Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing!
Review: A huge fan of Misty's books, I snatched this one off the shelf when I saw it. I was disappointed, though. _If I Pay Thee_ is definitley not up to the standard that I've come to expect from Ms. Lackey or Mr. Anthony. It began good, with a refreshing setting that could have really gone somewhere. But, it didn't. The characters were underdeveloped and resisted the reader's sympathy, and the storyline was sluggish. I keep my faith in Misty's books, though. This was definitley out of the ordinary.
Rating: 
Summary: Not up to par
Review: Although I thought the beginning was interesting and even wrenching at times, with a refreshing new idea for a setting and story line, the middle and end were vastly dissapointing. I think Ms. Lackey can do bettter than this writing even in collaboration with other writers such as in "Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright" but this book was such a huge dissapointment that I could not even stand to keep it on my shelf
Rating:
Summary: Piers Anthony shouldn't bother
Review: As a huge fan of Mercedes Lackey, and a one-time fan of Piers Anthony, I was eager to read this collaboration. Having read and reread many of each authors work, I was easily able to pick out the lines where each had his or her say.Character development, I attribute to Lackey--when it did. Day to day concerns and worries, all of the little intangibles that make you believe in a character, I lay at her very accomplished feet. References to large breasts and a trip through a suspiciously Xanth-like forest, I lay to Anthony. Xylina is the protagonist of the story, a woman who just doesn't fit society's mold, which is fine. She alternates between being just a person (obviously Lackey's doing) and a helpless, idiotic bimbette (Anthony). Ware is probably the most potentially interesting character, because of what he is and how he deals with it, but the character just withered away after he acchieved his goal. All in all, I enjoyed this book, but that is only because of Lackey's mitigating effects on Anthony's bombastic writing. I may have cut my reading teeth on Anthony when I was nine, but I outgrew him but the time I was fourteen, Lackey, however, I can still look forward to.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing fare from two good authors
Review: Either of these authors could have taken the premise of this novel and given us a fine tale. Unfortunately, they got together and gave us a mediocre one. Characters do not stay in character. Major plot changes happen near the end of the story. The main character starts as a likable, full character and ends as a wooden, shallow shadow of her earlier self. In fact, most of the main characters start as far more complete individuals than they end as. At the middle of this book, I was almost breathless, wondering what would happen next. By the end, I was almost relieved it was over. It almost appeared that the authors lost interest in it about two-thirds of the way through and simply "wrapped it up" as quickly as possible. This wasn't a bad book. I've read far worse. Fans of either author will find parts of it that they enjoy. If this had been a first novel by a new author, I would not have been disappointed. Unfortunately, with the names Piers Anthony and Mercedes Lackey on the cover, I really expected more.
Rating: 
Summary: Looks like I'm in the minority here
Review: I am a Misty fan from way back and a Piers fan from even further back. This book was ok, since I bought it used. If I had paid full price I would have been disappointed. The plot starts out good, but then just gets silly. And it is obvious which writer has hold of the pen. It feels like reading several different versions of the same tale instead of one. Overall, if you are familiar with the work of either of these two you might be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: OK for a used book
Review: I am a Misty fan from way back and a Piers fan from even further back. This book was ok, since I bought it used. If I had paid full price I would have been disappointed. The plot starts out good, but then just gets silly. And it is obvious which writer has hold of the pen. It feels like reading several different versions of the same tale instead of one. Overall, if you are familiar with the work of either of these two you might be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: I first read this book when I was somewhere around eight or nine, and read it off and on again a half dozen times over the next several years. I loved it! You really get a feel for who the characters are, except for the Queen, whose main personality trait seems to be evil ambition. I've read several readers' comments on how helpless and out-of-it Xylina is, but come on guys, let's not forget the girl's barely sixteen! Girls this age are not supposed to have the leadership skills and street smarts of an experienced adult. Chill out, folks! What sophomore in high school would be able to manage her own finances, dodge a politician's murder attempts, operate her own home business, and then lead an expedition across several countries, and not make a few brainless mistakes? Personally I think these characteristics of Xylina show reality ... not a lack of talent on behalf of the authors. I also liked how clear they drew the descriptions of the surroundings, i.e., Ware's home, the forest, etc. A few bad points, though; Faro seemed to warm to Xylina much too quickly, going from raw hatred to pity and compassion in what, less than a day? I was also disappointed on how sterotypically gorgeous they had to make Xylina, even if she isn't considered "pretty" by society's standards in the book. Why must it all be about big-breasted blondes? People need to get out more! Nevertheless, it's a general fun book with interesting characters and imaginitive surroundings. This is one of my all-time favorites.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: I first read this book when I was somewhere around eight or nine, and read it off and on again a half dozen times over the next several years. I loved it! You really get a feel for who the characters are, except for the Queen, whose main personality trait seems to be evil ambition. I've read several readers' comments on how helpless and out-of-it Xylina is, but come on guys, let's not forget the girl's barely sixteen! Girls this age are not supposed to have the leadership skills and street smarts of an experienced adult. Chill out, folks! What sophomore in high school would be able to manage her own finances, dodge a politician's murder attempts, operate her own home business, and then lead an expedition across several countries, and not make a few brainless mistakes? Personally I think these characteristics of Xylina show reality ... not a lack of talent on behalf of the authors. I also liked how clear they drew the descriptions of the surroundings, i.e., Ware's home, the forest, etc. A few bad points, though; Faro seemed to warm to Xylina much too quickly, going from raw hatred to pity and compassion in what, less than a day? I was also disappointed on how sterotypically gorgeous they had to make Xylina, even if she isn't considered "pretty" by society's standards in the book. Why must it all be about big-breasted blondes? People need to get out more! Nevertheless, it's a general fun book with interesting characters and imaginitive surroundings. This is one of my all-time favorites.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful.
Review: I like Piers Anthony unactively, and Mercedes Lackey little at all (though I enjoyed her "Black Swan"), but this book was fun, entertaining, and a very in-depth fast read.
I'm more of a pleasure-reader than anything -- if something makes me think and cry, I'll never read it again. If something makes me smile and laugh and daydream -- and still think in the meantime -- then it's entirely worth my time.
I read to get away from the world -- and as a female, this book struck me as a terrific blend of girl-power, social issues, and romance. ^_^;; It's not as in-depth on the social issues as some more serious readers may like, it's not feminist in the sense that men are degraded, and it's not sickeningly sex-full.
No, indeed, it's a terrific girl-book for readers that like something light and entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Mercedes should have written this one by herself.
Review: I like this book very much but it was obvious to me that the two authors have very different styles. Mercedes Lackey is the one to write a tale that is true to Pier's original _Arabian Nights_ source. She understands desire and its physical and spiritual interactions on many complex levels (she reminds me of Anais Nin...very real and very profound). Piers understands romance and conventional heterosexual relationships. I read his novels when I want simplicity and hopeful positive feelings. I think his style is what slowed down this particular book. I wish there were a sequel written entirely by Mercedes Lackey that deals with the tri-being relationship, the shard and the babies that will result from that relationship! and that Piers Anthony would write another great Xanth novel ..oh with maybe Electra on a quest where she gets to be an adult for a change.
|
