ready. The letters were quickly opened and read.
Lord Alan entrusted his son to the care of Duke Gareth of Naxen and his daughter to the First Daughter of the convent. Sums of money would be sent quarterly to pay for his children’s upkeep until such time as their teachers saw fit to return them to their home. He was busy with his studies and trusted the judgment of the Duke and the First Daughter in all matters. He was in their debt, Lord Alan of Trebond.
Many such letters went to the convent and to the palace every year. All girls from noble families studied in convents until they were fifteen or sixteen, at which time they went to Court to find husbands. Usually the oldest son of a noble family learned the skills and duties of a knight at the king’s palace. Younger sons could follow their brothers to the palace, or they could go first to the convent, then to the priests’ cloisters, where they studied religion or sorcery.
Thom was expert at forging his father’s handwriting. He wrote two new letters, one for “Alan,” one for himself. Alanna read them carefully, relieved to see that there was no way to tell the difference between Thom’s work and the real thing. The boy sat back with a grin, knowing it might be years before the confusion was resolved.
While Thom climbed into a riding skirt, Maude took Alanna into the dressing room. The girl changed into shirt, breeches and boots. Then Maude cut her hair.
“I’ve something to say to you,” Maude said as the first lock fell to the floor.
“What?” Alanna asked nervously.
“You’ve a gift for healing.” The shears worked on. “It’s greater than mine, greater than any I have ever known. And you’ve other magic, power you’ll learn to use. But the healing—that’s the important thing. I had a dream last night. A warning, it was, as plain as if the gods shouted in my ear.”
Alanna, picturing this, stifled a giggle.
“It don’t do to laugh at the gods,” Maude told her sternly. “Though you’ll find that out yourself, soon enough.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Never mind. Listen. Have you thought of the lives you’ll take when you go off performing those great deeds?”
Alanna bit her lip. “No,” she admitted.
“I didn’t think so. You see only the glory. But there’s lives taken and families without fathers and sorrow. Think before you fight. Think on who you’re fighting, if only because one day you must meet your match. And if you want to pay for those lives you do take, use your healing magic. Use it all you can, or you won’t cleanse your soul of death for centuries. It’s harder to heal than it is to kill. The Mother knows why, but you’ve a gift for both.” Quickly she brushed Alanna’s cropped hair. “Keep your hood up for a bit, but you look enough like Thom to fool anyone but Coram.”
Alanna stared at herself in the mirror. Her twin stared back, violet eyes wide in his pale face. Grinning, she wrapped herself in her cloak. With a last peek at the boy in the mirror, she followed Maude out to the courtyard. Coram and Thom, already mounted up, waited for them. Thom rearranged his skirts and gave his sister a wink.
Maude stopped Alanna as she went to mount the pony, Chubby. “Heal, child,” the woman advised. “Heal all you can, or you’ll pay for it. The gods mean for their gifts to be used.”
Alanna swung herself into the saddle and patted Chubby with a comforting hand. The pony, sensing that the good twin was on his back, stopped fidgeting. When Thom was riding him, Chubby managed to dump him.
The twins and the two servants waved farewell to the assembled castle servants, who had come to see them off. Slowly they rode through the castle gate, Alanna doing her best to imitate Thom’s pout—or the pout Thom would be wearing if he were riding to the palace right now. Thom was looking down at his pony’s ears, keeping his face hidden. Everyone knew how the twins felt at being sent away.
The road leading from the castle plunged into heavily overgrown and rocky country. For the next day or so they would be riding through the unfriendly forests of the Grimhold Mountains, the great natural border between Tortall and Scanra. It was familiar land to the twins. While it might seem dark and unfriendly to people from the South, to Alanna and Thom it would always be home.
At midmorning they came to the meeting of Trebond Way and the Great Road. Patrolled by the king’s men, the Great Road led north to the distant City of the Gods. That was the way Thom and Maude would take. Alanna and Coram were bound south, to the capital city of Corus, and the royal palace.
The two servants went apart to say goodbye and give the twins some privacy. Like Thom and Alanna, it would be years before Coram and Maude saw each other again. Though Maude would return to Trebond, Coram was to remain with Alanna, acting as her manservant during her years at the palace.
Alanna looked at her brother and gave a little smile. “Here we are,” she said.
“I wish I could say ‘have fun,’?” Thom said frankly, “but I can’t see how anyone can have fun learning to be a knight. Good luck, though. If we’re caught, we’ll both be skinned.”
“No one’s going to catch us, brother.” She reached across the distance between them, and they gripped hands warmly. “Good luck, Thom. Watch your back.”
“There are a lot of tests ahead for you,” Thom said earnestly. “Watch your back.”
“I’ll pass the tests,” Alanna said. She knew they were brave words, almost foolhardy, but Thom looked as if he needed to hear them. They turned their ponies then and rejoined the adults.
“Let’s go,” Alanna growled to Coram.
Maude and Thom took the left fork of the Great Road and Alanna and Coram bore right. Alanna halted suddenly, turning around to watch her brother ride off. She blinked the burning feeling from her eyes, but she couldn’t ease the tight feeling in her throat. Something told her Thom would be very different when she saw him again. With a sigh she turned Chubby back toward the capital city.
Coram made a face and urged his big gelding forward. He would have preferred doing anything to escorting a finicky boy to the palace. Once he had been the hardiest soldier in the king’s armies. Now he was going to be a joke. People would see that Thom was no warrior, and they would blame Coram—the man who was to have taught him the basics of the warrior’s craft. He rode for hours without a word, thinking his own gloomy thoughts, too depressed to notice that Thom, who usually complained after an hour’s ride, was silent as well.
Coram had been trained as a blacksmith, but he had once been one of the best of the king’s foot soldiers, until he had returned home to Trebond Castle and become sergeant-at-arms there. Now he wanted to be with the king’s soldiers again, but not if they were going to laugh at him because he had a weakling for a master. Why couldn’t Alanna have been the boy? She was a fighter. Coram had taught her at first because to teach one twin was to teach the other, poor motherless things. Then he began to enjoy teaching her. She learned quickly and well—better than her brother. With all his heart Coram Smythesson wished now, as he had in the past, that Alanna were the boy.
He was about to get his wish, in a left-handed way. The sun was glinting from directly overhead—time for the noon meal. Coram grunted orders to the cloaked child, and they both dismounted in a clearing beside the road. Pulling bread and cheese from a saddlebag, he broke off a share and handed it over. He also took the wineskin down from his saddle horn.
“We’ll make the wayhouse by dark, if not before,” he rumbled. “Till then, we make do with this.”
Alanna removed her heavy cloak. “This is fine with me.”
Coram choked, spraying a mouthful of liquid all over the road. Alanna had to clap him on the back before he caught his breath again.
“Brandy?” he whispered, looking at the wineskin. He returned to his immediate problem. “By the Black God!” he roared, turning spotty purple. “We’re goin’ back this instant, and I’m tannin’ yer hide for ye when we get home! Where’s that devils’-spawn brother of yours?”
“Coram, calm down,” she said. “Have a drink.”
“I don’t want a drink,” he snarled. “I want t’ beat the two of ye till yer skins won’t hold water!” He took a deep gulp from the wineskin.
“Thom’s on his way to the City of the Gods with Maude,” Alanna explained. “She thinks we’re doing the right thing.”
Coram swore under his breath. “That witch would agree with you two sorcerers. And what does yer father say?”
“Why should he ever know?” Alanna asked. “Coram, you know Thom doesn’t want to be a knight. I do.”
“I don’t care if the two of ye want t’ be dancing bears!” Coram told her, taking another swallow from the skin. “Ye’re a girl.”
“Who’s to know?” She bent forward, her small face intent. “From now on I’m Alan of Trebond, the younger twin. I’ll be a knight—Thom’ll be a sorcerer. It’ll happen. Maude saw it for us in the fire.”
Coram made the Sign against evil with his right hand. Magic made him nervous. Maude made him nervous. He drank again to settle his nerves. “Lass, it’s a noble thought, a warrior’s thought, but it’ll never work. If ye’re not caught when ye bathe, ye’ll be turning into a woman—”
“I can hide all that—with your help. If I can’t, I’ll disappear.”
“Yer father will have my hide!”
She made a face. “Father doesn’t care about anything but his scrolls.” She drew a breath. “Coram, I’m being nice. Thom wouldn’t be this nice. D’you want to see things that aren’t there for the next ten years? I can work that, you know. Remember when Cook was going to tell Father who ate the cherry tarts? Or the time Godmother tried to get Father to marry her?”
Coram turned pale. The afternoon the tarts were discovered missing, Cook started to see large, hungry lions following him around the kitchens. Lord Alan never heard about the missing tarts. When the twins’ godmother came to Trebond to snare Lord Alan as her next husband, she had fled after only three days, claiming the castle was haunted.
“Ye wouldn’t,” Coram whispered. He had always suspected that the twins had been behind Cook’s hallucinations and Lady Catherine’s ghosts, but he had kept those thoughts to himself. Cook gave himself airs, and Lady Catherine was cruel to her servants.
Seeing she had struck a nerve, Alanna changed tactics. “Thom can’t shoot for beans, and I can. Thom wouldn’t be a credit to you. I will, I think. You said yourself a grown man can’t skin a rabbit faster’n me.” She fed her last piece of bread to Chubby and looked at Coram with huge, pleading eyes. “Let’s ride on. If you feel the same in the morning, we can turn back.” She crossed her fingers as she lied. She had no intention of returning to Trebond. “Just don’t rush. Father won’t know till it’s too late.”
Coram swigged again from the skin, getting up shakily. He mounted, watching the girl. They rode silently while Coram thought, and drank.
The threat about making him see things didn’t worry him much. Instead he thought of Thom’s performance in archery—it was enough to make a soldier cry. Alanna was much quicker than her brother. She rarely tired, even hiking over rough country. She had a feel for the fighting arts, and that was something that never could be learned. She was also as stubborn as a mule.
Because he was absorbed in his thoughts, Coram never saw the wood snake glide across the road. Alanna—and Coram’s horse—spotted the slithery creature in the same second. The big gelding reared, almost throwing his master. Chubby stopped dead in the road, surprised by these antics. Coram yelled and fought to hold on as his mount bucked frantically, terrified by the snake. Alanna never stopped to think. She threw herself from Chubby’s saddle and grabbed for Coram’s reins with both hands. Dodging the gelding’s flying hooves frantically, she used all her strength and weight to pull the horse down before Coram fell and broke his neck.
The gelding, more surprised than anything else by the new weight on his reins, dropped to all fours. He trembled as Alanna stroked his nose, whispering comforting words. She dug in a pocket and produced an apple for the horse, continuing to pet him until his shaking stopped.
When Alanna looked up, Coram was watching her oddly. She had no way of knowing that he was imagining what Thom would have done in similar circumstances: Her twin would have left Coram to fend for himself. Coram knew the kind of courage it took to calm a large, bucking horse. It was the kind of courage a knight needed in plenty. Even so, Alanna was a girl….
By the time they arrived at the wayhouse, Coram was very drunk. The innkeeper helped him to bed while his wife fussed over “the poor wee lad.” In her bed that night, Alanna listened to Coram’s snores with a wide grin on her lips. Maude had managed to fill the wineskin with Lord Alan’s best brandy, hoping her old friend might be more open to reason if his joints were well oiled.
Coram woke the next morning with the worst hangover he had ever had. He moaned as Alanna entered his room.
“Don’t walk so loud,” he begged.
Alanna handed him a steaming mug. “Drink. Maude says this makes you feel better every time.”
The man drank deeply, gasping as the hot liquid burned down his throat. But in the end, he did feel better. He swung his feet to the floor, gently rubbing his tender skull. “I need a bath.”
Alanna pointed to the bath already waiting in the corner.
Coram glared at her from beneath his eyebrows. “Go order breakfast. I take it I’m to call ye ‘Alan’ now?”
She yelped with joy and skipped from the room.
Four days later they rode into Corus just after dawn. They were part of the stream of people entering the capital for the market day. Coram guided his horse through the crowds, while Alanna tried to keep Chubby close behind him and still see everything. Never in her life had she encountered so many people! She saw merchants, slaves, priests, nobles. She could tell the Bazhir—desert tribesmen—by their heavy white burnooses, just as she spotted seamen by their braided pigtails. She was lucky that Chubby was inclined to stay near Coram’s gelding, or she would have been lost in a second.
The marketplace itself was almost more than a girl from a mountain castle could take. Alanna blinked her eyes at the bright colors—piles of orange and yellow fruits, hangings of bright blue and green, ropes of gold and silver chains. Some people were staring as openly as she was. Others shoved their goods under people’s noses, shouting for them to buy. Women in tight dresses eyed men from doorways, and children ran underfoot, sneaking their hands into pockets and purses.
Coram missed nothing. “Keep an eye to yer saddlebags,” he called back to Alanna. “There are some here as would steal their own mother’s teeth!” He seemed to be directing this comment at a tall young man standing near Alanna.
The lean young man grinned, white teeth flashing in his tanned face. “Who, me?” he asked innocently.
Coram snorted and kicked his horse onward. The man winked one bright hazel eye at Alanna and vanished into the crowd. She watched him until someone shouted for her to watch herself. She wondered if he really was a thief. He seemed very nice.
They left the marketplace, taking the Market Way up a long, sloping hill. This led them through districts where rich merchants lived, up past the villas of even richer nobles. The crossing of Market Way and Harmony Way marked the beginning of the Temple District. Here the Market Way changed its name, becoming the Palace Way. Coram straightened his saddle. After his years of soldiering, this was like coming home.
Alanna saw countless temples as they rode through the district. She had heard that a hundred gods were worshiped in Corus. There were enough temples for that many, she thought. She even saw a troop of women dressed in armor, the guard of the Temple of the Great Mother Goddess. These women were armed with great double-headed axes, and they knew how to use them. Their duty was to keep men from ever setting foot on ground sacred to the Great Mother.
Alanna grinned. Someday she would wear armor too, but she wouldn’t be confined to temple grounds!
The ground suddenly rose steeply. The Temple District ended here. Above them, crowning the hill, was the royal palace. Alanna looked at it and gasped. Ahead of her was the City Gate, carved with thousands of figures and trimmed with gold. Through this gate in the palace wall, kings and queens came down to the city on holy days. Through this gate the people went to see their rulers on Great Audience Days. The Gate was as high as the wall it pierced: a wall lined with soldiers dressed in the royal gold and red. Behind the wall, level after level of buildings and towers rose, up to the palace itself. The area had its own gardens, wells, stables, barracks and menagerie. Outside the wall on the other side lay the Royal Forest.
All these things Alanna knew from her father’s books and maps, but the reality took her breath away as a paragraph written in a book never could.
Coram led the way to the courtyard beside the stables. Here servants awaited the arrival of guests, to show them to their rooms, to guide the arrivals’ servants and to take charge of the horses. One such servant approached them.
Coram dismounted. “I’m Coram Smythesson, of Fief Trebond. I’m come with Master Alan of Trebond to begin his service at Court.”
The hostler bowed. A royal page rated some respect, but not the respect a full-grown noble would get. “I’ll be takin’ th’ horses, sir,” he said, his voice thick with the accent of the city. “Timon!” he called.
A slender young man in royal livery hurried up. “Aye, Stefan?”
“One fer his Grace. I’ll see t’ the bags.”
Alanna dismounted and hugged Chubby for a second, feeling as if he were her last friend. She had to hurry to catch up with Timon and Coram.
“Ye’ll show his Grace the proper respect,” Coram growled in her ear. “A wizard with a sword, he is, and a better leader ye’ll never meet.”
Alanna rubbed her nose anxiously. What if something went wrong? What if the Duke guessed?
She glanced at Coram. The man was sweating. Alanna gritted her teeth and thrust her chin forward stubbornly. She would see this through.
Product details
- Publisher : Atheneum Books for Young Readers; Reissue edition (October 21, 2014)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 272 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1481439588
- ISBN-13 : 978-1481439589
- Reading age : 9 - 12 years, from customers
- Lexile measure : 690L
- Grade level : 7 - 9
- Item Weight : 13.8 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,727,138 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Tamora Pierce is a bestselling author of young adult fantasy books that break past the traditions of the fantasy genre to feature teenage girls as knights, wizards, and above all: heroes. A #1 New York Times bestseller and the recipient of the 2013 Margaret A. Edwards award, Tamora has written over 30 books, including the newly-released TEMPESTS AND SLAUGHTER.
Tamora was drawn to books from a young age. Raised in rural Pennsylvania, the child of a "long, proud line of hillbillies," her family never had much. "We were poor, but I didn't know it then. We had a garden where my folks grew fruit and vegetables and our water came from a well," she explains. But one thing they did have was plenty of books. So Tamora read.
A self-proclaimed "geek," she devoured fantasy and science fiction novels, and by the age of 12 was mimicking her literary idols and writing her own action-packed stories. It was thanks to her father that Tamora began writing. "He heard me telling myself stories as I did dishes, and he suggested that I try to write some of them down," Pierce says.
But Tamora's novels had one major difference: unlike the books she was reading, her stories featured teenaged girl warriors. "I couldn't understand this lapse of attention on the part of the writers I loved, so until I could talk them into correcting this small problem, I wrote about those girls, the fearless, bold, athletic creatures that I was not, but wanted so badly to be."
Seventeen years later, after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, a brief career in teen social work and some time spent writing for radio, Tamora Pierce held true to her childhood crusade, and published ALANNA: THE FIRST ADVENTURE, the first in a quartet about a valiant, young, female warrior. Pierce's heroine struck a chord with readers across the country and quickly earned her a loyal following.
Now, with over 30 critically-acclaimed books to her name, Pierce lives in upstate New York with her husband Tim and their menagerie of nine cats, two birds, a flock of pigeons, various raccoons and squirrels, and one opossum. "It's a pretty good life, if I do say so myself. Struggling along as a kid and even through my twenties, it's the kind of life I dreamed of but never believed I would get. Yet here I am, after a lot of work, a lot of worry, a lot of care for details, and a massive chunk of luck, the kind that brought me such strong friends and readers. Pretty good for a hillbilly, yes? And I never take it for granted."
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book engaging and imaginative. They describe it as a great read for young women and people of all ages. The characters are well-developed and relatable. Readers praise the writing quality as excellent and easy to read. They appreciate the quick thinking and determination of the characters. Overall, customers find the book thoughtful and entertaining.
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Customers enjoy the book series. They find it engaging and enjoyable, especially for young adults. The books sparked their love of reading and are considered one of their all-time favorite series.
"...This book was so beautiful and good that simply writing about it makes me want to re-read it...." Read more
"...Because as much as I love fantasy that teems magic and action (and you'll find plenty of that here), a well-rounded, believable protagonist needs to..." Read more
"...determined, but kind and without attitude, which is refreshing for this genre...." Read more
"...This may be YA but it is great for anyone who like fantasy, adventure a touch of mischief, magic and gods all wrapped up in a feisty female lead." Read more
Customers enjoy the imaginative story with good world-building, backstories, and engaging characters. They find the writing engaging and the story moving along smoothly. The book is described as an inspiring young adult fantasy that both adults and children can enjoy.
"...The books is filled with magic and intrigue, romance and history...." Read more
"...They're realistic for their time period,for those of you who think 12 year olds never had relations in those times-go read a history book...." Read more
"...starting this series with Lioness Rampant gave me a unique perspective on The First Adventure in a way that didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book...." Read more
"...The story is imaginative, and the language doesn’t pander to young readers...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book for all ages. They find it a good life lesson for teens to absorb, handling mature subjects like puberty with delicacy. The storyline is well-received by pre-teen girls and early teenagers. It's a great introduction to fantasy for teens.
"...Overall review of book: Fantastic for everyone after they know how children are born...." Read more
"...This allows Pierce to handle mature subjects like puberty with delicacy...." Read more
"...Even was an adult Alanna's fire, whit and courage struck a for depth more and became one of my favorite heroines to date...." Read more
"...it's considered young-adult, I would recommend it as a fun, light read for any age. In general, it is a story well told, and one not to miss!..." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's characters. They find the characters relatable and appreciate the strong female characters. The plot is described as fun and engaging.
"...It has good friends and bad ones, it develops every character beautifully and leaves noq uestions unanswered...." Read more
"...action (and you'll find plenty of that here), a well-rounded, believable protagonist needs to reel me in. Pierce aces this with Alanna...." Read more
"...She is easy to root for, as are the supporting characters, from knights-in-training to princes to thieves...." Read more
"...Dakota Pierce is great at making unique characters you can't help but like. George, The mischievous but Goodreads thief...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's writing quality. They find it easy to read, with well-drawn characters that feel realistic. Readers praise the author as a fantastic writer for young adults.
"Tamora Pierce constantly reminds me that she’s one of the best authors I’ve had the delight of coming across...." Read more
"...because of how short it is but I think it's mostly because Pierce's writing is great and Alanna is a compelling protagonist...." Read more
"...Loved the author, loved the series, and loved the book as an entry point to the world of Tortall." Read more
"...Which are read by the wonderful Trini Alvarado, she also gives voice to the characters in the next chapter of the story, Tricksters Choice and..." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's pacing. They appreciate the quick thinking and loyalty of the characters. The world feels fantastic and relatable, with great development and relatable characters. Readers mention that the book has vivid descriptions and well-thought-out themes, including trusting your instincts, sexual themes, or gore. Overall, it's considered another amazing Tamora Pierce novel.
"...It has good friends and bad ones, it develops every character beautifully and leaves noq uestions unanswered...." Read more
"...This took me only a couple days to finish, between the short length, smart pacing, and youthful voice...." Read more
"...Alanna is stubborn, determined, but kind and without attitude, which is refreshing for this genre...." Read more
"...The world and myths and cultures are vividly painted and weak thought out. A real adventure you on to be a part of at any age...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's intelligence. They find the heroine intelligent, strong, and determined. The author skillfully creates interesting environments and chooses good characters. The heroine is likable, nuanced, and listens to her instincts. The book is heartwarming and about perseverance, courage, and heart.
"...are three more to read after this one, all as beautiful and clever as the first...." Read more
"...young girl is fiercely determined to reach her goals, good at listening to her instincts, and loyal to her friends...." Read more
"...Alanna is stubborn, determined, but kind and without attitude, which is refreshing for this genre...." Read more
"...2 days flat, best book I’ve read in 5 years, heroine is great, strong, smart...." Read more
Customers find the female lead strong and brave. They appreciate her balance of being bold and courageous while also being vulnerable and relatable.
"...it in 2 days flat, best book I’ve read in 5 years, heroine is great, strong, smart...." Read more
"I first read this book in junior high and fell in love with the strong female Alanna. I too was nervous and scared of the changes in my life...." Read more
"...15+ years on, this book stands that test of time and ages very well. Sometimes, it really is the old ones that are the best. Highly recommended." Read more
"Starts off strong. The main character is compelling" Read more
Reviews with images
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Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2017Review of Alanna: The First Adventure
Hot Toasty Rag, June 3, 2017
Way back when, in the worlds of dragons and knights, girls weren’t allowed to train and become knights. One little girl, Alanna, wants nothing more than to fight and defend her realm. Unfortunately, her family is sending her to study the magical arts instead. This sounds like an ordinary premise to a middle-grade series, a thinly veiled attempt to show young girls they can be anything they want to be when they grow up.
This is not an ordinary book, nor is it solely for pre-teens. The story is imaginative, and the language doesn’t pander to young readers. Alanna is stubborn, determined, but kind and without attitude, which is refreshing for this genre. She is easy to root for, as are the supporting characters, from knights-in-training to princes to thieves.
The “Alanna books,” as they’re described in my household, are a staple in any young girl’s literary path to maturity. Tamora Pierce has created an absorbing world with irresistible characters. Feminism was never a cornerstone of my adolescence, and I still loved the Alanna books more than life itself. I can only imagine how much more I would have treasured them if I’d identified with the gender discrimination Alanna faces.
If you like to root for the underdog, if you feel a kindred connection to women empowerment stories, if you are drawn to the Middle Ages fantasy world, if you enjoy adventure and suspense and secrets and magic and—
Just read the Alanna books. My copies are worn, torn, and tattered. I first read them when I was Alanna’s age, and I’ve probably read each of them thirty times over the past fifteen years. Of all the books of my pre-teen years, these are the most memorable.
The books are sold separately, and the only disappointment is the redone cover illustrations in the re-released versions. My copies have the original drawings of the mass market paperbacks published in the 1980s. You can try to find them, and you can also buy all four books together in an Amazon set.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2022I grew up admiring strong female leads in a time when their wasn't enough of them. Siberian
Wonder Woman, Princess Leia, Ripley. I wanted to be the hero. Save myself and even rescue the Prince from a dragon, not set around and wait to be rescued, let alone read about it.
This book came it after I was grown, but in so glad I found it. Even was an adult Alanna's fire, whit and courage struck a for depth more and became one of my favorite heroines to date. This has become a favorite comfort book for me that I re-read often and give out to every young woman in my life.
Dakota Pierce is great at making unique characters you can't help but like. George, The mischievous but Goodreads thief. Sir Miles, the smart compassionate if a bit tipsy lord who steps up as a father figure in place of Alanna's own neglectful one. Jonathan, A kind and loyal friend on the way to kinghood. The world and myths and cultures are vividly painted and weak thought out. A real adventure you on to be a part of at any age.
This may be YA but it is great for anyone who like fantasy, adventure a touch of mischief, magic and gods all wrapped up in a feisty female lead.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2015Actual Rating: 3.5 / 5
Confession: This isn't the first book I've read from the Song Of The Lioness Quartet. After learning about this beloved YA fantasy series about a female knight, I nabbed the first installment I could get a hold of - which turned out to be Lioness Rampant, the finale. (Oops...) But even though I spoiled the ending for myself, I enjoyed the last installment so much that I resolved to read the earlier books. It's taken me a while, but I finally bought Alanna: The First Adventure earlier this year and squeezed it in during a recent weekend trip. And I'm very glad I did!
First published in 1983, Alanna: The First Adventure chronicles the first two years of Alanna of Trebond's quest to become a knight. When her father sends her and her twin brother Thom away for separate educations, she switches places with Thom so he can pursue sorcery (the last thing his sister wants to study). Alanna then begins her charade as a boy named Alan and trains as a royal page in Tortall's capital city of Corus. Achieving her heart's desire, however, is more challenging than she had dared to imagine. Her time as a page tests her patience and her fear of her own magical powers - and makes it increasingly difficult to maintain her guise. Can Alanna manage it all without sacrificing her dreams or compromising her secret?
Accidentally starting this series with Lioness Rampant gave me a unique perspective on The First Adventure in a way that didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book. Not only does Alanna's journey begin here, but a number of characters I liked in Lioness Rampant also make their formal entrance here. We learn how Alanna threatens former knight Coram Smythesson into being her chaperone (one of the book's funniest scenes!), befriends the royal heir Prince Jonathan, and finds reason to trust George Cooper, the realm's infamous King of Thieves. And, we witness Alanna's first interactions with her later arch-nemesis, Duke Roger of Conté. Also, given what I know about Lioness Rampant, The First Adventure sparked my curiosity about how certain characters will change and relationships will evolve from here.
I can't talk about characters without covering Alanna. Because as much as I love fantasy that teems magic and action (and you'll find plenty of that here), a well-rounded, believable protagonist needs to reel me in. Pierce aces this with Alanna. This courageous young girl is fiercely determined to reach her goals, good at listening to her instincts, and loyal to her friends. Not to mention a cheeky little thing! Alanna isn't afraid of speaking her mind, which is often adorable because she views what others deem rude as from-the-heart honesty. This is exactly the kind of heroine that young female readers would want to emulate.
To match her spitfire of a leading lady, Pierce uses a straightforward, sanguine narrative voice that works well with The First Adventure. Her simple (if not scant) descriptions and plain dialogue reflects Alanna's personality and age (11 to 13 years old). It also offers an atmosphere of innocence, as if Alanna is trying hard to hold onto her childhood despite the destiny she's embracing. This allows Pierce to handle mature subjects like puberty with delicacy. She portrays Alanna's repulsion over the changes in her body so accurately, yet without an overload of details. So, not only did I sense Alanna's mounting terror about being "discovered," but I also felt like Pierce was describing my own experience - or any other girl's - with "growing up," and I appreciate the sensitivity she showed.
The First Adventure doesn't follow a typical plot or build momentum the way most novels do. It's more or less a series of adventures, discoveries, and lessons. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Readers witness every phase of Alanna's training, from her academic studies and fighting techniques, to the friendships she forges with Prince Jonathan, her fellow pages, mentors, and thieves; and experience Alanna's joys, fears, and frustrations with her. At the same time, this doesn't give The First Adventure a clear sense of direction. There's not a lot of tension between characters or external conflict, and no real momentum until the final chapter. So, when the novel ended, I felt like I'd wandered around flat land for a while before reaching a sudden, steep hill. A little anti-climactic, even though the exploration was fun.
Other comments err on the nitpicky side. Pierce's simplistic approach in The First Adventure doesn't allow for much world-building, and makes many of the supporting characters seem one-dimensional. She also has a habit of pulling the reader out of Alanna's perspective and offering insight into another character's thoughts. In other words, The First Adventure is told from third-person POV with moments of omniscience, and those moments threw me off-balance. In Pierce's defense, though, The First Adventure was her first published novel. Her writing skills improve dramatically between here and Lioness Rampant, so these hiccups will disappear eventually.
Apart the critiques, Alanna: The First Adventure really was a delightful read. This took me only a couple days to finish, between the short length, smart pacing, and youthful voice. Plus, I feel even more endeared to Alanna now that I've "met" her younger self. She might be my go-to example for a devoted, dreamchasing character from now on. I'm even more excited about continuing the Song Of The Lioness Quartet now - and if you haven't read this classic series yet and love action-packed YA fantasies with female protagonists, you ought to try it, too. Except don't do what I did. Make sure you start properly at the beginning, with this book. ;)
Top reviews from other countries
- Carly MReviewed in Canada on April 7, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Short, sweet, thrilling
I love the way Tamora writes. I wish I had discovered her when I was younger. This book would have especially spoke to me more profoundly as a "Tomboy" who also loved the thought of being a warrior in some way or another. I will suggest this to all my reader friends, young and old.
- mushy_squidge1992Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 8, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
Love this book. I will be buying the hard copy for my shelf as a favourite.
It has a good pace, keeps your interest. The characters are excellent they make you really invest and the balance between (spoiler alert)...
Magic and non magic is perfect.
-
Sarah ThieleReviewed in Germany on March 9, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Super
Hab die ersten 9 Bücher der Reihe schon lange auf Deutsch und liebe sie! Leider gibt es den Rest ja nur auf Englisch.
Deshalb hab ich mir jetzt endlich die ersten 8 Bücher auf Englisch gekauft und bin auch von dem hier begeistert! den Rest werde ich mir auch noch kaufen!!
Für Fantasiefans ein muss!!
- RhiannonReviewed in Australia on April 4, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars The First Adventure
This is a classic - the first of Tamora’s prolific Tortall world books. It’s an absolutely fantastic book for anyone that enjoys fantasy, or Young Adult material. Re reading this as an adult makes my heart smile - there are so many deep and interesting themes and moral quandaries that the characters don’t even pretend to know the answers to.
Step into the world of Alanna, and discover the magic of Tortall - and be glad you did.
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きなこReviewed in Japan on April 16, 2012
5.0 out of 5 stars 男の子でも夢中になるアドベンチャーです。
ファンタジー大好きな親子です。
先に母親である私が1-4巻を読破して、なにげなく本棚に置いておいたら・・・息子が読み始めてました!
今までファンタジー好きな彼でしたが、主人公が女の子というだけで、すぐに恋愛ものに発展するからおもしろくない・・・と読まなかったのですが、このシリーズだけは別でした。
恋愛についてもちょっとはありますが、全然気にならないようです。
お勧めします。