(Reviewed on other copy)

I've had this book on my list for a long time and I finally found a copy at a library sale. I was surprised to find this is an Arthurian style fantasy. A wicked king is overthrown by a 'good' king, who then commits a grievous sin to unite the kingdom. This leads to a dark time for the kingdom, and years of grief and struggle. Very different for Card, I don't know of anything else by him in this style. I enjoyed it, it definitely is different than most fantasy available, and it was interesting to read. There's not a lot of suspense, but what happens is good. ( )

I am a fan of Card's Ender series, but I couldn't warm to this book, an early effort and his first try at fantasy. It's just too gruesome. It has a fairy tale feel in its rather distant, stilted omniscient point of view, written more as a series of vignettes then a sustained narrative. When we think "fairy tale" thanks to Disney we often think of childish, sweet and romantic stuff, where there's a nice bright line between villains and heroes. Of course a lot of the original material isn't that way--in the Grimm Brother's version of Cinderella the stepsisters cut off parts of their feet to try to make the glass slipper fit and in the end both they and the stepmother are punished by having their eyes pecked out by crows. Well, this isn't the Disney sort of fairy tale, that's for certain. Early on the graphic rape of a twelve-year-old girl as thousands look on is unsparingly depicted. No one is innocent, no one is good--or even completely evil here. One "hero" of this book is the rapist, and the victim's revenge is cruel beyond belief. I'm not saying by the way this isn't a book worth reading, that I can't understand why for some it might appeal, but this is just too brutal for me. ( )

I feel very mixed about this book.

I liked some of the magic and a lot of the religious aspects of the book (the religions/worship that were present in the book, not that the book is preachy), but overall, a lot of the book felt a little over the top.

This is a very early foray for Card into fantasy, and it does feel like it. He has definitely refined his fantasy writing since this time. It's not a total waste, but I feel like a lot of potential was lost. ( )

I feel very mixed about this book.

I liked some of the magic and a lot of the religious aspects of the book (the religions/worship that were present in the book, not that the book is preachy), but overall, a lot of the book felt a little over the top.

This is a very early foray for Card into fantasy, and it does feel like it. He has definitely refined his fantasy writing since this time. It's not a total waste, but I feel like a lot of potential was lost. ( )