Customer Reviews

The Hands of Lyr

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
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English is not my native language, and the first chapters were very hard for me to get through as I found I didn't understand many of the words. But as I advanced through the book reading became easier and I found myself emerged in the story. Truth is, I couldn't stop reading until I finished it :)
Reading this book really was worth my time and improved my reading skills :) I would recommend reading this book in English because translations usually bite.

Andre Norton seems to be turning an old leaf with this one, I get the feeling that it could have been a far more substantial novel than it was, if it had been say a trilogy, with a more involved plot and sub-plots, it could have been Very good. As it is however most of the characters never have the time to start to be people; they're brought in for a scene, and then they vanish into the woodwork again in the rush to get the main plot finished as rapidly as possible. It's a distinct contrast to some of her (Andre Norton's) older books in which minor parts seem to drag on indefinitely. I suspect that this may be the result of an author trying to find a happy middle ground, but she seems to have written this one like a middle-of-the-line folk song, when she should be producing a symphony. If she keeps at it long enough to refine her skill, and makes enough money to be able to ignore her publishers demands for volume and deadlines, she could easily come to rival Eddings in his prime.