Rating: 
Summary: The start of something wonderful
Review: This is the beginning of an incredible series--and Ms. Duane says the fourth and final book is FINALLY coming out this year! I love Ms. Duane in all her shadings, but I believe this quartet is among her finest work. Every page is edged with light. Her characters are so real that I wish they lived down my block--so I could go talk to them and learn more about them. I can't wait for the fourth book. At last, at last!
Rating:
Summary: Open the Door
Review: This is the beginning of an incredible series--and Ms. Duane says the fourth and final book is FINALLY coming out this year! I love Ms. Duane in all her shadings, but I believe this quartet is among her finest work. Every page is edged with light. Her characters are so real that I wish they lived down my block--so I could go talk to them and learn more about them. I can't wait for the fourth book. At last, at last!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Fantasy Novel I've Ever Read
Review: This novel is one that I've read and reread in both the editions I have -- the original paperback and the Bluejay books edition. It is a story of enduring love, the triumph of love over fear and hate, and most of all, the best truly different fantasy world I've ever seen made up. It is culturally, historically, and religiously different without being dry, like some science-fiction books that try to portray another really different culture get. It's main character is Herewiss, a man who has the potential to wield great magic but cannot break through to connect with it and manifest his magic. He joins forces with Freelorn, the exiled heir of a neighboring kingdom and his lifelong love, Segnbora, a mysterious troubled woman, and some of Freelorn's faithful friends (Harald, Moris, and Dritt) in an adventure that leads them to the edges of their world, and involves door into other worlds and the mastering of a fire elemental whose favored form is that of a horse! The next two books in the series are The Door into Shadow and The Door into Sunset. At last, I hear news that Ms. Duane has written the fourth (The Door into Twilight) that I have hounded the bookstores about now for years, diligently searching in the "Du" section of fantasy and science fiction with every trip. For those who really love the world of the Middle Kingdoms, there's a little-known short story by Diane Duane published in Flashing Swords! #5: Demons and Daggers (edited by Lin Carter, Nelson Doubleday 1981) called "Parting Gifts." It is about an older rodmistress, the Shadow, an young swashbuckler, and a kitten. It features a wild hunt and facing down the Shadow in his lair. I cry whenever I finish it. If you can find it, read it and add it to your knowledge of the world setting. I've used Ms. Duane's Middle Kingdoms setting as the basis for my personal D&D campaign for years now. Sure, my campaign is by no means her books, but she provided such a rich tapestry (and map!) that I didn't have to go far to have a solid foundation for a whole world.
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary and unforgettable...
Review: When this book first opens, it seems like it will be standard sword-and-sorcery -- heros, villans, quests, and magic. But the deeper one gets into the book, the clearer it becomes that this is something special. Imagine a world in which the deity is not a matter of faith but of fact, because everyone has met her. Imagine a world in which who one loves is not important, as long as one does love. Imagine as hero not the usual charming but amoral rogue but a thoroughly decent, kind and generous man. Imagine a book that teaches us that our own fears are the biggest obstacles of life and that overcoming our pasts and accepting our true selves are the truest victories. Except that you don't have to imagine all of this, because Diane Duane has already done it for you. I've bought a dozen copies of this book, and I press it on friends at every opportunity.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful world and characters, uniquely spiritual
Review: When this book first opens, it seems like it will be standard sword-and-sorcery -- heros, villans, quests, and magic. But the deeper one gets into the book, the clearer it becomes that this is something special. Imagine a world in which the deity is not a matter of faith but of fact, because everyone has met her. Imagine a world in which who one loves is not important, as long as one does love. Imagine as hero not the usual charming but amoral rogue but a thoroughly decent, kind and generous man. Imagine a book that teaches us that our own fears are the biggest obstacles of life and that overcoming our pasts and accepting our true selves are the truest victories. Except that you don't have to imagine all of this, because Diane Duane has already done it for you. I've bought a dozen copies of this book, and I press it on friends at every opportunity.
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