The Ill-Made Mute (The Bitterbynde, Book 1) (Hardcover)

by Cecilia Dart-Thornton (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
This first novel by Australian writer Cecilia Dart-Thornton begins the Bitterbynde series, the saga of a young woman's search for her past as well as her destiny. An orphaned refugee taken in as a servant of powerful Isse Tower, a prominent Relay Station in the world's communications network, the main character is a nameless, badly scarred mute with little hope for better--until he escapes by stowing away on a magical Windship and is befriended by cheerful Sianadh, a self-professed madman and adventurer. Sianadh gives his companion two precious gifts: a name, Imrhien, and the knowledge that he is really she, raised as a boy to protect her from even worse treatment. Together, the two journey into the deep green heart of a great forest, defeat the tricky magics of various eldritch wights, and discover a vast treasure that will change their lives forever. When Imrhien learns of Maeve One-Eye, a healer who may be able to repair her scars and restore her memory, the girl is determined to seek her out. On the dangerous trip west, Imrhien meets and falls in love with the Dainnan ranger Thorn, but doubts he could ever return her affections. While this novel doesn't stand well alone, readers who crave long and detailed journeys through fantastic lands filled with magical creatures will enjoy Imrhien's travels. Dart-Thornton's world takes many traditional elements of epic fantasy and manages to stir them into something charming and new. --Charlene Brusso

From Publishers Weekly
The world of Erith, a strange, wild land filled with humans and fey creatures called wights, has its charms, but unfortunately a lack of underlying depth weakens this first novel from Australian Dart-Thornton. To Erith comes a poor unidentified soul who cannot speak and has lost all sense of self, including all memories of a past. This creature without a life has also become shunned by all after being horribly disfigured by an encounter with a poisonous plant. As the plot slowly, disjointedly spins out, the creature acquires a name Imrhien and a new identity. Her story is full of little adventures and unrelated incidents, but the author provides almost no foreshadowing or any real idea why Imrhien has lost her voice and her looks. The girl's travels, which carry her from one end of Erith to the other, include encounters with wights, which can be "seelie" (mostly not harmful) and "unseelie" (evil), and with Sianadh, a friendly man who gives her not only her name but the chance to seek pirate treasure. Later Imrhien and Sianadh's niece try to find Maeve One-Eye, a carlin who might help her recover her memory. Nasty folk try to thwart her, but their motives are never explained. Hopefully future installments will supply more background, but this initial volume makes a decidedly shallow start. (May 23)Forecast: With a blurb from Andre Norton likening this book to Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, as well as a plug from Elizabeth Hand, this novel may attract a lot of initial attention, but the sequel is going to have to be stronger to sustain interest.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Aspect (May 23, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446528323
• ISBN-13: 978-0446528320
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (159 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #451,819 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Amazing, June 7, 2001

By	"burzikak" (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

I have just finished reading "The Ill-Made Mute" and I can't wait to read the next one....it will be an agonising wait indeed. If you have not read this book, do so. Brilliant imagery and an engaging plot. A fascinating story. The best book I've read in long time.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worthy of all the high praise, June 25, 2001

By	Ian Nguyen (Florida) - See all my reviews

Sometimes when a book gets a lot of very good reviews, your expectations get so high that you are disappointed when you finally get to read it. This was not the case when I read The Ill-Made Mute. It exceeded my expectations.

I have read a lot of fantasy and never have I come across a writer who can create a whole nother world with so much detail, as well as a complicated plot, believeable characters and a style that blew me away.

It's kind of hard to review a book when it's the first of three, and you know the story is far from complete. I get the feeling there are a lot of questions raised in this book which the author has deliberately left unanswered until the next two, so I don't want to make any assumptions about the plot. I can only say, I'm hanging out for the sequels. I've had a long thirst for a real Tolkien-style story and this book slaked it.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A refreashing change of pace, May 29, 2001

By A Customer

I work at a bookstore, so I get the chance to discover authors and books that I normally wouldn't notice. I have never been more thankful for this than when I found this book. The beautiful writing appealed to the poet in me, at the same time completely engrossing me in a new and intriguing world. I highly recommend this book and am impatiently waiting for the sequal!