A Gathering of Gargoyles [Mass Market Paperback]

Meredith Aann Pierce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1985

Aeriel's love has broken the curse on the darkangel Irrylath, making him human again and freeing him from the control of his mother, the dreaded White Witch. But the Witch is far from defeated. Her wicked plans require all seven of her vampyre sons, and she will not give one up so easily. There is but a single hope for the Witch's defeat--solving an ancient, mysterious riddle. So Aeriel sets off to solve the riddle, sailing across a sea of dust and straight into the worst of the Witch's terrors. But if Aeriel is to save Irrylath and her world, she will have to overcome his bloodthirsty darkangel brothers--and ultimately confront his terrifying mother face-to-face.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[With] A Gathering of Gargoyles . . . the Darkangel trilogy has grown exponentially in richness and - if that is possible - in inventiveness."-Lloyd Alexander, author of the Prydain Chronicles

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Meredith Ann Pierce is the author of a number of acclaimed fantasy novels: The Dark Angel Trilogy, The Firebringer Trilogy, and The Woman Who Loved Reindeer. Her most recent novel is Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood.

She received both a B.A. and an M.A. from the University of Florida and an M.L.S. from Florida State University, and spends her days as a librarian. By night, she writes. Her hobbies include composing music and playing the harp. She lives in the woods south of Micanopy, Florida, in a house powered by solar energy.  --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 263 pages
• Publisher: Tom Doherty Assoc Llc (July 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812549023
• ISBN-13: 978-0812549027
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,419,470 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautifully Crafted Tale, A Lost Masterpiece, June 13, 2003

By 

R. M. Fisher "Raye" (New Zealand = Middle Earth!) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Gathering of Gargoyles: The Darkangel Trilogy, Volume II (Mass Market Paperback)

"A Gathering of Gargoyles" is the second of Meredith Ann Pierce's 'Darkangel' trilogy, beginning with "The Dark Angel" and accumulating in "The Pearl of the Soul of the World", which together create one of the most beautifully crafted and presented stories that I have ever come across. As told in "The Dark Angel", the story is of Aerial, a simple slave in a wealthy household whose mistress Eoduin was captured by one of the dreaded winged vampyres, who drink the blood and steals the souls of women. Aerial followed her mistress, becoming a servent in the Irrylath's house, and to her horror, eventually being chosen to be his last bride. But with the help of the dwarf-like duarough Talb and a magical drought, she restored the darkangel to humanity by literally exchanging hearts with him, and returned him to his mother's house.

And now Aerial is appointed another task set to her by the deceased spirits of the brides: to seek out the missing lons, the powerful animal-like wardens of the land who have long been missing, most likely due to the designs of the White Witch, the maker of the darkangels, who still haunts Irrylath's dreams. Despairing of her husband's inability to love her, Aerial takes up the task and sets off on a journey to the temple of the sibyl in her own homeland to unravel the mystery of an ancient riddle that will help her find the missing lons. Armed with a dark staff with a heron passenger, she not only seeks the lons, but unknowingly finds the secrets of her own past, and her role in the destiny that follows in the war against the Witch.

Unlike "The Darkangel", which was created in more of a circular narrative in the fairytale motifs of capture, trial and restoration (much like in 'Sleeping Beauty' or 'Snow White'), "A Gathering of Gargoyles" is a voyaging novel, with an ultimate goal hindered by several obstacles. And these obstacles, far from dragging the story on, are fascinating: a sail across a Sea-of-Dust, hidden danger in a City of Thieves, a chase through a dark forest filled with night-haunts, the rescue of a rather unusual maiden sacrifice, a time of being held in captivity by a man who has sold his own name, the relighting of a great lighthouse, and finally, with the meeting of two familiar characters from the first book - one good and one evil - the climax of the quest.

Although the premise may look silly written down, perhaps seeming to belong to a trashy vampiric-romance paperback, I assure you it is *not*. Meredith Pierce creates a world with depth and resonance, perfectly mingling together elements of many cultures - the German loreleis, the European gargoyles, the Grecian sphinx - into a familiar, yet totally unique blend. Unlike many fantasy authors -and Tolkien imitators- these days, who feel as if they must cram detail upon detail into their books in order to make it seem realistic (but only succeeding in making them encyclopedic), Pierce creates exotic worlds and its wildlife with barely any effort; a different way of keeping time, a new range of foods and plants (including 'hungerspice', 'nightfruit', and 'winesheath') and vivid descriptions of scenery that do not inflict directly on the story or slow it down, but simply serve to convincingly create an entire world separate from this one. Likewise, she keeps in mind the separate sects of her land, as in different countries the terrain and communities change, as does the language - in one place a darkangel is called an 'icarus', and in another it is called a 'seraph'. All is told in an elegant and simple tone, as if Pierce is retelling a story, giving the book an air of being an ancient folklore retold.

Much of the charm of the books is the heroine, Aerial herself. In a 'polically correct' world where authors feel as if female protagonists must be able to swing a sword in order to be considered 'strong female characters' equal to males, it is wonderful to discover a resourceful, intelligent, compassionate, strong-willed female who experiences hardship and triumphs over the odds without once resorting to violence (expect a couple of self-defensive manuveurs with a staff). Such heroines are increasingly getting harder to come by, but are always more realistic and interesting to female *and* male readers. I for one would have absolutely no clue what to do if someone handed me a sword, and Aerial, with her faults and virtues is a pleasure to read of.

The entire story reads like an old, dark fairytale, with traditional elements given new life - an invisibility cloak, magic fruit, a damsel to be sacrificed, a sacrificial stone - all sound like utter cliches, but are deliberatly presented here in such originality that it is if you are reading of them for the first time. These books have my highest recommendation - everything about them appealed to me, from the content to the underlying themes to the style of the writing. Why these books remain largely unknown is a mystery to me, as Meredith Ann Pierce's talent as a storyteller is right up there with the masters of the fantasy genre.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It was a beautiful book..., March 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Gathering of Gargoyles (Mass Market Paperback)

I stumbled across this book quite on accident. I had read theDarkangel, and had been very disappointed with its ending. When Irealized there was a sequel (and one after that) I was thrilled.

AGathering of Gargoyles did not disappoint me either. It lived up to the talent and promise shown in the first book, adding richer characters and slowly revealing more character traits in Aeriel that even she was not aware of.

I loved the companions she met along the road, Nat, Galnor, and Erin. I loved the way that Pierce did not try to make Aeriel a perfect person. She is not. She does not always make the correct choices. She allows her love for Irrylath to overcome reason sometimes, but it only makes for a better and more touching story. It is hard to sympathize with someone if they are perfect.

If anyone has ever been in unrequited love (you know who you are) you know the kind of pain it can cause. The story begins with Aeriel married to Irrylath, but knowing full well that he can't stand the sight of her. I ached for Irrylath to love her as much as she loved him.

The only concept I didn't like (and this goes for the first book as well) was the several times that Aeriel either told or was told a story that turned out (through strange coincidence) to be her or the person she was talking to. I wouldn't mind so much if she would realize it, but its as if she purposefully stays in the dark. It frustrates me. Hardly worth mentioning, as it's the only constructive criticism I can offer.

All in all, this was a lovely book that lived up to expectations of the Darkangel.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ...a gentle, endearing read, February 18, 2000

By 

Liyet - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Gathering of Gargoyles: The Darkangel Trilogy, Volume II (Mass Market Paperback)

This is by far the best book in the Darkangel Trilogy; it stands on its own quite well, although the prequel and sequel should be sought out if you want to find out about the ends of the story.

Pierce's lyrical style is reminiscent of Robin McKinley's or Patricia McKillip's. It is simply adorned language that flows easily and can take your breath away. With words she paints a vivid, colorful world as fantastically beautiful as any other you would find. And in that land great things are stirring--

Aeriel, who has given her heart away, must leave the man to whom it belongs to fulfill a prophecy. While seeking the vanquished guardian lons, she meets friends and enemies alike. Although these characters are enjoyable by themselves (save admittedly flat antagonists), the majority of Pierce's attention is appropriately given to Aeriel. We grow to know her and her quiet reserve; even her rare, wry humor. Through her eyes we see the Sea-of-Dust and the plight of the gargoyles during her journeys.

Loose your imagination. This is an elegantly-written book worthy of a read by any high fantasy fan.