Customer Reviews

Carousel Tides

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an abridged version of my review posted over at GoodReads.com.

Finally! The book I have been waiting for since...whoa, since War for the Oaks or the last Charles DeLint I got my hands on. Come with me to Archers Beach, a tiny Maine coastal village which has barely hung on during the tourist season the past ten years or so. It's an old place, full of fog and three-story, peeling tupelo wood cottages. There's a pier that seasonally runs rides and games of chance, with a roller coaster shaped like a dragon and a carousel that could do guest appearances in a Ray Bradbury story.

Kate Archer has been in self-imposed exile for a long time, but a phone call about foreclosing on the family carousel sends her back in a panic to Maine. Her grandmother, Bonny Pepperidge, not only disappeared months ago, but she first signed over the carousel, cottage, AND the family Land into Kate's keeping. And the Land is not just ground and buildings. Because behind the boulders on the shore, during low tide, and under Archers Beach piers -- off the bow of the lobster boats, and up on the rocky hillsides, there's another world.

Kate Archer is the heir to power - power she feels she has misused, and so she is dying as a result of her exile. But Archers Beach doesn't have much time. There are wards that must be strengthened, prisoners to be guarded and strangeness to be watched and defended against. She has allies she does not know, old friends she is not sure will welcome her, and a couple of enemies who might be willing to call a truce.

"Did you pay your respects to the sea, Kate?" she can almost hear her Gran say. Kate always pays her respects to the sea, and its denizens, from the tiny loon to the selkies. Now they tell her that the Old Woman was expected back before the New Year. And no matter which new year you used, Bonny Pepperidge has been gone too long.

Here we have magic and history, we have regret and the tiny bloom of love. This book is seamless, the work of a master who knows what she's doing. If you love contemporary fantasy, if you can't get enough of Charles DeLint's Newford work, if you've been waiting for another great fantasy - this one is for you.

I am not going to summarize or retell the story, that's been done. Instead I'd like to describe the feel of the story. Ever imagine coming upon a friendly group huddled around a camp fire telling their stories on a cool evening in the woods? That's what this story is like. I would liken it to some of Charles DeLint's early work, a bard's tale that asks us to suspend disbelief, warm our feet by the fire and listen to a tale of wonder and woe. I love a story that allows me to forget everything else for a while and immerse myself in another world. So if you allow it, this story will take you away to a fantastical place called Maine where the air smells of the sea, the gulls never agree and anything can happen.

This book, written by half of the brillant team who created the Liaden universe, is a fresh look at some old themes. Kate Archer, the proverbial prodigal daughter is returning home to coastal Maine to find out why her grandmother has gone AWOL, abadoning the family responsiblity - the carousel at the local fun fair. Coming home is never easy and when Kate discovers it is up to her to get the carousel into shape for summers, she is unprepared for what she has to face in the present and issues from her past.

For those of you who picked the book based on the cover may be a little disappointed in the first few chapters "where's the fairies and the handsome princes and the funny looking horse" Sharon Lee so skillfully weaves the fantastic into the everyday that you are about 3 pages past before you realise that Kate has been talking to selkies and tree spirits instead of people in town!! Once again Sharon Lee has presented a beautifully crafted tale that is a great frist read but with so many layers that you will want to go back and explore further. A complete story in itself, we can only hope that there is many more stories from this intriuging worlds (or the other 5!) that have been created in this novel. Fans of Liaden will enjoy the new universe and newcomers will defintely enjoy this marvolous "coastal" urban fantasy.

I loved it and heartily recommend it lovers of good fiction everywhere.

Plot's been summarized elsewhere. It was a good plot, and I liked it as I tore through the book for the first time and expect to like it when I reread, and it wraps up nicely while also leaving room for a sequel (pretty please?) But the thing I liked most about Carousel Tides was the way it respected genre elements without falling into triteness. There are selkies, and fae from other dimensions, and people (using the term loosely) with a mystic tie to the land or the ocean, but they are also clearly, complexly characterized individuals. There's a romance subplot, but you can see why the characters are interested in each other, and it's not - entirely - due to some supernatural link between them. And it doesn't lead them to pay too much attention to having sex with each other and too little to the things that may kill them. The fantasy elements aren't slapped helter-skelter on top of the contemporary reality; they are entwined. The nonhumans are mysterious, and "other," and as capable of being good or evil or petty as are the humans. It all fits together remarkably well, and I recommend it.

I've been a fan of Sharon Lee and Steve Miller ever since I picked up my first Liaden novel, fifteen years ago. So I was happy to see Sharon Lee's solo novel, Carousel Tides.

Sharon Lee is deft at giving us lively, enjoyable characters, and this novel is no exception. From the first page, the cynical, self-deprecating heroine is a treat to read. She's funny, astute, torn, and full of foibles, just the way a good protagonist should be. Oh, and quite capable of kicking ass. Having a dose of fey blood always helps with fast healing.

The other characters don't shirk their duties, either. Each one is fully alive, with quirks and personality. Fortunately, I don't have to pick a favorite, but if I did, it just might be Bob, the café owner who makes lousy coffee. Nobody's perfect.

From the first time I heard about this book, I was fascinated. A carousel? In a tiny amusement park in an equally tiny town on the Maine coast? What a setting! And the idea that a carousel would be used by the fey (called Trenvay) as a prison for six of their most notorious criminals... let's just say I'm choosing my animal carefully the next time I get on a merry-go-round.

One of the best things about the book is the interwoven worlds - many of the crusty Maine villagers are really Trenvay - selkies, tree sprites, etc., (and let's not leave out the snallygasters, Black Dogs, and willie wisps), all a natural part of our world, but with the ability to interact with other worlds. We see all this through the eyes of Kate Archer, daughter of a tree sprite and a prince from the Land of Flowers. Not a full Trenvay, Kate is nevertheless Guardian of the Land in this little village, and she has an important job: keeping the wards in place so those six criminals don't escape to destroy the world.

Oh, and running the carousel during the summer season.

Kate has demons of her own to fight, and they rear up constantly to beat her down, along with the minions of a local drug runner, who is killing the land with his poison. Her grandmother has disappeared, and Kate soon learns that the evil mage who killed her father's family has come to our world, determined to take it over. With the help of the town's Trenvay population, Kate must gain enough power to destroy the mage, capture the drug runners, keep the prisoners in place, and heal the damaged land.

And get the carousel cleaned up for opening day.

Don't skip over this book. I highly recommend it.

Carousel Tides is an urban fantasy about a young woman, Kate Archer, who comes home from a self-imposed exile to find her grandmother missing and herself the new owner of a magical carousel. When I first began this book, I was intrigued with the premise of the story. Who was Kate? Why had she left? What kind of magical creatures inhabited the carousel? As the story unfolded, I found myself more confused than anything. I felt like I was trying to catch up to a narrative that was leaving me behind to muddle through what had just happened with no explanations. It did become clearer, but the effort left me somewhat alienated from the story. The major problem I had was that I couldn't understand Kate's motives. She came across as ambiguous most of the time, and only seemed to really care when she was forced to. Because of that, it was hard to be fully vested in what happened to her. That said, the book came to a satisfying conclusion which answered most of my questions, although I was somewhat disappointed after such a fascinating beginning.

This is Sharon Lee doing urban fantasy in her personal style but reminding me of Charles de Lint or early Emma Bull. I loved the seamless integration of the concept of Faerie (and the explanation for their existence), the magic system and the connection to the magic of this world, personified in nature spirits at this Maine coast amusement park town.

But as always with Lee, the characters shine the most, from the human people who welcome the powerful, honourable but a bit too earnest heroine back after ten years. To the various nature spirits who help or hinder her work, to the family ties of known grandmother and lost mother and surprisingly unknown grandfather - up to a very believable understated love interest who is as dedicated to his guardianship as she is.

And then the amusement park setting and the carousel, especially the batwing horse ^^. I would LOVE to read more with the same characters, really, although the end is totally satisfying in and of itself.

This review actually isn't from the paperback but the ebook version you can buy at BAEN's Webscription.net.

The Guardian Returns

Carousel Tides (2010) is a standalone urban Fantasy novel. It is set in and around Archers Beach, Maine, a small town on the seacoast. The village depends upon the tourist trade for its revenue, but the only real draw is the Fun Country amusement park.

In this novel, Katherine Fae Archer is a young woman who is the Guardian of the Land within the township. But Kate had moved away from Archers Beach a decade ago to remove her death taint from the Land. She went as far as possible from the ocean.

Ebony Pepperidge is Kate's grandmother and co-owner of the Fantasy Menagerie Merry-go-Round at Fun Country. Bonny is a dryad, belonging to a large Gum tree. She had taught Kate the responsibilities of a Guardian.

Borgan is a tevaney, a sea sprite of some sort. He has recently come from Halifax with the Gray Lady, a beautiful Tancook Schooner.

Nancy Vois is a mechanic. Two years ago, she had worked for Kate's grandmother on the carousel.

Anna Lee is the wife of Tony Lee. She and her husband own the Chinese Kitchen restaurant at Fun Country.

In this story, Kate receives a notice from the Fun Country management demanding payment for her space in the park. She tries to call her grandmother many times without results. So she leaves Albuquerque and drives home.

She arrives in Archers Beach just after five AM. Fog covers everything as she parks her car in a municipal lot. She goes walking along the beach.

Under the pier, someone greets her with a word. The man is tall and wide, with strong muscles. He introduces himself as Borgan, captain of a local fishing boat.

Borgan is drinking coffee from a styrofoam cup. He tells Kate that Bob's Diner is open, but first she goes home to check out the house. It is thoroughly locked, so she goes to get breakfast. Bob's coffee is still as bad as she remembers, but the grilled blueberry muffins are even better than her memories.

Kate meets Nancy at the diner and discusses her time working for Bonny. Bob gives her the house keys and an envelope. Kate puts the keys in her pocket and tucks the envelope under her arm, then goes home to Tupelo House.

After unloading the groceries, Kate reluctantly opens the envelope. Inside the envelope are a bank book, legal papers and a note from her grandmother. Kate starts with the bank book, noticing that there is enough money in the bank to pay the Fun Country fee.

The legal papers give Kate title to the house, the carousel, the company, and the property on Heath Hill. The note just tells her that her grandmother is going away, but should be back by the turn of the year. It does not say where she is going or what she will be doing.

By now, Bonny is way overdue. Kate starts asking about her, but none has seen her for months. Then Kate goes to Heath Hill and checks out her grandmother's tree. She notices a bit of blight in the trunk and knows that Bonny had better return soon.

Kate hires Nancy to work on the carousel machinery. Anna volunteers to help Kate to refurbish the fantasy animals. And Kate buys a telephone answering machine for the house.

This tale leaves Kate in a mess. Her grandmother is missing, the park is opening early, the bindings on the spirits in the carousel need renewal, and the land is failing. She also believes that Borgan is using his glamour on her.

This novel ends with most of the plotlines resolved and no signs of a sequel. Yet the reader is left wanting more. Read and enjoy!

Highly recommended for Lee fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of magical powers, powerful sorcerers, and small town relationships.

-Arthur W. Jordin

I downloaded this from Audible. It is narrated by Elisabeth Rodgers who is a new-to-me reader; however, I did enjoy the voice she gave to this fantasy novel with a hint of an accent that lent verisimilitude to the narration. I'll be watching for her name in the future.

As for the book itself, I enjoyed it-- a lot. Lee deals delicately with the issue of abuse while not minimizing its impact on the survivor. Her heroine, Kate Archer, shows growth through the narrative as she learns to pick up responsibilities and discard past baggage. I particularly liked the fact that although there is a thread of romance, emotions are not used as a solve-everything panacea. Lee's use of faery and magic combines both traditional fairy tale tropes and contemporary issues.

I checked Lee's website and noted that there may be at least one future book set at Archer's Beach-- I certainly hope so.

Conclusion? Way better than average borderlands (the border of the mundane world and the world of magic) story with a strong, fresh narrator when it comes to the audio version.

I love the Liaden universe that this author and her husband have created in other books. In this book though she stays on Earth but gives a lovely fairy twist to it creating a Maine that is filled with magic and magical creatures but somehow seems normal. Not everyone can do that.

As usual her character development is excellent and you feel like you know the people in the book by the time you are done. I hope there is a second book expanding it even more. And it would be great to visit Maine and see the scenery of the area it is based on.

Some people think they don't like science fiction. Well, this isn't science fiction. It is a novel with some magic in it which is a great introduction to this writer's work. As with all her work this book is great for men and women and teens.