The Sacrifice: The First Book of the Fey [Mass Market Paperback]

Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Author)

Book Description

Series: Fey | Publication Date: December 1, 1995

Defying their Black King in order to rally an attack on the peaceful Blue Isle, warrior-prince Rugar and his fearless daughter, Jewel, do not suspect that the islanders, under young prince Nicholas, have prepared to defend themselves.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 688 pages
• Publisher: Spectra; First Edition edition (December 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553568949
• ISBN-13: 978-0553568943
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,295,857 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The appeal of cool bad guys, June 15, 2005

By 

Ashley Megan "amazonfox" (Vernon, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Sacrifice: The First Book of the Fey (Mass Market Paperback)

The Fey are a ruthless, bloodthirsty, magic-wielding, conquering people. The people of Blue Isle, the next on the list of places to add to the Fey Empire, are peaceful, religious, and have never even encountered magic. The Fey expect to grind the Isle into the ground in a day. Instead, through luck or coincidence, the Islanders discover that the holy water used in their religious rituals kills Fey on contact, in a particularly gruesome fashion. The battle shifts, and the Fey end up fleeing, going into hiding in an invisible fort in the middle of the Island.

What follows are years of skirmishes between the Islanders and the Fey, who are led by the son and granddaughter of their Black King, Rugar and Jewel. The Islanders' king, Alexander, is forced to change his entire political outlook from a peacetime footing to winning a war, while his son, Prince Nicholas, finds out that war isn't as glorious as he thought. Meanwhile, the religious leaders responsible for making the holy water that is now used as a weapon have to reconcile their peaceful religion with the horrific things their water does to the Fey.

This is one of those books where no one comes through unscathed, and sometimes the characters you like the best are the bad guys. The writing leaves something to be desired sometimes, and Rusch has a tendency to repeat herself in an effort to pound certain concepts in, but overall, an enjoyable book with an ending that makes you anxious to hear more.

(Important Note: While books 1,2,3, and 5 are still available, book 4, The Resistance, is out of print and generally unavailable. I read the series without it and was able to follow it fairly well, but if you're the type who absolutely cannot read a series out of order, don't even start The Fey.)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific study in both sides of a terrible conflict, February 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Sacrifice: The First Book of the Fey (Mass Market Paperback)

When I first saw the title "The Fey" in the book store I thought, naw, I've read this story a thousand times. But Rusch acutally manages to make the rather standard plot into an amazing and original read. This king's daughter/warrior in battle proving her worth story certainly has some cliche elements, but they only give the reader a foothold for Rusch's magic in creating the brilliantly complex characters on both sides of the conflict. I never could decide which side I wanted to win, and never did decide even as it ended. Instead of the standard "some good, some bad people" set up for each side, Rusch puts the "some good, some bad" in each of her characters in a very believable way. Read this book if you're planning on writing some great, complex characters!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good start to a great series, February 1, 2000

By 

Bryan W. (Salem, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sacrifice: The First Book of the Fey (Mass Market Paperback)

I picked it up by chance, started it, put it down for a while...just couldn't get into it. Glad I picked it back up. Slow start but it "reels" you in! Kristine has woven a fantasic tale of love, magic, treachery...and sacrifice. I applaud the entire series mainly because she has taken the Fey formula (wispy, fragile creatures) and transformed them into a conquering race, quite brutal actually. Plus, the strong religious intolerance element make it strike close to home. I've almost finished Book IV: The Resistance and have Book V: Victory and The Black Queen awaiting my eager eyes on my coffee table at home. Kudos to Kristine!