The Goblin Mirror [Mass Market Paperback]

C. J. Cherryh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 4, 1993

Things weren't right in the little kingdom of Maggiar, so the princes Bogdan and Tamas set off to seek an answer to the kingdom's troubles in the world over the mountain, a world they knew only from legends. But that glorious place was great no more. The goblins had declared war, and no one--especially not visitors were safe from the raging battles, the darkest sorcery, and the evil that roamed the land....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cherryh's third book in a scant three months (after Chanur's Legacy and Hellburner) does not meet her usual high standards. When Karoly, a wizard of Maggiar, announces plans to consult with his wizard-sister about recent ominous events, the lord Stani sends along his eldest two sons, Bogdan and Tamas, and other soldiers for protection. Much to his chagrin, the third son Yuri is left behind-but he sneaks off to follow the troupe. Along the way Karoly and his party are attacked and separated. Tamas is rescued by Ela, a sorceress's apprentice who has a shard of the Goblin Mirror, the source of the goblin queen's power. Ela eventually defeats the queen's invaders, with the help of Tamas and a group of rebels against the queen and, eventually, Yuri, Karoly, and the others of their party. While occupied with a favored Cherryh theme, the complexity of nonhuman races--goblins and trolls are more fully dimensioned here than is usual in fantasy--the novel lacks such Cherryh staples as a fully imagined setting, unexpected plot twists and engrossing characters.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

As a vague sense of menace threatens the small country of Maggiar, three young princes, a wizard, and a huntsman become caught up in a magical battle to save their land from the Queen of the Goblins. Veteran sf/fantasy author Cherryh ( Chanur's Legacy , LJ 8/92) makes good use of Eastern European myth in this otherwise standard fantasy, which combines traditional fairy tale elements--magic mirrors, trolls, and enchanted forests--with modern fantasy conventions. Though not as strong as her Russian-based novels ( Rusalka , LJ 9/15/89, and its sequels), Cherryh's latest work should appeal to fantasy enthusiasts.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 308 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (December 4, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345384768
• ISBN-13: 978-0345384768
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,869,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've written sf and fantasy for publication since 1975...but I've written a lot longer than that. I have a background in Mediterranean archaeology, Latin, Greek, that sort of thing; my hobbies are travel, photography, planetary geology, physics, pond-building for koi...I run a marine tank, can plumb most anything, and I figure-skate.

I believe in the future: I'm an optimist for good reason---I've studied a lot of history, in which, yes, there is climate change, and our species has been through it. We've never faced it fully armed with what we now know, and if we play our cards right, we'll use it as a technological springboard and carry on in very interesting ways.

I also believe a writer owes a reader a book that has more than general despair to spread about: I write about clever, determined people who don't put up with situations, not for long, anyway: people who find solutions inspire me.

My personal websites and blog: http://www.cherryh.com
http://www.cherryh.com/WaveWithoutAShore
http://www.closed-circle.net

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Goblins made good, August 26, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: The Goblin Mirror (Mass Market Paperback)

One of the best aspects of Cherryh's fiction is the close, almost claustrophobic environment she creates in almost every book. She certainly manages that here, with a fantasy tale with more folkloric and fairy-tale elements than her other fantasy novels. This is definitely one of her stronger fantasy novels. I tend to prefer her science fiction, generally having trouble getting into her fantasy work, but The Goblin Mirror is a notable exception. This is one of her best books - and I've read them all.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT BOOK IF YOU CAN FIND IT, July 25, 2000

By 

Robbie Cunningham "The Banelicious One" (Salinas, California USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Goblin Mirror (Mass Market Paperback)

This story grabs you from the beginning and keeps you along for the ride. The boys are wonderfully real. The youngest of three brothers innocently follows his brothers into a world beyond his imagining through his jealous wish to be included because he's too young to go out into the world and try to find a solution to a perplexing problem his country is experiencing. All of the interactions of the characters are fun. Not always happy and safe, but they make you smile nonetheless. The magic within is intrieguing, and the young magicians innocently dangerous.