Alanna by Tamora Pierce

[meganbmoore]

Alanna of Trebond wants to be a knight. Her twin brother, Thom, wants to be a sorcerer. Their father doesn’t care what they want, or even realize that they want anything, and declares that Alanna shall be sent to a convent to train with priests, and Thom will train to be a knight. So Alanna comes up with a plan to dress like a boy, and change her father’s letter so that he has two sons, allowing the twins to follow their dreams.

The only Tamora Pierce books I’ve read before are the Circle of Magic quartet, which are set on a different world from this one. Alanna is Pierce’s first book (I believe this quartet was originally one long book that Pierce was told to break up, because no one in the target audience wanted to read a book that long) and it shows. Alanna follows all the normal for the “crossdressing girl who wants to be a knight” genre-actually, it probably helped solidify the tropes-right down to setting up what appears to be a future love triangle for Alana that includes Jon, the prince of Tortall (the world the book is set in) and George, a young thief who befriends Alanna.

If I’d first read this in my teens, I suspect I would have responded very strongly to it. As it is, I quite like Alanna as a character and enjoyed her supporting cast, but am less than amazed by the book itself.

Comments

[radiotrash.livejournal.com]

Alanna was my first introduction to Tortall when I was younger as well but I much prefer Daine's story in the Immortals quartet to it. My favorite however is the Beka Cooper trilogy, whose second book just came out this week. Instead of being a glamorous Knight as Alanna or Kel or a shapeshifter like Daine, she's just a city guard/police figure working in one of the poorer sections of the city.

If you were to try another one of Tamora's books I would strongly suggest Terrier. I put off reading it for so long because I was tired of Tortall but when I finally did it sucked me right in. And I already know that this is a series going on my 'To-Be-Read-Over-And-Over' pile.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I actually have Terrier, and it sounds like the most interesting of thr Tortall books to me, but I want to read them in order. (Written, that is. I know Terrier is set a few hundred years earlier. I think.)

[radiotrash.livejournal.com]

Well I think the series get better after Alanna. (I'm actually re-reading/listening to the Alanna books now myself which is something I haven't done for a long time.) The one I really didn't like as much was Trickster's Choice/Queen although the setting was interesting. Overall though I think the Tortall books are one of my favorite YA series and I hope you enjoy them!

But seriously, I could read like ten more books about Beka Cooper and her work.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Word - I listened to the audiobook version of Terrier, and just downloaded the second book audio. Luckily, I've got art commissions to do so I can start listening to it!

[estara.livejournal.com]

ah, you already knew, sorry!

[telophase.livejournal.com]

No prob! If I hadn't known I'd have wanted to know! (if that makes sense. XD)

[shewhohashope.livejournal.com]

Beka in Terrier is the great grandmother (or soemthing) of George, Alanna's non-Princely love interest.