This was a good summer read. A young girl in the 8th century yearns to read and learn everything she can. The problem is very few people, especially girls, are educated during these dark ages. A series of circumstances allows Johanna to become recognized as a scholar and healer – but only because she is posing as a man. While the events leading to her becoming Pope are hardly plausible, I did find the premise interesting. The romantic story line allows the book to end like the legends of Pope Joan did, but I won’t spoil that here.
Category Archives: Books
Not an Urban Fantasy
The Sacrifice by Kristine Kathryn RuschMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I listened to the audio version of this book, read by David DeSantos. It was part of a marketing campaign where Audible.com offered the first book in a series for free. I was a little reluctant to read this because I thought it would be like the urban fantasy type stories so trendy today. Thank goodness I decided to give it a try. It’s sword and sorcery fantasy, and would appeal to readers that like that genre. And Audible did a smart thing, giving away the first book – because they’ll definitely get my money for the rest of the series.
The story takes place on an island country called Blue Isle that is invaded by "The Fey" – brutal, beautiful, fighting people using sorcery to take over every country they come across. They’ve been successful, until they reach Blue Isle. The island is home to a people that are peaceful, devoted to their religious beliefs.
The Fey are amazed that these simple people seem to have a magic greater than their own; strong enough to create a poison that will kill the Fey instantly.
The poison is really the holy water used in religious ceremonies by the islanders. Their religious leader is appalled that this symbol of their belief has become a weapon of murder.
One review I read said that the characters in this book were inconsistent and kept changing. I think the author was just very adept at creating a first impression and then exposing the motivations and depth of the characters through the plot.
The audio presentation of this book was very well done. David DeSantos conveyed each character’s voice, making it easy to follow who was speaking and who was the focus.
I have four more books to look forward to in this series, and can’t wait to get into them.
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Who knew Mark Twain wrote about Joan of Arc?
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc by Mark Twain
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’ve heard stories about Joan of Arc, usually in European history classes. But I never knew the real story, and all the politics involved. This book, presented as a novel, gives life to the people involved and the political climate of the times. Mark Twain’s reflections on the judges that try Joan of Arc are witty and sarcastic, but in a subtle way. But they do lighten up a very emotional, riveting tale.
The tale is told from the point of view of a childhood friend of Joan’s. As her scribe, he goes with her through all her adventures, right up to her trials. His personal point of view about Joan puts you there with her as she meets with nobility, royalty and church officials.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, stories of women with strong characters (Joan of Arc is the original female heroine to me) and stories about battle strategy and wars. As for me, I plan to read other books by Mark Twain that are not necessarily based on great rivers in America.
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Not So Great a Read
Empress by Karen Miller
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Read the Kindle version. There wasn’t a lot to like about this book. The main character Hekat is a young girl sold as a slave by her father. After convincing herself that she is beautiful and "in the god’s eye" her self-confidence lets her rise to become the titular Empress. The theology used in this book is interesting, but also brutal and bloody. The people worship the god who "sees them in its sight". The god is not a capital "G" god, and is an it. They worship it by sacrificing animals on a huge scale, drinking the blood when necessary for their ceremonies, and using scorpion pits to determine who is "seen in the god’s eye" and who is possessed of demons. Everything is described in graphic detail, which makes me glad my inner eye isn’t great at coming up with accurate pictures of events.
The characters are interesting but I didn’t find myself caring a much about any of them. Their futures became predictable early on and there wasn’t much suspense in getting to the end of the story. Apparently there are two further volumes in this story, which I don’t plan on reading. It just wasn’t that compelling.
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Horizon: The Sharing Knife, Book 4
The Sharing Knife: Horizon by Lois McMaster Bujold
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Lois McMaster Bujold is known more for her Science Fiction writing, but has done some great work in the fantasy genre as well. The Sharing Knife books fall into the fantasy field. This fourth book in the series continues the story of Fawn and Dag, a farmer girl and a Lake-Walker man who have married and set out to do explore some of the world for their wedding trip. Some of the people they meet along the way have joined them and have become a diverse but close knit group of people. This book brings that journey to a close in a satisfying way. Fawn and Dag meet new people, some of who join them for a time. They also meet the nastiest, most frightening malice Dag has ever crossed in all his years of Lakewalker patrols. This malice threatens everything this group of travelers has dreamed of. The end of the story is very exciting and has an unexpected twist.
Lois McMaster Bujold is a great writer, whatever genre she is in. Her characters are vivid, realistic, and you can connect to them and care about them very easily. I would recommend this series to anyone interested in a love story told with sincerity, that has a bit of the magic of a fantasy book as well.
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