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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of my most compelling reads!, July 3, 2001
You either "get" Tanith Lee or you don't--it's that simple. If you're looking for an action-packed, sword-weilding, Conanesque adventure (not that there's anything wrong with that--I like my Conanesques just fine), this is the wrong book. If you're looking for a compelling, sweeping epic with grand vistas, politics, intrigue, and beautiful writing, this is the right book. This book, set in almost-19th century Russia, has stayed with me for 7 years, and I must say that it's one of the best fantasies I've ever read despite--or maybe even because of--its different focus and scope. There are few books out there that I really wish that I have written. This is one of them.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A brilliant, unique, realistic fantasy novel, October 5, 2005
I first wrote a review of this book on this site in 1997. I reread A Heroine of the World every year or two and it is still one of my favourite novels ever -- so I wanted to write another review, especially for anyone considering reading this book who may be puzzled by the disparate opinions which have been posted here. This is a fantasy novel but one which pushes the boundaries of the genre, creating a unique world which I believe may be inspired by central Europe in the 18th or 19th century. The fantasy elements are subtle, and do not overwhelm the stark realism of the story or the humanity of the characters. In essence this is the story of a young girl who becomes a refugee when her country is invaded and the city in which she lives is besieged. This war will change her world and profoundly shape her own life, carrying her, as she says, beneath its grinding wheels. Her parents are killed in the war and she is taken under the protection of an enemy officer. When he dies Aradia inherits his property and lands, and there she comes of age and gains power over her own life. It's not necessarily an easy book to read, however. The first time I read it I set it aside after about 100 pages -- when Aradia is in the midst of what seems like a neverending military retreat across a bleak and desolate winter landscape. It seemed to me as if nothing much was happening in terms of the plot, and Aradia herself was a bit too passive for my taste. I didn't pick up the book again for at least a year, at which point I discovered that a few pages after I had abandoned the book, something really big happens. After that I was hooked, and I couldn't put the book down. I was completely engrossed by the story, by the subtle plot twists and the development of Aradia's character, by the heart-wrenchingly painful story of her discovery that the adult world is not everything she thought it would be, that there is no happy ever after. Aradia is 13 years old at the beginning of the book, and she may seem too passive, judged by modern standards of how novel protagonists should behave. But her behaviour is in keeping with her age and with the terrible events she has endured. And one of the crucial aspects of the story, of Aradia's special (perhaps magical) power, is that every small action she takes has large consequences. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to read something a bit different, and especially to those who haven't tried reading fantasy before. Tanith Lee possesses a skill for language and imagery that is matched by few writers in the fantasy field. Every time I reread this book I discover something I hadn't noticed before, a beautifully written passage, a keenly observed character, a passage of dialogue which leaps off the page. The novel may not be to everyone's taste, but it's definitely worth a try.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Modern Masterpiece, October 18, 2000
A Heroine of The World is one of the most brilliantly composed books that I have ever read. From the first pages, you begin to feel as though the main-character, Ara's, experiences are your own. Never in my life have I felt so compassionately for a character. Through Lee's carefully selected words, you not only can understand the character's joy, and sadness, but also feel as though you yourself are going through the same experiences. I wasn't even going to take the time to write this review, but when I saw that someone had written that this wasn't a quality piece of literature, I just wanted to set the record straight.
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