|
|
4.0 out of 5 stars
The best of the series, May 28 2004
Cecilia Dart Thornton obviously loves the English language. Her prose tends to wax more poetic when she gets her juices flowing. The Bitterbynde trilogy, loosely based on the Celtic faery tale of Midir and Etain, also demonstrates her love for the faery lore of the British Isles, notably Scotland and Ireland.In this first installment, we are introduced to a nameless, amnesiac mute, horribly defaced, and the world in which "he" lives. It's a primal world of incredible beauty and danger, where humankind is safe only within their walled cities and towns, with the rest of the world belonging to capricious nature spirits. These faeries fall into one of two categories: Seelie, or benign to humankind, and Unseelie, or malign. Interestingly, there seems to be a lot of shifting and overlap, and the brownie that is your friend one day can easily be your persecutor the next. These nature and household spirits pale in comparison to the great Faerun, based on the Sidhe of Ireland, who vacated the world a millennium earlier for unknown reasons. Dart Thornton does have a gift for weaving imagery, and, while most times enjoyable, other reviewers are correct that she occasionally falls foul of attempting to overwhelm the reader with detail. However, her command of the English language is superb, and the imagery evocative. Presumably, she is a new author, and will improve her technique with time. What's not to like? Dart Thornton has obviously read her faery tales, and I suspect was an avid RPG player at one time in her life. Her character has a tendency to have everything thrown at "his" feet, warded against every dangerous situation, and it is therefore hard to really get too concerned about any crisis "he" faces, since "his" benefactors will inevitably rescue "him". Also, faery tales are comedic, with the protagonist only getting his just reward (or punishment) at the end of the journey from hardship. Dart Thornton's protagonist is constantly showered with unique windfalls of the monetary and esoteric variety throughout. It's hard to sympathize with any protagonist who finds such good fortune, particularly in the very first of a three part series.
|
