ISBN: 0-670-88450-2 Order from: Amazon.com
A whimsical, funny, at times hilarious novel of magic and 16th-century intrigue, this novel features a handful of sympathetic and colorful characters, human folly and malevolence, and occasionally distracting view-hopping.
Reviewed by David on July 01, 2000
Genre: Fantasy (Sorcery, Historical, Intrigue, Romance, Humor)
Synopsis: As in several previous novels, including the excellent A Vision of Light, Riley takes up a historical milieu with a touch of supernatural. The protagonist, the young French noblewoman Sibille, is gifted with prodigious intelligence, lively imagination, and an improvident and repressive father. Trying to escape the depressing alternatives of life as an old maid or a loathsome but wealthy husband, Sibille is accidentally involved in the struggle for power between the Queen and the King's mistress. The two ruthless women resort to sorcery, which while unreliable can be quite effective.
When Sibille comes stumbles upon an ancient artifact, neither faction is willing to leave her alone. However, the potent magic of the talisman comes at a high price: everyone who used it in the past came to damnation.
Full Review: The adventures of the head-strong, compassionate, naive and intelligent young woman, and her bitter and sometimes happy encounters with love, hatred, eccentricity, desperation, greed and ambition, make for an exciting, and pleasant reading. Many of the characters are witty, and despite the despicable nature of the villains, one can almost admire their single-minded pursuit of their goals. The warm feeling of optimism, which includes taking in stride the strangest magic, makes it a pleasure to follow the events in Sibille's life.
In the novel the magic works, but frequently makes little difference in the outcome. As Nostradamus, who is portrayed quite kindly as a sensible, skilled, ocassionally tormented and usually humane old magician, points out, humanity doesn't need sorcery to spoil the world.
Along with the enjoyable characters and pleasantly detailed historical descriptions, this book features a multitude of view-points, with abrupt switching between them. Aside from this flaw, this somewhat sentimental novel is one of the more pleasant historical-supernatural-romance books in recent years.
Note: this seems to be an official site for the author, with description of her other books.
Overall: 6; Plot: 6; Characters: 6.5; Style: 6.5; World-building: 6; Originality: 6.5;
Copyright date 1999, Penguin Group (Viking), November 1999, Cloth, 386 pages
ISBN: 0-670-88450-2 Order from: Amazon.com