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Summary
Summary
The return of Sorahb?
Legend has it that when Farsala most needs a warrior to lead it, Sorahb will be restored by the god Azura. That time has come. After a devastating loss to the army of the Hrum, Farsala has all but fallen. Only the walled city of Mazad and a few of the more uninhabitable regions remain free of Hrum rule, and they seem destined to fall as well. Farsala needs a champion now.
Three young people are waging battle as best they can. Soraya, Jiaan, and Kavi, their lives decimated by the Hrum, are each in a personal fight against their common enemy.
Apart, their chances are slim, as none of them are Sorahb reborn. United, perhaps they can succeed. But only Time's Wheel can bring them together -- if it turns the right way. If it doesn't, Farsala is surely doomed.
In the sequel to the critically acclaimed Fall of a Kingdom (formerly entitled Flame), the first book of the Farsala Trilogy, Hilari Bell draws readers deeper into the mythical land of Farsala and weaves an epic tale of destiny and danger.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 6-10-War has changed everything in Farsala. The ruling Deghans, with few exceptions, are dead and the conquering Hrum are in charge. The three young people around whom the first novel revolved must now decide how they can take back Farsala. Perhaps the most interesting turn of events for this book is the decision to change the name of the trilogy and rename the first novel. Originally, the trilogy was to have been called "The Book of Sorahb" and the first installment was Flame (now titled Fall of a Kingdom). This makes it all a bit confusing for readers who looked forward to the continuing saga. This second book begins immediately after the first, but there is no attempt to recap information central to the story, making the motivations of the three main characters-Soraya, Jiaan, and Kavi-difficult to discern. The first book was closely interwoven with a retelling of the epic Persian poem about Rostam and Sorahb and, while the name of Sorahb is heavily invoked in this novel, it's impossible to know who he is without having read Flame. Important details about the Hrum are also found only in the first novel and this makes them little more than cardboard conquerors here. Standing alone, Hero is not as successful or satisfying as the first book, but those who have been waiting to find out the fate of the Farsalans will want to read it.-Sharon Grover, Arlington County Department of Libraries, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
PW called the kickoff to the Farsala Trilogy a "bracing first installment." In it, the land of Farsala was facing invasion by the notoriously vicious warrior nation of Hrum. Now, in the second book, Rise of a Hero, the Hrum think they've nearly claimed Farsala, but Soraya, armed with new knowledge, believes she can still defeat the invaders if only she can get to fellow resistance members Jiaan and Kavi in time. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Middle School) In Fall of a Kingdom (rev. 9/03 as The Book of Sorahb: Flame), the proud, feudal kingdom of Farsala suffered defeat at the hands of the invading empire-building Hrum. Now the Hrum are mopping up pockets of resistance, but as efficient profit-loss calculators, they have a rule: if a major city is still unsubdued after a year's time, they'll abandon their conquest of Farsala. Thus the three heroes of Fall of a Kingdom join forces to defend the fortress city Mazad. Soraya, the once-imperious daughter of the slain High Commander, disguises herself as a servant in the Hrum camp in order to learn where her enslaved mother and brother have been taken. Her illegitimate half-brother Jiaan inherits the straggling remains of his father's army and tries to build a fighting force out of peasant volunteers. And the peddler Kavi assumes the name of a Farsalan legend, Sorahb, to lead a wily underground guerrilla resistance. The details of military strategy and the clever, Scarlet Pimpernel-style ruses of the resistance make for entertaining reading, as do the sympathetic trio of main characters and the richly worked pseudo-historical setting. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Magnificent second entry in a rich, deep series about the land of Farsala's battle with the occupying Hrum army. Soraya, a noble before the invasion, works anonymously as a servant for the enemy until recognized and branded as a slave. Jiann, half noble and half peasant, gathers a secret army in the hills, desperate to reclaim the land and avenge his father's military death. Kavi, a clever and crippled Farsalan peddler who spied for the Hrum, returns to Farsala's side and wreaks havoc on the occupying force anywhere possible. The author sprinkled a hero legend into the series opener, and here she expands it brilliantly in unexpected ways as Soraya (secretly practicing djinn magic learned from desert-dwellers), Kavi and Jiann fight to regain Farsala. She weaves top-notch storytelling with texture and complexity (emotional, social, political and mythological). The conclusion beckons, but this installment is satisfyingly substantial meanwhile. (map) (Fantasy. YA) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 7-10. The dynamic follow-up to Fall of a Kingdom (entitled Flame in its 2003 original hardcover edition) is a strong middle book in the Farsala trilogy. Separated after Farsala falls to the invading Hrum, the three young protagonists work to defeat and expel the enemy: Soraya, daughter of the slain high commander of the Farsalan army, gets a lowly kitchen job in the Hrum army camp, where she searches for information about her mother and younger brother; Jiaan, bastard son of the high commander, reluctantly becomes high commander of what little is left of the Farsalan army and begins recruiting and training peasants and farmers; itinerant peddler Kavi, a double agent, works for both the Hrum and the Farsalans, though his heart is with the Farsalans. Despite the brave endeavors of the young people, what Farsala needs is a champion. According to legend, the hero Sorahb, slain centuries before, will return when Farsala most needs a leader; it seems the time is now. The characters maintain their distinctive identities here, class differences in the societies are indelibly rendered, and the importance of preserving values and making good choices comes across clearly. With a palpable sense of danger and an ending that promises much to be revealed, this is a sequel that will fly off the shelf. --Sally Estes Copyright 2005 Booklist