Shadowdance

Rating:
Summary: Solid fantasy, on the dark side.
Review: A good fantasy about a crippled young man who is given the ability to walk at night by a passing sorceress, though his magical compulsion to dance causes unpredictable results in those who watch. Lots of twists, most of them logical, though one begs the question of why one character doesn't recognise another for what he is straight away. I also wish the Witch had been more developed - are female characters Bailey's weakness? There are only two in the novel. I did like the refreshingly matter-of-fact way in which the characters' sexuality was handled. Very well written, and a good story despite the above glaring flaw.

Rating:
Summary: Solid fantasy, on the dark side.
Review: Bailey weaves a plot unbelievably believable. He has a thousand twists, most of which are unforseen yet set up. Looking back in the book, you'll find yourself wondering how you missed it, until the next twist comes at the turning of the page. The characters are alive with real human motivations, and the magic is a subtle thread woven throughout the story, something that dominates from the background. Don't expect any knights fighting dragons with enchanted swords -- the magic is rare and powerful, with a price that makes one understand its scarcity. Although there is some bisexuality (gasp), it's done masterfully well. There are no gay parades, no coming-out chapters. It simply is, something portrayed neither as good nor evil, right or wrong, but simply as there. All of this combines with a storyline that puts most soap operas to shame, yet still is ruled by cause and effect rather than "coincidence". The only weakness is that it may be more than most are ready for, as it is very much both dark and fantasy, neither of which the mainstream is particularly fond. If you enjoy either, though, this book will take your breath -- and sleep -- away.

Rating:
Summary: Quintessence of dark fantasy
Review: Bailey weaves a plot unbelievably believable. He has a thousand twists, most of which are unforseen yet set up. Looking back in the book, you'll find yourself wondering how you missed it, until the next twist comes at the turning of the page. The characters are alive with real human motivations, and the magic is a subtle thread woven throughout the story, something that dominates from the background. Don't expect any knights fighting dragons with enchanted swords -- the magic is rare and powerful, with a price that makes one understand its scarcity. Although there is some bisexuality (gasp), it's done masterfully well. There are no gay parades, no coming-out chapters. It simply is, something portrayed neither as good nor evil, right or wrong, but simply as there. All of this combines with a storyline that puts most soap operas to shame, yet still is ruled by cause and effect rather than "coincidence". The only weakness is that it may be more than most are ready for, as it is very much both dark and fantasy, neither of which the mainstream is particularly fond. If you enjoy either, though, this book will take your breath -- and sleep -- away.

Rating:
Summary: Dive into the dance
Review: Delightful mind morsel. Innowen and Razkili are very lovable main characters, the plot is thrilling, the beauty of it will leave you floating in a cloud of euphoria for days. My only gripe is, after I finished the book, I lusted for more about the lovers. Dangit, they never did the deed...

Rating:
Summary: Compelling
Review: I found this book to be one of the best I have read in a long time. Bailey's use of language is masterful, and his weaving of plot was stunning. I found myself refusing to go to bed until I had finished it, and I haven't done that in a while either. I would recommend it to anyone into fantasy, or is looking for a book apart from the norm.

Rating:
Summary: Compelling
Review: I found this book to be one of the best I have read in a long time. Bailey's use of language is masterful, and his weaving of plot was stunning. I found myself refusing to go to bed until I had finished it, and I haven't done that in a while either. I would recommend it to anyone into fantasy, or is looking for a book apart from the norm.

Rating:
Summary: Dark Fantasy Taken to a Whole New Level
Review: I just found and read this book, and I'm completely in awe. It's dark and grim, and yet ultimately uplifting. Bailey's prose is tight and lush. His scenes are visual and intense, and he sustains a level of poetry throughout the entire book that few writers achieve. The magic is subtle and beautiful. No lightning bolts shooting from fingertips here, no fireballs or flashy stuff. In fact, one of the things I like best about this book is that it completely avoids all the cliches of most fantasy. I really like the bronze-age setting, and Bailey's research really shows. But most of all, I like the intensity of the building relationship between Innowen and Razkili. Like everything else about this book, the characters are subtle. They develop and grow as the story progresses. This book is definitely one to keep and reread again and again, and I'm delighted to have discovered this author.

Rating:
Summary: Dark Fantasy Taken to a Whole New Level
Review: I just found and read this book, and I'm completely in awe. It's dark and grim, and yet ultimately uplifting. Bailey's prose is tight and lush. His scenes are visual and intense, and he sustains a level of poetry throughout the entire book that few writers achieve. The magic is subtle and beautiful. No lightning bolts shooting from fingertips here, no fireballs or flashy stuff. In fact, one of the things I like best about this book is that it completely avoids all the cliches of most fantasy. I really like the bronze-age setting, and Bailey's research really shows. But most of all, I like the intensity of the building relationship between Innowen and Razkili. Like everything else about this book, the characters are subtle. They develop and grow as the story progresses. This book is definitely one to keep and reread again and again, and I'm delighted to have discovered this author.

Rating:
Summary: This dark fantasy is the best novel of 1996
Review: SHADOWDANCE is a dark fantasy about a young man that has been unable to walk, since birth. He is granted the ability to walk, but only between dusk and dawn AND he must dance each night or he will lose that ability. Unfortunatly, anyone seeing him dance is compelled to seek their darkest desires. The book follows Innowen's search for his love and himself.

Rating:
Summary: A beautifully done must-read for fantasy lovers
Review: Shadowdance is truly Mr. Bailey's best work to date, and certainly one of the most gorgeous books I have ever read. The story itself is original and compelling, in which a young man named Innowen, who was born without the use of his legs, meets a witch one stormy night, and she gifts him with the ability to walk, but only at night, and he must dance every night if he wishes to keep the gift. The other side of his gift, though, is that the dance awakens the darkest desires of those who witness it. The novel contained a number of twists to the plot, all of which worked beautifully, none of which were predictable. Bailey's writing skill meets its peak in this work, every word is necessary and perfect. Bailey's handling of the events in the book is masterful as well, and I was particularly struck by how well he portrayed the relationship between Innowen and his lover, a young man named Razkilli, especially when one considers the "touchiness" of such a subject, even in our society of today. However, Bailey cannot be accused of being too shy or too subtle with scenes that would have been hurt by such an attitude, particularly in the battles and in a graphic encounter between the witch and her son. The novel is a dark fantasy, an advisory warning to the easily offended, or faint-of-heart. Which is not to say that the degree of graphic portrayal in this story is to any extreme, or exceeds that of many other books in the same genre. I must heartily recommend this novel, it was truly a story to be experienced, and brought me to tears more than once. The level of emotion that Bailey manages to establish and maintain in his brilliant story is what helped to make it what it was - a purely enjoyable and unforgettable read.--Carrie A. Hirsc