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Wild Magic: The Immortals 1
Book & Audio Book: by Tamora Pierce (1992)
When Daine comes down from the mountains, she carries with her two things: a dark secret about her own past, and a strangely powerful magic that even she doesn't understand. Soon Daine has a job working for Onua, the queen's horsemistress, who is astonished at the girl's way with animals. It's almost as if she can speak to them. Daine and Onua travel to Pirate's Swoop, where Daine finds herself swept into a war that threatens all of Tortall, a war where magic is one of the main weapons. The wall between the worlds is cracking. The magical creatures are returning. Now Daine must master her own magic, and face her own dark memories, if she is to save her new home from destruction. Magical creatures never grow old or die of sickness. (Magical creatures are immortal unless killed (AS))
-- Jeffr_2bya
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Wolf Speaker: The Immortals 2
Book: by Tamora Pierce (1994)
Veralidaine Sarrasri, a.k.a. Daine, is on the road with her mentor and tutor, the master mage Numair Salmalin; her faithful pony, Cloud; and Skysong, the dragon kit she is raising. They are answering a summons from the Long Lake wolf pack that was once Daine's only family. Help is urgently needed to oppose the "two-leggers" who are despoiling the pack's home, but as they enter the valley, Daine and Numair learn that more is amiss. High treason is afoot, and only extreme efforts-natural and magical-can save the Kingdom of Tortall. Orphaned Daine, now 14, has always been able to mind-speak with animals, but now she is also learning to heal their wounds magically, to enter their minds and see with their eyes, and to change temporarily into animal form. New readers may have some trouble believing the premise of this book, lacking the background information so carefully presented in Wild Magic. Wolf-Speaker is more of a simple adventure than the exploration of characters, feelings, and relationships found in the earlier title. Wild Magic is a powerful fantasy, and its readers will clamor for, and probably not be disappointed by, this sequel. It resolves its conflicts quite satisfactorily, but there is still room for further adventures for Daine and her friends. Magical creatures known as Immortals never grow old or die of sickness. (Magical creatures are immortal unless killed (AS))
-- Susan L. Rogers
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Emperor Mage: The Immortals 3
Book: by Tamora Pierce (1994)
This third entry in the Immortals series again centers on the adventures of Daine, now 15. Because of her wild magic, which gives her a strong affinity with animals and the ability to heal them, Daine is part of a delegation sent to work out a peace treaty with a barbarous emperor whose beloved captive birds are deathly ill. Pierce continues to build on the universe she created for the Song of the Lioness series about Alanna, who's a secondary character here, and as Daine grows in her powers so does the power of the narrative. Daine's ability to communicate with animals and to shape shift into animal form is comparable with that of characters in Andre Norton's renown tales involving human-animal communication. Daine's companion, the irrepressible, incurably curious young dragon, Kitten, is appealing as a character, as is the resourceful marmoset, Zek, whom Daine rescues and takes under her wing. The climactic scenes in which Daine brings to life the bones of the long-dead dinosaurs and fellow creatures in the great natural history hall and leads them in the destruction of the castle and downfall of the emperor are truly riveting. This impressive entry in Pierce's saga will leave fans clamoring for more. Magical creatures known as Immortals never grow old or die of sickness. (Magical creatures are immortal unless killed (AS))
-- Sally Estes
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The Realms of the Gods: The Immortals 4
Book: by Tamora Pierce (1996)
In this final installment in the series, Daine and her mentor, Numair, are about to be killed when Daine's parents, both of whom are minor gods, sweep the pair up into their domain. Their lives are saved, but both Daine and Numair desperately want to return to mortal regions to help their country, Tortall, fight against the deadly foes introduced in the earlier volumes. The only way for them to do so is to seek the help of dragons, who owe Daine a favor for raising one of their young. Although the young woman is able to shape-shift and communicate with animals, and Numair is a powerful magician, the journey to the Dragonlands is fraught with dangers. Along the way, they discover unlooked-for allies and their love for one another. Arriving in Tortall at last, Daine faces her bitter enemy, Ozorne, with whom she struggled in Emperor Mage (Atheneum, 1995). A bloody battle wraps up both the series' earthly struggle and the divine battle at its root between the evil Queen of Chaos and the other immortals. Daine, now 16, can look forward to a normal existence, at last. She is an ideal heroine-adventurous, intelligent, and gifted with magical powers, yet down-to-earth and kind to anyone who is not an open enemy. Some of the animal characters are a little precious, especially the young dragons. However, the dream sequences, in which Daine is able to see what's going on in mortal lands, are intriguing. Fans of the earlier titles will appreciate this satisfying conclusion. Magical creatures known as Immortals never grow old or die of sickness. (Magical creatures are immortal unless killed (AS))
-- Mary Jo Drungil