Watchtower (Chronicles of Tornor) (Paperback)

by Elizabeth A. Lynn (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A marvelous blend of fantasy... and realism in the characters and the social interactions." MARION ZIMMER BRADLEY "Astonishing." THEDORE STURGEON "A fine ear for the right word and a fine eye for action." VONDA MCINTYRE "An unusual, powerful and beautiful book." JOHN VARLEY "A book of depth and vigor and surprises." ROBERT SILVERBERG "Her women have dignity and strength." MARGE PIERCY "An adventure story for humanists and feminists." JOANNA RUSS --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Description
"A marvelous blend of fantasy...and realism in the characters and the social interactions."--Marion Zimmer Bradley

Elizabeth A. Lynn won the World Fantasy Award for Watchtower, volume one in a breathtaking trilogy that would establish her as one of speculative fiction's most exciting voices. Now, Ace brings this classic back to fans and first-time readers alike--in a beautifully repackaged trade edition.

Tornor Keep is the legendary tower that guards the winter end of a summer land. But when Tornor is overrun by raiders, a young prince is the tower's last hope in an enchanting story of a time far removed from ours and of a land alive with warriors, lovers, war, and honor.

* Winner of the World Fantasy Award
* Beautifully repackaged in its first trade edition

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Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Ace Trade; Reprint edition (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441006477
• ISBN-13: 978-0441006472
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #174,944 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More than meets the eye..., May 26, 2000

By A Customer

I picked up this book in the bookstore while waiting to meet afriend. I was immediately engaged in the story -- it beginsdramatically -- but did not expect to find the book so unusually thought-provoking. Lynn's plot contains a number of the standard fantasy elements: a prince in exile, a loyal retainer, an enemy usurper, and an idyllic valley. But there is much more to this tale than first meets the eye. The author has woven her story with many subtle issues and unusual themes. The book is not particularly fast-moving, but then, one does not wish it to be. The slower pace gives the reader time to absorb the complex personalities of the characters and to explore the familiar but strange imaginary landscape. I look forward to reading the second two books of the trilogy and recommend this book to any reader interested in well crafted fantasy.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A little below the line, May 10, 2006

By	Piotr Wilkin (Warsaw, Poland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Watchtower (Chronicles of Tornor Trilogy) (Mass Market Paperback)

First of all, an important note before I begin (since this tends to be the biggest suspicion directed at a male reviewer grading a female author's book): I'm not a fantasy chauvinist. I rank Robin Hobb and Patricia McKillip among my favorite fantasy authors. With this disclaimer behind me, on to the review.

I'll start with the positive side. Lynn knows how to write. That's certain. Her action development is quite proper, her characters are pretty believable too. Major warning however: in Lynn's novels from the Tornor series, every character, be it male or female, is involved in a pretty explicit homosexual affair. I tend to find this a bit exaggerated at best, but since humankind has had cultures which exhibited this behavior too (ancient Greece), I'm not putting this as a con of her stories, just a warning.

The real downsides are much more important. The major one is... lack of action. This shows mostly in this part of the trilogy. The word "trilogy" is actually not really warranted here, since you'd tend to think about a trilogy as three _connected_ novels - if it were so here, I guess my mark would be at least one star higher, since this novel does quite good for a starter-of-three. The only problem is that... it isn't. There isn't really too much happenning here, the book is short and the action is virtually characters travelling from one location to another. Maybe there are fans of "descriptive fantasy", but I'm not one of them. I either need to have a good plot or a decent problem to think over when I read a book, this one has neither.

Actually, if you want a "soft" transformation from some slow-paced, non-fantasy literature to fantasy, you might want to ignore the above and just read this, it might be a good choice for you. Otherwise, if you want something more subtle than hack'n'slash, I'd recommend Robin Hobb. If you want good quality hack'n'slash, go for Salvatore. If you just want plain epic fantasy, go for Brooks. Lynn is not the way to go here.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Tornor!, January 2, 2006

By	History Nut (San Diego, California USA) - See all my reviews

I have been reading and rereading the Tornor Chronicles for many years now - about once a year for twenty years or so. They are a wonderful, some times sad, some times uplifting, and a very human read. They are not densely worded, nor are they fluffy and lifeless. Just right, from my point of view; though now that I'm older, I would have liked them to be longer. After reading Lynn's other works, I realized that the Tornor Chronicles are early works, brilliant though they are, and as you read thru the trilogy, you will see Lynn's voice get stronger, and more confident. I can't get enough, and I want to know about some of the other story lines that arc thru the whole series: just how was the red clan formed, and how does Raven Bato fit into it? What about the Anhard wars, and how were the keeps built and why? How did Soren's mother come to Kendra on the Delta? Come on Ms. Lynn! There are more books to write in this wonderful world of yours!