Customer Reviews

MAIA

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This is an absolutely amazing novel about a beautiful peasant girl, Maia, who is sold into slavery and becomes a concubine in the household of the High Counselor of the Leopard regime. The Leopards are the upper ruling class of the semi-barbaric Beklan empire, an ancient, beautiful, and sometimes deadly city. Along the way, Maia is befriended by Occula, an exotic slave girl, and unwittingly becomes involved in a plot to overthrow the Leopard regime. This book combines political intrigue, a quest for identity, a struggle for freedom, and this remarkable girl's search for her one true love, Zen-Kurel. Richard Adams is a master storyteller, and reading one of his works is like "being woven into a tapestry". His descriptions of the Beklan empire, his intricate plot lines, his attention to detail, and his use of subtle humor, all make this a story worth reading, and one you'll come back to time and again.

Don't freak out and spout the Tolkien line.....Mr. Hobbit is still the King and I love his work as much as everyone. However, one on one, Maia transcends any single work of fantasy by any author. The richness of storytelling, the depth of submersion you will slip into this story and the absolute believability of the world Mr. Adams has created is absolutely breathtaking.

I don't believe in giving a synopsis of the story. I'm a book fanatic and pitch my tent in the camp that believes a recommendation is good enough. If I for instance had based my decision of whether or not to read this book on a synopsis of the story....well, I wouldn't have read it. Good God I'm lucky I didn't. Instead I'll ask a question. You of course know the feeling of having just finished a book you enjoyed reading. Well, have you been lucky enough to (rarely, even for book fanatics) experience the `tears in your eyes' joy of having just read a book that you actually feel lucky to have found? I mean those very few times that, having just closed the book after reading the last page, you actually notice a few minutes later that you've been sitting there, in silence, still clutching this thing that's all at once no longer just paper and ink bound by glue? Yeah? Well that almost describes the soul deep satisfaction I feel each and every time I read this book.....and I'm not one that usually ever feels the need to read a book twice no matter how much I enjoyed it.

Go out of your way to find this book. I mean get in your car and scout used book stores. And then once you've found it, buy at least two more. I'm not joking. Always keep two for yourself in case one falls apart (trust me, you'll understand the feeling). That third copy.....share it. Please share it. It's just too damn good not to.

Adams's Maia rivals the "greats" in its ability to create an entire world of believable characters, religions, and politics. The complex world in which the novel's action takes place is breath-taking. The novel actually serves as a prequel to Adams' previous endeavor, Shardik (itself an underrated and beautiful work), but Adams takes his Beklan Empire to new levels of epic sophistication with the introduction of the naive and good-hearted Maia; the grotesque and unforgettable Sencho; the wise and gutsy Occula; and the erotic, ambitious, and evil Fornis. Perhaps the only works of fiction more encompassing and completely original in their creation of an entirely new reality are Frank Herbert's Dune novels; however, Adams work maintains a beauty and sensitivity that is lacking in those science fiction giants. Overall I have to rank Maia as one of my all-time favorite works of fiction. I have read it three times and have to stop myself from picking it up again too soon in order to preserve the rewarding pleasure I receive from reentering Adams amazing world.

I read this book as a kid and it made a huge impression on me, so I've often thought of finding a copy, but when I came on Amazon a few years ago and saw all the bad reviews I changed my mind about re-reading it. Big mistake! I've just finished it and thought it was a wonderful fantasy-adventure saga, if you like sexy, plotty stuff about innocent young girls being sold into slavery and then saving the empire. And who doesn't like that? characters are well drawn, cloak-and-dagger politics well done, storyline original.

There's been some complaint that it's sexist and, well, Richard Adams was a man born in 1920. His vision of a peasant girl with very natural pride in her body and beauty who doesn't mind at all the life of a bed-slave and considers it better than farm-work isn't for idealogues. but i remember finding Maia's sex-positive attiude empowering when I read it as a young girl, and wasn't unduly offended second time around, either. she's an archetype, and with her connection to nature & peasant origins & such reminded me of a happy Tess of the D'Urbervilles.

I think Richard Adams took a risk with this, and I, for one, appreciated it. Liked it much better than the talking bunnies, too.

I first read this book in 1987, and although I have read hundreds of fantasy novels since, it is and probably always shall remain my absolute favorite. Over the past twelve years I have worn out two paperback versions and recently broke the binding on a hardcover copy. It's good enough to read over and over again, and you always find something new and fresh with every read.

Adams' characterizations are amazing and skillful; no one who has ever encountered the characters of Maia, Occula, or Elvair-ka-Virron will ever forget them. Adams uses subtle tricks in his writing that elude your notice through several readings; I only recently noticed that one trick he employs to give the reader psychic distance from the character of Sencho is that in all the chapters where Sencho appears, Sencho only speaks about four words directly. In all other encounters, Sencho's words are muffled -- such as "he indicated he wanted to see the woman" rather than any direct words on his part. Adams' work is not only a good read, it's a wonderful lesson in the craft of writing. A supposed sequel to SHARDIK, MAIA is a more developed and mature work; it's hard to believe that she and her world are fictional, rather than part of our own history.

I often think of this Classic tale of Intrigue, Fantasy, Sex, Slavery, and Freedom--set in a Romanesque Empire, in a harsh world of Constant Struggle for Survival.
I read this book approximately ten years ago, and I still think about it often. Richard Adams writes a very Compelling tale that should be placed among the Greats, such as Tolkien. Unfortunately, when I was young, I turned books in for credit on new books and I have not seen a copy since that time. I searched for this book, today, to make absolutely sure I have a copy for my library.
I cannot wait to share this book with others, and I strongly hope it stays in print. This novel deserves far more shelf space that it receives.
I have never forgotten the Characters in "Maia." They are truly well-written and the story grabs you, pulls you in and does not let-go. This is one of those rare books that you do not want to End.
Lately, I have been reading "The Light Bearer," and it reminds me of "Maia." It seems anyone who likes one would like the other. "Maia" has that Romanesque feel, in the capitol city--and other, even more Dangerous lands are explored.
This is an Epic Adventure Tale, that you will never forget.

I've read this book several times and each time I read it I discover something new.

In the book, Maia, a peasant girl, is sold into slavery by her jealous mother. She is forced to become a bed slave and soon a spy for one of the most powerful men in the Beklan empire. The story goes on from there...

It's too good to miss and will keep you up until the wee hours of the morning!

Richard Adams is one of the most gifted contemporary writers of the day. He's at his best with the creation of Maia!

I had the good fortune to discover this book when it was still new in 1986, after it had been out two years. I must have read it a hundred times since then! I had already fallen under the spell of Watership Down, and I honestly don't know which novel is better. I read both of them at least once a year. I hope this novel never goes completely out of print. The scope of it is just breathtaking. The ending was entirely appropriate and wrapped everything up as well as I could have wished, but was still a little heartbreaking (hallmark of a great story). The unique dialect and syntax Adams uses helps to immerse you in the story. It gets a little wordy in certain chapters where a lot of background information is provided, but if you hang in there with him he takes you to a magical, mythical kingdom where bravery and fortitude still count for something.

For the first half of the book, the only thing that keeps it going is the sex and political intrigue. Some parts don't really ring true; I did not find it convincing, for example, that Maia could be excited to orgasm by the whipping of a fellow concubine, and then so thoroughly revulsed by all the violence (and there is plenty) that comes later. Also, the fact that just about every male with whom Maia comes in contact falls madly in love with her comes to ring a little false after a while. Nonetheless, despite Adams' propensity for wordiness, the story moves along at a steady sex-and-intrigue clip until suddenly it becomes a story of divine vengeance and divine love -- which is when it gets most interesting, because Adams knows the nature of deity without a doubt. (Although I must say, even then, there are times he could have edited 100 pages down to 30 or so.)

It's certainly not a flawless novel. I've read it four or five times, and find myself skimming over the same parts again and again. Still, if you read it as you might a fictionalized novel of Rome at the height of its Empire, you will appreciate it. And I must say, as a female reader, I am also appreciative of Adams' understanding of female sexuality. For example, Maia's fellow bed-slave and good friend Occula (who is the best character in the novel, and the most complex) says, to paraphrase, "A girl who has to go a long time without sex doesn't brag about it like men do, as if it were a mark of courage; she's just sorry about it." That's the simple truth, really. There's no pretending, no faux prudishness: women need sex as much as men do and even more deeply, in a way, and yet the difference between men and women is clearly spelled out, as when Maia reflects on how one of her lovers thanks her profusely for something she feels she has in no way given him. Still, to see this as a sex novel would be a mistake. This is really Occula's story almost more than it is Maia's, and I agree with a former reviewer who says that it would have been better told through Occula's point of view. Her terrifying, uncanny climax in the Streels is one of the most beautifully written and disconcerting parts of the book.

So again, a novel not without serious flaws, and yet a novel most certainly worth reading more than once. Many parts of it are both disgusting and weirdly arousing (and many others merely disgusting), as Adams surely intended it to be: like his other novels (all of which I have read) he challenges us to think about the nature of humanity, both the best and the worst aspects, even when he's writing about rabbits or dogs. And Maia is a captivating character, almost despite herself. It's easy to get impatient with her, and then she shows herself unexpectedly resourceful and canny despite her naivete.

"Watership Down" is a better book, yes, but I still heartily enjoyed "Maia" and intend to keep it on my shelves.

Be prepared for late night reading and to miss a few meals whenreading this enchanting and beautiful novel. This book is loaded withenough adventure, sex, and danger to keep the reader glued until the very last page...it's irresistible!