Mystic and Rider

The Twelve Houses, Book 1

By: Sharon Shinn

Narrated by: Jennifer Van Dyck, Sharon Shinn

Length: 15 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

The fire mystic Senneth crosses the country of Gillengaria on a mission for the king, trying to discover if noble marlords from the Twelve Houses are planning an uprising.

She is accompanied by the soldiers Justin and Tayse, two King's Riders who are unswervingly loyal to the crown. Also on the journey are the shape-changers Kirra and Donnal, and a young mystic named Cammon who can practically read minds.

It's soon clear that not only are marlords planning a rebellion, but that they are being aided by Daughters of the Pale Mother, a fanatical religious sect that hates mystics. While Senneth can clearly take care of herself, Tayse finds himself unable to stop watching her - determined both to protect her and to uncover her secrets.

BONUS AUDIO: Includes an exclusive introduction by author Sharon Shinn.

House hunting? Download more in The Twelve Houses series.

©2006 Sharon Shinn (P)2008 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Tailor-made for the growing audience of fantasy fans who like a good juicy romance." (Publishers Weekly)
"Never tripping over the plot twists and complications, Shinn gives us an easy, absorbing, high-quality read sans gratuitous bloodshed and violence." (Booklist)
"Shinn's most successful book." (SF Revue)

so amazing and exciting.

both my wife have loved the books. 5th time listening to them. I put them on before bed and sit on the couch. when we had the kids for a week they would rather listen to the book than watch TV. reader and raylynx is my favorite.

Another enticing series

I’ve read (listened to) a couple of other Sharon Shinn book series and this one is just as mesmerizing and entertaining. It draws you in, I cannot stop listening. Hope you enjoy it too!

Light fantasy, heavy romance

I recommend this series, though you should not enter into the series looking for an in-depth fantasy read. The book is much more about romance than fantasy, the overall story is good, but very slow. I purchased all 5 books at once (thanks Audible for the great sale), and was shocked to end the story arc on book 4! Book 5 was after the arc with different main characters and it ended up being a good read as well, so no worries there. Two big caveats:

1) Do not listen the the authors introduction until after you have read the book. Ms. Shinn actually shares with you a lot of what happens in the book, I do not want to know ANYTHING about the story until I start listening to it!

2) Beware the narrator changes: Books 1 & 2 I thought were narrated very well, books 3 & 4 changed gender on the narrator, and while the narrator from books 3&4 is a bit boring, there was not a huge impact. The narrator in book 5 mis-pronounces a couple of main characters names, which is disruptive and she is not as good as the first narrator. Fortunately, book 5 deals primarily with different characters from different points of view.

Fun

A light romantic fantasy that was easy to listen to and good "escape" material!

I loved this series!

Audio books are expensive, at least the way i buy them. So it's a bit of a gamble when you take on a new author. You read the reviews and you weigh the good ones against the bad, looking for the key words, or comparisons to other authors you like, and hope that you've picked a winner. I'd just finished the Chalion books and didn't think I'd ever find anything as good again, but Sharon Shinn surprised me. This series is great, full of interesting twists and original characters, and the reader is superb (and old word, but an apt one). I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves LMB. You won't be disappointed, and you will make some new and very engaging friends along the way.

Good story line

What made the experience of listening to Mystic and Rider the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed this book, and purchased the next one. However, like many authors who write science fiction or fantasy, they forget that (oddly) the story needs to be logical within the realm of unreal! In this book, the hero individuals who make up the group have great magical powers. But, they are constantly getting into ambush situations that would not happen in the realm of the unreal world, given their powers. So my reaction is incredibility, even though the story is not credible as written. ;-)

Awesome Series!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Mystic and Rider?

I will let folks discover this on their own. What I will say is that it reminds me of our own human history. Stereotyping individuals out of fear and ignorance, rather than getting to know what people stand for and what is in their hearts. The characters are likeable and well developed. You care about them. That is a lot of humor within the tale as well. Always a plus!

Would you listen to another book narrated by Jennifer Van Dyck and Sharon Shinn ?

Yes, and I have!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The characters' determination and specific strengths.

Fantasy's equivalent to the Cozy Mystery genre...

...or to put it another way, George R. R. Martin is to Sharon Shinn as James Ellroy is to Agatha Christie.

The writing is good, flows well and is stylistically consistent. (no jarring bits of dialog or turns of phrase that feel slightly off)

Shinn paints her characters beautifully! Many authors wind up giving some of their characters a similar "flavor" especially if they've written a strong hero/heroine at some point, and that personality worked really, really well. Throughout the Twelve Houses series, not only are you not reminded of a main character when reading a secondary one, the minor characters are distinct! It's not easy to give nameless bad guy no.1 in one book a different feel from nameless bad guy nos. 1, 2, or 3, in another of the books.

Paired with Jennifer Van Dyck's narration, Mystic and Rider is a book I've re-read nearly every year since it came out. These days there are dozens of good sword & sorcery / epic fantasy authors who have books available in audiobook format. Unfortunately, authors who lucked out in the narrator department are thinner on the ground. (unless you count the vast number of well-narrated fantasy novels geared toward teens or that have a coming-of-age element)

If I set up an epic fantasy "style spectrum" using half a dozen authors with good audiobooks, the order would look something like this:

1. George R. R. Martin
(Although, in my opinion, the narrator of his stuff doesn't really add anything. Game of Thrones is just the most recognizable example highly complex fantasy I could think of)

2. Robert Jordan

3. L. E. Modesitt Jr.

4. Juliet Marillier

5. Lois McMaster Bujold

6. Sharon Shinn

The last three authors' books focus closely on the relationships of a smaller cast of characters. Out of all these authors, I think Shinn's books have the least edge and most warmth.

Loved It

Loved it! I finished reading my favorites: david eddings, george r r martin, lois mcmaster bujold, robert jordan...and now i just finished this collection. The first book was definately my favorite but I loved the characters soo much I had to read them all- and loved them all. Action packed, lots of fighting and magic ... fantastic characters with all different personalities, funny dialog and romance . Perfect.

Too slow moving, not much action.

I hate writing negative reviews. It seems most reviewers enjoyed this book more than I.

I listen to the first two books before writing this review... I was hoping that the second book would be better and make up for the first.

My recomendation is to pass on this book. Take a look at Robert Jordan's series, or George R.R. Martin, or perhaps the Mistborn series.