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

by Kristen Britain

Magic, danger, and adventure abound for messenger Karigan G'ladheon in the second book in Kristen Britain's New York Times-bestselling Green Rider fantasy series • "First-rate fantasy." —Library Journal 

Karigan G'ladheon was once a Green Rider, one of the king of Sacoridia's elite magical messengers. In the messenger service, she was caught up in a world of deadly danger, and though she defeated the rogue Eletian who cracked the magical D'Yer Wall—which had protected Sacoridia for a thousand years from the dark influence of Blackveil Forest, and Mornhavon the Black's evil spirit imprisoned within it—she had nonetheless been tainted by his wild magic.

Exhausted in body and spirit, and determined to take control of her own destiny, Karigan returned to her home in Corsa. But even Karigan's stubborn determination is no match for the Rider's call. Ghostly hoofbeats echo in the deep regions of her mind. When she awakes to find herself on horseback, halfway to Sacor City in her nightgown, she finally gives in.  

Karigan returns to the court, only to find the Green Riders weakened and diminished. Rider magic has become unreliable, and she herself has ghostly visions of Lil Ambriodhe, First Rider, and founder of the Green Rider corps.

But why is the First Rider appearing to Karigan? And will Karigan be able to seek the help of a woman who has been dead for a thousand years?

• ISBN10: 0756401933
• ISBN13: 9780756401931
• Publish Date: 3 August 2004 (first published 3 February 2003)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: DAW Books
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 608
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780756401931

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.