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Kushiel's Chosen (Kushiel's Legacy) by Jacqueline Carey
Book Summary InformationAuthor: Jacqueline Carey Edition: Mass Market Paperback Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 2003-03-14 ISBN: 0765345048 Number of pages: 704 Publisher: Tor Fantasy
Book Reviews of Kushiel's Chosen (Kushiel's Legacy)Book Review: Just as Good as the First--Possibly Better Summary: 5 Stars
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I'm not going to argue with their right to state it. However, I have to admit, I don't get what the problem is here. People calling this "more of the same"...well, that statement isn't wholly accurate. Yes, it's true, the basic premise and pattern of this novel is the same as the first. Which, quite frankly, I don't mind in the least, since I enjoy this sort of thing. Now, that's not to say that if this was the fourth book, or the fifth or the sixth, I wouldn't be rather irritated. But it's only the second and at this point "redundant" is a bit too strong a word.
Chosen moves throughout a large portion of the fascinating world that Carey has created. On the surface it may seem like the same as the first, but this one deals much more in Phedre's relationships than the last one, and also highlights more effectively our heroines flaws.
People have said that Phedre is too perfect, that she resolves everything by sleeping with everyone, and so on. However, that's really thinking on the surface. Phedre is far from perfect; she's actually a bit too trusting and naive. She blunders into things she really never should have.
Nor does she solve everything--or even anything--by sleeping with someone. Whether it be gold or glory, the people with whom Phedre makes her deals ALWAYS have something to win out of it. She is merely a bonus, not the main prize. Again, the world has narrowed down to Phedre's vision, so it's easy for people to lose track of the fact that the world continues to revolve--and not just around the heroine.
The same goes for her relationship with Joscelin. We only see Phedre's side of the resolution, not what goes on in his mind. Personally, however, I liked the way Carey resolved it. Phedre is who she is and she makes no apologies for it. She knows it hurts the people she loves, but she won't change it. Why should she have to?
In reality, this is merely a role reversal that some people seem to miss. How many fantasy stories--generally written by male authors, unfortunately--have this sort of relationship? A flawed man, who is what he is, who won't change it, and so...the heroine, who loves him so, just accepts him for who he is! After she's gone, possibly dead, in Joscelin's mind, he realizes he loves her for who she is. It's a mark of his character growth, that he accepts himself, her, and their relationship.
Honestly, reading the editorial reviews puzzles me. One reviewer says the writing isn't as tight as the first one...huh??? The writing in Chosen is so much smoother than Dart. Phedre hardly ever rambles about something pointless and useless. The pacing works better, moving quickly into the story, rather than dwelling on this, that, and the other thing.
Another such reviewer complains that Melisande has become a tiresome harridan. Again...huh??? You hardly even see her in Chosen! Of the 600 some odd pages, she appears in MAYBE 50. She was far more tiresome in Dart. I was much happier that she was hardly in this novel.
Carey's characters have become richer, as well. I adored Phedre's Boys and Kazan. They had so much life to them and, seeing through Phedre's eyes, you got a real sense of her fondness for them.
And personally I loved the little trip to Hellene. As someone who has studied the history of ancient art, Greek included (and there for much ancient history, period) it was fun to recognize so many of the things I'd learned of. For those that don't know, Kore does mean 'maiden'. Notable from the Peplos Kore, a work of sculpture from ancient Greece, of a young woman wearing a Peplos (the type of gown the pirates give Phedre to wear). Easy to see that Ms. Carey has done more than her fair share of studying.
Still with the cheapo ink, though. At least Tor seems to have provided the poor woman with a proofreader this time.
Summary of Kushiel's Chosen (Kushiel's Legacy)Mighty Kushiel, of rod and weal Late of the brazen portals With blood-tipp'd dart a wound unhealed Pricks the eyen of chosen mortals
The land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassed beauty and grace. The inhabiting race rose from the seed of angels and men, and they live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.
Phèdre nó Delaunay was sold into indentured servitude as a child. Her bond was purchased by a nobleman, the first to recognize that she is one pricked by Kushiel's Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one. He trained Phèdre in the courtly arts and the talents of the bedchamber--and, above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze.
When she stumbled upon a plot that threatened the very foundations of her homeland, she gave up almost everything she held dear to save it. She survived, and lived to have others tell her story, and if they embellished the tale with fabric of mythical splendor, they weren't far off the mark.
The hands of the gods weigh heavily upon Phèdre's brow, and they are not finished with her. While the young queen who sits upon the throne is well loved by the people, there are those who believe another should wear the crown... and those who escaped the wrath of the mighty are not yet done with their schemes for power and revenge.
In this engrossing adult fantasy tale, the fascinating Phèdre nó Delaunay fights to save her queen and country in a battle whose greatest weapon proves to be Phèdre herself. This sequel to Carey's accomplished debut novel, Kushiel's Dart, finds Phèdre, now Comtesse de Montrève, once again plying her skills as an anguissette--a courtesan for whom pain becomes pleasure--and her talents as a spy. She uncovers a conspiracy of treason and murder and begins an adventure that takes her once more to distant lands in the company of an intriguing cast of characters--and a new confrontation with her old enemy, Melisande Shahrizai. There's some evidence of haste in this novel: the writing is not always as tight and controlled as it was in Kushiel's Dart. Nevertheless, Carey's fans will certainly enjoy this return to Terre d'Ange, and those new to her work will find a satisfying combination of fantasy, sex, and adventure, as well as a smart and engaging heroine. --Roz Genessee
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