Customer Reviews

The Harp of the Grey Rose

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had seen this title on lists of CDL's work, but it took me several years to find a copy. Having read it, I understand why he let it go out of print, and may be keeping it that way even though a new edition would surely sell. It's not a bad book, but it's very much an immature work compared to his later stuff. It's connected to the Newford stories (it's about the childhood of the harper Kelledy), but the tone is very different. The most striking thing about it is the heavy Lloyd Alexander influence, something De Lint seems to have shed as he developed his own voice. In fact, it's downright derivative, though competent and even promising. It straddles, a bit awkwardly, adult fantasy and children's literature, and does not have the distinctive complexity of imagination that makes De Lint's mature work so fascinating and unique. For a fan of the mature work, it's not much more than a curiosity; as an introduction to De Lint it barely hints at the brilliance that came later.

This is a wonderful book! Its not exactly a sequel to Riddle of the Wren, but set in the same universe, with the same hoary feel to it. Not one of his more well-known books, but I loved it as a kid and still do. Both are a definite must-read if you love old high fantasy.

This was a quick, enjoyable read, but it is readily apparent that this was his first novel. It pulls too heavily from other sources and doesn't have deLint's distinctive voice that make his later stories so spell-binding.

Those looking for a typical De Lint read won't find it here. "The Harp of the Grey Rose" reads at a young level, with none of the hints of darkness and/or redemption of some sort that can be found in De Lint's later works. You can tell about fifty pages into the book that it was originally a novella even if you didn't know so beforehand. Though it seems like the rest of the story is a bit forced, if you have a free afternoon, its an amusing story and it doesn't take long to read.

This is constructed along the lines of a generic fantasy quest narrative: an accidental but nevertheless intrepid hero must go on a quest to save his love and is accompanied by a cast of characters along the way. De Lint does much better urban fantasy than traditional, and this is one of his earlier works, before his voice really came into its own. It's not bad exactly, but I'd recommend skipping it for one of the Newford books. There's nothing here that hasn't been covered a million times before.

This tale was about Cerin, a young orphan and harper who ends up meeting a magical woman and fighting to save her and the world. It's not exactly the most original plot, but it was a great book none the less. I loved Cerin, and I found him to be a great protagonist not only for his strengths, but for his weaknesses. It was nice to see him doubt himself at times, and be pushed to physical limits--it was a diificult journey for him and that made it more realistic. As for Grey Rose, I think she was a bit two dimensional, but she wasn't annoying. I will say the first encounter with a villainwas underwhelming, but after that the story really picked up. My biggest issue was the constant references to all sorts of magical beings that weren't actually present in the story. There was a large hierarchy of mythical beings that I couldn't keep track of, and I got tired of always turning to the glossary in the back to try to remember who was who. Overall, I loved it, and I'm sure most de Lint fans will.

This is a wonderful book! Its not exactly a sequel to Riddle of the Wren, but set in the same universe, with the same hoary feel to it. Not one of his more well-known books, but I loved it as a kid and still do. Both are a definite must-read if you love old high fantasy.

I've read De Lint's later works and it becomes so obvious that this is a first attempt. Overall, I liked it well enough. I just don't feel the characters are developed enough or it goes much into depth. Plus, it's a very Tolkien-esque knockoff.

We have a dark power rising to take over, deep mines abandoned by dwarves long ago, strange companions, unlikely heroes, etc. It's pretty generic fantasy with a half-hearted love story.

Cerin of course falls in love with a woman he names The Grey Rose and feels there is some terrible curse upon her. Well, it turns out he's right. He journeys to find her and saves her from what he thinks is her worst threat, but that's only the beginning.

There are elements like the magic harp she gifts him with, and some half-human or dwarf, half-beast creatures. Remind anyone of the Orukai or Hobbits? Halfbreeds anyone? There are some back stories of how Cerin's parents were cast out, Calman cursed, loves lost, etc. Ancient wars...

Nothing is very developed though. There is potential in the writing, but the plot and character variety are pretty typical fantasy. De Lint really broke away from this and found his own later. I would highly recommend "Memory and Dream," but this I could have skipped. It's typical fantasy with typical characters and a typical plot. I give De Lint credit from breaking away from this style and rising above it. What Tolkien did has been copied MUCH too often! But, I think every author has to get this out of their system before finding his or her own.

I read this book and couldn't put it down. It keeps you in the book and makes you wish you were there. It was like The Riddle of the Wren, but The Harp of the Grey Rose missed out on some of the details it had. The only thing that wasn't great about the book, is that it seemed like two stories. Besides that, this is a great book and you should buy it.