Holder of Lightning - The Cloudmages 1 - S.L. Farrell Book Review

Enter a review
of your own!

Other books by
author S.L. Farrell

"Holder of Lightning - The Cloudmages 1"
Message Board

Review Summaries

"In this book, Jenna Aoire, the main character, is forced to face the harsh reality of life in ancient Ireland. She finds an ordinary stone that turns out to be the most powerfull magic stone on earth. Everyone wants it, and will kill to get it. She loses her lover to the bad guy, and strikes down with great vengeance upon anyone who dares to cross her. She struggles to keep going, although everyone she has ever loved was either killed, or turned against her.

Crested sapwood supportable noradrenaline runout. "
Jennifer Walker, Resident S.L. Farrell Scholar

" Dew, Jan 2003, 23.95, 576 pp. ISBN 0756401305 Centuries have passed since the mage-lights disappeared taking all of the realm's magic with it. Seventeen-year old Jenna Aoire, a crofter's daughter living in Ballintubber, tends sheep on Knobtop Hill when the mage-lights suddenly reappear. She picks up a brightly colored shining stone not realizing that she has found Lamh Shabhala, the master stone that will reawaken the other dormant stones once it is charged up with power. Noble Tiarna Mac Ard, pledged to the high king Ri Gabair, comes to take Jenna and her mother to court so they will be protected from anyone who wants to steal Lamh Shabhala. When she gets to court she learns that everyone wants to either use her for their own end or try to take the stone from her. Every time she harnesses the power of the mage-lights it takes a painful toll on her physically but when all the other stones of power are charged up, Jenna's troubles begin. Magic walks the land and people will attempt to abuse Jenna, controller of the most powerful artifact of all, as a weapon if she fails to apply her magic for the greater good. HOLDER OF LIGHTENING, an epic fantasy novel, is based on ancient Celtic tradition and legend yet is set in a realm that is subtly different. The heroine goes from a na�ve peasant fearing the responsibility that she has been given into a ruler in her own right, not afraid to take charge of her own destiny and that of others. Now that magic is let loose in the land, it will be interesting to see, in future installments, how mankind deals with it. Harriet Klausner

Crested sapwood supportable noradrenaline runout. "
Harriet Klausner, Resident S.L. Farrell Scholar

Click above for the new Obama Girl Parody video!

Overall Review

Our unique search engine breaks down books and movies into dozens of literary elements, all of which are searchable.

Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10%

Tone of book - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy world/fantasy past
Coming of age Yes
Youngster becomes - a powerful magician
Mental/magical powers focus Yes
magical powers: - good magical powers being hunted by non/weaker magical(s) (fantasy)
Inner Struggle Yes
Plotlet: - coping with mental/magical powers
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Female
Profession/status: - homemaker - mage/magician
Age: - a teen
Has magical/special powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character: - can change shapes - fire/lightning/weather cntrl - clairvoyant - teleportation
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - very athletic - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - Prince/Nobleman/King
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Setting
Terrain - Water - Mountains - Forests
Earth setting: - during "Tolkien" (fairytime) times
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment - explicit references to deaths
scientific jargon? (SF only) - none/very little science jargon needed
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - descript of kissing - impregnation/reproduction
How much dialogue? - significantly more dialog than descript - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog

Most similar books by Gordonator ranking
A College of Magics by Caroline Stevermer
Fortress In The Eye Of Time by C.J. Cherryh
The Outstretched Shadow by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory
Alosha by Christopher Pike
Darknesses by L.E. Modesitt Jr.

Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).

Try our new Star Wars & Star Trek puzzle pictures! Click here

Advertise with us
Feedback
Star Wars Revenge of the Sith plot spoilers
Hobbits
The politics game
The lawyer game

3 Book search options!
1) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
2) Detailed book search
(click here) or

3) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot below!

Animal Story

Clones

Coming of age

Cultural problems, alien culture

Explore/1st contact/ enviro story

Family relations

GIANT monster(s)

Horror story?

Inner Struggle

Lifeform altered?

Mental/magical powers focus

Parody

Political power play

Religious overtones?

Repressive society story

Robots, Computers, VR

Romance

Spying & Investigations

Tech./$$$/Info hunt

Time Travel story?

Training/Apprent.

War or Invasion

Games:
Trivia Masters!

Rescue your favorite
scifi characters from
slavery!

Talk to your favorite
scifi characters!

Eating New Yorkers
Computer Game

Pomeranians

Most recent TV & Movie discussions:

Clash of the Titans: Clash of the Titans 9/7/2008 3:53:28 AM

Blade Runner: Blade Runner 9/6/2008 12:13:28 PM

Star Trek Enterprise: T'Pol shows her nude butt on Enterprise! 9/2/2008 3:20:24 AM

Star Trek Enterprise: Jolene Blalock on T'Pol and Star Trek Enterprise 9/2/2008 3:12:39 AM

Star Trek Enterprise: Is T'Pol supposed to be a Vulcan lesbian? 9/2/2008 3:02:45 AM

A Boy and His Dog: A Boy and His Dog 8/31/2008 1:47:59 AM

Charmed: How can Phoebe Halliwell get an abortion? 8/29/2008 10:02:34 PM

Alien Hunter : Alien Hunter 8/28/2008 1:25:23 PM

Charmed: What's wrong with Rose McGowan's chin? 8/26/2008 8:21:36 AM

Charmed: What kind of name is Piper for a girl? 8/20/2008 5:34:24 PM

Newest slaves:
Princess Leia 4:40:05 PM
Queen Amidala/Padme (Natalie Portman) 4:28:15 PM
Lady Di 4:00:55 PM
Stormtrooper 3:56:09 PM
Clone Trooper 3:55:48 PM
Jango Fett 3:55:18 PM
Emperors Handmaidens 3:43:45 PM
R2-D2 3:43:18 PM
Count Dooku 3:40:49 PM
Lao Mama Jr. 3:40:30 PM
All slaves
(click here)

Celebrity interviews:
President George W. Bush 6:32:00 PM
Jan-Michael Vincent 2:16:51 PM
Captain Kathryn Janeway 3:47:46 PM
Jack ONeill (Richard Dean Anderson) 1:39:22 PM
Jennifer Aniston (Friends) 5:01:07 PM
All celebrities
(click here)