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Tris's Book is the second installment of the Circle of Magic quartet by Tamora Pierce. It was first published in 1998 and has since been translated in several other languages. The novel begins only ten days after the four young mages Sandrilene fa Toren, Trisana Chandler, Daja Kisubo, and Briar Moss survived an earthquake in Sandry's Book and it only covers the time span of a few days. But instead of being able to return to a normal schedule for studies they have to help their teachers defend their home. Pirates, with a new powerful weapon, are laying in the cove and there is also someone within the temple community working for the enemy. The four young mages use their magic, along with the help of their teachers, to try to drive off the pirates.

Cover flap summary[]

"Earthquake damage leaves Winding Circle vulnerable to pirate attack, so everyone--including the young mages-in-training Tris, Briar, Daja, and Sandry--is working to strengthen the community's defenses. When Tris's cousin Aymery comes to visit, he advises the "weather witch" to return to the family that exiled her, but she doesn't wish to leave her friends to face the thread without her.
As the onslaught begins, two things become terribly clear: The pirates have a powerful new weapon, and they have an accomplice within Winding Circle. But the attackers have failed to reckon with the fury of a young mage betrayed once too often and her very stubborn, very loyal friends...
"
—Cover flap summary of the Scholastic paperback edition

Plot Summary[]

Tris's Book US 2

Trisana Chandler, ten-year old weather-mage, can't sleep because of the summer's heat. She decides to take a walk on Winding Circle Temple's encircling walls in search of a bit cool air. Her three housemates of the same age, Sandrilene fa Toren—a noble and thread-mage, Daja Kisubo—a trader and smith-mage, and Briar Moss—a former thief and now plant-mage, accompany her. On the wall they hear a distant conversation on the wind. Not long after they first heard the conversation they witness how two close watchtowers, Bit Island and Pirate's Point, explode.

The following morning Niklaren Goldeye, Tris' teacher, takes her to the ruins of Bit Island watchtower. To learn what exactly happened the previous night Niko performs a time spell to see the past. Because this is a very consuming spell and he wants to have enough strength left to take a look at Pirate's Point, he asks Tris to lend him some of her strength. After they witnessed how to men brought a barrel with an unknown substance, killed a guard and were eventually killed themselves in the explosion, Niko places a spell on Tris' spectacles to enable her to see magic. Now she realizes that there had been powerful spells in the foundations of the watchtower, which normally should have protected it from any harm, including magical damage. Before leaving the island Tris discovers a nestling, who—unlike his family—survived the disaster. Tris decides to take him home and care for him, even though Niko advices her against it, telling her how much attention little birds need and that he might still die. When Tris is adamant about her decision he tells her that Rosethorn, Briar's teacher, might be of help because she has experience with raising nestlings.

Tris's Book US 3

Niko continues on to Pirate's Point while Tris returns to Discipline cottage in search of Rosethorn, who in turn sends Briar to the kitchens in the Hub to get the needed food for the nestling. There the boy notices the scent of cinnamon and poppy, which can be used in magic for invisibility. However Briar is convinced that it is just a student playing with magic because he can dimly see the person under the spells, which shouldn't be possible with a proper spell. Meanwhile Sandry and her teacher Lark have been set on making new bandages because the temple's stock on them is terribly low.

Daja, too, is busy with her teacher. Frostpine has reminded the temple's governing council of the centuries old spell-net in the earth around Winding Circle, which might probably be damaged from the earthquake. He and his students set out to search for the pieces of the net. While doing so Daja repeatedly sees an azigazi, a mirage, of a ship in the corner of her eyes. When she looks at it directly, however, it vanishes. After telling Frostpine he and Daja sense for it with their magics, because if it is a real ship it has lots of metal on it. Indeed they feel the metal pieces of a ship, which is armed. After this discovery Frostpine tells his students to hurry up. He wants to warn the temple because no ship hiding can have good intentions and he suspects that it is the scout vessel of a larger pirate fleet.

Tris's Book UK 2

That evening Aymery Glassfire comes to Discipline with the errand of giving Niko a letter from Adelghani Smokewind. Tris recognizes him as her cousin and once they talk in private the conversation reaches Tris' parents and Aymery tells her to go home because her father is ill. Tris refuses, however, and gets angry, calling winds into Rosethorns workroom. A runner for Niko arrives calling him to Moonstream because all the scrying devices in the Hub just shattered, leaving Winding Circle blind to the future.

Very early the next morning Tris walks on the wall surrounding Winding Circle again. She discovers that there is a huge invisible magic box, disguised as a storm, coming slowly toward the temple. Not long afterwards Frostpine calls at Discipline, waking Daja and telling her that they had important, but also dangerous, work to do. With a squad of Duke's Guard the two smith-mages sailed out to the harbor entrance, where two chains prevent unwanted visitors from passing. Daja and Frostpine are to make sure that none of the metal had become weak over time. They begin searching it link for link but before they're finished the fake storm vanished, showing a large pirate fleet. The fleet throws two catapult stones at Tombstone watchtower and Harbormaster's tower, one of them missing and hitting a hidden ship of the duke's navvy just inside the harbor walls. Where the stone hits the ship explodes, tearing the vessel and anyone nearby into pieces. After this incident Frostpine decides that the work has to be done faster and works his own piece of powerful magic, drawing on Daja's strength for it. Meanwhile at Discipline the other three are woken by the explosions in the harbor and see what Daja sees through their bond. They even feel Daja's pain when she is hit by a shred of wood. Its not long until Daja and Frostpine are brought back to the cottage by the guards. The two smith-mages are totally exhausted and are cared for by the other inhabitants of the cottage.

Tris's Book Danish

Danish

The pirate fleet now lays without the invisibility spells and openly shows itself as a threat to Winding Circle. Meanwhile the temple community works its own defensive spells. Mages call a heavy fog up which is supposed to make it more difficult for the pirates to navigate and see and most parts of the spell-net are activated. However, the northern part of the net still stays inactive because the temple is taking villagers in for safety and a group of people is still expected through the north gate.

Aymery asks for and gets permission to stay at Discipline because the dormitories are too full. The whole day all the adults are busy with getting their defenses up. Rosethorn and Briar try to strengthen the protections at the south wall by making a second wall of plants with thorns. When the pirates try to get through this green wall and thus hurt Rosethorn who is still linked to them by her magic and trying to make them stronger, the plants themselves attack them. Briar and girls try to help in their own way by joining their magics again and giveing the plants more strength. Niko is furious with them for doing so, because they meddled with Rosethorn's spell—and shouldn't have been able to enter her spell at all. He takes their cord away from Sandry until they have time to sort things out.

Tris's Book UK 1

UK

While the others are still out at the earth temple baths that evening Briar goes through Aymery's possessions because he doesn't trust the man. Indeed he discovers that something is wrong with the mage student. Aymery's things are too expensive for any normal student. When Briar tells Tris about this later she won't believe him. However, she gets the proof herself in the night when Aymery sneaks out and tries to open the north gate for the pirates. He had put a sleep potion in the food earlier that day to ensure that the dedicates wouldn't notice his actions until it was too late. Tris and Briar heard and followed him. Outside they confront Aymery and learn that he had been working for the pirate mage Enahar all along. The pirates eventually blast the gate open because they are out off patience and kill Aymery. Tris is infuriated enough over this that she calls a hailstorm which wakes the still sleeping dedicates, who can take the pirates out. Tris takes Aymery's earring, which linked him to Enahar.

The next morning the children are left alone at Discipline because everyone else is busy. Together they discover that Tris' lightning can make the boom-stones explode in mid-air, before they do any damage on the ground. They practice on this for a while before the adults return. The four children are sent upstairs while their teachers are in Discipline's main room discussing what is to be done next. Through Tris' power they eavesdrop on them and learn that the adults intent on sending them to Summersea for safety. None of the children want this to happen. So, first Tris—under the pretext of going to the privvy—and later the other three sneak out of Discipline and onto the walls.

Tris's Book Japanese

Japanese

They join their powers again and attack the pirate fleet. Daja calls all the metal out off the ships—nails and weapons alike—and dumps it in the water. Briar calls plants to help, because even on ships there are living things. Sandry notices a strange pattern over the pirate fleet. Tris does the most damage with her lightning, destroying the whole flagship by herself. One by one they are caught in the pattern Sandry noticed earlier and their magic pulled away from them towards Enahar. They are unable to do anything against it until their teachers arrive give them their cord back. With the help of their teachers they can free themselves and destroy Enahar. The Duke's navvy then arrives and takes care of the rest.

Because she killed many people with her power Tris decided to help in the temple's infirmaries care for the wounded. She gets little thanks but Tris doesn't really care. When Niko comes to find her they talk about what she should study next and Tris says that she really needs to learn control, over which both of them agree.

Characters[]

Tris's Book German

German

  • Trisana Chandler - Merchant's daughter; Niko's student; ambient weather mage
  • Jaen - Novice (only mentioned)
  • Willowwater - Water dedicate (only mentioned)
  • Aymery Glassfire - Tris' cousin; academic mage
  • Daja Kisubo - former Trader; outcast; Frostpine's student; ambient smith mage
  • Lark - Earth dedicate; Caretaker of Discipline; ambient thread mage
  • Little Bear - Dog; living at Discipline
  • Briar Moss - former street rat; Rosethorn's student; ambient plant mage
  • Sandrilene fa Toren - Great-niece of Emelan's ruler; Lark's student; ambient thread mage
  • Rosethorn - Earth dedicate; Caretaker of Discipline; ambient plant mage
  • Niklaren Goldeye - Academic mage; specialized in seeing magic
  • Shriek - Starling; found and cared for by Tris
  • Frostpine - Fire dedicate; ambient smith mage
  • Kirel - Novice; Frostpine's apprentice for ironwork
  • Gorse - Dedicate; in charge of kitchens
  • Moonstream - Dedicate Superior of Winding Circle
  • Duke Vedris - Ruler of Emelan
  • Pauha - Pirate Queen (only mentioned)
  • Enahar - Pauha's brother; mage
  • Adelghani Smokewind - Mage; teacher at Lightsbridge University (only mentioned)
  • Valden Chandler - Tris' father (only mentioned)
  • Darra Chandler - Tris' mother (only mentioned)
  • Murris - Tris' uncle (only mentioned)
  • Emmine - Tris' aunt (only mentioned)
  • Uraelle Chandler - Tris' aunt (only mentioned)
  • Crane - Air dedicate
  • Skyfire - Fire dedicate; in charge of defenses

Editions[]

Tris's Book audio

audio book

Besides being published both as hardcover and paperback editions—with reissues--Tris's Book has also been made into an audio book by Full Cast Audio. The novel has also been translated in other languages, among them Danish, Japanese, and German. The German title of the book is Die magische Flotte (The magical fleet) with Arena as the publisher. The Japanese title is Torisu to Inazuma no Ya ("Tris and the Arrow of Lightning"). The Danish publisher Forlaget Tellerup translated the title with Vejrheksen. In the British edition the title has been changed to The Power in the Storm .

Audio book cast[]

  • David Baker: Gorse
  • Gabrielle Barry-Caufield: Daja
  • Cynthia Bishop: Lark
  • Daniel Bostick: Skyfire
  • Bruce Coville: Niko
  • Maureen Harrington: Rosethorn
  • Mark Holt: Kirel
  • Tim Liebe: Crane
  • Caroline Manolakos: Sandry
  • Alice Morigi: Moonstream
  • Gerard Moses: Duke Vedris
  • Carolin Murphy: Briar
  • Tamora Pierce: Narrator
  • Brian Pringle: Frostpine
  • Darrin Revitz: Tris
  • Richard Ugino: Glassfire
  • Directed by: Bruce Coville

External links[]

See also[]

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