The Furies (Holdfast Chronicles) [Hardcover]

Suzy McKee Charnas (Author)

Book Description

Series: Holdfast Chronicles | Publication Date: June 1994

In the sequel to Walk to the End of the World and Motherlines, the slaves, armed and led by Alldera the Runner, return to face their old masters, the men of the Holdfast.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Powerful and poignant, but hopefully not prophetic, Charnas's sequel to Walk to the End of the World and Motherlines presents an action-packed, if upsetting, dystopia in which men have used women as chattel and have even contemplated raising them for food. The story continues the adventures of heroine Alldera, who leads the Free Fems, freed female slaves, against their former masters. As she returns from the Grasslands with a small army of Free Fems, Alldera's soldiers are now on horseback. Using superior bows, they retake the lands of their former bondage, joined in their victories by newly liberated slaves and by the Riding Women, nomadic females who have no biological need for men because they use horse sperm as a catalyst for their own reproduction. The women's taste of victory in battle leaves them nearly as bloodthirsty as their former masters, and Alldera's leadership is always in jeopardy, in part because she decides to protect the master who freed her long ago; the latter and a eunuch, Setteo the seer, are the only "good" males here. Hugo and Nebula award winner Charnas's story is not for the weak of stomach. For as Alldera asks, "Who can make a new, whole self without spending the ocean of old poisons first?" That spending is here vicious, bloody and wrenching.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Alldera the Runner, with her army of Free Fems, embarks on the realization of her lifelong dream: the liberation of the enslaved women of Holdfast, her former home. In this follow-up to Walk to the End of the World (1974) and Motherlines (1978), Charnas explores the politics of retribution as the former slaves becomes masters with the power to dispense either mercy or revenge. The strong feminist theme that permeates this powerfully written saga creates a disturbing and thought-provoking atmosphere that may not appeal to everyone.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 383 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (June 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312857179
• ISBN-13: 978-0312857172
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,741,847 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

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A powerful and evocative novel., March 2, 1998

By 

J. Michael Robertson "gREy_eLf" (Mount Pleasant, SC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Furies: Book Three of 'The Holdfast Chronicles' (Mass Market Paperback)

The Furies is a book that makes you think. I found it captivating and couldn' t put it down once I started it. Alldera is a heroin complete with self-doubt and other human failings. Her relationships with Sheel, Eykar Bek and her own people, the Free Fems make for great action and emotion. A totally believable character. I found the Riding Women of the grasslands facinating.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, August 28, 2002

By 

Paula (Californialand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Furies: Book Three of 'The Holdfast Chronicles' (Mass Market Paperback)

Hard to believe anyone could find anything in it boring enough to skip through. I tore through it in a day. The characters are especially well drawn and distinct. I don't know how Charnas does it.

The themes aren't wishy-washy and wimpy. Don't you want to yell at the book sometimes? Or at least what the people do and think? Yes. That's good.

Some have found the sequel, "The Conqueror's Child" to be better, or "Motherlines" before it, but this one is in my opinion the the best, most brutal one of the bunch. It's fast and action-packed, one of those great showdowns, vindications, coups de grace, whatever.

Sorry this is a patchy review, I tried!

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a decent conclusion, but not fulfilling, September 13, 1995

By A Customer

This review is from: The Furies (Holdfast Chronicles) (Hardcover)

I received this in hardback as a gift and I'm glad I didn't spend the money on it. Paperback, I would have bought. The characters seem less developed and the conclusions a little too convenient for my tastes.