3.0 out of 5 stars
interesting story, amateur writing, May 11 2004
This review is from: Novels Of Tiger And Del #1 Sword Dancer (Mass Market Paperback)
The story is interesting, as are some of the ideas. The thought of semi-living swords is interesting, though you get a bit tired of hearing about it later in the series. Unfortunately, the writing leaves much to be desired. The characters are clichéd and tend to repeat themselves over and over again. I got sick of hearing about Del's oath, and even sicker of the word Hoolies. It is an easy read though, and is a good way to pass an afternoon if you don't have much else to do. I would pick it up at a library, rather than buy it.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
And it keeps getting better!!!, Dec 27 2003
This review is from: Novels Of Tiger And Del #1 Sword Dancer (Mass Market Paperback)
At first I was wary of a book where a strong female (who can do "man's work") and a chauvanistic man were the main characters. But soon after starting Sword-Dancer, all thoughts of cliche and eye rolling were left behind.
Sandtiger (Tiger) and Delilah (Del) are two of the most richly painted and realistic fantasy characters in any novel out there. Not only that, the world around them, right down to the words used in the native language, is vibrantly detailed and so real as almost to be touched!
You want to join Del and Tiger on every quest they embark on, and you want to know more about the enigmatic Del, woman sword-dancer from the North...as well as Tiger, the slave who won his freedom in the South.
The best part is watching the two amazingly rich characters reach a compromise of sorts...Del's icy exterior begins to melt, and Tiger's stubborn machismo breaks down as he realizes Del's skill. The bond beginning to forge between Del and Tiger in the first novel in the series is one that strengthens, beats the test of time, romance, danger, competition, and aquivi (read it, you'll understand!).
This is an amazing beginning to a truly breathtaking series...it is DEFINITELY worth reading from the first page of Sword-Dancer to the last page of Sword-Sworn. And maybe you, like me, will even get a little misty-eyed when you have to part ways with a world as amazing as this.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Good but not quite, July 31 2003
This review is from: Novels Of Tiger And Del #1 Sword Dancer (Mass Market Paperback)
This is a great book for me at this point in time because I'm in that short phase between longer, harder books and I needed a short mental respite. I finished this book in two days and like most of Jennifer Roberson's books I have read I found it to be a relaxing sort of read. The characters have distinct personalities and the adventure is interesting and well plotted, but it didn't really satisfy me in the way that some books have, but I liked it for itself and it has a dinstinctly Robersonian ending reminiscent of the first book I read by her.
At first the main character's first person narrative threw me off and a sudden one chapter switch didn't really help all that much but as it progressed I realized it was really an integral part of the book to have one viewpoint with which to see their world, though at times it felt insubstantial and remote. Despite this I will be reading the rest of the series, just not with the same urgency that I have read others.
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