Dulcinea

Rating:
Summary: Gossamer Words Lift This Fantasy Tale to Near-Exalted Height
Review: Fantasy, I believe, needs a special touch. That touch needs to be light. I can't imagine Tom Clancy writing successful fantasy, unless your idea of the genre is blowin' things up real good. Steinbeck tried a form of it and flopped mightily. Too heavy, too earthbound. Shalanna Collins needn't worry. She has the gossamer touch, the light-as-helium way of putting things that suspends the disbelief lurking inside many readers. She draws on legends and beliefs at least as ancient as the nebulous beginnings of Freemasonry; Mozart drew from the same well in his masterpiece opera, "The Magic Flute." But if I'm going to draw musical analogies, the composer Shalanna Collins brings most to mind is Felix Mendelssohn, especially as he was at seventeen, writing the overture to "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Shalanna shares the same fleet, quicksilver turn of a phrase, the same infallible instincts for rhythm and pace that set Mendelssohn -- and Mozart -- apart from their more ponderous brother-composers. Dulcinea the Character acts sixteen. That's a neat trick for a writer whose adolescence was left behind at least a decade ago. Add to that Ms. Collins's deft handling of the heavier characters, such as Raz and Dulcinea's stern, somewhat duplicitous father, and it starts becoming plain just how much talent went into the creation of this shimmering, magical tale. I expect to encounter many more Shalanna Collins books in the years ahead, and I have every reason to believe each new one will be richer and more lovingly crafted than the one before.

Rating:
Summary: Gossamer Words Lift This Fantasy Tale to Near-Exalted Height
Review: Fantasy, I believe, needs a special touch. That touch needs to be light. I can't imagine Tom Clancy writing successful fantasy, unless your idea of the genre is blowin' things up real good. Steinbeck tried a form of it and flopped mightily. Too heavy, too earthbound. Shalanna Collins needn't worry. She has the gossamer touch, the light-as-helium way of putting things that suspends the disbelief lurking inside many readers. She draws on legends and beliefs at least as ancient as the nebulous beginnings of Freemasonry; Mozart drew from the same well in his masterpiece opera, "The Magic Flute." But if I'm going to draw musical analogies, the composer Shalanna Collins brings most to mind is Felix Mendelssohn, especially as he was at seventeen, writing the overture to "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Shalanna shares the same fleet, quicksilver turn of a phrase, the same infallible instincts for rhythm and pace that set Mendelssohn -- and Mozart -- apart from their more ponderous brother-composers. Dulcinea the Character acts sixteen. That's a neat trick for a writer whose adolescence was left behind at least a decade ago. Add to that Ms. Collins's deft handling of the heavier characters, such as Raz and Dulcinea's stern, somewhat duplicitous father, and it starts becoming plain just how much talent went into the creation of this shimmering, magical tale. I expect to encounter many more Shalanna Collins books in the years ahead, and I have every reason to believe each new one will be richer and more lovingly crafted than the one before.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic fantasy
Review: Far too many deserving books go unnoticed in the tidal wave of Harry-Potter-mania, and this is one of the ones that deserves a great deal more notice (I was lucky enough to, in addition to ordering it, find a copy in my local library)

"Dulcinea" is the tale of a young girl named Dulcinea Brown, who at the age of sixteen is coming into her magical power. Her dad, an apothecary, has just taken on a new apprentice, Raz Songsterson. Raz is clearly keeping something hidden away.

And, like in many fantasies, the world is in danger. Dulcinea must use flute magic (better description in the book) to rescue peole from a dragon, who was conjured by the evil Society of Mages. When Dulcinea's father realizes that Raz is a talented, skilled mage, he acidently involves himself and his daughter in a power battle that risks the entire world. All standing between them and possible chaos is three magicians, including heroine Dulcinea...

I'll admit it. I'm a sucker for stories about magicians and people discovering new powers, such books as Diana Wynne Jones, TA Barron, and Jane Yolen's "Wizard Hall." I was not disappointed by "Dulcinea," and I doubt other wizard-fans will as well. (I especially liked the concept of flute magic...)

Dulcinea is a very cool heroine in a genre where too often the heroines are Buffy-types or weenies. She manages to be precisely what is expected in this situation -- a teenage girl who ends up in a power struggle with the Society, and who grows in personality throughout the book. Her changing relationships with her father and Raz were genuinely intriguing. Raz and Dulcinea's dad are equally realistic as their perceptions change (and I honestly did not know for a while what was up with Raz)

This is not a dumbed-down book in style (one paragraph contains "apex" and "inanimate"). It's very descriptive and the author does not skimp on complexity or unique ideas. Such creatures as dragons and wizards are given new spins in this book. (My only quibble would be that in tense situations, a little too much notice is paid to details, but that's a small one)

Definitely a five-star book. Fans of Harry Potter or Diana Wynne Jones would love this magical tale.

Rating:
Summary: Characters spring full-blown from the author's imagination
Review: I'm not a big fan of fantasy fiction although I did read one Harry Potter book because of all the hype last year. I like to read books in different genres though and so I was intrigued by this book by Shalanna Collins and was immediately drawn in to her fantasy world where a teenage girl is grows up with a father who is a practitioner magic in a town where such things are taken for granted.

Dulcinea's world is a fascinating one and the many descriptive details made me marvel at the skill of the author who set the stage for a struggle between good and evil, while, at the same time depicting the up and down emotions of Dulcinea's coming of age. I particularly liked her relationship with the young man magic maker who is forced to appreciate Dulcinea's skill in making magic when she saves his life on several occasions. There's a dragon in this book as well as a cast of characters that spring full-blown from the author's imagination as well as a sense of tension throughout. And the author's sense of humor kept the whole reading experience fun. My only criticism of the book is that it was a bit too wordy for my taste and I would have liked to see it edited down by 50 or more pages. However, I know this book will appeal to fantasy fans, and especially to young adults.