Customer Reviews

White Hart

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the enchanting story of three people, whose lives were interwoven by love, friendship, and desire for the destruction of evil. Set at the ancient times, when magic, nature, mortals and immortals exist together. The place itself, the Isle, gives readers the feel of the story--magical, lovely, nurturing, healing, but also foreboding and wicked. The presence of legendary creatures such as firedrakes, wyverns, the loyal red falcon and the pure white hart makes it more spell-binding. But what sets this story apart from other fantasy books is that the White Hart has successfully lifted the readers to a range of human emotions. Ellid's strength and faithfulness, Cuin's unselfishness and loyalty, and Bevan's courage, spirit, honor and despair. I have never seen nor heard of a man as lonely as Bevan. A mesmerizing tale that will leave you tearful, breathless, almost complete. I came across this book in 1991, and fell in love with the story and the characters. When it was accidentally lost by a friend, I searched for a copy but failed. Until 1998 when I learned of Amazon and finally found what I've been searching. The book is certainly worth the effort and the long wait.

Springer writes this book in such a why that you feel as if is a classic myth....The themes of love, hate, friendship, and overcoming The Evil are all there, just like any of the great myths of the Romans, Greeks, Norse, or Celts. Truly a classic fantasy. Also check out the related books (alas they maybe out of print, The Silver Sun and The Sable Moon) which form a loose series. I actually read The Sable Moon first, but if you wish to go in the "historical" order in which they occur, start with the White Hart. It will not disappoint. (For those interested in Celtic Mythology, there are MANY familiar things about these stories).

A tale of love, honor and evil. Two lads meet in a land riddled with magic and the evil of a dishonest "king". The story has tinges of the magic of King Arthur - a lad looks within himself, with the help of his friend and a maiden, and finds power to fight evil. The characters are complete, and brings you into the story. You care what happens to each one. One of Springers' earlier works, it's not as polished as later works. The ending may not turn out as you thought, but it makes sense. This book ties in with later books (Silver Sun and Sable Moon), but you don't have to read it to understand the later stories. Regal and heartrending, absolutely worth a weekend to read.

I first read this book when I was 17 years old. I am 21 now, and I read it every so often. I am a fantasy novelest and this book is the one that made me want to go into the career of fantasy writing.. It is a favorite of mine, and always will be. --Debra A. Ballard

Two young men meet on the magical Isle, and grow to deep friendship, which is tested by love for a maiden, an evil king/wizard, and their own self-growth. An excellent tale that makes you yearn to help the heroes-to-be, and maybe just sit on the isle in hope to see the dragons or elves. Gives good descriptions of the isle and action, but also brings you into the young mens' minds -- you understand why they do what they do.

I first read this book when I was 17,that was 20 years ago! I still LOVE this book.I re-read it every so often.It's full of Goddess worship and magick. I still recommend it to my friends.

This was one of the best books that I have ever read. It was very well written. My favorite part was when Bevan and Cuin visited Ylim. It was a great book that I would definantly recomend.

What this book made me realize, is that while I usually read fantasy books, they typically are either Middle Grade or YA. Therefore, I was in for a slight learning curve when I delved into "White Hart" which is more adult. So, for my review, bare in mind that I'm not so used to this specific fantasy genre - neither the style of language nor the flow - and that the closet thing I've come to it is probably the incredible Lord of the Rings trilogy, which is a lot to compare any book to!

"White Hart" is broken into three "books." The first book starts with princess Ellid being rescued from captors by Bevan, a peaceful but powerful man. He is gentle and kind, and loves the night and the moon. She, for her part, is instantly interested in him and drawn in by him. But, is Bevan 100% human? Or is he more a man of gods?

*******THE FOLLOW SETS-UP BOOK II, IF YOU WANT TO BE COMPLETELY SURPRISED, READ NO FURTHER*********

Books two picks up where book one left off, but the focus switches to that of Bevan and Cuin, the man Ellid was meant to marry. Obviously when it appears that Bevan will not only take Cuin's love, but his throne as well (since prophecy claims Bevan to be High King) Cuin doesn't have the tenderest of feelings towards Bevan.
However, Cuin quickly learns that Bevan is a good man and Bevan earns not only Cuin's respect but his stead-fast friendship as well.

What follows is the consistent bond between Cuin and Bevan in their travels and battles, their attempts to understand the world and their place in it.

For me, I love a good guy-friend story, and the bond that Cuin and Bevan share is enjoyable to see, especially since I liked both their characters individually.

I think this book is probably more of a four-star book, but since I was not familiar with the style and pacing I sometimes found it hard to figure out where the plot was moving, and I didn't know that the climaxes were approaching until we were already at them.
The book is a wee bit over dramatic at points, but that didn't really bother me too much.
As far as the ending, it made sense, and Springer kept the book unpredictable and I don't think she cheated at any point - the "writing was on the wall" so to speak, and I was glad to read a book that I hadn't figured out the ending before I got there. That said, it probably wasn't the ending that I would have chosen, but that doesn't mean that it was bad or wrong.

So, all in all this book is probably better than I could appreciate, but I did still get a lot of enjoyment from reading it. I'm sure those who are more familiar with this style will enjoy the book even more, and it's an interesting book to step into this genre with.

I am sure that if I had read this book when I was 12, and just starting on speculative fiction, then I would have loved it. Unfortunately I came to it as an adult, and it has a lot less to offer me at this point in my life.

The White Hart is loosely based on Welsh mythology, and tells the story of Ellid Lightwing. She is abducted by the forces of Marc of Myrdon, and freed by a child of the Gods. Together they face enemies both within and without to rebuild a peaceful kingdom.

Springer is a competent writer, and I enjoyed the book. I think that there are better books set in this mythos (Lloyd Alexander comes to mind) but the White Hart is a still a refreshing change from all the swords & sorcery epics available at the moment.

Honestly, as a reading experience by itself I would give the White Hart quite a bit less than four stars. I have been generous because I would recommend it for the pre-teen reader (particularly girls) who has an interest in fantasy. It should be absolutely perfect for that age group.

Based on much of the same Welsh mythology and folk history found in Lloyd Alexander's 'Chronicles of Prydain', The White Hart weaves an entertaining story which doesn't echo the Jordanesque standard for modern fantasy. This non-conformity makes it fresh and interesting: something of a mental palate-cleanser.

The text and dialogue are a bit simple, and for that reason I would say that this and the other two books in the series are really more appropriate for early teens, but it makes for an easy-to-get-into, rainy-afternoon escape.