Customer Reviews

Unicorn and Dragon

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The year is 1065. The winter is cold and wolves lurk in the forest, some on four legs, some on two. Edward, King of England is dying and the vultures gather around his bed waiting to see who will claim the crown. Will it be William, Duke of Normandy, or Harold Godwineson-- in defiance of his oath to help William to the crown? What about the claim of Norway? Meanwhile in Wessex, Godfrey Hafwynder, shire reeve, strives to preserve his household against an uncertain future.

Stephen, a young Norman, on an errand to deliver a message from his uncle to Duke William's man at Pevensey is harried by outlaws and wolves. Wounded, he seeks shelter at Godfrey's hall and is cared for by Godfrey's daughter, Alison, her foster sister Wildecent and their aunt, Ygurna. Ygurna is one of the last of the priestesses of the ancient Celtic religion, Alison has been trained to be her sucessor. Alison has the wild magic, Wildecent does not.

However, Stephen was accompanied into England by his former tutor, Ambrose, an unordained deacon of the Roman Church and an adept of sorcery, trained in its mysterious arts by the Magi of the east. Ambrose using his talents to locate Stephen incidentally finds Ygurna and her apprentice. However, it is Wildecent, the headblind, that he tempts with his offer of a power that does not require the wild magic she cannot control.

This story of the Christmas before the Conquest is a fine blending of fantasy and history. Abbey does an excellent job of portraying the basic conflict faced by men like Godfrey, whose King abandoned his earthly responsibilities to seek religious solace. This is also echoed in the conflict between the wild magic of the old gods and the disciplined sorcerous power of Ambrose. Abbey skillfully weaves a tale of beginnings and endings, of the death of the old and the birth of the new.

I stumbled across this novel recently and found an interesting historical fantasy. The setting is England in 1065 as the Saxon and Norman tensions are escalating. The focus is on a Saxon family stronghold and the events that occur as war inches closer to their home and old way of life.

While the book has all of the raw details of such a rough age such as bloody fighting and the rowdy drinking of warroirs, the story is tamed and made interesting in that the women of the house are the main characters. The two daughters, Alison and Wildecent, and their aunt, Lady Ygurna, are the ones who truly run the place and keep the men in order. One reads of their story as their lives are changed by the shifting politics of the country. This occurs quite suddenly when a young Norman, Stephen, is brought wounded into their home. Both girls discover what intrigue and love mean as the result of his presense.

While the characters try to occupy the modern world of politics and Christianity, one soon realizes that an ancient Celtic magic is practiced secretly by the women. This magic is hinted at throughout the book, but is shown fully as everything climaxes at the end.

Lynn Abbey has created a very realistic world in this novel. One gets a good picture of Saxon life during this period. The characters are personal and believable. I think that this is a good read for anyone interested in this period where England hovered on the brink of a new era.

It's rare that I get upset enough to actually write a review for a book, but I figured I'd better pass a warning along before other well-meaning readers get sucked into this.

The full story can be found on Lynn Abbey's site...if you are interested. But the highlight is that this series was originally supposed to be at least a trilogy (although Lynn says she had it outlined through at least book 5). This book contains the first 2 books of a trilogy THAT WAS NEVER FINISHED, AND PROBABLY WON'T EVER BE! So if you like to be left hanging in the middle of a story with loose ends flying all over the place, then this is definately the book for you. But for the rest of us, this is one book that you should probably steer clear of.

If the 3rd book is ever published, I'll eagerly buy it because I want to know how the story ends!

This book was absolutley dead. The writing could have been a lot better. It seemed to me that the author figured out the plot as she wrote--never really getting to the intended point. Mindless ramblings highlight numerous chapters and confusing descriptions abound. Characters never seem quite as real as they should be and it all develops into a lousy book. Don't read it.... trust me. You're wasting your time.

I purchased this book with anticipation as it is of a genre that I thoroughly enjoy but was very disappointed in this book - the book was 'slow' and disjointed and the ending - well, there's no other words for it - it sucked! I couldn't believe that it ended without any real resolution to any of the main character's issues. I would have expected better from Lynn Abbey.