Seventeen-year-old Ripley is the daughter of legendary parents. In a repressive, medieval, patriarchal society, she unwittingly becomes a lightning rod for change as she strives to fulfill her controversial ambition to become Valorâs first female soldier.
âShe was a feisty, stubborn, impetuous, exasperating, infuriating thorn in Takeshiâs side.â
âWhat she did was honorable. It was also dishonorable. Only Ripley could accomplish both at the same time.â
Forces of good and evil collide as a tempest threatens to engulf her and destroy everything she holds dear.
Seventeen-year-old Ripley is the daughter of legendary parents. In a repressive, medieval, patriarchal society, she unwittingly becomes a lightning rod for change as she strives to fulfill her controversial ambition to become Valorâs first female soldier.
âShe was a feisty, stubborn, impetuous, exasperating, infuriating thorn in Takeshiâs side.â
âWhat she did was honorable. It was also dishonorable. Only Ripley could accomplish both at the same time.â
Forces of good and evil collide as a tempest threatens to engulf her and destroy everything she holds dear.
Rays from the morning sun sliced through the narrow opening of the Madeeva Mountain Pass. The black void of an unforgiving night peeled away to reveal the dead. Buzzing flies added to the moans and cries of the fallen. Ananias recognized some of them as friends and fellow soldiers who, just the day before, had fought beside him. He wanted, desperately, to aid them but he would have been easily spotted, captured and tortured by the barbarians, just like the others. It was better to have a quick death on the battlefield.
The heathens never seemed to sleep, rest or tire and their numbers seemed limitless. Each day the combined armies of the Realm, Sardis and Nineveh were pushed further into the narrow mountain pass by these hordes from the north.
Ananias gazed across the valley of death. It was going to be another hot day. One hundred yards separated the two factions. One hundred yards was all he could see but he knew the carnage stretched for another half mile beyond that, where thousands of his men lay dead in various stages of decomposition. They were down-wind and the smell was wretched.
His men havenât had food or proper sleep for days. They were exhausted and beaten. Blowflies attempted to lay their eggs in the ears, eyes and noses of the living. Ironically, this helped his men to remain alert.
Everyone knew that the end was near but defending the entrance to the Realm was paramount. Every hour they could delay the invasion meant that more women, children and provisions would make it into the castle. They would fight to the last man, for that was expected of a soldier.
The Realm was unprepared for an invasion. In the past, Ananias had made several pleas to the Senate to prepare for such an event. But the response was always the same. âThere isnât enough money for a larger army, better weapons or to shore up defences. No one knows weâre here. We are well hidden amongst the mountains. We are safe.â
The barbarian kingâs strategy was to send five hundred fresh troops into battle at a time. Day and night, they came. The defenders had no time to rest. They were down to six hundred and fifty able bodied men. The barbarian king still had thousands and sensed victory. He was also getting braver.
Yesterday, he rode his black stallion to the front line and personally ordered an attack. He reared his horse and drew his jewelled dagger. It glistened in the sun. His soldiers waited with bated breath. âAiieee!â he screamed. The rabid, demon possessed barbarian horde attacked with reckless abandonment, screaming blood curdling battle cries.
There was no semblance of organization, training or discipline during previous attacks. The barbarians were used to winning battles on open ground where swarming the enemy with superior numbers always worked. Not here. The walls of the canyon were steep. Fifty soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder and ten rows deep, pointing spears, eliminated any advantage in numbers. But It was a war of attrition and the barbarian king knew he would eventually win.
What kind of king commands such fierce loyalty from his men? The key to winning a war is to know your enemy. But no one knew anything about these invaders or their king.
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Yaulf was the youngest son of a Mongolian king. As a young boy, he displayed curiosity, intelligence, strength and ruthlessness. In fact, many of the Mongolian rulerâs military commanders already admired him. His older brothers became wary of their young brother and cautioned their father. But he saw great potential in his young son. So, on his sixteenth birthday, he sent him east to explore new territories to plunder. His brothers secretly hoped he would never return.
Yaulf quickly discovered that he could learn more if he posed as a friend rather than as a threat. He knew how to charm and manipulate people. His natural talent for languages helped him to become an effective spy. People would speak freely in their native tongues while in his presence, thinking he couldnât understand them. He learned about diplomacy, tactics and where to find the wealth in Europe. So, he stole precious jewels from everyone he got close to, but just enough so, as not to raise suspicion.
One day, he overheard a conversation concerning the location of a priceless dagger that bestowed magical powers to its owner. It belonged to the King of Spain and Yaulf was determined to possess it. It would take him three months to weasel his way into the court of Ferdinand V.
He was patient and enjoyed planning the various strategies leading up to thefts. What he wasnât particularly good at was adjusting his plans due to last minute unforeseen events. His plan was to steal the dagger while visiting Queen Isabella in Castile. The Queen would always bring it out of its hiding place just before dinner to play with it, then return it just before going to bed.
Yaulf saw two maidens enter the Queens Chambers to tidy up as guests were called to dinner. He should have postponed the theft until circumstances were more favorable. But he didnât. Instead, he entered the Queenâs chambers and murdered them. Then he staged the room so it appeared that they killed each other.
He had no use for women, anyway. He preferred the company of men. He considered women foolish, weak, prone to childish notions and a burden to be tolerated, at best.
Finally, at the age of nineteen, Yaulf felt he had everything he needed from his visit to Europe. It was time to leave and return home while he still could. A vast army and a throne poised for the taking awaited him there. He surmised, correctly, that if he stayed any longer, he would be arrested and executed. It seems that every country he visited had dispatched emissaries to hunt him down. But before he fled Europe, he had managed to accomplish four important things. Â
First, he learned how to fight with a sword in one hand and a knife in the other. This lethal technique was called espada y daga and Yaulf utilized it on a few occasions to vanquish a threat.
Second, he learned about Druid mushrooms and how they could be used to induce a trance-like fury in his soldiers. He would call his warriors, Berserkers. They would fight in a furiously violent, out of control rage, striking fear in everyone they faced. He bought or stole all the Druid mushrooms he could find, learned how to ferment them and how much he needed to give his Berserkers prior to battle. The results would be impressive.
He would constantly reinforce Shamanism beliefs with his commanders who would, in turn, reinforce them with his soldiers. The promise of a rich and rewarding afterlife in paradise, providing they demonstrated fierce bravery in battle, was an important motivator.
Third, Yaulf would change his name to Zortez, the Conqueror. He was formulating grand plans in his mind and that required an appropriate title, so his family tree was no longer relevant or important. In fact, neither were any of the members of his family. He would murder them all, upon his return, and make himself king. His most loyal friend and general, Arislov, returned home a year earlier to scope out any commanders still loyal to his father. They would be eliminated as well.
Fourth, Zortez gained possession of a priceless, powerful talisman, the diamond studded emerald Dagger of Bajazet. Egyptians believed that whoever possessed an emerald would be provided with the protection of the gods from any man. They would also be blessed with good fortune, possess mystical powers, have strengthened memory, intelligence, and the ability to predict the future. And this dagger had six rare Egyptian green emeralds.
The diamonds were from India and were also believed to provide the owner with strength, courage and invincibility in battle against any man. The magical properties were dependent on their size and quality. And this dagger had seventy large, flawless diamonds.
There were also Hieroglyphics inscribed on the blade. No one had ever been able to translate their meaning, although one linguistic expert thought it could be a warning. It would be another three-hundred and four years before Hieroglyphics could be translated thanks to the discovery of the Rosetta Stone in 1799.
 No matter. Zortez could now lead vast, conquering armies to victory. He envisioned himself to be better than Alexander the Great. Captured cities would be renamed after him. He was convinced that no man would be able to stand in the way of his hordes. And he was right.
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The shields adopted by Valor army 200 years ago were steeped in history. The original design was from those used by the Greeks in 480 BC at the Battle of Thermopylae. They defended a mountain pass for three days against a Persian invasion force that was 20 times larger than their own. Ultimately, the Greeks lost the battle, but their bravery became legendary. Ironically, Ananias and his army faced the same insurmountable odds 2015 years later. He resigned himself to the realization that the outcome would likely be the same.
The Valor military also adopted the Roman tradition of identifying Commanders. Ananias' helmet bore a horsehair crest that ran transversely front to back. It signified his high military rank which made it easy for his men to locate him during the mayhem of battle. But it also made him a target for the Berserkers. So, it was critical for Ananias never to venture too far from the phalanx.Â
The first wave of Berserkers impaled themselves on the front row of spears. The second wave hurled themselves at the wall of defenders knocking over men like pawns on a chess board. Nearby soldiers from the second-row shifted over and ended their miserable lives with multiple sword thrusts. Subsequent waves located these gaps and crashed through to the third and fourth rows.
This was a new tactic and it caught Ananias by surprise. Every row was quickly engaged in the fight. Tired troops from the front two rows could no longer be exchanged for more rested troops at the back. In a matter of minutes, the tightly packed, disciplined phalanx was fractured. âClose ranks, soldiers of Valor! Fight to the last man!â commanded Ananias.
Barbarians attacked in pairs, sometimes disabling a soldier by removing an arm or wounding a leg. The last wave dragged them away to be tortured. Ananias noticed one of the soldiers from the second row run after a wounded friend being dragged away. âNo! Leave him!â yelled Ananias. Too late. The soldier was swarmed, wounded and dragged away as well. Ananias cursed. His men had to maintain discipline at all costs or the battle would be lost. Once again, the defenders were forced to retreat another fifty yards and regroup.
The first book in this medieval fiction series, Ripley of Valor is awe-inspiring, character-driven, and exciting every step of the way.
Set in medieval patriarchal society, Ripley is born to legendary parents. Her parents Ananias and Maria are war heroes who saved Valor from a barbarian king who waged war against them. This victory gives them a voice in the Council. They strive to get womenâs rights in a patriarchal society. This endeavor gains them enemies - some very close to them too.
After her parentsâ deaths, Ripley takes up the mantle in her motherâs place. She has an aim of her own - she wants to be the first female soldier in their army. Ripley is in a long battle to receive the honor and rights she and every other woman in their society deserves.
There could be no doubt she was the daughter of Ananias and Maria.
She was feisty, impetuous, and determined.
Qualities admired in a man, not in a woman.
I loved the setting of the book. The book was rich in history and was very engaging. It was impressive from the beginning. Ananias and Maria were fierce characters from the beginning. I loved the heroism they showed even in a dire situation. I loved Maria shattering the glass ceiling by helping her husband in the war and saving thousands of lives.Â
âAs long as there is life, there is hope. As long as there is hope, there is life.â
Ripley was an amazing character who takes after her parents beautifully. Even in the face of failure, she dusts herself off and gets back at it over and over again. She becomes the face of change in Valor and she accepts it fiercely.
In addition to the amazing characters, the story has many exciting revelations. Everything was so intense and inter-mingled in many ways. Ananias created a system for recruiting people into the military called the Trials and made it open to everyone in the kingdom.
Ripley aims to become the first female to enter the military and this is meant with derision from everyone including her fiancé. But she has people on her side who help her and motivates her when she gets depressed and loses track of her ambition. She is strong and fearless and stands up to those who try to put her down every step of the way.
The chancellor ... points at Ripley and bellows, âFine! You want to take responsibility for this? Letâs make it sixty days!â
Incensed, Ripley fires back, âWhat about the behavior of those hooligans?!â
âYouâre a girl, damn it! Behave like one!â
âIâm a woman! And I wonât be bullied!â
As with every glass-ceiling-shattering story, some people are not interested in change and do not want their way of life. These people see Ripley and her cause as a problem and try to derail her ambition in every way possible. But she fights and stands up again and again. I loved her tenacity.
I canât wait to read the sequel. Recommending this to everyone who loves rich world-building and strong female characters.
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