Bronwyn's Bane [Mass Market Paperback]

Elizabeth Ann Scarborough (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1984

Sleeping Beauty had it easy. Her curse only made her take a nap when she turned 16. As if it wasn’t bad enough already that because of her frost giant heritage from her father the king’s side of the family she was 6 feet tall when she was only 12 years old, poor Princess Bronwyn (the Bold) of Argonia was cursed at birth to tell nothing but lies. With her father away at war and her mother heavily pregnant, Bronwyn is even more in the way than usual, so she gets packed off to Wormroost, her aunt’s place in the glaciers, and en route she meets her musician/magician cousin Carole , a not-so-brave gypsy lad, and a princess-turned-swan. The lot of them encounter monsters, sorcerers, sea serpents, mercenary mages and sirens--many of whom are related to them. Without quite intending to, they embark on a quest to end the war, heal a battle-ravaged land, end a ban on magic and lift Bronwyn’s Bane.

L. Sprague de Camp said, “I found BRONWYN’S BANE delightful reading. I wish I had her fertility of imagination in thinking up amusing twists, turns and business of plot.”

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Bantam (December 1, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553251031
• ISBN-13: 978-0553251036
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,540,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Altogether I've written and collaborated on 38 novels, 22 solo and 16 in collaboration with the fabulous Anne McCaffrey.
Among my solo novels is THE HEALER'S WAR, the 1989 Nebula Award winner for best novel, loosely based on my experiences as a nurse in Vietnam.
I have also written a traditional, though humorous, 4-book fantasy series, SONGS FROM THE SEASHELL ARCHIVES, a feminist Arabian Nights fantasy, two fantasies set in the Wild West and the Yukon Goldrush respectively, my obligatory science fiction writer's apocalypse book and the sequel, both set in Tibet, and three books about folk music and magic that made a big hit with the Library of Congress Folk Music Archives, which I blew up in the first book. Three of my books are about fairy godmothers, one is about Christmas and computers, one features Sir Walter Scott in a Victorian gothic mystery set in Edinburgh, and two are about Queen Cleopatra as the living "Past life" of two different women.
Just last week I released for the first time anywhere, a new e-book (available soon as Print on Demand as well), SPAM VS THE VAMPIRE. Spam is a cat whose mistress disappears suddenly, leaving him and his 14 feline housemates alone and soon to starve. When someone breaks into the house, Spam takes the opportunity to escape into the outside world, where he's actually never been before, to hunt for his human, or at least some other human to feed and care for him and his friends until their friend Darcy comes back. The more he hunts, the more he becomes sure that she is not going to be coming back on her own.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic book, August 8, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Bronwyn's Bane (Mass Market Paperback)

I cannot wait to read more of Elizabeth Scarborough's work after finishing "Bronwyn's Bane" a few days ago. "Bronwyn's Bane" is a delightful story of a princess' curse, told with a mesmerizing tongue-in-cheek style, reminiscent of the "Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series. What makes Scarborough's characters so fascinating is their dry, quirky wit, and their talent for stumbling into one troublesome situation after another. Scarborough's royalty, rather than being elegant, sage and lofty, is verbose, well-meaning but clumsy. All of her characters -- mermaids, gypsies, princess swans, ogre sorceresses -- are endearing, charming characters, and have great hearts -- despite the fact that they often get on each other's nerves. Scarborough also has one of the best and most foresightful imaginations I have encountered. Scarborough, for example, connects omnivorous sea-monsters that come ashore in the dark (terrorizing the islanders) with the islander's toxic contamination of the waters, which in fact created the giantic horrors. Ms. Scarborough has an excellent hand at very effective and thought-provoking irony, as well as an understanding of wit and human nature. "Bronwyn's Bane" is an ingenious,tongue-in-cheek tapestry of imagination, and I am delighted to have found Ms. Scarborough's work. I look forward to reading as many of her other works that I can find.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars high energy, fun tale, May 9, 2007

By 

T. Herman "technical communicator in training" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bronwyn's Bane (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was written with such humor! Bronwyn is cursed and cannot tell the truth. It isn't that she just says the opposite of what she means, she concocts elaborate stories that just make the reader grin. The adventurers meet mermaids, a talking tapeworm, wizards, and a talking swan. Lots of things talk in this book. I think this book would be wonderful for young adults, but it is still entertaining for any age.

There are some odd errors not caught by editing in the later part of the book. My copy is from the first print. I'm guessing these mistakes were caught in later editions.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT! I love this book!, May 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Bronwyn's Bane (Mass Market Paperback)

I love books that're quest fantasy, but the usual serious dry way authors tell it is boring. I want humor, a kind of tongue-in-cheek thing, and Bronwyn's Bane is the perfect book for that. If you're sick and tired of blood, guts, and gore fantasy, try this!