Customer Reviews

Cup of Clay (Taliswoman, Bk 1)

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

 

 

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.

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.

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!

This is cross-over fantasy insertion, meaning the main character is taken from her modern life and thrust straight into a strange fantasy realm. It's not urban fantasy, because it doesn't take place in a modern (or city) setting, and it's written in a third person perspective. It resembles Landover (Brooks), The Spellsong Sorceress (Modesitt), and The Chronicles of The Unbeliever (Donaldson).

What if instead of writing a story in which the protagonist is a male self-hating leper, Stephen R. Donaldson had written his saga of The Unbeliever starring a not-prone-to-angst, Taekwondo-practicing, inquisitive female newspaper reporter? That's what the story of Alison of Island-Not felt like. Same mysterious crossover into the fantasy realm, same epic-type quest, same allegorical traveling companions.

And unlike poor sick Thomas Covenant who rebelled against his role as a savior, I rooted for Alison, who takes an attitude of 'I gots this mystical thingamajig, let's see how much I can do for these ignorant people'.

Anyway, the book itself is self-contained, but I'll still be tracking down Seed upon the Wind (Tallis Women, No 2). I hear the third book was never written, and that's a shame. Great series.

I read this book over 15 years ago, it's part of what's supposed to be a trilogy that never got past book two so I warn you, it's a really good, imaginative, unique read (of its time)that will hook you and leave you whining to the author (yeah, so what, it deserves to be finished) for more. Female time traveler meet chauvinist, challenges male/female concepts, is empowered, faces dangers and a society full of secrets that threaten her continued existence, and falls into the role of the heroine... But don't read it if you can't handle waiting for completion.

I disagree with some others who found this book lacking! I enjoyed the second as well, and I am desperately trying to find a 3rd!

Cup of Clay is just that, dull. The characters are flat and uninteresting. The plot is so predictable, I knew how the book would end after the first fifty pages. I not sure if I'm more amazed that the book was published or that I finished it. I would have been much more entertained, if I had quit half way through and just written the rest of it myself. If you find this book, my advice is: Don't waste your time