From /tmp/sf.4258 Tue Feb 1 03:59:53 1994 Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written Path: liuida!sunic!mcsun!uunet!yeshua.marcam.com!zip.eecs.umich.edu!umn.edu!csus.edu!netcom.com!dani From: dani@netcom.com (Dani Zweig) Subject: Rose Estes: Troll-Taken Message-ID: Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest) Date: Wed, 29 Sep 1993 23:35:21 GMT Lines: 26 In this day and age one doesn't expect to have one's baby stolen by Elves and replaced by a changeling. Sure enough, when Katherine Sinclair's baby is stolen and replaced by a changeling, it's trolls, not elves, who are responsible. (In an attempt to have her mythological cake and eat it too, Estes has given these 'trolls' magic powers and a vulnerability to sunlight and to silver, *and* made them a parallel branch of genus homo. Neanderthals, basically, though the medical details seem too far-fetched. In general, the scientific elements do more harm than good.) The book starts out well, with Katherine's actions and reactions portrayed sympathetically and effectively. The rest of the book's characters are tissue-thin, however, and the plot itself has poor internal consistency. That, and the fact that the book ends with the major issues unresolved, leads me to suspect that there are sequels coming, although the book doesn't say so. If sequels do materialize, I'm sure they can get along without me. ----- Dani Zweig dani@netcom.com God helpe the man so wrapt in Errours endless traine -- Edmund Spenser