Daughter of Ancients (The Bridge of D'Arnath, Book 4) [Mass Market Paperback]

Carol Berg (Author)

Book Description

Series: Bridge of D'Arnath | Publication Date: September 6, 2005

In Avonar, Gerick investigates the ancient king D'Arnath's own daughter, held captive by the Lords of Zhev'Na for a thousand years-or so she claims. Entangled in bonds of love, family, and secrecy, Gerick unravels the mysteries of ancient kings, ancient evil-and the dreadful truth of his own destiny.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Though Colorado is home, Carol Berg's roots are in Texas, in a family of teachers, musicians, and railroad men. She has degrees in mathematics from Rice University and computer science from the University of Colorado, but managed to squeeze in minors in English and art history along the way. She has combined a career as a software engineer with her writing, while also raising three sons. She lives with her husband at the foot of the Colorado mountains.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 530 pages
• Publisher: Roc; First edition. edition (September 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451460421
• ISBN-13: 978-0451460424
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #795,025 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Who would ever imagine that someone who majored in math so she wouldn't have to write papers would produce thirteen epic fantasy novels? I tell people that writing is "the hobby that ate my life." I grew up in Texas in a family of teachers, musicians, and railroad men, taught math for a while, but worked as a software engineer for much longer. I have degrees in mathematics from Rice University and computer science from the University of Colorado. I live, camp, hike, and bike with my husband in the Colorado Rockies. My books have won the Prism Award, the Geffen Award, and multiple Colorado Book Awards. I was truly honored and humbled in 2009, when my duology, Flesh and Spirit and Breath and Bone, was awarded the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature. My name now sits on a list with the very authors whose works sit on my bookshelves: Tolkien, McKillip, Le Guin, Anderson, Kushner, et al. Join me on Facebook (Carol Berg) or visit me on the web at [http://www.carolberg.com] or [textcrumbs.blogspot.com].

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Now That's More Like It, September 18, 2005

By 

Eon (Rhode Island) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daughter of Ancients (The Bridge of D'Arnath, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Soul Weaver was something of a bump in the road that is the story of Carol Berg's The Bridge of D'Arnath. Full of strange, ambiguous explanations and betrayals that were unbelievably contrived, it will always be the weak link in the chain.

But a bump in the road is only a small hinderance when it leads to a destination the likes of Daughter of Ancients. Weaving nearly every aspect of the former books into its tapestry, Daughter of Ancients is a great triumph for Berg...not to mention a wonder for those of us fortunate enough to have stumbled upon her work. Her plots are always fascinating, far above and beyond the plethora of magic sword-wielding farm boys that seem to clog the shelves even now.

My only complaints would be, of course, the pieces of the puzzle that don't quite fit into place. Or the peice, that being again The Soul Weaver. The Bounded has no connection to the why and how of the story, aside from being a contrivance to turn Gerick into the man he needed to be, and thus Daughter of Ancients into the book it is. Which is perfectly acceptable in the long run. The problem is that no explanation cropped up in this book to justify the great betrayal at the end of The Soul Weaver. It feels like a clumsy attempt to get the Lords of Zhev'Na out of the way, so that Daughter of Ancients could take place.

All other peices fall smoothly into place, though. Those moments of dawning comprehension and wonder that make Berg's work some of my favorites were there in force. She provides her readers with just enough details that an always ticking mind, that can twist logic and imagine possibilities, will see the answers to the riddles mere babysteps ahead of the characters in the books. Like a mystery novel, that sense that you've connection with what the author wished to convey is always satisfying.
This is by no means an indication that Berg's work is predictable. On the contrary, her writing is the sort that sends the mind racing after the most absurd, unpredictable of conclusions. "Expect the unexpected" is a perfect term for her books.

The final problem with The Soul Weaver was the characters she introduced. Some were weak and some were strong, but the one that needed more than any other to be a strength ended up a weakness. In Daughter of Ancients, her new characters not only have prior connections to the story, but are brought to life so vividly that they leap off the pages.

Carol Berg is a woman with extraordinary talent and it's truly a shame that she wallows in near obscurity, while overinflated men like Robert Jordan and Terry Goodkind weigh down the shelves with volume upon bloated volume. If you haven't read her work, do yourself a favor, and start.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantasy at its best, September 18, 2005

By 

Jessica G. "lilac_jive" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daughter of Ancients (The Bridge of D'Arnath, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

After reading this, I really agreed with Carol Berg that "Soul Weaver" was not going to cut it as the end of the "Bridge D'Arnath" series. Saying that Gerick had too many issues to just leave it at and working with them turned this series from great to incredible.

For those who have come to love Berg's world-building, excellent plot twists, and outstanding characters, this book will not disappoint. D'Sanya is quite the enigmatic character, and watching her story unfold is absolutely relishing. Expect some heartbreak for some characters (but fans of Berg know that it doesn't always have to have a happy ending). And finally, Gerick has truly come full circle as a character, miles ahead from the snotty introverted brat he was when we first met him.

For any fantasy fan, this series is a must-have. I promise that you can really go out and buy them all, knowing that these books end just as well as they start. Carol Berg is a superb author, and I am eagerly looking forward to her next series.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly satisfying conclusion, January 28, 2006

By 

A Reader (London United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daughter of Ancients (The Bridge of D'Arnath, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

It's hard to discuss the story without giving away more of it than I would want to read in a review and, anyway, those who've read the first three books won't think of not reading this one, and those who haven't should go back to the beginning because this is NOT a stand-alone story.

Suffice to say that I finished this on a long train journey and by the end of it tears were streaming down my face in full view of the carriage, so utterly mindblown was I by the grandeur and breadth of Miss Berg's imagination, and the sheer BEAUTY of this novel. Truly, I felt privileged to have read it.

I always feel as if I've learned something about life on finishing one of Carol Berg's books and I think this is because of her extraordinary gift for characterisation, which is second to none in the genre. Closing the book to go off and do mundane things like eat and work and sleep is like coming up for air, it's so hard to believe (and really quite heartbreaking) that these people and places don't actually exist.

Ah! I could extol her talents forever. Enough to say that whatever you do you should read the Bridge of D'Arnath quartet. It's by far the best of her works and, unlike the Rai-Kira trilogy (beautifully conceived, imperfectly executed), never EVER disappoints.