Customer Reviews

The Dancers of Arun

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

 

 

Kerris does not fit in at Tornor Keep and he never really has, but he has no where else to go. After all, who else would want a one-armed boy who has an alarming tendency to have fits at any give time or place. The only skill that Kerris has is that of a scribe. He has spent a great about of time developing this skill in the hope that one day he will be hired at a rich house and spend time writing and reading. But all of his dreams change when his older brother, Kel, comes with the fabled Dancers of Arun to collect him. Kerris is not sure what to think of his brother and is alternately repulsed and attracted to him. As they journey to Kel's home, Kerris learns that all of the dancers have "gifts" just like Kerris does. For Kerris doesn't really have fits, he just sees life through other people's eyes and leaves his body for a time. He is what the dancers call a farspeaker, like Kel's lover, Sefer. However, even though Kel repeatedly tells Kerris that he is welcome at his home and that he belongs there, Kerris doesn't feel that he really has a place. It will take a terrible tragedy to help Kerris realize that he does have worth and that he is important in the lives of those around him...

For the first time, the second book in a series is far better than the first or the third (Watchtower & The Northern Girl, respectively)! I thought that this book was beautifully written and have owned an old tattered copy for a long time. Kerris' growth as a character is fascinating, as is the world in which he lives. I loved all of the characters in the book and could identify with all of them because they all have weaknesses and they all struggle, some more than others, but life is not easy for any of them. The only caution that I would offer is that the love between Kerris and Kel is sometimes physical and sex between brothers is not a common thread in books so if you feel this would upset you, read another fantasy (probably not by Lyn, though, as most of her books deal with homosexuality).

This is one of the first fantasy novels I read as a teen, so this reprint has been around for awhile, but I loved it alot, enough to come back after all these years and tell the rest of the world how much I enjoyed it! Think of this book as a character study. If you are looking for an action-oriented adventure fantasy, then you won't find it here, but you will find very well-realized people who are both attractive and interesting. I enjoyed this look at another world and it's traditions. It didn't leave me rushing to the end or dancing with excitement, but it did leave me wanting to know more about these people and their world. A sensitive gay romance is one of the highlights of this book and it is beautifully done.

The middle and best book of one of my favorite trilogies, it's exactly what I want: no stock characters or swashbuckling, but lots of interesting, different, people. I did find the beginning disconcerting (unlike some other readers, I'm NOT good with incest
involving children), but the action was instigated by the child,
and was not portrayed as abusive. The fragility of the people, the
village, and the world seems very real to me. The originality of
these books is great, and they seem to me to be beautifully written. I only with Ms. Lynn would write MORE!

this is really one of the strangest fantasies i ever read.

i picked it up because of its homosexual content, mentioned in all the other reviews here at amazon.

the story is very simple, perhaps just a little too much so: at the end you realise that nothing much has really happend; the writing though is compelling in its simplicity and pages follow pages with quiet ease. there is no major villain, no quest, no war: the emotional growth of the main character is what seems to have caught the author's imagination.
the world she creates is not really believable, a sort of hippy utopia where people are not perfect but basically good natured and try to avoid violence, having much sex instead. this might be due to the original publication date, 1979.
in this hard to believe world many characters move: their nature is sometimes contrived, still they manage to be endearing: after a while you start to feel for them in a quiet sort of way.

i am sorry i must agree with another reviewer about the book ending which is rather too short and abrupt, dissatisfying to say the least. another flaw is the kind of magic described: it feels cold, contrived, as if ms lynn felt she must put some magic but did not know what to write about it.

a warning to touchy, bashful people: there is lot of sex in this book, both hetero and homosexual, never graphic but explicit enough to be disturbing for some. moreover the two main characters, two brothers, share a deep, growing incestuous homosexual relationship. ms lynn's dealing with such matter is extremely tasteful and emotions stirring but some could feel outraged

A refreshing change from all other fantasy books. For once, a book about war in which war never really happens, but where its implications shadow the skirmishes which often take place. The main characters are painted with sufficient depth, although we don't really get to see much of Calwin the cheari, do we? (Not that he was all that important...) The book expound on the psychic gifts that were hinted at in the first book, and one can guess at the events that occured that gave birth to the rise of the red clan between the time of "Watchtower" and of "Dancers of Arun". Most of all, Kel and Kerris fascinate me to no end. Seriously.

I haven't read the third book yet, but Dancers of Arun seems to be a logical, surprising, and beautiful sequel to the first book. A step up.

Generally, this part is better than part one (which is sort of unusual, as sequels generally get worse). I'm assuming you, the Reader, already have an opinion on part one (after all, who reads middle parts of a trilogy?), so I'll break this review into two parts, for those who liked and once who didn't.

If you liked part one, you will probably like part two too. There's a bit more action and slightly more adventure, but the general idea remains the same - you have one major character on his road to completeness. One can even say all the Tornor novels are some sort of 'initiation stories', and I'm not even talking about the explicit homosexual content involved.

If you disliked part one, you are probably not going to like part two, for the same reasons as stated above. The books generally share the same main idea and the same structure, but if you were on the "like/dislike" edge, you might find the more lively plotline to tip the favor to Lynn's side. Hence three stars and not two, which I have to part one.

I will start by saying that I like slashy incest fiction a lot. Probably more than I should. Thus, I found an extra level of enjoyment in _The Dancers of Arun_. If the idea of brothers kissing, touching, and having sex squicks you, then this is probably not a title that you should pursue (though the kissing, touching and sex was very tastefully done).

Though Dancers is a short book, it's denser than it looks! Lynn packs a great deal of emotion and plot into so few pages. While some might call it "rushed," I enjoyed the story a great deal. The plot was engaging, as were the characters. A few of the ideas might seem a bit far-fetched, but remember that this is fantasy, not regular fiction.

Was I too happy when _____ died? (I omit the name so as not to spoil the occasion.) Probably. I felt very strongly for all of the characters, even the so-called bad guys. But I felt especially for Kerris. It's very difficult to make me feel so strongly for a character, but Lynn had me hooked by the end of the first chapter.

I'm knocking a star off of what would otherwise have been a 5-star review because of the ending. It seemed a bit abrupt and hurried, as if the author simply picked an ending point, scribbled the last few lines, and sent in the manuscript. I would have loved to see a bit more of how Kerris comforted his brother (and, hopefully, formed an even deeper bond). At the last page I simply sat there and thought, "More Kerris and Kel, please!"

This is definitely a book that I will be keeping around and rereading as the mood takes me. An engaging world and a cast of characters that are as flawed as they are beautiful. There are no perfect people here, and Lynn writes them as they truly are: human.

Like the first book in the series, I feel that THE DANCERS OF ARUN portrays a compelling world. Lynn does a good job of setting up the country of Arun and the different types of people. However, I finish the book feeling that not a lot has happened, and that there was not a great deal of closure.

I first read this in about 1982, and though people complain about the writing, it fits perfectly with other fantasy fiction of the late 1970's. Granted, I didn't know anything about homosexuality at the age of 21 or so, but it gave me a gentle introduction into alternate lifestyles that still influences me. (and no, I'm not.)

Good reading, but anyone who stocks it should shelve it in the adult section... not in fantasy.

I bought 'Dancers of Arun' 20 years ago for the cover art. The new cover looks a bit different now.

About a troupe of Dancers and people with psychic powers.

A few of the other reviewers here are upset about the sex. Personally, I have no problem with gratuitous sex and sexual orientations. You know, if you can't stretch your boundaries in Fantasy and SF, then where are ya?

I first read Elizabeth as a teenager and she really influenced my whole direction in writing fantasy.

I recommend 'The Sardonyx Net', another E.A.L. novel.
There is another sequel to 'The Dancers of Arun' - 'The Northern Girl', though the characters don't come back for an encore.