Changing Fate [Kindle Edition]

Elisabeth Waters (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Akila uses her wits and her shape-changing abilities to save her brother Briam when their home is besieged. But that leaves them both on the run, with Akila trying to keep them safe, while Briam finds more trouble to get into. When he is chosen as year-king in the city of Diadem, Akila struggles to save his life, finding help in the most unexpected places.

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 424 KB
• Publisher: Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust; 2nd edition (October 13, 2008)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B001I461MI
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,832 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #4 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Children's Nonfiction > People & Places > Action & Adventure

More About the Author

Elisabeth Waters sold her first short story in 1980 to Marion Zimmer Bradley for THE KEEPER'S PRICE, the first of the Darkover anthologies. She then went on to sell dozens of short stories to a variety of anthologies. Her first novel, a fantasy called CHANGING FATE, was awarded the 1989 Gryphon Award. She is now working on a sequel to it, in addition to her short story writing and anthology editing.

She has also worked as a supernumerary with the San Francisco Opera, where she appeared in La Gioconda, Manon Lescaut, Madama Butterfly, Khovanschina, Das Rheingold, Werther, and Idomeneo.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shape-changing, Year-kings, romance..., June 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Changing Fate (Paperback)

Elisabeth Waters manages to fit it all into this comparatively slim novel. Remarkable in its lack of stereotypes, Changing Fate is a truly enjoyable fantasy.

Shape-changer Acila is forced to leave her home when it is captured by a Lord Ranulf. She and her dreamy, impractical brother, Briam, eventually come to the city of Diadem. In a kingdom of women-rulers, Briam is chosen as Year-king-- one scheduled to be sacrificed at the end of the summer.

Acila's certainly not going to stand for it! But how to rescue him? With the help of Druscilla, the reluctant heir to the crown of Diadem, her companion, Wolf (incidentally a wolf) and her own unique powers, Acila knows she must save Briam.

The characters are done very well. There are no villains in Changing Fate. The Queen sacrifices Year-kings merely to keep her people happy; Lord Ranulf...well, he's not at all a cold-hearted invader. I particularly liked the handling of Druscilla, a competent and intelligent woman whom everyone underestimates at first, including Acila. If you're at all into fantasy, Changing Fate is that rare and obscure book that is a must.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant, fresh, light-weight fantasy; romantic elements., November 9, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Northeast, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Changing Fate (Paperback)

_Changing Fate_ is an enjoyable fantasy adventure. Elisabeth Waters is not overly ambitious in her world-building, but she doesn't recycle: nary an elf or a unicorn in sight. The main characters are intelligent without being improbably bright. Lack of purple prose and sentimental meanderings make this book more palatable than many other contemporary romantic fantasies. The hero, a young woman hiding her shape-shifting ability, is forced to abandon her ancestral home and undergoes a number of adventures. Most conflicts are solved with mis-direction or flight: there is only one short sword-fight.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A pleasant, enjoyable read, February 19, 2000

By 

Sarah M Caughey (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Changing Fate (Paperback)

CHANGING FATE is one of those fantasy books that, sadly, seem to be going out of style; that is, an uncomplicated yet imaginative and interesting plot, realistic characters you can relate to, and almost no sex or violence. It is a great book to read when you are relaxing, because it doesn't send you on an emotional roller-coaster, but it still holds your attention and keeps you entertained. I would like very much to see more from Ms. Waters.