From rec.arts.sf.written Fri Aug 21 12:52:08 1992 Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written Path: herkules.sssab.se!isy!liuida!sunic!mcsun!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!decwrl!csus.edu!netcom.com!dani From: dani@netcom.com (Dani Zweig) Subject: Norton and Crispin: Songsmith Message-ID: <4z#n0-q.dani@netcom.com> Date: Thu, 20 Aug 92 18:45:51 GMT Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest) Lines: 20 "Songsmith" is a new Witch World novel, by Andre Norton and AC Crispin. Fans of the Witch World novels will want to read it. Those who are just interested in a good read, and don't particularly care who married whom and how many children they had will do as well do give it a miss. The book doesn't read like one of Andre Norton's; it reads like that of a less-skilled writer who is trying to imitate Norton's style. And the plotting is sloppy, consisting as does of a succession of incidents linked by coincidence and writer's fiat. It's not precisely bad, but it's not good either. Well, it's better than "Quag Keep... ----- Dani Zweig dani@netcom.com 'T is with our judgements as our watches, none Go alike, yet each believes his own --Alexander Pope From archive Fri Aug 21 13:23:20 MDT 1992 From: dfc@hpindda.HP.COM (Don Coolidge) Organization: HP Information Networks, Cupertino, CA Subject: Re: Arthurian recommendations? Date: 29 Feb 88 19:41:34 GMT There's also an entry from Andre Norton, called _Merlin's Mirror_. Merlin's the main character, and he's an alien, of course (well, a sort of semi-alien, product of a union between his mother and some kind of Remotely Piloted Vehicle From Outer Space. So are Arthur and Nimue.)...and hidden hi-tech gadgetry fills his cave, teaches him, and sustains him through coldsleep at various times. Now, that sounds pretty boring. The book isn't, though - I found it really enjoyable. Post-Roman Britain was very well presented, and the civilized flourishes one normally associates with Arthuriana were totally absent - even kings' castles were little better than drafty huts. Most characters were unlikable, and all were severely flawed. Yes, there was idealism (in some, and some of the time), but it never really triumphed - in part because both sides were idealistic. One of the two alien factions (Nimue's) opposed uniting Britain under an enlightened monarchy - the thought was that a stable social system would lead to advanced technical progress before comparable social/psychological evolution occurred, with nuclear Armageddon the likely result. The other side (Merlin and company) wished for that technical progress to ameliorate the general misery and squalor that was everyone's lot, regardless of the potential for future disaster (the "...we'll deal with that one when it happens..." school of thought). By the end of the book, the line between the Good Guys and Bad Guys had blurred considerably. I guess this was never one of Andre Norton's most popular books, but it's definitely worth a read. Don Coolidge hplabs!hpda!dfc From rec.arts.sf.reviews Wed Mar 3 16:12:50 1999 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!feed2.news.luth.se!luth.se!feed1.news.rcn.net!rcn!cpk-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!cam-news-feed5.bbnplanet.com!news.gtei.net!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!usenet From: Harriet Klausner Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: The Shadow Of Albion by Norton and Edgehill Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Date: 02 Mar 1999 17:46:18 -0500 Organization: Netcom Lines: 35 Sender: wex@tinbergen.media.mit.edu Approved: wex@media.mit.edu Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: tinbergen.media.mit.edu X-Newsreader: Gnus v5.3/Emacs 19.34 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.sf.reviews:2271 THE SHADOW OF ALBION by Andre Norton & Rosemary Edgehill Review Copyright 1999 Harriet Klausner On an alternate earth where magic exists, Charles II - on his deathbed - admits that he married his mistress. This makes the Duke of Monmouth the king as opposed to Charles' brother James. The Stuart line continues to rule and the American colonies remain part of the British Empire. Napoleon still plans to rule Europe, however. The Marchioness of Roxbury is near death, but still has a crucial role to play in the future of England. Practitioners of the magic arts manage to switch Roxbury's body with that of Sarah Cunningham, a colonial residing on our Earth. Sarah forgets her past life, believing she is Roxbury. England's spymaster, the Duke of Essex, reluctantly plans to marry her because he needs a Duchess to help him with the bride to be of the Prince Regent. The duo go from complete indifference to strong passion, but their future is in jeopardy, as they must travel through the heart of the lands controlled by their hated enemy. THE SHADOWS OF ALBION melds the incredible talents of two great authors to produce a novel deemed to be a classic. Fantasy, intrigue, and romance merge in a spectacular way that will elate fans of all three genres and fiction lovers in general. Readers will want more novels starring the delightful couple in future adventures. There is a new talent abroard and Rosemary Edgehill is her name. She is a worthy successor to Andre Norton as well as a brilliant storyteller in her own right. Harriet Klausner %T THE SHADOW OF ALBION %A Andre Norton %A Rosemary Edgehill %I Tor %D Apr 1999 %O $23.95 %P 352 pp. %G ISBN 0-312-86927-2