The Furies: Book Three of 'The Holdfast Chronicles' (Mass Market Paperback)

by Suzy McKee Charnas (Author) "Four Women on foot and lightly laden hid in a dusty dip where sharu came at another season to roll..." (more)
Key Phrases: pet fem, bond fem, pet fern, The Furies, Riding Women, Tyn Chowmer (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Powerful and poignant, but hopefully not prophetic, Charnas's sequel to Walk to the End of the World and Motherlines presents an action-packed, if upsetting, dystopia in which men have used women as chattel and have even contemplated raising them for food. The story continues the adventures of heroine Alldera, who leads the Free Fems, freed female slaves, against their former masters. As she returns from the Grasslands with a small army of Free Fems, Alldera's soldiers are now on horseback. Using superior bows, they retake the lands of their former bondage, joined in their victories by newly liberated slaves and by the Riding Women, nomadic females who have no biological need for men because they use horse sperm as a catalyst for their own reproduction. The women's taste of victory in battle leaves them nearly as bloodthirsty as their former masters, and Alldera's leadership is always in jeopardy, in part because she decides to protect the master who freed her long ago; the latter and a eunuch, Setteo the seer, are the only "good" males here. Hugo and Nebula award winner Charnas's story is not for the weak of stomach. For as Alldera asks, "Who can make a new, whole self without spending the ocean of old poisons first?" That spending is here vicious, bloody and wrenching.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
Alldera the Runner, with her army of Free Fems, embarks on the realization of her lifelong dream: the liberation of the enslaved women of Holdfast, her former home. In this follow-up to Walk to the End of the World (1974) and Motherlines (1978), Charnas explores the politics of retribution as the former slaves becomes masters with the power to dispense either mercy or revenge. The strong feminist theme that permeates this powerfully written saga creates a disturbing and thought-provoking atmosphere that may not appeal to everyone.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Tor Science Fiction; 1st edition (December 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812548191
• ISBN-13: 978-0812548198
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 1.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,343,349 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A powerful and evocative novel., March 2, 1998

By	J. Michael Robertson (Author of Warrior of th... (Hudson, NH USA) - See all my reviews

The Furies is a book that makes you think. I found it captivating and couldn' t put it down once I started it. Alldera is a heroin complete with self-doubt and other human failings. Her relationships with Sheel, Eykar Bek and her own people, the Free Fems make for great action and emotion. A totally believable character. I found the Riding Women of the grasslands facinating.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, August 28, 2002

By	Paula (Californialand) - See all my reviews

Hard to believe anyone could find anything in it boring enough to skip through. I tore through it in a day. The characters are especially well drawn and distinct. I don't know how Charnas does it.

The themes aren't wishy-washy and wimpy. Don't you want to yell at the book sometimes? Or at least what the people do and think? Yes. That's good.

Some have found the sequel, "The Conqueror's Child" to be better, or "Motherlines" before it, but this one is in my opinion the the best, most brutal one of the bunch. It's fast and action-packed, one of those great showdowns, vindications, coups de grace, whatever.

Sorry this is a patchy review, I tried!

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a decent conclusion, but not fulfilling, September 13, 1995

By A Customer

This review is from: The Furies (Holdfast Chronicles) (Hardcover)

I received this in hardback as a gift and I'm glad I didn't spend the money on it. Paperback, I would have bought. The characters seem less developed and the conclusions a little too convenient for my tastes.