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A review of The Morgaine Saga

by C. J. Cherryh

A perilous fantasy saga of epic proportion, spanning space and time.

Reviewed by: April Dawn Duncan
About April Dawn Duncan

The Morgaine Saga Morgaine cannot afford virtues. They can only get in her way, slow her down, and ultimately bring her to ruin. She cannot afford to fail at the task she has inherited, because if she does, it will be the end of existence as she knows it. So no matter what the cost, she will succeed or die trying. Only when at long last she has finally finished can she allow herself to feel all of the anguish and guilt and horror she keeps trapped behind her cool gray eyes. Of course, there is little chance she will ever have that luxury. Not in a world that well remembers her atrocities. Not when she has no one left to call friend. So, when she meets the wandering warrior who is starving and nearly frozen to death, she sweeps him up into her machinations.

Vanye was most unfortunate to have been born a bastard child. Though his father took him in and raised him as a son, he would never truly belong. He bore the consequences of his low birth without complaint, the teasing, the beatings, and the cruel pranks; until one ill-fated day they threatened his life. For defending himself, he was rewarded with the choice of honorable suicide or exile. The Chya in him was too strong, so he chose to live in shame as an exiled warrior. Yet even exile did not welcome him, and thus he finds himself on the brink of starvation staggering blindly through a bitter snowstorm in unhallowed lands. Realizing his folly too late, he watches the White Witch of ancient legend stir from her tomb and come to rescue him from death. It would have been Nhi honor to refuse her aid and let the storm take him. However, the Chya will to live in him is as strong as before. For the second time in his life, he chooses to live and face whatever his choice brings. This time it might well bring the damnation of his soul.

"The Morgaine Saga", by C.J. Cherryh, contains the continuing perilous adventures of Morgaine and her faithful servant Vanye as they desperately fight to finish the task set upon them. They begin at Ivrel, where Morgaine's forces had been destroyed and she was thought to have died along with her beloved companions. There she must regroup and rebuild before she can continue with her plans. The stories thereafter follow them through worlds and time itself as they defy all odds in hopes of finally reaching the end. Theirs is an unrelenting battle that left me gasping for breath and nursing an aching heart. Their sheer grit and determination to never give up inspires me to do the same in my much more mundane life.

What makes this series so unique is Cherryh's careful attention to detail such as her narrative and spoken language, her back-story, and her convincing excerpts of historical/mythical legend. Her usage of formal language for her narrative parallels Morgaine's formal nature and the formality of a feudal world. The back-story she provides for us gives us a unique perspective that perhaps not even Morgaine can have. And her historical/mythological excerpts enshroud Morgaine in mystery. My favorite part about Cherryh's saga is that it allowed me to see one character's life through many different viewpoints. Morgaine in one instance is legend, in another is paradox, and in yet another is cherished friend. It is the complexity of Cherryh's characters and the rich journey they make together that makes this series hard to put down.

Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: The Morgaine Saga

Copyright © by April Dawn Duncan, 2003

Reviewed by April Dawn Duncan:
--Threshold: A Novel of Deep Time - by Caitlin R. Kiernan
--Yarrow: An Autumn Tale - by Charles de Lint
--The Morgaine Saga - by C. J. Cherryh
--Tigana - by Guy Gavriel Kay
--Ender's Game - by Orson Scott Card
--Foreigner: A Novel of First Contact - by C.J. Cherryh
--Guilty Pleasures - by Laurell K. Hamilton
--The Laughing Corpse - by Laurell K. Hamilton
--Circus of the Damned - by Laurell K. Hamilton
--The Lunatic Cafe - by Laurell K. Hamilton
--Bloody Bones - by Laurell K. Hamilton
--The Killing Dance - by Laurell K. Hamilton
--Burnt Offerings - by Laurell K. Hamilton
--Blue Moon - by Laurell K. Hamilton
--Obsidian Butterfly - by Laurell K. Hamilton
--Narcissus in Chains - by Laurell K. Hamilton









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