Daggerspell [Mass Market Paperback]

Katharine Kerr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 12, 1987

Even as a young girl,  Jill was a favorite of the magical, mysterious  Wildfolk, who appeared to her from their invisible  realm. Little did she know her extraordinary  friends represented but a glimpse of a forgotten past  and a fateful future. Four hundred years-and many  lifetimes-ago, one selfish young lord caused the  death of two innocent lovers. Then and there he  vowed never to rest until he'd rightened that  wrong-and laid the foundation for the lives of Jill  and all those whom she would hold dear: her  father, the mercenary soldier Cullyn; the exiled  berserker Rhodry Maelwaedd; and the ancient and  powerful herbman Nevyn, all bound in a struggle against  darkness. . . and a quest to fulfill the  destinies determined centuries ago. Here in this newly  revised edition comes the incredible novel that  began one of the best-loved fantasy seers in recent  years--a tale of bold adventure and timeless  love, perilous battle and pure magic. For  long-standing fans of Deverry and those who have yet to  experience this exciting series,  Daggerspell is a rare and special treat.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This grand saga a wide margin the best  Celtic fantasy around."--Chicago  Sun-Times

From the Publisher

"This grand saga a wide margin the best Celtic fantasy around."--Chicago Sun-Times

Even as a young girl, Jill was a favorite of the magical, mysterious Wildfolk, who appeared to her from their invisible realm. Little did she know her extraordinary friends represented but a glimpse of a forgotten past and a fateful future. Four hundred years-and many lifetimes-ago, one selfish young lord caused the death of two innocent lovers. Then and there he vowed never to rest until he'd rightened that wrong-and laid the foundation for the lives of Jill and all those whom she would hold dear: her father, the mercenary soldier Cullyn; the exiled berserker Rhodry Maelwaedd; and the ancient and powerful herbman Nevyn, all bound in a struggle against darkness. . . and a quest to fulfill the destinies determined centuries ago. Here in this newly revised edition comes the incredible novel that began one of the best-loved fantasy seers in recent years--a tale of bold adventure and timeless love, perilous battle and pure magic. For long-standing fans of Deverry and those who have yet to experience this exciting series, Daggerspell is a rare and special treat. --This text refers to an alternate Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Del Rey (November 12, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345344308
• ISBN-13: 978-0345344304
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,685,337 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars First of the Ten (currently) available, August 1, 2006

By 

EquesNiger (Prague, Czech Republic) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daggerspell (Deverry Series, Book One) (Mass Market Paperback)

Even as a young girl, Jill was a favorite of the magical, mysterious Wildfolk, who appeared to her from their invisible realm. Little did she know her extraordinary friends represented but a glimpse of a forgotten past and a fateful future. Four hundred years--and many lifetimes--ago, one selfish young lord caused the death of two innocent lovers. Then and there he vowed never to rest until he'd righted that wrong--and laid the foundation for the lives of Jill and all those whom she would hold dear: her father, the mercenary soldier Cullyn; the exiled berserker Rhodry Maelwaedd; and the ancient and powerful herbman Nevyn, all bound in a struggle against darkness...and a quest to fulfill the destinies determined centuries ago.

Katherine Kerr's writing takes a bit of getting used to, but it's worth the effort. She approaches her stories with a Celtic storytelling mindset, which means she conveys events according to their significance to the story, as opposed to chronologically. Consequently, while the stories begin in the "present" (which is an elastic concept, anyway, in a fantasy setting), the events unfold, chapter wise, both in the "present" and in the distant past. This can be frustrating, at first, but Kerr's writing is heavily steeped in Pagan and Western Mystery tradition, and the Celtic setting (and mindset) of her characters means that time, or chronological time, is not essentially relevant. To be honest, I found the first half of this book infuriating, as I spent a lot of time trying to adjust to the writing style. However, I found the story engrossing enough that I persevered, and by the second half was so hooked I've read all ten in her three series.

Kerr's story evolves around the concept of reincarnation, and unfinished business, and "karma", and fate. The same souls recur again and again, just in new bodies, over the course of the centuries over which the story unfolds.

Kerr's world is one of High Fantasy, populated by Elves, Men, and Dwarves, as well as faeries/elementals, which she terms the "Wildfolk". However, hers is a slightly more dark, dangerous and less clear cut world than the works of other High Fantasy authors, not the least due to the fact that someone who was your friend in a former life can re-emerge in the story centuries later as a foe, and vice versa. There is a tremendous amount of magic, but it's the magic of the Western Mystery tradition (quite a bit of Golden Dawn and even Enochiana), and that of R.J. Stewarts Faery tradition. There are dragons, and giant beast men.

The Elves are a fallen race, driven out of their magnificent and palatial cities centuries before by invaders, and who now roam the plains as primitives. They possess the potential to be superlative magicians, but the knowledge was lost in the fall of their civilization. Humans, though warlike and shorter lived, have preserved this knowledge, but guard it jealously. The Wildfolk, basically magic incarnate, are unhinged from the effects of "karma", but lack permanence of personality, and cannot grow or develop, cursed to stagnation. The Dwarves are a secretive mystery, entrenched within the earth. Each has something to offer the other, and the story that unfolds is the story of this "technology" exchange, of sorts, between them.

Fans of Marion Zimmer Bradley, who clearly influenced Kerr, will be enraptured by this series, as will fans of Kate Eliott, who Kerr, herself, clearly influenced. It's phenomenal! Devotees of the New Age, Esoteric or Occult will find themselves nodding and smiling as they read, and sincerely hoping Kerr's writing will do for the Western Mystery and Faery traditions what Bradley's has done for Wicca.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first in a long line, December 10, 2004

By 

Jenny (Belgium) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daggerspell (Deverry Series, Book One) (Mass Market Paperback)

Daggerspell is the first of a series of -thus far- 13 books. If you start, start with the first one. In some series it doesn't really matter which one you start with, but here it does. It's a complicated story, not really one story, but a bunch of stories bundles in to one, starring the same main "characters" in different lives. Their fates or karma are woven together throughout their different lives and they keep getting reborn until they can live in peace with eachother.
I love they way Katharine Kerr use the different timelines. In each different time you get a new set of characters who are different, but also the same - except for Neven, the sorcerer, who lives through all these different times and centuries. It's because of a mistake he made when he was youg that he binds his soul with those of the peoples that died because of him. He vows not to rest until the dammage he did will be undone - little did he know it would take him severel centuries !!!
If you don't like to read a lot, or don't like long, complicated stories, don't start with this one, because there are 12 more that follow !

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant tapestry of medieval fantasy, February 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Daggerspell (Deverry Series, Book One) (Mass Market Paperback)

It's quite hard in nowadays to write something fresh new in field of fantasy - but Kerr seems to pass all borders of imagination without notion of their existence. I try to start 'Daggerspell'... and next time I became aware of surrounding world about 4 days/5 books later. Not much, sleep at that time, as well.

Everything is fresh and amazing in that series. Language is alternative form of Celtic (or Gaulish?) language what is so beautiful - you can read the books only for joy of such speech. There are no usual heroes - but small stories about incarnation of same souls fulfilling their Wyrd are joined in tapestry of all books. Unlimited numbers of small details of medieval life make books look painfully real. Well, it's simpler try to find what is similar to other fantasy books in that masterpiece, then to list all what is different....

Because Amazon doesn't have that obvious feature - here is titles of all series in order of reading: Daggerspell, Darkspell, The Bristling Wood, The Dragon Revenant, Time of Exile, Time of Omens, Days of Blood and Fire, Days of Air and Darkness, The Red Wyvern.