Fortress in the Eye of Time

I am a huge fan of CJ Cherryh's scifi works, but have not delved much into her fantasy offerings. I tackled a chunkster fantasy novel of hers this weekend, Fortress in the Eye of Time, and it's a keeper.

As most of her writings, Fortress in the Eye of Time starts very slowly, almost slow enough for me to throw in the towel. But I was determined to give this story my best try, and I'm glad I did.

As with most of her works, this author does not feed you all the background and minor bits of information, but puts you immediately into an ongoing story, like being dropped into a swiftly flowing river, and you have to work in order to keep afloat, but it's so worth it.

The characters are three-dimensional, the plot is believable, and the show more intrigue and politics are not overstated, but perfectly balanced with the rest of the book. I got so involved with the story that I did not put it down at night until I could not keep my eyes open.

This is a thinking-person's fantasy novel, and highly recommended. show less

I am a huge fan of CJ Cherryh's scifi works, but have not delved much into her fantasy offerings. I tackled a chunkster fantasy novel of hers this weekend, Fortress in the Eye of Time, and it's a keeper.

As most of her writings, Fortress in the Eye of Time starts very slowly, almost slow enough for me to throw in the towel. But I was determined to give this story my best try, and I'm glad I did.

As with most of her works, this author does not feed you all the background and minor bits of information, but puts you immediately into an ongoing story, like being dropped into a swiftly flowing river, and you have to work in order to keep afloat, but it's so worth it.

The characters are three-dimensional, the plot is believable, and the show more intrigue and politics are not overstated, but perfectly balanced with the rest of the book. I got so involved with the story that I did not put it down at night until I could not keep my eyes open.

This is a thinking-person's fantasy novel, and highly recommended. show less

Can a writer plagiarize herself?

I started playing a little game with myself as I got into this book - 'Which Character Is This?'

Almost every character in this book I've met before, with a different name, in different surroundings, but nonetheless, the same person at heart.

Along with the similar characters come similar relationships.

The book starts with the familiar Cherryh premise - legendary parent/teacher and child/student of wildly different origin.

The familiar innocent but gifted lord and experienced but subservient bodyguard as friends comes along in due time, as does smart benevolent ruler and bemused unworthy noble.

Oh sure, the backdrop is different. Most of the duplication I'm thinking of is with her sci-fi works, not this show more straight up fantasy. And, not all the characters are repeats. It's more of a 'mashup'.

I can't even say which stole from which, since this novel came out in the nineties, and at least some of the characters I'm thinking of probably post-date this work.

What keeps this story from being strictly a boring repeat, is that she's repeating some of her strongest characters, and the best situations that result.

If you're new to Cherryh, or prefer sci-fi to fantasy, this isn't where I'd start, but it's certainly worth checking out along the way.

If you love her work, you have to read this one, and you'll enjoy it. show less

This book is a marvelous fantasy. The world is a dangerous and confusing place for a full grown man child possessed of such innocence that he captures the heart and friendship of a jaded prince. This tale is full of magical language, compelling relationships, humor, suspense, adventure, and some very unique world building somewhat hidden behind the familiar feudalistic trappings of high fantasy.

I am really quite amazed at the people who don't 'get' this book. It is one of my all time favorites, and while the plot and the story get even better as the series progresses, the first half of this book never fails to delight me when I need a lift to my spirits. Tristen and Cefwyn's friendship is marvelous, and when Ninevrise shows up, that show more courtship is great fun, too.

There are a lot of interesting magic versus wizardry versus sorcery ideas here; some comparative religion; dark political machinations and treachery; all contrasted with the wonder of pigeons in flight. This series is magical with endless depth and soaring spirit. Try it. show less

Cherryh's style of writing in this book was, at first, off-putting to me. I found the sentences awkward and deciphering them interrupted the flow of the story. But as the story developed, with more characters interacting and more complexity to the plot, the style seemed more appropriate. And, of course, I became more accustomed to it.

This was my second reading of this book, having first read it in the late 1990's. I confess to recalling only bits and pieces of it and so was able to enjoy the unfolding of the story as it I'd never read it before. Nothing is revealed easily. The characters with the knowledge--Mauryl, Emuin, and Hasufin--are remarkably uninformative and the reader must gain knowledge and understanding as Tristen does show more regarding his origins, purpose, and power and as Cefwyn does regarding his kingdom, its conflicts and its subjects. The past echoes through the plot and collides with the present. Wizardry, magic, and sorcery are powerful but ill-defined throughout most of the book.

Much to contemplate before I continue to read the rest of the Fortress series. show less

First of the series. Tristen is conjoured into being by an old old magician, desperate against an ancient foe. His nerve fails him an Tristen is less than he hoped or needed, enthralled by the pattern of raindrops or beat of a butterfly. Tristen escapes and finds his way to the kings court with the mage's magic still unfolding.....

After re-read

One of Cherryh's pure fantasy works, and again a masterful telling of what it takes to be human, in a well crafted an easily understandable fantasy world. Full of the traditional themes of fantasy but managing to avoid all the cliches and make a genuinely new and original telling.

Tristain the Shaping, student at best from the ancient wizard Mauryl arrives at Hensamef, innocent and unknowing of the show more perils of being human. The prince and heir to the throne Cefwyn is doing his best to contain the local politics and rivalries rife in this old province, never the most stable of the new realm. Incursions and threats - and offers - from the neighbouring Elwynem make life tricky. Then the ever suspicious king hears word of Cefwyn's dealings and descends in secret, and insufficient force.

A gripping tale, the innocence of tristain is wonderfully portrayed, as is difference between innate magic and that hard studied. A very enjoyable read, dense and thrilling, avoiding the hack and slash details but with a close attention to people and politics, which is always Cherry's strongest point.
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Some 15 years later as a re-read the plot and characters has remained vivid, and were remembered which is testament to how good this is, and that that didn't detract in any way from the story. It's all about the people. show less

A wizard resurrects a powerful being from the past in order to fight another ancient, evil wizard who is once again trying to take over the world. The resurrection is somewhat flawed, and his creation, Tristan, must slowly gather knowledge of the world and learn about his powers. Tristan gradually starts to find a place in the world through his friendship with a prince of the country he was reborn in. People being thrust into a new situation and learning to deal with it is a common Cherryh plot, and that is the focus of this book. It has some exciting scenes, but overall it can be quite slow. It also suffers from the fantasy flaw of using umlauts and apostrophes to create unpronounceable names for characters and places. Overall a decent show more read, but not spectacular. show less