Fortune and Fate (Twelve Houses Series #5)

by Sharon Shinn

Overview

Plagued by guilt for failing to protect her king, Rider Wren has fled the city of Gilengaria and given herself the penance of a life of wandering, helping strangers in need. But when chance brings her to the great estate known as Fortune, Wren will find her fate, and finally confront the ghosts of her past.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780441017751
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/25/2009
Series:	A Twelve Houses Novel , #5
Pages:	448
Sales rank:	1,062,306
Product dimensions:	4.10(w) x 6.70(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Sharon Shinn is a journalist who works for a trade magazine. Her first novel, The Shapechanger's Wife, was selected by  Locus as the best first fantasy novel of 1995. She has won the William C. Crawford Award for Outstanding New Fantasy Writer, and was twice nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. A graduate of Northwestern University, she has lived in the Midwest most of her life.

Editorial Reviews

Following 2007's Reader and Raelynx, which wrapped up the original Twelve Houses fantasy quartet, this rousing sword-and-sorcery romance introduces Wen, a former elite warrior Rider haunted by her failure to protect King Baryn during a rebellion and heartbroken by her lover's marriage to another. After Wen saves teen heiress Karryn, daughter of one of the rebels, from kidnapping and ravishment, Karryn's uncle and guardian, Jasper Paladar, rewards Wen with an offer to train a cadre of bodyguards. Reluctant at first, Wen gradually faces her fears and falls in love with Jasper, the soul of sexy scholarly gallantry. Despite the tweeny dialogue and predictable derring-do, Shinn combines a substantial range of appealing characters with a solid reinforcement of women's capabilities in peace and war, making the story comfortable, if not profound. (Nov.)

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Publishers Weekly

Failed King's Rider Wen embarks on a personal quest seeking redemption against a background of political entanglements and social disquiet. Shinn's fifth installment in her "Twelve Houses" series (Mystic and Rider) continues to feature strong female protagonists as the author skillfully blends romance and adventure. The author explores new parts of her richly detailed world and introduces new characters while maintaining contact with old favorites. As a stand-alone, this volume is a good introduction for readers new to the series, while longstanding fans will appreciate another venture into a world of magic, swords, and political intrigue.

—Jackie Cassada

Library Journal