The Dancers of Arun

Rating:
Summary: read the book!
Review: A refreshing change from all other fantasy books. For once, a book about war in which war never really happens, but where its implications shadow the skirmishes which often take place. The main characters are painted with sufficient depth, although we don't really get to see much of Calwin the cheari, do we? (Not that he was all that important...) The book expound on the psychic gifts that were hinted at in the first book, and one can guess at the events that occured that gave birth to the rise of the red clan between the time of "Watchtower" and of "Dancers of Arun". Most of all, Kel and Kerris fascinate me to no end. Seriously.

I haven't read the third book yet, but Dancers of Arun seems to be a logical, surprising, and beautiful sequel to the first book. A step up.

Rating:
Summary: AFTER READING THIS BOOK YOU MUST HAVE THE OTHER TWO
Review: I STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT YOU KEEP A VERY OPEN MIND AND THAT YOU CAN DRAW PICTURES IN YOUR MIND. THE UNIVERSE AND PEOPLE IN IT ARE BEAUTIFULY DRAWN AND MULTI-DEMENTIONAL. THANK GOD SHE IS WRITING AGAIN.

Rating:
Summary: More Kel and Kerris, please!
Review: I will start by saying that I like slashy incest fiction a lot. Probably more than I should. Thus, I found an extra level of enjoyment in _The Dancers of Arun_. If the idea of brothers kissing, touching, and having sex squicks you, then this is probably not a title that you should pursue (though the kissing, touching and sex was very tastefully done).

Though Dancers is a short book, it's denser than it looks! Lynn packs a great deal of emotion and plot into so few pages. While some might call it "rushed," I enjoyed the story a great deal. The plot was engaging, as were the characters. A few of the ideas might seem a bit far-fetched, but remember that this is fantasy, not regular fiction.

Was I too happy when _____ died? (I omit the name so as not to spoil the occasion.) Probably. I felt very strongly for all of the characters, even the so-called bad guys. But I felt especially for Kerris. It's very difficult to make me feel so strongly for a character, but Lynn had me hooked by the end of the first chapter.

I'm knocking a star off of what would otherwise have been a 5-star review because of the ending. It seemed a bit abrupt and hurried, as if the author simply picked an ending point, scribbled the last few lines, and sent in the manuscript. I would have loved to see a bit more of how Kerris comforted his brother (and, hopefully, formed an even deeper bond). At the last page I simply sat there and thought, "More Kerris and Kel, please!"

This is definitely a book that I will be keeping around and rereading as the mood takes me. An engaging world and a cast of characters that are as flawed as they are beautiful. There are no perfect people here, and Lynn writes them as they truly are: human.

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully Written Fantasy
Review: Kerris does not fit in at Tornor Keep and he never really has, but he has no where else to go. After all, who else would want a one-armed boy who has an alarming tendency to have fits at any give time or place. The only skill that Kerris has is that of a scribe. He has spent a great about of time developing this skill in the hope that one day he will be hired at a rich house and spend time writing and reading. But all of his dreams change when his older brother, Kel, comes with the fabled Dancers of Arun to collect him. Kerris is not sure what to think of his brother and is alternately repulsed and attracted to him. As they journey to Kel's home, Kerris learns that all of the dancers have "gifts" just like Kerris does. For Kerris doesn't really have fits, he just sees life through other people's eyes and leaves his body for a time. He is what the dancers call a farspeaker, like Kel's lover, Sefer. However, even though Kel repeatedly tells Kerris that he is welcome at his home and that he belongs there, Kerris doesn't feel that he really has a place. It will take a terrible tragedy to help Kerris realize that he does have worth and that he is important in the lives of those around him...

For the first time, the second book in a series is far better than the first or the third (Watchtower & The Northern Girl, respectively)! I thought that this book was beautifully written and have owned an old tattered copy for a long time. Kerris' growth as a character is fascinating, as is the world in which he lives. I loved all of the characters in the book and could identify with all of them because they all have weaknesses and they all struggle, some more than others, but life is not easy for any of them. The only caution that I would offer is that the love between Kerris and Kel is sometimes physical and sex between brothers is not a common thread in books so if you feel this would upset you, read another fantasy (probably not by Lyn, though, as most of her books deal with homosexuality).

Rating:
Summary: Has Promise, but Doesn't Carry Through
Review: Like the first book in the series, I feel that THE DANCERS OF ARUN portrays a compelling world. Lynn does a good job of setting up the country of Arun and the different types of people. However, I finish the book feeling that not a lot has happened, and that there was not a great deal of closure.

Rating:
Summary: Has Promise, but Doesn't Carry Through
Review: Like the first book in the series, I feel that THE DANCERS OF ARUN portrays a compelling world. Lynn does a good job of setting up the country of Arun and the different types of people. However, I finish the book feeling that not a lot has happened, and that there was not a great deal of closure.

Rating:
Summary: Book Description
Review: The Dancers of Arun (Chronicles of Tornor, No 2)
by Elizabeth A. Lynn

Book Description
The epic adventure that began with Watchtower continues in the second breathtaking book in Elizabeth A. Lynn's Chronicles of Tornor--a series that has won unprecedented acclaim:

"Astonishing."-- Theodore Sturgeon

"Unusual, powerful and beautiful."-- John Varley

"A book of depth and vigor and surprises."-- Robert Silverberg

"A marvelous blend of fantasy and realism."-- Marion Zimmer Bradley

About the Author
Elizabeth A. Lynn won two World Fantasy Awards in one year for her novel Watchtower, and the short story, "The Woman Who Loved the Moon." She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, teaches martial arts, and is at work on a sequel to Dragon's Winter.

Rating:
Summary: Easy to read adventurous fantasy epic
Review: Things I liked:
1. The book is the most easiest to read. you wont have to go back in senteces to understand what the author is trying to say.
2. There are a lot of different characters with different races, dark skin ans white skin.
3. The story line is moving, feels like an adventure with friends.
4. There are three love stories, two of which are homosexual and one heterosexual.
5. The main character Kerris becomes as someone I know and the author is very kind to him.


Things I didn't like, but before you read them, know that the whole book was not meant to focus much on the world, magic or characters, it was all about the main character Kerris, so the things i didn't like might not even be much of importance, but here they are:
1. The characters are too private to the reader. The author never explains the reasons to their actions except for the very main one - Kerris.
2. The magic is more like devil acultism telling as upose to fantasy magic, so it kinda left a dark ugly feeling to my heart sometimes that i had no choice but to ignore.
3. The world seems to be filled with traders, witches, killers, lyiers, loosers, no armies, no normal government... it doesn't really work that way, really...

Overall, buy this book if you want a little of adventure, but there is not much to learn from it tho... I gave it 5 stars because i really liked the main character Kerris.






Rating:
Summary: Umm.. HELLO... this is a reprint
Review: This is a great book... however, it IS NOT NEW ! This is a reprint....

I'd love to see some NEW material from this author

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and beautiful
Review: This is one of the first fantasy novels I read as a teen, so this reprint has been around for awhile, but I loved it alot, enough to come back after all these years and tell the rest of the world how much I enjoyed it! Think of this book as a character study. If you are looking for an action-oriented adventure fantasy, then you won't find it here, but you will find very well-realized people who are both attractive and interesting. I enjoyed this look at another world and it's traditions. It didn't leave me rushing to the end or dancing with excitement, but it did leave me wanting to know more about these people and their world. A sensitive gay romance is one of the highlights of this book and it is beautifully done.