C. Dale Brittain

I really think these books are the rice pudding of fantasy series, if we imagine all series to have their culinary counterparts. Some are teppanyaki restaurants, full of flash and sizzle, some are vegetarian heart-healthy brunch places, earnest and good for you, and then there's Yurt, and it's just so very comforting.

This was not my favourite of the series, mostly because I'm not enthusiastic about the introduction of a plausible (i.e. not the Queen) love interest in a series that has show more survived nicely without one.

That said, these books are little treats for me, and I shall keep devouring them, especially when I'm in the mood for some comfort (I began the series when my dog died unexpectedly, and it's remarkable how helpful these kind-hearted gentle stories were in getting me through the first weeks!) show less

I first encountered this title when searching for fantasy novels based on Norse mythology. I rather quickly dismissed it, however, because almost no one has read it and those that have don't seem to like it.

But I decided to participate in a reading challenge in which one of the categories is: "Read a book associated with your name." *groan* Though not obscure, Dale is certainly not a common name. In fact, of the 1500 books I have cataloged, not one had an author named Dale. (And I had no show more idea how to search for books that contained a character named Dale.)

And then I remembered "Voima" and the author's name...Dale. To top it off, she is (like me) a FEMALE Dale (which I encounter very very rarely). So I decided to give this unknown book a chance.

According to the author's website, the setting for Voima is based on medieval Scandinavia and combines elements of Norse sagas and the Finnish Kalevala. The plot involves three characters - the warrior Roric No-man's Son, the king's son Valmar, and the princess Karin who is being held hostage by Valmar's father. The three are recruited by the Wanderers, the immortal rulers of the land, to aid them in battle against those who are attempting to usurp their authority.

In many ways, "Voima" is formula fantasy - the recruitment, the quest, the conflict, the victory. But I was impressed with the complexities of the world of "Voima" and the people that inhabit it, and the way in which the author vividly made this foreign place come alive for me. And even though the characters are in many ways drawn from the fantasy stock list, they are also complex enough to be believable and intriguing. They are faced with many situations in which there is no clear definition of which is the right or wrong choice, and this moral ambiguity added a great deal of depth to the plot.

"Voima" is a fast-paced well-written novel that not only entertained me but also prompted philosophical musings. Though I wouldn't go so far as to place it on a list of Best Fantasy Novels Ever Written, it is certainly worthy of more attention than it has received. show less

These are very strange books (not in the way one might think--there are some pretty weird books out there!) Even my least favourite of them is worth reading, but they're all slightly off-kilter compared to the normal run of fantasy novels, so you should know what you're getting into.

First, these are gentle books. I read the first in the series the night my beloved dog died unexpectedly, and I scoured the internet for news of a fantasy series that wouldn't upset me. Daimbert & Company is show more essentially the rice pudding of fantasy books. It's not whimsical and twee, it's not violent and disturbing, it's a big warm hug of nice people trying their best, generally up against some kind of antagonist that wound up in that position either (a) by accident, or (b) because they meant well. So there's suspense and tension, but (until this book) about the same amount of suspense and tension as in an episode of Friends.

Second, there's a lot of Christian religion, but it's not really urban fantasy. Every single place mentioned is not in our Earth. It's your typical fantasy realm with kingdoms and castles and a fabulous quasi-Arabian bit down south, but for some reason they're all Christian there. (Oh, and I'm a total atheist/scientist, and this inclusion didn't bother me at all, it's not proselytizing any more than Lord of the Rings tried to talk us into worship the Valar, it's just background-setting and milieu). The protagonist's best friend is a Catholic priest. So that's interesting, but it's also sort of off-putting, because I don't think it's fully thought out, it doesn't make sense. It's essentially an Other Realm that's Christian.

Third, and this goes with the afore-mentioned gentleness, everyone's very nice, and they hem and haw a bit, and Daimbert's somewhat annoying (you want to yell "just get over it already" quite a few times), and (at least in the earlier books) I felt he ought to cut Elerius a bit of slack (Daimbert just really seems to hate the guy and never gives him the benefit of the doubt). And then in this last book, it's almost like Daimbert causes the bad stuff to happen by pushing his antagonist to the brink (over 30 years, really!) but doesn't recognize it (nor does the author, I think). It's like Homer Simpson driving Frank Grimes to his death, he's just oblivious.

And yet, what a marvelous read. This one's longer than the others (I think, it's hard to tell on Kindle sometimes), and epic in scope, and full of twists and turns, and enjoyable resolutions, and it all kind of works, even while you're wincing about how Christianity doesn't make sense, or how Elerius can just go flat-out Eeeeeeevil all of a sudden. If you've read the first 5, obviously, read this one too. If you're new, read 1, if you like it, keep going!

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve show less

There's something so delicate and gentle about these books. I read the first in the series after my beloved dog had died, so was hoping for calmness, kindness, and optimism, and Brittain did not disappoint. I eagerly downloaded the second book in the series to my Kindle, and found it to be very much the same.

Not quite thrilling or emotionally-involving enough to excite me to a rare 5-star bestowing, but a very enjoyable book nonetheless. I am particular drawn to how the magic co-exists show more within a demonstrably Christian environment (I'm an atheist myself, but I appreciate the unusual decision for a fantasy series' setting)--the contrast between the workings of magic on one hand and religious faith on the other is particularly of note in this novel, which, as the title avows, contains an actual Saint.

Cosy without being twee, this is a perfect book for calming-down to at the end of the day. show less