Customer Reviews

The Morgaine Saga (Daw Book Collectors)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

These books have shot to the top of my all-time favorite books list because of Cherryh's wonderfully controlled and spare writing style, her complex and interesting characters and a story that has all the grandeur and tragedy of myth. I remember seeing these books many years ago and shying away from them. Morgaine, the main character seemed too much like a cliche of the female sword and sorcery genre (perhaps it was the cover art) and so I passed these by. I'm only sorry that I waited so long to find these wonderful stories, whose characters, good and bad are so compelling you want to reread whatever has been written about them again and again. Not to mention, like all classics, the story never gets old. Each rereading revels a nuance that I missed before and thus every time I've gone back for another drink at the well, I've been amply rewarded with new insights as well as the joy of visiting an old friend.

In three short, fast-paced novels (Gate of Ivrel, Well of Shiuan and The Fires of Azeroth) we meet the principal characters, Morgaine, a dreaded figure out of legend whose sole mission is to close and destroy world- and time-spanning gates and who will stop at nothing to achieve her goal. She is neither human nor qhal and her origins remain shrouded in mystery. Nothing about her is soft or feminine. Her goal is noble but the means she uses to achieve it are horrible. She wields her gate-sword Changeling much as she wields whatever people are convenient, ruthlessly and without mercy to the purpose that she serves.

Nhi Vanye is a bastard, an outcast warrior, and kin-slayer whose path accidently crosses Morgaine. Swept unwilling into her service he becomes her liegeman, bound to do her bidding while fighting to preserve his personal honor. He knows that he is simply an means to end with her, and that she will sacrifice him without hesitation. Yet whatever her crimes, past and present, Vanye finds with her a place and purpose that he could never find within his family. No matter how terrible the price may be.

Interwoven through all these stories run tangled themes of honor, duty, and trust, family, good, evil, right and wrong and every shade of grey in-between. Morgaine does murder, betrayal and worse yet her purpose is good. Her qhalur nemesis through the books has undeniably done evil, yet in the end it is possible he will be redeemed. Cherryh wastes no words, action compelling the narrative at an often times dizzying pace. The reader is kept waiting and watchful for whatever scraps of dialogue or insight that is doled out. The many mysteries that surround Morgaine are only obliquely hinted and thus careful reading and rereading are rewarded.

Although on each world Morgaine's and Vanye's purpose remains the same, each novel explores a uniquely different world, from doomed, drowning Shiua to fair and prosperous Azeroth. All the people, human and qhal are memerorable and distinct characters, fair or foul. In all cases we see the careful unfolding of Morgaine's and Vanye's relantionship, the strength of which just might see them through to the end of their mission and the ultimate gate itself. When they eventually ride through Azeroth Gate, leaving behind Morgaine's enemy and Vanye's cousin, your sorrow will be tempered with joy since you know that their adventures yet continue on into Exile's Gate and that your final farewells will thus be delayed a little while longer.

If you're ready for a real heroine--not someone in a chainmail haltertop and g-string, but a warrior haunted and driven by a mission that possesses her very existence, it's time you met Morgaine.

Cherryh's well-known economy with words means that dull spots are rare to non-existent. Morgaine's vassal Vanye is a great character, human idealism juxtaposed against Morgaine's grim practicality, with both ultimately influencing one another. And when Cherryh describes Morgaine's weapon, if you close your eyes, you may well feel an icy chill down the back--that's how talented Cherryh is with words.

Recommended to any lover of good fantasy, but most especially recommended to fans of women's heroic fantasy who are tired of stereotyped and lame portrayals. Morgaine is efficient, intelligent, and quite feminine (assuming one's definition of same isn't too narrow). Don't think of Xena--think of Honor Harrington, another of the great heroines conjured by an author's talent.

I'm an avid reader at roughly a book a day and I remember the books I've read, so finding literary entertainment is difficult. A book must keep me fascinated on myriad levels to warrant a second read. For a book to reach the status of "keeper", it must have that 'magical unfolding thing' going for it. Morgaine and Vanye have occupied a space on my shelf since I bought a ratty copy of "Exile's Gate" several years ago. I was captivated by the character, the story, everything that existed between the covers of the book. And each time I read the book it gave me a slowly changing understanding of the characters. I would very much like to see another book about Morgaine and Vanye, Maybe something exploring the whys and hows and circumstances that created the ice and steel in Morgaine's character. I will not try to influence a potential reader for or against, suffice it to say that the characters have stayed with me for years, the story has given me countless ways to view my fellow human beings and I consider myself the richer for it.

In the '70's just about every fantasy writer felt compelled to turn out one or more books about a tough female warrior. Morgaine is a direct descendant of those warriors--but better. The Morgaine Saga is sometimes considered fantasy, and with its low-tech cultures, its aura of timelessness, and Morgaine's own trappings--a horse to ride, a sword to close the Gates--it does have something of that feel about it, but a close reading will show that the worlds in it are clearly Lost Colonies that have slipped back to a pre-industrial level. What makes the books work is the people--Morgaine and her vassal Vanye: a hard, practical leader tested by virtual immortality, and an angtsy exile who fears, loves, and admires her all at the same time. And Cherryh's almost poetic style lends a sense of a saga being woven by some Homer of the future. The three novels in this omnibus, and their sequel "Exile's Gate," may rank with the Chanur Saga as Cherryh's best. They're among the few novels in my collection that I make time to reread. Not to be missed.

Cherryh creates new worlds for each of the novels contained in this collection, and each is extremely well crafted and detailed. The guts of the story, however, are the complexities of the relationship between Morgaine and Vanye. Both are fated to follow a specific path, controlled by forces over which they have no control. And both struggle constantly with their humanity, given the inhuman demands their tasks place on them. Their gradual recognition of each other is very well done, and the action supports the character development, not the other way around. Make sure to also read "Exile's Gate," the fourth novel in the series. Ms. Cherryh, another in the series please! (And why not bring Morgaine and Vanye to 21st century Earth?)

Well, to start with, I'm an avid book reader (I usually read over 5 books a week!). However, I also have a pretty good memory, so once I've read a book, I usually remember the plot. The result of this is that I only feel like re-reading books months later when the storyline has started to fade in my mind. Once I finished reading the Morgaine saga, I felt listless, so I immediately picked up the book and read it again! The second time around, I noticed many more subtle things that I missed in the first thrill of the action. I loved this book! (If you're into heroines, I suggest you read Robin McKinley's books...Even though none can match morgaine!)

There are many different aspects that make a book (or a series) stand amonts the others. The Morgaine cycle is all about this extraordinary character possessed by a mission that leaves little to no room for her human self.
We stand before and admire this goddess that gives up everything to save the universe on a quest that doesn't allow turning back, and inhabiting the body and mind of the all too human Vanye we can approach her, get close to her and, unbelievably, love her.
This is the miracle that C.J. Cherryh created for us in these books. Enjoy it!

Cherryh's "The Dreaming Tree" duology captured my heart as an adult like nothing since some of Orson Scott Card's work when I was in college. It's a rare fantasy book that sticks close to the harsh realities of ancient Celtic life, mixed with Elven folklore and narrative surprises (namely, that as the point of view moves to the elf, time rushes by so that human characters have suddenly died and theirs war long over and we're moving on to their descendents' lives), expertly done. I took up Morgaine next, based on reviews. The first two books were disappointing. They center on the single-minded quest of Morgaine and her vassal/sidekick, who are always on the run. For four hundred pages, I've read about twelve that have content other than: campfires, hard-ground, steely-stares, muddy clothes, insufficient food, lack of sleep, waking before dawn, avoiding ambushes, tired horses, untrustworthy keeps, and the sores caused by wearing armor and marching. Those twelve pages were quite inventive, though crucial revelations by characters are sometimes so cryptic I have no idea what just happened, and I'm a careful reader. The second book, in particular, seemed to mire down the reader unnecessarily. For example, the first few (depressing and boring) chapters develop a character who all but disappears soon thereafter. These chapters could have been dropped. In sum, the first two books were characterized by: good premise, hints of imagination, but ultimately repetitive, teasing fare. Out of curiosity I started on the third, "The Fires of Azeroth," and was swept up into a book altogether on another level: plausible and masterful character transformation, subtle emotional tensions, edge-of-your-seat action, towns and elves and indesribable unique forest creatures (instead of just trails and keeps)... in short, what may be the most fun and engaging short fantasy novel I've ever read. While Cherryh tends to write action and confrontation sequences cryptically, here they at least make sense, and when they at least make sense, I'm open to this approach over the all-too-common "dictation" of action, or deferring of action, that characterizes most fantasy novels. "Fires" is a 5 star gem. I'd pick this up, read the second installment briskly, and enjoy it from then on. The 4th book, "Exiles Gate," is a very good book: 4 stars for lapsing into the occasional repetitive stuff [I imagine Cherryh does not reread the previous day's work when resuming? or she needs to warm up each day?] but a glorious development of the characters. I am heartbroken that there are no more books.

I loved these stories in text and would sell relatives to see them brought to the big screen. Much better than LOTR et al. It would have to star Jodie Foster as Morgaine and Sean Bean as Vanye, so I might have missed the boat.

All the usual battles: good v evil; duty v fear; pride v need. Beautiful horses and weaponry along with hard, miserable worlds, villany and subterfuge.

i've stumbled on the books of morgine through the wrong end - "exile's gate". i liked that a lot and found the ones that preceded it (in the one volume edition). i was expecting at least that fourth novel's level, and got a whole lot more.
in spite of the cover (morgaine looks pretty under-dressed, not mentioning vanye's attire), morgaine's saga is a rare treat. what's it about? frozen in time behind a gate that leads to nowhere, after her army of allies has been crushed by those she hunted, morgaine is saved by the youth vanye, an exile in his homeland, a pariah to his kind. her obssession leads her to require him to join her as servant for the time needed to complete her mission - and that time stretches to the far future, as there's always one more gateway between worlds to close and still more qhals to destroy. embittered by his ordeal, enslaved to the woman's single-mindedness, young vanye is eventually mesmerized by her and will follow her through the gates even when she has released him. and her obssession will put them in danger again and again, until even friends turn into enemies and they find succor only in themselves.
the writing has cherryh's inimitable style. the simple plots of the books are always fascinating and eventually the pair of wanderers pass on to unforseeble ends, wich i think is the masterstroke of the first trilogy (and even of the fourth book, "exile's gate"). i for one couldn't see morgaine settling down or vanye leaving her go on alone.
i only hope that the series will continue someday (after all, there's "fortress of ice" announced in the fortress series, why not another morgaine book? ).

read it ! this is one series you must not miss!