Cup of Clay (Taliswoman, Bk 1) [Paperback]

Carole Nelson Douglas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1994 | Series: Taliswoman, Bk 1

The first book in the Taliswoman trilogy, by the bestselling author of Good Night, Mr. Holmes. Reporter Allison Carver finds herself in the Land of Veil, a once-pristine world now on the verge of ruin. Her only guide is Rowan, a quarrelsome fellow on a quest for the powerful Cup of Earth.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A Minnesota newspaper reporter suddenly finds herself in the devastated world of Veil, where water is frequently poisonous and children are cast out because of mutations (or birth-banes) in this ecologically oriented fantasy. Alison Carver rescues five ragged, feral children, who call themselves the Littlelost, from a band of depraved miners. Soon afterward, she encounters a young man named Rowan, who informs her that Veil is a world of magic that has fallen on hard times because the earth has been poisoned. Rowan is on his way to a music competition to contend for the Cup of Earth, which has properties that can restore his blighted land of Desmeyne. When Alison enters the contest and wins the cup, Rowan is devastated, particularly when she reveals she is a woman; in sexist Veil females are highly sheltered and considered intellectually inferior. Although Alison agrees to use the powers of the Cup to aid Desmeyne, many barriers remain, including the prejudice of Rowan's people against Alison and the Littlelost. A spirited heroine, Alison aids the hero in his first quest and then bows out--for the time being only, one presumes, since this is the first of a projected trilogy by Douglas ( Good Night, Mr. Holmes ).
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

A Minneapolis reporter discovers that her family's island retreat has become a gateway to another world in this first novel of a series set in the troubled land of Veil. Douglas (the "Sword and Circlet" trilogy) treads the borderline between fantasy and allegory as her modern-world heroine faces the forces of evil in the all-too-familiar guises of environmental pollution and chronic child abuse. Strong characterizations and polished writing make this a recommended title for most fantasy collections.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 393 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (January 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812512480
• ISBN-13: 978-0812512489
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,539,521 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

With her home office a Twilight Zone landscape of mannequins in vintage dress, no wonder award-winning ex-journalist and novelist Carole Nelson Douglas's 55 novels range from historical and contemporary mystery and romance to science fiction thrillers to high and urban fantasy. They include two Las Vegas-set series: the Midnight Louie, feline PI, mysteries partially narrated by a "Sam Spade with hairballs" and the Delilah Street, Paranormal Investigator, noir urban fantasies of werewolf mobsters and Silver Screen zombies in a paranormal Vegas.

Douglas was the first author of a Sherlockian series with a female protagonist, diva-detective Irene Alder, the only woman to outwit Holmes, debuting with the New York Times Notable Book of the Year, Good Night, Mr. Holmes. Rachel McAdams plays Irene in the Dec. 25 film with Robert Downey, Jr. as Sherlock. Douglas says if she has a literary muse, it's definitely feline: mysterious, wise, playful, and packing sharp shivs in velvet gloves.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Book, August 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Cup of Clay (Taliswoman) (Hardcover)

I have always despised novels that tried to mix fantasy and reality, but Cup of Clay was a wonderful breath of fresh air. The characters are neither perfect nor heinous, but realistically flawed. Though some elements of the plot were predictable, there were quite a few unexpected twists. Finally the unique setting and culture drew me into the world of Veil and kept me enthralled until the end. The pleasure continues in the second novel "Seed upon the Wind" and I am anxiously awaiting the third book in the series.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars not GREAT, but good enough, March 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Cup of Clay (Taliswoman) (Hardcover)

I'm a VORACIOUS reader. And this was good enough. I've had books that were so bad I couldn't get through the first chapter, much less finish the book. But, I liked this book, and the follow-up book, and I'm waiting for the third now. Granted, when I read this I was still in Highschool. Trying to find a fantasy book that entertains as well as feeds a highschool girls sense of growing feminism is hard to do. Usually, the women in fantasy books are extremes. Either powerful beyond belief or weak beyond bearing. Alison is just normal. Yes, she's hypocritical in that she adores Native American philosophy and doesn't like the Desymene society. But that's true to her character. She's a Caucasian female of the 90's who is a reporter. A lot of caucasians (and other ethnicities in america) enjoy saying "Oh, I have *Indian* in my family" but they don't truly understand or respect the traditions that ARE very similar in some instances to the Desmeyne traditions.

Either way, I enjoyed this book because it appealed to the girl in me who wants to do something special, to be something special, and who wants to save the world...even if it's not my own.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I LOVE this book!, December 15, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Cup of Clay (Taliswoman, Bk 1) (Paperback)

i first came across cup of clay while doing a book report for my ninth grade class, and was stunned when the story knocked me off my feet. i dug through a million layers of sellers to get the second book, and have written letters to carole nelson douglas begging her to write the third. ms. douglas, if you're reading this - BLACKMAIL YOUR PUBLISHERS! finish the story!