Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly good
Review: I will admit, I very rarely read fiction written by women. It is not a sexist comment, just that I find it difficult identifying with female main characters. However, Ms Volsky does a wonderful job of making her protagonist real, flawed, feminine and interesting at the same time. The book is pure fun, written in a descriptive yet simple prose. Moreover, the prose is so well written that one can easily start reading and then notice they have flown through 100 pages.The book is set in another world where the heroes and villians compete in a race set on a world where the 19th century meets magic, rationalism confronts mysticism. It may be said that this is another "Around the World in 80 Days", but there are grander themes and international conspiracies that range throughout the text, political intrigue and adventure. There is more depth to this book than Around the World. This is the perfect book for summer reading and you will not be unhappy.
Rating: 
Summary: Astounding!
Review: In a Victorianesque world of gaslights and steam engines, where magic is a memory becoming increasingly dim with the passage of years, there exists a woman named Luzelle Devaire. Luzelle seeks to break out of the stunted world that she finds herself thrust into, because of her sex. An escape presents itself when "Mad" Miltzin IX, king of Lower Hetzia, proclaims a round the world race, with the prize of a Lower Hetzian barony and a private audience with the king. The Vonahrish government offers to finance Luzelle's inclusion in the race, so long as she uses her audience to plead with Miltzin IX to sell them the secret to "sentient fire." With the Grewzian Imperium set to take over the whole world, sentient fire may be just the weapon needed to allow Vonahr to survive. With so much at stake, Luzelle enters the race. But, surrounded by so many other contestants, each determined to win at all costs, what are Luzelle's chances? What a great book! Paula Volsky succeeds in running several storylines through a world unfamiliar to his reader, and yet succeeds in keeping me on the edge of my seat. This story has everything: 19th century equivalent technology, magic, action and adventure, moral questioning, and romance. The figure of Karsler Stornzof, Overcommander of the Grewzian Army, is a fascinating figure; can he be as honorable and chivalrous as he seems, when he is part of the Greqzian war machine? So, I must say that I recommend this book wholeheartedly. It is a great book, worth spending your reading hours on. One word of advice, though, the map in the front of most fantasy books is of limited interest, but in this "around the world in 80 days" type story, it is imperative that you keep a marker on it so you can refer to it often!
Rating: 
Summary: Around the World in 80 Days.....it seemed like a year!
Review: Okay, maybe not a year. I remember the first time I saw "Around the World in 80 days." I was quite young and thought it was wonderful. Many years later, I saw the movie again and realized that it was a travelogue with brief incidents in a variety of countries rather than a real story about real peopel. "The Great Ellipse" is alot like that...fun but no real substance. Don't get me wrong...I love fun! But even in a fun book, you've got to like your heroine - and you end up dismissing Luzelle. The story begins well with Luzelle defying her monster father. Unfortunately, Luzelle is a self-proclaimed intellectual and explorer and her thoughts and actions are too air-headed to make this assessment reality. Throughout the entire book, Luzelle's adventurous past comes through for her only once. She is much more likely to act out of pique because someone gave her unwelcome news or sensible advise. She feels she MUST win and proceeds to pull some nasty stunts on the other racers. Our hero, Girays, Luzelle's ex, is clearly far more competent, honest, and likeable than the man Luzelle describes or Luzelle herself. You must, therefore, take Luzelle's character with a large grain of salt which diminishes her stature in the eyes of the reader. Girays makes a more logical focus for the plot but he doesn't appear as much as Luzelle. The real oddity in the story is a golden god of a man who is racing for the enemy, Karsler Stornzof. Luzelles thinks he's just 'gorgeous' and you wait to find he has feet of clay. Well, he doesn't. He is all the things he's supposed to be: kind, loyal, honorable, brave, smart, talented...he just happens to be representing the local equivalent of Nazi Germany. The story progresses and Karsler becomes more and more torn by his own loyalties as his country destroys, tortures, bullys it's way across his world. It is his character, the only one with any depth, that is the biggest weakness of the book. His tortured soul makes every other character a comic book cutout, which is hard on a plot centered around another character. So, what is the bottom line on the "Grand Ellipse?" It's "Around the World in 80 Days" with Hamlet in a supporting role.
Rating:
Summary: Around the World in 80 Days.....it seemed like a year!
Review: Okay, maybe not a year. I remember the first time I saw "Around the World in 80 days." I was quite young and thought it was wonderful. Many years later, I saw the movie again and realized that it was a travelogue with brief incidents in a variety of countries rather than a real story about real peopel. "The Great Ellipse" is alot like that...fun but no real substance. Don't get me wrong...I love fun! But even in a fun book, you've got to like your heroine - and you end up dismissing Luzelle. The story begins well with Luzelle defying her monster father. Unfortunately, Luzelle is a self-proclaimed intellectual and explorer and her thoughts and actions are too air-headed to make this assessment reality. Throughout the entire book, Luzelle's adventurous past comes through for her only once. She is much more likely to act out of pique because someone gave her unwelcome news or sensible advise. She feels she MUST win and proceeds to pull some nasty stunts on the other racers. Our hero, Girays, Luzelle's ex, is clearly far more competent, honest, and likeable than the man Luzelle describes or Luzelle herself. You must, therefore, take Luzelle's character with a large grain of salt which diminishes her stature in the eyes of the reader. Girays makes a more logical focus for the plot but he doesn't appear as much as Luzelle. The real oddity in the story is a golden god of a man who is racing for the enemy, Karsler Stornzof. Luzelles thinks he's just 'gorgeous' and you wait to find he has feet of clay. Well, he doesn't. He is all the things he's supposed to be: kind, loyal, honorable, brave, smart, talented...he just happens to be representing the local equivalent of Nazi Germany. The story progresses and Karsler becomes more and more torn by his own loyalties as his country destroys, tortures, bullys it's way across his world. It is his character, the only one with any depth, that is the biggest weakness of the book. His tortured soul makes every other character a comic book cutout, which is hard on a plot centered around another character. So, what is the bottom line on the "Grand Ellipse?" It's "Around the World in 80 Days" with Hamlet in a supporting role.
Rating:
Summary: Woot!
Review: On a recent trip to the library with my best friend, I grabbed about 15 books that looked interesting. At the last minute, I spyed The Grand Ellipse on the very top of the shelf (you should check the very top for stuff- that's where all the good books are ^_~). I am extremely thankful that I picked this one up--I had never heard of any of Paula Volsky's books until I read The Grand Ellipse; now she's my favorite author! The Grand Ellipse was reminiscent of Jules Verne, and Luzelle Devair reminded me a bit of Nellie Bly in a world of fantasy. In reading this book, I could tell that Volsky put trememndous thought into every aspect. The various cultures described were so...descriptive! And Volsky didn't take up too much of your time elaborating on the countries and people inhabiting them. She told you what you needed to know, and then got back to the [exciting] story. This book is awesome. If you've actually read this far on my review, I suggest you either buy it or check it out from the library. Having already done the latter, I plan on owning this book one I get some money.
Rating:
Summary: Woot!
Review: On a recent trip to the library with my best friend, I grabbed about 15 books that looked interesting. At the last minute, I spyed The Grand Ellipse on the very top of the shelf (you should check the very top for stuff- that's where all the good books are ^_~). I am extremely thankful that I picked this one up--I had never heard of any of Paula Volsky's books until I read The Grand Ellipse; now she's my favorite author! The Grand Ellipse was reminiscent of Jules Verne, and Luzelle Devair reminded me a bit of Nellie Bly in a world of fantasy. In reading this book, I could tell that Volsky put trememndous thought into every aspect. The various cultures described were so...descriptive! And Volsky didn't take up too much of your time elaborating on the countries and people inhabiting them. She told you what you needed to know, and then got back to the [exciting] story. This book is awesome. If you've actually read this far on my review, I suggest you either buy it or check it out from the library. Having already done the latter, I plan on owning this book one I get some money.
Rating:
Summary: A Step in the Right Direction
Review: Paula Volsky is an excellent writer, and all of her books are worth reading. However, after reaching a high point with Illusion, her more recent novels have seemed to grow less nuanced in character development and plot -- using the formula of Illusion (borrowing the basic outline of a historical event like the French Revolution and and spicing it up with all kinds of magical proceedings) without reaching its level of complexity and sophistication. The Grand Ellipse continues in this pattern, but it avoids some of the faults most obviously on display in The White Tribunal. Taking place in a quasi-pre-World War I or World War II setting, the plot follows the contestants in a race across Volsky's imaginary world, allowing her to modernize the settings of many of her previous novels. This results in a fascinating parade of exotic locations for her characters to tramp through (although sometimes the parallels between her world and actual historical nations seem a little too unimaginatively exact). The stucture of the novel does not allow for any overly complex plot-lines, but the pace is quick and the main character of Luzelle is an engaging companion (after an interminable conversation with her poorly-drawn father that occupies most of Chapter One). After the race is over, the novel quickly loses steam, hurrying through some assasinations and a major war towards its happy ending. Amid all the ponderous proceedings, it would be nice if Volsky could recapture some of the light-hearted charm evident in some of her earlier, simpler novels like The Luck of Relian Cru. Still, The Grand Ellipse does a good job in creating a marvelous world occupied with characters who respond to their surroundings in richly developed, human fashion.
Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed it but that doesn't make a good book
Review: She's a powerful writer in some ways. I loved her wide and challenging vocabulary and her ability to describe a world that felt real and touchable. The characters were believable and I was interested to see their lives unfold.
But, I wasn't left with any thing at the end. A good feeling, yes. Perhaps it the nature of writing about a race at breakneck speed across a world that exists only in imagination. Threads of the story that should have been satisfying to have been dealt with are suddenly dropped and those that should have been woven back in to the story never are.
I have not yet, but am willing to try other books by this author.
Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed it but that doesn't make a good book
Review: She's a powerful writer in some ways. I loved her wide and challenging vocabulary and her ability to describe a world that felt real and touchable. The characters were believable and I was interested to see their lives unfold.
But, I wasn't left with any thing at the end. A good feeling, yes. Perhaps it the nature of writing about a race at breakneck speed across a world that exists only in imagination. Threads of the story that should have been satisfying to have been dealt with are suddenly dropped and those that should have been woven back in to the story never are.
I have not yet, but am willing to try other books by this author.
Rating: 
Summary: A pleasant, but overly long quest.
Review: This, most "modern" installment yet in the world of _Illusion_, combines Victorian technology with deadly magic; WWII-style brutality, Verne-like travel, intrigue and romance. In an alternate world strongly resembling ours, a brutal and efficient empire is conquering the world, while the rest of civilization is frittering away time. A young woman undertakes a perilous race to win a chance at a magical weapon that can change the balance of power. The mixture of romance, skulduggery, adventure and magic is entertaining, but overly long. Despite well-drawn characters, the quest contains too many subplots to maintain tension, and the result is less effective than in Volsky's earlier, simpler novels like _The White Tribunal_. The novel takes place decades or centuries later than many of Volsky's books, and has references to places, phenomena, and even titles of her previous works.
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