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Summary: Carey weaves a vivid tapestry of a tale!
Review: Prepare to be enthralled! It's A.N. Roquelare meets Sharon Shinn and then some! A veritable feast of war, passion, honor and betrayal. A delicious summer read!
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Summary: A thrilling, vivid novel
Review: An unusual and charming heroine, a complex, multi-faceted world, a byzantine, well-crafted plot and a writing style that combines touches of hard realism with an almost mystical sense of prose make this a most brilliant, engrossing book. No short review can do justice to the allure of Phedre, the heroine, and those who surround her; from her companion the warrior-priest Joscelyn to her nemesis the high-born Melisande, taking in a varied, fascinating melange of gypsies and courtiers, courtesans and queens, soldiers and sailors and diplomats and priests... The story manages to combine the best aspects of thrillers, fantasy, high adventure, suspense and wrap them in a most original blend of exotic sensations and smooth storytelling. I most highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a superb tale and writing so good as to be, in parts, almost glorious.
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Summary: A Darkly erotic epic fantasy!
Review: Great epic fantasy is successful when it takes you to places you have never entered before.Authors like George Martin,China Mieville, Robin Hobb, Steven Erikson and Goodkind are examples now add Jacqueline Carey name to this esteem list. "When Love cast me out,it was Cruelty who took pity upon me." These words help start up this dark erotic epic fantasy that will take you to the kingdom of Terre d'Ange, a country born of angels where prostitution is a holy act and court intrigue is most lethal.You will see this through the eyes of unforgettable heroine,Phedre who is sold to the engimatic Delaunay to be trained as a courtesan and schooled in foreign languages and is to become Delaunay's spy.She will learn her nation's darkest secrets and deadiliest conspiracies.Phedre's adventures will take her to the beds of her country's most powerful men, to be sold to slavery to a barbarian king and savior of her homeland from a brutal invasion! This lavish epic fantasy is filled with scenes of disturbing sexuality as Phedre who gets sexual pleasure through use of pain, court intrigue as she uncovers a treasonous plots to overthrow the king.This novel also boasts casts of characters like the warrior priest,Joscelin who vows to protect Phedre as he loses his heart toward her.The Noble Anafiel Delaunay, Phedre's owner who teaches her to become a master spy for his agendas.Hyacinthe,Phedre's kind-hearted friend who is the prince of travelers and to save his homeland will make a heartbreaking sacrifice and the power hungry Skaldian warlord, Waldemar who seeks to conquer Terre d'ange and the brilliant but utterly ruthless villianess, Melisandre who use machivellian manuvers in quest for ultimate power.Carey has the ability to tell scenes of disturbing sensuality and sweeping battle scenes.Carey's world-building abilities are excellent.So pick up this book and enter Phedre's world of dark desire and darker intrigue.You will never forget the journey!
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Summary: Intellectually Offensive
Review: I find all the slathering of praise on this book to be silly. Certainly the author is literate, but the prose is one big self-gratification that I prefer not to participate in. I am not offended by the sex itself--even though all the bodice-ripper descriptions of "hard veined phalluses" hardly impress to the level I expected after a gushing Kirkus review. It is the persepctive that is bothersome. Perhaps few other readers don't take offense at the sort of content that abounds in this tasteless book, but if you put golden wrapping on manure, it's still manure; you can foist it off on a lot more people, however.
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Summary: Another Author Comments
Review: I was asked by Tor to review this book a couple of months ago - now I regret that I took so long to pick it up!"Kushiel's Dart" is a stunning book - the fact that it is a debut novel makes it even the more remarkable. It is anything but your run of the mill fantasy - it is sophisticated, daring, 'take it to the edge' fantasy ... that is, it is one of the best fantasy books you'll find on the shelves this year ... it is one of the best _books_ you'll find on the shelves this year. This has to be a must-read. I loved reading it - I regret not writing it! But wait, there's going to be two more books! Can it get any better? The buzz from inside publishing circles is that this is going to become one of the genre's classics. I commend Tor for picking it up (and then for being wise enough not to cut the guts out of it in editing to suit the faint-hearted), and I commend Jacqueline for writing it. I hope it goes all the way for you, Jacqueline!
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended.
Review: I've been recommending KUSHIEL'S DART, a pseudo-historical fantasy, by Jacqueline Carey. It's over 700 pages and is the projected first book of a trilogy but the book is complete in itself. This book has really fascinating and detailed settings, intricate and complex plotting and an unusual and compelling heroine. It's dark and very intense, sensual and exotic, unpredictable and exciting and yet also romantic and totally involving. I'm thinking that readers of Anne Bishop may like this book. The heroine's homeland, Terre D'Ange, is being beseiged by a number of internal and external political threats. The heroine, both a court spy and a courtesan, is instrumental in courteracting the numerous threats to her homeland. She's tough and intelligent. She's also unapologetically sensual with a sadomasochistic streak, which may not appeal to all readers and although I had some initial misgivings, this didn't bother me in the end, because it's part and parcel of who the character is and where's she's coming from. None of the sex and violence of the book is gratuitous - it's just part and only part of the story. If you like adventure, love, political machinations, heroism and treachery, I think you'll find KUSHIEL'S DART highly compulsive and completely absorbing reading.
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Summary: none
Review: "Kushiel's Dart" is exotically sublime, breathtaking in its beauty and scope. Carey's lyrical prose is as spellbinding as the story itself. A fascinating and compelling debut novel, and simply one of the best fantasies to come along this year... Gary S. Potter Author/Poet
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Summary: Well, sado-masochists will love it...
Review: ....if you are not one of them, however, may I recommend something else? ANTHING else, in fact? There is something unduly sad about reading an author who might be a talented wordsmith if not for the fact that this is one long playout of her warped sexual fantasies. I don't demean or condemn this kind of literature; certainly it has its place among people who get off on scenes of cutting and abuse, rape and torture. How lovely. The involvement of children is quite disturbing to me personally, but again, I guess if you're into erotica, you will love this book. I just expect a little more high fantasy and less sexual leather fantasy from Tor. Perhaps they should rename the publishing house TORE.
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Summary: The Story of "O" meets Kim
Review: This is a sumptuous, sensuous, sophisticated book; it's magnificent. Set in a beautifully-realized alternate history world with a truly interesting and workable theology, KUSHIEL'S DART is an intelligent erotic-political fantasy for adults. A marvelous, hate-to-put-it-down read.
Rating: 
Summary: Perverse and overblown
Review: I find first person writing hard to get into in the first place. Now I have to wonder what is up with Tor. Child prostitution, rape, and all other forma of perversion seem to gather great reviews but left me with my stomach turned. This is certainly a carefully written book, so I gave it an extra star, but the plot is dully buried under the titallation and I did not find the characters appealing. I guess sex sells.
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