Days of Blood and Fire [Paperback]

Katharine Kerr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1993

Hired by Meer, a blind bard, as his servant, young Jahdo embarks on an adventure that leads him into the midst of a conflict among the Guardians, whose caprices and moods threaten the world of Deverry and the Westlands.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

A young boy and a blind bard journey to the land of Deverry, home of the ancient conquerors of their people, in fulfillment of an oath--and find themselves swept up in a war to save their ancestral enemies from a mad goddess. Set in the world of A Time of Omens ( LJ 6/15/92), this stand-alone tale features heretofore unexplored civilizations as well as characters that Deverry series fans will remember. Kerr's more complex cosmologies take a backseat to classic fantasy themes in this well-conceived introduction to an ongoing series. Recommended for most fantasy collections.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Kerr's latest fantasy novel of the Westlands continues the story begun in A Time of Omens (1992). To escape entrapment on the etheric plane, Guardian Evander has arranged for his daughter, Elessario, to be born to a mundane, Princess Carra of Deverry. However, a powerful, evil, and mad goddess, Alshandra, is plotting to frustrate him, and the conflict soon involves some familiar characters--Jill the Dweomer-master and Rhodry the mercenary silver dagger--along with the usual assortment of bards, seers, warriors, nobles, elves, and talented children. Eventually, it emerges that Rhodry must go forth in search of the dragon Arzosah, without whose aid the good guys cannot win. These ingredients are stirred slowly with dollops of reincarnation, predestination, magic, and fate. Kerr's scenario is detailed but uninteresting, her plots large but unmotivated, her narrative agreeable but meandering and sluggish. For series fans only. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 402 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (August 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553372041
• ISBN-13: 978-0553372045
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,048,281 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is worth every cent., August 23, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Aurora, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Days of Blood and Fire (Deverry) (Paperback)

This is the best fantasy book that I have ever read, and possibly one of the best books overall. Anyone who is a fantasy reader should definately pick this one up. It kept me on the edge of my seat right up until the end, where I immediately ran out to pick up "Days of Air and Darkness" to find out how this chapter in the Deverry saga ended. Full of action, intrige, and emotion, this book is sure to give anyone a good read. I am about to order the rest of the series to see what else has gone on.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite entertaining, June 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Days of Blood and Fire (Deverry) (Paperback)

Whether or not you started with Daggerspell or if you have just recently started reading the works of Katharine Kerr, you should definately read this. I found the book entertaining with all the old characters mixed with the new and their wonderful skill at getting wound up in problems that seem to large to remedy. You get to see parts of her world that you do not see in the other books which is always exciting with this author. She transends into the world "high fantasy" well and the ending is rather different from most of her others because it is sudden and leads into the next book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book Seven of an Outstanding Series, June 24, 1999

By 

Elyon (Mesilla, New Mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Days of Blood and Fire (Deverry) (Paperback)

Similar to "The Dragon Revenant" Kerr again returns to a linear plot previously set up in "Time of Omens," again abandoning her usual interaction of stories set within differing time periods. Obviously by now I am an enthusiast of the tale and world begun in "Daggerspell" and would recommend fans of better fantasy fiction take a look. Despite the positive response of the previous reviewer, however, Kerr's books are not written as stand-alones, and without the information provided by the earlier works, one's enjoyment of this book will be greatly limited. Despite the fact that it was the weakest book in the series, start with "Daggerspell": By the time you reach "Days of Blood and Fire" I'm sure you'll conclude that the considerable time invested was enjoyably well spent.

I do however have one reservation regarding this book: The introduction of a dragon. It may be a personal quirk on my part, but rarely have I found the active appearance of dragons in a tale either satisfying or credible. Often anthropomorphised in manner either typecast or silly - McCaffrey's romanticized and laughable wyrms are but the most notable examples - their inclusion as characters almost invariably fails to be convincing (At the risk of sacrilege I would include Tolkein's Smaug). Though the dragon here is present for only a few pages, it is apparant that it will play a large role in the next book, and it talks, which may not bode well for the conclusion of the series. Those of you who delight in clever wyrms, carry on. I will reserve final comment for completion of the next book.