Wood Nymph and the Cranky Saint [Import] [Paperback]

C.Dale Brittain (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Baen Books,U.S. (December 29, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555940692
• ISBN-13: 978-1555940690
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

More About the Author

I'm both a fantasy writer and a professor of medieval history, having loved fantasy since I discovered Tolkien in ninth grade. That and a long trip to Europe with my family in high school--including lots of climbing around castles--got me interested in real medieval history. The two different facets work together surprisingly well--including that both are tough ways to make a living! For one thing, real medieval history can come up with much better plots than anything I could create.

Real medieval people were rather grim by our standards: ruthless, violent, always thinking about death, and with no religious tolerance--and those were the good guys! My own fantasy tends to be lighter, though it always ends up being about sacrifice, mortality, redemption, and similarly knee-slapping topics.

The characters and situations for my first published novel, "A Bad Spell in Yurt," came to me literally in a dream. I'd been trying intermittently for over 20 years to get a novel published, but this one worked! And it became a national "top 10" best-seller in the fantasy/science fiction genre. (Ought to have more dreams like that...)

The "Yurt" series is six books long; they can be enjoyed in any order, but there is still an overall story arc. The books in the series are (in order) "A Bad Spell in Yurt," "The Wood Nymph and the Cranky Saint," "Mage Quest," "The Witch and the Cathedral," "Daughter of Magic," and "Is this Apocalypse Necessary?" This overall story is now wrapped up, though I'm contemplating "Yurt, the Next Generation."

Of my other two novels, "Count Scar" is the closest I've gotten to real medieval history. It's set in a thinly-disguised version of southern France in the thirteenth century. My husband, Robert Bouchard, and I co-wrote it. "Voima" was my chance to revel in the Nordic myths I've always loved, while making up new myths of my own (no Odin or Siegfried here). For some reason "Yurt" fans have never taken to it, but it may be my favorite book.

More information about my novels is available on my website, www.Daimbert.com. Recently I've made my out-of-print books available for Kindle. I like a physical book in my hands myself, but for everyone who enjoys the convenience of reading onscreen, enjoy!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A well done sequel, definately worth reading, December 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Wood Nymph and the Cranky Saint (Mass Market Paperback)

Brittain brings back all of the original characters in a worthy sequel to "Bad Spell in Yurt". While the sequel a lot of fun to read, I thought it had a sharper edge to it's tone then the first book in the series. I'd recommend this book to any fantasy reader-- if you've read the first book in the series then this is a definate "must read".

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Be Careful What You Wish For..., September 22, 2000

By 

AllieKat - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wood Nymph and the Cranky Saint (Mass Market Paperback)

...You just might get it! Daimbert soon found this out. When the King of Yurt decided it was time for his family to go on vacation, he left Daimbert and Joachim, the chaplain, in charge, with his nephew on the throne as regent. As soon as the King left, problems started popping up left and right! One of the dukes is plagued with magical rabbits... with horns; the very cranky saint that resides at the shrine of the Holy Toe has appeared in several different visions, some stated his wishes to be moved from the shrine to a church in a different city, and others saying that he wants to stay at the shrine; the church decided they wanted the nymph that resides in the woods around the shrine of the Holy Toe to be moved elsewhere; a duchess is being courted by an apparently low-born stranger *and* the King's nephew; odd zombie-like creatures have been sighted; and to top it all off, Daimbert's predecessor seems to be growing more and more incompetent. While all these problems are very serious indeed, Brittain still manages to keep it light-hearted and fun. Also, he does a wonderful job of addressing how magic and religion interact.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sacred Stubbed Toe, March 5, 2006

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Wood Nymph and the Cranky Saint (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the second book in C. Dale Brittain's Daimbert series. These are stories about a young wizard out on his first job - royal wizard of the tiny kingdom of Yurt. Daimbert has recovered from his first adventure, banishing a demon that was haunting the castle and temporarily dying in the process. Joachim the royal priest, who has now become an unlikely friend, rescued him. In the very medieval world of these tales wizards and churchmen generally don't mix, but age and education have drawn them together.

When King Haimeric decides to take a vacation, he leaves his nephew in charge, with Daimbert to aid him. Now Joachim is called on to help resolve the problem of the Sacred Toe, a saint's relic that the spirit of the saint, ever cranky, seems to want moved elsewhere. At the same time Daimbert is called on to investigate a sudden plague of horned and fanged rabbits. The two join together to investigate their problems, and thereby hangs a tale.

Daimbert's quest becomes complicated when he discovers that the rabbits are magical constructs and there is even something worse haunting the woods. Other distractions come in the form of a novice wizard whom the duchess has added to her staff and an extremely attractive wood nymph with an affection for wizards. Joachim's problems are almost as bad. The saint is indeed cranky, the current hermit is confused, and strangers are setting up a souvenir stand at the site of the Holy Toe. Now priests from a church in the city are on their way to claim the Toe, and, in case I forgot to mention it, priests and wood nymphs do not generally get along.

This is a complex story with interwoven layers of deception. While the tone is light, there is no question but that some of the issues addressed are serious. Everything from an old wizard's fear of dying to a noble's mid-life crisis shows that Brittain has a knack for character development and a willingness to avoid the usual themes of grand heroes and damsels in distress. This series is unique in its mix of stylings, and worth looking up.