The Bone Doll's Twin

Tamir Triad, Book 1

De: Lynn Flewelling

Narrado por: Victor Bevine, Lynn Flewelling

Long ago, during the dark days of the Great War with Pleinmar, King Thelatimos journeyed to the Oracle of the God Illior at Afra to save his warn-torn kingdom. Here he was presented with a prophecy 'So long as a daughter of Thelatimos's line defends and rules, Skala shall never be subjugated.' And that is how the line of queens ruling over Skala was established...

However, as generations went by, the male heirs to the throne became intensely resentful of the prophecy that emasculated their claim to power. Finally Queen Agnalain took the throne and the people of Skala suffered under her erratic and selfish command. Prompted by the people's outcry over this mad queen, her son Prince Erius claimed primogeniture, and seized the throne. Erius's ascent may have pleased the people of Skala, but a faction of the population, one who had not forgotten the prophecy, were worried. Plague, drought and famine spread throughout the kingdom weakening it's defences and offering easy pickings to Skala's old enemy and neighbour, Plenimar.

As people start to recall the Oracle's prophecy, Erius begins to quietly kill off his female relatives who pose the only threat to his monarchy. Constantly in fear for her life, Princess Ariani the King's sister, gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. But Ariani is married to Lord Rhius, the patron of the powerful wizard Iya, and Iya has sinister plans for the babes.

BONUS AUDIO: Includes an exclusive introduction written and recorded by author Lynn Flewelling.

©2001 Lynn Flewelling (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Spooky and Wonderfully Performed

If you could sum up The Bone Doll's Twin in three words, what would they be?

Haunting, engaging, and emotive.

What other book might you compare The Bone Doll's Twin to and why?

The Tamir Triad in general reminds me of the "Snow White, Blood Red" series of adult fairy tales edited by Datlow and Windling. It has an excellent feeling of prophecy, destiny, and inevitability.

Which character – as performed by Victor Bevine and Lynn Flewelling – was your favorite?

I loved how Bevine did voices. They were wonderful. He's one of my favorite readers in a long while. Duke Rhius was particularly good; I felt the weight of his decisions and love for his family.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I wouldn't call crying an "extreme reaction" but I definitely did cry. Despite this being a re-read for me, I left with a feeling of melancholy. The characters in this book had to make some hard choices, and endure some sadness, and I kept some of that with me after reading.

Complex and well written

It was an unusual and refreshing bit of fantasy. I was really impressed at the author’s ability to describe the complex situation and characters.

Great New Fantasy Find!

Wonderful story and characters! I love the themes explored in this book, but it's never heavy handed. Good narration, too. I'm looking forward to the other two books in this series.

beautifully gothic.

This story was an engrossing read. The writing style was fluid and descriptive, holding the reader in each moment. I am moving on to book two right now.

Still like it since first read in 2001

Any additional comments?

I read this story in 2001, way before it became an audio book and find myself coming back to re-read or relisten to it every now and then. It was so far out of the norm when it came out that it was unexpected and satisfying. The world building, the character development still hold up after 15 years. I sometimes find world building tedious, but for some reason Flewelling's descriptions are always interesting to me. Every book goes over different kinds of things, how castles and cities functions, court life. The magics of each culture are truly different. But at the core there is always a solid understanding of the characters.

The darkness in this book isn't darkness for darkness sake. There is something to this theme of the god who brings great gifts and madness at the same time. And I suppose at the center the main character brings me back, because I always enjoy the characters that have genuine kindness matched with strength, like a Harry Potter or a Katniss Everdeen. Unique people, well drawn, but ones who care about more than just themselves.