Although this is the first book in a series, it's apparently set in the same world (just a different part of it) as her previous series. Not sure how much background I lost for not having read any of the previous books - this is the first book by McKenna I've read.

It introduces a tribal, island-based culture where life is lived by portents and omens, but magic is despised and feared. When a neighboring tribe is decimated by mysterious, magic-wielding invaders from the south, the warlord Kheda fakes his own death and goes on a quest to the north, because it is rumored that the peoples to the north know how to fight magic. But if word gets out that Kheda has even investigated magic, he could be considered 'tainted' by it...

I like how McKenna sets up a convincingly foreign culture, with its own sets of rules and taboos, and portrays people from that culture on their own terms. However, especially at the beginning, it felt like there was a bit too much 'setting the scene' and not enough story. Kheda, who's the main character, never really intrigued me. When Dev (a self-centered, amoral, renegade(?) wizard from the north) suddenly appeared, his chapters were instantly more compelling. I wanted to know more about his background! Kheda just seemed kind of boring in comparison.

The writing here was pretty good; I'd read more from this author, but I'm not feeling compelled to go order more books in the series right now... ( )

Please read my review here: http://realbooks4ever.tumblr.com/post/64001976001 ( )

Please read my review here: http://realbooks4ever.tumblr.com/post/64001976001 ( )

New to McKenna's work I was pleasantly surprised to discover a tight fantasy read, with great fleshed out characters, including a heroic leader and a likeable anti-hero. In epic style, there is a kingdom faced with unknown peril from foreign lands, and McKenna balances character development, action and mystery in excellent style. The setting of warlords ruling archipelagos is fresh and although the central plot is self-contained within this book, there are clearly strands which will propel readers in to future episodes. Impressive and original, Southern Fire is the start of a series in which any fantasy fan can easily become involved in. ( )

I really did want to really love this rather than just like it because Juliet E McKenna is a great speaker and an interesting person. It took me quite a while to get into this and found the story interesting.
In a country where magic is punished and magic users killed they suddenly find that they need magic to defeat a powerful other culture that is using magic. The leader of the country has to explore magic to see about defeating the enemies of his countries. Among the problems he has is that he feels that he's putting his soul and his connection with his gods in danger.
Interesting but just not me. ( )