The Ladies of Mandrigyn (Unschooled Wizard 1)

Rating:
Summary: A major stimuli to the imagination.
Review: I am in the SCA...Society of Creative Anachronism. We re-create the middle ages. The group I am in is a mercenary group, and I must say that this book brings out some of the most base thoughts a mercenary of that time would have. It brings to life the possible hardships and the raw toughness of them. It then also brings forth the vivid pictures of the land as only a persons mind could in their dreams. The colors and the grapic grittiness of it makes it a great story.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent, vivid and original fantasy novel!
Review: One of the things I really appreciate about the book is that it isn't your constant, run of the mill, Lord Of The Rings rehash. I grew tired of most fantasy novels years ago, because all of them seemed so much the same. But Hambly's book is different from the rest, and I like both her writing style and her characters. I've also read the following 2 novels, but felt this one outclassed them both. It's a book with its share of surprises, focussing more on the story than on every painful detail of the world it takes place in. So if you're pretty iffy about fantasy, and want something that doesn't fall into the same, tired pattern, give this book a try.

Rating:
Summary: Ladies of Mandrigyn - a winner
Review: This book has become one of my perennial favorites, along with its sequels, "The Witches of Wenshar" and "The Dark Hand of Magic." Hambly does an exquisite job of building believable characters in her believable fantasy world, and the realism of their inner and outward conflicts are almost always absolutely true to their own nature. My copies of Ladies as well as Witches and Dark Hand are so worn that I regret the books are out of print, as I would gladly replace my tattered copies. By all means anyone looking for a good read should hunt down the Ladies of Mandrigyn.

Rating:
Summary: My first Hambly.
Review: This book was lent to me by the most unsuspecting person:My Tae Kwon Do teacher(Sabumnim).As soon as she found out that I loved fantasy ,she lent me this book.
I was enchanted by how thouroughly Hambly describes her world,and how realistic the training of the women is.The character was a bit dislikeable at first,but he developes.
Warning:The violence is exrtremely explicit.

Rating:
Summary: One of Hambley's best!
Review: This book, which I stumbled onto some years back in a used bookstore, has to be one of Hambley's best efforts, and that is saying something from such a talented and diverse author. This is a different kind of fantasy book, not about awe-inspiring heroes or mighty wizards, but one told from the viewpoint of an ordinary everyday soldier, who turns out to not be so ordinary. It details the life and philosophies of a mercenary, which is not common in fantasy literature. The characters are well-written and fully fleshed out, very believable. The main character, Capt. Sun Wolf, is one of the best "everyman" characters in print. His efforts to train a group of women how to fight to rescue their men are the central focus of most of the book, and it is wonderful to see how his attitudes change throughout the book. The main female characters are strongly written, and the central female character, Sheera, is one of the unforgettable characters in fanstasy literature. The tale of love between the capt and his second-in-comman Starhawk, both believing the other has no feelings for them, is heartwrenchingly beautiful and gripping. All in all, this story introduces the reader to a world that feels so real you almost expect to open a door and enter it. And the main plot twist of the secret of magical power is so shocking that it is doubtful the reader will know it's coming. This is a great story, and I highly recommend it to anyone lucky enough to find it in some old dusty bookstore.

Rating:
Summary: One of Hambley's best!
Review: This book, which I stumbled onto some years back in a used bookstore, has to be one of Hambley's best efforts, and that is saying something from such a talented and diverse author. This is a different kind of fantasy book, not about awe-inspiring heroes or mighty wizards, but one told from the viewpoint of an ordinary everyday soldier, who turns out to not be so ordinary. It details the life and philosophies of a mercenary, which is not common in fantasy literature. The characters are well-written and fully fleshed out, very believable. The main character, Capt. Sun Wolf, is one of the best "everyman" characters in print. His efforts to train a group of women how to fight to rescue their men are the central focus of most of the book, and it is wonderful to see how his attitudes change throughout the book. The main female characters are strongly written, and the central female character, Sheera, is one of the unforgettable characters in fanstasy literature. The tale of love between the capt and his second-in-comman Starhawk, both believing the other has no feelings for them, is heartwrenchingly beautiful and gripping. All in all, this story introduces the reader to a world that feels so real you almost expect to open a door and enter it. And the main plot twist of the secret of magical power is so shocking that it is doubtful the reader will know it's coming. This is a great story, and I highly recommend it to anyone lucky enough to find it in some old dusty bookstore.

Rating:
Summary: THIS IS A GREAT BOOK
Review: This is a great book. Lots of plot twists and things. With a cute love story in it too. It's one of my favorites. You can connect with the charactors. there so cool. read this it is good.

Rating:
Summary: Another wonderful series...
Review: This is Barbara Hambly's other series that I have read and reread. I wish she would write more featuring SunWolf and Starhawk. Please don't pass this series up. It is well worth the time spent reading!

Rating:
Summary: Another wonderful series...
Review: This is Barbara Hambly's other series that I have read and reread. I wish she would write more featuring SunWolf and Starhawk. Please don't pass this series up. It is well worth the time spent reading!

Rating:
Summary: A major stimuli to the imagination.
Review: This is the most gripping, vivid, richly colored book I have ever read. And this is only the first; the last (The Dark Hand of Magic) is easily on the same level. I've read the series six times and will read it again. Not because I am some kind of sick twisted individual, but because this novel seduces the die-hard fantasy reader, seizes one by the throat and drags one through "the dust and blood that hangs on everybody," as Adam Duritz says (albiet on a totally different subject). I love the weighty richness of Tad Williams, and I think TW's writing is of a higher order. But this book isn't trying to be a masterpiece; rather, it is what every good fantasy story should be--raw emotion barely contained. It's a roller coaster. You'll get choked up; you'll laugh with joy; you'll feel the rush. No, this story won't hold your hand as it slowly weaves another world. It drops you in this other world. And Hambly uses beautifully original description for a genre that has been as stale as crouttons for... well, since Tolkien I guess. There's simply nothing else like it.