Up to Eric's Home Page | To Index | Sun Jun 09 23:29:17 EDT 1991 |
%T The Horse of Flame
%A Josepha Sherman
%I Avon Fantasy
%D December 1990
%O paperback, US$3.95
%P 345
%G 0-380-75815-6
Like her previous novel, "The Shining Falcon," Josepha Sherman's
latest work, "The Horse of Fame," builds its tale upon and within the
cosmos of Russian folk myth. Sherman's writing is far from
scintillating, but she clearly has a broad knowledge of Russian folk
tale, with its numerous leshys, hags, and other magical and
magic-weaving forest denizens -- a knowledge that she uses to full
advantage. Moreover, by comparison to the vast majority of fantasy
novels, which are crammed with shop-worn Celtic motifs, Sherman's
simple Russian story feels like a breath of fresh air. Hopefully, her
stories will inspire other fantasy authors to tap the mythic treasures
of non-Celtic cultures. [This by guest reviewer Cathy Olanich -- ESR]
%T The Hawk's Gray Feather
%A Patricia Kennealy
%I Roc Fantasy
%D January 1991
%O paperback, US$4.95
%P 400
%G 0-451-45053-1
Having introduced us to the planet-hopping, high-tech culture of
Keltia in her first trilogy, "The Tales of Aeron," Kennealy begins
with this book, "The Hawk's Gray Feather," the tale of Keltia's
ancient history. This "history," which is yet another retelling of
Arthurian legend, has virtually no science fiction elements about it,
because it is the story of Keltia's struggle to be free of a sorcerous
oppressor who has (conveniently) forbidden high technology.
Consequently, it does not read like science fiction. It reads more
like a competent, unpretentious Celtic fantasy -- a Celtic fantasy
more faithful to the spirit of the Arthurian legends than most of the
novelizations currently available in the marketplace. [This by guest
reviewer Cathy Olanich -- ESR]
%T Lavondyss
%A Robert Holdstock
%I Avon Fantasy
%D January 1991
%O paperback, US$4.50
%P 388
%G 0-380-71184-2
"Lavondyss" is Robert Holdstock's second novel about a
Herefordshire wood with energy flows that permit the generation of
mythagos, flesh-and-blood avatars of archetypal figures, by the
unconscious minds of visitors. Unlike "Mythago Wood," his first novel
Holdstock based on this premise, "Lavondyss" largely ignores the whys
and wherefores of mythago generation to tell a haunting tale of a
young girl's shamanic journey through Britain's neolithic ice age.
Holdstock's blend of history, fantasy, and myth holds the reader's
interest, while his prose style paints images that linger long in the
reader's memory. Fantasy lovers will be enthralled, and readers
normally indifferent to the genre may well find much to savor -- and
to think about. [This by guest reviewer Cathy Olanich -- ESR]
Up to Eric's Home Page | To Index | Sun Jun 09 23:29:17 EDT 1991 |
Eric S. Raymond <esr@snark.thyrsus.com>