- Hardcover: 460 pages
- Publisher: Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing; 1 edition (Jun 20 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1894063007
- ISBN-13: 978-1894063005
- Product Dimensions: 23.7 x 16.1 x 4 cm
- Shipping Weight: 821 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,787,378 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In this irritating, brilliant novel, a young knight, Karelian of Lys, returns from the Crusades to his home in 12th-century Germany, having witnessed enough to undermine his faith in God and himself. Besides being torn by political intrigues, the country is deeply divided between Christian and pagan, civilized and barbaric. Though he craves peace, Karelian soon becomes the lover of a half-human witch queen and the enemy of a nobleman who claims to be a direct descendant of Christ and thus the destined king of Earth. Karelian must use all his combat skills, intelligence and empathy to fight his way through the tangle of duty and passion in which he's caught. The author stresses repeatedly that most men prefer violence to sex, domination to love and pride to self-understanding. According to her, such men call themselves good Christians to help rationalize their systematic debasement of women. This reiteration becomes tiresome after a while as being preached at usually does. Fortunately, Jakober is more storyteller than ideologue. Her writing is crisp and clear, and the setting is strange enough to be intriguing. Elves peer warily at knights on horseback, while dark sorcery is as likely in a medieval cathedral as in a primeval forest. But the book's strongest point is its unusually sympathetic characterization. We understand and sympathize even with the villains as they make terrible, self-destructive choices. We also watch as other characters grow into larger, more whole human beings. A book like this deserves to be cherished, whatever readers' personal faith or lack of it.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.Review
A book like this deserves to be cherished... -- Publishers Weekly, January 21, 2002
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Captivating,
By
This review is from: The Black Chalice (Hardcover)
This book ended much, much differently than I thought it would when I started it. It is utterly captivating, in the true sense of the word. Jakober draws you in to her characters; they become real. The stories themselves are complex - the way only stories with a ring of truth can be. The plots are intricate, subtle, and maddeningly intoxicating. Once you get started, you don't want to stop. Jakober is a gifted storyteller, and Edge Science Fiction Fantasy Publishing has produced a stunning book. I saw this book from across the room and knew I had to have it. If you get the chance, get the hardcover copy. This is one of the best-written stories I have read in many, many years.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Belief, betrayal, love, but not enough of characters I liked,
By Barbara "bnkf" (Union City, NJ) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Black Chalice A Novel (Paperback)
It is 1105 in Medieval Germany. Karelian of Lys has just returned from the Crusades with his squire Paul and a retinue of his men. It was a long, horrifying war, but Karelian has earned some land and money and wishes to settle down and raise a family. But, on the way to his wedding, a witch queen magically summons Karelian to her fabled castle in the mountains for the purpose of forging an alliance. She has powers that tell her Karelian's liege lord, the Duke believes he has the right to rule all of Germany and Christendom. He will not only bring war to the country, he will want to eliminate worship of the pagan deities she is devoted to. The Duke's attempt to take the crown of Germany will test loyalties in this novel of belief, magic, betrayal and love. Sorcery is inconsistent with Paul's Christian beliefs and although Karelian wants to live the rest of his life in peace, his love for the witch queen and his own beliefs draw him into the political struggle.30 years later, Paul is a monk and he has been commanded to put the story to paper. However, the witch queen's enchantment forces his quill to spin the story truthfully, exposing all motivations and events regardless of whether Paul would have described them in a different light. Although Paul is writing the story, there are times where the perspective shifts and segments are narrated by the witch queen or Karelian, and these were welcome breaks from Paul's inner-conflicts. I would have appreciated a more linear chronicle to the flashback storytelling, but the device provides ample opportunity for Paul's self-reflection and ruminations about faith. Unfortunately, there is nothing redeeming about Christianity in this book and the pagan gods provide a contrast. Then there is the magic, which I determined to be a genetic trait, as religion seemed irrelevant to its practice. Although there is little magic at first, it builds in its usage until the magic is openly exercised as the conflict escalates. There are a lot of great things about this book. This story truly sets a sense of time and place and the characterization was excellent. Although I know the whole book didn't take place in winter, much of the story does, and the overall feeling is cold and bleak due in part to the descriptions of the landscape and also the battles, killing, rape and other violence in the book. The writing was very well done. The part of the book where we meet Karelian's betrothed and learn about her narrow life and the consequences of her actions for a small piece of happiness were so well done, I would have appreciated more about her and her son. I didn't find the story as satisfying as I thought it could be and that is mostly because I wanted less of the irritating Paul and more of Karelian, his wife, his lover and the other characters I liked.
4.0 out of 5 stars
good book,
By A Customer
This review is from: Black Chalice A Novel (Paperback)
this is a very good historical fiction/fantasy novel. The point of veiw is that of a monk being forced to write a truth that does not mesh with his perceptions of the universe. His attempts to delude himself make this book a facinating read. However, this is not for the immature reader. It deals with sex, war, rape and homosexuality. If you find this funny/ embarrasing/ nasty and wrong, you are missing the point of this book altogether. A wonderful book...for those who don't still beleive in the stork.
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