Customer Reviews

The Warrior Who Carried Life

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Mutilated and brutalized by a bizarre warrior sect with a dark secret, a young woman transforms herself into a man and seeks revenge. She travels to the Land of the Dead in search of the only weapon that will defeat them, only to learn that she is destined to play a pivotal role in the relationship between God, evil, and man.

This extraordinary novel deserves to be reprinted. Geoff Ryman creates an extraordinary world that exists in a kind of proto-Christian alternate universe where an evil snake tries to seduce mankind with the Tree of Life. Ryman is a wonderful stylist and his novel includes passages of thrilling action as well as touching sentiment and chilling horror. Many years ago, I bought a bag of Fantasy & SF back issues at a thrift store. One of them contained Harlan Ellison's favorable review of this novel. Several years after that, I spotted it in a used book store and purchased it. Now, I've finally read it. I came to the book through a long and tortuous path, but it was certainly worth the wait. Thanks, Harlan!

I read this book many years ago, but when I can remember some of the plot after more than 10 years then I know the book is a great read! The story is about a girl who is attacked savagely when she was young making her unable to have children. She participates in a magical ritual that turns her into a guy and she/he then becomes a strong warrior. As a warrior she/he protects those who are weak and falls in love. Eventually, the warrior becomes a woman again and has a baby. The story incorporates the idea of a tree of life and evil being in the form of a snake. Overall, I found it to be an excellent book that I would highly recommend to anyone that likes fantasy and action books!