Most helpful customer reviews
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Nice but tough comprehension, Aug 5 2000
I first read this book when I was a teenager back in the early-mid nineties. I just recently read it again, and I found things that I didn't understand the first time. Things like plot details and names. The fight scenes are really cool, in fact this book and books by author Elizabeth Moon has inspired me to write my own fantasy novels (not published, but in the process) I love reading fantasy stories where the female is a strong character who can hold her own. It gives girls a chance to fantasize about being a warrior for once and not just the boys. However, the plot took me a while to digest, even the second time around. I found myself having to back track to find out what was going on. And even now there are still instances where I don't know the exact details of what is going on. For example, not to give away too much of the plot, the female general's plans for war. I don't know the exact details and it wasn't explained clearly in the book, so I just accepted the fact that she's declaring war, but not entirely for the reasons she claims. It's little things like these that tend to get in the way of the entire plot. So it's easier to just accept the gist of what's going on and try to figure out everything else. I'd give more examples, but that would give away too much of the plot. Also when I first read this, I was a teenager in high school, and the idea of a love affair between two women was new to me. I fact the whole IDEA of sex was new to me. Now, about eight years later, I kinda understand it a little more, and find it interesting that the authors would take the relationship of the two main characters to this level. It's not easy to imagine that sort of relationship, but that doesn't mean it can't happen. I'm not shocked, just impressed that they did that. On the whole, not a bad book, but be prepared to read it a few times if you want to get all the nitty gritty details to really understand stuff. But if you don't, there's enough basic info to give you the general idea
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Nice but tough comprehension, Aug 5 2000
I first read this book when I was a teenager back in the early-mid nineties. I just recently read it again, and I found things that I didn't understand the first time. Things like plot details and names. The fight scenes are really cool, in fact this book and books by author Elizabeth Moon has inspired me to write my own fantasy novels (not published, but in the process) I love reading fantasy stories where the female is a strong character who can hold her own. It gives girls a chance to fantasize about being a warrior for once and not just the boys. However, the plot took me a while to digest, even the second time around. I found myself having to back track to find out what was going on. And even now there are still instances where I don't know the exact details of what is going on. For example, not to give away too much of the plot, the female general's plans for war. I don't know the exact details and it wasn't explained clearly in the book, so I just accepted the fact that she's declaring war, but not entirely for the reasons she claims. It's little things like these that tend to get in the way of the entire plot. So it's easier to just accept the gist of what's going on and try to figure out everything else. I'd give more examples, but that would give away too much of the plot. Also when I first read this, I was a teenager in high school, and the idea of a love affair between two women was new to me. I fact the whole IDEA of sex was new to me. Now, about eight years later, I kinda understand it a little more, and find it interesting that the authors would take the relationship of the two main characters to this level. It's not easy to imagine that sort of relationship, but that doesn't mean it can't happen. I'm not shocked, just impressed that they did that. On the whole, not a bad book, but be prepared to read it a few times if you want to get all the nitty gritty details to really understand stuff. But if you don't, there's enough basic info to give you the general idea
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1.0 out of 5 stars
Hack and Slash Desecration, Mar 26 2000
I had high hopes for this novel, since it continues the story of the "ethical thief" created by Shirley Meier in Shadow's Daughter. Shadow's Daughter portrayed the development and maturation of Megan Whitlock, a girl making the best of her life when trapped by poverty and subject to the whims of uncaring royalty. However, Saber & Shadow takes a complex character and turns her into a typical moral-free warrior, gleefully maiming or murdering every innocent that crosses her path. This book creates an adventure story interchangeable with that of hundreds of others, composed primarily of bloody chases, "political maneuvering" notable only for its unreadability, and enemies who could have stepped right out of the pages of an "Encyclopedia of Fantasy bad guys." I would classify this book as yet another example of why talented writers should not turn their creations over to authors unable to measure up.
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