Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collections
Publication
Signet (1995), Paperback, 416 pages
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. HTML:Trained to kill from childhood, siblings Bannon and Vree have only known life as assassins in the Imperial Army. The army is both their mother and father, their lives subject to the whims of the Crown. When their latest target steals Bannon's body for his own, Vree saves her brother by dragging his spirit in to share hers. But two assassins in one body is one assassin too many. To save both their lives, they must abandon the only life they've known, risking Imperial ire and possible execution, to regain Bannon's body. It isn't until after they capture Gyhard, the body thief, that they realize they can't force him to do anything while he holds Bannon's body hostage. But Gyhard is willing to trade Bannon's body for their assistance. All they have to do �?? while being hunted for desertion and dealing with an unknown power able to Sing the dead out of the grave �?? is betray the oaths they've lived by and help Gyhard secure the body of an Imperial P… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member fyrefly98
Summary: Vree and Bannon are the two best assassins the Sixth Army has to offer. They've never missed a target... but their latest assignment is waiting for them, with a trap that they have no hope of escaping. When their target somehow steals Bannon's body, his soul must take up residence in
Review: One thing I really enjoy in my fantasy novels is, well, novelty. Speculative fiction gives authors so much scope for telling new stories and building new worlds, and yet sometimes it seems like we just get epic quest after epic quest. Not that epic quests can't be done well, but if an author can give me a story that doesn't feel like I've read it ten times before, that's always a huge bonus. And that, I think was one of the strongest things about Fifth Quarter - I hadn't read it, or anything like it, before. I suppose I've come across body snatching in Anne Rice's Tale of the Body Thief, and the idea of two consciousnesses sharing one body in Stephenie Meyer's The Host, but the combination of those two ideas, plus the sibling dynamics, plus the assassins as main characters, plus the elements of necromancy and zombies, all combined into a story that felt interesting and fresh. The magical system wasn't particularly original - a combination of elemental magic and sung magic - nor was it explained in any great detail, but the magic itself was never really the point, and there were plenty of other things on which to focus.
The writing, while nothing phenomenal, was unobtrusive and easy to read. Huff's great at building suspense and keeping the reader engaged from early on, and I read the last half of this book in one solid sitting. I was also pleasantly surprised at how good Huff writing realistic-sounding dialogue, and at making potentially very complex scenes (Vree arguing with Bannon inside her head while simultaneously arguing with another character out loud) clear and understandable. The characters are all well-built and multi-dimensional as well, and for the most part even the bad guys are interesting and sympathetic. (Although it chafes a little to call someone as shallow and obnoxious as Bannon "multi-dimensional"; I spent most of the book hoping he'd get his own body back so that Vree could kick him in the shins.) I also really enjoyed that pretty much everyone in the book was just sort of casually bisexual - it's still pretty rare (although becoming less so) to find GLBT characters in fiction where their GLBT-ness isn't the point of the story... or even a point of discussion.
The only character note that really bothered me were the incestuous overtones. Vree being in love with her brother provided some interesting dilemmas - like, is it still incest if it's her brother's body but not her brother's soul? (the biologist answers: YES) - but it also meant that there were some unfortunate "jokes" about her brother being inside her that really grossed me out. Also, it didn't help that this was the second book I've read in less than a month that dealt with the idea of incest. This one was better than On Fire's Wings, though, just because at least in Fifth Quarter, incest was treated by all of the characters as something taboo and wrong. So, while it did skeeve me out whenever it came up, it didn't totally dominate my view of the book. Which is a good thing, since I really enjoyed just about everything else about this novel, and will definitely be looking for more of Huff's books in the future. 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: Fifth Quarter is technically the second book in a series, but while it is set in the same world as the first one, none of the characters overlap, so it certainly can stand on its own. This book would be a good match for people who like their fantasy novels original, mature, fast-reading, and with a slight tinge of horror.
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Vree's body, or risk dispersal and death. The two siblings have always been a team, but the strain of sharing a single body may prove too much for them as they track down the man who has absconded with Bannon's body. When they find him, though, they are unable to force him out, so he offers them a choice: either they must continue to share Vree's body forever, or else they can have Bannon's body back... after they've helped him acquire the Prince's body instead. And possible body-snatching is not the only danger to the Imperial family, for there's another man on the loose with just as much magical power, but with much darker designs... and he's got his eye on the Prince as well.Review: One thing I really enjoy in my fantasy novels is, well, novelty. Speculative fiction gives authors so much scope for telling new stories and building new worlds, and yet sometimes it seems like we just get epic quest after epic quest. Not that epic quests can't be done well, but if an author can give me a story that doesn't feel like I've read it ten times before, that's always a huge bonus. And that, I think was one of the strongest things about Fifth Quarter - I hadn't read it, or anything like it, before. I suppose I've come across body snatching in Anne Rice's Tale of the Body Thief, and the idea of two consciousnesses sharing one body in Stephenie Meyer's The Host, but the combination of those two ideas, plus the sibling dynamics, plus the assassins as main characters, plus the elements of necromancy and zombies, all combined into a story that felt interesting and fresh. The magical system wasn't particularly original - a combination of elemental magic and sung magic - nor was it explained in any great detail, but the magic itself was never really the point, and there were plenty of other things on which to focus.
The writing, while nothing phenomenal, was unobtrusive and easy to read. Huff's great at building suspense and keeping the reader engaged from early on, and I read the last half of this book in one solid sitting. I was also pleasantly surprised at how good Huff writing realistic-sounding dialogue, and at making potentially very complex scenes (Vree arguing with Bannon inside her head while simultaneously arguing with another character out loud) clear and understandable. The characters are all well-built and multi-dimensional as well, and for the most part even the bad guys are interesting and sympathetic. (Although it chafes a little to call someone as shallow and obnoxious as Bannon "multi-dimensional"; I spent most of the book hoping he'd get his own body back so that Vree could kick him in the shins.) I also really enjoyed that pretty much everyone in the book was just sort of casually bisexual - it's still pretty rare (although becoming less so) to find GLBT characters in fiction where their GLBT-ness isn't the point of the story... or even a point of discussion.
The only character note that really bothered me were the incestuous overtones. Vree being in love with her brother provided some interesting dilemmas - like, is it still incest if it's her brother's body but not her brother's soul? (the biologist answers: YES) - but it also meant that there were some unfortunate "jokes" about her brother being inside her that really grossed me out. Also, it didn't help that this was the second book I've read in less than a month that dealt with the idea of incest. This one was better than On Fire's Wings, though, just because at least in Fifth Quarter, incest was treated by all of the characters as something taboo and wrong. So, while it did skeeve me out whenever it came up, it didn't totally dominate my view of the book. Which is a good thing, since I really enjoyed just about everything else about this novel, and will definitely be looking for more of Huff's books in the future. 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: Fifth Quarter is technically the second book in a series, but while it is set in the same world as the first one, none of the characters overlap, so it certainly can stand on its own. This book would be a good match for people who like their fantasy novels original, mature, fast-reading, and with a slight tinge of horror.
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LibraryThing member Queensowntalia
Huff has created a colorful, interesting world peopled with complex characters. Her writing style is highly readable as well, making for a good, solid book that, while not genius, is darn fine reading.
LibraryThing member JeremyPreacher
While set in the same world as Sing the Four Quarters, it isn't a direct sequel. This actually helped a lot, because the sort of idealized original setting doesn't have a ton of inherent conflict - the Empire was a great place to look at the magic system from an outsider's point of view and
I didn't totally love both the main sibling characters - she's a little too perfect and he's a narcissistic asshole whose sole redeeming quality is that he's pretty. And the "bad guy" is sort of muddy - his plan is awfully weak and he goes from appalling to sort of the hero way too quickly to be believable.
The semi-incestuous attraction started out really creepy and turned sort of fascinating, which I did not expect, and made the whole love triangle work way better for me than it should have. And the actual villain was both totally sympathetic and completely repulsive, which also worked out nicely.
Overall, a bit choppy but compelling, and I am looking forward to the sequel.
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introduce some morally gray characters.I didn't totally love both the main sibling characters - she's a little too perfect and he's a narcissistic asshole whose sole redeeming quality is that he's pretty. And the "bad guy" is sort of muddy - his plan is awfully weak and he goes from appalling to sort of the hero way too quickly to be believable.
The semi-incestuous attraction started out really creepy and turned sort of fascinating, which I did not expect, and made the whole love triangle work way better for me than it should have. And the actual villain was both totally sympathetic and completely repulsive, which also worked out nicely.
Overall, a bit choppy but compelling, and I am looking forward to the sequel.
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LibraryThing member shadowdancer
not as initially engaging as others in the series, but still wonderful
LibraryThing member JudithProctor
This novel follows a pair of assassins, sister and brother. Brought up to operate as a close knit team, their bond is tested to the utmost when they are caught in a trap that results in them having to share two minds in one body.
LibraryThing member humouress
{Second in the Quarters series; fantasy} (1995)
In the land of Shkoder, Bards can Sing to the kigh (elemental spirits) of four quarters (air, water, earth, fire). This story takes place in the neighbouring Havakeen Empire where siblings Vree and Bannon are assassins in the sixth army. When the story
“Haul your ass out of cover, Bannon, and let’s get going. This isn’t funny.”
Her whisper pierced the shadowed corners, pierced the shroud that dying had wrapped around the governor.
He opened his eyes. Unfamiliar features twisted into a familiar expression. “Vree …”
She stared, not believing.
“Vree …” Cold fingers clutched at her wrist and pressed out a pattern only her brother knew.
In the meantime, there is a mad old man wandering the Empire who can Sing the hitherto unknown fifth quarter which forces the spirits of the recently dead back into their bodies as he seeks to create a family who love him. Unfortunately, he has to keep replacing them as their bodies decay. These two stories are linked and are destined to clash again.
Karlene is a Bard in the Imperial Palace in the Capital of the Empire where she is helping to establish the Bardic profession. And where she has to politely dissuade the love-struck Prince Otavas, youngest son of the Emperor. They are also part of the story since both the mad man and Gyhard have designs on the Prince.
Huff does create awkward relationships, although this is only a background to the story. For instance, Vree has secretly desired her brother (although he seems to be the only one who doesn't realise), despite having had to act as his parents since their soldier mother was killed when she was seven and he was six years old and they have never known who their father was. But then, she's also attracted to Gyhard and to Karlene, who ends up travelling with them as they race across the country to try to rescue the Prince.
The story was alright; I could put it down and come back to it much later (although I never considered abandoning it). I felt that the ending was a bit inconclusive. It didn't fully resolve the issues although it didn't end on a cliff hanger, but it still left things open to continuation.
3-3.5 stars
In the land of Shkoder, Bards can Sing to the kigh (elemental spirits) of four quarters (air, water, earth, fire). This story takes place in the neighbouring Havakeen Empire where siblings Vree and Bannon are assassins in the sixth army. When the story
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starts, the sixth army is beseiging the rebel town of Ghoti and decides to assassinate Aralt, the governor, to shorten the battle. But when Bannon finds him, the old man has taken poison so that Gyhard, the person actually inhabiting the governor's body, can jump to Bannon's body. When his sister comes across the dying governor, now inhabited by Bannon, the only way she can save her brother is to allow his spirit to share her body while they desert the army to chase his body.“Haul your ass out of cover, Bannon, and let’s get going. This isn’t funny.”
Her whisper pierced the shadowed corners, pierced the shroud that dying had wrapped around the governor.
He opened his eyes. Unfamiliar features twisted into a familiar expression. “Vree …”
She stared, not believing.
“Vree …” Cold fingers clutched at her wrist and pressed out a pattern only her brother knew.
In the meantime, there is a mad old man wandering the Empire who can Sing the hitherto unknown fifth quarter which forces the spirits of the recently dead back into their bodies as he seeks to create a family who love him. Unfortunately, he has to keep replacing them as their bodies decay. These two stories are linked and are destined to clash again.
Karlene is a Bard in the Imperial Palace in the Capital of the Empire where she is helping to establish the Bardic profession. And where she has to politely dissuade the love-struck Prince Otavas, youngest son of the Emperor. They are also part of the story since both the mad man and Gyhard have designs on the Prince.
Huff does create awkward relationships, although this is only a background to the story. For instance, Vree has secretly desired her brother (although he seems to be the only one who doesn't realise), despite having had to act as his parents since their soldier mother was killed when she was seven and he was six years old and they have never known who their father was. But then, she's also attracted to Gyhard and to Karlene, who ends up travelling with them as they race across the country to try to rescue the Prince.
The story was alright; I could put it down and come back to it much later (although I never considered abandoning it). I felt that the ending was a bit inconclusive. It didn't fully resolve the issues although it didn't end on a cliff hanger, but it still left things open to continuation.
3-3.5 stars
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LibraryThing member threadnsong
Another great follow-up to the world that Tanya Huff has invented, featuring the Empire and Shkodar and Cemandia (sp?). In this follow-up to Sing the Four Quarters, this well-written book follows the world of two assassins, brother, and sister, and their surprise as they follow a target who is not
Incorporating the element of spirit and the assassin's training in the Sixth Army and the Royal Family, whom the assassins are sworn to protect against all who would do them harm, the story heads down the well-worn paths of riding and inns with intricate twists. Later in the story the idea of animated dead become central to the plot, and the first book's kigh and the bards who sing them bring the action back to the Empire.
While I did not initially recognize this world from the world described in the first book, the two worlds were really part of one larger set of kingdoms, and that fact allows this book to be read as a standalone. Enough of the kigh, the bards, and the Royal Family are explained that a reader will be able to pick up the plotline without being bogged down in too great detail.
Tanya Huff has a talent for keeping her plotlines interesting and varied in what can be a worn-out genre.
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who he seems.Incorporating the element of spirit and the assassin's training in the Sixth Army and the Royal Family, whom the assassins are sworn to protect against all who would do them harm, the story heads down the well-worn paths of riding and inns with intricate twists. Later in the story the idea of animated dead become central to the plot, and the first book's kigh and the bards who sing them bring the action back to the Empire.
While I did not initially recognize this world from the world described in the first book, the two worlds were really part of one larger set of kingdoms, and that fact allows this book to be read as a standalone. Enough of the kigh, the bards, and the Royal Family are explained that a reader will be able to pick up the plotline without being bogged down in too great detail.
Tanya Huff has a talent for keeping her plotlines interesting and varied in what can be a worn-out genre.
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Language
Original publication date
1995
Physical description
416 p.; 6.7 inches
ISBN
0886776511 / 9780886776510
Local notes
Quarters, 2
DDC/MDS
| Fic SF Huff |