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    The Element of Fire
    The Element of Fire
    The Element of Fire
    Audiobook14 hours

    The Element of Fire

    Written by Martha Wells

    Narrated by Derek Perkins

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The kingdom of Ile-Rien lies in peril, menaced by sorcerous threats and devious court intrigues. As the weak King Roland, flattered and misled by treacherous companions, rules the country, only his ruthless mother, the Dowager Queen Ravenna, guards the safety of the realm. But now rumors arise that Urbain Grandier, the dark master of scientific sorcery, has arrived to plot against the throne. And Kade, bastard sister of King Roland, appears unexpectedly at court. The illegitimate daughter of the old king and the Queen of Air and Darkness herself, Kade's true desires are cloaked in mystery. Is she in league with the wizard Grandier, or is she laying claim to the throne?

    It falls to Thomas Boniface, Captain of the Queen's Guard and Ravenna's former lover, to sort out who is friend and who is foe in a deadly game to keep the Dowager Queen and the kingdom she loves from harm. But is one man's steel enough to counter all the magic of fayre?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateSep 16, 2013
    ISBN9781452686318
    The Element of Fire
    Author

    Martha Wells

    Martha Wells is the author of five previous novels: The Wizard Hunters, the first book of the Fall of Ile-Rien, The Element of Fire, City of Bones, Wheel of the Infinite, and The Death of the Necromancer, which was nominated for the Nebula Award. She lives in College Station, Texas, with her husband.

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    Reviews for The Element of Fire

    4/5

    193 ratings8 reviews

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    • 4/5
      An interesting premise and setting that is held back by an "okay" story. I like the world that is presented and the political games that are played. The thing that is probably lacking the most is the characters. Most of them aren't particularly interesting and the story doesn't feel like it flows particularly well.
    • 4/5
      The best fantasy I’ve read in at least a year. If you enjoy GRRM’s Song of Ice and Fire series, you should pick this book up as well. The old king is dead. In his place rules his only living son, the weak and ineffectual King Roland, who is utterly at the command of his treacherous childhood friend. It falls to the dowager queen Ravenna and her faithful, but aging, Captain of the Queen’s Guard to keep the country together. Into this already explosive situation comes Roland’s bastard sister Kaid, who is the fey daughter of the Queen of Air and Darkness, and a serial killing renegade magician. Internecine court politics, well-rounded characters, and a whole lot of adventure combine to make this a truly enjoyable book.
    • 5/5
      Classic fantasy ideas with a twist -- like common sense, logic and realism. If you took the real world and real people with real motives, and put them all in an alternate historical earth with magic and fairies, packaged with a sense of humor and a sense of justice, it might look something like this. Swashbuckling without being mindless; smart, quick, and funny. Great for lovers of history, adventure, and fairy tales, all. But that's true of every Martha Wells book. This book in particular is about family, betrayal, deception, politics and love, with a wild fey sorceress, an evil sorcerer, dueling nobles, a canny queen, and a boy-king who needs to learn some lessons if he's ever going to rule. Read it for some intelligent and highly entertaining fantasy.
    • 5/5
      The kingdom of Ile-Rien has a weak king, Roland, a strong and ruthless Queen Dowager, his mother, Ravenna guarding the kingdom's interests despite Roland and the friends who manipulate him, and some very dangerous enemies.One of those enemies is Urbain Grandier, a master of scientific sorcery, who is in Ile-Rien with an agenda of his own. He's not actually hostile to the kingdom, but he wants its resources to destroy his real enemy, the neighboring kingdom of Bisran, his native kingdom, who convicted and tortured the sorcerer for what are serious crimes there. He's prepared to use all of Ile-Rien's resources, both wealth and people, to do that--for however long it takes.Ravenna, and the captain of the Queen's Guard, Thomas Boniface, and various other court officials, who may or may not be fully aligned with Ravenna, suspect Grandier is in the capital, but don't know where he is, or what he plans.Meanwhile, some of the same people, particularly Boniface and the Queen Dowager, are certain that King Roland's friend, his friend from childhood, of having his own plot, a plot to make himself king.The court sorcerer, Galen Dubell, captured by Grandier and rescued by Boniface, is key to many of the efforts made against these plots.Adding to the excitement, the king's bastard sister, Kade Carrion, has returned to court after years absent, unexpectedly and uninvited, and no one has any idea what her intentions are. This is especially disturbing because she is the bastard daughter of the late King Fulstan, and the Queen of Air and Darkness. She's half fay, has some fay powers, and has spent much of the last few years in Fayre. Also, years ago, before she left court, Galen Dubell had taught her some sorcery.Shortly after her arrival, Kade is attacked by a golem. The golem is killed, but it's the forerunner of an invasion from Fayre, specifically by the Unseelie Court. Kade finds herself assisting Thomas Boniface and others in resisting the invasion. The success is partial, and costly, and in the course of it they discover that Denzil and Grandier are in league--though possibly Denzil is confused about how interested Grandier is in Denzil's own goals.What follows is a complex, tangled, deadly conflict among several factions, with complex, interesting characters. Even the villains are more than just villains; their motives are layered and interesting even when that doesn't change your ultimate judgment of them. This is a really well-done fantasy, set in a world that feels real, and you care about the people, and the country of Ile-Rien.Highly recommended.I bought this audiobook.
    • 4/5
      I took four chapters -- and over two hours of the audiobook -- before becoming completely captivated. The beginning’s neither slow nor uneventful, and I liked the vibe of the worldbuilding, but I didn’t know why I should care. Thomas Boniface, captain of the Queen’s Guard, rescues one sorcerer, Dubell, from the clutches of another, Grandier. The latter continues to pose a threat. There’s palace intrigue: the young king is easily manipulated by his cousin; the dowager queen fiercely wields what power she can.But when the king’s half-sister, the Fay sorceress Kade, confronts her brother and his mother for the first time in nearly a decade, something clicked. Here is the story’s fraught, emotional heart. Soon after, the the palace is attacked and the tension skyrockets. That was the point where I decided that I need to read everything Wells has written.It would have been easy to begin the book with Kade, with her motives and her sympathetic qualities. If it had, I might have warmed to it faster. However, being introduced to her as others see her, mysteriously and dangerously powerful, and wondering -- as Thomas does -- about what she wants and whether she can be trusted, was actually very effective. I really enjoyed being surprised by Kade. I also enjoyed Thomas’ flashes of humour, and the interactions both of them have with members of the royal family. (It was interesting, seeing hints of dynamics here which are much more overt in the Raksura courts.) I have mixed feelings about what happens in the end, but that seems like the right reaction, somehow.I liked this so much more than I was expecting to.“Why would we want to deal with you, sister?” Contempt twisted his voice. “You've threatened us, ridiculed us--”“Threatened? Oh, what a King you are, Roland.” Kade clasped her hands dramatically and said mockingly in falsetto, “Oh, help, my sister is threatening me!” She looked down at her brother, lip curled in disgust. “If I wanted to kill you, you would be dead.”
    • 3/5
      This book shows a lot promise, a lot of elements which could have developed into a fine story. As it stands it is a bit jerky and depends on constant action and mostly well established relationships, with not quite believable interactions. Fortunately the author got much much better.
    • 4/5
      Martha Wells debut novel, the first in the Ile-Rein series.I found it a bit slow to get started but once I felt comfortable in the world and the pace picked up I enjoyed it tremendously. Lots of court intrigue, a young King who has no idea what he's doing, his mother the real brains behind the throne. When the country is attaced by Fairy, the fact that the king's half sister, a half fey herself, shows up and muddles the picture of just who is up to what, and who to trust.
    • 4/5
      The Element of Fire is Martha Wells debut fantasy novel, which is she put up for free online after it became hard to find in the US. While I don’t think it’s the best Martha Wells novel I’ve read, it’s still an enjoyable read. The Element of Fire focuses on court politics in Il-Rien, a setting similar to 16th century European courts. Urbain Grandier, a powerful master of sorcery, is plotting against the throne of King Roland, who mainly leaves ruling to his mother, the Dowager Queen Ravenna. Meanwhile, Kade, the illegitimate daughter of the former king and a fairy queen, has also arrived in Il-Rien.My favorite part of The Element of Fire is the characterization of the central characters, in particular the two leads. The narrative alternates between the POV of Kade and Thomas Boniface, Captain of the Queen’s Guard. Kade manages to have something of the otherworldly Fey about her while still remaining a fully formed and intelligent lead. Thomas, Ravenna’s former lover, is dutiful and also has a wonderful wit. Ravenna was another stand out character for me. She is forceful and determined, an older woman who still remains at the center of power.While I liked the main characters, I did have some trouble keeping track of the secondary characters, especially in the first half of the novel. There’s still some plot points there I think I missed because of it. The Element of Fire begins in the middle of the action, which was exciting but meant that it took me a while to be able to figure out what was going on.While there weren’t any gaping holes in the setting, it felt a bit bare boned. There wasn’t the imagination you can see in many of Wells’ other settings, and it didn’t have the atmosphere of The Death of the Necromancer. The fairy elements especially could have used more exploration.While it could be slow moving in parts, I really enjoyed The Element of Fire for its complex characterization and likable leads. If you’re unfamiliar with Martha Wells, I’d suggest trying one of her later books first, but The Element of Fire is still a book I would recommend.Originally on The Illustrated Page.