Customer Reviews

Marianne, the Magus, and the Manticore

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"Marianne, the Magus, and the Manticore" is a fascinating and original fantasy. Sheri Tepper's imagery is terrific (the dinner made me hungry!), her prose is lucid and beautiful. A strong and vulnerable heroine, an equally strong and vulnerable hero, some pernicious villains and a great supporting cast. Not to mention one of the most inventive plots I have ever seen in a fantasy. I wish they'd reprint the entire trilogy!

All three of the Marianne books are full of wonder on every page. No one could fail to love Mariane, and delight in her incredably imaginative experiences, in the most original of alternate realities. As deeply enjoyable as the first two are, the third and final book, Marianne, the Matchbox and the Malachite Mouse is even better.

I enjoyed this book so much I've reread it 6 times so far. Ms. Tepper entertains with detail as much as with plot. Her worlds are complete with rules and roles to play and she's able to involve the reader in each new environment within a few paragraphs.

The story is a bit dark, but a spark of hope and courage is always present to keep you reading.

My only displeasure was when the book ended. I enjoyed her second installment "Marianne and the Momentary Gods," nearly as much as the first and only regret that she didn't continue beyond three books.

Marianne, the Magus, and the Manticore (1985) is the first Fantasy novel in the Marianne trilogy. It is set in a timeline much like our own, but containing two other small countries in the Near East. Alphenlicht was settled by Magi refugees during the third century AD after the Sassanid king persecuted them for heresy. In the nineteenth century, Russia annexed the northern third of this country and renamed it Lubovosk.

In this novel, Marianne Zahmani is an orphan whose mother had died when she was thirteen and her father the following year. She lives in an old house that she owns and attends the local university. She is receiving a stipend from her half-brother Harvey.

Harvey Zahmani is a professor of Oriental Languages and Ethnology at a school in Boston. He has been executor of Marianne's legacy from her parents since she was fourteen. Under the terms of her father's will, Marianne will not fully inherit her estate until she marries or reaches thirty years of age. Meanwhile, Harvey only lets her have $500 a month.

Makr Avehl Zahmani is the Prime Minister -- actually the High Magus -- of Alphenlicht. He has a sister -- Ellat -- and is also somewhat related to Marianne and Harvey. He often pronounces his name as Macravail.

Aghrehond is Macravail's factotum. He is butler, chauffeur, messenger and many other things.

Tabiti Delubovoska is the head of state of Lubovosk. She is also the aunt of Harvey Zahmani.

In this story, Marianne attends classes and repairs damaged books in the library. She also works on her house. She makes some extra money renting the first floor rooms to Mrs. Winesap and Mr. Larken.

One morning Marianne hears a bit of TV news about Makr Avehl Zahmani appearing before the United Nations. Then she sees a flyer about a lecture by M. A. Zahmani. She decides to attend this lecture.

Prime Minister Zahmani looks very much like Harvey, Yet Marianne can see little differences. Zahmani notices her in the crowd and talks to her after the lecture. Macravail seems much more considerate than her half-brother.

Makr takes her to a nearby restaurant and tells her some more about Alphenlicht, He also describes the religion of the country. He calls her Kinswoma and states that she is almost certainly Kevi, the dominant caste of Alphenlicht.

Later, Macravail invites Marianne to dinner and explains more about his country. She tells him something about Harvey, including the box of items he has given her to place in her rooms. He takes her home, tours the rooms and examines the hated box.

The various items have a feeling of evil surrounding them. Macravail takes them away and then brings similar -- yet more comfortable -- pieces to replace them. He even hangs the pictures.

Makr senses an evil plot directed against Marianne. Although Harvey is involved, someone else is probably the instigator. He will need to keep a close eye on Marianne.

Then Macravail invites Marianne to an outing at the estate where he is staying. She looks forward to visiting and having a chance to ride horses again. Aghrehond drives her to the estate.

Makr has also invited Harvey and his aunt. When they arrive, he realizes that Madame Delubovoska is probably the person conspiring against Marianne. He and Ellat teach Marianne some simple defenses and try to keep her away from the Madame.

This tale involves magic -- both white and black -- revolving around Marianne. She doesn't believe in magic, but she has experienced its effects. Unfortunately, she doesn't listen close enough to Macravail.

This trilogy follows after the True Game series, which is also definitely worth reading. Afterward, the author wrote many other Fantasy and SF novels, but most were standalone works.

The story is a mostly about loss of youthful innocence. The next installment is Marianne, the Madame, and the Momentary Gods. Read and enjoy!

Highly recommended for Tepper fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of magical arts, psychologically abused women, and personal development.

-Arthur W. Jordin

"Marianne, the Magus and the Manticore" was my first foray into the novels of Sheri S. Tepper, and I must say I wasn't disappointed! Published in the mid-80's the Marianne trilogy is now extremely difficult to come by as they are among Tepper's earliest work .Tepper has a quirky, intelligent writing style which meshes perfectly with the eerie and haunting setting of the story. This first installment of the Marianne trilogy is downright chilling at times, making it not only suspenseful but adding a touch of the Horror genre to the novel.

Marianne Zahmani is a young woman living in modern day Virginia, perpetually under the thumb of her abusive half-brother and striving to claim her independence. It is not until a chance encounter at her university with a guest speaker from the country of her parents' birth (Alphenlicht) that she discovers her subservience to her half-brother is being enforced by evil magic. When the mage Makr Avehl seeks to help Marianne overcome this wicked power, she is snatched away into bizarre shamanic otherworlds where she is endanger of losing not only her independence but her memories and ultimately her life. As Makr Avehl scrambles to follow her , Marianne traverses strange and inventive parallel worlds, each new realm showing off Tepper's imaginative prowess expertly. It is a short novel at 185 pages but utterly captivating.

In other reviews for other books I've heard that Tepper is accused of "man-bashing". That is not evident in this book. The male and female characters are equally balanced with character strengths and weaknesses. Marianne is a stalwart heroine and Makr Avehl is a charming hero. In short, if you can get your hands on a copy of this hard-to-find book, you wont be disappointed. Both Tepper fans and those new to Tepper (like me) will doubtlessly enjoy this creepy, inventive little tale. But you'll definitely want to have the second book "Marianne, the Madame and the Momentary Gods" in your possession as the book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger.

Marianne, Magus and the Manticore, is the first in the Marianne trilogy. I picked up a copy of this trilogy at Harrod's in London England when I was travelling in 1992. It's my favourite book, and irreplacable to me. I'm hoping that they will reprint this book at somepoint. I would love to purchase this for gifts. Her dream imagry is amazing. I work in a library and I particularly enjoyed the dream sequence where she is trapped working in the library. It's not unlike nightmares I've had! :-)

The story in this book might have just as well come from my dreams. It is absolutely magical and keeps me coming back looking for a sequel.

Perhaps it is because I like to remodel houses myself, but I found the innocuous first page of this book fascinating. The unfolding of the story is vintage Tepper-- clever, surprising, and socially relevant.