Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #914054 in Books
• Published on: 1985-02-14
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 676 pages

Customer Reviews

The best fantasy fiction I have ever read.
This is fantasy fiction for thinking people. The main hook for this book is that we are never allowed into the lead character's mind. Morgaine is totally focused on one goal, and will ride over anything in her path to achieve it. She has only one true ally throughout the trilogy, and his sense of morality is played against his oath of loyalty to her on many occasions.

I've read many of Cherryh's books, and while they all show a fantastic imagination at work, there are very few which can match this tale for addiction. I've read this three times, and the characters are as beautifully crafted as ever.

Terminal fantasy
'The Chronicles of Morgaine' is in fact a trilogy by C J Cherryh, brought together in one volume for terminal addicts: Cherryh creates an incredibly intricate, detailed and complex series of worlds and civilisations, and contrives at the same time to evoke highly realistics reactions to these civilisations from her two main characters, the enigmatic Morgaine and her honour-bound guard, Vanye.
The very human Vanye finds himself trapped in Morgaine's quest on his home world while exiled form his own clan, and reacts as anyone might to the world of nightmares and fairytales suddenly becoming real: his anguish and internal debate as he follows her as he is bound to by his oath are entirely believable and elicit understanding.
As he follows Morgaine on her ancient and legendary quest, he learns more about the foundations of his own beliefs and culture than he had imagined existed, and slowly the beliefs he held since his childhood are eroded, to his great dismay. It is only in the later stages of the book that he begins to find a new set of values and beliefs, ones perhaps more valuable than the ones that he had lost.
Set against a background of desperation and constant action, with Vanye's very understandable quandaries set against Morgaine's complete self control, this book is one that will keep the reader glued, wide-eyed, to the book until the very last page, and then you will wonder how to get hold of more. One of the few books that is just as good on the twentieth reading as the first.

Gripping Story
This great saga captures the essence of true heroism, a battle of necessity and grief. Morgaine is hardened against slaughter and death to preserve and destroy the ancient gateways linking civilisations, her cruelty to anyone close an intriguing side effect leaving us in suspense and hope - will the latest male fighting companion and servant will be a match (and get laid)? Very good storyline and suspense.