Song of the Lioness Series Overview

Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce

Contains spoilers for: Alanna: The First Adventure, In the Hand of the Goddess, The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, and Lioness Rampant, possibly other Tortall books previous and later in the chronology

Boy, does Song of the Lioness not want to stick around in my brain. I mentioned in my Lioness Rampant review that I had read that book at least three times and I am basically rediscovering it each time. I find that's largely true of the rest of the series as well. It's not that I didn't really enjoy the series or that is a bad series. I'm really not sure what it is. Maybe the Alanna in my brain is just as restless as the one in the books and she just drags her story out with her when she leaves my head. We may never know.

I did have Alanna in my head, as well as Kel from Protector of the Small, when I was reading the Beka Cooper series. Apparently in the years between Beka and Alanna, female knights just fell so completely out of fashion that they weren't even though of as a thing anymore. I guess this is a little justified given Beka encounters that religious sect of "The Gentle Mother" that I hated. Guess their doctrine spread and we just didn't get anymore female knights after that. That Alanna didn't even think she could try for her shield as herself rather than "Alan" says so much... though it is definitely unclear as to whether or not girls trying for their shields was outlawed or just... ya know, died out eventually due to societal pressure. I'm pretty sure it was just societal pressure because Kel encounters some of the same issues but no one, in the government at least, tries to stop her from earning her shield.

A lot of things about Alanna's world are very male-centric, even outside of Tortall. Thayet couldn't inherit her father's kingdom because she was a girl. Kara and Kourrem were outcast because of their magic before Alanna came along - this may have just been Akhnan ibn Nazzir being the backward jerk that he was, but... the other shamans appear to be male so... not real sure on that one. It's not super clear what's done with girls with The Gift in Bazhir culture. Apparently women can inherit land in Tortall, but not necessarily the titles that come along with it, unless you're Alanna apparently. I get that all of this has to do with both our own history and the landscape Tamora Pierce was writing in, it's just a little interesting to look at. Or at least take note of, I guess. I kind of feel like this is an instance of trying to make this world seem pretty similar to our own instead of going "Oh hey, let's just make gender equality a thing in these societies because we can." Many shrugs.

I've kind of been mentioning and also skirting around Pierce's writing style in these books. I was so annoyed with Beka's blow-by-blow of her journeys that Song of the Lioness was a breath of fresh air but also kind of odd, to me. Pierce does a lot of telling and not showing, but also doesn't describe things in a lot of detail. A lot of Song of the Lioness does rely on the reader to imagine the settings and clothing and all that. Great swathes of time are just skipped over here, where they later won't be in other books. The characterization is also pretty sparse. We get a character description and then some instances of dialogue and actions from characters, but not enough that I'd be able to tell you "Oh, so-and-so definitely wouldn't do that" at any given moment because it's just not real clear. This does make sense as it's Pierce's first novel series and was originally a single novel before she chopped it up... a thing I did not know until reading the 2014 afterwords included in my copies. It's definitely not a bad thing as Pierce's writing is engaging in other ways, but it was definitely something I noticed. Might be part of why I have such a hard time keeping Song of the Lioness in my head.

I honestly feel like Alanna herself is pretty steady as a character throughout the series. She does grow up, but the changes are more subtle than in-your-face. Jonathan is actually the one who has the most in-your-face growth and that's mostly because he was an ass in The Woman Who Rides Like a Man... but I ranted a bit about that in that review so I won't do it here. Alanna is very goal-driven, but blossoms into a whole person when she's allowed to just wallow in parts of herself she'd neglected through her quest of her shield.

Although Alanna was written in the 1970s, I feel like she's a pretty modern character. Like modern to now, even if she did and does have to deal with that medieval male-centric nonsense. Alanna herself feels very modern. She doesn't take crap from people and has the freedom to do as she likes. I know part of that is that she's a knight and a noble on top of that, but... yeah. She just doesn't feel stuck in the societal expectations of what a woman of that relative time period "should" be.

Not that the Tortall universe should be taken as historical record of anything given that it is fantasy and does not take place in our world, but Tortall did ruin my perception of how the Knight system actually worked. I was forever ruined by Tortall's system for training Knights. It definitely did not work like that in real life, but it's a semi-neat fantasy system. Reminds me of boarding schools... which I also have very little actual experience with. Actual knights were granted knighthoods basically as a reward for service and were considered lower nobility. So, like, Jon would not have been a knight because he was the prince. Actual formal training like we see in Tortall wasn't exactly a thing, and, of course, there wasn't a magical Ordeal that made sure you could handle becoming a knight. The Wikipedia article is fascinating and goes into much more depth than I'm even going to try for here.

I really do enjoy Song of the Lioness while I'm reading it, even if I can't really remember a lot of details after the fact. The first two books are fairly quick in their progression, getting Alanna from Page to Knight. The second two are a bit more fleshed out, actually taking some time to explore Alanna's life in a slightly more day-to-day fashion without actually ending up doing exactly that. Song of the Lioness is definitely a much better introduction to Tortall than the Beka Cooper series, in my opinion. I did originally enter Tortall through Alanna and Tortall remains one of my favorite fantasy lands to visit.

Lioness Rampant by Tamora Pierce

A Semi-Spoilery Reread Review

So, I have read Lioness Rampant three times at this point. I will tell you that I did not remember what the hell happened through 90% of the book at any given moment between the last time I read it and the present. I feel like that's probably because there was actually a lot that happened. Lioness Rampant is a "quest book" -- as Pierce puts it in the 2014 afterword -- but the quest isn't the main focus of the end, which is arguably more jam packed than the rest of the book. I barely remembered what happened during that last 90% as well. There's just so much and it honestly made me tear up this time around.

So, the things I remembered are technically spoilers, so... you've been warned. I promise not to spoil the end, though.

Thayet and Buri eventually ending up in Tortall. I have read and remember more of Protector of the Small and so had it hammered into my brain that Thayet eventually becomes queen and Buri sticks around. I remembered Thayet was a warlord's daughter, but not much beyond that. I did not remember how they ended up in Tortall, like, at all. I think I vaguely remembered Alanna introducing Thayet to Jonathan... I mean, her court entrance was amazeballs in my mind. Big Beauty and the Beast style staircase and the dress was super vivid in my brain. How could I forget that?

I knew Alanna got the Dominion Jewel, but the method by which she got it totally left my brain and still wants to. I think the concept of more eldritch being tied to certain places is a cool concept, though not one I think is explored again... I swear I read Immortals at some stage but I literally remember nothing except Daine so I cannot say for sure. I assume that's where the eldritch beings might come into play... but yeah. Alanna fights a big ol' ape in the cold. Cool. *shrug* moving on.

I did not remember Liam at all. He exists aaaaand then poof, gone from my brain. I guess that's kind of amusing for the Shang Dragon being as they're supposed to be the best of the best and I just plum forget him every time. Liam kind of struck me as Scottish or whatever the Tortallan-y version of that is. I really don't have much to say about him.

The ending part of the book is just so much court stuff piled in on top of itself. So much to remember and keep straight for as long as it's happening, I guess. I was really touched on Alanna's behalf when people were welcoming her home and accepting her as The Lioness. Made me tear up. I guess I was more attached to these guys than I thought.

I did remember the whole scene where Jon gives George his pardon and makes him a Baron. That scene lives rent free in my head for some reason. I did forget that it was a bit later than all the other stuff, like Alanna becoming Champion and whatnot. Thought those scenes were one... I was wrong. Go figure.

Alanna shows in Lioness Rampant that she really has grown from even the end of The Woman Who Rides Like a Man. Her growth isn't exactly super obvious, but sneaks up on you. It's definitely a factor in how she eventually deals with the resurrected Roger. Actually uses her head instead of just rushing in all reckless and whatnot. Not that she was super prone to that in the beginning, but... I dunno. It felt significant.

The last thing I remembered was the whole thing around Roger. I won't talk about it here, but his machinations were definitely something to remember. I didn't quite get the setting in my head right or all the details, but it was largely correct and present in my head as I was reading. Every time Alanna awoke from one of her vision-dreams, I was like, "nope, girl, that wasn't just a dream."

So yeah, I liked Lioness Rampant. It's very likely a good portion of it is going to slip my mind again until my next reread, but I feel like that's okay. Rediscovering Alanna's story is part of what makes my disparate rereads fun.

Favorite Line

"Fairy stories are important," Jendrai told Alanna. "Legends teach us and guide scholars in searching out the truth of history." - Nahom Jendrai

The Woman Who Rides Like a Man by Tamora Pierce

The Woman Who Rides Like a Man is largely a book of Alanna finding herself outside of the concerns of earning her shield. She becomes comfortable with her magic, is adopted to a loving family and people, and ultimately learns to fully be herself. It might not be as detailed as I would like, but it’s a mostly fun tale.

I have noticed that Pierce doesn’t really describe settings or clothing very much at this point in her writing. I guess that makes errors in borrowing cultures a little easier to hide or just, not make. Dunno. Strikes me as a little odd this time around. It’s especially thrown into sharp relief as I begin another reread of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Pierce simply does not set scenes with as much skill as Rowling. We get more feelings from Alanna, but even those are relatively scarce. It’s not bad, exactly, just not as immersive as I remember it being when I first read The Woman Who Rides Like a Man. Many shrugs.

I do enjoy the magic system. We knew a little about it before, but since Alanna is teaching now, we get to learn more about it. I like that there’s a general knowledge base magic users need to know, but also that they have specialties that are more innate and unique.

So, this whole thing with Jonathan wanting Alanna to marry him. I don’t remember how I felt the first time, but I think I want to punch him this time. He’s so sure she’ll eventually give in, he’s smiling, probably more smugly that we’re told, about her “Let me think about it” answer. I very much think Alanna saw right through to Jonathan’s actual reasons for wanting to marry her at this stage. But he’s a dude and she’s said she loves him to obviously means she’ll marry him. Barf. No. Not how that works, my dude. You can love someone, sleep with someone, and not want to marry them. I am glad Jonathan’s a bit self-aware about his behavior outside of this moment, but it’s definitely not enough. Pierce talks about it more in the 2014 afterward, apparently Jonathan got so used to court ladies he assumed Alanna would be like them, forgetting she isn’t. Still not great on his part.

So, it’s interesting that each of the cities doesn’t have their own Rogue at this point in time. In Beka Cooper’s day, I doubt George would have set foot in Port Caynn for fear the Port Caynn Rogue would have his head. Just fun to see how times have changed… or canon. As so often happens with prequels written after the fact.

The break from Alanna’s story to George’s was honestly a shock, this time around. I did not remember it at all, though I vaguely remember who Claw actually is… or was. Again, not a bad turn of events, as I believe this break was important to the overall story, like, will be more important in Lioness Rampant. George forming an alliance with Sir Myles is definitely important down the line.

Anyway, I blew through The Woman Who Rides Like a Man in a day, more or less. I am enjoying Song of the Lioness thus far, though it is definitely different this time around. I think maybe when I was younger, I was more likely to fill in details with my imagination than I am today. The world just doesn’t seem as vivid now. Still a good read, just not as immersive as it used to be.

Just A Little Update

I know I said the last time I mentioned my GoodReads reading goal that I was going to start upping the goal by 5 books at a time, given the time of year and change in my schedule. However, given the speed at which I'm blowing through The Song of the Lioness, I went ahead and put the goal back to where it would have been would I have added 10. I know this probably has little interest to anyone but me... but yeah. Figured I'd be honest about my "Goal Smashing" tally.

In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce

A Spoiler Free Reread Review

I wrote my notes for In the Hand of the Goddess as more inserts for my review, so that’s pretty much what you’ll get here. In the Hand of the Goddess was pretty good and a fairly quick read. It does largely feel like filler, to be completely honest, but it’s good filler.

“Fencing” is not actual fencing. It’s just a sword battle. Actual fencing uses foils and not just whatever the fuck swords. Fencing is closer to that scene in The Princess Bride between Westley and Inigo, not whatever this swordplay is between Alanna and Dain.

Here we get absolute confirmation that Duke Roger of Conte is a bad guy. I’m just gonna roll my eyes and sigh heavily because “DUH.” His conversation with Alanna during the Drell Valley thing wasn’t really that unsettling, though I have a feeling it was supposed to be.

So, the whole thing in the Drell Valley had zero sense of urgency. The one battle was quickly over with and that’s really where the bulk of the urgency was. Everything else was just… bleh. Nothing. I didn’t even feel any sense of dread while Alanna was kidnapped and not even vaguely tortured.

I remember feeling like Delia of Eldorne was very much Vanessa from Disney’s The Little Mermaid, when I read this last. Vanessa being Ursla’s human form. I don’t know exactly where that thought came from, but she’s definitely a pretty lure for Jonathan so… yeah. She’s also a mere blip in Alanna’s story, all things considered.

I don’t know if the speed at which I’m blowing through these books is affecting my immersion, but I really suspect it might be. I remember when I first read these, this book actually felt like it was taking up the time it takes up on Alanna’s timeline. It also felt a lot more atmospheric than it does now. Part of that might be the speed I’m reading and part might be that I’m just not as into this style of Young Adult book as I used to be. Who knows.

Favorite Lines

"Myles let the kitten watch from the start, saying cats had the right to learn history as well as anyone." - Narrator

"Just because he behaved badly is no excuse for me to behave badly." - Alanna Trebond

Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce

A Spoiler Free Reread Review

So, Alanna: The First Adventure is actually quite a quick novel. It’s really easy to read and breezes through three years worth of Page training. Like, really breezes through it. I noticed there was rarely time to actually sit with any of Alanna’s issues, aside from the notable exception of the Ralon thing.

Speaking of, this whole “we don’t report our bullies” thing is some bullshit… carries on into the next generation, too. So dumb. I know this well because, I was honestly far more invested in Protector of the Small than I ever was in Song of the Lioness. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it, but I guess I just didn’t find it as satisfying. That’s actually exemplified in Alanna. Aside from Alanna herself, there’s not really much to get invested in, I don’t think.

The random swapping of POVs gives me a bit of whiplash. The entire lack of detail here versus the Beka Cooper books also is giving me a bit of whiplash, though it is very welcome. I do not need super detailed accounts of Alanna’s day to day. That’s not to say I wouldn’t have enjoyed more detail… Alanna’s story thus far is just not memorable. Like, I literally did not remember anything from it aside from Jon, Gary, and George being Alanna’s friends. I’d still be a little hard pressed to come up with even an outline of what happened despite having just finished the book.

Roger of Conte suffers from a bad case of “obviously the bad guy.” He’s not even super subtle about it himself, Alanna’s feelings about him notwithstanding. “I am not often kind, Alan.” Really, dude? I also very much agree with Alanna’s assessment of his motives at the end. I don’t remember any details at all about Roger from my past reads, but he definitely has “super obvious bad guy” vibes, even without Alanna’s feelings about him.

I’m pretty sure I’ve only revisited Alanna once since my first reading. Having her entire four years or whatever as a Page all compressed into one book is interesting. Seems as thought the time just flew by, which is probably part of the realism, really. If you’re so consumed with work or schooling or whatever, the time just flies by. I honestly don’t know if it really works in the book’s favor, though. Like I’ve said, I literally remembered nothing about Alanna so… yeah. It was a fun, breezy read that didn’t leave anything stuck in my brain for later.

An After-Thought

In the 2014 Afterword, Tamora Pierce notes that she originally wrote Alanna's story as an adult novel. I think that is probably why Alanna is the way it is. The teenage years of a protagonist's life wouldn't really be that interesting to an adult audience and so aren't super fleshed out.