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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
Beautifully written high fantasy that manages to cram an absurd amount of lore, worldbuilding, plot, and character growth into roughly 260 pages. Doesn't feel wholly original but neither does it feel wholly derivative. Like many high fantasy efforts in the immediate post-Tolkien period it strives for far more diversity in terms of race and gender rep than LOTR and for the most part I think it succeeds (given the time period, that is).
Unfortunately came out a few scant years after LOTR so I suppose is doomed to obscurity. Definitely recommended however if you manage to get your hands on a copy.
Unfortunately came out a few scant years after LOTR so I suppose is doomed to obscurity. Definitely recommended however if you manage to get your hands on a copy.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I've always loved Guy Gavriel Kay's Fionavar Tapestry, so I was rather horrified to read this and realize that huge swathes of Kay's plot and worldbuilding are cribbed directly from Chant's book, with the protagonists and themes pitched to an older audience: the evil being in the dark mountain in the north who kidnaps the woman from our world for nefarious purposes; the young man who becomes a hero among the horse-riding plainsmen; the young man who sacrifices himself willingly to the chthonic goddess; the gathering of the scattered people into a single army to face down the armies of the evil being. Chant's book is a little less complex, but still beautiful and sad and haunting (and has the benefit of being first!)
Read this but I don't remember a single thing about it ~ other than the Frazetta dustjacket
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A very quaint portal fantasy book that reminds me a lot of Narnia and Fionavar and yet different and refreshing to read. The first two-thirds while having some fun moments had some very exposition heavy scenes but it made sense since this is a short book that too a standalone. The battles between the white and the black eagles at the start of the book really caught my attention as well as the Black Mountain and the Two Moons: The Red Moon and the Silver Moon. The backstory of the 10 houses of the children of stars was also interesting. The other fantasy races (the Nihaimurh and the Teraimurh) while not having a very major role did add to the depth of the world by existing and interacting with.
However, it is the final third that truly shines with the battle of Oliver with Fendarl, what he saw with the witch sight, his later on reminiscing of what he gained and what he lost and his final test. All of these moments were great with great writing with one line especially standing out to me that reads “but though day is long the dew once dried does not fall again”.
However, it is the final third that truly shines with the battle of Oliver with Fendarl, what he saw with the witch sight, his later on reminiscing of what he gained and what he lost and his final test. All of these moments were great with great writing with one line especially standing out to me that reads “but though day is long the dew once dried does not fall again”.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The story starts out completely basic, then swerves into beauty, then swerves again into a commentary on the tropes of heroic fantasy, all of this years before the big fantasy boom of the late 1970s. I found it refreshing, and frustrating that Chant didn't find more success as an author.
I would have totally left out the epilogue, though.
I would have totally left out the epilogue, though.
Unfortunately it's not the sort of thing that grabs me anymore. At age 55 now I'm becoming a lot fussier. I see other reviewers have compared it (mostly unfavourably, though they enjoyed it) to The Lord of the Rings. When I read LOTR, it was captivating—and unlike many, I loved the Shire, the hobbits, and the fuss about the birthday party. By the time Frodo and friends went out on the road, I knew what they were like, and I cared about them and was concerned about upcoming events.
The characters in this book are introduced with what they look like, and almost immediately stumble into a fantasy world, where (of course) despite being in what seems like rural surroundings, they immediately bump into helpful characters (including a princess--what are the chances) who accept them without question and speak English, despite their moon being a different colour.
I mean, that's just annoying.
So three people I don't care about, for no apparent reason, are plunged into an unlikely situation that stays unlikely. There's nothing appealling about it, though I likely would have gobbled this up in 1975 through being starved for fantasy.
I also don't particularly love the tone of the actual sentences, sort of a cross between dry and poetic, but missing the point of what engages a reader (like me). On page 11, by which point I still don't know anything particular about the characters, we get a detailed description of rocks and snow. Maybe they figure later in the story and are important, but I doubt it:
"The path seemed to wind along a mountainside, with the precipice on one hand, and on the other the rockface against which they sat. It was all the same smooth, shiny black rock, streaked thinly with white where the snow had found somewhere to lodge. Mostly the rock was too smooth for it to settle, and it floated in whorls along the ground as the wind blew it."
So there's time for that.
Once they do meet up with the Fantasyland inhabitants, then we get hit with Name-itis, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. I know, I know, LOTR is riddled with names, place names, elven names, historical names, etc., but because of its scale, and because Tolkein was a linguist, it never bothered me in the slightest. But when I read Fantasy now, and the authors lead early on with sentences like "There is neither wall nor gate in the Khentor lands. You are on the Northern Plains, O'li-vanh, in the Realm of Kedrinh, in the land of Vandarei," well, I want to toss the book away (and usually do).
I'm learning Japanese now--that's enough to keep me busy--I don't need to keep track of that much entirely-made-up Geography in what's supposed to be pleasure reading.
So, not for me. On to the next book!
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!
The characters in this book are introduced with what they look like, and almost immediately stumble into a fantasy world, where (of course) despite being in what seems like rural surroundings, they immediately bump into helpful characters (including a princess--what are the chances) who accept them without question and speak English, despite their moon being a different colour.
I mean, that's just annoying.
So three people I don't care about, for no apparent reason, are plunged into an unlikely situation that stays unlikely. There's nothing appealling about it, though I likely would have gobbled this up in 1975 through being starved for fantasy.
I also don't particularly love the tone of the actual sentences, sort of a cross between dry and poetic, but missing the point of what engages a reader (like me). On page 11, by which point I still don't know anything particular about the characters, we get a detailed description of rocks and snow. Maybe they figure later in the story and are important, but I doubt it:
"The path seemed to wind along a mountainside, with the precipice on one hand, and on the other the rockface against which they sat. It was all the same smooth, shiny black rock, streaked thinly with white where the snow had found somewhere to lodge. Mostly the rock was too smooth for it to settle, and it floated in whorls along the ground as the wind blew it."
So there's time for that.
Once they do meet up with the Fantasyland inhabitants, then we get hit with Name-itis, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. I know, I know, LOTR is riddled with names, place names, elven names, historical names, etc., but because of its scale, and because Tolkein was a linguist, it never bothered me in the slightest. But when I read Fantasy now, and the authors lead early on with sentences like "There is neither wall nor gate in the Khentor lands. You are on the Northern Plains, O'li-vanh, in the Realm of Kedrinh, in the land of Vandarei," well, I want to toss the book away (and usually do).
I'm learning Japanese now--that's enough to keep me busy--I don't need to keep track of that much entirely-made-up Geography in what's supposed to be pleasure reading.
So, not for me. On to the next book!
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!
Read this but I don't remember a single thing about it ~ other than the Frazetta dustjacket
This was really good - it's a shame it's out-of-print, because it's one of those lesser-known fantasy gems. The author has quite a rich voice, and the way she demonstrates the evolution and turmoil occurring within one of the main characters is very thought-provoking and realistic. Excellent book, overall.