Lyonesse (1983)

Classic high fantasy.

After all of the werewolves, vampires, angels, and urban-fantasy, it's nice to settle down with a classic high fantasy novel.

Set in the mythical land of the Elder Isles, before the time of King Arthur, this novel has everything I needed to cleanse my fantasy palate. Good and evil knights, good and evil wizards, evil kings, tortured princesses, good heroes. Lots of magic and magical creatures and a hearty adventure weaving multiple lives together.

It is the first in the trilogy, but it wraps up the story lines it focuses on well enough.

My only caveat is this: It's an older book, and it *feels* and reads like a high fantasy some old white dude wrote. It does take place in a classic European setting with more than its fair share of raping and "erotic" activities, but nothing terribly graphic. Don't expect any progressive ideals or adventures, but sit back and enjoy the classic fun if you'd like. ( )

Classic high fantasy.

After all of the werewolves, vampires, angels, and urban-fantasy, it's nice to settle down with a classic high fantasy novel.

Set in the mythical land of the Elder Isles, before the time of King Arthur, this novel has everything I needed to cleanse my fantasy palate. Good and evil knights, good and evil wizards, evil kings, tortured princesses, good heroes. Lots of magic and magical creatures and a hearty adventure weaving multiple lives together.

It is the first in the trilogy, but it wraps up the story lines it focuses on well enough.

My only caveat is this: It's an older book, and it *feels* and reads like a high fantasy some old white dude wrote. It does take place in a classic European setting with more than its fair share of raping and "erotic" activities, but nothing terribly graphic. Don't expect any progressive ideals or adventures, but sit back and enjoy the classic fun if you'd like. ( )

http://speculiction.blogspot.com/2011/09/review-of-lyonesse-trilogy-by-jack.html ( )

Magical and enchanting. I loved the language, and the story is complex and intelligent. The characters are not deeply drawn, but compelling nevertheless. I read this first one of the series in less than a day, and can imagine rereading it many times. There is much humor, both subtle and explicit, as well as some rather dispassionate horror, and for me, the story never lagged. I am both eager to read the next book, and wary of finishing the series too soon. I found this fantasy to be unique and am amazed that it has not been more widely recommended by LTers. ( )

This is another book I read as a child, except in this case I didn't really remember much of it -- the only bit I remembered was the punishment of Madouc's mother, but that might have been because I was a teenaged boy at the time. Overall this is a very good book. It took me a while to read because of being distracted with other projects, but the ongoing oppression of Princess Suldrun didn't really help either -- it was interesting at first, but got depressing after a while. Its also disturbing how many times sexual assault is used as a plot element in this book...

http://www.stillhq.com/book/Jack_Vance/Lyonesse.html ( )