Kushiel's Dart

Rating:
Summary: The religion, not the sex, in this novel is the key!
Review: I read a lot of science fiction and fantasy, I bought this becaue I had read it had an interesting view of sex and gender. It does, in spades, but more I liked it for its religion and caste system, it's politics. It's rare in speculative fiction, especially in fantasy for religion to play such an important part. But Phedre is a Servant of Naamah and Joscelin is a Cassaline Brother, both are serving gods with their oaths as best they can. It is a fascinating world Carey has written and I recommend it wholeheartedly.
Love as thou wilt.

Rating:
Summary: Deeper than expected
Review: Rather a good find, especially for a first novel...

I picked up this novel on a sort of whim, it looked detailed and filled with shallow intrigues, the kind of thing I like for light reading. Carey takes her time in establishing the setting, and at first I wondered if I had picked up a piece of erotica masquerading as fantasy. I read with trepidation through the first 200 pages or so, noting how the author was taking her time and setting up what seemed like several plot strands, prepared to groan when she did not develop them completely. But, much to my pleasant surprise, I was disappointed in that expectation.

The plot follows Phedre, an indentured slave and courtesan, through her training and into the polite society of the D'Angeline court (which claims its bloodlines from the descent of angels), where she becomes embroiled in intrigues while following her own path, that of an anguissette-- one born to the spiritual line of Kushiel, her patron god, and one destined to find pleasure in pain. This is the first part of the novel, and I would definitely point out that a large portion of it is set in a boudoir, or "pleasure chamber"-- not to the point of being tasteless, but I was at times speculative as to whether or not there was some larger plot at work at all.

But then, somewhat abruptly, there was, and that is where the novel proved interesting, when those intrigues Phedre had been somewhat unwittingly involved in become larger concerns and she is forced to survive and engage herself in a much larger game.

Though the novel is engaging and I recommend it, I will note that one of the most annoying aspects of it is that it is told by Phedre herself, from the vantage point of a later date. Her commentary as a narrator tends to the dramatic and highly romantic-- which can be annoying, but as the reader comes to know Phedre through the story, it actually becomes rather endearing. From the comments of other characters we come to realize we are perhaps not the only ones annoyed and amused by her dramatics.

Don't go into this book expecting anything radically different in terms of plot. Yes, there are interesting and unique elements here, particularly the acclaimed celestial heritage of the book's people, and interesting depictions of religion and culture.

I recommend it highly to those who enjoy high fantasy, meaning fantasy including the likes of princes, priests, and courtesans. There is little overt magic in these books, which I missed, but there is ample mythology and intrigue. The structure of the book is solid, and once you get past the first 200 pages or so, it's nearly impossible to put down-- each time I got even slightly bored or thought of stopping, something dramatic or particularly twisted would happen and I would be forced to keep on reading-- forcing a couple of very late nights, which is always a good sign of a book's enjoyability.

Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Once the action starts, it is hard to put down.
Review: What an epic adventure! This book starts out slow and I was tempted to stop reading it often during the first 300 pages.

It is a hard book to read. There is a six page Dramatis Personae that lists the major characters and it can be very confusing at times. The second half is easier as less characters are introduced and the action kicks in big time.

The author sets up an alternative historical France that she calls Terre D'Ange, the Land of Angels, at around the time 800CE. There is a whole alternate theology based on the son of Jesus (Yeshua in the book) and the Magdalene.

The book reminds me of The Hobbit in the sense of it being an epic adventure through many lands and past many challenges, but the hero is a woman and a masochistic prostitute at that. The book is more sensual than explicit with a free love theology as a theme. However, the emphasis is on the machinations of courtly politics and war.

Once the action starts, it is hard to put down.

Rating:
Summary: An Unexpected Pleasure
Review: I have to say I had really low expectations going into this book. I bought it to read to my wife, who has a vision disability, but loves the fantasy genre, and there is very little serious romantic fantasy out there, even less available on audiotape. I reluctantly chose this one, figuring I'd suffer through it for her entertainment. From the premise of the book, described on the back cover, I expected it to be a practically endless sequence of raunchy sadomasochistic sexual encounters weakly tied together by a paper-thin plot. Can you blame me? Here's what it says of the main character: "chosen [by some divine power] to forever experience pleasure and pain as one.... trained equally in the courtly arts and the talents of the bed-chamber..." How could that possibly have prepared me for the depth and skill of storytelling I was in for by reading this book?

We hear the story as told by Phèdre, who bears the mark of "Kushiel's Dart," as the scarlet mote in her eye is referred to. This first volume in the trilogy starts with her humble beginnings as the "unwanted get" of a woman of little social consequence, her indenture into the Court of Night-Blooming Flowers, and her rise into the highest social circles of the city. That's merely the first act. The trilogy is set in an alternate history of Europe, where the principal difference seems to be that in this novel, the French may actually be justified in their claim to divinity. The story's main location is geographically analogous to our world's France, but in Phèdre's world, it is called Terre D'Ange (Land of Angels), because the inhabitants (D'Angelines) are descended from divine beings who left the holy land over a thousand years previously. The religion is explained early on in the story, and is close to, but not quite, real-world Christianity. The story takes place some time in the late middle ages or the early Renaissance. Carey uses real-world societies from various time periods to model her world upon. The names of the nations are changed to older, variations on, or more obscure references to those regions they describe. Spain is Aragonia, for example, England is Alba, and so on.

The stage thus set, Carey proceeds to weave an intricate story of politics, love, betrayal, and adventure. One of the strongest points to recommend this story is the cast of characters. The many political figures who take a role in the story are all well-developed characters, each illustrated in great detail in the story, each with their own multifaceted personalities, desires, merits, flaws, and distinctive habits. There are erotic episodes, as the summary implies, but they are woven into the story so seamlessly, and in fact essential to the plot, so that to dismiss this book as merely common erotica is selling it far too short. To begin with the concept of a main character whose uniqueness is based in the erotic, and to build such a full and complicated story, Carey shows a skill with the written word rarely seen in fantasy today, and in fact in most genres of literature.

No work of fiction is perfect. This book was not without its flaws or idiosyncrasies. Many of the reviews here complain about the overly flowery speech, indicating that the telling detracts from the tale. It depends a bit on personal taste, but I didn't think that the narration style was too far over the top, and it was entirely consistent. What did become tiresome in this first volume is that the "voice" of the narration is as if these events happened long ago in Phèdre's life, and she is telling this as if looking back through the years. The consequence of this motif is that the first 400 pages are rife with this one cliché that began to get frustratingly repetitive. She is constantly saying something to the effect of, "...if only I had known then what I know now..." It did lend a foreshadowing of tragedy to the telling, but was used much too often. Fortunately she lays off that cliché about halfway through the book, and while it does rear its head occasionally after that, it is nowhere near as pervasive.

So much happens in this one book that it would use more words than I'm allotted to describe all the various plots, subplots, and cliffhangers and give my opinion of each. We are treated to vibrant descriptions of many of the locales of Phèdre's world, traveling through D'Angeline cities, barbarian villages, rough wilderness, high seas, and palace halls. Phèdre finds and loses friends along the way and each one she comes to know, we know through her. Her enemies, as well, we come to know, and find that they are not the typical cardboard cutout villains that one typically finds in tales of love and magic. These villains have motivations that one could even sympathize with under the right conditions, and this use of moral shades of gray heightens the complexity of the work as a whole. The 900 pages pass in the blink of an eye, and I couldn't tell you the number of times I finished reading a chapter aloud, and my wife and I looked at each other and could say nothing more than "Wow."

One of the writer blurbs on one volume of this series says that the trilogy has "something for everyone," and I think that's the best description I've heard yet. Complicated political plots within plots, a multilayered back story that could support a novel or two of its own, fantastic swordfights, massive army battles, erotic sex scenes, fascinating personal relationships... I could go on. I consider this book one of the nicest surprises I've had in a while, in that it was a totally unexpected enjoyment. After reading the entire trilogy aloud to my wife, we look forward to anything else Jacqueline Carey publishes in the future.

Rating:
Summary: A familiar world with fresh characters
Review: I first saw this book as I stood in line at the local (bookstore) and the cover immediately caught my eye. Having an interest in architechture, any book with columns on the cover automatically interest me and the striking figure of the nude woman with a beautiful tattoo didn't hurt the appeal either. But the blurb on the inside cover about Phedre, a courtesan with a heart of gold had me rolling my eyes thinking it was another book selling sex rather than substance.
So imagine my surprise when I finally picked up the book six months later and discovered that the plot and characters drove the book not kinky sex. Phedre was born with a red speck in her left eye. This made unsuitable to be an adept of the Night Court, which is comprised of thirteen houses of prostitution each catering to a special taste. In the alternate history of this world, the citizens of Terre d'Ange believe in an offshot of chirstianity that worships Elua the child that sprung from mother earth when Mary Magdalene's tears mixed with Christ's blood. Elua preached free love and with the eight angles that were his followers he settled in the country of Terre d'Ange, our present day France.
Phedre grows up being the outsider in the Night Court until one day a nobleman named Delaunay recognizes the red speck as Kushiel's dart, a sign that she has been chosen by Kushiel, the angle that inflicts pain on sinners. As such Phedre derives pleasure from pain. Delaunay buys Phedre and trains her to be a spy while making her the most expensive courtesan in history. In her dealing with her clients she learns a secret that threatens her country and before she could inform the King she was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Skaldia. The rest of story deals with her journey back to Terre d'Ange and her role in saving her country. Along the way she relies on the help of her bodyguard a Cassiline priest-warrior, a gypsy like Tsingani, and warriors from Alba (England) and Eire (Ireland).
The atmosphere of the court is suitably Machiavellian, the villian and villianess multidimensional, and the customs rich and complex. I could wish the author go a bit lighter on the foreshadowing, since it gives away a lot of surprising turns in the story. Phedre is an intriguing heroine that defies classification. Her story is poigant without being mushy.
It is her interesting tastes in sex that provide the book with its graphic moments. There are s&m scenes that might offend some people, but they are well done and not overly graphic.
The book is great as a stand alone but the author has plans for a trilogy. The second book Kushiel's Chosen will be out in Apirl 2002 and she is doing research on Egypt for the third book. I know I'll be waiting eagerly for the second installment.

Rating:
Summary: A Fresh and Original Epic Fantasy
Review: I have read many novels where the main character has been god touched, and uses his or her skills as an emissary of the gods to help save the lives of others but never in this way. Kushiel's Dart a novel by fantasy newcomer Jacquline Carey is a unique story. I can seriously say I have never seen anything quite like it before. It tells the story of, Phedre, a girl born with an ill luck name and a scarlet mote in her left eye. Considered to be cursed, she is sold in indentured servitude into the Night Court where she hopes one day to become a servant of Naamah, the goddess of sexual pleasure. Her life is changed forever when she is taken in by Anafiel no Delauny, a courtesan and spy. He sees her for what she really is, an anguissette, a child touched by the God of punishment Kusheil. This means that she is forced forever to feel pleasure and pain as one. As she begins to train for Naamah's service it is Delauny who teaches her the skills she will need to know to survive. He teachers her languages, history, and how to listen and pay attention in a world of dangerous politics.

There are so many good things to be said about this novel and I cannot possibly list them all here. One of the most attractive things about this book, in my opinion, is the elegant prose it is written in. Certainly not for everyone, Ms. Carey writes in a very descriptive manner filled with beautiful picture of the D'Angeline world. Although some would consider this to be too drawn out and lengthy is fits the character, a strong woman who is taught to listen and pay attention to every detail, perfectly. Another strong point would have to be the instantly likeable characters. Phedre for all of her strengths is a wonderfully flawed character. Even though she is intelligent, beautiful, and skilled she also falls victim to too much pride, impulsiveness, and often not thinking about how her actions will affect others. You will find yourself completely enthralled in her world from first page on and eager to find out what will happen to her and the other characters such as Hyacinthe and Joscelin.

The setting is another strength of Ms. Carey's writing. Although the map in the beginning of this book may look familiar (Central Europe) she manages to create interesting cultures that resemble there real life counterparts and, at the same time are very much different. Terre D'Ange, where much of the novel takes place, is a passionate world filled with beautiful people, the descendants of gods, and complicated politics. Carey also shows a skill for creating interesting religions, although the reader will not completely see that until the second book in this trilogy, Kushiel's Chosen.

I've honestly never thought a 900 page book could be called a page turner but this certainly was. I read it in under a week and immediately went out and bought the sequel. Although many readers may be put off by amount of sex and violence (sometimes in the same scene) I urge you to look past that and see the novel for what it really is, an amazing story about a strong woman and the adventures she has.

Rating:
Summary: The first 600 pages were spectacular...
Review: ...and it was a shame that a book with so much potential should leave me exhausted from laboring through the last 300 pages instead of rushing out to buy Kushiel #2.

The story is built around the intruiging concept of an alternate renaissance world (with a religion that coincidentally dovetails with themes from Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code)--and is the only fantasy novel I've read with a map of Europe in the front. Although the names of countries and cities have been changed, they all still had historical roots (in OUR world!) and can be deciphered by any reader with a slight classical background. Kudos to Carey for the obviously extensive research she conducted to give her setting authenticity.

The main character Phedre of Terre D'Ange (Land of Angels...aka France) is bought and raised by an erudite nobleman with a hidden agenda of espionage. He has Phedre trained as a courtesan, but in this alternate world the "arts of the bedroom" are related to religious zeal--and the detailed cultural picture of Terre d'Ange painted by the author had me believing it, too. In her acceptable role in society as courtesan, Phedre aids her master by collecting information from her various high-brow clients. Treason and political intrigue gradually sift to the surface...and suddenly Phedre's world is turned upside-down.

This is where the book gets very good. I loved watching Phedre and her uptight body-guard named Josslin come to terms with Barbaric Skaldi tribes. And with eachother. Here the characters were at their fullest and held my concert. But what goes up must come down, as the saying goes. Once this major plot point is resolved, the rest of the story drags on, a 300 page anticlimax. The emotion I had felt as the story unfolded suddenly faded.

One aspect of the book that jarred me was that for the most part, the story is rooted in the realism of alternate history. For more than 600 pages, the laws of physics etc. are obeyed. Then towards the end several undeniably *magical* occurances were so out of place that I could no longer suspend my belief, and my faith in this beautiful alternate world sprung a leak.

It also got annoying the way the author repeated herself, describing the same thing over and over (300+ pages could have been omitted!) Yes, I know that kneeling "abeyante" was the first thing Phedre learned at the Night Court...I don't need to be told every single time she kneels (and she sure kneels a lot)!

To sum it up, Kushiels Dart had all the political intrigue, spies and plots I had hoped for, but for all the plot complexities and researched background, didn't have the depth and belivability I'd hoped for.

Rating:
Summary: Elegant and Engrossing...
Review: I kept running across this book in bookstores but it just looked too weird for me, so I always passed it over. Finally, after reading the reviews it got here I decided to try it. I don't think anything could have prepared me for a book like this.

This book made my heart ache, it made me laugh, and it brought tears to my eyes. Each character is a complex, multilayered creation, neither good nor evil, but driven by passions and ambitions to do the things they do. Phedre's development from rebellious, observant child into an accomplished adult is believable and incredible to watch. I was as in love with Delauney and Joscelyn as she was. All of Carey's characters demand respect, from Melisande all the way to the minor Tzingano characters and the Skaldi.

In fantasy it is rare to find a world that is totally complete in every way. Often worlds lack complexity, peoples lack culture, and relgions are dubious. Carey's world, however, is so rich in detail one can almost picture oneself in Phedre's place as she describes places and people. And Carey's language is beautiful. Poetic and flowing, but never becoming to flowery of difficult to read. She has a knack for catching the mood of a moment while adding insight as Phedre looks back on the event.

Often, it seems, political intrigue books lack action- and action books lack any sensible politics. Carey has blended the two seemslessly. There is mystery, betrayal, romance, slavery, sex...so much that one would think the book would be too much. But it's not. It's real. It's dramatic and emotional and so vivid I feel as if I'd experienced Phedre's adventures myself.

I can't say how good this book is...I simply can't do it justice. All I can say is that I loved the characters, and hated them, and my heart caught in my throat for fear at their fate, and that of their land. It's a beautifuly written book, but more than that, it's a lovingly written book. I loved it.

Rating:
Summary: Good but.....
Review: I did read this book in 2 maybe 3 days. And I loved the ideas behind the world building...ie, Elua, his Companions and the strong religious sentiment of the book. The alternate Europe was well drawn but for a book this long I wanted much more atmosphere than is given.
Carey gives us a lavish society and interesting characters, but the interuptions from Phedre as narrator are prosaic and distracting. Mostly she says things like I don't have the craft to drecribe what happened, and then proceeds to do so. Which, if we are to believe her studies under Delaunay, she must be very equipped to describe her experiences.
And her sexual experiences are not develed into emotionally enough, nor with the true detail (not pornographic mind you). I think Carey strives to accomplish much with her descriptions of these sequences but I might suggest she look to Tanith Lee's Tales From the Flat Earth, Secret Books of Paradys, or Vivia for examples of really subtle yet vivid sexual descriptions.
The end of the book left me disappointed, the characters that are poignant to the story loose more and more focus, mainly Joscelin, and I felt as if I'd just finished an intriging Romance novel, rather than a work of Fantasy.
More of the Religious experience of the character, as a servant of Naamah and Kushiel would have filled out the flatness of Phedre as the plot progresses.
Not a waste of time definately not, and as a first novel, very ambitious and quite an accomplishment. It will be interesting to see Carey progress and if she polishes her craft to live up to the goals she seems to have set for herself in Kushiel's Dart.

Rating:
Summary: "When Love Cast Me Out, Cruelty Took Pity On Me!"
Review: "Kushiel's Dart" is an epic fantasy saga set in a world similar to Earth, during a period that resembles our early Renaissance. Author Jacqueline Carey weaves an intricate tale, a tapestry of adventure, political intrigue, love, friendship, trust and betrayal. She creates an enormous and varied cast of characters, as well as a variety of religions which motivate them - one resembling Christianity, another, a form of Judaism, and others where gods and demigods are worshipped, similar to those of ancient Greece and Rome. A most unique and unusual young women, who helps make history, narrates this story of a world in upheaval.

The main setting, Terre D'Ange, is a land of extraordinary beauty and grace, where it is said that the inhabitants, Angelines, are part angel and part mortal. Phedre no Delauney was sold into the service of Naamah, the honored profession of the courtesan, as a young child. She was a beautiful girl who will grow to be a magnificent woman - not unusual amongst those who are part angel. However, she was kissed by the god. There is a tiny crimson mote in the white of her left eye, (Kushiel's Dart), marking her as an "anguisette," one of Kushiel's Chosen. A true "anguisette" is extremely rare. Perhaps one is born every 4 or 5 generations. Anguisettes find pleasure in pain. She says of her fate, "When Love cast me out, it was Cruelty who took pity on me."

Phedre was bought by a wealthy peer of the realm, Anafiel Delauney, master spy and beloved of a King. When she was ten years-old he began to train her. She was to become the most famous courtesan in the realm. Prostitution is legal in Terre D'Ange and there is much cachet in belonging to an excellent house and/or in receiving exceptional schooling in the arts of love, letters and conversation. Delauney took her schooling one step further and taught her to gather and interpret intelligence.

A young queen is about to be crowned but there are others who vie for the throne. Delauney is sworn to protect the young princess and insure her reign. Thus Phedre is pledged to do the same. As she entertains and serves her patrons, Phedre learns dangerous information - secrets and lies - that set the wheels of adventure rolling. Her world is turned upside down, as friends turn foe and masters becomes pawns. All are somehow involved in plots and subplots, pieces of a large puzzle which she must solve to save her future queen.

I really enjoyed "Kushiel's Dart," the first book in Jacqueline Carey's trilogy. This is probably the only one of the three novels that can stand alone. The ending is a satisfying one, although it leaves more than enough loopholes to make one want to read more. There are some major flaws here also. The novel is much too long. There is a huge cast of characters and I had difficulties remembering many of them, although there is a key which is helpful. The dialogue is too flowery at times. But the principal characters are fabulous. They are very well developed, exciting, diverse - just plain fascinating. And their adventures, intrigues and battles are breathtaking. This epic adventure, part erotic odyssey, part chronicle of a land and its people will Wow you! Highly recommended!
JANA