Once upon a Winters Night

Rating:
Summary: A romantic adventure
Review: In the foreword to _Once Upon a Winter's Night_, Dennis McKiernan theorizes that fairy tales used to be long epic stories, recited by talented bards, but that over the centuries only the bare bones of the stories have survived. He goes on to say that "East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon" was one of his favorites as a child, and that he is now going to tell that story the way he wishes it had been told to him. And I;m very glad he did so.

What we have here is a romantic, adventure-packed fairy tale for the grown-ups. Camille agrees to marry the mysterious Prince Alain so that her parents can afford a doctor for her cute little sick brother, but comes to truly love the masked man with whom she shares a vast mansion. When she inadvertently activates a curse upon him, he and the palace's staff all vanish in a great wind, and Camille has a year and a day plus one moon's time in which to find him. All she knows is that he is in a place east of the sun and west of the moon.

We travel through the land of Faery with Camille, meeting bards and sorceresses and dragons along the way, as Camille encounters danger after danger in her quest for someone who has heard of the place east of the sun and west of the moon. On and on she travels, and over and over she meets people who can give her no answer. Here the story becomes almost tedious--chapter after chapter of characters who aren't much help--but the effect is that we feel the endlessness of the journey right along with Camille. We are heartstricken with her every time someone says "I've never heard of it; go ask so-and-so." We feel the impossibility of the quest, and anxiously count the days she has left. By the climax of the novel, I had no idea how McKiernan was going to get Camille out of her predicament. This is a testament to the author's skill, that I was so tense, as a reader, wondering how the heroine would ever succeed in her quest.

Camille perseveres, and proves the strength of her love for Alain. In the end, this is both an adventure and a romance, full of monsters and riddles and sensuality. It reminded me of another book I love, Neil Gaiman's _Stardust_, though the tone is a little different. Is it really true that there is to be a sequel? I can't wait!

Rating:
Summary: Overall a good effort
Review: Overall, Dennis McKiernan has done a good job of retelling and expanding a classic fairy tale. His brief introduction is a wonderful observation about fairy tales. But, this story is not without its flaws.

First the good: McKiernan keeps his plot tightly under control (for the most part). Elements that crop up early in the story are resolved later in the story; certain themes - riddles and games for instance - remain constant throughout the story. The curse and the way it is handled are well done - the subplot with the missing King and Queen is handled fairly well. The plot device of the staff was very well done. The opening few pages were enchanting and the fairy world was well imagined. It was a fun book to read.

Now the bad: The single biggest problem was the main character. She set out on a brave journey, but somehow managed to cry, break down, weep or collapse at just about every setback. She seemed too weak to have done what she was supposed to have done. Camille didn't have enough personal force to carry the story by herself. Although we're told at several points that she is a skilled player of games, somehow I didn't believe she was quiet bright enough to play the game she needed to play to win through. McKiernan handles most of the minor characters pretty effectively, but Camille's sisters and her mother are rather dull caricatures. My other complaint (which I have with all of McKiernan's books): the somewhat idiosyncratic word choices was distracting; it felt intrusive and forced. Even though he gave the book a nominally French setting, the French words (sieur, fille) felt forced - as if he wrote the book and then went back and added the French words. McKiernan's tendency use slightly odd English words (mayhap being a good example) and somewhat jaw breaking syntax in his dialog distracted from the story as well. Finally, at times the book faltered - some sequences (mainly Camille's stay in various towns and cities) felt more like filler material than anything else.

All in all, not bad, but not great either. So why three stars not four or five? McKiernan is occasionally better than average and even has spots of near genius (the opening chapter) but he just couldn't sustain it - and here and there the book faltered pretty badly. Not a bad book, not a great book - a fun, entertaining read for a weekend.

Rating:
Summary: "Once" is too many times
Review: Reading "Once Upon A Winter's Night" is a bit like eating a brick -- it's unpleasant, it's difficult, and you'll feel pretty bad after the end of it. Fantasy writer Dennis McKiernan's latest novel is no better than his previous outings, and by recycling old material and bringing in new and unoriginal elements, managed toi drive me nuts in entirely new ways.

Camille lives in a decrepit cottage near the border of Faery, with her meek father, money-hungry mother, sickly brother, and five sisters. One day a massive bear appears at the door, saying that Lord Alain of the Summerland (in Faery) wants to marry Camille (why? He saw her dancing). At first she doesn't want to, but she agrees because of her brother's illness. The bear takes her into Faery, past evil goblins and a year-round blizzard, to the beautiful mansion of Prince Alain.

Of course, they fall in love, even though Alain is never around during the day and always wears a mask. What's more, although they're in bed for what seems like half the book, they can't get married -- why? Alain won't say. Under pressure from her mom, Camille uses a candle to peek at her boyfriend's face during the night, only to have him and all his servants vanish. She sets off across Faery to find her beloved and lift the curse.

The book is based on the "East of the Sun and West of the Moon"; that story itself is a rather mangled retelling of the legend of Eros and Psyche. (The original is the best one) And this retelling of the fairy tale is somewhat marred by the cheesy romance, unappealing and clueless heroine, and meandering plotline.

The dialogue is beyond absurd; at one point, Camille says to the bear, "Oh Bear, I am wholly apprehensive. Remain my protector, please." Who talks like that? What's more, McKiernan writes almost all of the dialogue in "ye olde fantasye" language, derived from old English, with lots of "mayhaps" and "nonces," but sprinkles it with random French words like "fille" and "bonjour." It's enough to make your head spin. There's also a seemingly random sprinkling of dragons, dwarves, undying fey, wee folk ("wee" is not a French word), serpent-men and goblins. Same ol' same ol', but in a retelling, that's okay in moderation.

Thankfully McKiernan's tendency to dwell on insignificant details of travelling was pretty much nowhere to be found, although quite a few not-so-insignificant details in the bedroom are included. The preaching is also toned down, but I don't particularly want to hear about McKiernan's views on virginity. One irritating tendency that was also in "Caverns of Socrates" is that McKiernan copies stuff from his own Mithgar books -- the serpent-horses, for example, and the "lynx riders." (Nothing like Fox Riders, right?) And as some of what he lifted (the serpent-horses/helsteeds) was also lifted from the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, it becomes especially weird.

Camille is pretty annoying: sweet, innocent, adoring, pure of heart, gorgeous, golden-haired, and essentially perfect in every way. In other words, cloying and sugary. She cries, she weeps, she collapses, she's constantly being rescued by the bear or big strong men (or sometimes tiny strong men). Alain is similarly perfect, angsty and tormented and of course, incredibly handsome. And similarly boring. The supporting characters are all pretty dull, especially Camille's money-obsessed mother and man-obsessed sisters, and the Galadriel-like Lady of the Bower. Only her brother Giles and Scruff the sparrow are endearing. It certainly says something when a bird has more appeal (and mental power) than either of the lead characters.

If you really, really like retellings of fairy tales or old stories, then this might appeal to you... or if you are looking for a doe-eyed, imperiled heroine to mock. Silly, cheesy, and overall rather boring.

Rating:
Summary: WONDERFUN FAIRY TALE
Review: THE AUTHOR HAD A BRILLIANT IDEA TO EXPAND UPON THE ALL TOO BRIEF FAIRY TALES WE HEAR AS CHILDREN. THIS IS A WONDERFUL STORY. I REALLY ENJOYED THE STYLE OF WRITING AN ESPECIALLY THE SPEECH PATTERNS, A MIXTURE OF FRENCH, IRISH AND SCOTTISH AND DELIGHTFULLY DONE IN OLD STYLE.
THIS BOOK IS A KEEPER!

Rating:
Summary: Enchanting retelling
Review: The author states this novel is a retelling of a short story he read as a child. A short story titled "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" written by a Scandinavian author. If it was a Scandinavian tale that inspired the author I can only say that Nordic bard was a lover of myths for I know it as a re-telling of one of my favorite classical Greek myths that I read as a child - the myth of Eros and Psyche (i.e. Love and Soul). Right down to the need for Alain (Eros) to wear a mask and hiding his true form to prevent a curse enacting. Right down to Camille (Psyche) invoking the curse when she sees Alain's true form unmasked by candlelight as he sleeps. Right down to the drip of the candle wax on Eros'- I mean Alain's - chest. And of Psyche's - I mean Camille's - subsequent quest to find her lover again and break the curse. For as the Greek myth makes clear, Love and Soul were meant to be together for the blessing of mankind.

It was enchanting as a Greek myth and even more so as Mr. McKiernan's re-telling. Here the Greek myth is given life so compelling I think it better than the source. Unlike some previous reviewers I didn't have any problem with the occasional touches of archaic phrasing. They only happened sporadically and even then only in small touches. That must be something that is strictly a personal preference - you're either allergic to it or you're not. I actually liked it as it added to the over-all feel of what a myth should be when read. To anyone who likes myths and fairy tales this is a wonderful read. And if you ever get the chance - read the original myth from whence it came. You'll be glad you did.

Rating:
Summary: If you love fairy tales...
Review: This book was phenomenal! I read it in 2 days and restarted it on the third. It was all I could think about. The love story is wonderful and touching and happy, the adventure is full of wisdom and philosophy, amd the language is beautiful--everything I love best about McKiernan. When I finished it all I could think about was what the characters are doing now. I can't wait for the sequal, I only hope it is as touching and fantastic as the first. This is my new favorite book. I think I will read this one again and again.

Rating:
Summary: Cool.
Review: This book was really cool. I liked the different lands, and how they were stuck on one season. The characters were very well devoloped. I would reccomend this book!

Rating:
Summary: A rather good book, a bit "R" rated however.
Review: This was a good book, but not at the standard that Dennis McKiernan usually writes by. Out of all his books, this one is my least favorite. I love all the others, but this one lacks something that his other books portray. It seems a bit too fantstical, and not with enough reality to make it seem more possible, not just totally a fantasty out of some little child's mind. But this child would have a dirty mind, indeed. It has some spots in it that really are quite a turn off. I didn't need to read all the "graphic content" that he added to it. Maybe it might sell the book better, but I think that it should've been taken out. That was something that I'd find in a "R" rated movie. Not a fantasy story.

Rating:
Summary: A Sad McKiernan fan am I...
Review: Well what can I write that one keen reviewer hasn't already so eloquently described... This book drew me in for far to long just out of my sick need to finish, but I regretted it every step of the way. The heroine is easily the most naive and blind character you are ever intended to love. I was REALLY hoping to be proved wrong on many occasions, I mean just hoping that Mr. McKiernan would trick the reader a bit and say, "no, no she was not being stupid she was being prudent and LOOK, she was right." But no, sorry folks, he IS in fact the bear and there's no looking back from there...

Rating:
Summary: New McKiernan, Same Great Story
Review: Well, I just finished Once Upon a Winter's Night and my only problem with it is I can't wait for the sequal(s)! That's all that's bad about it... McKiernan definately has a winner on his hands. The book is _almost_ as good as his Mithgar arc, but totally in a different way. All I can say is it's magical. I felt like a little kid reading this book, because it defiantely has a fairy tale storybook feeling, but you can tell this one is written for us big kids too. It has very tasteful adult scenes including a little bit of intimacy and Dennis' trademark descriptions of battles, and all things magical. I think it is better than his other non Mithgar book, Caverns of Socrates, and will reach a broader audience, including female readers of fantasy and romance. The book is well written and everything ties together beautifully. You might even say there are even some "red slipper" token items sprinkled throughout that McKiernan always uses so skillfully. The book will may you think a lot about people, the world, and the nature of why we're all here. Bravo Dennis, and keep 'em coming!