Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
First of the Ten (currently) available, August 1, 2006
Even as a young girl, Jill was a favorite of the magical, mysterious Wildfolk, who appeared to her from their invisible realm. Little did she know her extraordinary friends represented but a glimpse of a forgotten past and a fateful future. Four hundred years--and many lifetimes--ago, one selfish young lord caused the death of two innocent lovers. Then and there he vowed never to rest until he'd righted that wrong--and laid the foundation for the lives of Jill and all those whom she would hold dear: her father, the mercenary soldier Cullyn; the exiled berserker Rhodry Maelwaedd; and the ancient and powerful herbman Nevyn, all bound in a struggle against darkness...and a quest to fulfill the destinies determined centuries ago.
Katherine Kerr's writing takes a bit of getting used to, but it's worth the effort. She approaches her stories with a Celtic storytelling mindset, which means she conveys events according to their significance to the story, as opposed to chronologically. Consequently, while the stories begin in the "present" (which is an elastic concept, anyway, in a fantasy setting), the events unfold, chapter wise, both in the "present" and in the distant past. This can be frustrating, at first, but Kerr's writing is heavily steeped in Pagan and Western Mystery tradition, and the Celtic setting (and mindset) of her characters means that time, or chronological time, is not essentially relevant. To be honest, I found the first half of this book infuriating, as I spent a lot of time trying to adjust to the writing style. However, I found the story engrossing enough that I persevered, and by the second half was so hooked I've read all ten in her three series.
Kerr's story evolves around the concept of reincarnation, and unfinished business, and "karma", and fate. The same souls recur again and again, just in new bodies, over the course of the centuries over which the story unfolds.
Kerr's world is one of High Fantasy, populated by Elves, Men, and Dwarves, as well as faeries/elementals, which she terms the "Wildfolk". However, hers is a slightly more dark, dangerous and less clear cut world than the works of other High Fantasy authors, not the least due to the fact that someone who was your friend in a former life can re-emerge in the story centuries later as a foe, and vice versa. There is a tremendous amount of magic, but it's the magic of the Western Mystery tradition (quite a bit of Golden Dawn and even Enochiana), and that of R.J. Stewarts Faery tradition. There are dragons, and giant beast men.
The Elves are a fallen race, driven out of their magnificent and palatial cities centuries before by invaders, and who now roam the plains as primitives. They possess the potential to be superlative magicians, but the knowledge was lost in the fall of their civilization. Humans, though warlike and shorter lived, have preserved this knowledge, but guard it jealously. The Wildfolk, basically magic incarnate, are unhinged from the effects of "karma", but lack permanence of personality, and cannot grow or develop, cursed to stagnation. The Dwarves are a secretive mystery, entrenched within the earth. Each has something to offer the other, and the story that unfolds is the story of this "technology" exchange, of sorts, between them.
Fans of Marion Zimmer Bradley, who clearly influenced Kerr, will be enraptured by this series, as will fans of Kate Eliott, who Kerr, herself, clearly influenced. It's phenomenal! Devotees of the New Age, Esoteric or Occult will find themselves nodding and smiling as they read, and sincerely hoping Kerr's writing will do for the Western Mystery and Faery traditions what Bradley's has done for Wicca.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant tapestry of medieval fantasy, February 22, 1998
By A Customer
It's quite hard in nowadays to write something fresh new in field of fantasy - but Kerr seems to pass all borders of imagination without notion of their existence. I try to start 'Daggerspell'... and next time I became aware of surrounding world about 4 days/5 books later. Not much, sleep at that time, as well. Everything is fresh and amazing in that series. Language is alternative form of Celtic (or Gaulish?) language what is so beautiful - you can read the books only for joy of such speech. There are no usual heroes - but small stories about incarnation of same souls fulfilling their Wyrd are joined in tapestry of all books. Unlimited numbers of small details of medieval life make books look painfully real. Well, it's simpler try to find what is similar to other fantasy books in that masterpiece, then to list all what is different.... Because Amazon doesn't have that obvious feature - here is titles of all series in order of reading: Daggerspell, Darkspell, The Bristling Wood, The Dragon Revenant, Time of Exile, Time of Omens, Days of Blood and Fire, Days of Air and Darkness, The Red Wyvern.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A little on the long side, but very enjoyable., December 2, 1999
By A Customer
Another review prompted by the very well-taken comments of "A Reader in Albequerque." I actually would have rated this one as a "3.5" or "3.75" if there was such a possibility. All in all, a very enjoyable read. Best points: the well-realized medieval, pseudo-Celtic world, for those who enjoy such (myself included!), and the fact that (1) reincarnation is an interesting and integral part of the plot and (2) the resulting complexities are handled well. As for what I didn't like, the book is too long. I actually had to put it down about 3/4 of the way through, wait a couple of weeks, and pick it up again once I'd regained my interest. Not that the plot was boring, just that the writing is so dense that I found it a bit slow-moving at times. (On the flipside, the dense writing *does* make for a richly-drawn tale.) The other thing I could have done without was the overuse of certain phrases . . . "cursed" this and "cursed" that, "Here, and . . ." "suchlike," etc. Done with a lighter touch, this would have had a better flavor. All things considered, though, I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, although I'm not going to rush out and buy it tomorrow.
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