From archive (archive)
Subject: BRISINGAMEN by Diana L. Paxson (mild spoiler)
From: duane@anasazi.UUCP
Organization: Anasazi, Phoenix Az.
Date: 20 Jun 86 08:22:22 SDT



The jacket reads:

  "Imagine that a shy graduate student has discovered the legendary
  necklace Brisingamen -- whose wearer bears the powers of the goddess
  Freyja, mistress of love and war...

  Imagine that Freyja's enemy, Loki, has come to San Francisco to
  steal it back, so that he can release his fiery reign of terror...

  Imagine that only Karen Ingold can stop him. Together with her
  unlikely allies -- a one-eyed biker, a red-bearded carpenter, and a
  spinsterly Tarot reader -- Karen must follow her enemy to a twilight
  world of myth and magic ... not unlike our own!"

This book has a lot going against it in terms of traditional fantasy novels.
First, it takes place in the present. Second, by and large, the characters
are not the hero types. Third, two of the main characters are Vietnam veterans,
and their wartime experiences are ever-present in their current lives.

The author pulls it off, however. There's not all that much magic, so you
don't feel that she's taking liberties to move the story along. The story
covers a few weeks and the action is paced properly. The background of
the main character and her boss make it likely that she would get the
necklace and, before too long, recognize it for what it is.

I give this book 3.0 stars out of a possible 4.0. It probably won't appeal
to fantasy readers who want a fantasy world, and it's certainly not
science fiction, but I enjoyed it.
-- 

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