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01 Serpent [Mass Market Paperback]

Jane Gaskell (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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This is Book I, Part 1 of a fantasy-trilogy set in the Atlantean past; Book I, Part 2 is to appear as The Dragon. The scene is antediluvian South America, where the armies of the "Northern King" are seeking temporary alliance with the "Southern Empire" in order to invade the great, all but unapproachable continent of Atlan to the east. With the Northern troops travels the seventeen-year-old hostage Cija, heiress to a matriarchal satrapy on the western coast. Her mission is to seduce and assassinate the Northern General, Zerd (all bas-relief muscles and arrogant virility). Cija is one of those pain-in-the-neck girlish narrators who tempt one either to nausea or to self-indulgent identification - or, alas, to both. Jungle treks, lizard-skinned men, seven-foot-tall avian steeds, rapes, transvestism, misplaced modifiers, unwitting non sequiturs. . . . Flagrantly awful? You bet, and also flagrantly irresistible. True, the writing is perfectly dreadful; but this is the sort of book that leaves you determinedly holding your nose at every gush and whimper, and madly impatient to find out what happens in Part 2. (Kirkus Reviews) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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4.4 out of 5 stars
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4.4 out of 5 stars
Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars It Could Have Been Good Jan 29 2004
By Silas Traitor
Cija is the Goddess incarnate, just one of the reasons she was isolated in a tower and never permitted to see the outside world until the tender age of seventeen, when she is pushed into the real world and expected to perform an assassination to deflect a very bad prophecy.

The Serpent was mildly entertaining, in a comedic sort of way, but the feeling fell by the wayside ... probably at the same place the plot started to wander. By the time the end came, I was glad. But it wasn't an ending at all, just a stop. Yes, there are four more books in the series, but shouldn't each be a complete story in itself? The writing had my attention at the beginning, but deteriorated hand in hand with the plot. The low moment came when Gaskell offered up a series of absurd coincidences so her characters could all be conveniently and properly arranged for the next chapters, which dragged anyway. If there's one thing I find unforgivable in a novel, it's a stack of lame coincidences. Despite those major annoyances, the story itself (which we are only given quick tastes of) was intriguing, and I would have liked to see more of it. Kudos, also for a female heroin who doesn't act like a man.

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5.0 out of 5 stars a brilliant piece of writing Nov 8 2001
By chris lo
i have read many fantasy and science fiction books, and this one is frankly one of the best i've ever come across. it is the first of a series following the travels of a naive girl-child goddess set in a harsh land. cija, our resilient protagonist, is a purely original character who defies ready classification. she is not alone, as we come across other memorable figures who are not easily understood. the story itself is many things. it is sometimes comic and tragic, but also a rousing adventure. there is lust, love, suffering, and cruelty. give it a chance.
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5.0 out of 5 stars a brilliant piece of writing Nov 8 2001
By chris lo
i have read many fantasy and science fiction books, and this one is frankly one of the best i've ever come across. it is the first of a series following the travels of a naive girl-child goddess set in a harsh land. cija, our resilient protagonist, is a purely original character who defies ready classification. she is not alone, as we come across other memorable figures who are not easily understood. the story itself is many things. it is sometimes comic and tragic, but also a rousing adventure. there is lust, love, suffering, and cruelty. give it a chance.
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