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Summary: Rhapsody in Hue
Review: I have just finished reading Rhapsody. It is a wonderfully delightful read. It was a refreshing fantasy story that comes as a relief after reading Terry Goodkinds Sword of Truth! It has a great protential! I will be looking forward to reading more books for Elizabeth Haydon who has not allow herself to fall into the trap of using redundant fantasy themes, but has create a vivid world that will pull you in! Her characters will feel as if they were your best friends! She really pulls the reader into her world. Thanks Elizabeth!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: I am an avid reader of fantasy. I love the big ones--the Jordans, Goodkinds and Eddings--as well as the small, quirky ones--JV Jones, Robin Hobb, Brian Froud, Patricia McKillip. I found the best parts of both in this book. It is truly a new breed of fantasy, and one that richly deserves acclaim.The pure storytelling talent of this writer took me by storm. I felt a sureness that I rarely experience, a strong understanding of the world and the characters that made me unable to put this book down. It's nice to be in the thrall of a master storyteller. There is nothing more disturbing than getting the feeling that the author is rambling or uncertain as to what is coming next, a feeling I've had with the big books lately. Instead, Haydon gives me the sense that her world, her history, is meticulously plotted out, that all the ends will be tied up eventually. The trio of lead characters, and eventually Jo, play off each other perfectly. Haydon is not afraid to show traits that are unlikable, which made me like the characters even more. But in my opinion the most impressive aspect of the book is the way magic is treated. It is not a rehash of role playing game spell throwing, or pulled out of a hat like a rabbit. It is a scientific system that makes sense, and ingrained in the world itself. I can't wait for the sequel!
Rating: 
Summary: Good but Over Rated
Review: I must admit that while I enjoyed this offering, I don't think if is as good as some of the reviews seems to indicate. It is not, however, as bad as the nastiest reviews indicate either. On the whole, I think it is worlds better than most of the Fantasy out there... but sadly that is not saying much. It reads very easily, but the language is a bit too 1990ish for my personal taste. It also has the odd tendency to drift into completely overdone language now and then: 'he moved across the landscape like a shadow, unseen, unheard even by the wind itself' Even by the wind itself? Then it transforms magically back into colloquial English. It makes me wonder why nobody actually tries to write epic fantasy anymore? Even so, a good vacation read on the whole. As for the characters... I find the title character annoying. It seems that even when she is wrong she is right and is all caring and giving. Even her faults are virtues, etc. etc. BLAH! The only significant other female character in the book, an urchin sidekick is also annoying (I hope there is some reason why this character is introduced). And they say men can't write women characters. Rhapsody's two prime companions are, however, much more enjoyable, though the big lovable Grunthor lacks the gruff edge I found myself wishing for. Furthermore, assuming I am reading his accent properly, he plays into the stupid-but-lovable working class British stereo-type. Typical classism. Makes me wonder how the book will fly over there. Achmed, or the Brother, on the other hand, is refreshingly dark, and one wishes there were more scenes with him. On the positive side, some comments have mentioned that it is slow moving, but I find the pace refreshing. There is a tendency to just jump into action these days without the reader developing a sense of character or any reason they may care about the situation. I found myself more and more drawn into the story as it progressed and I do look forward to the sequels. Rhapsody is clearly the first of a trilogy, and like the Fellowship of the Ring, must be slow moving by its very nature. Suspension of disbelief and all that. I also like what seems to be a very complicated background. It is nice to see a novel where one can think, question and hypothesize. I do look forward to the sequels, but will probably wait for them to come out in Paperback... but when they do, I will buy them. Despite all the criticism, I do think that it is the best Fantasy I have read in years... that is probably why I complain.
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Summary: The type of Book that transforms one into a lifelong Reader!
Review: Like others in previous reviews have stated, this is one of the magical books that if you are lucky, you discover about once every 10 years. If you weren't a reader before you will be one afterwards. Elizabeth Hayden, you are "named" a storyteller. The highest compliment I can think of. I cannot wait for the stories that you have yet to tell.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: A classic with a twist. Definitely better than Jordan's books(too confusing). Well developed characters. Enough background info for reader's imagination. Two things I don't like about Rhapsody this character are : why after Jo's adoption she(rhapsody) kept threatening her two other companions with her separation? Also, it appears that sometimes she seems to have air between her ears (might it be because when she's near the children she is incapable of thinking?)
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Summary: A really different take on the fantasy epic
Review: Dark Moon Rising, a scifi and fantasy ezine, ran a review recently of this title and raved about it. I thought it sounded interesting, but was not moved to actually buy it in hardcover [something I try not to do] until I saw it on Amazon's "ten best of the year list." I am glad that I took the plunge and made the purchase. The first edition of this book is bound to become a classic. The main and secondary characters in this book are written with so much aplomb. Any author can make an assassin into a protagonist--it takes guts for one to write one who is not necessarily a good person, but who straddles the line between good and evil, and walks on whatever side he wants. The multiple dimensions of the other characters is worth the cost of the book alone. There were parts of this book that seemed specifically to set up the trilogy, leaving me wanting to know more. Nonetheless, there was more packed into the 480 pages of this book than in three of the last 1000-page Jordans which I abandoned after book 8. Read this book. Experience a new kind of fantasy with all the good things you like about the old kind.
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Summary: Character development and subtle humor in fantasy?
Review: Hard to believe, but true. The most amazing thing about this book for me was the intricacy of the plot and the complexity of the characters. Good guys who are maybe bad guys--but not for certain--bad guys who may be anyone. A beautiful woman who feels like a freak. A merciless killer who doesn't trust anyone learns why he needs to. Sex scenes that are the embodiment of sadness. Humor that is pervasive. What an amazing book. I recommend it. I can only say this: tastes differ, and not everyone enjoys the same thing. But when tons of people like something that you don't, it doesn't make it hype.
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Summary: Rhapsody, Child of Blood
Review: This is the best fantasy work since Raymond Feist's Riftwars. I couldn't put it down - and this from a woman who has been reading fantasy and sci-fi for 35 years. It has all the makings of a classic. The characters are wonderfully wrought and the humor she injects is a delightful counterpoint to the serious business of a quest against a pervasive evil. I can't wait for the next two books in the trilogy.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, but so many loose ends I wanted to scream
Review: Rhapsody is a pretty good book, but by the time I figured everything out, the book was over with. I am dying to read the sequel. It was funny and clever and interesting. There were two main things I didn't like: Rhapsody's character and the prelude. I spent the entire book wondering what was up with the prelude until the end. And Rhapsody is a good person and all, but I agree with the reader from Canada who wrote in here earlier: I hated how she managed to attract every man on the face of the earth to her and everyone loved her. I also didn't like how she was such a do-gooder. She didn't seem to have any flaws except that she used to be a prostitute. She managed to make everyone like her and she liked everything and succeeded in all that she did. An overall good book, but I just didn't like how Rhapsody seemed more like a goddess or maybe a demi-goddess than a person. But I gave it to my father to read, and I would tell others to read it also, with a warning about how all of the plot coming together in my mind at the last second and all of the loose ends made me want to rip my hair out for lack of a sequel. Read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended
Review: I enjoyed this book more than anything in recent memory. The characters, especially Grunthor, are interesting and real, and the language is wonderful. Kudos to the author.
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