30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
She's got the whole of worlds in her hands..., January 25, 2003
This review is from: Stealing the Elf-King's Roses (Mass Market Paperback)
Stealing the Elf-King's Roses is another great book by Diane Duane. She is widely known as one of the best Star Trek novelists, but even non-fans of that series can enjoy her books. This particular one has lyrical prose, interesting situations and an intriguing setting. It all adds up to something that I'm very glad I read.
I've always been a Diane Duane fan, and when I saw this book, the premise really intrigued me. This is a combination fantasy/science fiction book. It has parallel worlds and some sort of psychic powers (though some may seem Lee's power as more magical than psychic), but it also has the Elves and the magical "glamour" of their world. Elves make all the other races uncomfortable because they have what seems to be a magical, perfect beauty that has some sort of psychological effect on the other races. There is actually a practical reason behind all of this which is addressed in the story in a very intriguing fashion.
Duane's world-building is marvelous. There are numerous universes that share a lot of common traits, with other traits being completely different. They all occupy the same space, just in a different world. Travel and commerce between these worlds are commonplace and made possible by a substance called "fairy gold," which powers the gates between the worlds, and which the Elves control. The two main worlds in the story, the first being Lee's world, a sort of modern-day setting with a few differences, such as different creatures wandering about, weird version of cars, communication implants and stuff like that. The second world is Alfheim, home of the Elves, who are a very secretive race. As the story unfolds, you see that they actually have a reason for being so secretive, but that things may have to change in order to avoid a calamity. While Duane does a good job portraying the differences between Lee's world and our own, she really outdoes herself with Alfheim, making it a truly beautiful place with a strange veneer of unreality about it. It's breathtaking, eerie and a place that you really like visiting.
While the book certainly has a great concept, Duane makes it more than that. The characterization is simply wonderful. Lee and Gelert's friendship is very touching but there's no hint of any romantic feelings between them. He's happily married (or whatever the wolf-like equivalent would be in this world) and she's just coming off of a bad relationship. But it's clear that they love each other as only good friends can. They're willing to do whatever it takes to protect each other. Gelert is even willing to do something that could easily be considered a suicide mission (and with his "wife's" insistence!) to save Lee. The dialogue is great and Duane makes Gelert one of the most human wolves that you'll ever see. There are times when you will lose track of the fact that he's a wolf because he sounds so human, but then he'll do something like drink his champagne from a dog dish or something like that. He's that believable. In fact, while I really liked Lee, I thought Gelert really stole the show and I'd love to read more about him.
The other characters are well-done also. The Elf-King is suitably regal yet he's a "human" character as well, with understandable motivations and a wry sense of humour at times. Most of the other characters don't have a great deal to do and are minor, but they all have some sort of hook that makes them just that much more than two-dimensional. The book is told from Lee's point of view, so all of the characters are coloured by her perception of them. This gives some of them an extra dimension, such as Matt, who is her ex-boyfriend and their contact in the District Attorney's office.
I can't end the positives in this review without talking about the prose. I just love Duane's writing. It not only carries you deep within the story, but it also makes you feel like you're actually taking part. The descriptions of Alfheim, as already stated, are just great. The dialogue, especially between Gelert and Lee, is snappy and there's not a wasted word in the whole bunch. I took forever to finish this book, mostly because I was just reveling in the language used. Sometimes an actor is given a compliment by being described as "somebody you'd love to watch just read the phonebook." Well, Duane is somebody who I'd love to read the phonebook that she wrote.
The only negatives in this book are a couple of slow spots in the middle. One spot is while we're waiting for the UN delegation to be formed to go to Alfheim and investigate some of the potential problems. Another is some of the traveling that is done on Alfheim between two of the cities. It almost seems like a lull in the action, and while the book is very interesting it's not action-packed. It doesn't need these lulls. In fact, there isn't a whole lot of action (such as fights, etc) in the book at all. This doesn't stop Duane in the least, though. She keeps increasing the tension until it's at the breaking point. The climax of the book is simply marvelous, with Lee having to make a very tough decision that could affect everything in all the worlds connected by the gates.
I'm really torn here. I love the fact that this book is completely self-contained, with no "to be continued" or anything like that. I want this to be a stand-alone book. On the other hand, I would love to see these characters again. I have faith in Diane Duane that, if she's going to write a sequel, it will be just as good. And if she doesn't, I am thankful to her that she's created this book. Read it. Experience it. You won't regret it.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A pleasant read, March 10, 2003
This review is from: Stealing the Elf-King's Roses (Mass Market Paperback)
Must agree with previous reviewers. The cover art is appalling. I would never have picked it up if I hadn't recognized the author.
Duane's notion of Justice as a real, touchable force was intriguing (and don't we all wish that's the way it worked in our world.) There's also a marvelous eye-opening visit to an alternate world which shakes the complacent reader. The main characters are so real they step right off the page. Gelert in particular was a pleasure.
The legend /metaphor of the roses, however, was confusing and took way too long to develop. There are pages of painfully convoluted explanation, but I still came away unsure of what actually happened. Also, the character of the Elf-King himself could have been better drawn; Duane's characters are usually better imagined. His actions and motives are merely explained, and not slowly discovered in any way which really involves the reader until the final battle, so Lee's emotional commitment to his interests was a little baffling.
And Duane loses one star for using the increasingly common practice of assuming any name used for a fantasy or science fiction character MUST have six apostrophes in it. Ple'ase! It's not nec'essary!
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
fascinating mixture of fantasy and science fiction, December 15, 2002
This review is from: Stealing the Elf-King's Roses (Mass Market Paperback)
On an earth much different than our own, people are able to transport themselves from one place to another and one universe to another by using the gates which are constructed in part from fairy gold. The elves control the distribution of fair gold just as they block anyone from any of the diverse universes from traveling to Alfheim, the elfin world.
Lanthanomancer Lee Enfield and her partner Galert, a madrin (a wolfhound the size of a horse that talks and is very intelligent) use their sight and scent to see below the surface at crime scenes and while interrogating perpetrators. The duo is so good at what they do that they are sent at their government's bequest into Alfheim to find out why elves are killing elves. Before they know it they are caught in a civil uprising that unless stopped, could mean a massive war throughout the known universes.
Dianne Duane, long known and respected for her excellent work, has gifted her readers with a unique view of the Fay that make it seem as if another species has been discovered by the author. Her protagonists are a superb working team whose personalities mesh so well they are better together then apart in a kind of the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. STEALING THE ELF-KING'S ROSES is a fascinating mixture of political and inter-dimensional travel inside a fantasy science fiction plot.
Harriet Klausner
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