Green Rider

Frustrated with an unfair expulsion from school, Karigan leaves to journey home. What she never expected to find was a dying man with two arrows protruding from his back. In F’ryan Coblebay's last moments, he asks Karigan to deliver his message to the king. It is a matter of life and death. Reluctantly she accepts his mission and in return receives a golden winged horse brooch. As she pins the brooch upon herself and rides off with F’ryan’s horse, Karigan unknowingly changes her life forever.

Karigan will not only become mixed up in the politics of the world, but she will cross paths with an old evil as well. I love how such a simple concept of delivering a message to the king was able to expand into a world filled with magic and intrigue. And the politics do not overshadow the plot, if anything they accent the characters' actions and stay well in the background. The main focus remains on Karigan’s journey and all the difficulties she endures.

I quite enjoyed how Green Rider layered past events for all the characters. Instead of overloading the reader with information, certain events would trigger characters to reflect back on their actions and reveal the deeper history. The world-building was so subtly woven into the story, that it slowly drew me in without even realizing it. And the use of magic in the world wasn’t overpowering. Similar to how the politics helped propel the story forward, the magic wasn’t heavily relied on. Characters who used it had to know how to survive on their own without magic as well. It truly was a tool to aid each person, instead of being their main source of skill or power.

As for characters, the Bayberry sisters were a delight. They were the integral piece needed to explain how magic worked in the world. And their personalities more than made up for the times they regaled Karigan with tales of their father’s magical research and his unfortunate mishaps. Listening to the audiobook, the voice actor made me laugh at their antics and I could just picture their body language and pose through their voices. It was a delight to take a moment from the main adventure and delve into the world of magic a bit more. And they were just the support Karigan needed at the start of her quest.

Now keep in mind Karigan is entirely new to the world of danger green riders endure. And while she has been taught how to defend herself, she has never had to apply the lessons in real life. Day in and day out as she is hunted by numerous assailants. This leads to Karigan making foolish decisions, and being unable to truly defend herself. Quite often she ends up with aid coincidentally showing up such as the Bayberry sisters. But each hard knock Karigan takes isn’t forgotten. She learns from her mistakes and by the end of the story, she is an entirely new person than she was at the start. And frankly, I can’t wait to see how else she develops in the next book.

Kristen Britain brings to life a world of magical messengers and ancient evil. There is so much left to uncover in the Green Rider series. By the end of this book, I found myself needing to know more about the evil that is breaking free, and just how Karigan is going to go about pursuing her life now. Once a green rider, always a rider. If you are a fan of high fantasy novels that scale down the politics and focus more on character development, this is the series for you.

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

“Ride, Greenie, ride!”

Karigan G'ladheon, the daughter of a wealthy merchant, has been kicked out of school because she beat up the son of a nobleman. On her way home she crosses paths with a Green Rider, one of King Zachary???s messengers. The Rider has two black arrows in his back, but before he dies he coerces Karigan into promising to take a sealed message to the king. Reluctantly, Karigan sets out to fulfill her vow. Along the way she meets allies and enemies, fights battles with creatures out of nightmare, makes friends with a horse, and learns a bit about magic, and herself, too.

For years I???ve been planning to read Kristen Britain???s Green Rider, which was first published in 1998. I finally decided to take the plunge into this big fantasy epic when Penguin released it in audio a few weeks ago. Pleased with the story and the audio performance, I listened to the entire book in just a couple of days. Penguin Audio???s version of Green Rider is read by Ellen Archer, who was new for me. She has a pleasant voice and had no problem with the diversity and range of male and female voices in Green Rider. She is a good narrator for this series.

The world of GREEN RIDER feels real. In this first story we learn about some of its history, politics, myths, legendary heroes, and games. This is all done naturally and without extensive infodumps. The characters, too, are mostly well done, though the villains tend to be shallow and overtly evil. Karigan is not always likeable, but she???s a willful and spunky heroine who I hope will become less aloof as the series goes on. Karigan is supported by several characters that we can???t help but like, such as her father, the batty Berry sisters and their invisible servants, a few other Riders, and King Zachary himself. Oh, and the horse!

Britain creates a nice balance of tension and leisure in Green Rider. Though murder, treachery, and political intrigue abound, there are several sweet times, too. I foresaw many of the plot???s ???surprises,??? and the end of the magical battle at the climax of the novel was a bit silly, but that didn???t bother me. Mostly I enjoyed riding with Karigan and living in her world for a time. I will be happy to read book two, First Rider???s Call.

Green Rider is a nice choice if you???re in the mood for a traditional fantasy epic with some familiar elements used in a refreshing, but not revolutionary, way. Those who like Mercedes Lackey???s VALDEMAR series will be especially pleased.