PDF Ebook The First Betrayal (The Chronicles of Josan, Book 1), by Patricia Bray
Postures currently this The First Betrayal (The Chronicles Of Josan, Book 1), By Patricia Bray as one of your book collection! However, it is not in your bookcase collections. Why? This is the book The First Betrayal (The Chronicles Of Josan, Book 1), By Patricia Bray that is offered in soft documents. You can download the soft documents of this amazing book The First Betrayal (The Chronicles Of Josan, Book 1), By Patricia Bray now and also in the web link provided. Yeah, various with the other people which seek book The First Betrayal (The Chronicles Of Josan, Book 1), By Patricia Bray outside, you could get simpler to posture this book. When some people still walk into the establishment and also browse the book The First Betrayal (The Chronicles Of Josan, Book 1), By Patricia Bray, you are right here only stay on your seat and also obtain the book The First Betrayal (The Chronicles Of Josan, Book 1), By Patricia Bray.
The First Betrayal (The Chronicles of Josan, Book 1), by Patricia Bray
PDF Ebook The First Betrayal (The Chronicles of Josan, Book 1), by Patricia Bray
The First Betrayal (The Chronicles Of Josan, Book 1), By Patricia Bray. In undergoing this life, many people always aim to do and obtain the finest. New knowledge, experience, driving lesson, and also every little thing that can boost the life will be done. Nevertheless, lots of people in some cases really feel confused to obtain those points. Really feeling the minimal of encounter and sources to be better is among the does not have to own. Nonetheless, there is a very straightforward thing that can be done. This is what your educator constantly manoeuvres you to do this. Yeah, reading is the solution. Checking out a publication as this The First Betrayal (The Chronicles Of Josan, Book 1), By Patricia Bray and also various other references could enrich your life high quality. Just how can it be?
When some individuals considering you while reviewing The First Betrayal (The Chronicles Of Josan, Book 1), By Patricia Bray, you may feel so pleased. Yet, instead of other individuals feels you have to instil in on your own that you are reading The First Betrayal (The Chronicles Of Josan, Book 1), By Patricia Bray not because of that reasons. Reading this The First Betrayal (The Chronicles Of Josan, Book 1), By Patricia Bray will offer you greater than individuals admire. It will overview of recognize more than the people staring at you. Even now, there are lots of resources to understanding, reading a book The First Betrayal (The Chronicles Of Josan, Book 1), By Patricia Bray still comes to be the first choice as a wonderful way.
Why need to be reading The First Betrayal (The Chronicles Of Josan, Book 1), By Patricia Bray Once more, it will rely on how you feel as well as think about it. It is surely that people of the perk to take when reading this The First Betrayal (The Chronicles Of Josan, Book 1), By Patricia Bray; you could take a lot more lessons straight. Even you have actually not undertaken it in your life; you can obtain the encounter by reviewing The First Betrayal (The Chronicles Of Josan, Book 1), By Patricia Bray And also now, we will certainly present you with the on-line publication The First Betrayal (The Chronicles Of Josan, Book 1), By Patricia Bray in this site.
What kind of book The First Betrayal (The Chronicles Of Josan, Book 1), By Patricia Bray you will choose to? Now, you will not take the published publication. It is your time to get soft data publication The First Betrayal (The Chronicles Of Josan, Book 1), By Patricia Bray rather the published files. You can enjoy this soft data The First Betrayal (The Chronicles Of Josan, Book 1), By Patricia Bray in at any time you expect. Also it remains in expected location as the various other do, you could review guide The First Betrayal (The Chronicles Of Josan, Book 1), By Patricia Bray in your device. Or if you desire more, you could keep reading your computer system or laptop to get full display leading. Juts discover it right here by downloading and install the soft file The First Betrayal (The Chronicles Of Josan, Book 1), By Patricia Bray in web link page.
Sometimes the magic inside us isn't meant to be discovered....
Orphan, exile, priest, Josan has been posted to a lighthouse on the farthest edge of the kingdom. As a member of the collegium, he once dreamed of making a real contribution to the Learned Brethren, but those dreams died after a mysterious fever shattered him, body and mind. At least that’s the story he’s been told to explain a past he can’t remember. But that past has returned…with a vengeance.
When Lady Ysobel Flordelis is shipwrecked on Josan’s island, this sets in motion an explosive destiny. The Seddonian trade liaison is traveling to Ikaria on official business, but her secret purpose is to revive the revolution brutally crushed years before. Neither Ysobel nor Josan can foresee the significance of their brief meeting. But as Ysobel navigates the elaborate court intrigues in Ikaria, Josan will be forced to leave his island exile and embark on a treacherous journey to unlock the secrets that bind his past–an act that could lead him to glory...or doom.
- Sales Rank: #2252509 in Books
- Brand: Bray, Patricia
- Published on: 2006-05-30
- Released on: 2006-05-30
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 6.84" h x .99" w x 4.28" l, .38 pounds
- Binding: Mass Market Paperback
- 342 pages
About the Author
Particia Bray inherited her love of books from her parents, both of whom were fine storytellers in the Irish tradition. She has always enjoyed spinning tales, and turned to writing as a chance to share her stories with a wider audience. Patricia holds a master's degree in Information Technology, and combines her writing witha a full-time career as an I/T Project Manager.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter One
The lantern flickered as a gust of wind blew through the lighthouse tower. Then the flame died, plunging Josan into darkness. His right hand searched the floor beside him till he found the sparker, then he groped for the base of the lantern with his left. Using the edge of his cloak to protect his hand from the heated glass, he removed the chimney. His hand trembled so much that it took three tries before he was able to relight the wick. Finally, it caught, and with a sigh of relief he carefully replaced the glass. The soft light illuminated the small platform for a few brief moments before succumbing to another draft. This time, Josan did not bother to relight it.
He told himself that he did not need to see, but could not repress the shiver of unease as the darkness engulfed him. Before tonight this had always been a place of light, the large windows letting in the daylight, and at dusk the three great lamps would be lit, powerful beacons that filled the platform with their radiance as they guided ships far out at sea. But tonight the signal lamps were dark, for not even the most sheltered flame was proof against the howling wind. Now darkness had consumed the light, just as the sea outside threatened to devour the tower.
In the dark, every sound was magnified as the rain lashed against the wooden shutters, and the merciless wind sought the cracks in his defenses. Strange drafts swirled inside the tower and he drew his knees to his chest, pulling his coarse woolen cloak more tightly around him. The wind outside intensified, howling until he could scarcely hear himself think. From far beneath him, he heard a crash. Startled, he began to stand, then common sense reasserted itself and he resumed his seat. There was nothing he could do until the storm passed. Instead he listened intently, and underneath the sound of the wind and rain he heard the relentless crashing of the waves. It sounded as if they were breaking all around him, and he knew the lighthouse was being swallowed by the angry ocean.
He wondered if the ocean would eventually release its prize, or if the stone tower would crumble beneath the fury of the storm. He tried to view his situation dispassionately, the question of his survival as a mere intellectual exercise, but none of the tricks he had learned in his years of study could dispel his fear. He could almost taste the terror as it rose up and threatened to overwhelm him, just as the sea threatened to overtake the tower.
It would be easier if he could pray. If he were one of the fishing folk, with their simple faith in the gods of the sea and storms. Gods that could be placated by offerings and rituals. Gods that were petty enough to care if a single man lived or died.
Josan's faith allowed him no such comfort. He served the true gods: Zakar, the giver of life, and his brother Ata, the giver of knowledge. The twin gods concerned themselves with the affairs of the heavens. They were far too lofty to care about the fate of a simple monk.
He recalled the face of Brother Thanatos as he lectured his young pupils. "Remember, we serve the gods. The gods do not serve us." It was the first lesson he had learned from the monks, and the most important one.
The true gods were the masters of all knowledge, and the Learned Brethren of the collegium served their gods through scholarship and the accumulation of wisdom. Before his exile Josan had served them well, but he knew better than to expect that this had earned him any favors. The gods were indifferent to Josan's peril, as indeed they were indifferent to the fate of all men.
Instead, Josan must put his trust in the skills of those who had built the tower. Two hundred years ago, Prince Txomin's ship had run aground on a nearby sandbar, then broken apart under the relentless pounding of the waves. Forced to swim for his life, the prince had promised his gods he would build them a great monument if he survived.
The lighthouse had been built near the spot where Txomin was said to have come ashore. Nearly a hundred feet high, it was made of massive granite stone blocks quarried far in the south. Wide enough at the base to contain a small storeroom, it tapered as it rose until you reached the platform at the top, which was barely twenty feet across. Starting at the base of the round tower, a steep staircase wound three times around until it reached the first course, which consisted of a half-circle wooden stage and the lowest rung of the iron ladder. As you climbed there were two more courses, each progressively smaller, which were used for storage and as a place to rest for those wearied by the climb. Finally, at the top of the ladder a trapdoor led up to the platform, with its three great lamps. Pulleys at the top allowed a man to hoist heavy or bulky objects up the long shaft, though Josan had seldom found a need for this.
The repetition of threes was a sign that the builders had been followers of the old Ikarian religion, with its belief in the mystical powers of that number. Josan, of course, knew that the only number with true mystical significance was the number five.
Still, despite their quaint beliefs, the builders had constructed a solid structure that had endured for centuries. In some ways the tower was a relic of past glories, when such an extravagant undertaking could be commissioned on behalf of one who was merely sixth in line for the throne.
In the beginning, the priests of the old religion had served as lighthouse keepers, then when Emperor Aitor had assumed his throne, the old religion had fallen out of favor and the Learned Brethren had taken over the task, in return for imperial consideration. Chanted prayers had given way to meticulously recorded observations of the weather and the tides.
Before he had come to this place, Josan had paid no heed to the weather. And why should he? Most of his life had been spent indoors, studying in the great library or visiting with scholars when he had journeyed to Seddon and Xandropol. But since his transformation from scholar to lighthouse keeper, he had developed an uncanny sense for the weather.
He had known this storm was coming since yesterday, when the dawn had revealed long waves breaking on the shore against the direction of the wind. The very air had felt strange against his skin, and he had known that the clear sunshine was a false prophet, giving no sign of what was to come.
Josan spent that morning making his preparations, moving what supplies he could from the storeroom to one of the three courses that bisected the tower, filling every inch of available space. His duty done, he'd then made the long trek to warn the villagers who lived on the island during the summer and autumn. But with the skies still clear, they'd eyed him askance. It seemed incredible that these folk, who had lived here all their lives, could not see the danger signs. They had been polite but skeptical, trusting in their own instincts and the bright sun that shone above.
At last, he'd reminded them that he was a servant of the twin gods. When asked if the gods had sent him this warning he had not agreed, but neither had he denied it. He had salved his conscience with the thought that in a way the gods were responsible for his knowledge, for they had given him the wits to study the weather and read the messages of the wind and tides.
By the time he'd returned to his lighthouse, clouds had covered the sky. The tide that night had been unusually high, and when the dawn came, so too came the first drops of rain. The storm had grown during the day until the skies were so dark that he could not tell when the sun had set. The winds raged so fiercely that there was no point in trying to light the great lanterns. He could only hope that there were no ships caught in the storm.
He wondered how the villagers were faring. Had they heeded his warning and moved to higher ground? They, at least, could flee the storm, leaving nothing behind but their fishing shacks.
Josan had chosen to remain in the lighthouse, despite its proximity to the sea. But what had seemed an admirable devotion to duty was now proven sheer folly as the waves broke around the tower and he swore that he could feel the massive stones trembling under the onslaught.
He realized that he would die here, a victim not of the storm but of his own miscalculation in thinking that the massive tower would be proof against the forces of wind and water. Anger mixed with fear, as the irony of his situation sank in. His life had been spared once, when against all odds he had survived a disease that was nearly always fatal. He had been given a second chance, and now even that would be taken from him.
With morbid fascination, he wondered if he would be crushed to death by the stones as the tower fell, or if he would be swept out to sea and drowned. It was a puzzle that required far more knowledge of engineering than Josan possessed; nonetheless, he began calculating the odds of each event, as if this were an exercise given to him by his tutors.
As minutes turned to hours, he came to the conclusion that it was most likely he would be injured when the tower fell--perhaps even trapped under debris--and only then would he drown, unable to free himself.
Having reached this conclusion, he settled himself to wait until events would prove or disprove his hypothesis. But as he listened, he realized that the wind had changed direction, and had become merely loud rather than deafening. Gradually the wind calmed, and only the occasional wave broke around the tower. He could still hear the rain, but it fell more softly, as if this was an ordinary storm. This time when he relit the lantern, it stayed lit. Cautiously he made his way to the edge of the platform and peered down the shaft, but it was too dark to see what lay beneath him.
He was forced to wait until the rays of the sun crept through the broken shutters on the eastern face of the platform. Rising to his feet, he pushed aside the damaged boards and looked outside...
Most helpful customer reviews
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful.
A true diamond in the rough - Glad I found it
By Andy Gray
The First Betrayal by Patricia Bray is the first book in the Josan Chronicles. The second book called The Sea Change is scheduled to be released in July, 2007. I stumbled upon this gem while looking through Amazon recommendations, and I must say I am quite pleased I took the risk of getting this sight unseen.
There are some things that need to be discussed prior to the actual review. Yes, this is a fantasy book. However, it is not a traditional fantasy novel in the terms of what people expect to see in a fantasy book. Meaning, if you are looking for a book that has wizards hurling fireballs, a vast assortment of monsters rampaging the countryside, and large scale battles with gallant knights - this book may not for you. You will find none of that within these pages.
The plot of this book has a couple different layers to it, which are all written very well. The first plot like follows the monk Josan as he is the lighthouse keeper of a distant peninsula to keep ships from crashing against the sandbars. As the story unfolds we find the reason Josan is there, or shall I say the reason Josan believes he is there. A certain sequence of events takes place that turns Josan's world on its head causing him to make some decisions that have larger consequences. The second plot is one of political intrigue and a group of people trying to give rise to a rebellion and coup of the current queen of Karystos. Throughout the book we learn that there was a similar rebellion attempt six year previous and the ramification of that failed rebellion still linger today. Both plot come to an unexpected conclusion.
The main character of this book is the monk Josan. There is also a myriad of other characters that all play important roles within this book. While the plot of this book is solid and well written, it is the characters that steal the show by far. If you enjoy books where character development is not only present, but one of the driving forces then you may enjoy this book. The character development of Josan is second to none. Ms. Bray does a fantastic job of building Josan from the ground up so that the reader not only understands him, but also begins to care about him as well. Another favorite character of mine is Lady Ysobel Flordelis and the role she plays in this novel. She also develops quite a bit as a character - but I won't delve into spoilers so I can't say much more. All of the characters in this book are well written and I felt I had a decent understanding of each and every one of them, which based on the number of pages in this book (342) says a great deal about the quality of Ms. Bray's writing.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a fresh take on the fantasy genre. This book proves you don't need fantastic battle, hoards of monsters, and wizard duels to be a good book. The political intrigue was written very well, the characters are some of the best I have ever read. This is an engaging book that will help the hours fly by. I have read a lot of fantasy book over the course of time, and I have no qualms saying that this will most likely be on my list of top five books I read in 2007. It's that good. I can't wait until the next one comes out.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
I'm not quite sure on this one...
By Becky Lee
I finished this book, so there's an extra star for that, but I'm not quite sure if I'll pick up the sequel. I like the author's writing, but I'm just not sold on this story. In the beginning of the book there was definitely enough to intrigue me - evident in the fact that I stuck with it to the end - but once the climax hit I was pretty much done with it. I don't know who to like here. I connected with two of the prominent characters, but then everything shifts quite abruptly and my ties to them were lost. I will admit that I am curious to see how this "Chronicles of 'Josan'" will play out, but my indifference to the story line is winning out. Maybe I'll check out the sequel at the library. But until then I'll be filling my time with other stories.
7 of 12 people found the following review helpful.
Beware of 'Objectionable' Content
By Amazon Customer
Overall, Bray's trilogy develops slowly with decent characterization and action sequences. However, for me, by the time I reached the torture scene that included graphic homosexual rape, I knew this was no kind of 'fantasy' I was interested in exposing myself to.
I am of a mind that authors can write what they want to and publishers can publish what they want to. I am also of a mind that readers can read what they want to. The content of this book became so repulsive to me, that it took away any desire for me to read these books.
Some have written well of the books, and so perspective buyers should consider their opinions. If the kind of content mentioned above offends you, though, I recommend you pass these books by.
The First Betrayal (The Chronicles of Josan, Book 1), by Patricia Bray PDF
The First Betrayal (The Chronicles of Josan, Book 1), by Patricia Bray EPub
The First Betrayal (The Chronicles of Josan, Book 1), by Patricia Bray Doc
The First Betrayal (The Chronicles of Josan, Book 1), by Patricia Bray iBooks
The First Betrayal (The Chronicles of Josan, Book 1), by Patricia Bray rtf
The First Betrayal (The Chronicles of Josan, Book 1), by Patricia Bray Mobipocket
The First Betrayal (The Chronicles of Josan, Book 1), by Patricia Bray Kindle
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar