Dulcinea [Paperback]

Shalanna Collins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 3, 2001

Dulcinea Brown is about to discover a whole new kind of magic. It's a good thing, too, because she'll soon be called upon to save the world. Can her flute magic stop a dragon and prevent the evil Society of Mages from tearing the very fabric of reality?

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Wow! It's really happening; you're reading DULCINEA. I want to thank all my readers! And I wish I could personally thank all of my reviewers here on Amazon.com--but I'll have to do it here, for the Amazon Powers-That-Be respected your privacy, and wouldn't tell me your names so I could mail you a bookmark. Those of you who reviewed me and gave your name as just "a reader" are much appreciated, for the record!

Many of you are asking about DULCINEA's sequel, DULCINEA'S DRAGON. The book is already written, but basically, before the publisher will commit to printing it, DULCINEA has to sell enough copies. If DULCINEA sells well enough, we might see a mass-market (paperback size) edition as well. It all depends on my sales figures. (Commerce over art.) My main objective is to be read by as many people as possible, so that "rule" really hurts. I want the sequel published, maybe even by a larger publishing house.

If you liked DULCINEA, the best thing you could do would be to ask everyone you know to read the book (and buy a copy, if possible.) Ask your library to order a copy. If we work together, I have faith that DULCINEA'S DRAGON will be published!

About the Author

Shalanna Collins is the pen name of an ex-hippie who's still wearing embroidered bluejeans, drop earrings, long Alice-in-Wonderland hair, and sandals. Shalanna has been writing since she could hold a crayon. She started reading before nursery school, and is still going strong. She graduated from Southern Methodist University with a BS in Computer Science and a BA in Mathematics; she worked as a software engineer for several years while writing in the evenings. Now that she's a full-time writer, the corporations don't miss her. When she isn't writing, she tutors secondary school math, works as a literacy volunteer, does research on the Internet, and noodles on the piano. She doesn't apologize for her small, yappy dog. Shalanna and her husband of fifteen years live north of Dallas, Texas, with two sleepy cats and the aforementioned yappy dog. Dulcinea was the first runner-up in the 1996 Warner Aspect First Novel Contest.

Product Details

• Paperback: 374 pages
• Publisher: Xlibris, Corp.; 1 edition (April 3, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738853887
• ISBN-13: 978-0738853888
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,627,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic fantasy, June 16, 2001

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dulcinea (Paperback)

Far too many deserving books go unnoticed in the tidal wave of Harry-Potter-mania, and this is one of the ones that deserves a great deal more notice (I was lucky enough to, in addition to ordering it, find a copy in my local library)

"Dulcinea" is the tale of a young girl named Dulcinea Brown, who at the age of sixteen is coming into her magical power. Her dad, an apothecary, has just taken on a new apprentice, Raz Songsterson. Raz is clearly keeping something hidden away.

And, like in many fantasies, the world is in danger. Dulcinea must use flute magic (better description in the book) to rescue peole from a dragon, who was conjured by the evil Society of Mages. When Dulcinea's father realizes that Raz is a talented, skilled mage, he acidently involves himself and his daughter in a power battle that risks the entire world. All standing between them and possible chaos is three magicians, including heroine Dulcinea...

I'll admit it. I'm a sucker for stories about magicians and people discovering new powers, such books as Diana Wynne Jones, TA Barron, and Jane Yolen's "Wizard Hall." I was not disappointed by "Dulcinea," and I doubt other wizard-fans will as well. (I especially liked the concept of flute magic...)

Dulcinea is a very cool heroine in a genre where too often the heroines are Buffy-types or weenies. She manages to be precisely what is expected in this situation -- a teenage girl who ends up in a power struggle with the Society, and who grows in personality throughout the book. Her changing relationships with her father and Raz were genuinely intriguing. Raz and Dulcinea's dad are equally realistic as their perceptions change (and I honestly did not know for a while what was up with Raz)

This is not a dumbed-down book in style (one paragraph contains "apex" and "inanimate"). It's very descriptive and the author does not skimp on complexity or unique ideas. Such creatures as dragons and wizards are given new spins in this book. (My only quibble would be that in tense situations, a little too much notice is paid to details, but that's a small one)

Definitely a five-star book. Fans of Harry Potter or Diana Wynne Jones would love this magical tale.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Characters spring full-blown from the author's imagination, July 15, 2001

By 

Linda Linguvic (New York City) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dulcinea (Paperback)

I'm not a big fan of fantasy fiction although I did read one Harry Potter book because of all the hype last year. I like to read books in different genres though and so I was intrigued by this book by Shalanna Collins and was immediately drawn in to her fantasy world where a teenage girl is grows up with a father who is a practitioner magic in a town where such things are taken for granted.

Dulcinea's world is a fascinating one and the many descriptive details made me marvel at the skill of the author who set the stage for a struggle between good and evil, while, at the same time depicting the up and down emotions of Dulcinea's coming of age. I particularly liked her relationship with the young man magic maker who is forced to appreciate Dulcinea's skill in making magic when she saves his life on several occasions. There's a dragon in this book as well as a cast of characters that spring full-blown from the author's imagination as well as a sense of tension throughout. And the author's sense of humor kept the whole reading experience fun. My only criticism of the book is that it was a bit too wordy for my taste and I would have liked to see it edited down by 50 or more pages. However, I know this book will appeal to fantasy fans, and especially to young adults.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gossamer Words Lift This Fantasy Tale to Near-Exalted Height, April 25, 2001

By 

Dennis Havens (Corinth, MS United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dulcinea (Paperback)

Fantasy, I believe, needs a special touch. That touch needs to be light. I can't imagine Tom Clancy writing successful fantasy, unless your idea of the genre is blowin' things up real good. Steinbeck tried a form of it and flopped mightily. Too heavy, too earthbound. Shalanna Collins needn't worry. She has the gossamer touch, the light-as-helium way of putting things that suspends the disbelief lurking inside many readers. She draws on legends and beliefs at least as ancient as the nebulous beginnings of Freemasonry; Mozart drew from the same well in his masterpiece opera, "The Magic Flute." But if I'm going to draw musical analogies, the composer Shalanna Collins brings most to mind is Felix Mendelssohn, especially as he was at seventeen, writing the overture to "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Shalanna shares the same fleet, quicksilver turn of a phrase, the same infallible instincts for rhythm and pace that set Mendelssohn -- and Mozart -- apart from their more ponderous brother-composers. Dulcinea the Character acts sixteen. That's a neat trick for a writer whose adolescence was left behind at least a decade ago. Add to that Ms. Collins's deft handling of the heavier characters, such as Raz and Dulcinea's stern, somewhat duplicitous father, and it starts becoming plain just how much talent went into the creation of this shimmering, magical tale. I expect to encounter many more Shalanna Collins books in the years ahead, and I have every reason to believe each new one will be richer and more lovingly crafted than the one before.