J. Fletcher's Lyremouth Chronicles
A Fantastic Fantasy of Women Learning to Love, Fight, and Triumph
Jane Fletcher's Lyremouth Chronicles begins with The Exile and the Sorcerer. In this novel we meet the heroine's of the story, Jemeryl and Tevi, sorceress and warrior.
In The Exile and The Sorcerer, Book One of the Lyremouth Chronicles, (2006-Bold Strokes Books) the reader is introduced to two headstrong, emotional and fierce women and an intriguing world of fun.
The Story and Characters:
Tevi, a warrior from the "Western Isles," has grown up in a sheltered, matriarchal society where women are considered superior to men and sex with anyone of the same gender is strictly forbidden. Betrayed by someone she cared about, Tevi is exiled from her home into the unknown "mainland." She learns the ways of the rest of the world, confounded by the differences and confused by what she sees as her own failure to understand others.
Jemeryl is a sorceress, trained in the Protectorate, among the other sorcerers who protect the villagers from harm in return for taxes. When the reader first meets her, she is surrounded by animals she has enchanted to keep her company in the dark castle she lives in above the village. While clearly fallible, and occasionally pretentious, she is likeable because she acknowledges her flaws rather than defend her behavior. In Jemeryl the reader sees a woman learning about herself through her relationship to someone "beneath" her, at least in social status.
When Tevi and Jemeryl meet, sparks fly. Tevi is sweet, strong, and has sadly low self esteem. Jemeryl has a pet bird, or alter ego, with a fantastic sense of sarcasm that matches Jemeryl's own sense of humor. As they get to know one another, the reader is caught up in the energy and emotion quickly but craftily developed between the two characters. They live in a world of magic, a place where what you do is far more important than where you come from, allowing for a kind of equality found only in good fiction. Together, they go on a quest to find Abrak's Chalice, stolen from Tevi's people years before. While they don't know how the quest will turn out, what is clear is their feelings for one another, and that Tevi is gaining confidence, brought about by her love for Jemeryl.
There are a host of other characters, both likeable and despicable, that come across the women's path throughout the novel, helping paint a vivid journey for the reader.
An interesting aspect of this book/series is Fletcher's portrayal of equality between the sexes, as well as a fluid sexuality among the "normal" populace. While many authors portray matriarchal societies as the utopic ideal, Fletcher shows instead that a matriarchy can be just as destructive to its citizens as a patriarchy. Sexuality in Book One is also fluid, with it being rare for a person to have a preference for one sex over another. Without being explicit, Fletcher creates a society separated by the social classes rather than the genders.
The Author:
Jane Fletcher is the author of both the Lyremouth Chronicles as well as the Celeano Series, more tales of magic and mayhem. She also has a variety of short stories available on her website. Born in London, she now lives in the South of England. She is down to earth, easy going woman with a great sense of humor and good presentation skills at conferences.
For a good read, full of emotion and fun, read the Lyremouth Chronicles. You’ll be smiling at the end, and grabbing for the next book.
