THE CUP OF THE WORLD
John Dickinson, . . Random/Fickling, $15.95 (432pp) ISBN 978-0-385-75025-7
Dickinson's debut fantasy has lofty ambitions but quickly gets mired in its own complexity. Phaedra, 16, is the only child of the widowed Warden of Trant, one of 10 territories in an unnamed Kingdom. As such, she is sought after for the lands that will come into the hands of her husband upon her father's death; as countless suitors vie for her hand, Phaedra rebuffs them. She holds out for the mysterious knight who appears in her dreams each night, and agrees (through her dreams) to meet with him in person. He turns out to be Ulfin, the March-count of Tarceny, "of whose house no man could say a good thing." She escapes with him by sea, and discovers that the "dreams" are due not to witchcraft, according to Ulfin, but rather what he "prefer[s] to call
Reviewed on: 11/15/2004
Genre: Children's