Tamora Pierce, Part 1: The Tortall Universe

She gets ALL of the Stars!!

One of my all time favorite authors, Tamora Pierce, has written approximately 8 series of teen fantasy/fiction novels. The majority of her novels cater to women because her protagonists are females (with the exception of Briar from the Circle Universe). These “teen” books aren’t just for young girls going through adolescence. Women of all ages can enjoy them, too! I still enjoy reading them. My mum liked them, too! The Circle Universe is far more fantastical, but not any less well written and enticing. But, those are for another post. 

I love Pierce's writing style and stories so much; I’ve read almost everything she’s ever written. The only two I can think of, that I haven’t read, are two I haven’t had the chance to read yet. I’m going to review the Tortall Universe chronologically by plot. Spoilers for some things are inevitable, but do not affect reading the books. Plus, they do not need to be read in any specific order. I certainly didn’t! I read Daine, Kel, Alanna, Aly, and then Beka. You'll see!

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The Tortall Universe:

Tortall is a major country in this universe, where these books take place. It’s similar to the Middle Ages in the sense that it has a monarchy, court, nobility, knights, and such. It’s capital, Corus, is the main hub of power and society. Otherwise, it’s a completely different world.

Magic is something very real and practical to all Tortallans. Whether magic comes from the common herb-woman or a mage at the King’s court. Creatures from lore are also very present. There are many religious deities who often play a part in human lives. Sometimes they choose champions or use them to carry out their own purpose. Despite their power, they do not often mettle in human affairs, allowing humanity to shape the world.

The Series:

 Terrier (2006), Bloodhound (2009), and Mastiff (2011)

Beka Cooper Trilogy – George Cooper is caught stealing at the age of 6. His mother, ashamed, tells him the story about his famous ancestress, Rebakah “Beka” Cooper. Beka is a trainee for the Provost’s Guard – Tortall’s equivalent of a police force. In those days, trainees were called “Puppies” and guards were called “Dogs,” both of which were stationed in the “Kennel.” Beka struggles to make her home, the Lower City of Corus, a safer place. Using her street smarts and determination to succeed, Beka battles to protect what she loves from outside threats. These three books about Beka are written in a diary-style, unusual for Tamora Pierce. However, that doesn’t take away from the emphasis on the story. 

Alanna: The First Adventure (1983), In the Hand of the Goddess (1984), The Woman Who Rides Like A Man (1986), and Lioness Rampant (1988)

The Song of the Lioness – 200 Years after Beka Cooper, Alanna of Trebond has found herself in a predicament. Noble-born girls traditionally go to the covenant to learn how to be proper noblewomen and wives. Noble-born boys tend to become knights or study magic. Alanna wants to be a knight. Her twin brother, Thom, wants to study sorcery. The twins’ father is only concerned with his own studies and pays them little attention. The only solution is for Alanna to become Alan and go to the palace instead of her brother. Thom gets his wish, and goes to the temple to study magic. Alanna, disguised as a boy, must work through a world of men to earn her title of Knight. But, is she strong enough? Can she hide her femininity enough? Can she keep up this charade even when she befriends the handsome Prince Jonathan? What about George Cooper, the King of the Rogues? Can she help protect Tortall and her own family? 

Wild Magic (1992), Wolf-Speaker (1994), Emperor’s Mage (1995), and The Realms of the Gods (1996)

The Immortals – Veralidaine “Daine” Sarrasri is an orphaned girl who has an unusual gift of wild magic. Wild magic is not uncommon, but is a disregarded branch of magic. Her magic gives her a unique connection with animals. Her ability to talk to them is mistaken as insanity in her young age. But, eventually, Daine nabs a job with the royal horsemaster, which leads her to the mage Numair Salmalin: the most powerful mage in Tortall. Under his guidance, she learns to control her ability, something that is very important for herself and her companions. While the Carthaki nation is threatening war with Tortall and monsters on their doorsteps, Daine must learn to use her wild magic to help protect her new home and friends. In book one, Daine meets Alanna, which results in spoilers for The Song of the Lioness. As a reader, the reunion with Alanna brought a smile to my face. Tamora Pierce is said to be writing two novels about Numair’s life before meeting Daine.

The Protector of the Small consists of: First Test (1999), Page (2000), Squire (2001), and Lady Knight (2002)

The Protector of the Small – Keladry “Kel” of Mindelan is the first girl to follow in Alanna’s footsteps – legally. After a law is passed allowing girls to try for knighthood, Kel is the first to step forward. As she begins her training, she is constantly harassed, bullied, injured, and put on probation. Her training master doesn’t believe a girl will ever succeed as a knight. The young recruits must survive training, hazing, and bullying to move through the ranks. Kel must also endure these, but not alone. She befriends the wry Nealan “Neal” of Queenscove and Lord Raoul of Goldenlake, an old friend of Alanna’s. As she faces sexism and giant spidrens, among other creatures, Keladry fights to protect what she loves and for the title of “Knight”; something only one woman had done before. This series brings in spoilers for both The Immortals and Song of the Lioness. Despite that, the spoilers do not affect how one enjoys reading the series out of chronological order.

Trickster’s Choice (2003) and Trickster’s Queen (2004)

Tricksters – Alianne “Aly” of Pirate’s Swoop is 16 years old and daughter to Alanna. Aly’s parents refuse to let her work as a Tortallan spy, so Aly leaves home…only to get captured by pirates and sold into slavery in the Copper Iles. There she makes a bet with the trickster god, Kyprioth, to protect the children of the Balitang family. As Aly befriends Nawat Crow, a crow turned man, she finds out there is a far greater conspiracy in the Copper Isles. Can she protect Sarai and Dove Balitang? Can she protect herself? This series of two books is also known as Daughter of the Lioness for … erm … obvious reasons.

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Pick up any of these books for a fantastic read! You will not be disappointed. All of the covers have been remade so they can republish the series. As an owner of the original covers... it makes me feel really old. Haha!! Some of the old covers were better than the new ones! But, also, some of the "2nd Edition" covers were better than the originals and  the new ones. Some make the books look really girly and "teeny-bopper." Don't be dissuade by them! The content is really good!

The Circle Universe will be reviewed in another post… Purely because there are so many in the Tortall Universe and this post is already 2-pages long in Word without aesthetic editing

Happy Reading!

-Isabel