Warrior and Witch [Mass Market Paperback]

Marie Brennan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2006

When a witch is born, a doppelganger is created. Forthe witch to master her powers, the twin must be killed. Or so itwas believed for centuries . . . Once Mirei discovered that mergingwith a doppelganger gave a witch more power than killing them, thewitches at Starfall have been in an uproar (Doppelganger; 4/06). Herheresy goes against centuries of teaching-and the accepted practice ofmurdering their doubles.On a quest to collect the survivingdoppelgangers, Mirei is unsurprised to discover that there are stillwitches at Starfall who side against her and her unorthodox ways. Butworse, her fellow hunter and closest friend, Eclipse, has beencaptured by these same witches-and has no choice but to swear a bloodoath to kill Mirei. If he fails his blood oath, he will die. With thewitches divided, and Starfall itself in the middle of a civil war,Mirei will have to choose between saving her friend and figuring out away to unite Starfall before it's too late.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Has everything I look for...good characters, action, originality, and a plot that keeps you turning pages." -- David Duncan, author of Jaguar Knights, on Doppelganger

About the Author

Marie Brennan holds an undergraduate degree in archaeology and folklore from Harvard and is now pursuing a Ph.D. in anthropology and folklore at Indiana University, which means that people keep giving her things like degrees and fellowship money for study

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Aspect (October 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446616974
• ISBN-13: 978-0446616973
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.2 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,293,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I hold an undergraduate degree in archaeology and folklore, and am pursuing a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology and folklore, all of which provides me with constant fodder for fantasy stories.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars spectacular sequel!, November 22, 2006

By 

Deborah Wiley (Winter Haven, FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Warrior and Witch (Mass Market Paperback)

WARRIOR AND WITCH is the stunning sequel to DOPPELGANGER. If one hasn't read DOPPELGANGER, be forewarned that the very plot of WARRIOR AND WITCH is a spoiler for DOPPELGANGER....

Mirei's merger of her Hunter and witch halves, previously named Mirage and Miryo, has caused a great rift in the witch community. Some, such as the Void Ray Prime Satomi, proclaim Mirei as the future when all doppelgangers and witches can be reunited as one whole person rather than the witch killing the doppelganger in order to control her magic. Others, however, see Mirei's very existence as an abomination and are willing to sacrifice all to destroy her. Mirei's strength in her newly found magic will be tested as war erupts within the witch community.

Marie Brennan proves once again that she is a master at weaving a compelling story. WARRIOR AND WITCH is a thought-provoking fantasy tale populated with characters who are neither wholly good nor evil but are instead placed in tough situations in which there are no easy answers. The philosophical debate over the splitting of the two halves of the soul also explodes in this sequel but the storyline is not bogged down in this but rather enhanced by it. The action and the metaphysical aspects are cleverly interwoven and unfold gradually through Ms. Brennan's beautiful prose.

WARRIOR AND WITCH is not completely a stand alone novel. While Marie Brennan does an excellent job at describing all that the reader needs to know in this sequel, one cannot truly appreciate the split within the witches without having experienced the struggles documented in DOPPELGANGER. A very helpful glossary is included at the back of the book that assists with keeping the multitude of characters and the various ruling titles of the witches straight as it could be overwhelming otherwise.

WARRIOR AND WITCH demonstrates the heart of what good fantasy truly is meant to be. Surpassing even her superb DOPPELGANGER in ingenuity, Marie Brennan shows what a gift she has. This reviewer is already eagerly anticipating what next adventure Ms. Brennan has in store for her readers. WARRIOR AND WITCH is highly recommended and easily one of the best fantasy novels published this year!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Sequel!, October 13, 2006

By 

Jim C. Hines (Holt, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Warrior and Witch (Mass Market Paperback)

I've been waiting for this one ever since I read Brennan's first book, Doppelganger, and it was worth the wait.

Sequels aren't easy to write, but Brennan did a wonderful job. Everything in Warrior & Witch flows out of the events of Doppelganger. The main character, Mirei, has overturned centuries of tradition and religious belief, discovered a new kind of magic, and begun a revolution in how witches and doppelgangers are raised. Unfortunately, not everyone is happy about these changes.

W&W sees the witches of Starfall turning against themselves, with Mirei racing to rescue the other doppelgangers from those who would destroy them as abominations. But not all of those doppelgangers are so eager to be rescued, or to lose their individuality. We also learn more about the witches' culture, including the nature of the mysterious Cousins. Mirei explores the limits of Void magic, as well as the duality of her newly-merged self.

One of the things that most impresses me about Brennan's writing is her honesty. She has created a fascinating world, and she refuses to shy away from some of the uglier implications of that world. In her first book, the ritual murder of (soulless) infants was a natural outgrowth of the religious beliefs and magical rules of that world. In book two, she continues to write with that same courage. Some terrible things happen, not because the author wants to get an easy, knee-jerk reaction from the readers, but because they must happen. Because the characters in this world are desperate, and it's not just the "evil" characters who sometimes cross the line. Life is rarely as simple as black and white, and Brennan does a masterful job of capturing that messy complexity. I love her characters, both for their courage and for their flaws.

There were one or two moments where I was thrown out of the book. A plot thread that seems to disappear for more than half the book before popping up again ... a bit of foreshadowing that felt a little too heavy-handed for me ... but I'm picking nits here. Brennan's first book was good. This one's even better.

Sadly, I'm told there are no immediate plans for a third book in the series. But on the bright side, I've also heard the author is hard at work on a different project. I can't wait to read it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book until the end, February 3, 2010

By 

Robin Burks (Hayti, MO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Witch (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved the first book in this series and this one I found even more enjoyable. It was one of those books that you just can't put down because you have to know what happens next. The mythology and the world that Brennan has created consumed me during the time I was reading it. However, the ending left me wondering if a chapter or two hadn't gone missing. There's this great build-up to this war that is about to happen and the first physical attack has just happened. And then the next chapter (the epilogue) states more or less that it's over and it's almost as if it never happened at all. I found it not only to be a little confusing, but wondered if the author just lost steam towards the end. But I think my greatest suspicion is that some chapters got dropped from the final printing, because that's exactly how it read. I even went back to look at page numbers to make sure I hadn't accidentally missed any pages during my reading.

But I still give it four stars, because up to that point, it was a great read. I don't typically enjoy fantasy, but this series held my interest.