Title: Mastiff
Author: Tamora Pierce
Series: Beka Cooper #3, Tortall #3
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Medieval fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Random House
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: “She needs to sniff the riverbank,” Tunstall said.

THE HUNT IS ON!

Three years have passed since Beka Cooper almost died in the sewers of Port Caynn, and she is now a respected member of the Provost’s Guard. But her life takes an unexpected turn when her fiance is killed on a slave raid. Beka is faced with a mixture of emotions as, unbeknownst to many, she was about to call the engagement off.

It is as Beka is facing these feelings that Lord Gershom appears at her door. Within hours, Beka; her partner, Tunstall; her scent hound, Achoo; and an unusual but powerful mage are working on an extremely secretive case that threatens the future of the Tortallan royal family, and therefore the entire Tortallan government. As Beka delves deeper into the motivations of the criminals she now Hunts, she learns of deep-seated political dissatisfaction, betrayal, and corruption. These are people with power, money, and influence. They are able to hire the most skilled of mages, well versed in the darkest forms of magic. And they are nearly impossible to identify.

This case – a Hunt that will take her to places she’s never been – will challenge Beka’s tracking skills beyond the city walls, as well as her ability to judge exactly whom she can trust with her life and her country’s future.

I love this conclusion to Beka’s tale. From the very first page, you know that she is the famous ancestress of George Cooper and there is an allusion to the fact that she was incredibly famous. Terrier and Bloodhound both make you think that this could be the tale. But Mastiff is so amazingly obviously the reason why Beka is so famous. It’s a great tale of betrayal and trust, fate and destiny. But also, just a great crime story and hunt. After all, Beka is a dog on a mission.

I really loved Master Farmer in this story. He’s an incredibly unorthodox magician, and someone that I steadily fell in love with more and more throughout every scene. Although Beka is quite rigid and an adamant pursuer of justice, Farmer is quite possibly completely cracked. He pokes fun at everyone and manages to find a way to seemingly enjoy himself every step of the way. The balance between the characters is really well written. Not only did it help to round out the cast, but it was also a fantastic way in which to balance out Beka’s quite intense characterisation. Although I do enjoy her intensity and independence, it was nice to have a more obviously humorous character throughout this hunt.

One of the things that I really love about this series is that it starts with Eleni Cooper’s introduction to Beka’s past. Throughout the storyline, she meets with many other ancestors of the characters which I have begun to know and love throughout the tales of Tortall. Ending the tale with George’s impression of his ancestor and her famous cat really helped to bring this full circle. The fact that it is so seamlessly woven throughout her tale just makes the mastery of Pierce’s work even more enthralling. It provides an extra layer to the tale of Tortall and gives it a function and form that spreads over generations, rather than characters in the same years.

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Title: Bloodhound
Author: Tamora Pierce
Series: Beka Cooper #2, Tortall #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Medieval fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Omnibus Books
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: I will write my proper Sunday journal tonight.

Beka Cooper is finally a Dog – a fully fledged member of the Provost’s Guard, dedicated to keeping peace in Corus. But there’s unrest in Tortall’s capital. Counterfeit coins are turning up all over the city, and merchants are raising prices to cover their losses. To avert a looming crisis, Beka delves deep into the gambling world, and she won’t let anything – or anyone – jeopardize her mission. To succeed she’ll have to learn to sniff out the criminals – to be a bloodhound…

No matter how many times I read the Beka Cooper series, I am entranced by the stunningly simple and provocative words. This time, Beka is after forgers and her chase brings her to the bright and vibrant port city. Here Beka is not only forced to face up to a Rogue gone very wrong, but also her own feelings towards a man, and the first movements of a binary view on women that are beginning to surface. This story is not only a great addition to the world of Tortall, but it begins to tell the tale of just why Alanna is forced to hide her gender when she becomes a knight many generations later.

One of the reasons I have long loved Pierce’s books is that she normally focuses on a female as the story’s hero. The sexism that is inherent throughout the world is normally quietly written into the story. But, in Bloodhound Cooper and Goodwin are told in no uncertain terms that women can’t do the same job as men. That they are meeker, should be veiled and certainly aren’t up to the rigours of crime work. Beka’s ability to capture the criminal that no one else is willing to tackle definitely begs to differ. I love that although there are many who think that Cooper isn’t able to stop a potential kingdom destroyer down because of her gender and her background, she ignores them and acts in a morally inspiring way. It is also a wonderful reminder that we can all find our own autonomy, regardless of what others think and say.

There is something terrifying about someone idiotic being in power… (anyone thinking of America right now?). Pearl is the perfect example of this – power, drive and an inability to think beyond immediate pleasure are a horrible mixture in such a vindictive package. It is a pleasure to see the karmic justice which is meted out to her.

This is one of the darker stories of the world of Tortall, although, the entire Beka Cooper series flows in this vein. It really makes you look further into crimes and the reasons why people commit them. It makes you question what is morally right and wrong, and what would happen in a lawless existence. Or at least, a world like Beka’s where corruption and bribery has an overt place in society…

Image source: Wikipedia

Title: Terrier
Author: Tamora Pierce
Series: Beka Cooper #1, Tortall #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Medieval fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Omnibus Books
Year: 2006
5th sentence, 74th page: I do love it there during the day.

Beka Cooper is a trainee Dog in the Lower City. It’s a tough beat, but it’s where she was born. Shy Beka’s talent is listening to the ghosts that pigeons carry, the cries of the unhappy dead. When she hears of a brutal underlord committing crimes against the children of her city, it is up to her and her Dogs to see justice done.

It doesn’t matter how many times I read this book – I love it every damn time. Although Terrier is another tale set in the world of Tortall, it is so incredibly unique and different from the other tales set in this world. Partly this is because it is set hundreds of years before the Song of the Lioness Quartet, but it’s also because Beka is just so completely different from the other heroines throughout the series. she is from a lower social class than any of the other characters, and occupies a world that is nothing like the rest of the realm of Tortall that we’ve been introduced to.

Although Beka is different to the other heroines that I have thus far had the privilege to meet throughout the series, she is also similar in one key way – she’ll do anything to see justice served, and constantly goes out of her way to protect those in her care. It is this that earns Beka the nickname ‘Terrier’ and leads her on a merry chase through the slums of Corus in pursuit of a murderer and kidnapper. Her bravery and innate sense of what is right and wrong is inspiring, and it drives the storyline beautifully – it is impossible to put down when you know that Beka is trying to save children and the poor from almost certain death.

Diaries are a great way to hide our inner thoughts, secrets, dreams and hopes – so reading a story that is written as a diary gave Beka’s words and journey so much more emotions and potency throughout the story. Reading her diary takes you through Beka’s experiences as she undergoes her first months of puppy training – every moment, every trial and tribulation is lived alongside Beka as she struggles to find her place in the world and search for justice amongst her childhood companions.

Image source: Tamora Pierce Wiki