First Test

Kel will not allow this first test to be her last.

The adventure begins in the New York Times bestselling series from the fantasy author who is a legend herself: Tamora Pierce.
 
A powerful classic that is more timely than ever, the Protector of the Small series is about smashing the ceilings others place above you.

Keladry of Mindelan is the first girl who dares to take advantage of the new rule that allows women to train for knighthood.

But standing in Kel’s way is Lord Wyldon the training master, who is dead set against girls becoming knights. A woman should be lovely. A woman should be charming. A woman should not be deadly.

Wyldon demands Kel pass a one-year trial that no male page has ever had to endure. It’s just one more way to separate Kel from her fellow trainees. Kel must prove herself twice as good as her male peers just to be thought equal. But she is not to be underestimated.

Kel will fight to succeed, even when odds are stacked against her. Book one of a powerful and classic fantasy quartet about smashing the ceilings others place above you, by the bestselling author of the Song of the Lioness series and Tempests and Slaughter.

A series that touches on questions of courage, friendship, a humane perspective – told against a backdrop of a magical, action-packed fantasy adventure.

‘I take more comfort from and as great pleasure in Tamora Pierce’s Tortall novels as I do from Game of Thrones’ – Washington Post

Reviews

‘Tamora Pierce didn’t just blaze a trail. Her heroines cut a swath through the fantasy world with wit, strength, and savvy. Pierce is the real lioness, and we’re all just running to keep pace.’
LEIGH BARDUGO, #1 New York Times bestselling author

‘Tamora Pierce creates epic worlds populated by girls and women of bravery, heart, and strength. Her work inspired a generation of writers and continues to inspire us.’
HOLLY BLACK, #1 New York Times bestselling author

‘Tamora Pierce’s books shaped me not only as a young writer but also as a young woman. Her complex, unforgettable heroines and vibrant, intricate worlds blazed a trail for young
adult fantasy—and I get to write what I love today because of the path she forged throughout her career. She is a pillar, an icon, and an inspiration.’
SARAH J. MAAS, #1 New York Times bestselling author

‘I take more comfort from and as great a pleasure in Tamora Pierce's Tortall novels as I do from Game of Thrones.’
Washington Post

About the author

Tamora Pierce is the New York Times bestselling author of the The Song of the Lioness series, The Numair Chronicles, The Immortals series and The Protector of the Small quartet.

Pierce was born in South Connellsville, Pennsylvania and her parents were originally going to call her ‘Tamara’, but the nurse who filled out her birth certificate had never heard of that name before and accidentally misspelled it.

A passionate reader from an early age, devouring encyclopaedias, Dr Seuss books and J.R.R. Tolkien, writing helped Pierce get through her parents’ divorce. In her junior year at college, she sold her first story and went on to publish The Song of the Lioness in 1983: changing the landscape of fantasy fiction forever. An award-winning, multiple New York Times bestselling author whose books have been published all over the world, Pierce lives in New York with her husband.