Farsala Trilogy
Encyclopedia
The Farsala Trilogy is a series of three fantasy
novels, written by Hilari Bell
.
The country in which the trilogy takes place is called Farsala, a land with diverse physical features, from swamps to deserts. Farsala is in-between the newly taken over country of Sendar to the West and the war torn country of Kadesh to the East, with the ocean covering all of its southern border and the desert, or badlands, covering its northern one. Farsala is ruled by the Gahn (or King
) and the twelve deghan (noble) houses, each represented by an animal.
Hrum, thought not a location any of the action takes place in, is an important country to the plot of the story. The Hrum are the invaders who seek to conquer Farsala, and add more land to their empire. The Hrum seem to be loosely based on the roman empire.
Fantasy literature
Fantasy literature is fantasy in written form. Historically speaking, literature has composed the majority of fantasy works. Since the 1950s however, a growing segment of the fantasy genre has taken the form of films, television programs, graphic novels, video games, music, painting, and other...
novels, written by Hilari Bell
Hilari Bell
Hilari Bell is an American fantasy author. She is the author of several science-fiction and fantasy novels including the critically acclaimed Farsala Trilogy.Bell worked as a reference librarian, but quit in 2005 to write full time...
.
Main characters
These are the main characters that appear in all of the three books:- Jiaan:, a "half-breed" boy, son of Farsala's commander and a peasantPeasantA peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
woman. Jiaan eventually becomes the commander of Farsala and saves Farsala from falling, contrary to the title of the book. After serving in his father's command for several years Jiaan rides into battle and watches his father die. Torn with grief Jiaan then promises himself that he will find the person responsible for killing him. - Soraya: A girl of deghan nobility. She is also the child of the CommanderCommanderCommander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
, Merahb, but refuses to admit the blood relationship between her and Jiaan. She was used to getting what she wants until the second book.Rise of a HeroRise of a Hero is the 2005 fantasy novel which comprises the second book in the Farsala Trilogy by Hilari Bell.-Plot summary:Legend has it that when Farsala most needs a warrior to lead it, Sorahb son of Rostam will be restored by the god Azura. That time has come. After a devastating loss to the...
Although she is a bit temperamental, Soraya changes her ways when she gets sent to live in the Suud dessert and befriends the Suud. There Soraya learns the secrets of magic and learns from the Suud, All Speaker. When Soraya learns that her father is dead she sets out to save the rest of her family. Living as a kitchen girl for a while Soraya then gets caught trying to steal precious documents. - Kavi: a young peddler. He has a deep resentmentResentmentResentment is the experience of a negative emotion felt as a result of a real or imagined wrong done. Etymologically, the word originates from French "ressentir", re-, intensive prefix, and sentir "to feel"; from the Latin "sentire"...
for the nobility as they had almost caused him to lose his hand. However, this had made him lose his trade of smithing, and he became a peddler. It was while selling fake goods that he met Soraya and Jiaan. Kavi gets captured by the enemy and tries to escape. But he changes his mind when he learns the enemy of his country are the enemies of the nobility, not the peasentry. He therefore then spies for the enemy. After the battle, Kavi has a change of heart and seeks to save the deghans from a life of slavery. - Garren: Farsala's invading enemy commander. This man is caught in a political struggle with his nation, as his father is a senator in the empireEmpireThe term empire derives from the Latin imperium . Politically, an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy....
. His father had boasted that Garren could use ten thousand men to conquer the mighty army of Farsala, so as to let the other members of the senate allow Garren be the commander, thus he was put at a severe disadvantage and eventually fell. - Patrius: One of the enemy deputy commanders, and a kind man. When captured by Jiaan in the third bookForging the SwordForging the Sword is a fantasy novel written by American author Hilari Bell. It is the third and final book in the Farsala trilogy. It follows the adventures of Jiaan, Kavi, and Soraya as the try to regain control of their country from the invading Hrum empire.-Plot summary:Soraya, Kavi and Jiaan...
, he did not show hatred as an ordinary man might do, but assisted him. - Duckie: Kavi's faithful but stubborn mule. Kavi bought Duckie off another peddler when he was starting out. Duckie is quite valuable to saving Farsala.
Plot
The story starts out with Soraya mad because she is being sent away to the Suud dessert because if not she would be sacrificed to the djinn. The twelve deghans debate on her sacrifice and her father, Commander Merahb, slyly turns the conversation to let her go. The Commander assigns Jiaan to escort Soraya to her hiding place. Soraya meets the Suud and befriends them. They teach her magic. Kavi gets caught by the Commander selling fake gold.Legend of Sorahb
- A main part of the Farsala Trilogy is the legend of Sorahb which is told between each set of chapters.
- Despite artistic licensing, the part of the legend told in first bookFall of a KingdomFall of a Kingdom is the first novel in the Farsala Trilogy by American author Hilari Bell. It was previously published under the name Flame! The series it was in was also referred to as the "Book of Sorahb".-Plot summary:...
is clearly based on the legend Rostam and SohrabRostam and SohrabRustam and Sohrab is a tragedy from the Persian epic Shahnameh. It tells the tragic story of the heroes Rustam and his son, Sohrab.-Plot:...
in the Persian epic ShahnamehShahnamehThe Shahnameh or Shah-nama is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c.977 and 1010 AD and is the national epic of Iran and related societies...
. - In the next two books the legend develops to follow the plot of the story. Through the legend, the readers get two accounts of what happened in Farsala, what happens to the main characters and what people are told for generations to come.
Location
The Farasala trilogy is set in a fantasy world.The country in which the trilogy takes place is called Farsala, a land with diverse physical features, from swamps to deserts. Farsala is in-between the newly taken over country of Sendar to the West and the war torn country of Kadesh to the East, with the ocean covering all of its southern border and the desert, or badlands, covering its northern one. Farsala is ruled by the Gahn (or King
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
) and the twelve deghan (noble) houses, each represented by an animal.
Hrum, thought not a location any of the action takes place in, is an important country to the plot of the story. The Hrum are the invaders who seek to conquer Farsala, and add more land to their empire. The Hrum seem to be loosely based on the roman empire.
Books
- Fall of a KingdomFall of a KingdomFall of a Kingdom is the first novel in the Farsala Trilogy by American author Hilari Bell. It was previously published under the name Flame! The series it was in was also referred to as the "Book of Sorahb".-Plot summary:...
(2003) - Rise of a HeroRise of a HeroRise of a Hero is the 2005 fantasy novel which comprises the second book in the Farsala Trilogy by Hilari Bell.-Plot summary:Legend has it that when Farsala most needs a warrior to lead it, Sorahb son of Rostam will be restored by the god Azura. That time has come. After a devastating loss to the...
(2005) - Forging the SwordForging the SwordForging the Sword is a fantasy novel written by American author Hilari Bell. It is the third and final book in the Farsala trilogy. It follows the adventures of Jiaan, Kavi, and Soraya as the try to regain control of their country from the invading Hrum empire.-Plot summary:Soraya, Kavi and Jiaan...
(2006)