Customer Reviews

Stealing the Elf-King's Roses

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book reads like a sequel -- as if you had accidentally started reading with the second book of a trilogy, perhaps. The setting is a very complex sheaf of alternate universes. The universe in which we exist enters the story only as a brief way-stop near the end of the story. The other universes seem to be structured so that they are the realities whose psychic echoes inspire our mythologies. There's a Midgarth, which might be the source of the Norse myths, for example; and there's Alfen, home of some arrogant, immortal, and impossibly beautiful people. On the other hand, there's a Xiahon, which if it's meant to match a mythos, went right over my head. Indeed I suspect there are a lot of Duane-readers who don't have the background to recognize even as broad a clue as "Midgarth".

All of what must be a very rich back-story is introduced in true SF style: never by direct exposition, only by passing references in the narrative. In reading SF, the pleasant riddle of figuring out what kind of world you're in, on your own without lectures from the author, is part of the fun. But here, I really wanted some exposition. Or, preferably, that hypothetical first volume of the series, a prequel with a simpler plot and a more leisurely exploration of the worlds of the "Five-Geneva Pact.".

Duane had done it again! This book was EXTREMELY good, though that is not surprising. I really enjoyed it.
Like all hr other books I've read so faar.

This book has some riveting concepts: justice as a being who shows up in court, prosecutors who do thier own investigations, and an affectionate and protective but non-romantic relationship between work partners. It kept my attention until near the end when it became a major letdown. It seemed like it was finished way to fast, without a real good explanation of why it was ending that way. In fact, when I finished the last page, my main response was "Huh?" It seemed like Duane just wanted to finish it to meet a deadline, instead of taking the time to carry the extreme characterization and detail to the end for a longer but much more coherent novel. I was rather disappointed.

I have really enjoyed the author's young wizards series. I wanted to like this book as well. The protagonists are interesting and their relationship is a strong point. Unfortunately, the plot drags and I had to force myself to continue at times. As much as I liked the concept of embodied Justice, I disliked the ending which seemingly tried to cover all ideas possible and therefore made limited sense. I would read a follow up novel with these characters, but if you are new to this author's work I suggest starting with "So You Want to be a Wizard."

Interesting take on the alternate worlds theory. The protagonist is a lanthanomancer (Look That up! Hah!) in a world that acts a lot like Los Angeles, but with magic, sort of. Turns out there are a finite number of similar worlds, and something's amiss. Clever premise, clever execution, not very inventive closure. The end was a bit new-agy for my taste but it all hangs together. Worth the money.

A long time Diane Duane fan, I wasn't as satisfied with this book as her other work, but it was full of very interesting concepts, and I loved the two main characters. The end plotting is a little weak, but the world building is a very enjoyable.

The cover art does NOT fit the story, but didn't really bother me as artwork. It is annoying that it isn't indicative of the story though.

This book looks like it might make a good intro to futher adventures of the main characters, who make a good investigative team. An odd mix of cience fiction and supernatural mystery, but it has a lot of potential. This book doesn't make full use of the potential, but I'm curious to see more of this universe.

I wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. Diane Duane is one of my favorite authors, but this story just didn't measure up to her others. I think the problem is she's trying to mix fantasy and sci-fi, and that's hard to pull off. I did enjoy some of her original ideas, but the overall story wasn't engaging.

My guess is that this world is something she's been thinking about for a while. It has the feel of the first book of a series, as there are so many characters and ideas introduced but not sufficiently explored. I'm curious who the other powers besides Justice are, and if there are specialists in those fields.

Minor spoiler: The one thing that really got to me was that, for a system so concerned with justice, the justice system in this world seemed too prone to abuse. Why would you combine the functions of investigator and prosecutor into one role? Besides requiring far too much training for one individual, it seems like it unfairly biases the system towards the prosecution. Does the defense attorney also get to send in investigators, or is she dependent on her opposition providing exculpatory evidence?

If you're a fan of Diane Duane, you might enjoy this book just to read more of her, but you may also be disappointed. But if you want to check out Diana Duane, start with one of her other stories (like "Door into Fire" or "Book of Night with Moon", or even "The Wounded Sky").

Must agree with previous reviewers. The cover art is appalling. I would never have picked it up if I hadn't recognized the author.

Duane's notion of Justice as a real, touchable force was intriguing (and don't we all wish that's the way it worked in our world.) There's also a marvelous eye-opening visit to an alternate world which shakes the complacent reader. The main characters are so real they step right off the page. Gelert in particular was a pleasure.

The legend /metaphor of the roses, however, was confusing and took way too long to develop. There are pages of painfully convoluted explanation, but I still came away unsure of what actually happened. Also, the character of the Elf-King himself could have been better drawn; Duane's characters are usually better imagined. His actions and motives are merely explained, and not slowly discovered in any way which really involves the reader until the final battle, so Lee's emotional commitment to his interests was a little baffling.

And Duane loses one star for using the increasingly common practice of assuming any name used for a fantasy or science fiction character MUST have six apostrophes in it. Ple'ase! It's not nec'essary!

At least until you've opened the cover. I am a 25 year old professional who found Duane only about 5 years ago. As an adult I have loved and cherished her. Each book has been it's own delightful bit of candy for me to unwrap and savor. Therefore I bought this book - despite the horrid, eye-searing cover art - based on her reputation alone. Once again, she delivers her ideas well. Really hoping there's going to be a continuance...I want to know how the big unravelling affects us in the "real world." It did take a little while for me to run through this one, but that had more to do with the embarrassed hiding-of-the-cover-on-my-knee-while-reading-in-public thing than the content.

Take a fantasy world and bump it into the present time...

Well, I usualy like Diane Duane's stuff, but this one just seemed a bit too typical of the fantasy genre. It's a good fantasy book, but nothing really elevates it form the common crowd. The way her young wizard series is written is much better.