The Black Swan

Rating:
Summary: I find it hard to beleive no one liked it
Review: I thought this was an excellent story, a refreshing change from Valdemar which was getting a little stale. The revision of Swan lake was interesting and I like a happy ending. Are the characters flat? I don't think so. The strong female charachters, both 'good' and 'evil' were inspiring.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing retelling of "Swan Lake"
Review: Hell hath no fury like a fan disappointed. While I loved FIRE ROSE, THE BLACK SWAN left me cold ( and in hard cover, no less). It wasn't the new happy ending to the tragic tale (I never cared for tragedy anyway), but the lack of logical character development. Siegfried's conversion from rapist to lover is hardly convincing and Odette's character is totally unknown for the first 100 pages of the book. Odile, who manages the happy ending for the other two and a considerable increase in wealth for the principality, is left with the satisfaction of doing good, a home in the aforementioned kingdom (the least they could do) and the possibility of a lover in the Prince's sidekick, "Benno." (What kind of name is that for a love interest?!) Not satisfying at all!

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful rewriting of Swan Lake
Review:

Sorcerer Baron von Rothbart has never forgiven women for the untimely death of his spouse. To avenge this affront, he begins to magically alter chosen females into beautiful swans. Only moonlight can temporarily alter his powerful spell and turn the swans back into human, but alas that does not last. The only female he has not changed into a bird is his daughter Odile, who minds his flock even as she desperately yearns for her father's approval.

Prince Seigfried, a noted philanderer, notices the flock changing back and forth between swans and humans. He returns every night and soon falls in love with the most intrepid of the prisoners, Princess Odette. He plans to do what ever it takes to free his beloved. However, even as Odile begins to doubt her loyalties, Seigfried's mother turns to the Baron to help her keep her son from attaining the throne that is rightfully his.

THE BLACK SWAN is a beautiful rewriting of the classic fairy tale, Swan Lake. The well-written story line is filled with enchantment, treachery, and love. The five prime characters are intelligently designed even as they stay close to the original story. Even when she writes about something fowl, Mercedes Lackey hits a home run.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: silouettes or characters
Review: It does seem to me that if the author is going to use someone else's libretto, there aught to be at least a bit of character development.

This is probably the flattest Lackey book I've ever read.

A real disappointment.

Rating:
Summary: So Excited
Review: Isnt anyone else excited asbout this novel? I mean when one of the best fantasy writers has a new novel coming out, there's nothing youi can do but be excited for it!

Well, all I have to say is that Misty is the best author out there -her and Terry Goodkind- and THe Black Swan is sure to be a hit!

Rating:
Summary: A light romance-fantasy
Review: This was my first Mercedes Lackey book, and I want more! It's a female fantasy, kind of like a romance in a fantasy setting. Guys won't like it. (I know because my brother didn't like it and he's a fantasy nut.) It revolves mainly around Odile, von Rothbart's daughter. It also covered a lot of sexist issues in an interesting way, such as how men can cheat on women yet not the other way around. With some of the men in this book, it's a wonder von Rothbart is after only women!
The problem with the book was that I felt it was incomplete. For example, why is von Rothbart after women? What did his wife do and why? You never find out. Why does von Rothbart hate mirrors? They show the truth, but what is he hiding? You don't find out either. Odile has a scrying mirror, and spends a chapter speculating and studying, but never ends up using it to see into her past.
The romance is mainly about Odette, the swan princess, even though she is not the main character. The main character, Odile barely gets any romance, and she is the black swan.


Rating:
Summary: not worth your money
Review: The Black Swan was the first Mercedes Lackey book that I have ever read, though her books seem to be everywhere. I thought it was a decent book; the characters were well-rounded, the plot sensible and the details of it all were quite beautiful.

The plot follows the story line of the fairy tale Swan Lake, with Odile as the protagonist. Odile develops very well through the course of the story and the swan maidens are well drawn. It bothered me, though, that Von Rothbart's hatred of women was never explained. The reader never finds out what happened to Odile's mother or why Von Rothbart has set himself upon this quest. Those missing details left the story feeling incomplete, in my opinion.

Lackey switches her point of veiw between Odile, Prince Seigfried, and Siegfried's mother, Queen Clothide. Queen Clothide was an interesting and well developed, if not particularly likable character. I could see why she made some the choices she did. It was very interesting to see things through both the eyes of Seigfried and his mother. Lackey did a wonderful job of portraying life through the very different eyes of her three storytellers.

Overall, the book was a nice little read. I enjoyed it quite throroughly, even if it did leave some questions unanswered. Lackey's characters and details are distinct and nicley drawn, and, after all, who doesn't love a good fairy-tale?

Rating:
Summary: I love this book!
Review: As a moderate fan of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books, I was interested in seeing what her other books were like. I had friends warn me against Gates of Sleep, so I picked up The Black Swan.

The book is wonderful. It is such a rich, multidimensional telling of the story of Swan Lake. The characters have true depth and development. Viewing the events from the pivoting standpoints of Odile, the black swan, and Prince Seigfried makes the story all the more interesting. We see Odette, the tragic Swan Queen only through the eyes of those about her.

Rating:
Summary: Not an exciting read
Review: Compared to some of M. Lackey's earlier works, especially her tales of Valdemar, but this book left me wanting. The characters were flat and the story was contrived and bland. The villian of the story was about the only character who remained consistent. The females of the book were often simpering and melodramatic. The "heroic" prince is a confused rapist who falls in love with a the leading fowl of the swan flock.

This story would have greatly benefited if the author had made her main character more independent and less of a (excuse the pun) lackey.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but....
Review: I'd never read anything by this author before but the book looked promising (I enjoy historical and fantasy works). The setting was very realistic, the plot interesting, the characters good and the writing good. However, it misses a 5-star rating becuase it felt like something was lacking. Somehow a distance is created from the characters. None of them feel very close to you or very easy to identify with. There is a general distant feel to the wiriting and the story as though you're watching the events from a distance rather than feeling like you're one of the characters (as some better books allow you to do...like the Mists of Avalon, etc.)