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Summary: A world both real and fantastic
Review: What a wonderful book! Blending action and great characters, Elizabeth Haydon has broken the mold of the standard "hero with a sword. son of unknown father destined to rule the world" stereotype. In addition, she does not give us the typical Xena babe but a heroine with strengths and flaws dealing with powers in the way a real person would--being baffled by them. I love Achmed, one of the best characters of fantasy literature to date, and Grunthor, who demonstrates a nice balance between fierce loyalty and pregmatism. What is most amazing is the writing, however. It's evocative and beautiful, with haunting descriptions and clear sighted imagination. Shadowfire and the like are full of hot air; this is a great book.
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Summary: An amazing start from an author who will go far
Review: Meet Rhapsody, the beautiful, sorrowful singer, with a face that hypnotizes men and a sweet soul to boot. Meet Achmed, a hideous person with a scathing sense of humor and a tie to the land that makes him valuable to all those who wish their opponents dead. Meet Grunthor (my favorite), the enormous Sergent-Major with no troops who faithfully follows and protects his friends, and has a sweet nature despite his monstrous appearence. They are the Three, prophesied to save the Cymrians and become as close a trio as ever there was. There are other lovable characters along the way, as well: Jo, the street orphan who comes to be one of the "family"; Ashe, who probably has a tie to Rhapsody, and has as bad a humor as Achmed; Anborn, the obnoxious general who is destined to "guard the sky...lest it fall"; Llauron, the grandfatherly invoker of the Filids, a religious sect, who doesn't seem quite trustworthy; and the good, kind, Patriarch of the other religious sect, devoted to helping his people. This is an amazing and engrossing trilogy (sorry, did I forget to mention that earlier? Rhapsody, Prophesy, and Destiny) by an author who I am desperate to read more of. Way to go, Elizabeth!
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Summary: "Rhapsody" gets a bad rap - with good reason
Review: Why was this book written? What purpose stands behind it? A work of fiction is an interplay of ideas - "Rhapsody" is more like a collision of cliches, with lots of interesting yet lifeless tidbits interspersed with some of the most insipid writing ever committed to paper. There are snatches that read like Salvatore, parts reminiscent of Weis and Hickman, more than a few bits of Goodkind here and there (I imagine fans of one will be fans of the other), but the book never quite connects then dots - it occupies the uneasy vacuum between a character story, an adventure story, and a setting story. "Rhapsody" is a rote exercise in fantasy, limp and without passion. So limp and so without passion that the reader is reduced to analyzing what went wrong with any given scene, the way the characters are described, or how the dialog flows (or, in this instance, doesn't). Thus, I found it interesting when, as Rhapsody is being abducted for no reason (oh, the book provides one, but it is almost impossibly contrived), she turns around to gaze at the cityscape. We see the stone houses, the jumble of marble temples... of course, you have to understand there isn't a single original word in there - I can quote identical lines from Howard, if not Dunsany. My interest wanes, only to revive several pages later at the mention of "some root that also needed cooking (66)." What is this mysterious root, that lone vegetable ingredient of "stew," the fantasy catch-all dish? Then comes a scene with a wrathful demon-priest. It's unintentionally funny, because too many things catch on fire. The book opens with two adolescents meeting. They instantly feel they are meant for each other and have sex - in the course of a long, protracted, very descriptive scene. Several things wrong here: a - this is child pornography; b - no fourteen-year-olds could possibly pull off anything close to what is described; and c - this is actually the setup for the sequel, never to be tackled till the very end of the book, when we've lost all interest. The book continues on in this fashion, alternating between the sing-song language of badly written fantasy and parts possessing a tone so oblique and impenetrable that it seems Haydon wrote the book against her will (the interminable scene with the Root comes to mind). The characters aren't much help: these two-trait manikins are bereft of any semblance of humanity; they are plot devices, despite even the fact that only three are developed to any useful extent. Haydon doesn't understand that there are ways to elaborate characters other than long, winding conversations. Haydon tells, not shows, far more than is necessary, and when she IS able to communicate something through her characters' actions, not only does the whole situation seem contrived, but Haydon repeats the scene again and again to hammer in the point (the numerous scenes of people getting weak-kneed at the sight of Rhapsody's face come to mind). She also cannot do without the simplistic device of switching viewpoints when a character needs introducing: she simply inserts a small scene written from the new character's viewpoint, and later everyone knows how to respond. Lastly, her writing is exceptionally florid. "He was perennially in a state of vigilance (349)" could be much more comfortably phrased as "he was always cautious." In addition, Haydon is uncertain about this odd device of "plot". At first she abandons it almost totally. Then, when her characters emerge from the Root two hundred pages and fourteen hundred years later, she tries to build one - for no reason at all. Achmed, one of Rhapsody's two companions, develops a sudden interst in becoming the King of the Bolg tribes. He has no motivation to rule a nation of cliche savages, but who cares. Rhapsody, who is normally queasy at the sight of blood, starts enjoying the numerous flashy swordfight scenes, for no reason other than to let them exist (at first she is almost in hysterics, but later dismisses gruesome skirmishes as "unholy messes"). Then she sanctions the brutal conquest of the Bolg. The victory is very simple, because Haydon fails to communicate the costs involved. Even when the characters occupy Gwydion's ruined palace, they seem to be on vacation. Haydon realizes that her book is failing and tacks on a comic sidekick - Jo, a street urchin. Lots of scenes follow in which Jo mistakes men's privates for coin purses (the book is generally heavy on innuendo no one could find funny, or at least not repeatedly). Magic plays an unbelievably small role: the F'Dor (the demon-priest who sets things on fire) is abandoned early in the book; Rhapsody can put things to sleep through music, but her arcane gifts are just conversation pieces ("you're a Namer, eh?")... oh, wait, scratch that - she uses her gifts in two totally extraneous scenes: in one she charms an Ouroboros look-alike and in another revives a tree (note that both times she leaves her harp behind her, only to be seen playing it in the next scene). In essence, the entire book boils down to an incredibly lengthy prologue form its sequel: we never discover what malicious magic hypnotizes the villagers and abducts children (there's a scene where waves of zombie villagers assault a friendly duke's mansion, yet further in the book Lord Stephen acts as if nothing happened); who is Rakshi, and who is pulling his strings? is Llauron really Gwydion's son, and why does it matter? So many loose ends remain untied, it's scary. Even at its best, "Rhapsody" fails to absorb. There isn't even a climax, or a resolution: this isn't even a part of a trilogy as much as a complex setup for the sequel. And I can sincerely say I am not at all likely to read the next book in the series - it may well turn out to be the prequel for the third.
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Summary: I was never a big fan.
Review: I was never a big fan of fantasy, but I must say that Elizabeth Haydon has made me a hardcore fan. Rock on.
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Summary: Pretty Good Series
Review: I have read all three and like the series pretty well. Not to die for, but an enjoyable read. At times I felt Rhapsody to be just a little too good to be true, not human enough. Didn't really get a feel for the characters.
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Summary: A great, exciting read that doesn't follow the herd
Review: If you are tired of the typical in fantasy, this could be for you. The characters are unforgetable, the descriptions of places and things perfect, and the blending of beautiful myth with wholly original plot dizzying. I grow annoyed at those who cannot seem to understand the character of Rhapsody. Unlike the stereotypical female protagonist, the Xena warrior princess type or arm candy for the hero, Rhapsody is flawed, vulnerable, and all too human. She has lived as the only minority in her village growing up, has made bad choices for which she has suffered, and finds herself in the middle of something she cannot comprehend and must fight in inestimable ways to survive. She undergoes an amazing transformation which she cannot see. People with no real depth to them dismiss this as being too good to be true; readers with some understanding of nuance and human nature have seen it many times in life. It's brilliance, and one of the reasons that Elizabeth Haydon is considered by many critics and fans to be the best new author writing in the genre today. Enjoy.
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Summary: OldSciFiDog
Review: Rhapsody: Child of Blood by Elizabeth Haydon.
Wow! What can I say that is not redundant to what has already been said. First of all you will NOT glean any specific plot lines, or characters from this review. What I do, is try to indicate whether or not this author and this tale is worth your time and nickel. I write this review with the perspective of having read the sequel. This work I would classify as fantasy and would also classify it as not just a story or tale, but as an Epic Tale. The story plots and characters are superbly defined, and she continues to evolve her characters within the story plot lines in each book in a seamless fashion. I personally do not care what an author bases their universe on as long as the author defines the rules and is consistent within them. This author has created a New World that is fascinating, consistent, and believable as defined. This epic tale is broken very cleverly into three sections with each book concerned with a portion in clarification and solving a set of mysteries. This book introduces us to the principle characters and gives us a glimpse of what mysteries are to be resolved later. You will want to re-read this book to get what you missed the first time (probably because you could not help yourself reading so fast). Ms Haydon weaves a very interesting and complex series of intrigues and mysteries, which held my attention and made me, thirst for MORE! The characters remain true and consistent to their characteristics even though at times you want to scream "DON'T BE SO NAIVE!" I also found the characters and their motivations to be consistent within the story parameters. Now, for the down side observations. On my third pass through this work I have come to the conclusion that not everyone is going to fall in love this. Those who want action unending will not find it in these pages. What they will find instead is characters well developed, placed in crises situations which they have to overcome using intelligence, developed skill and team work. But these situations do not occur on every page (which I find refreshing). This is NOT a put down for those readers thirsting for action or the authors who write it, I am merely saying you wont find this work to be in that vain. I have also found three items that might distress some. 1) Achmed has a scene on the Root where he appears to become immobilized due to cold (via being renamed Achmed the Snake). This after Rhapsody has said that a Namer can not change the basic character of an object. This is the only scene that Achmed appears to have a problem with cold temperatures. 2) Rhapsody appears to own and be able to use a Bow, without having any training in its use. The Bow as in the Sword is an acquired skill and the author does a very credible job in Rhapsody's training in the use of the Sword but not the Bow. 3) Some may find the author's physics to be a challenge with regards to gravity on the Root. While consistent (with some effort on my part) it is a little fuzzy. Now why do I still give 4 1/2 stars (actually 5 because I consider 41/2 to be closer to 5 than 4) for this work: 1) The above mentioned scene for Achmed is the only inconsistency of his character and Rhapsody's Namer character in the in tire trilogy. 2) Rhapsody while having, the Bow makes no significant use of it (i.e., it does not save her or anyone else's life ... etc.) in the story. 3) While the journey on the Root is of vital importance to the story, the physics of the Root plays only a very small part to the story. Also there will be times that story seems to drag, but what she is doing is building her characters (this is an epic, NOT an adventure thrill, though there is plenty of action). I found myself flying through pages, hungry for more. So the conclusion is I REALLY LIKE this author (even though I am primarily a hard science fiction reader) and am very glad my daughter did not have time to read the book, so lent it to me. I believe this author (along with the hype) has greatness and may ascend to god status (as in Larry Nivin ...etc.). Therefore this author's work deserves to be read. Bon appetit if you chose to under take this adventure.
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Summary: Indescribably Annoying
Review: I can't understand why this book is getting all the raves it is. I personally found that it was...okay, but not absorbing; I had no trouble putting it down and there were plenty of things I'd rather do than pick it up. In fact, the first time I did pick it up I couldn't get through more than the first five pages before I decided I had better things to do with my time. The characters are so stock that they seemed computer generated. I had definitely seen every one of them before, and most of the places I had seen them they were better done and more believable. Though Haydon makes an effort to portray people who are well-rounded and not necessarily nice, it fell flat. Even when the ogre-type was hlding forth about drinking the blood and eating the flesh of his enemies, he seemed to have been brought into being by the creators of My Little Pony. Rhapsody herself is prissy and irritating, and her extreme beauty is pointless and trite. Haydon keeps talking about the horrid experiences of her past, but you get the feeling that the author has never had any hardship in her life and so doesn't know how real people react to it and grow through it. This is unfortunate, as some of the magical powers involved are interesting. However, they were not interesting enough and did not add enough to the story to make up for the annoyance of having to read about these people. The plot itself is pretty interesting once you can find it, but there are some devices that just didn't work for me to the point of detracting from the story rather than adding to it. I also found there were LONG passages of utterly dull non-events linking miniscule paragraphs of brilliance; everything that I found interesting just wasn't dealt with enough. For example, I expected the science of Singing to have a more prevalent and relevant place in the book; instead it seemed just kind of tacked on. The writing itself was stilted and overdone in places. It reminded me of the books we all write in junior high after the first time we read _Lord of the Rings._ The dialog paid lip service to being witty, but once again seemed shallow and flat. I found the framing sequence incomprehensible and distracting. Once again, it seemed designed to be significant and didn't work. In fact, one of the things that I found so distasteful about _Rhapsody_ was that it seemed less a true work of fantasy than a marketing ploy intended to appeal to readers of fantasy. It had all the elements one would expect, but they were applied in the ham-fisted manner of an advertisement. All in all, I'd say take this book on a vacation where you have plenty of other stuff to do, but if you're marooned with it you're in trouble.
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Summary: Best Fantasy Book Ever
Review: Mystery. Suspense. Love. Hate. Elizabeth Hayden has written the best fanasy book since Lord of the Rings.
Rhapsody is the single greatest mystery of the book. After years of studying she has finally achieved the highest level of her passion -music. Unfortunitly some still remember a time when she was reduced to resorting to much less honorable means of survival, such as prostitution. Micheal, the 'Wind of Death' as he called himself was one such person and he intended to force her back into that dark time. Luckily Rhapsody encountered two mysterious half breed men who took her away with them to escape the 'Wind of Death'. Together the three companions set off on one of the most memorable journeys anyone could ever hope to discover through literature.
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Summary: Don't miss this one
Review: This book is first in a trilogy based loosly on Celtic mythology. It starts out perhaps more as a romance novel than fantasy, but don't be deceived. This is all necessary to the plot, though it doesn't become apparent until the end. The story follows Rhapsody, Achmed, and Grunthor as they travel through the World Tree, and 1000 years into the future, as they run from their personal demons. Will it be enough to escape the F'dor bent on the destruction of the world?
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