River of the World (Selling Water By the River) (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Political intrigue and revolutionary plots keep the story bubbling in Brenchley's magical sequel to Bridge of Dreams (2006), set in a culture reminiscent of the Arabian Nights. Jendre, the disgraced wife of the recently dead sultan of Maras, overthrown by those who would prefer a more malleable ruler, longs for a quiet retirement with her lover, only to learn she still has some value to those who plot to gain power and influence. Meanwhile, the water mage Issel has led revolutionaries from the land of Sund across the river that links it to rival Maras. A chance meeting points to a way for Jendre and Issel to succeed by working together. Though Brenchley provides minimal backstory for new readers, those with patience will find a lively adventure in which the paths to survival and morality frequently diverge. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Twenty years ago, a magical bridge allowed Maras to conquer Sund. As in Bridge of Dreams (2006), Jendre is trying to rescue her sister, chosen to be one of the children whose dreams maintain the bridge at the cost of their minds. Water-mage Issel finds that he can't break the bridge but, when she is thrown in the river to drown, rescues Jendre. His powers and her knowledge of the Maras court allow Issel's band of outlaws to design tactics for breaking Maras power. The characters constitute the main attraction here; they're real people with real problems and convincing reactions. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Ace (March 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441015840
• ISBN-13: 978-0441015849
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #485,855 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terrific political fantasy, April 5, 2007

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: River of the World (Selling Water by the River) (Hardcover)

It took a day to destroy a millennium of prosperity when the Marasi created a magical bridge that scaled the walls of Sundain to enable their conquering army inside (see BRIDGE OF DREAMS). Now two decades have passed since the conquering led to twin cities bridged by the dreams of children whose lives are sucked out until they wither and die while the Marasi magical rule.

By happenstance the sultan of Marasi's latest wife Jendre meets Sundain water mage Issel after he has done the impossible by crossing the river to Marasi. They agree to help one another at a time when rivals battle for control in Marasi as she wants to save the life of her "dreaming" sister. However, their plan goes awry when the sultan is assassinated and Jendre captured as she has value to those craving power. Issel knows he must liberate her or else face failure as she is his only access into the castle.

This terrific sequel assumes that the audience read the previous fantasy as much of the political intrigue especially the abuse of power was set in BRIDGE OF DREAMS and built upon that foundation rather than repeated in the deep RIVER OF THE WORLD. The story line is fast-paced once the lead couple recognizes a mutual need for one another and abets each other to achieve what they desire. Whereas Issel wants to free a city, Jendre wants to free a person as morality plays havoc with this duo with issues like sacrificing one for the better good or saving one at the cost of the many (early Ayn Rand). Chaz Brenchley writes a terrific political fantasy.

Harriet Klausner

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Story, But..., September 3, 2007

By	G. Bell (Some where that's not here...) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: River of the World (Selling Water by the River) (Hardcover)

But it gets repetitive. The first novel in the series was better.I grew sick of reading about the one thousand and one ways Issel reacts to water...how it effects him, how he feels about it...and this is done for every new body and type of water the boy encounters.I got really bored the first several chapters because nothing really happened, except for a bunch of metaphors and similes to describe Issel and his relationship with water. I havent even read the entire book, but I got so irritated I had to stop and write this review. Hopefully things will pick up.

Update: Read the rest, things did pick up a bit, it was ok.