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%T The Harp of the Grey Rose
%A Charles deLint
%I Avon Fantasy
%D February 1991
%O paperback, US$3.95
%P 230
%G 0-380-76202-1
DeLint's latest novel is a compactly crafted blend of most
of the standard Celto-European fantasy ingredients. The hero is
an orphaned youth with the blood of wild folk and harpers but no
training. A bevy of legendary creatures, including a dwarf, a
half-deer centaur, and a sentient bear, befriend and guide him in
a journey that starts as a quest to save a goddess from a broken
bargain with an evil god and ends in a struggle to save himself,
his friends, and his world from ultimate evil. Though not in the
same league as "The Lord of the Rings," or even of "The Fionavar
Tapestry," "The Harp of the Grey Rose is an enjoyable quick read
for lovers of epic fantasy. [Guest reviewer: Cathy Olanich]
%T Tehanu
%A Ursula K. LeGuin
%I Bantam/Spectra
%D February 1991
%O paperback, US$4.95
%P 252
%G 0-553-28873-3
"Tehanu," LeGuin's conclusion to the Earthsea cycle, returns the
reader to the island of Gont, where Tenar, once a powerful priestess
and apprentice to a mage, has made a quiet living for herself as a
farmer's wife. Impressive reading by itself, "Tehanu" gains added
richness if read, as the author patently intends, as a conclusion to
the three earlier Earthsea books. The only flaw in this movingly
written tale is the obviousness with which LeGuin emphasizes the
subtler kinds of oppression inflicted upon women by a male-dominated
hierarchical culture; a reader sensitive enough to appreciate "Tehanu"
is unlikely to need LeGuin's sermonizing, in the form of pseudo-
rhetorical questions by her female characters, to get the message.
[Guest reviewer: Cathy Olanich]
%T Wild Cards VIII: One-Eyed Jacks
%A George R. R. Martin, ed.
%I Bantam Spectra
%D February 1991
%O paperback, US$4.95
%P 326
%G 0-553-28852-0
Martin and the authors who have collaborated on the various "Wild
Cards" stories are to be commended for turning out story anthologies
of high, consistent quality. "One-Eyed Jacks," the eighth of these
anthologies, continues the trend. Unfortunately, this collection
exemplifies another trend of the series -- depicting increasing levels
of violence, misery, and psychopathic joker and ace behavior. For
those unrepelled by mega-doses of gore and crime, however, "One-Eyed
Jacks" is a good, fast-paced read. [Guest reviewer: Cathy Olanich]
Up to Eric's Home Page | To Index | Tue Jun 11 09:26:57 EDT 1991 |
Eric S. Raymond <esr@snark.thyrsus.com>