THE IMMORTAL PRINCE

Author: Jennifer Fallon ISBN: 9780765316820 5/2008 FANTASY Publisher: TOR

When a routine hanging goes wrong and a murderer somehow survives the noose, the man announces he is an immortal. And not just any immortal, but Cayal, the Immortal Prince, hero of legend, thought to be only a fictional character. To most he is a figure out of the Tide Lord Tarot, the only record left on Amyrantha of the mythical beings whom fable tells created the race of half-human, half-animal Crasii, a race of slaves. Arkady Desean is an expert on the legends of the Tide Lords so at the request of the King's Spymaster, she is sent to interrogate this would-be immortal, hoping to prove he is a spy, or at the very least, a madman. Though she is set the task of proving Cayal a liar, Arkady finds herself believing him, against her own good sense. And as she begins to truly believe in the Tide Lords, her own web of lies begins to unravel...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Book One of The Tide Lord series, THE IMMORTAL PRINCE, gives readers a first look into what promises to be an amazing series. I was enthralled from the first pages, even though the opening, where death and despair mingles with hope for the future, is a difficult way to begin a story. I started this journey crying over the loss of a mother, wife and unborn child, but I must admit I was soon so swept up by the action that my tears dried quickly.
 
The Immortal Prince, Cayal, has decided that being immortal isn't all it's cracked up to be. He doesn't want to live forever, so chooses to procure his own death. But Immortals, being inherently immune to death, can't die... can they? Apparently not by the hangman's noose, because when Cayal is hung, and left hanging for an extended period in the hope he will eventually expire, all he gets are bruises and annoyance for his trouble. This undead prisoner sparks an investigation which, like most examinations of this sort, sets in motion an unraveling of secrets most involved would rather not unveil.
 
While this fantastic journey is at times complex, the writer's style makes it deceptively easy to follow along. I was completely entranced, caught up in the return of the legendary Tide Lords. There are many characters who I believe will be important in future stories in this series, so I paid close attention to them and their motivations as I have no intention of missing any of the Tide Lord books. If they all hold up as well as this one does, they promise to be noteworthy.
 
THE IMMORTAL PRINCE by Jennifer Fallon is mesmerizing. I am hooked and can easily recommend this as one of the best fantasies I've read in a long time!

Kay James