Kushiel's Dart
by Jacqueline Carey
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jacqueline CareyEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-03-15
ISBN: 0765342987
Number of pages: 912
Publisher: Tor Fantasy
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780765342980
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Kushiel's Dart
Book Review: "Kushiel's Dart" a by-the-numbers entertainment
Summary: 4 Stars
Jacqueline Carey's "Kushiel's Dart" is set in fictional Terre d'Ange, populated by a race descended from the Son of God. That's an interesting concept in itself. But the conceit this book turns upon is its protagonist, Phedre no Delaunay, a young woman born with a scarlet mote in her eye--"Kushiel's Dart," a mark designating her as one who experiences pain as pleasure.
Before you think this book is soft-core S&M porn, consider the editorial praise Carey has earned. They don't hand that out for Gor-like novels.
"Kushiel's Dart" opens with a phrase that was either lifted from Mary Renault's "The Persian Boy" or a deliberate homage to it. But it works in drawing you into this story that is easy to predict but delightful to read. Phedre is sold into slavery in childhood, only to be redeemed by her strange imperfection; taught the erotic arts and educated, she is unleashed on several political figures as a player in a game of intrigue that touches on Terre d'Ange's royal line. Of course, she soon runs up against Melisandre Shahrizai, a major if shadowy player on the political stage. Melisandre gets Phedre exiled and sold into slavery to the enemy Skaldi, whose leaders plan to take Terre d'Ange for their own.
Although the book is written along familiar lines, the writing is paced quickly enough to keep you reading, and the characters are likable. One of Carey's strengths is that she never loses her narrator's "voice" in anachronisms, be they idioms, metaphors, or syntactical structures. Her villain Melisandre just skirts the edge of excess, but exudes a charm and charisma when she's on the page. Phedre's uncertainty and regretfulness are annoying at times, but at least she never drops into mawkish sentiment. And Carey's dialogue is quite eloquent, a cut above most romantic fantasy where the characters usually express themselves in Hallmark-ian language.
It's always good to see fantasy go in a direction that's not all about elves, dragons, and McGuffins. For this and for the book's other qualities, I heartily recommend "Kushiel's Dart." It's as familiar, and enchanting, as a fairytale.
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