12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Kerovan and Joisan find a place in Arvon, December 14, 2000
Although other reviewers speak of a "Gryphon series" of books, this is actually just one of more than twenty books set in Andre Norton's Witch World. The characters of Kerovan and Joisan were introduced in The Crystal Gryphon and brought back for Gryphon in Glory. Gryphon's Eyrie continues the tale, which is finally resolved in The Warding of Witch World.
Kerovan is partly descended of the Dalesfolk and partly descended of the Old Ones. The Dalesfolk entered the Witch World centuries in the past, settling in the highlands along the coast of the Witch World's "western continent". They found traces of the Old Ones, an ancient and apparently indigenous group of races who had mastered the Power, what we could call "magic".
Kerovan's mother bargained with dark forces to give her a child she thought she could control for her own ends. But he proved to be other than what she expected, and these books have followed Kerovan as he has sought his true place in the world, and the right heritage. With Joisan, who gives Kerovan unconditional love and support while resolving her own conflicts, Kerovan proves to be one of the strongest fantasy characters I've ever seen.
Norton takes strong female characters and makes them appealing for wide audiences. But she succeeds with Kerovan and Joisan as with no other husband-wife team. The first book is the best in the sub-series, and Gryphon in Glory is probably better than this one.
All of Norton's collaborations leave something to be desired when compared to her own original work, but Ann Crispin was always one of the better collaborators. She seems to have a real feel for the Witch World settings and pacings Norton made legendary in the 1960s and 1970s before she started sharing her world with other writers.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent completion of Kerovan's story, June 29, 1999
By A Customer
The first two books (Crystal Gryphon and Gryphon in Glory) introduce us to Kerovan and his axe-wedded wife, Joisan. They follow this determined pair as they discover Kerovan's true nature and ancestry. Gryphon's Eyrie concludes the story in a deeply satisfying way as it brings kerovan to his true inheritance, Landisl's ancient home. Be prepared for a typically Norton wild ride.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Andre Norton at her best in this series!, March 4, 1998
This is the 3rd book in this series. I did not see the first two listed (Gryphon in Glory and The Crystal Gryphon), but highly recommend all of them. Each can stand as an individual work as well...something a lot of writers overlook these days. This is fantasy at it's very best and I recommend it to anyone interested in other worlds/realities.
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