Dancing Bears [Mass Market Paperback]

Fred Saberhagen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1997

On the brink of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, an American hunter is chased across Russia by a nobleman with the preternatural ability to turn into a bear--a metaphor of Russia's own transformation. Reprint. K. PW.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fantasy and historical fiction blend well in this tale of were-bears in Russia on the brink of its 1917 Revolution. American John Sherwood goes with his friend Gregori Lohmatski to hunt a man-eating bear on Gregori's estate, only to find that the peasants' stories of men turning into bears are true. The heart of the book is an exploration of the savagery and abuses of power of both the czar's men and the revolutionaries, against which the ability to become a beast proves both helpful and, ironically, humane. When the manipulations of Gregori's power-hungry brother lead to Gregori's imprisonment, Sherwood and the incarcerated man's sister flee east across Russia to escape prison themselves and to free Gregori. Despite the panoramic scenery, the cultural and historical detail sometimes seems sparse. Still, the characters are very strong, and the suspense generated by their plight will engross most readers as Saberhagen (Merlin's Bones) weaves another satisfying story of the supernatural.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In 1906, American big-game hunter John Sherwood travels to tsarist Russia to hunt a man-eating bear, not suspecting that his adventure will bring him face to face with a creature thought to exist only in the superstitions of peasants and fools. Veteran sf and fantasy author Saberhagen (Merlin's Bones, LJ 2/15/95) demonstrates his talent for creating unique twists on familiar themes in his variant on the legend of the shapechanger. The author's sense of place and his engaging protagonists lend an exotic flavor to a sometimes overly convoluted plot. Large libraries should consider this for their fantasy collections.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (March 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812550048
• ISBN-13: 978-0812550047
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,255,246 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For Saberhagen fans only, April 12, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Dancing Bears (Hardcover)

Saberhagen seems to have trouble whenever he strays too far from his more familiar and popular works (Berserkers and Dracula). This story starts well, drags on in the middle and ends rather poorly. The so-called stinger at the end is no surprise to anyone even remotely familiar with Russian history. Saberhagen's transliteration from Russian to English is often faulty. The story also has very many obvious inconsistancies, reads more like a draft. Shine it on

5.0 out of 5 stars A good fantasy read, September 18, 2011

By 

J. Gates (Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dancing Bears (Mass Market Paperback)

I really enjoyed reading this fantasy novel. I especially liked how Saberhagen interwove world history with a Russian fantasy setting. I highly recommend this for anyone who is looking for fantasy from a different perspective than the standard semi-European background.