Nameless Magery (del Rey Discovery) [Mass Market Paperback]

Delia Marshall Turner (Author)

Book Description

Series: del Rey Discovery | Publication Date: May 27, 1998

Thrust into a strange land, Lisane possessed extraordinary magic. But could she carve out a place for herself in the beautiful barbaric realm that was her new home--a place where dark secrets held the promise of life--and death . . . ?

In her homeland, mages conversed with the magical forces of ller, reverently seeking permission for the spells they cast. Then came a terrible scourge, draining the world of ller, killing the mages, and enslaving the survivors. But this clever young girl fled the onslaught.

Raised to be Queen of her people, to wield the magic born from ller, Lisane found precarious refuge in a distant land where only men wielded power. Still able to call up the mystic currents of ller, she was saved from summary execution by the maddeningly handsome Kaihan, King and Wizard. Thus Lisane was placed with the other young adepts--the only female among them--and the only true mage that could save them.

If they didn't kill her first . . .

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Delia Marshall Turner is a revolutionary in this era of big fantasy. Her Nameless Magery is a compelling, funny approach to the archetypal sword and sorcery tale of the young misfit who triumphs over enormous obstacles, completing a quest and saving the world from evil. Amazingly, she accomplishes this satisfactorily in a bit over 200 pages.

Turner's heroine, Lisane, was prepared to be the living representative of the Goddess for her whole planet before the invasion and the destruction of her family by the Enforcers, who destroy magic wherever they find it. Now she's on a world where all mages are male, stuck in a combination boarding school and juvenile detention center. "The pimply noodlebrains who grudgingly shared the senior student hall with me had come to the school as young children," Lisane comments, "and had spent the intervening years mastering magic. I didn't think it had done them much good, but I tried to keep my opinion to myself." The only mage who believes her story is Kaihan, the handsome Wizard-King. But Lisane's unique approach to magic will prove indispensable.

There's frank talk about sex and some imaginative cursing here, but Nameless Magery is a marvelous coming-of-age story that you won't want to put down. --Nona Vero

From Library Journal

Stranded on a distant world where only men practice the carefully controlled art of magic, the young mage Lisane defies local traditions in order to gain the right to express her inner powers and fulfill her true destiny. Turner's first novel features a brash, likable heroine whose commentaries on her surroundings give a distinctly personal feel to her struggle for acceptance in a male-dominated world. A good choice for YA as well as fantasy collections.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; 1ST edition (May 27, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345424301
• ISBN-13: 978-0345424303
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,597,337 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sparkling!, January 6, 2002

By 

"spaceprincess12" (Ottawa, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nameless Magery (del Rey Discovery) (Mass Market Paperback)

In a genre so laden with heavy, solemn tales that take themselves far too seriously, this engaging, lighthearted tale sparkles. Lack of depth? Well, the last few chapters are a bit rushed, but a good part of this book's appeal is precisely that it *doesn't* drag you down into deep, philosophical questions and world-shattering revelations. Instead, it makes you laugh out loud.
Lisane is a wonderful heroine, a spunky teenage mage who just happens to be the uncrowned queen and goddess of a conquered people. Needless to say, when she is thrown into a world where all of the mages are male, and intent on teaching her rules and skills contrary to the beliefs of her people, her stubbornness comes out. Surrounded by maddening males- sensitive Simon, vicious Detter and the compelling Master Kaihan, among others- she has to find her way through this strange alien world, and maybe even save it from the terrible fate of her own home.
Turner's use of language and linguistic concepts is brilliant. Not only is the book itself wonderfully written, but a number of contrasts between Lisane's old and new worlds are emphasized through their respective languages, not the least of which is her use of a whole seperate pronoun, lle, to address and describe the magical currents- which is risky, and a tad confusing at first, but she pulls it off.
Yes, there is sex in this book- a fair bit of it in the middle chapters. But to call it explicit, compared with some of the other books on the shelves these days, is just silly. And I don't really understand all of the complaints about the cover art. Sure, it doesn't come close to being typical, but then, neither does the book. It doesn't really say anything about the story, but it's kind of an interesting, if girly, image.
Nameless Magery is clever, original, and refreshing. A nice break from the thick, dark, multivolume epics that make up the bulk of popular fantasy.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 'Golden Bough' vs. 'Dungeons and Dragons' Sorcery, November 27, 2000

By 

E. A. Lovitt "starmoth" (Gladwin, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nameless Magery (del Rey Discovery) (Mass Market Paperback)

"Nameless Magery" is one of kind: the heroine practices a sort of Samoan magery. She finds 'mana' (or 'ller' as it is called in this book) everywhere, and comes from a world where the king reigns for a single year and is then killed and eaten by his successor. Her planet is invaded and she escapes to a world where magic is viewed as a power that can only be controlled by a few (male) mages. It makes for a wonderful conflict between the heroine, Lisane and the male mages and wannabe mages who feel an obligation to 'train' her. Once I started reading "Nameless Magery" I couldn't put it down, and read through to the end. I hope there is a sequel for Turner's idiosyncratic, uninhibited, and squabbling magicians to once again display their very special magic. Thank goodness for a wise-cracking, sensible heroine who isn't afraid of losing her magic if she loses her maidenhead!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Really Fun Read, February 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Nameless Magery (del Rey Discovery) (Mass Market Paperback)

The author's fresh voice made this book shine. _Nameless Magery_ is a fun little book about a girl surviving among baffling strangers, trying to adapt to her new situation while keeping her personal ethics. This is fantasy on a personal scale, not a Grand Scale, which is just the way I like it. Lisane, our grouchy heroine, does not set out to save the world, but to live in it.

For persons reading some other reviews of this book, I would also like to state that I did not find this book to be "R-rated." What a silly concept, to rate books in this manner.