From archive (archive)




			 BORN TO EXILE
		  	      by
		      Phyllis Eisenstein

			  reviewed by:
			  Duane Morse
              ...!noao!{mot|terak}!anasazi!duane

The jacket reads:

  "Disowned by his family as a witch-child, the minstrel Alaric had
  long trod his path alone, armed with his lute, his songs, and his
  power to move magically from place to place.

  When he came upon the grandeur of Castle Royale, he had no idea that
  there he would find temptation, and within temptation, danger.
  Bedazzled by the unparalleled beauty of Princess Solinde, caught
  in the dark intrigues of Medron the magician, Alaric would know
  the still darker exile of the sinister Inn of the Black Swan. There
  he would meet the ultimate test that could end his exile -- or end
  his life."
 
Though it looks like a novel, this book actually consists of five
stories, all involving the same main character, Alaric. They are
in chronological order, but, as is stated near the copyright notice,
"portions of this novel appeared originally in issues of THE MAGAZINE
OF F & SF". As a novel, the book suffers from having originally been
short stories. Each story has its own development and climax, so
the book as a whole doesn't have either.

The stories are all pretty good. Alaric is a teenager throughout, and
he uses his magical power as little as possible since "witches" are
severely persecuted. The time period seems to be late renaissance, though
the planet isn't mentioned; this book is once of fantasy and isn't
concerned with other worlds or aliens.  Further, it has more to do with 
Alaric's interactions with other people than with magic or adventure.

The last story in the book is the most interesting, and I would like to
have seen it developed into an entire book. The ending of that story is
very unsatisfactory, however; I got the impression that the author hurriedly
finished it to meet a deadline.

I give the book 2.5 stars (out of 4.0: good, but plan to trade it in).
On the jacket, there's a quote by Jerry Pournelle saying this is the
best fantasy novel he's read this year (1978?). I wonder if he wrote
that in January.
-- 

Duane Morse	...!noao!{mot|terak}!anasazi!duane
(602) 870-3330