Mayhar, Ardath

FORBIDDEN GEOMETRIES
Ardath Mayhar
New Concepts in Publishing, 2000; Renaissance E Books/Page Turner, 2005
E-Book now available through fictionwise.com
no ISBN
 
Humans colonized the desert world of Sherazade many generations ago and few have much knowledge at all of a homeworld from which they have lost contact.  The various barbarian cities and bands of outlaws survive on trade, slavery, and murder.  Two moons light the nights of Sherazade, one silver, the other an evil green.  Before the evil moon can set, Karenya, orphaned princess of Sathorn, calculates the "geometrical-astronomical" mathematics that warn her of coming danger.  She thwarts an attempted assassination upon her person, then escapes to the desert.
 
FORBIDDEN GEOMETRIES carries the reader with Princess Karenya as she endures the hardships of the desert and slavery on her quest to find aid for her city from the satrap of Kush.  She is constantly delayed one direction then another.  Through her travels, this scrappy princess learns much about her world and its interesting peoples.  She also discovers the secret behind her geometrical prescience, a magic of ancient alien proportion.
 
Karenya is a woman with skills in healing, swordplay, and leadership in a harsh male-dominated land.  She not only endures but excels because of her mathematical magic and the history behind it.  FORBIDDEN GEOMETRIES is a pleasant read, recommended for sword and sorcery fans who also require a strong female protagonist.

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