Mage Heart [Hardcover]

B. J. Routley (Author), Jane Routley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1996

A female sorceress named Dion is charged with protecting the ruler's favorite mistress, Kitten Avignon--the most beautiful courtesan in the land of Gallia--from a vicious necromancer whose charms put Dion's strength to the test.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Mage Heart's narrator is a young woman taught magery in a patriarchal culture which (of course) doesn't permit women to be mages. Routley's fantasy-Renaissance-and-magery plot questions our expectations of romance and fantasy stereotypes, and her portrayals of Dorian and the people around her---friend and foe alike---have more depth than many established writers'. The center of the story is Dorian's inner struggle to reconcile her experiences and her training, and the unified resolution of the action and Dorian's conflicts is satisfying. Like all first novels, this standalone has rough spots, but they're forgivable in such a good story.

Review

"A highly original romantic fantasy." -- --Cherry Wilder, author of Signs of Life

"A superb entry into the realm of magic and demons...a wonderful addition to the fantasy genre." -- --Affaire de Coeur

"Compelling...evocative...intriguing." -- --Fantasy & Science Fiction --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 470 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co; First Edition edition (July 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688147771
• ISBN-13: 978-0688147778
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,627,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Couldn't Put It Down..., April 24, 2000

By 

M. Bandy (Champaign, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mage Heart (Mass Market Paperback)

Dion is a young and prudish mage unsure of her abilities. When selected to protect the Duke's mistress from an ex-lover, she finds the task extremely distasteful but promises to do her best. Her concentration on Kitten Avignon, however, is soon disturbed by the appearance of a mysterious dark stranger. Dion finds herself juggling her responsiblities with the emotions brought out by her strange relationship with Andre Gregorov. And her life is made no easier by the appearances a demon named Bedazzer keeps making in her mirror. I read Mage Heart from cover to cover twice before I could put it down. (Thankfully, I'm a fast reader.) A year later, my copy is battered and torn, and I can start reading at any place and immediately know what's happening. I am very pleased to find somewhere to get a new copy, as Mage Heart has been out-of-print for sometime. I am tempted to say that this story is most likely to appeal to women, as a major theme of the book is Dion's 'becoming a woman' and the slow building of her relationship with Andre. (Andre, by the way, is one of the most fascinating and vivid characters I have come across. Ever.) As for vulgarity...well, Kitten is the Duke's mistress, and her friends are women of similar 'character'. You have to expect some talk about sex. I never found it that horrifying, but those easily offended may wish to back off. Unfortunately, the sequels are nowhere near as satisfying, perhaps because the most interesting characters from 'Mage Heart' are forced into the background to make sporadic appearances. This first novel, however, is definitely worth a look.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Begining, July 14, 2000

By 

"mjsullivan" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mage Heart (Mass Market Paperback)

While I find myself more drawn to slick sci-fi novels, I found MAGE HEART to be a delightfull relaxer. The romance was tawdry but innocent, and the heroine, while a bit on the naive side, grows enough as a person to be believable, but if you are a feminist, I suggest you find another title. Dion, the heroine, is a bit of a push over. But I must say that her love interest Andre would be a well chosen addition to any female's day dreams.

But while reading this book, I suggest you turn your brain off. Don't question the dialogue that seems to try for a bygone age but keeps popping up with contemporary phrases. And don't say, "Well, she's a Mage, for goodness's sake! Why doesn't she just ZAP him? " Trust me, it won't do a speck of good. Just sit back and relax and enjoy some mindless entertainment. It's no worse then day time television, right?

THE SHORT OF IT: An over all refreshing break from those books that HAVE to say something about society.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mesmerizing Dark Fantasy!, January 24, 2003

By 

Silmarwen (Huntington Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Mage Heart (Mass Market Paperback)

Dion was just an ordinary young girl when she came to the attention of Michael, a great mage. Michael bought her from her mother to see if it was possible to train a female to be a mage. Michael completely takes over Dion's life as she has no other friends or teachers. When Dion is older, she cannot really remember a life before Michael. She knows that she has often been a disappointment to him and fears what will become of her now that Michael is dead. There is no place for a female mage in Gallia and Dion doesn't really have any training as a healer, the only acceptable role for a female with magicial powers. So it is a relief to the Dean of the School of Magic when the Duke calls on her to protect his favorite mistress, Kitten Avignon, from a necromancer with a grudge.

Dion tries to refuse, terrified that she will lose all that is left to her now - her unsullied reputation. After all, how can she be seen to consort with the women of the "honey sisterhood" and not be thought a courtesan herself? However, when the necromancer sends an assassin into the College of Magics to kill Dion, she has no choice but to move in with Kitten and accept the physical protection that that will provide her. Dion is ill prepared for the world of political intrigue in which she finds herself and struggles to fit Kitten's view of the world and Michael's view together. But Dion has a bigger problem, she has somehow called a Demon to her and the Demon will do anything to cross over into Dion's world where innocent prey abounds. Dion both fears and desires the demon's power, but she knows that to use demon magic is the worst kind of necromancy. Matters are further complicated when she meets the mesmerizing Andre Gregorov, a sophisticated foreigner who claims to be passionately in love with her. But who is he really and why does he want her? Dion soon discovers that nothing and no one is what it appears. Can she have the confidence in herself to make the right choices and to use her great magical gift to protect those most important to her?

I thought that the book started off a little slow, but once Dion moved into Kitten's house, the plot seemed to move along faster. Also, I really enjoyed the romance/attraction between Dion and Andre and wish that that had been introduced sooner in the book, but I understand that Dion's character needed to be developed to a certain point before Andre could be introduced. The plot was quite original and the world that Jane Routley introduces the reader to was simply stunning in its realistic details. Politics, art, religion, all intertwine in the complicated relationships that we see in our own world today. Nothing is simple and nothing is easy in this world and everything becomes a shade of gray instead of the black and white that Dion is looking for. A very entertaining read - highly recommended for all who love fantasy!