The Sword of Maiden's Tears (Twelve Treasures) [Paperback]

Rosemary Edghill (Author)

Book Description

Series: Twelve Treasures | Publication Date: October 1, 1994

Stumbling across a being from the world of Elphame, a mugging victim in New York City, student librarian Ruth Marlowe and her friends learn that the muggers stole a magical sword that changes mortals into Grendel-like monsters. Original.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

An elven lord's search for a magical sword stolen from his household leads him to the wild streets of New York in this crossover fantasy suitable for most fantasy collections.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: DAW (October 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0886776228
• ISBN-13: 978-0886776220
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,080,033 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good "Maiden" voyage, July 3, 2003

By 

Barb Caffrey "writer-for-hire" (In a Midwest State (of mind), USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sword of Maiden's Tears (Twelve Treasures) (Paperback)

"The Sword of Maiden's Tears" is an unusual crossover novel. It's urban fantasy mixed with horror, but done satirically, and done with great flair by Rosemary Edghill (definitely one of my favorite writers).

It's rare to see urban fantasy done with humor, although it happens. I've almost never seen horror done with humor, so mixing the three together was a very nice touch.

The character that struck me the most was Michael, an ex-cop graduate student in library science. (Well, all the friends are studying to be librarians, and none of them are truly suited to it.) Michael has a depth, weight and richness to him that makes me wonder what happens to him after this novel; as I've skim-read the next two in the series, so far Michael has not reappeared. I'm hopeful that at some point, Ms. Edghill will find a way to write a book about him, because that man still has much to say.

As for Ruth, the titular heroine, and Melior, the titular hero, they aren't usual by anyone's standards. Melior is either a raving lunatic or an obsessed fanatic, take your pick; he's likable because he doesn't want the Earth to disappear (even though he doesn't like New York at all), and it will if the grendel-thing isn't stopped, and because of his nearly instantaneous passion for Ruth.

Ruth, however, is a bit of a cipher. She spent eight years in a coma, is now biologically thirty but acts much younger and has almost no self-confidence and little to no experience in dating (as she spent almost all her time since "awakening" in school, preparing to become a librarian). She's smart, tough, and witty, but there's something just a bit off about her . . . something that is disclosed in the contents of "Sword of Maiden's Tears."

The others of the circle of friends include Naomi, a sort of earth mother who cooks, cleans and mother hens everyone within reach; Jane, who's another character I'd dearly love to find out about, as she's young, smart, tough, nobody's fool, and trying her best despite not believing much in herself; and Philip, a computer hacker with much agita and angst, who sticks around mainly because he likes Naomi and wants to figure out what the rest of them will do next.

There are several ways to interpret this book; in a way, it's like Maeve Binchy's "Circle of Friends," except done in 1980s New York amongst a bunch of library students, rather than in Ireland in the 1950s. The relationships and interrelationships between the students and Melior are what makes this novel; what adds immeasurably to it is the wittiness and sarcasm that permeates this book.

This isn't Ms. Edghill's best book; that one remains (in my opinion) the recently released "Vengeance of Masks." It's also not quite as good as the Bast novels, and I'd rate it a shade below "The Warslayer," too.

But there's much to recommend it. It's humorous, good natured, witty, and engaging; what else can you ask for, really, when you're looking for entertainment?

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Elves in NYC, and a Grendel in the Subways . . ., September 5, 2001

By 

Shanshad "shanachie_shadowfax" (Discworld) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Sword of Maiden's Tears (Twelve Treasures) (Paperback)

I really identified with the characters in this book, perhaps because most of them are around my age and living in a similar area to where I live. This is a well told, emotional and complex tale of an elf-lord in NYC and the treasure he must find. The ending sticks in my memory. (I won't spoil it here for those who haven't read this yet.) This book appealed to me more than the others in this series, I enjoyed finding out what happened later on. By the way--anyone who reads this will recognize the Babylon nursery rhyme reference, try checking out Deep Secret by Diana Wynne Jones.

Okay, that being said, this book struck me with a strong sense of deja-vu. Many years ago I encountered a book called THE GLOVE OF MAIDEN'S HAIR. The book, by Michael Friedman, is about an elf-lord magically transported to a modern-day city. He's the one who rescues the heroine from muggers, but there is a lot of this story that parallels. The style and the emotional quality and the actual stories themselves are very different, but if you liked this you might want to see if you can find a copy of THE GLOVE OF MAIDEN'S HAIR, it's a little dated, but worth a read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beginnings are Wonderful, January 20, 2000

By 

"wouldntyouliketoknow" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sword of Maiden's Tears (Twelve Treasures) (Paperback)

A rare picture of New York. After I read this book, I could barely breath before I found the next one. I love all the characters (except the grendel) Kevin's story makes you really feel the drama of the hero and his "dragon" (or whatever heros quest to slay) in a whole new way. I love Naiomi "sniffle".

After this rare and wonderful book, I want to move to New York and wander rainy streets at night in hope of a cute mugee . . .

Please excuse the harmonal teenager. At any rate I really enjoyed this book every time I read and reread it. If you liked it the first time, buy it, you're hooked. If you like royal elves, read this book!