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%T Moonwise
%A Greer Ilene Gilman
%I Roc
%D February 1991
%O paperback, US$4.95
%P 373
%G 0-451-45094-9
A wintry work for the winter solstice, Greer Ilene Gilman's
"Moonwise" twists luminous moonlight images into a tapestry of
archtypes: darkness and light, magical twins, enchanted children,
witches with tangled hair and fluttering rags. Pages upon pages of
elaborately embroidered imagery conceals a slender story of two
eccentric young women who foil the witch who tries to stop the wheel
of the year from turning. Beautiful but static, "Moonwise" is worth
reading for the flow of images and the wit of its punwise protagonists
and for little else. [CCO]
%T Swordpoint
%A Ellen Kushner
%I Tor
%D July 1989
%O paperback, US$3.99
%P 299
%G 0-812-51771-7
"Swordpoint," Ellen Kushner's first novel, is a skillfully carved
slice of life in a society where it is legal to pay professional
swordsmen to challenge enemies to fatal duels. True to its Dumas-like
nature, it is saturated with intrigue and glamor. Who cares that all
of the major characters are egoistical and amoral schemers willing to
murder to achieve petty aims? Or that the "good" characters are
depicted as well- meaning incompetents? If you care about such
niceties, you are likely to find "Swordpoint" more disturbing than
likeable. If not, you will probably enjoy the book despite the odd,
dangling quality of the ending. [CCO]
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Eric S. Raymond <esr@snark.thyrsus.com>