Split Heirs [Hardcover]

Lawrence Watt-Evans (Author), Esther M. Friesner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1993

High comedy, low pratfalls, and thrilling derring-do combine in a magical and fantastic epic about the Ancient and Honorable Kingdom of the Hydrangeans; the mighty, though rather stupid, warrior Gudge; and the mysterious Black Weasel.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Confusion reigns in this often funny, frequently precious fantasy about usurped thrones and lost heirs. After the Gorgorian barbarians conquer the civilized kingdom of Hydrangea, their leader Gudge makes himself king, marries Hydrangean Princess Artemisia and settles down to a highly satisfactory life of drinking and debauchery. Royal triplets, separated at birth because of a Gorgorian superstition that multiple births suggest the mother's infidelity, receive very different upbringings. The only girl, Avena, is brought up in the palace as Prince Arbol, heir to the throne and a fearsome swordsman. One brother, Wulfrith, is raised by a shepherd; although a young ewe is his favorite companion, his size makes him a fearsome battler. The other brother, Dunwin, reared by the outlawed wizard Clootie, develops into a talented magician. To this basic brew Watt-Evans (the Ethshar series) and Freisner ( Gnome Man's Land ) have added a couple of dragons, some attempted seductions, mistaken identities and misguided spells to produce a lighthearted fantasy.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"If Robert Bechley and Dorothy Parker had teamed up to write epic fantasy, something like Split Heirs might have resulted."--John deChancie

"An excruciatingly funny book."--Susan Shwartz

"Watt-Evans and Friesner, two of the leading lights of humorous fantasy..send up nearly every common gimmick of every kind of fantasy ever classified--and a few kinds that haven't been...Readers hot for well-handled humorous fantasy will like it immensely."--Booklist

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 319 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (July 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312853203
• ISBN-13: 978-0312853204
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,704,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rather amusing, November 21, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (Apex, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Split Heirs (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a nicely done comic fantasy book. The characters are fairly shallow, the cliches are rampant and yet the book is an well done poke in the ribs at traditional "serious" fantasy. At times it comes off like a cross between a Monty Python script and the "Who's on first" conversation.

My only complaint is that it takes a little bit (50 pages or so) to ramp up to the truly funny scenarios, and thus initially gives the mistaken initial impression of not being all that entertaining. Once it's warmed up though it's a good fun read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, not bad at all..., October 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Split Heirs (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a funny and twisted comedy about royal triplets separated at birth who grow up with some very odd misconceptions. I liked this book quite a lot... the characters are written well enough that they survive the normally brutal treatment of being in a farce, and a lot of fantasy cliches are thrown in for good measure. My favorite part, however, is the tragic love story of Dunwin and Bernice... it's a baaad story ewe are sure to enjoy... and it sets up my favorite line in the whole book: "I'm not a sheep any more, and you're not a little boy - it just wouldn't work!"

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Rare Treat, April 7, 1999

By 

"zenfrog" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Split Heirs (Mass Market Paperback)

Split Heirs is a rarity in its genre, and even rarer in its quality writing. The fast measure of the narrative and the colourful characters never give the reader a moment to put it down. Farcical as it might be there is something quite entertaining in it all. Perhaps it's the elaborate scenarios or the comic characterisations, but in any sense it is a highly recommended book for anyone who likes the fantasy genre, but would like to read something quirkier and fresher than the usual 'run of the mill' SF Fantasy novels out there.