To the King a Daughter

by Sasha Miller and Andre Norton

Book Overview

To the King a Daughter begins the cycle of Oak, Yew, Ash, and Rowan: the four powers of the world who have been warring for centuries. The Clan of Ash is slowly dying, their totem tree in the sacred square withering away to nothing. There is a prophecy that a daughter of Ash will rise again, but none have survived the mass killings, thereby rendering the prophecy unfillable. But deep in the swamps, in the care of the witch-healer all need and all...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312873360
• ISBN13: 9780312873363
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.03 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Incomplete, but understandably so

Unlike other first books of a series I read, this one seemed to be designed from the beginning to be part of a series. It certainly does not stand alone, as it ends with a huge, wide open space of story that needs to be filled in. The book begins with a pregnant noblewoman, the last of the Ash family, on the run who reaches the edge of civilization, is taken in by an old medicine/magic woman, and dies in childbirth. This old woman lives in a village of bog-people, who are not particularly nice. The woman has to convince the others to accept that she intends to keep the new baby alive, and raise her. Recognizing the baby's features, she names the king's illegitimate daughter Ashen. After this, the book goes in several storylines. I found one to be extremely boring and the other two to be very interesting for different reasons. One line follows the royal household, and in particular the queen Ysa, who was the one who caused the family of Ash to be killed off in order that only hers and the king's will live on. Ysa is tough for me to figure out. She seems more disturbed, worried, and hurt than evil, due partly to the king's bad treatment of her and cheating on her. Another storyline is that of Ashen, who is now sixteen. She doesn't know who her real parents are but knows she is different from the rest of the bog-people. I found it quite fascinating to read about this girl who uses her intelligence, alert senses, and strong will to make her way through life, to survive, to prevent a group of boys from raping her, and to eventually travel from the bog and learn who she is. I wish she took more of the book's space than she did; this is only forgivable because this is only the first in a series. The last thread regards a group of Sea-Rovers. I did not find their travels over the sea to be very interesting. As time went on, it became obvious that Ashen, Ysa, and the Sea-people would eventually meet. Ysa would learn that the king has an heir other than her son. She would have to decide which of them should succeed the king: the older, better but illegitimate daughter, or her own spoiled, selfish, legitimate son. Indeed, I found Ysa's raising of her son to be very strange. She spoils him, and when he grows up into a brat, she thinks "so like his father" as if her son inherited his ways rather than being brought up to not care for others. Another problem is that when Ashen enters civilization, she slips into her new lady role too easily. She is used to being outdoors, working, wearing breeches. She seemed a little too comfortable wearing dresses and being polite. Still, I am extremely curious what will happen to Ashen after this book, and whether her strong-character features survived her transition to civilization after all. I am also curious about some loose ends, such as the implication that one character had killed another character and nothing is made of it so far. The cover art is a very recognizable scene from the book, depicting Ashen findin

A Time of Decline

To the King a Daughter (2000) is the first volume in the Cycle of Oak, Yew, Ash and Rowan trilogy. This new fantasy series describes the history of Rendel during the period after the strike of the great thunder-star has freed the Great Foulness. Once there were four great powers in the world -- Oak, Yew, Ash, and Rowan -- but time and war have reduced these powers to shadows of their former glory. The King of Oak is a drunken lout, the Queen of Yew is a magical schemer, and Ash and Rowan are nearly dead. In this novel, a woman pregnant with the King's daughter, and Ash's heir, flees to the Bale Bog, there to give birth and die. The newborn is named Ashen Deathdaughter by Zazar, the Wysen-wyf who delivers her. Ashen is raised as Zazar's apprentice, doing lessons and chores and running through the boglands. Since she is an Outlander, the bog-folk would, by custom, have tossed her into the nearest bog, but Zazar protects her. As she grows older, the young men are somewhat ambivalent about her, both attracted and repelled. The soldiers of the Yew who have followed Ashen's mother's party believe that the pregnant woman has been lost in the mire, which would surely please the Queen, for now there would be no others to dispute her son's right to the throne. Of course, the young prince is only concerned at this time with bargaining for a pony of his own and, as he grows older, he learns that visits to his ill father are worth plum pudding for desert. So like his father, Queen Ysa thinks, but there is still time to train him to loftier pursuits. In the far north, the only city of the Sea-Rovers has been destroyed by the tsunami following the thunder-star strike. The surviving ships rendezvous with their High Chief, Snorri, in the land of the Nordens, but then sail on to establish a new city on some hospitable shore; to repay the kindness shown them, the Sea-Rovers transport a Norden emissary, Count Bjauden, to Rendel. Unfortunately, after near three years of battles, the Sea-Rovers are driven out of their new lands by a enemy from the northern ice regions and they have to flee again, this time to the Ashenhold in Rendel. Snorri's son, Obern, is sent ahead to scout and to find a safe harbor. In Rendel, Queen Ysa spins her webs and, after she gains the four great rings of Oak, Yew, Ash and Rowan, uses their magic to forward her plots. She has virtual control of everyone in Rendel...except her own son. Indeed, the young Prince, out of spite, commissions one of the house servants to assassinate Count Bjauden and leave his body in a ruined city in the Bog. This series is based on an archetype in many religions, the weavers of lifelines, who have been known in various times and places as the Fates, the Norns, Brigit, and other names. Certain trees are significant to most of the Western European religions, but the mythos of the Oak, Yew, Ash, and Rowan is specific to the old religions of the British Isles and France, particularly to what i

shallow readers beware

When reading an Andre Norton book, never expect it to be an easy read. In with the writing of many great authors, it takes a good reader to truly appreciate Norton's writing. "To the King a Daughter" is no exception. If you do not read closely, you will miss out on crucial details, ending up lost and confused.When I found this book, I almost didn't read it because I knew it would be an agonizingly long wait for the second one to be published (and I was right). Since my local library has been undergoing renovation for half a year, I still haven't been able to read the second book.I repeat, Norton's books are not for the uncomprehensive reader. Be prepared to appreciate the complexity of her characters as well as the interweaving plot.

A promising kick-off

Andre Norton and Sasha Miller deliver--again. It would be a pity to give away too much of the story, so I'll just say that you'll find strong female characters and a great story with original twists.It's apparent that this book is the entry point for a new series, and my only criticism is that I really don't want to wait 18 months for the next book to be released.I greatly enjoyed this book and tore through it in about two days.

Great start to a new series

Rendel seems to have always contained four major powers: Oak, Yew, Ash, and Rowan. However, centuries of endless war have devastated Ash and Rowan, leaving the King being an Oak and the Queen being a Yew. In reality, the evil Queen Ysa rules with a strategic objective to insure her throne remains in the hands of her descendants even if the magic she uses is malevolent. Ysa knows that the only potential obstacle is the prophecy that a female Ash will rise to wrestle the throne from her. Already loathing that house for providing her spouse with a mistress and to insure that the prophecy never occurs, Ysa has committed genocide and wiped out the House of Ash. However, deep in the swamp lives a girl being raised by a healer. That girl is the biological daughter of the king's deceased mistress. Could she be the focus of the foretelling of the return of the House of Ash or is it too late since Ysa has control of the rings of magic? TO THE KING A DAUGHTER, the first entry in a new fantasy series, is an exciting tale that brings to life a magical world. The story line apparently sets the tone for subsequent novels as readers learn about Rendel, leaving characters in the background with the exception of Ysa. The apparent heroine never slides into prime focus until the end of the tale. Genre fans will enjoy the opening gamut that sets the stage for the series, but future surfers may find it difficult to float in and out without this well written novel as a guide.Harriet Klausner