Elves Books

This is a story of two young girls - Hillary, fortunate and comfortable in her family home, and her backyard neighbor, Sara-Kate, poor and outcast and forced to take care of herself. It is a story told convincingly in the voice of Hillary, as she slowly enters first the magical world of Sara-Kate's imagination, and then the cold and deprived world of Sara-Kate's real-life situation. The ending is not a happy one, but neither is it hopeless or overly sad ending.

My nine-year-old daughter told me that she thought it was a very well written book, but the ending was not satisfying to her. She's correct, it is not a "satisfying" ending, but it is probably the truest and best ending for all that. My daughter failed to appreciate fully the transformation of Hillary, so that the open-ended last page seemed to dangle into uncertainty. For adults and more mature readers, this open ending is a sign that Hillary has moved forward and beyond her once-ordinary self.

I am surprised by the range of reactions to this book from kid reviewers - some kids taking it mostly at face value, as a story of mystery and imagination, and only a few seeing that it is mostly about friendship, emotional vulnerability, trust, and the sometimes unfairness of life. Personally, I think it is an excellent book, but I would recommend it only for middle school and more mature grade school kids. Younger and less mature readers will miss out on too much, failing to understand the deeper meaning.

If you are familiar with another Newbery Honor book, "The Hundred Dresses" by Eleanor Estes, then I think you'll know where this book is coming from. Afternoon of the Elves is also about imagination in the face of poverty and unintentional childhood cruelty, and about the redeeming emotions of the central character, who comes to see things in a new way, although perhaps a bit too late. I strongly recommend "The Hundred Dresses" for ages 7-11, and "Afternoon of the Elves" for ages 9-14.

I love this book. I read it to my class every year. In the story, two neighbor girls become unlikely friends. Sara-Kate is not fashionably dressed and does not have friends at school. Hillary lives a very "normal" life and is part of a clique. As Hillary spends time in Sara-Kate's messy yard, perfect for the elves she longs to see, she learns to question what "normal" means. She begins to see that there is more than one way to look at something and to be more accepting of other points of view. The ending leads to great class discussion.

From the very start I knew I would love this book. I was right! It is full of adventure and suspence. At some moments it is sad, at some moments it is scary, and at some moments it is happy. It is about two verry diferent girls who become friends and soon they realise that they are more similar than they think. They are named Hilary and Sarah Kate. Hillary is clean and normal. Sarah Kate has a backyard cluttered and messy. The two girls play together in Sarah Kate's yard. They take care of an elfe village with little houses, pools, ferris wheels, and gardens. Sarah Kate has a verry short temper, but Hillary learns that nomader what Sarah Kate will always forgive her. Sarah Kate never talks about her family or herself, just about the elves. She naver gets cold, never menchions her mother, never invites Hillary into herhouse, and never goes to Hillary's house herself. Sarah Kate runs errands for her mom all over town by herself. Just whene the girls become better friends than they ever where before somthing tragic happens. Can Hillary run the elfe village byh herself?

I think this book is wonderful for boys and girls. I could not put the book down and finished it in one day.

This book is really good! I really enjoyed reading it! In the book there's two girls named Hilary and Sarah-Kate. They find something magical in Sarah-Kate's backyard. You'll have to read the book to find out what it's about! IT'S GREAT!

Janet Taylor Lisle hooks you in with a story that evokes the best of popular fantasy with some Pippi Longstocking thrown in. Then she sucker punches you with a depressing dose of misfortune devoid of fantasy and stripped down to a cold, sad version of reality that shocks and confounds. The denouement involves mental illness, neglect and orphaning. For more on this kind of approach to youth literature, check out "Welcome to Lizard Motel" by Barbara Feinberg.

I bought 2 books and was very satisfied with their quality. However, I was charged 3.99 for shipping for each book. I deliberately got them from the same company to try and bring this cost down. The actual amount for shipping the 2 books to me was $2.85. I believe this is bad business and I will never order from this company again.

What started well does not end well, at least as far as the writing is concerned. It seems the authors became so rushed to finish the series in a nice and tidy 3 book set that they crammed an abundance of events into too few pages. While the overall story moves forward better than the second book, the authors seem to only devote a few paragraphs or pages to key events and conflicts. For this series, perhaps devoting less time on secondary characters, or pushing the series to four books would have worked better.

Still, it is an enjoyable series despite the many obvious flaws. I am spoiled after reading much of Weis and Hickman and some of the older Eddings and Brooks novels.

Mercedes Lackey is one of the most dependable fantasy authors around - she always delivers a considered, methodical story with an unusual twist on our preconceptions regarding this genre of novels. With the talents of James Mallory added to the mix, The Obsidian Trilogy, and When Darkness Falls in particular, are no exceptions to this rule.

The final book in a trilogy about Kellen Tavadon, the first Knight-Mage seen in the land in over a thousand years, When Darkness Falls begins with the alliance of Men and Elves with its back against the proverbial wall. Beset by the enemy on every side, Kellen and his allies try to save the Elves and other creatures who are under assult by the Endarkened. They realize, however, that they will have to make their last stand at the gates of Armerthalieh, the City of a Thousand Bells, home of the practioners of High Magick, who have come to believe that the Elves and other non-humans who live outside the city are the cause of their problems. The fact that the leader of the city, Arch-Mage Anigrel, is an agent of Savilla, the Endarkened Queen, doesn't help matters at all.

While I enjoyed the book immensly, I do have some nits to pick with Amazon, or TOR (the publisher) about the Kindle edition. First, although the first volume (The Outstreched Shadow), and the final volume are available for the Kindle, the middle volume of the trilogy is not. Seems like a silly mistake to make, but it certainly increased my irritation with the publisher and bookseller afer I read the first book. I gave in and bought a paperback copy at my local bargan bookstore - but I would have bought a Kindle version - if one had been available.

My second nit is with the font used in this edition. It's somewhat cursive, and doesn't display very well on your Kindle, especially the thinner parts of the letters, or the downstrokes of letters like Y and G. This made the book harder to read, and I frequently had to stop and re-read passages.

In conclusion, the story is top notch, and deserves a 5 star rating. However, before purchasing this book, I strongly recommend that you download a sample and see if the font display is hard for you to read. I downgraded my rating from five stars to three for this reason alone. If you're constantly struggling with the font, you can't very well "disappear" into the story the way you can with most other Kindle titles.

Magic, Knights, Elves, Dragons, Unicorns, Demons.... Awesome! It was an awesome ending to an awesome trology. It was bitter sweet to finish it. I read it fast, I couldnt put it down. When I finished, I was sad that it was all over.

Great final book to the trilogy. Keeps you entertained and guessing to the final end.

I have always enjoyed reading Mercedes Lackey. She does Fantasy amazingly well and I was excited to see the continuation of this series

I loved the first series (The Obsidian Trilogy) and this looks to carry on it's legacy of high fantasy, readability and excitement. I highly recommend it if you liked the Obsidian Trilogy, it carries on it's tradition but is definitely a new series with new adventures and excitement.

Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory have produced another winning book with The Phoenix Unchained. This new trilogy picks up in the same world as the Obsidian Trilogy that was written by the same pair, only now it's 1008 years later in that world. A lot has changed, myths have grown old, and the Endarkened (demons) are coming back into the world. This is the first book in this second trilogy set in this pair of writers fantasy world and what a great job they've done!

The original obsidian series was pretty good. This one was weak and derivative of the first. If you read the first series and *really* liked it, you'll probably like this one too.

I hope the third Phoenix book is a bit better when it comes out. I must admit, the last third of the second Phoenix book was starting to get my attention. The first book and first 2/3 of the second book were pretty much relegated to developing the characters and setting up the story. That, too me, is an awful lot of time spent getting up to speed.

I have just had my seventh knee surgery and I am always looking for a good book to take my mind off myself and this book gave me a couple of days of entertainment. I am looking foward to the next books.

This was a good story, but I came out of it wanting. There is a great big building up throughout this story for the main character, Kyrtian, to find certain ancient Elven relics that have been lost since the Crossing. What they did find only held my interest because of the wonderful mood-setting job the authors did to make the place seem spooky, with an underlying menace. They never tell how the things they find came to be menacing when they were originally meant to *help* the Elves. Why would it now kill Elves? These things, which I had the most questions about, were simply not explained enough by the end, as I'd been hoping - indeed, as I'd been *expecting* due to their impact on both the characters and on me as a reader.

The final glimpse at the end of something otherworldly, even to that world, was fascinating, but was not followed up which I found terribly disappointing given the lack of other explanation I'm been hoping for at the end.

Some of the ending was rather predictable, while others seemed to have been just thrown in there because the authors needed to wrap the book up.

It's not all bad news. This book definately help my interest, which surprised me since I'd read the reviews here before reading it and was expecting it to be somewhat boring. It was good to see Keman growing as a character, though Shana doesn't really share the same treatment. Kyrtian as a main character was not someone I found boring at all. In fact, I liked the way he pulled his double- and triple-crosses, making use of his reputation to seem boorish and stupid. That brand of subtlety is good, and just different enough to the other back-biting Elves.

I wished more had happened with Rena, who'd held most of my interest in Book 2 and whom I'd grown to like. I felt she was a little wasted, as was Mero.

This book was an odd clash between a good read and what could have been a brilliant story if it had been longer and the existing characters expanded upon more. I enjoyed it for the most part, though those unanswered questions annoyed me in the end. Someone here has mentioned there will be a fourth book. Maybe my questions will be answered in there. I hope so.

Four stars.

Very Good. Another collaboration with Mercedes Lackey, with new characters developed and a continuation of the series.

I loved the first two books in the series and then loved this one just as much! It reads well and the whole series is enjoyable for re-reading. It has well-developed characters and character-relations and I find myself lost in this world of dragons, elves and humans.

Now, if only they'd come out with the 4th one that's been (forthcoming) since at least 2003: Elvenbred.

Died 2005. shame. Great Books and really wanted to read number 4. Who knows if it will happen now.

This is book three in a series, and you should read the first two books to fully understand the setting. It can be read as a stand alone book, but you will lack some of the background. It is a complex plot involving elves (mages and not so magical), humans (free and slaves), halfbloods (who mostly seem to have wizard capability), dragons, and some really dangerous creatures that inhabit a particular forest, including an invisible ambusher.

The elves, who have invaded the planet through a magical gate, only occupy part of the territory. They have long lives, but a low birthrate. Considering the various intrigues and dangers, it is amazing that they could last as long as they have. Everyone seems to lust for power, but power corrupts. A revolt by younger sons (mostly somewhat inept), various slave revolts, halfbloods seeking their own power, attempts at assassinations, interference by dragons, and creatures that eat occasional wayfarers make for an interesting plot.

Some of the action seems to drag at points. It was not a page turner until it got towards the end. Various inconvenient characters are removed, not quite like Mark Twain's device of having people wander out into the yard and fall down a well, but by introducing various dangers they encounter, inserted into the story for that purpose (a large carnivore, a murderous machine, or just being carried off by a hungry demon looking for dinner). Some characters are nasty pieces of work, so one does not waste much sympathy on their plight. Somehow the white hats survive.

The hero, who is against slavery, has a couple concubines purchased from the market. He is a long-lived elf, and at thiry is still in his adolescence, so has not found a wife. He is living with his mother, and has not seemed to reach the maturity needed for a marriage (or maybe he is just overly picky).

Konowa is an elf who hasn't been having a good day, much less a good life. We are introduced to him as he's dealing with exile in the hot, muddy wilderness after having killed the Imperial Viceroy (who was an agent of the very evil Shadow Monarch). He had been born tainted (tip of his ear black) and was rejected as a member of the Long Watch (Elves who work against the Shadow Monarch who is restricted to one mountain with her dark metallic trees), so he goes off to join the Calahrian Imperial Army (human Empire who rule rather oppressively over the Elves and the Elfkynan--humans who like Native Americans were mistakenly called Indians, were regarded as less-than-human-elves by the Calahrians), where he is perfectly happy with cities and metal and muskets and swords. He'd worked his way up to leading the illustrious Iron Elves, a regiment composed of other tainted elves like himself. Then he'd killed the viceroy and his regiment was disbanded and the elves sent to distant outposts of the Empire. As the book opens, he's found in the forest by a messenger (who happens to be the attractive Elfkynan witch, Visyna), and is told by his old friend the Duke of Rakestraw that the Iron Elves is to be reformed, only with the dregs of the army (no elves, save one other), and led by the Queen's son, Prince Tykkin, with Konowa as second-in-command. They are to head up to an outpost where the Prince hopes to find a mysterious artifact, the Fallen Red Star, that will aid the Empire.

Konowa, whose life was pretty much the military (he always hated the forest), signs up even under those conditions. He needs to get the regiment in shape and nurse-maid the Prince. It also seems that the Shadow Monarch is threatening things even in Elfkyna as nasty creatures that were thought legendary or extinct centuries ago are beginning to reappear. The regiment needs to battle through eerie jungle-forests and vines and predatory critters along the way. There is also a rebel Elfkynan army and more officials being corrupted by the Shadow Monarch. Everyone seems to be hunting for the Star.

Konowa is the most interesting character, mostly for his background. Sadly, he seems to studiously ignore that and wants to focus only on his immediate job--of making sure the new Iron Elves becomes a regiment to be proud of, and able to survive the leadership of the Prince and the greater threats that appear along the way. Possibly interesting characters such as his mage father pop up along the way, but Konowa takes it in stride. He also tries to ignore his feelings for Visyna, which he does rather too successfully. It's good, in that case, that the military aspects are written quite well, since it's a major part of the tale.

There are several interesting characters we follow among the Iron Elves, a tough, talkative dwarf and a hapless young recruit who has realized too late that life in the army is not for him. The Prince remains a stereotypical royal twit of a clueless leader. The Shadow Monarch is mostly off-stage--a distant evil with some hints of personality but no obvious goal (aside from taking over and causing havoc). The other bad-guy is also rather two-dimensional, but he isn't playing a huge role anyway. Rallie, the reporter, obviously has hidden depths, and is mildly intriguing.

So there are some interesting characters, a fair amount of good military bits to do with the Regiment and their battles, and some social conflicts in the world (Empire vs Elfkyna and uncertain relationship with the Elves of Hynterland), and the growing power of the Shadow Monarch. Lots creepy evil creatures and dark forests. And the curious history of the Iron Elves--and their strange current incarnations (having only one or two elves among them).

The novel is "Book One of the Iron Elves"-- so the plot is not completely resolved at the end, even though it does seem to end at a likely place, after a climactic battle. It was an easy and interesting read, despite a few flaws (such as some of the flat characters and lack of better development in others). I was not as caught up by Konawa's plight as I'd hoped I would be, but I am mildly curious about what happens next, so I may go on to read the next books when they are available.

I think the reviews referring to the book as a lovechild of Tolkein are too exaggerated. To put it simply, the book is a readable and decent start to a fantasy series. We follow Konowa, a disgraced elf who is recalled to the army to retrieve a star of magical powers. I shall say no more about the plot. If you like
Harry Potter: This book will buzz past you gently but you won't mind the sound
Lord of the rings: You will not notice this book for its lack of detail
Robin Hobb's books: You will be disappointed by the limited amount of politics, character strength and literary character.

Now the book:
1- Characters: They seem to have been created suddenly and there is no element of phasing them into the book. So you won't exactly be thrilled by any of them. The hero, Konowa is not too bad though.
2- Plot: Decent paced and not too rich in details. The kind you recall easily when the book is left unread for eight days... which is always good.
3- Narrative: I would have to say average. There are far too many unnecessary new words thrown at the reader. They have no impact and at times are difficult to remember.

Overall, it's an okay sort of book which you won't mind reading. It does not wear on your senses because it has a very narrow storyline which you won't be struggling to remember even if you don't like the book (We all hate that feeling).

For the elves, the highest calling is to become a soldier in the Long Watch. Those warrior-elves serve as eternal guards against the Witch-Elf whose twisted forest digs deep into the earth providing her with horrible power--and who seeks to extend her reach through the entire world. Not all elves are welcome, however--especially those with a touch of darkness. For them, there is no Long Watch. For them, becoming an Iron Elf, working for the Empire, is the best they can hope for. Now, though, the Iron Elves have been disbanded--because their colonel, Konowa, murdered the Empire's viceroy. That the viceroy was a traitor working for the Witch-Elf is not really an issue.

With magic stirring and rebellion causing danger to the Empire, Konowa is called up once again, demoted to major, and made second in command of a newly constituted Iron Elf legion--a legion in which he happens to be the only elf. Nominally commanded by the crown prince of the Empire, the new Iron Elves are the rejects of the rest of the Empire's armies. Yet only they can stand in the way of rebellion--and what it means to the Witch-Elf's plans.

Author Chris Evans creates an intriguing world where battling against evil doesn't necessarily mean fighting on the same side. The tree-based magic system is consistent with the Tolkien tradition of elves, while providing a richness of its own. The Long Watch definitely brings George R.R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice to mind--while having its own magic as well.

I was impressed by Evans' first novel--DARKNESS combines political intrigue, military tactics, magic, various races and histories, and a complex world of politics and conquest into a fascinating whole. I would have liked to see more of a goal from Konowa, the scenes from Alwyn's point of view don't add as much to the story as I would have liked, and I felt that the whole issue of Kritton didn't really come together (setup for a next volume or a new author not sewing up loose ends). Still, for all its minor flaws, DARKNESS is an intriguing and high-potential start for a new author.

Book one of the 'Iron Elves' fantasy is a powerful opening act highly recommended for any solid fantasy collection. It introduces a world where a former commander of the Empire's elite Iron Elves has murdered, been court-martialed, and been banished to the forest - but not to peace. A mysterious elf daughter, a dangerous journey, and a new commission with a new army leads Konowa on a dangerous mission. A riveting plot evolves, hard to put down.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

A Darkness Forged in Fire is an above average fantasy debut by Chris Evans, a writer with a lively style. The novel is about Konowa, an outcast elf who must command green soldiers against an evil elf witch and her minions. Konowa is a complex, conflicted character who is torn between serving the empire, his soldiers, and his race. The novel shines when Konowa leads his regiment into battle. These graphic action scenes bring to mind Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series. I am also intrigued by the setting's racial and class politics and wish that Evans had focused more on them.

In this world, humans coexist with other races uneasily. Humans are the predominant race and seek to civilize the wilds populated by elves and elfkynan. The elves oppose this imperialism as it endangers the natural order. Many fantasies include tree-hugging elves, but I think that this book describes them and their stance better than others. Evans avoids generalizations. For example, not every elf is a nature lover, and the way one elf reveres nature may be different than another elf. He also hints at class differences: Visyna, an elfkynan aristocrat, looks down at the elfkynan fisher folk even though they respect nature as much as (or even more so) than she does. He also touches on religion, exemplified by the character of Inkermon, a religious fanatic. These nuances enrich the novel and make Konowa an interesting character, since he prefers steel and gunpowder over trees and magic.

Ultimately, I cannot praise A Darkness Forged in Fire too highly because I think Evans makes a glaring mistake: The novel's background is more provocative than the storyline. At the start, Konowa is exiled in the forest after being court-martialed as a traitor for murdering his superior. Am I the only reader who thinks that this past plot is more interesting than the current plot? In my opinion, Evans should have started the novel in the beginning, with Konowa's decision to join the Iron Elves. I want to know what happened in detail to make him turn his back on the elves. I want to know when and why he chose to kill the Viceroy. Furthermore, I want to know how and why the Viceroy betrayed the empire. To me, this is a more engaging storyline.

The novel contains two other missteps. First, I think that the villains are underutilized. The Shadow Witch seems to have a fascinating history and possibly justification for her actions, but Evans only suggests it. In addition, the Viceroy's subplot is too simple; I think that Evans should have explored his character arc more fully. Also, the Viceroy and the Prince are too one-dimensional as opponents. Evans should have fleshed them out more. Second, Evans glosses over the regiment's growth from a gang of misfits to a corps of soldiers. The Iron Elves become dependable too quickly. I think that Konowa should have had to address more conflict within the ranks. If they are the worst of the worst in the military, where are the deserters, rapists, and cowards?

I recommend A Darkness Forged in Fire with the reservation that it could have been better.

I loved the previous books, I love this book more... well worth the money.. hate to see a good book go to waste.

I think someone else forgot to use the rating function. LOL
However this is a good book, I quite liked the wrap up to a intriguing story. Read it!

With two such gifted authors, this book couldn't help but be great. It lived up to all my expectations, with unforgettable characters and a well paced story. The dragons were intriguing, not being the usual "bad" kind. I would recommend this to anyone that wants to read something that they will long remember.

Not sure why this is showing I only gave 1 star...it should be 4 stars at least.

I have read all of Andre Norton's books, a couple months ago I thought this to be true and was rather saddened that I would never again be allowed to discover one of her spellbinding stories as found in "The Iron Cage", "The Beastmaster", or "Black Trillium". Naturally I was overjoyed when I found my thinking to be in error; as I was browsing through the library I happened upon "Elvenbane" and thus embarked on another adventure that certainly lived up to my expectations in every way. I have since also read "Elvenblood", the sequel to this amazing novel. Mercedes Lackey is also starting to make some waves on the sci-fi scene, and her styles compliment those of Andre Norton so well, yet add a flavor of diversity to the stories, just enough to let you know that without the collaboration of these two great minds this trip into the realms of the imagination would never have been possible. I hope you will enjoy these books as much as I have, and if you have not already read Andre Norton's books just know that you are really missing out!

Excellent, gripping, couldn't put it down. M

This was John M. Ford's last novel; as with virtually everything he wrote, it is a demonstration of his virtuosity with the English language.

The story is complex (for such a short book), and the pace of the story is such that it must be read closely if you want to catch every detail. But you don't have to -- you can read it once just to float along on the tide of language, and then read it again to appreciate his craft at story-telling.

Don't choose it (or abandon it) based on the theme; as with everything Ford wrote, his take on the subject matter is unique.

I don't give many books five stars. This is a six star book. Ford was a genius, and his untimely death a tragedy.

My problem with this book is that there isn't quite ENOUGH of it. That is why I called this review what I did.

This is a coming-of-age novel and there are those, critics and readers both, who profess to find flaws in coming-of-age novels. Some people just don't like them and they prolly won't like this one either.

The setting is a place where cultures meeet. Of course, every REAL place, except a tribal village, is a place where cultures meet but THESE cultures are meeting at a somewhat even score and at breakneck speed. Three of these cultures are Urban near-future Chicago (which is more than one culture, itself, needless to say) the culture of the rural Midwest (which is ALWAYS engaged in meeting Chicago and vive versa) and, lastly, an Elfland returned from the mists.

Oh, you say, you don't READ fantasy. Well, go to Hell, he said politely. There are many characters who border on caricature. In fact, they blow right past caricature and come out on the other side as archetypes, teaching things about the soul. There is a romance subplot involving the coming-of-age protagonist and I find it HOT but I am like that. There is a cliche or two involved but they resonate, make the subplot stronger rather than weaker.

And, finally, the novel is other than a coming-of-age novel. Oh, it IS that but it is also a novel about power and society and warlords and what happens to you outside the rule of law. And the novel says powerful things about those issues and about healing and love and killing and vengeance and forswearing vengeance. And those ARE the things the apes-on-the-ground do most and often need to know the most about.

And Ford lets you see this happening without knowing it is going to happen. You are in the middle of this farm kid's coming of
age and you are also in the middle of what Machiavelli and Sun Tzu and Heinlein talked about.

And the title is so much like _The Last Good Kiss_ that I wondered. And, as I read the book it was clear. No plagiarism, obviously, but Ford has read Crumley and he SAYS so, right here:

"It shouldn't be possible to forget, given all the strings around our fingers: Hammett, Chandler, Crumley, Macdonald and McDonald. Not to mention Oedipus the King."

Add John M. Ford. And read this book.

I've seen this "contemporary fantasy" (as the cover copy calls it) compared to the Borderland series, but it's not that except in the most superficial background sense. Elfland has reappeared in our world from its parallel dimension to the general detriment of human society. Danny, nineteen years old, a trained EMT, and too bitter for his age, journeys from Iowa to the nearest point of contact with the Shade, in Chicago, where he becomes part of the entourage of Mr. Patrise, a partly bent, partly noble power in this new world. There he becomes Doc Hallow, repairing wounds caused by gunshot and other, less Worldly forces in the struggle between Truebloods and humans. And that's about all the real plot there is. The real point in reading this darkly magical book is to experience the characters who inhabit it, to enjoy the interplay among them, to observe what magic does to people and non-people alike. Doc has his own deep secrets that keep him from loving, but he also has a strain of glowing personality that leads people to defer to him unexpectedly. Ford is an artist with fairy dust on his brush.

Very well written-- Ford is an excellent stylist, but I can not for the life of me figure out why the elves are drawn to gangland- prohibition style. The characters are drawn with a minimalist hand, the back ground is sketchy. Sometimes Ford indulges in a bit of exposition to let the reader catch up with Ford's knowledge of Chicago's history.

Seems like this is supposed to be a part of something deeper and richer.

So take it for what it is and enjoy it but if you end up scratching your head and wondering what the heck is going on here-- you've been warned.

Contemporary fantasy set in a future in which some sort of catastrophe has occurred and elves have returned to the world. Story takes place in a lavish gangland environment on the border between the two worlds (human & elvish). Excellent book in many ways except the author appears to like being clever a little bit too much. He leaves many things to inference, which is sometimes useful, sometimes a conceit. Still, the world is fascinating and the story engrossing.

I ... can't begin to form an opinion on Thomas the Rhymer. That's the strangest thing for one such as myself, who never knows how to shut up. Lest I set someone running from this book, first I say that, yes, I absolutely did like it. It's a complicated story and, as in life, no real answers are posed - only questions. This one might take me a while to sort out, though it took only a day to read.

The story itself is a retelling of the legend of Thomas the Rhymer, of which - I admit - I have never heard before, so I can't make comparisons there. Ms. Kushner's tone here is stylized in the way of vocal folklore - fit for a ballad or a grandfather's telling my a crackling fire. Though the story is a first-person account coming, at various times, from four different characters, the understanding is still that it was, not is. 'And there I've gone, and this I've seen, and so it was' and such like. This does not make for the easiest personal connection to a story, but there's a point in the method of telling, too - it strips the story of flourish, leaving only the bare-bones plot. Which, in this case, requires no help and carries itself gracefully as any story I've ever read. This book is definitely as experience - eerie, fascinating, addictive. I highly recommend it.

I am a lover of all things Faerie. I have put alot of time and research into the world of Faerie because I am a Faerie artist. This book is the best description of the Faerie realm that I have ever read. It is "fantastical" and imaginative and wonderful. For those who are deeply interested in the world of Faerie, it is highly recommended. For those with no love of fantasy, don't bother.

The story is what it is. A legend, taken from an old poem; and yes it may be anticlimactic. But if you read it, read it for the creative imagination that went into it. Read it for a true glimpse of the Faerie world.

I treasure this book and have read it many times over.

it is no problem to admit that i heartily envy ms kushner writing skill: she is a wondrous writer, she handles her language with a subtlety unheard of and still she manages to avoid any overwriting, any mannerism.

the story itself, though, is not great: some reviewers say it is true to the legend: should it be really so, then the problem might lie in the original plot.

be it as it may, characterization is dull, except for the elderly couple, and elfland is lushiously boring, the queen being the worst of all.

the verses included are enjoyable.

In this fascinating book, acclaimed author Ellen Kushner takes the old legends of Thomas of Erceldoune (a.k.a. True Thomas the seer and Thomas the Rhymer), and retells them in a fascinating, thoroughly modern style. This is the tale of a bard of no small talent who find himself the object of the Queen of Elfland's desire. Whisked off to the land of Fairy for seven years, he must unravel a mysterious riddle and save an immortal soul. And when he returns to the land of the living, will he be the same man he was, can he be?

This is a fascinating, and thoroughly enjoyable story. The author does an excellent job of keeping the flavor and substance of the old stories, while at the same time updating them and making them a treat for the modern reader. Indeed, I was often struck by how much the story rang true to the old folktales I have studied throughout my life. So, if you are a fan of stories of Fairy and the Lords and Ladies, or simply enjoy a good (excellent) fantasy story, then I highly recommend this book to you. You won't be disappointed!

This is not a book to read if you're seeking a stirring adventure. Thomas does go on a long, strange trip, but the focus is as much on how his life impacts the people important to him as it is on his experiences in Elfland. Kushner's decision to write only Thomas's Elfland experiences in his own voice, then, is a clever one. Also, seeing Thomas before and after his journey through the eyes of others reveals the extent of the change in him more thoroughly than if we remained in his head.

Kushner does an excellent job of giving each of the four narrators a distinct perspective, a difficult thing to do. And because they see different things in each other and percieve their relationships with one another differently, there's the opportunity to ponder how it is we get along in the world when we all have disparate visions of reality. This is a marvelously subtle way to question whether True Thomas can ever wholly tell the truth. Is the truth absolute, or is it changeable depending on individual understanding? This question lingers long after the book is shut.

So why did I give Thomas the Rhymer only three stars? Well, for all the lovely writing and thoughtful structure, it left me cold. For one, the Faery Queen who is the heart of all this trouble and change seemed to me little more than a blowup doll. She laid a couple of spells on Thomas, but mostly all they did was copulate, and I needed either for her to be more interesting or to feel more of why Thomas was infatuated with her. (Because of the distance I felt from her, also, the ending of the book was less moving for me than it should have been.) Apart from that, I felt Kushner passed over a great opportunity to explore what the effects of Thomas's truth-saying might be. There was some of that, certainly, in the final section of the book, but much was made of the gift of truth-telling in Faery (and whether it was a gift at all), and then very little was done with it.

Reading this book is a gamble. It has its virtues, and if you think you'll enjoy piecing together a larger meaning based on the fragments of story and varying points of view, you'll probably enjoy it well enough. However, if you want a story that swallows you whole and spits you out at the end with no respite to sit back and intellectualize, this may not be for you.

Hi I play a majical Elf named Pujol. I've read this book and it really truly helps anyone who plays Elves or magical Elves! This book is also good for it tells you about magical items. It tells about level ups and all here let me put it in simpler form ok. It tells you everything you need to know about Elves and is really sweat! (But to find out more i'll have to leave you at this BY THE BOOK!) If you do you defenatly wont forget it!

Because this book is part of the 2nd edition stuff, Wizards of the Coast put the PDF up on their free downloads site at wizards.com ... which means you can legally read the book and see if it's something you want to purchase. It's easier to use in campaigns if you have the bound book, but the download is a great way to start.
Robynn
semberholme.com

I don't know who at TSR seems to think that elves are little more than slothful, frivolous flakes, but it has permiated every aspect of their product line for a long time. This supplement goes into vast detail about how elves can't do anything quickly, it takes them years, even centuries of debate to figure out what to do about a problem; and how they view themselves as real "People" and everyone else is merely "Not People", racism in other words. They also seem to be a very LAWFUL society for a group that has been, since day 1 of AD&D, listed as CHAOTIC. It may even be worse than material written for Dragonlance's own band of of racist elves, the Silvanesti, who are listed as also being CG...yet they kept the Kagonesti Elves as slaves, because the Silvanesti believed they were superior...uh-huh, I see... The author talks a lot about magic, art and food, but says nothing about it! No concept of recipes for elven food, except that non-elves aren't advanced enough to taste the subtlties of it. That elves use waterfalls to shape their sculptures through erosion...hope they're not making these things for their human pals, because they will be years dead before it's finished. Plus the overriding concept that the elves are retreating and dying out seems to alude to the destruction of the fantasy element of the whole AD&D millieu, and that somehow magic is fading from the land. This book is not worth the money.

Cormanthyr: Empire of the Elves is one of the best references for elven culture I've found. This book goes over elven high magic, dualists they're like specialist mages only they study one school of magic AND it's opposite), how one becomes an elven high mage, and the laying of mythals. MYTHALS! (You can make your own Myth Drannor!) It also has background on the elven court on the main land of Faerun (as opposed to Evermeet), and lot of information on what clans mainland elves might belong to, plus the most prolific members of each listed clan. I just don't understand how someone could say that this book is anything but amazing!

If that is your general knowledge on elves, you need this book!

I bought this book myself because I felt I could have use of the background information for a campaign into Cormanthor and Myth Drannor. Well, this book is GREAT for that, but while reading it I got a sudden urge to bring a REAL capaign into this world.

THIS world, which is 700 years back in time from the official Forgotten Realms campaign year, is a world very much alive in the elven forests, a world of high magic in the elven cities, and a world about to see the darkest days.

In this Arcane Age product you will find all the help and information you need to start a true native Cormanthyran campaign, or a destination for unweary time-travelers.

Deatiling the Elven Mindset, the Elven Ages, Cormanthyr's Civilization, Magic of the People, Mythals and magical items, and places such as Myth Drannor - City of Song, Semberholme the Elven Court and the Tangled Vale, aswell as their histories!

But most importantly this book deals with people, the elves. I believe this book should be read by anyone planning on playing an elven character, whether as a player or as a DM's NPC, to fully understand what elves are all about. (DM's descretion needed if they plan a campaign in this age.)

Included is a map of Cormanthyr and one of Myth Drannor.

Nice artwork but could use more maps.

Warmly recommended with the accessory "The Fall of Myth Drannor" for adventure ideas, plots and campaigns leading to the Fall.

Have fun gaming!

CLOSE KIN is the second book in Clare B. Dunkle's Hollow Kingdom trilogy. It takes place around five years after The Hollow Kingdom: Book I -- The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy and follows Kate's younger sister Emily. Or at least it seems to. Where The Hollow Kingdom: Book I -- The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy stuck pretty closely to Kate's story, CLOSE KIN jumps around a fair bit, splitting its time three different ways as it traces the paths of Emily, her friend and would-be suitor Seylin, and an extremely unhappy elf named Sable.

When Emily fails to take Seylin's romantic advances seriously, half goblin/half elf Seylin informs the Goblin King he is leaving to search out his other heritage and see if he can find any elves who managed to survive the last goblin harrowing. He does, in fact, come across a rather feral group of elves but, having suffered much in the name of mere survival, they are barely recognizable as the beautiful, carefree creatures Seylin dreamt of. Among this group is a young woman named Sable who, to avoid being forced into an unwanted marriage, sliced her perfect face to ribbons and who now occupies a position lower than slave. Meanwhile, once Emily finds out Seylin has gone for good she immediately sets out on a quest of her own to bring the poor boy back home and attempt to sort out her feelings for him. Most likely in that order. All of this is, naturally, being overseen by the affectionate, if somewhat insufferably know-it-all, Marak.

This book suffered from a fairly uneven approach to the telling of the story. The narrative jumped from Seylin, to Emily, to Sable sometimes within the space of a few sentences and it was a bit jarring to try to figure out whose perspective I was getting from moment to moment. I was also not as enamored of Emily as I was of her sister Kate in the first book, which made it a bit difficult to really care whether or not she set herself straight and found her way to happiness. Sable, on the other hand, I liked quite a bit and it was both painful and comforting to watch her learn to trust others for probably the first time in her dismal life, and to accept that some helping hands are extended in precisely the spirit of kindness they claim to be. My favorite scenes were any scenes Marak was in and he continues to be my favorite thing about these books. It was good to see that he and Kate were well and happy and as suited to each other as I thought they were. I look forward to the final volume in the Hollow Kingdom trilogy.

Our favorite characters are back for a second story, but under considerably different circumstances, obviously. Emily and Seylin take the center stage this time, though we do catch a glimpse of Kate and Marak.
As to the plot...
Emily is too busy baby-sitting goblin children for her old friend Seylin, who's rather lonely anyway, on account of his elvish looks (which, though very handsome, are out of place in an underground kingdom where the citizens often have claws instead of hands). And when he finally proposes, Emily, being occupied by utterly mundane things like spills and caramels, completely misunderstands him. So Seylin naively decides that he'll never fit in with the goblins, and gets Marak's permission to search for the elves, who are thought to be long-dead. Seylin actually finds an elf camp,but things are not at all how he expected. The leader, Thorn, is nothing more than a bully, and is especially vicious to Sable, a woman who's strangely scarred.
Emily and Seylin were nice, but Sable and Tinsel really stole the show, as
mentioned above. I think of them as the main characters, though the book
is supposed to be about the former pair.

Close Kin measures up to The Hollow Kingdom in every way; the only fault I
can find with it is that it goes by too quickly!

While this works as a good sequel to "The Hollow Kingdom" I just don't feel this is quite the same level. Still, it is a brilliantly well-written fantasy that is worth reading. The adventures of various characters are continued while some loveable new ones are introduced. The story and history of the elves are given more careful attention--and it is pretty clear Dunkle has some issues with the entire elven race (which is not a bad thing in this elf-loving fantasy world of fiction). I love Dunkle's examination of that old myth of goblins carrying away girls--it may bug the ultra-feminists, but there is something darkly romantic about the whole thing, very Victorian.

Clare B. Dunkle returns to the world of "The Hollow Kingdom" with "Close Kin," a romantic adventure that stretches the boundaries of her invented world. Though this book is a bit too rushed, Dunkle's mix of humor and suspense carry the story smoothly as we find out a bit more about the mysterious elves.

Seylin the elf-goblin has been Emily's friend ever since she came to live with the goblins, and he has now fallen in love with her. When she absentmindedly rejects him, the brokenhearted Seylin decides to go find other elves. He manages to track down a camp of them -- but he finds that they have little in common.

The band leader is a brutal thug, the elves live in poverty, and the women are treated as scum... and all elf women die horribly in childbirth. Meanwhile, determined to find Seylin, Emily sets out accompanied by a crabby loremaster. Both she and Seylin discover the tragic joint past of the elves and goblins, and the terrible secret that is driving the elves toward extinction.

"Close Kin" takes a darker tone than its predecessor. Sure, "Hollow Kingdom" wasn't light and fluffy, but "Close Kin" explores the terrible aftermath of wars and misunderstandings. One scene even has an elf woman mutilating her face so no one will marry her. Yep, it gets that heavy, although Dunkle lightens up somewhat after the "kidnapping" of the elf brides.

It does rush past the romance a bit more quickly than you'd expect, and the elf women adjust to the feared goblins in way too little time. However, most of the plot moves at a fast clip, giving us plenty of looks at the grimy elf camp and the bloody history between the two races. There's certainly enough backstory to provide plenty of prequels, if Ms. Dunkle chose to write them.

Seylin gets plenty of dimension and angst to go along with his interesting elf-cat-goblin shapeshifting. Emily doesn't get much personal growth, sadly. But Dunkle also populates "Close Kin" with plenty of other interesting characters, such as a ditzy elf, a crabby priest, a little girl with her head full of fairy-tales, and a goblin street urchin (who is, incidentally, the most entertaining character in the whole book).

The final chapter of "Close Kin" seems to hint at the third book of the Hollow Kingdom Trilogy, and it sounds like the third venture into the kingdom of the goblins will be winner.

American buyers, DO NOT expect to find this book in any of our stores. second hand, or brand name. But do buy it! I've read hundreds of books, played many video games, watched a lot of movies and Dunkle sky rocketed to the top 10 in my list of storytellers.

Close Kin was very good. I originally thought it would be heavily following Seylin and Emily and I didn't know what to expect. But this time Dunkle gave us several characters to love and hate while still weaving an understanable story.

I've read many books with complicated storylines that dance all over the place, and Dunkle's trilogy found a place in my heart because they're so simple. She doesn't need a thousand plot twists and such to weave her tales. Great books to just relax with.