Customer Reviews

The Cup of the World

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

 

 

The story starts off in a rather stilted manner, but gradually becomes more flowing and thus more enjoyable as the book progresses, although halfway through it gets a little bogged-down and I felt as though in a dream, with something just out of reach - almost understanding, but not quite - until we discover exactly what the cup is and does.
Unusually, the story is told only from the central character's viewpoint; so wars happen and coups take place, but we only hear about them as and when Phaedra does, which can be a little disconcerting until one gets used to it. Aimed at the early teen audience, it is nevertheless enjoyable to the older reader.
An apparently simple plot; the teenage daughter of a powerful lord attends her coming-out presentation at court, only to spurn all advances in favour of her dream prince - literally, she has never laid eyes on him until he abducts her. Seemingly oblivious to the war she has just started she marries him and embraces her new existence with hardly a thought for the pain and turmoil she has left behind her, or for the strange society she now lives in. And, like a typical willful, insecure child, nothing suits her, everyone and everything conspires against her - you just want to give her a good smack!
But then, seemingly disparate threads come together with a sense of trepidation and foreboding to create a complex, compelling mediaeval tale in the old fantasy tradition. ****

This book is set in a King-Arthur type age. There is one kingdom and several regions each with a baron leading them. The main character is a baron's daughter, Phaedra. Phaedra comes of age and has several suitors. She marries someone her father dislikes, and she moves to his region.

After Phaedra moves to the castle, the storyline becomes dark. She starts seeing shadows and people close to her die. She feels aliented from the servants and accosted by the ghosts/demons/whatever in the castle. She begins to question what dark powers exist in the castle and if her husband plays a role in them.

I haven't reached the end of this book (about 20 pages left to go,) but I really like this book because it's different than ones I have read. My favorite books are romantic fantasy with a female lead (Sharon Shinn - Angelica, Angel Seeker, Samaria; Robin McKinley - Blue Sword; Garth Nix - Abhorsen, Liriel, Sabriel.)

This book is different. It's not an overt fantasy. The "shadows" that Phaedra is seeing seem to be madness. Not only is the fantasy played down, but romance is not a large part of the story. The story displays the ups and downs of marriage as in Mists of Avalon. Phaedra suffers when her husband is gone at war for months. Friendships become important when her husband leaves and they eventually end up saving her.

Overall, the writing is good and the story is great. It's a realistic fantasy that becomes more and more fantastic at the end. I loved the friendships and relationships in this book.

Dickinson has a knack for description, and a grasp on the subtlties of characterization that will take your breath away. As the blurb says, this book hides a secret within itself, so I won't give away any of the plot here. You could take my advice and read it, or you could disregard this review and miss out. It's your choice.

The intoxicating blurb tells us: "This is one of those books which hides within itself a secret, a story deeper than it is possible to convey from this blurb or from the cover. We urge you to read it." What reader could possibly turn away from a promise like that? Expecting an instant classic, a profound read and a memorable experience, I began to read "The Cup of the World," only to find that it is a typical generic fantasy novel - not bad by any means, but hardly living up to what the publishers wrote on the blurb.

Phaedra is the only daughter of the Warden of Trant, a key citadel in a land that is continuously threatened by war and rebellion. Because of her beauty and the power that her father wields, she is a most desirable bride for whoever should win her hand, but Phaedra herself is not so keen. Travelling home from the king's court with Aun of Lackmere, an ex-rebel who is exiled to Trant, Phaedra worries constantly about being forced into an arranged marriage, when her whole life she's been captivated by the man who visits her in her dreams. Connected together by the water of a strange stone cup, she and Ulfin have met for years in a dreamscape, and now in her desperation Phaedra agrees to run away with him. But he is the ruler of Tarceny, a citadel that is not loyal to the king and his sons and is surrounded by rumours of bad luck and black magic.

I better not give too much more away, for although the secret/twist of the novel is not as earth-shattering as it sounds, it is one that shouldn't be given away should you decide to track down this book. It reads a little like an M. Night Shymalan movie, in that all the clues to what's really going on are placed in front of you, but not enough factual information is given for you to work it out yourself. Let's just say that things are not what they seem in Phaedra's new life, though she is only aware of this on the most basic level, like a deep undercurrent of things being kept from her, running through her life in such a way that she hardly aware of it. From a circle of white sons around her son, to the permeating sense of her deceased father-in-law's cruelty, to the disappearance of the strange priest that married her, to her friend (and rumoured witch) Evalia's elusive nature. Against a tapestry of political manoeuvring and intrigue, most people who begin this story will be compelled to finish it.

The story takes place over several years, from Phaedra's maidenhood to marriage to motherhood, and the fantasy realm is quite well presented, from the castles and homes to the wide and rocky countryside. It actually reminded me a little bit of Lloyd Alexander's Prydain, and Dickinson creates a wonderful sense of religion, whether it be the calling on of the four Angels, or the `Under-craft'. Phaedra unfortunately is not the most riveting of heroines - I never felt particularly close to her, nor sympathetic to her plight, and often her behaviour comes across as quite cold and/or snobbish (even for a high-born lady, there is a limit!)

Although the book is a bit thicker than it needs to be, no one can fault John Dickinson's beautiful language: so often other fantasy writers destroy their work by adding in contemporary words that destroy the mood and setting of the book. Dickinson has none of this, and beautifully draws together his elegant, archaic words to make the entire book feel authentic and natural. As well as this, there is the on going image of black and white, beautifully portrayed in the movement of chess pieces...

However, at the end of the day, this is another typical fantasy novel that I perhaps would have given a higher rating to if I haven't been so excited by the blurb. If you read it, you'll enjoy it, and then you'll most likely forget it.

at first i was hesitant with this book because of the limited blurb given and also the incredibly confusing introductary chapters. however, it did infact turn out to be a fairly good read once you get a feel for the characters. at times, it can be a bit vague and you really have to look for the true meaning of the words, but otherwise its a great choice if you are into fantasy with some romance ;]

The Cup of the World is a great fictional, suspenseful novel. In a time of Princes and Princesses, Queens and Kings, Knights and Lords; there was black magic brooding. John Dickinson writes a tale of exceptional experience, of growing up and following ones heart instead of ones head. Truly a book that can be read and read, and still read again with out knowing everything The Cup of the World has hidden with in its pages. Based on one girl's, Phaedra's, time growing up and discovering herself along with others she thought she knew, this is a must read for any teenaged girl on the brink of insanity.

Wishing not to marry just anyone who comes along, Phaedra, daughter of the Warden of Trant, trusts her life to a man she loves, a man she had only met inside of her dreams. She runs away and finds herself in the lands across the vast sea starting, a now evident, civil war in the face. But what she finds out about her love, her husband, is that he uses black magic, like she was warned his family did. Her Father, and a few other people she knows and cares for, used this black magic too, and every one of them used it and paid terrible prices over her. But there isn't safety anywhere, will she ever find a place to protect her son, and will she ever see anyone she loved again?

Such excitement happens with in The Cup of the World's pages that it's a read that seems never ending. Accompany this book with its sequel, The Widow and the King, which is a must read if the mysteries still have a riveting effect after reading Phaedra's story. John Dickinson is a captivating writer, writing tales of heroines; tales of love; tales of why one shouldn't mess with things they don't understand; and how to over come some of the horrors a persons life could bring. So if a fantasy novel is a favorite, then this book will be up in the top 10. All and all, The Cup of the World is a book that could easily become a favorite that could be read over and over again.

This book is the type of book you want to read if you are looking for plot quality alone. This plot is beautiful, and well defined. The writing is a gem, though at times a bit confusing. The reasons that I couldn't give this lovely book a higher rating, is because of the characters. These characters weren't drawn out, and you never got to know them. At the end of the book, I knew as much about Phaedra as I had at the beginning of the book. Because of this, as well as because of the fact he never truly opened Phaedra up, I found myself not caring overmuch for Phaedra, or for the other characters. This was a shame because they were really lovely characters. Yet they were like china dolls-lovely to look at, dull to play with.
I also thought that this author could have switched around narratives. This author is a very powerful one- he has the ability to switch around narratives, yet he doesn't. Because of this, we never got a lot of good insite to other characters thoughts and personalitys, except for from Phaedra one-sided, slightly biased view.
Overall, this book is great, especially, if you want to see what a rich fantasy plot looks like. In the way of personalities however-I would look to someone else for a good read in this area, such as JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter Books, or Juillet M. author of the Sevenwaters Trilogy, the first (and best) book being Daughter of the Forest.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were vivid and the setting was also strong and clear. The plot was detailed and intriguing and original. The only big problem was the time-stretch. Its starts off with Phaedra as a young girl about 15 or so. Then suddenly shes a young woman running away with a man shes only met in her dreams. Then shes a mum. But you get no sense of her growing up and maturing gradually. About halfway you think Wow shes 20 something. But if that dosen't bother you its well worth a read.

Cup of the World centers on Phaedra, daughter and only child of the Warden of Trant, an all-important land/fortress in a land with a long history of internal warfare. Her combination of looks, inheritance, and intelligence makes her the prime bridal catch, even one of the two princes is her suitor, but she rejects them all for two basic reasons: fear (of losing her independence and her life as her mother did, dying in childbirth) and love (of a strange man who comes to her in her dreams). Her father gives in as he has to her desires ever since she threw a hunger strike at him when he considered remarrying. Her marriage is resolved when she slips away with her dream man, who it turns is real and has some strange abilities. Her marriage, her choice of husband (though she didn't know who he was at the time), and her rejection of many of the land's proudest men spark political and personal problems. This is the first third or so of the book and the rest follows Phaedra through the years of warfare between her husband and the king. During that time, she becomes pregnant, gives birth to a son, begins to uncover some of the secrets underlying her husband's strange powers, and realizes her newborn child is being threatened by otherworldly creatures.
The plot intertwines several story strands and does so smoothly. We never leave Phaedra's point of view, which dilutes somewhat the impact of some of what is reported to her. The war is mostly background given in second hand reports or letters--those looking for the typical fantasy descriptions of big battles would best look elsewhere. The politics are relatively narrowly focused but not dumbed down. Chess is a frequent metaphor and an apt one throughout the novel--there are levels and levels of play and some characters look ahead better than others.
We spend a lot of time with Phaedra but despite that she never really held together as a particularly strong character for me--I never felt a sense of true depth to her. She wasn't poorly drawn, but she was more an adequate mover of plot than an interesting character in her own right. A statement I'd make about just about all of the characters. They served their purposes in the story, but I can't say I cared much about what happened to any of them (part of the reason for the three rather than a four). The same holds true for the major antagonist of the story, which is too bad because there was a lot of potential in his creation and basic description.
The detail and atmospheric description made up for some of this. It was mostly well-paced but started to lag a bit in some areas toward the end. The ending itself seemed a bit rushed or abrupt, where too much information was recapped by characters rather than allowed to flow naturally out of the story.
The same strengths of story and atmosphere combined with improved depth of character would make for a strong second novel. Somewhat recommended.

I must admit I am not finished reading the book. I'm on page 375. The story so far has been intreging enough to keep my nose in it for the last day. The only thing I have a hard time with is the relationship with Evalia. They are very strange to each other even close to the end. Maybe it has something to do with the ending or Im missing somthing. Anywho.... It has been a great read so far although I seem not to have a tight bond with any of the charaters, maybe because its like that not to give the story away untill the end. I dunno. But again a great read. I will give a full reveiw after I finish all. I couldn't help myself;}