First Rider's Call (Green Rider, #2)

by Kristen Britain

Following the events in Kristen Britain's acclaimed first novel, Karigan G'ladheon, who took on the mantle of king's messenger after chancing upon a dying Green Rider, has returned to her everyday life, the thrills and perils of being caught up in great events apparently behind her. But few may evade their destiny, and Karigan is soon to face even greater dangers...

Blackveil Forest is stirring, its tainted powers seeping through the breach in the D'Yer Wall, the bulwark built a thousand years ago to hem in the ancient evil of the forest. The people of Sacoridia are caught unawares, for the power of the forest has been forgotten over the generations, and they have not kept watch. While havoc sweeps the countryside, and even visits within the walls of King Zachary's castle, Alton D'Yer, a Green Rider and scion of the stoneworkers who created the wall, attempts to mend the breach, only to find himself lured into Blackveil's devious plots. The taint of Blackveil takes yet another dangerous turn: it strips the Green Riders of their magical abilities, and leaves them leaderless in their time of need, for Captain Mapstone has locked herself away, tormented by her own magic.

Summoned to duty by the call of the First Rider, Karigan must help the Riders, and face the truth about her own savage heritage. Sought by undead warriors and caught in the mechinations of the mysterious Eletians, Karigan must confront an ancient enemy in the rotten heart of Blackveil.

• ISBN10: 0756402093
• ISBN13: 9780756402099
• Publish Date: 11 September 2003 (first published 3 February 2003)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: AU
• Imprint: Daw Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 639
• Language: English

Reviews

[Kate (Blogging with Dragons)]

First Rider’s Call was a 4.5 stars book for me. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the sequel to Kristen Britain’s The Green Rider, it wasn’t quite as fast paced as its predecessor. This isn’t to say that the novel doesn’t start with a bang—it does. Readers are hooked from the onset, as main character Karrigan G’ladheon and other Green Riders on assignment are devastated by an attack from a horrific evil that hasn’t been seen in centuries. Discouraged, what is left of the party returns to report to King Zachary of the ancient evil that once again walks the earth.
After this point, some of the novel drags a bit and suffers from a lack of pacing. What’s more, is that a lot of the novel read like it was merely setting up for the third installment in the series. However, this isn’t too much of a problem because of the richly developed cast of characters.
It has been awhile since I have read a series with a main female protagonist that I liked so much. I think many authors tend to confuse strong female heroines with well-written ones. This is not the case with Britain’s Karrigan, who is time and time again put in impossible situations—complete with wraiths, ghosts, time travel, and even a burgeoning love interest—that test her mettle and all that she holds dear. As the magic of the world goes haywire and the Riders threaten to fall apart, Karrigan— driven by fierce loyalty to the Green Rider order and strengthened by the ghostly appearance of Lil Ambriodhe, the very first rider—holds them together.
In this novel, the author deftly illustrates Karrigan’s transformation from a reluctant messenger to a vital and determined member of the Green Riders. At the same time, Britain creates a fantastical world with a rich history and a looming evil as a backdrop. I cannot wait to see how Karrigan faces this evil in the next novel.