Enemy Glory [Hardcover]

Karen Michalson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2001

A new fantasy saga in the tradition of George R R Martin's A GAME of THRONES begins in ENEMY GLORY. In a dark, atmospheric fantasy world where the realm of the supernatural lies in the North, warring kingdoms and a complex religion devoted to gods and goddesses of good and evil dominate the South. Young Llewelyn is an unhappy child in the southern city of Sunnashiven, estranged from his parents and solaced by a local hedge witch, who lies to him but makes him happy. After she dies, he is allowed to enter school and train to be a religious magician. But this education is interrupted by an ongoing war. Llewelyn, now a young man, flees to another kingdom. He joins a strange little revolutionary cadre led by a young Duke Walworth. After many adventures in politics and another revolution, Lewelyn ends up an angry young magician ready to fight the world. Filled with memorable characters and true strangeness, ENEMY GLORY is the impressive launch of a new fantasy world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This well-crafted first novel about a wizard's education, a sort of Harry Potter on downers, strives for a baroque density reminiscent of the Gormenghast saga, though it's unlikely to achieve the same classic status. The hero, magically ill Llewelyn, is losing his grip on reality, opening the door for the slippery kind of fantasy scenario in which anything is possible. A former friend, the Duke of Walworth, forces herbal medicine into Llewelyn and at swordpoint accuses him of treason, prompting him to tell his life story, which the duke records as a legal document. A misfit child who learned scraps from a small-time neighborhood witch, Llewelyn moved up in the world to attend an official school, studying a complex system of religious magic under vows to work wonders only in service to the state. The disruptions of war broke him loose from Sunnashiven, the city of his early life, and gave him an unaccustomed freedom; apparent friendship in a forest retreat with revolutionaries Walworth and Walworth's sister, Caethne; as well as a real mentor in the scholar Mirand. Llewelyn states that six months with Mirand were more educational than all his previous 17 years together, but agonizingly dwells on his insecurities and refusal to trust happiness. The story ends (with an explicit promise of further volumes) in midcareer, with Walworth employing the medicine and sword once more. Readers who enjoy wallowing in opaquely introspective gloom will have a field day.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Born in the southern lands where a complex body of religious beliefs governs all aspects of life, the child Llewellyn studies to become a magician dedicated to his religion. Instead, he becomes caught up in a war that sends him to another realm and embroils him in political intrigue and revolution. This series opener sets the scene for a grand-scale fantasy taking place in an exotic realm where religion and magic vie for prominence. Suitable for large fantasy collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (January 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312890613
• ISBN-13: 978-0312890612
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,301,150 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 Ironically wonderful word magic!, February 4, 2001

By 

eva (Independence, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Enemy Glory (Hardcover)

If you love sinking your teeth into the artistic potential of the English language then you'll be in your glory reading Enemy Glory. Michalson doesn't waste a single word; each was carefully chosen for significance and impact either on the level of imagery or intellectual depth. This is a story about a young man who loves words and their magic. It's also a story about how academia destroys the creative imaginations of its students as "it" takes control of their minds, emotions, and lives. The character development from the psychological angle is thoughtful and substantive. The thematic irony reeks of real life experiences. And Llewelyn's passive aggressive rebellion is a thing of eccentric delight. Enemy Glory may be dark but it certainly isn't bleak. If you're in the mood for MORE than action adventure entertainment take a chance on Michalson's work. If not, well, we all know where to find the junk food.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love the main character, February 3, 2001

By 

"moondoll" (Fruitland, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Enemy Glory (Hardcover)

As a longtime fantasy reader who has admittedly gotten somewhat bored with the genre, I loved this book. Why? Well, one reason is that it doesn't read like a typical "stuffed full of magic dragons and heroes on quests" story. This book is a lot deeper than that. Another reason is that this is a fantasy author with a clue. Someone who has a purpose beyond just telling a predictable story. The story is entertaining (even though it moves a little slow here and there) and the narrator is incredibly real. He's evil, sure, but he is definitely not a cliché. He is very complex, and he makes you really understand why he chose his path. You really can get into his head and identify with his choice. You also see a lot of the tension between his original goodness and love of beauty, and his choice of an evil career. He is definitely one of the most memorable characters I've seen in a long time. Go Llewelyn! I'm eagerly awaiting the next book.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars best read in a long time, February 2, 2001

By 

Robin (Denver CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Enemy Glory (Hardcover)

I love this book! Sometimes I want to go to bed with Llewelyn (so I'm strange, I'll admit it), and sometimes I just want to kick him. Michalson's reluctantly evil protagonist is so believable because she takes us through his childhood and early adulthood and shows logically and believably how a sensitive, over-intellectual wizard comes to choose a dark path and find himself at war with everyone and everything. I especially liked the monastery scenes because they remind me so much of the politics and intrigue at my own university. Llewelyn's education in the monastery is a lot like mine and a lot of other people's that I know of, and I think that anybody that has ever been disillusioned by higher education will totally identify with these scenes, which are among the best in the book. But this is definitely not one of those overdone satires of academic life. This is pure, unadulterated high epic fantasy with tons of insight into what's wrong with education, government, capitalism, socialism and everything else. It is an entertaining read if you like fantasies that are more than just adventures, that make you think about issues. I put this book down - not quite done yet - and kept thinking so much here is like the real world that I'm sure I know real-life counterparts to these characters. I wisj more fantasy writers would take on the Big Ideas, like many science fiction writers do.