Medalon

Demon Child, Book 1

By: Jennifer Fallon

Narrated by: Imogen Church

The small country of Medalon lies between the vast nation of Karien in the north and the nations of Fardohnya and Hythria in the south. For centuries the Medalonians co-existed peacefully with the Harshini, a magical race that abhors killing. But now they are gone and in their place the Sisters of the Blade rule Medalon from the Citadel. An elite army of Defenders enforces the Sisterhood's oppressive rule. The Harshini and their demons are believed to be extinct and Medalon has an uneasy peace with its northern and southern neighbours.

R'shiel Tenragan, daughter of the First Sister, and her half-brother Tarja find themselves caught up in the political infighting amongst the Sisters of the Blade. When their mother's scheming becomes too much to bear, R'shiel and Tarja are determined to follow their own path and they flee the Citadel. Their lives take a turn neither could ever have imagined and the Defenders of Medalon hunt them as traitors. Meanwhile, far south in Hythria, Brak, a Harshini outcast, is called to find the demon child, the half-human child of the dead Harshini King, Lorandranek. But what can this mean to R'shiel...?

©2000 Jennifer Fallon (P)2014 Audible Studios

Critic reviews

"Sparkling high fantasy debut… satisfying melodrama, stocked with well-developed characters with clear motivations that carry them through a series of byzantine plots and counterplots, a mini-rebellion and even face-to-face contact with a variety of gods." (Publishers Weekly)
"Fallon brings a fair quota of wit and a healthy dose of realism... engaging." (Kirkus)
"This is a good, solid start to what will no doubt be an epic series. Fallon's writing is strong... Epic fantasy readers will no doubt want to follow this story." (RT Book Reviews)
"Characterizations ... are well realized, and the suspense is palpable throughout." (Booklist)
"Medalon is an intriguing, intelligent and fun read with a refreshing take on female characters so often not seen in the genre." (Elizabeth Haydon)
"… fantasy fans will take to Jennifer Fallon like ducks to water. Her straightforward adventure storytelling stands to build her quite a following..." (SF Reviews)
"… a queen of the fantasy genre... Medalon is a deep draught from the well of classic High Fantasy -- and there are many readers out there waiting for their thirst to be quenched. I predict that Fallon will be a household name very soon, and not just Down Under." (SF Site)
"A gripping tale of warring ambitions, politics, and real people. The characters (and even the gods!) spring to vivid, believable life, making Medalon a great read. More, please!" (Ed Greenwood)
"[Fallon] has a sweet way with language that draws you in and compels you to read, but it was the whole political set up that intrigued me the most. She paints a very complex system with ease, so that it all comes across simply and clearly. All in all I was impressed with this first novel from a new author and I eagerly await book two." (Altair)

Awesome storytelling & original!

Would you consider the audio edition of Medalon to be better than the print version?

I haven't seen the print version.However, this reader adds to the feel of the story and manages many voices that are extremely credible.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Tarja. (The main male character.)I like that he is fair, honourable, and prepared to stand up for what he believes in. Many people talk of the latter, but few in life actually stand by their beliefs. Even when Tarja finds his love is Harshini and not human, it doesn't change how he feels about her.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favourite scene is when Tarja sees the trees cover the bodies of the defenders following them, resulting from Braks call for help from the god of living things. Tarja doesn't become a believer in the gods, but he does start to accept what he thought impossible. A great scene!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not at first. But after the first half an hour I struggled to find enough jobs to do so that I could keep listening. It took me three days. I kept my sessions as treats, but in the end I couldn't focus on what I was doing and had to finish the story.

Any additional comments?

I love that we were given the first chapter of the next story at the end of this audio book. I won't be happy until I have heard or read all of these stories.

Realistic and well-read

I'm halfway through book two and wanted to leave a review after seeing some people calling the characters shallow and unlikable.

The characters in this series are realistic and, while sometimes terrible, they grow overtime. The villains and the heroes have flaws, not just the villains. In the tradition of good hero stories, Fallon has her heroes growing and changing as they encounter adversity and hardship. Some are not necessarily likable in the beginning, but they're well-written and full of depth. They make mistakes, they sometimes say or do terrible things, and they learn to be better people. If GOT dissatisfies you, you should try this series instead.

As for the narrator, I love that she /acts/ instead of just monotonous reading. Imogen Church is fast becoming a favorite. If you enjoy her in this series, I'd definitely recommend listening to The Nine Realms next.

Fantasy, politics and religion

What about Imogen Church’s performance did you like?

I am going to search for more books read by this great performer. Great accents , easy to follow which character is speaking.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Listened to all three books in the series in about 4 days. Couldn't stop listening.

Any additional comments?

I love Jennifer Fallon's blend of politics, and religion placed in a fantasy setting. When the heroes save the day everything doesn't just end happily ever after. The social and political ramifications of the events are played out in a realistic way against the backdrop of fantasy. The characters have to survive on their wits even though they may wield magic.

A great beginning to a new trilogy

I really liked this series all in all. I'm a Jennifer Fallon fan now. Book 1 and 3 are the best. At times I thought it reminded me of several high fantasy books (insert best sellers here) , almost to the point of plagerism, but it did have some definitely original ideas and a well thought out magic system. Sometimes the heroine is just a little too stupid and you want to tell her not to do something, but she does; however it didn't make me want to stop listening. The narration was excellent. I hope to listen to listen to her naration again some day

Fallon is Great!!

I have read Jennifer Fallon's book for many years now and was glad to see Audible start getting them in Audio. The Demon Child "Medalon" is well written and created to intertwine ones own imagination while the story is being read. With that said Imogen Church did a good job with the emotions and characters of the story. I will not give any spoilers. The only reason I am writing this review is to let others know that they will not go wrong down loading this book and the ones that follow. The Demon Child trilogy is a great read as well as a great Listen..

Starts solid and goes wrong at every turn

The novel starts solidly with seemingly sympathetic protagonists we can root for an antagonist that is easy to hate. After the initial set up, everything goes wrong, both for the suddenly hapless, bumbling, and aloof protagonists, but for the reader as well.

Slight spoilers below:

We learn the country the protagonists want to save is engaged in systematic oppression if not genocide which these two characters must effectively be forced into fighting though neither of them really care.

These same two characters have an odd brother/sister/romantic relationship due to believable circumstances but they do not struggle with the sudden change in status in any interesting way. Half the time they seem to forget they are falling in love.

The protagonists stumble from being captured, to failing to escape, to being captured, to failing to escape, to being captured. Capture me once, shame on you. Capture me again and again and again....

The gods seemingly have massive powers, are not supposed to intervene in human affairs, but intervene on behalf of the two main characters throughout.

The fun and conniving antagonists goes from calm, cruel, and collected to screaming banshee because of childlike insults. "I took over the country with decades long planning and have all the power."
"At least I am not a witch with a b."
"Kill everyone arghhhh!!"

Even the rebels lose sympathy by the end of the book.

In the end we are asked to root for the saving of a country like North Korea from invasion by a country similar to Iran by two unlikable, bratty characters who seem as indifferent to the events around them as I was by the end.