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Summary: A New England graduate student in 10th century Russia
Review: This books asks you to believe that magic is real, that Baba Yaga was a part of Russian lore, and that Sleeping Beauty was really a Russian pricess named Katerina that waited 1000 years for a former Russian named Ivan to kiss, awaken and save by promising... But, that would give the start of the story away. If you can suspend your disbelief, you too will enjoy this tale. You will sympathize with Ivan, and find that you too believe.
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Summary: Blending the familiar with the unexpected with success.
Review: In ENCHANTMENT, Orson Scott Card has nimbly avoided repetition of the coming-of-age trials familiar to those readers who already know Ender and Alvin, and he has deftly retained his familiar style and successful 'character evolution' motif set in a fresh plot and refreshing environment concocted from Carpathian folk lore, time-travel, a magic versus science dynamic, and even religious philosophy. As the characters and action move back and forth across time and space, fable and history, Card poses some interesting questions. How useful is knowing all the modern versions of a folk tale when one is suddenly confronted by the culture and events that gave rise to the earliest 'reality-based' version of that tale? What happens when 'The Wizard of Oz' and 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court' are the hero's only travel and etiquette guides and the local Wicked Witch can enchant her way through the international airline reservation system while the hero has to pay for a full-price ticket because he is not recognized as Sir Boss in either the past or the present? Card is particularly skillful in making the villains perform as both the comic relief and the characters who most successfully adapt to the culture shocks of time and [modern] air travel. Read ENCHANTMENT to find out what was REALLY wrong with that miserably uncomfortable seat you were assigned on your last trans-Atlantic flight. ENCHANTMENT is a good introduction to the work of Orson Scott Card and an excellent reason for digging out any of Card's earlier books that are too far from the top of one's To Read pile. The ending does not preclude a sequel, but ENCHANTMENT stands alone in a most satisfying fashion. Applying the same view point and hypotheses to another folk tale from another culture would work as well as a continuation of this well-resolved story. Still, now we know the origin of the chicken leg [or legs], but what about the flying mortar and pestle?
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Summary: Superb Storytelling
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed Orson Scott Card's recreation of the fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty" in his book Enchantment. The main character, Ivan Semetski, discovers a beautiful young woman sleeping on a pedestal in the middle of a perfectly round chasm when he was 10 years old. After this experience, he can never forget that chasm, even after he moves away. He returns to the chasm as a college graduate and rescues Katerina. He then travels to her world in 890 C.E. and trains to become a knight so he can lead the people in war when he is king. During this time, Ivan learns about his fiance's culture and her contempt for him. Escaping an assassination attempt right after their marriage, Ivan and Katerina travel to his world in modern 20th century. Here, Katerina learns about people like Ivan and learns to love him. They then return to the Kingdom of Taina to try and defeat Katerina's country's worst enemy. Card made this book a fun read through his use of words in describing different challenges to the protagonist, both moral and physical. His control of scenery and portrayal of characters is exceptional, although, like everyone, he has room to improve. His books make you want to try your hand at writing, to see if you, too, can produce such marvelous works.
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Summary: love it!
Review: I have never heard of the author, but regardless I don't really take note of any authors of all the books I read. But this book, the cover and the title stands out. Yes, i judge a book before i read it. I truly didnt think i would enjoy reading it, but i did. Since the first time i borrow from the public library to read it, i went out to purchase the book and read it three more times. The story, with a mixed of fairy tale and mystery was enough to lead me to finish the book in one sitting (well actually one day). its really a wonderful book if one likes to read a modern day version of fairy tales. A little romance, a little magic, a little mystery that keep you guessing until the end.
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Summary: They lived happily every after. NOT!
Review: If the "happily ever after" at the end of fairy tales never left you completely satisfied, then this is the book for you. In "Enchantment", Orson Scott Card takes you beyond the "happily ever after" of the traditional story of Sleeping Beauty. The first few chapters introduce Ivan, a brilliant Russian graduate student living in America, and preparing to write a dissertation about Russian fairy tales. Just when Card's realism had me convinced that this could be a true story, Ivan stumbles across the sleeping princess Katerina, and awakes her with his kiss. But don't think that Card is just borrowing a fairy tale, because the end of the traditional story of Sleeping Beauty is merely the beginning of Card's tale! Ivan quickly discovers that kissing a princess doesn't result in living happily ever after, as he travels back in time to Katerina's world, and becomes involved with her in an epic struggle to defend the kingdom of her father over against the wannabe ruler, the witch Baba Yaga. In the course of this struggle, Ivan and Katerina travel to worlds past and present. This leads to some delightfully cultural comedy, where ninth century Russians get to use gunpowder and molotov cocktails and also have the rare privilege of seeing a 747 jumbo jet enter their world well ahead of its time. Card's story-telling is superb, and his fantastic blend of reality and magic, past and present, is wonderfully entertaining. There is constant suspense, romance, adventure and humour. But as usual, Card does much more than just tell a good story. His special attention to inner thoughts and struggles and the psychology of human relationships is masterful. In the course of telling his fairy tale, he shares numerous philosophical thoughts about literary theory, psychology, and religion. The clash between cultures achieves more than just comedy, but provides deep insights about the chasm between times, cultures, and religions (especially Judaism and Christianity - both of which are somewhat unfairly portrayed as mere outward rituals entered upon by circumcision or baptism). Card demonstrates that it is possible for two very different individuals from different times and cultures to make a new beginning together in a marriage, although this meeting of cultures cannot occur without both gaining and losing something at the same time. Especially thought provoking is the fact that Card uses a fairy tale to show that reality is not like the high fantasy of fairy tales, because in the real world that there is no such thing as living happily ever. Is Card satirizing the impossibly high ideals of beauty and happiness that fairy tales normally offer? I quickly found myself laughing at Card's harsh fantasy world, because it was one I recognized: the real world, my world, which in reality is often cold and harsh. We quickly discover that kissing a beautiful princess in the real world is not all it is made out to be. So we can identify with Ivan the naked prince - his shock at the harsh reality of a fairy tale come true (p.90) is our shock at the harsh reality of life. Perhaps to heighten the effect of a fairy tale that reflects reality rather than fantasy, Card frequently resorts to crude language, and sexually explicit details. Also the portrayal of the witch Baba Yaga and her sidekick Bear was at times unnecessarily morbid. It is undeniable that this contributes to the effect of bringing the fantasy to cold hard earth, but personally I found it unnecessary to go so far in order to create the effect he wanted, and from Card (a Mormon) rather surprising and unexpected. I find it a shame that by employing such language and giving attention to such crude details, Card has made this book suitable only for mature and discerning readers, and made it inappropriate even for older children. Card also uses the culture contrast between modernity and myth, past and present to criticize contemporary culture. Are Card's comments about the lack of respect for authority and the change in roles between husbands and wives (p.206) an implicit criticism of Western society? And is Ivan a mouthpiece for Card when he makes the observation that contemporary culture focuses on having itself remembered, whereas past culture focuses more on surviving (p.139)? And is the disappointing and harsh fantasy world that first promised so much intended to be a mirror image of life in the USA, which Ivan's Russian immigrant family also found disappointing (p.144)? These and more questions will amuse you for hours. "Enchantment" is certainly a wonderful marriage of fantasy and reality, past and present, magic and science, pleasure and philosophy. The crude details do leave a bit of a bad aftertaste, but like Ivan and Katerina's marriage, this marriage of modernity and myth in the end proves to be most successful and satisfying
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Summary: Remarkably good read
Review: I am a big OSC fan, and have read most of his work (though I have avoided the Memory of Earth series). This ranks right up there with one of his best books. It's a fairy tale with some depth to it.
In case you haven't bothered to read the basics of the plot yet, the story is about a grad student doing some field work abroad who finds himself transported back in time. He meets a princess and hijinx ensue. I was skeptical at first, but it came highly recommended, and so I read. Hopefully you will too. If you like this one, I would also suggest "Pastwatch" by Orson Scott Card.
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Summary: Children from 8 to 80 will enjoy this book!
Review: Most of us probably heard the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty when we were children. Card takes the classic fairy tale and gives it a unique, modern spin.
Ten-year-old Ivan finds an unusual clearing in a dense, Carpathian forest. In the center of the clearing is a pedestal encircled by fallen leaves. Atop the pedestal is a sleeping maiden. However, Ivan detects a sinister presence beneath the leaves and runs for the safety of his cousin's farm.
Years later, Ivan is a graduate student in America. Shortly after becoming engaged, Ivan returns to his native land to work on his doctoral thesis. Unable to forget that clearing in the woods, Ivan returns to determine if what he saw was merely a young boy's fantasy. Finding the clearing just as he left it, he does not run away this time. Ivan awakens the sleeping maiden with a kiss and is transported into a kingdom that vanished over a thousand years ago.
This is a love story unlike any I've ever read before. Card touchingly describes the love that grows between two strangers from vastly different worlds. Deftly transferring between 9th century Russia and the 1990's, Card tells the classic tale of witches, enchantment, knights and princesses. Card meticulously researched Russian folk tales to give the story an authentic Russian flavor. The original Sleeping Beauty tale had a happy ending, but Card keeps you guessing about the outcome of his version until the very end.
Card's first novel, Ender's Game, featured a very inventive, engaging plot but scant character development. However, it still established Card as a major force in the science fiction and fantasy genres. With the release of Enchantment, Card demonstrates his growth as an author. Enchantment shows that not only does he continue to generate creative plot lines, but that first-rate character development is firmly within his grasp. Children from 8 to 80 can enjoy this book!
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Summary: Modern spin on the sleeping beauty story
Review: I became aware of this book after my father in law read it and recommended it. To be honest, I wasn't too keen on reading a spin on the classic fairytale....but was very pleased with the depth of this story. Card is by far my favorite author, and this is yet another demonstration of how he can take a familiar theme and breathe new life into it. He intricately weaves this story of Sleeping Beauty into it roots in Ukranian folklore, leading the reader to believe that maybe there's some truth to the fairytale. All around excellent read.
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Summary: Fun and entertaining read
Review: If you enjoy Orson Scott Card's Science Fiction works, I believe you will also enjoy his fantasy. This isn't the first Card fantasy I've read (I like his fantasy much more, with the exception of Ender's Game and Shadow) but this was one of my favorites.
My favorite thing about Orson Scott Card is his characters. And this book has the best of them all. First there is "Price" Ivan who was born a Ukrain Jew who defected from Russia and ended up in the United States. He meets the Christian Princess Katerina who was enchanted to fall asleep and would later on become the basis for Sleeping Beauty. You have a talking, immortal, good natured bear who is married to the meanest meanie of them all, Baba Yaga (Okay, repeat after me, Baba Yaga... one of the funnest names to say aloud). Can it get better than this?
This story is fun, interesting, entertaining, and educational with enough plot twists to be considered one of Orson Scott Card's best.
If you would like a good fantasy, give this book a try. It isn't too long and the pace is very good. The ending leaves you satisfied but, none-the-less, begging for more. Probably not the best bed-time story for young children, but more for mature teenagers and up (there is a splash of needless swearing in it).
Come on, give it a go!!
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Summary: A must have book!
Review: It has been so long since I read this book, but I highly recommend it. In fact, instead of loaning it out to people like normal, I actually bought it for two of my friends that I knew would appreciate it as well. This is a modern day "Sleeping Beauty", but it is so well written. I was first introduced to Orson Scott Card in college with "Ender's Game", which was an excellent book and then read "Lost Boys", which I did not feel was as good, but still worth the read. This book and perhaps "Dogs of Babel" by Carolyn Parkhurst would definitely be two I would like to have on a deserted island.
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