In this wonderfully imaginative historical fantasy from Kay (A Song for Arbonne
), seemingly random deeds connect Erling (Viking) raiders and Anglcyn (English) and Cyngael (Welsh) princes: If only Bern Thorkellson hadn't stolen that horse in a desperate act of vengeance against his sorry fate; if only Dai ab Owyn hadn't stepped outside the safety of Brynfell right at the moment when the Erlings attacked; if only Ivarr Ragnarson hadn't been born ill-formed and downright cruel; if only Aeldred hadn't been king of the Anglcyn; if only Thorkell Einarson had murdered only one man and not the second; if only Alun ab Owyn hadn't stepped into that pool on a moonless night and seen the Queen of the Elves in procession. At first glance, each individual's act appears to be a normal human response. It's only later, as the characters' paths cross, that the pieces come together to weave a dazzling tapestry of conjoined fates. Solid research, filtered through vibrant prose, serves to convey a sense of how people really lived and died in Viking and Anglo-Saxon times and how they might have interacted with the realm of magic on a daily basis. Readers of lighter fantasy should be forewarned—the novel contains a lot of gruesome killing and the fairy world plays a relatively minor role, as do women. (Mar. 2)
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Reviewed on: 02/09/2004
Genre: Fiction
Mass Market Paperbound - 592 pages - 978-0-14-305148-0
Open Ebook - 512 pages - 978-1-101-21258-5
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Paperback - 512 pages - 978-0-451-45985-5
Paperback - 560 pages - 978-0-14-317451-6
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Paperback - 539 pages - 978-0-00-734207-5