28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A strange fantasy novel, very well written, August 21, 2003
Full of cruelty, brutality, pain, and anguish.
The strange way of telling little stories within the larger one threw me at first. I was expecting this to be a device only in the prologue. After reading for a while, I got into the flow of the story telling. I easily became enraptured of this tale and read it vigorously throughout the day and night. The style of the book seems biblical, with the names and the little titles throughout each chapter remincent of biblical names/titles. His new ideas were sharp and refreshing, in other words not a fantasy novel I had read before.
The basic fantasy constructs are there: Nobles, witches, wizards, and magic. The plot has epic proportions, but has Card's brevity and simplicity of description.
The worst and best part of the novel is the ending. The reader is left hanging at the end, but if you are able to come to the (almost) inevitable conclusion, then you will be satisfied. (Otherwise it leaves you pulling your hair.)
The villianess of the story is evil yet abused in such a way that she should be pitied for her situation, but still justly delt with in the end. Great and powerful, abused and flawed. The debate over her abuse makes this book less black and white, and more shades of gray.
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36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The most touching and tragic fantasy tale of all, November 19, 2005
The most lingering question you will have after reading 'Hart's Hope' is, 'What is evil, anyway?' Is Evil a single act? A single retribution? A single greed? Or is Evil a festering wound that takes years to nurture, molding it as you would a lump of clay? If Evil is singular, can it be absolved? Where does Evil end, and where does it begin?
'Hart's Hope' is one of the best books I have ever read. It still clings to me like a sticky web, trailing from my fingers as I pass my hand across all that I own, all that I am. And I ask myself, "What If?"
When Palicrovol defeats the bad King Nasilee, he only has to force the king's daughter Asineth to marry him and consummate the marriage in order for him to rule Burland. Palicrovol's single act of mercy in not killing Asineth as he was told he should do would eventually become his undoing. Instead of killing her, Palicrovol sends Asineth away with the powerful wizard Sleeve, but not before he has tagged Asineth with the name 'Beauty'.
Beauty's thirst for vengeance and power over the man who defiled her is legend, overpowering even the bonds of motherhood when she gives birth to a ten-month child, a bad omen. Obtaining magical powers through her child, Beauty sets out to challenge King Palicrovol.
Beauty leaves Palicrovol with his kingship, but takes over her father's city, renamed Inwit. She transforms Palicrovol's virgin bride into a hideous visage and renames her Weasel. Palicrovol, banished from the city, eventually finds himself spellbound to take a farmer's wife on the shores of a river.
The farmer's wife births a son named Orem. The majority of the story is about Orem's upbringing and adventure into Inwit, where Orem will meet his fate with Queen Beauty. Along the way are many unsettling events, one of my favorites being Orem's encounter with the Sweet Sisters, deformed co-joined twins separated by magic.
Hart's Hope is written with such lavish and precise prose that I could feel the wind, hear the lapping waters of the river, see the gates of the city, and smell the putrescence of Beggarstown. 'Hart's Hope' is as magical and mystical as your imagination will stretch, yet completely absorbing with its realistic description and dialogue.
It is a heart-wrenching tale of despair and broken promises, of abuse and outright evil, and of the hope that lingers in the hearts of those who keep faith. Steeped in curious creeds and mysticisms, Orem faces off against Beauty even knowing that he must sacrifice the one thing he holds most dear to his heart.
If you are a fantasy lover, you mustn't miss out on this spectacular tale. Though I warn you, it is dark. Truly one of the best books I have ever read. Enjoy!
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Hartfully" Done!, April 25, 2000
I was told that Orson Scott Card was a prolific writer. That may be true, but I'll tell you another thing about Mr. Card, based on this book (which is my first by him), he is a brilliant writer in addition to a prolific one.
It's a short book, but every chapter, every page, every word carefully guides you through a story that has your "heart" racing throughout. This book exuded more emotion in me than any 1000 page Fantasy book ever has.
Mr. Card creates a world in which magic, love, sadness, guilt, hope and dreams are so intertwined that without any of them, none can exist. I suppose that's what life is all about. Imagine, a fantasy book teaching the ways of reality.
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