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ssung's review against another edition
4.0
an elaborate tale about a fairy during the events of the crusades. a very pithy way of describing it, but it's really well done and the ending moving. i think it was shortchanged at being marketed as some kind of tolkienesque fantasy at the time, which it is very much not.
mujica lainez is practically unknown to most since so few of his writings were ever translated (the other being a 1960s or 70s translation of bomarzo) but he was an amazing writer and if you're big on the latin american magical realism genre, this is for you.
mujica lainez is practically unknown to most since so few of his writings were ever translated (the other being a 1960s or 70s translation of bomarzo) but he was an amazing writer and if you're big on the latin american magical realism genre, this is for you.
lotusbutterfly's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
eklsolo's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
2.0
There is so, so, so much telling in this book. And all the women are sex starved. Writing is good, but yeah the story doesn't grab. And I love the story of Melunsine.
kesterbird's review against another edition
4.0
Want some autherian-adjacent legends, but without the white-washing and straight-washing? Well, have I got a treat for you!
I had to double check some names (HOW many Almarics are there in history? a LOT) but this does pretty much fit in with the historical/mythical crusades. While our main character has met Merlin, Morgan, etc, this story takes place a good 600 years later; i.e. about the time that the authurian legends were getting written down. You'll recognize everything from the knights to the style of shoes if you've read De Troyes. But we follow a different fairy, and we also acknowledge that the crusades meant that a lot of knights were not white, and also that there have always been gay people. And, refreshingly, neither of these things are winks and nods; our main love interest is Arab, and we encounter at least three gay men with speaking roles whose sexuality is not even their main feature. Only one of them dies tragically. That's not to say there's no bigotry in this book; there is, but it feels authentic to the time and the story, instead of just sweeping whole swathes of humanity under the carpet and pretending they don't exist.
Really, this isn't the kind of story I love. It's overwrought, and tragic, and very, very dramatic. But. It feels, aesthetically and thematically, perfectly in line with the authurian legends and I would wholeheartedly recommend it over literally any retelling of those that I have read.
I had to double check some names (HOW many Almarics are there in history? a LOT) but this does pretty much fit in with the historical/mythical crusades. While our main character has met Merlin, Morgan, etc, this story takes place a good 600 years later; i.e. about the time that the authurian legends were getting written down. You'll recognize everything from the knights to the style of shoes if you've read De Troyes. But we follow a different fairy, and we also acknowledge that the crusades meant that a lot of knights were not white, and also that there have always been gay people. And, refreshingly, neither of these things are winks and nods; our main love interest is Arab, and we encounter at least three gay men with speaking roles whose sexuality is not even their main feature. Only one of them dies tragically. That's not to say there's no bigotry in this book; there is, but it feels authentic to the time and the story, instead of just sweeping whole swathes of humanity under the carpet and pretending they don't exist.
Really, this isn't the kind of story I love. It's overwrought, and tragic, and very, very dramatic. But. It feels, aesthetically and thematically, perfectly in line with the authurian legends and I would wholeheartedly recommend it over literally any retelling of those that I have read.
brynhammond's review against another edition
4.0
I did love this tale, and in particular for the unconventional ending. About which I'll promptly shut up.
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