Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #69606 in Books
• Published on: 1998-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 416 pages

From the Publisher
Praise for DAUGHTER OF THE BLOOD by Anne Bishop
"Mysterical, sensual, glittering with dark magic, Anne Bishop's debut novel brings a strong new voice to the fantasy field."
-- Terri Windling, co-editor of YEAR'S BEST FANTASY AND HORROR

"Vividly painted...dramatic, erotic, hope-filled. A promising debut."
--Lynn Flewelling, author of STALKING DARKNESS

"Anne Bishop is a terrific writer. I loved this book!"
-- Charles deLint

Customer Reviews

Weaves a spell of dark magic that will leave you entranced
Wow! I mean Wow! Daughter of the Blood is one of the most mesmerizing,powerful, unforgettable books I have ever read. Talk about making asplash with your first published novel; Anne Bishop does that and more. This is the kind of complex, intricately crafted novel that almost demandsmultiple readings if one is to grasp all of the nuances worked seamlesslyinto the story. The universe Bishop brings to life here is unlike anyother I have had the good fortune to tread, and while I sometimes feltunsure of certain elements of the plot and a little confused about severalof the large number of characters featured herein, the writing isdevastatingly captivating. Some people call this a mix of romance andhorror; for all my horror loving friends out there, don't let the mentionof romance stop you from immersing yourself in this incredible novel. Iwould categorize Daughter of the Blood as a sensuous dark fantasy of atype many horror fans should love.
Daughter of the Blood is a concentrated form of literary magic. Likemagic, one often finds oneself shocked and amused, unable to explain whatyou just experienced but blown away by the impact of it. The action takesplace in a fantastic world where the land of the living overlays the landof the demon-dead, the very fabric of realities linked together with thebeauty and force of powerful silken webs of existence so tiny that most ofthe living never suspect their existence. It is a dark universe wheretraditional good and evil transcend one another. In fact, the mostpositive of forces reside in Hell itself, led by Saetan, the High Lord ofHell himself. Two of his estranged sons, Lucivar and Daemon, exist amongthe living on the other side of the veil, enduring unbelievable hardshipsat the hands of powerful female witches. Women rule the world of theliving, and even the most powerful of men are exploited and dominated. Those "of the Blood," both women and men, possess magical powers drawnfrom an assortment of multi-colored jewels, but even men of the Black (themost powerful jewel) are subjugated and enslaved to demented Black Widowqueens and priestesses. Daemon has been forced to serve his queens in themost humiliating of ways for centuries; having never known his father, hehas become the coldest of men, forced to wear the Ring of Obedience (and,let me tell you, you don't wear this particular ring on your finger) andsuffer terrible brutalities. Only his dreams of she who is yet to come,the only woman he will willingly serve, keep him from falling into anabyss too deep to return from.
Everything changes, in both Hell and the world of the living, when theprophecy of a new and all-powerful witch is fulfilled in the form of asapphire-eyed young lady named Jaenelle. She is not just "a witch;"rather, she is Witch. At twelve years old, she has little understandingof just what she is, but she travels between the realms to seek theinstruction of Saetan in the Craft and continually amazes her new tutorwith the power and knowledge she possesses. Daemon, whom Saetan firstviews as a possible threat to Jaenelle, ends up serving Jaenelle'sgrandmother and develops a powerful bond and a very real love for theyoung lady. He will become her protector from several forces of evil,namely the corrupted Black Widows and dark priestesses now holding sway inthe land, women intent on destroying Jaenelle and the threat she poses totheir continued rule by perversion. Daemon is one of the mostimpressively constructed characters I have met in a long time, as isJaenelle. Surprisingly, there are moments of great humor to be found inthese pages, most of them arising from the young girl's naiveté about theworld and Saetan's attempts to answer her increasingly bold questions, buta continuously dark story takes a dramatically shocking dark turn towardthe end as Jaenelle's secret life, the one she keeps hidden from Saetanand Daemon, is exposed, threatening to destroy her and the men bound toserve her. The romantic elements of the novel, seemingly problematic dueto the character's young age, are handled with great care and beauty,revealing the hand of a true master craftswoman of words at work here.
Those who like their novels straightforward and easily understandable maybalk at the richness of the world Anne Bishop has created here, but loversof dark fantasy and well-constructed literature in general will findthemselves immersed in a world they have never imagined. I don't have thewords to describe just how powerful an effect this book had on myconsciousness and emotions. This first book of The Black Jewels Trilogyis the most unique and easily the most powerful work of dark fantasy Ihave ever read. Thank goodness there are two additional books in theseries, for I could not, at this point, leave this universe of Bishop'screation even if I wanted to.

I don't understand the review...
...from Simon Brooke. It reads like a different book altogether. It is unfortunate that the love, the beauty and the important lessons of faith and trust have been lost to him. It is also unfortunate that the explanations of society, provided at the beginning of each in the trilogy, were not completely understood.
Daughter of the Blood introduces a world that was once pleasurable and peaceful, split into Realms. Sadly, ambition and the desire for power have caused widespread corruption among the Blood - the ruling class who are blessed, sometimes cursed, with supernatural power. At the core of this corruption are two women who are willing to do anything to cripple society into accepting their way, without care for the consequences to the land, drawing in younger women as apprentices and encouraging all the negative aspects of life as acceptable ways of socialising and ruling. The only hope for all the Realms is a prophecy of the coming of Witch - the dreams made flesh, holding all the power and compassion to heal the rifts, and the only Queen who can hold the loyalty of the three most dangerous males in existence. It is she who will heal the people, remove the taint and restore the land.
Jaenelle may only be 12 when we first meet her, but she has no illusions about who she is, what she is. Due to the power and knowledge she holds, her family have no understanding. They see a disturbed child rather than a wonderful one, a child with no power, no sense of reality. The stories of 'mythical' creatures and small behavioural quirks lead to Jaenelle becoming a victim of the corruption among the Blood and, more importantly, the centre of a plot to eradicate all opposition by our antagonists.
Yes, the men she draws to her could have prevented the explosive ending...BUT only if they had been told. Saetan Daemon SaDiablo teaches this Witch to love, trust and how to harness her power, becoming a fatherly figure. Daemon Sadi - a man abused by the Queens, become bitter - learns to love and trust from Jaenelle in turn. Lucivar Yaslana vows himself to Witch's side, another victim to the corruption. Not one of them finds out exactly what happens in Jaenelle's 'hospital' in time. It is not lack of power or lack of caring - it is simply that they cannot find the information they seek. Please note - no one but those actively engaged with the cruelty at this place knows of it.
Through the book, Bishop tells us the whys, the whats and the hows clearly in regard to each character of import. Through that we learn how the Blood should work, how far society has fallen and how desperate so many are to regain the peace and stability of years before. The added information of ruling structure, castes and levels of power at the start are an added bonus.
Whilst I do understand that some may be offened by the chosen names...Saetan IS the High Lord of Hell, Daemon and Lucivar are his sons. It still seems rather fitting. And I accept that Kaeleer and Terreile are dark places...so is the world we live in. Everything physical that happens within this book takes place in reality as well...at least Bishop isn't graphic or gory about it all, using the less-is-more approach in suitable manner. She provides a tale that shows how light must be cared for and protected in the dark until it is strong enough to blaze.
Try the series...put everything aside and look at the beauty within. You'll likely find something that brings a little hope into our own darkened world.

the dark realms
Good and bad have reversed roles in this book. Magic is inherited by the use of coloured crystals which give various powers. Saetan the Lord of the Underworld (dead souls) is a kindly soul and his sons have almost humane qualities which come to the fore as they desperately try to overcome gory torture from sex fiends (which is the norm in this upturned world) in order to save a human child with magical potential from destruction at the hands of a clique of a despotic community with an insatiable lust for destroying the innocent. Not for the faint-hearted but if you like blood and gore with a very good smothering of sex, this is the book for you.