About Oldies but GoodiesSometimes old books can get a little lost in blogland among the piles of ARCs and new releases. So every week on a Sunday, we're going to be focusing on an old favourite - a book that was published at least 5 years ago and deserves to be recognised.
How to Participate
If you would like to participate, please feel free to leave a comment with your favourite Oldie but Goodie or leave a link to a blogpost you've done on the topic using the Mr Linky at the bottom of the post.
**Becky @ Page Turners runs a meme on a Sunday called Blast from the Past which has similar rules and themes as Oldies but Goodies. Becky's meme came about first and she picks some fantastic books so please pay her a visit.**
THIS WEEK'S OLDIE BUT GOODIE:
Title: DaggerspellAuthor: Katharine Kerr
Genre: Fantasy
Copyright: 1986 (first publication with Doubleday)
Pages: 528
Synopsis: In a world outside reality, a young girl's spirit hovers between incarnations, knowing neither her past nor her future. In the temporal world lives Nevyn, who long ago vanquished the maiden's hand in marriage and forged a terrible bond between three souls. Now he must atone the wrong of his youth.
Why I love it: When I was younger, my Mum's bookcase was an object of absolute fascination to me. I often remember from my childhood right up until my teenage years, picking up a well-worn book from her shelf and reading the back of it or even the first few pages. The Deverry series with its mystical castle and warriors on the cover called to me stronger than any of the other books did (it probably helped that I knew our one-eyed cat was named Nevyn after a character in the books). Sometimes I would pick it up and just stare at the cover and imagine the story that lay within. As I grew older, I would attempt to read it but my flighty imagination would loose interest quickly because for a long time the text surpassed my reading comprehension. I must've attempted to read this book at least once a year until when I was 19, I finally picked it up and just kept reading.
And I discovered the world that had captivated both my parents. It felt like being let in on some secret - travelling a path they'd left behind and sharing something truly special. This was a brand new kind of fiction to me, one that exposed a twisted and complicated plot that completely blew my mind. And like my parents before me, I definitely wasn't the first to fall in love with the Katharine Kerr's Deverry series.
Fans have followed Rhodry and Jill from Book 1 - Daggerspell, published in 1986 right through to Book 15 - The Silver Mage (the last in the series) published in October 2009. In this series, Kerr has created a celtic-inspired world that uses the interweaving threads of time to tell a story unlike no other. As a reader, you are exposed to a non-linear story that deals with themes of time (obviously), karma, loyalty, vengence, spirituality and love. This truly is an epic series.
Apart from the naming of our poor one-eyed cat Nevyn and our cute dog Lovyn, the Deverry has inspired some other pretty creative fans. Check out the video clip below for a band called Black Symphony and a song they released called Jillyan (about Nevyn's relationship to her):
Are there any readers who have read all the way to Book 15 (or close)? I'd love to hear what you think of the series as a whole. I've only read up to Darkspell but plan to finish the series from start to finish this year.
Visit Annie @ Princess of the Past
6 comments:
I love your review. It reminds me of my mom. She was always reading when I was a kid. Mary Higgins Clark, Nora Roberts, Stephen King. I couldn't wait til I was old enough to read them too. I finally got to start when I was thirteen and I've been reading them since. =)
I haven't heard of the Deverry series, but I'll be sure to look it up this year. Thanks.
-Lizzy<3
I can't believe I've never read this series but definitely going on my must read list.
I've just read Year of Wonders which was fantastic. Published in 2001 it was another I'd missed. My review at
http://cat-bookmagic.blogspot.com/2010/02/review-year-of-wonders-by-geraldine.html
I've read this series up to book 13, but I would like to sit down and read the whole series from the start to end without spanning years. It's hard after many years to keep everything straight.
That is just too cool :D
I loved these, well up to a point when it started to get confusing, and I got mad at something.
Anyway I have read to book 12
I loved this story! It certainly captured me, as well. It was fun reading your review and the history of this book in your life. So..you a cat named Nevyn? Very cool. I do like Nevyn, he is one my favorite characters in the book.
I look forward to reading this series.
Like you, I would love to know if someone has read the whole series and what they think.
Isn't it wonderful to have such strong childhood memories of a book that you can now take a journey with? I'm glad you finally fell in love with the story just as Dad and I did. Can't wait to keep rereading this series!
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