Farsala Trilogy

Last updated

The Farsala Trilogy is a series of three fantasy novels by Hilari Bell that includes Fall of a Kingdom (also published as Flame), Rise of a Hero, and Forging the Sword.

Contents

Main characters

These are the main characters that appear in all of the three books:

Plot

The story switches between three main characters, Jiaan, Soraya and Kavi, and Farsala's history. There is war happening in Farsala, against the mighty Hrum empire.

Jiaan: Jiaan is half blood, as his father is the commander of Farsala's army, and his mother a peasant woman. He is half brother to Soraya, although she does not acknowledge him as a brother. Jiann serves as his father's aide, taking notes during meetings and being kind of an apprentice. Jiann is traveling with his father and a band of deghans to find a secure flat terrain to fight the Hrum. Most of the book, he suffers rude comments and disrespect from the deghans about his half-blood. When the first battle occurs, Jiann is chosen to carry the banner behind the commander, a very honorable position. However, during the battle, he tries to help his father, the commander, fight, but ends up being knocked to the ground and nearly trampled. He watches as the commander, to end the battle, decides to fight against one other warrior in a duel to see who will win the battle. If the commander won the duel, his own army would win the battle. If his opponent won, then their side would win. Instead, the Hrum send a barrage of arrows towards the commander, and kill him that way instead. Jiann is overcome with grief at his father's death, and takes command of the army.

Soraya: Soraya is very stuck-up, and selfish. She does, however, have a nicer side. She is her father, the commander, favorite child. She is half sister to Jiann, although she does not acknowledge that. Her father's priests are bribed by someone who wants to be commander, to say that the commander must sacrifice her to win the war. The commander fakes the sacrifice and sends her into hiding with a family on the country side. She is disdainful at first, but soon begins to lend a hand to putting food on the table. She hunts for the family, when one night she gets chased by jackals, and is saved by a tribe called the Suud. The lady who saved her, Maok, teaches her "magic" or how to speak to spirits of things like fire and water, trees and animals. She leaves the tribe after a month or two and returns to the countryside family to the news of her father's death. She vows to find the rest of her family and avenge her father.

Kavi: Kavi's story is short. He used to be an apprentice smith, but due to an "accident" with a deghan, he loses the use of his hand and becomes a peddler selling minor smith goods. On his journey he is caught by the commander when he tries to sell a fake gold bracelet (bronze bracelet coated in gold), and is made to promise to check on Soraya on the countryside and report back to him. He is then caught by the Hrum, he learns about then and eventually acts as a spy for them. Kavi is indirectly the cause of the commanders death because he betrays the Farsalan army's plan to the Hrum. He is bitter towards the deghans and wishes them overthrown. When Kavi realizes that the deghans do not deserve to become slaves, and that not all Hrum are as good as they claim to be, he has a change of heart and becomes one of the main leaders of the resistance.

Legend of Sorahb

A main part of the Farsala Trilogy is the legend of Sorahb which is told between each set of chapters. Despite artistic licensing, the part of the legend told in first book is clearly based on the legend Rostam and Sohrab in the Persian epic Shahnameh. In the next two books the legend develops to follow the plot of the story. Through the legend, the readers get two accounts of what happened in Farsala, what happens to the main characters and what people are told for generations to come.

Location

The Farsala trilogy is set in a fantasy world, although there is a town in southern Thessaly, in Greece, with same name.

The country in which the trilogy takes place is called Farsala, a land with diverse physical features, from swamps to deserts. Farsala is in-between the newly taken over country of Sendar to the West and the war torn country of Kadesh to the East, with the ocean covering all of its southern border and the desert, or badlands, covering its northern one. Farsala is ruled by the Gahn (or King) and the twelve deghan (noble) houses, each represented by an animal. [1]

Hrum, though not a location any of the action takes place in, is an important country to the plot of the story. The Hrum are the invaders who seek to conquer Farsala, and add more land to their empire. The Hrum seem to be loosely based on the Roman empire. [1]

Books

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Skywalker</span> Character in Star Wars

Luke Skywalker is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. He was introduced in the original film trilogy and also appears in the sequel trilogy. Raised as a farmer on the planet Tatooine, Luke joins the Rebel Alliance and becomes a pivotal figure in the struggle against the Galactic Empire. He trains as a Jedi under Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, and eventually confronts his father, the Sith Lord Darth Vader. Years later, Luke trains his nephew Ben Solo and mentors the scavenger Rey. Luke is the twin brother of Leia Organa. The character is portrayed by Mark Hamill in six films and two television series. Hamill won the Saturn Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Luke in The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi (1983) and The Last Jedi (2017). He was also nominated for the award for his performance in Star Wars (1977). In addition to films, Luke appears in animated series, novels, comics, and video games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obi-Wan Kenobi</span> Fictional character in the Star Wars franchise

Obi-Wan Kenobi is a character in the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. In the original film trilogy, he is a Jedi Master who trains Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Force. In the prequel trilogy, he mentors Luke's father, Anakin Skywalker. Obi-Wan is portrayed by Alec Guinness in the original trilogy and by Ewan McGregor in the prequel films. McGregor also plays the character in the television series Obi-Wan Kenobi. Guinness's performance in Star Wars (1977) earned him the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor, as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skywalker family</span> Fictional family in the Star Wars series

The Skywalker family is a fictional legendary human family in the Star Wars franchise. Within the series' fictional universe, the Skywalkers are presented as a bloodline with strong inherent capabilities related to the Force and sometimes lightsaber skills. Luke Skywalker, his twin sister Princess Leia Organa, and their father Darth Vader are central characters in the original Star Wars film trilogy. Darth Vader, in his previous identity as Anakin Skywalker, is a lead character in the prequel film trilogy and so is his wife and the twins' mother Padmé Amidala; while his mother Shmi is a minor character in the first and second films respectively. Leia and Han Solo's son, Ben Solo, renamed himself Kylo Ren and is the main antagonist in the sequel film trilogy, while they and Luke serve as supporting characters. Shmi, Padmé, and Han are the only members who are not Force-sensitive. The Skywalker bloodline, alongside the Palpatine bloodline, are the two bloodlines that are the strongest with the Force.

<i>The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend</i> 1993 fantasy novel by David Gemmell

The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend is a fantasy novel by British author David Gemmell, first published in 1993. The novel is a prequel to the popular title Legend. The novel details the early life and events of the character Druss, and is followed by The Legend of Deathwalker, which deals with later events in his life between this book and the events in Legend.

Hilari Bell is an American fantasy author. She is the author of several science-fiction and fantasy novels including the critically acclaimed Farsala Trilogy. Bell worked as a reference librarian, but quit in 2005 to write full-time. She lives with her mother, brother and sister-in-law in Denver, Colorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Dawes</span> The Dark Knight Trilogy character

Rachel Dawes is a fictional character who first appeared in Christopher Nolan's 2005 feature film Batman Begins. She was portrayed in that film by Katie Holmes, with Emma Lockhart as a younger version of the character in early scenes. Holmes also voiced the character in the video game adaptation. Maggie Gyllenhaal replaced Holmes in the 2008 sequel The Dark Knight after Holmes chose not to reprise the role. Gyllenhaal also appeared as Dawes on the viral marketing website I Believe in Harvey Dent, giving Harvey Dent her endorsement in the District Attorney election.

The Icemark Chronicles is a series of books consisting of The Cry of the Icemark, followed by Blade of Fire, and Last Battle of the Icemark and the prequel called Prince Of The Icemark. The books were written by Stuart Hill from Leicester. Fox 2000 Pictures optioned the film rights to the book. The film was set to be produced by Courtney Pledger and Sarah Radclyffe, but it is unknown if or when it will be released. The books are published by Chicken House.

<i>Rise of a Hero</i> 2005 novel by Hilari Bell

Rise of a Hero is the 2005 fantasy novel which comprises the second book in the Farsala Trilogy by Hilari Bell.

<i>María la del Barrio</i> Mexican telenovela

María la del Barrio is a Mexican telenovela produced by Angelli Nesma Medina for Televisa in 1995. The series is a remake of Los ricos también lloran. María la del Barrio is considered one of the world's most popular and successful shows ever, having been broadcast in over 180 countries. It is the last part of the Trilogía de las Marías.

<i>Fall of a Kingdom</i> 2003 novel by Hilari Bell

Fall of a Kingdom is the first novel in the Farsala Trilogy by American author Hilari Bell. It was previously published under the name Flame. The series it was in was also referred to as the "Book of Sorahb".

Grander Musashi, also known as Super Fisher Grander Musashi and Musashi the Great, is a Japanese manga series created by Takashi Teshirogi that was adapted into two anime seasons. It is a fishing sport anime that teaches audiences fishing methods. The target of this anime is usually families and children; it teaches them to appreciate nature and not destroy it. The main theme is protecting Mother Earth from being destroyed by technology and the greed of humans. It has influenced many audiences to fish for sport, as well as giving a good message to preserve nature. Grander Musashi is supported by the Fishing Club in Japan, and in the ending credits it shows a gallery of the bass fish they captured.

Kuvira, also known as The Great Uniter, is a fictional major character in the 2014 third and fourth seasons of the Nickelodeon animated television series The Legend of Korra, a sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. Introduced in a minor capacity in the third season of the series, she becomes the main antagonist of the fourth season, and a supporting protagonist of the 2019–2020 Ruins of the Empire comics. Kuvira was created with similar characteristics to the portrayal of protagonist Korra in prior seasons to highlight the changes she had made over the course of the series. Kuvira's character has been mostly met with positive reception. Critics note her motives as being understandable, while her actions are given political analogues.

<i>La Luna Sangre</i> Filipino TV series or program

La Luna Sangre is a 2017 Philippine horror-fantasy drama television series. Directed by Richard Arellano, Rory Quintos and Mae Cruz-Alviar, it stars Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla, Richard Gutierrez and Angel Locsin. It is the third and final installment of Lobo trilogy and the sequel to Imortal. The series premiered on ABS-CBN's Primetime Bida evening block and worldwide on The Filipino Channel on June 19, 2017 to March 2, 2018, replacing My Dear Heart, it was replaced by Bagani in its timeslot.

<i>Prithvi Vallabh – Itihaas Bhi Rahasya Bhi</i> Indian historical television series

Prithvi Vallabh - Itihaas Bhi, Rahasya Bhi is a 2018 Indian Hindi historical television series that aired on the weekends on Sony Entertainment Television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgar and Sabin</span> Final Fantasy VI characters

Edgar Roni Figaro and Sabin Rene Figaro are two characters in the 1994 video game Final Fantasy VI. They are main characters who become allied with characters like Terra Branford and Celes Chere while they battle the Gestahlian Empire and Kefka Palazzo. Edgar is the king of Figaro Castle while Sabin trains in the mountains, a deal they arrived at after Edgar rigged a coin flip in Sabin's favor so he would not have to be king. They are both later separated from the others after the end of the world, though they can be reacquired over the course of the second half of the game. They were created by Soraya Saga, who was responsible for their backstory and dialogue.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Bell, Hilari. The Farsala Trilogy. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc. 2003 to 2006. Print.