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The Tale of the Five #3.2
The Landlady
In this 75,000-word novel set in the main character through-line of the Door Into... series, sorceress and swordswoman Segnbora tai-Enraesi -- last scion of one of the Forty Noble Houses of Darthen and hero of the great War against the Shadow -- is forced to come to grips with the one part of her life she's successfully avoided for more than a decade: her day job.
Segnbora's been preoccupied with the demands of motherhood and the continuing business of supporting her husbands King Freelorn of Arlen and Herewiss Hearn's son in consolidating Freelorn's hold on the Arlene throne. But now her liege-lady and lover Eftgan of Darthen calls on Segnbora to take up her rightful role as Head of House tai-Enraesi and begin restoring her diminished Household to its proper position among the Forty.
Reviving the fortunes of a House sunk into decline over two lifetimes will be difficult work, Segnbora knows. But she doesn't suspect how difficult until, while visiting her lands in Darthen's rural north, she discovers that one Holding of House tai-Enraesi conceals a danger unexpected enough to challenge even a companion of Dragons and a wielder of the blue Fire of Power...
The Landlady is the second of five novelettes and short novels being published during 2018-2019, spanning the years between Book 3 of the Tale of the Five, The Door Into Sunset, and the forthcoming The Door Into Starlight.
Segnbora's been preoccupied with the demands of motherhood and the continuing business of supporting her husbands King Freelorn of Arlen and Herewiss Hearn's son in consolidating Freelorn's hold on the Arlene throne. But now her liege-lady and lover Eftgan of Darthen calls on Segnbora to take up her rightful role as Head of House tai-Enraesi and begin restoring her diminished Household to its proper position among the Forty.
Reviving the fortunes of a House sunk into decline over two lifetimes will be difficult work, Segnbora knows. But she doesn't suspect how difficult until, while visiting her lands in Darthen's rural north, she discovers that one Holding of House tai-Enraesi conceals a danger unexpected enough to challenge even a companion of Dragons and a wielder of the blue Fire of Power...
The Landlady is the second of five novelettes and short novels being published during 2018-2019, spanning the years between Book 3 of the Tale of the Five, The Door Into Sunset, and the forthcoming The Door Into Starlight.
ebook
Published May 1, 2019
About the author
Diane Duane
170 books2,423 followersDiane Duane has been a writer of science fiction, fantasy, TV and film for more than forty years.
Besides the 1980's creation of the Young Wizards fantasy series for which she's best known, the "Middle Kingdoms" epic fantasy series, and numerous stand-alone fantasy or science fiction novels, her career has included extensive work in the Star Trek TM universe, and many scripts for live-action and animated TV series on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as work in comics and computer games. She has spent a fair amount of time on the New York Times Bestseller List, and has picked up various awards and award nominations here and there.
She lives in County Wicklow, in Ireland, with her husband of more than thirty years, the screenwriter and novelist Peter Morwood.
Her favorite color is blue, her favorite food is a weird kind of Swiss scrambled-potato dish called maluns, she was born in a Year of the Dragon, and her sign is "Runway 24 Left, Hold For Clearance."
(From her official website)
Besides the 1980's creation of the Young Wizards fantasy series for which she's best known, the "Middle Kingdoms" epic fantasy series, and numerous stand-alone fantasy or science fiction novels, her career has included extensive work in the Star Trek TM universe, and many scripts for live-action and animated TV series on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as work in comics and computer games. She has spent a fair amount of time on the New York Times Bestseller List, and has picked up various awards and award nominations here and there.
She lives in County Wicklow, in Ireland, with her husband of more than thirty years, the screenwriter and novelist Peter Morwood.
Her favorite color is blue, her favorite food is a weird kind of Swiss scrambled-potato dish called maluns, she was born in a Year of the Dragon, and her sign is "Runway 24 Left, Hold For Clearance."
(From her official website)
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 10, 2019
Segnbora tai-Enraesi has spent the last few years fighting a war against the Shadow, helping her husbands King Freelorn and Hereiss Hearn's son, consolidate power in Arlen, and learning to a sorceress and, at least partly, dragon.
Now her wife and liege-lady, Eftgan, Queen of Darthen, has set her a new responsibility, or at least, told her it's time to get on with the responsibility she's been dodging for a decade: taking up the duties of the Head of House tai-Enraesi, one of the Forty Noble Houses of Darthen. It's one of the smallest and least significant, because of mismanagement by her father and grandfather. It needs to be brought back, and that means Segnbora has to start actively doing the work of the Head of House.
When she sets out on her rounds, visiting each of her house holders in turn, she discovers that things are worse than she knew. It's too bad you can't retroactively trade in parents and grandparents for more decent models.
Segnbora has even more repair work to do on the House and its reputation among the tenants than she realized. At one holding in particular, though, she discovers both an unexpected threat, and something strangely hopeful.
We get to see not just more of Segnbora and House tai-Enraesi, but also more of the world, and how the Five and their family interact when not under major crisis. It's very enjoyable, very satisfying.
Recommended.
I bought this book.
Now her wife and liege-lady, Eftgan, Queen of Darthen, has set her a new responsibility, or at least, told her it's time to get on with the responsibility she's been dodging for a decade: taking up the duties of the Head of House tai-Enraesi, one of the Forty Noble Houses of Darthen. It's one of the smallest and least significant, because of mismanagement by her father and grandfather. It needs to be brought back, and that means Segnbora has to start actively doing the work of the Head of House.
When she sets out on her rounds, visiting each of her house holders in turn, she discovers that things are worse than she knew. It's too bad you can't retroactively trade in parents and grandparents for more decent models.
Segnbora has even more repair work to do on the House and its reputation among the tenants than she realized. At one holding in particular, though, she discovers both an unexpected threat, and something strangely hopeful.
We get to see not just more of Segnbora and House tai-Enraesi, but also more of the world, and how the Five and their family interact when not under major crisis. It's very enjoyable, very satisfying.
Recommended.
I bought this book.
May 25, 2019
The second installment of the Tales of the Five gets into the business of how to run a country once you've saved it from destruction, told on a small scale by Segnbora taking control of the affairs of House tai-Enrasai visiting one holding at a time to get their issues ironed out. While this might sound dry, it's actually REALLY fascinating, and reading the descriptions of the holding she spends the majority of the story in filled me with a weird sense of yearning for something that just doesn't exist in the world I exist in.
I was not expecting a full novel about Segnbora, but if I'd known to expect it, I still might not have expected just how damn good and satisfying it was going to be.
This is really a phenomenal story and I'm super, super excited to see where Diane goes with the remaining Tales of the Five.
I was not expecting a full novel about Segnbora, but if I'd known to expect it, I still might not have expected just how damn good and satisfying it was going to be.
This is really a phenomenal story and I'm super, super excited to see where Diane goes with the remaining Tales of the Five.
November 2, 2021
Set in the world of her Door Into series (aka Tales of the Five), a short story about Segnbora reluctantly facing up to her family duties; an exploration of the feudal system, with heavy emphasis on what the landowners owe to their tenants. Other than the longish frame, it's about Berend out in farmland, dealing with family secrets and danger, but also seeing domestic life, and the continued changes from the previous stories. It did not end in a way that I was expecting, which I always enjoy. I think it needed more dragons, however.
November 22, 2023
Segnbora gets a good break for once! I appreciated that, at least. But I ended up skimming a lot of this already short story, since it repeats itself in a tedious sort of way. You really can’t miss the point of the book; it won’t let you. It also really pushed my patience with the sex jokes. Overall, it’s just… fine.
November 21, 2023
Sweet little novella.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews