Drowntide [Paperback]

Sydney J. Van Scyoc (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Berkley; First Edition edition (May 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425097757
• ISBN-13: 978-0425097755
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,135,471 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars On fearing, loving and becoming., July 1, 2006

By 

frumiousb "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Drowntide (Paperback)

Drowntide is a lyrical little book which tells us about Keiris and his coming of age. He is the youngest son of powerful Queen Amelyor. She alone has the power to sound the horns and guide ships back safely to port. When her daughter and heir apparent Nandyris is killed, she sends Keiris on a quest to bring the kingdom a new heir. Without an heir who can use the horns, Hyosis would eventually be at the mercy of the unforgiving sea.

Scyoc, always an inventive and engaging writer, has delivered a book that avoids the usual fantasy plots and clichés. Drowntide lacks swords, bad guys, and stereotyped monsters. Keiris' coming of age depends instead on coming to terms with his own fears and the relationship that he ultimately will accept with the sea.

Scyoc is sadly out of print these days. I first encountered her work when I read Sunwaifs (1981) and it immediately become one of my early speculative fiction favorites. Drowntide, published in 1987, was one of her last novels. Fans of her work should be aware that Scyoc has once again started writing and has had two short stories published-- one in 2004 and one in 2005. Perhaps we have a new novel to hope for?

If you can find a copy of Drowntide, I highly recommend that you give it a try. It should appeal to fans of writers like Marion Zimmer Bradley and Mary Doria Russell.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written!, April 24, 1999

By 

Dawn Smoker (Mechanicsburg, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Drowntide (Paperback)

This is one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors. I am very sad to see her books are all out of print. This one is full of her beautiful writing and images of the sea. It's a sort of twist on the selkie legends with a flavor all its own. A young man sets out on a sea journey of self discovery and finds his unknown father who lives IN the sea... Fans of McKillip, McCaffrey, and McKinley will enjoy this author!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Van Sycoc does it again!, May 7, 2000

By 

ModernWizard (New England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Drowntide (Paperback)

With a terse evocative style and uncommon lyricality, Van Scyoc breathes life into a coming-of-age store about my favorite subject: a person in denial forced to realize the truth about his character. Tragically all her books are out of print! Why?