Farsala Trilogy

The three books in this YA trilogy -- Fall of a Kingdom, Rise of a Hero, and Forging the Sword- were published by Hilari Bell from 2003 to 2006. The story- that of a pseudo-Arabian land called Farsala attempting to resist invasion -- is told in alternating perspectives by three very different characters: Kavi, Jiaan, and Soraya. They are, respectively, a repentant traitor, a bastard, and a deghass fighting to keep their land free for a year, after which the Hrum will retreat.

The land of Farsala, as has been mentioned, is a close parallel to Persia, and the Hrum are, for all practical purposes, the Romans. Hilari Bell does not go out of her way to emphasize this, however- she uses the two cultures to build a world familiar to her readers and then lets the story take over. The text is also littered with bits of world-building that seem to be mostly her own invention. As a result, the Farsala Trilogy stands out among young adult fantasy trilogies about three teenagers trying to save the world.

It is also noteworthy for its understated commentary about how heroes arise. In the first book, the chapters are intercut with shorter, Purple Prose-y sections telling the actual Persian myth of Sorahb, which includes the detail that he will be reborn when Farsala needs a champion. The later two books are intercut with sentences written in the same tone, which recount highly romanticized versions of the events in the books, all credited to the entirely nonexistant "Sorahb reborn."

Fall of a Kingdom was originally titled Flame and part of a series titled "The Books of Sorahb," but the second and third novels have no alternate titles.

Tropes used in Farsala Trilogy include:
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