Product Description

In RHAPSODY Elizabeth Haydon tells a story that encompasses a world and centuries of time and which introduces three characters who have already captured a new generation of fantasy fans in the US. They embark on a journey through the centre of their world only to reach its end and find that centuries have passed and the land faces the awaking of a demon. Haydon's world building is unusually well thought out and vivid, her magic system is rigorous, her battle scenes realistic and massively exciting. But it is her characters, the intelligent and resourceful Rhapsody, the enigmatic assassin Achmed and the gruff but dependable Grunthor that have captured the imagination and affection of thousands of readers. This is a trio of characters who will carry the first great fantasy series of the 21st century on their shoulders.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #384827 in Books
• Published on: 2001-11-08
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 624 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
There is a freshness and inventiveness to Elizabeth Haydon's first novel Rhapsody that is not especially common in quest fantasies any more. Manipulated by a time-editing savant in her far future, minstrel Rhapsody escapes from the sinister love-making of a brutal warlord to the almost equally threatening companionship of a tusked, giant warrior and his hideous assassin companion. Plunging beneath the earth, among the roots of the world-tree, she finds herself singing to sleep a dragon whose awakening would crack the world like an egg-shell. When she and her companions emerge, it is on the other side of the world, and centuries away from home--their adventures are just beginning.

The occasionally foolish, sometimes sluttish Rhapsody, and her power, literally to remake the world by changing the name and rhythm of things, is one of the most interesting heroines of recent years, and her companion, the hulking Grunthor and the sinister charming Ahmed, long enslaved to the worse of evils and hardly believing his new freedom, are fascinating variations on some old themes. Haydon's inventiveness, and preparedness to push things to the limit, make her one of the more delightful discoveries of recent years. --Roz Kaveney

About the Author
SALES POINTS A fantasy to match the best of Robin Hobb and George R.R. Martin. From nowhere to four reader's top ten polls in one book - a publishing phenomenon Massive film deal signed on the basis of a synopsis for first book. 100,000 Hardbacks sold in USA Tube and Press Advertising

Customer Reviews

Calling all wannabe heroines
Rapsody is one of those books that once you pick it up it's almost impossible to put down. The story follows a girl called Rapsody on a mad journey with two warriors. Im not saying this books perfect in fact in parts it gets stightly repetetive but if you like pure fantasy this is perfect for you . Theres prophecys to intrige and the story really keeps you hanging on. The discrptive language pulls you in and makes you feel part of this amazing girls life.
If you love stories that exercise your imagination and you see yourself as a heroine fighting evil then book is deffinatly for you.

Musical magic that works...
Take David Eddings's approach to "sweet" characters (like the cat-thief relationship in Athalus). Take Terry Goodkind's slightly more "adult" flavoured romance scenes (Kahlan & Richard). Mix them together on a big bowl adding several dollops of De Lint's descriptions of pure sylvan forests and magical faerie creatures. Make sure to remove all traces of huge and brutal war scenes (a la Steven Erikson style). Sprinkle with Le Guin's description style of magical artifacts and add just a miniscule dollop of Tolkien's "my-books-must-have-a-100000000-year-long-history".

Pour the mixture into 3 forms (it's a trilogy after all : Rapsody, Prophecy, Destiny) and bake.

As it turns out, Rapsody is only just a very small teaser for your tastebud's. It's evident by the huge gaps in the storyline that Haydon loves cliffhangers and secrets being revealed with a big bang and books 2 and especially 3 deliver exactly that. Surely if you are a nitpicker you will find several (albeit rather small) inconsistencies. Let us not forget that these are her first books. The only really bad criticism I have for these books is Haydon's tendency to portray certain male characters with far more empathy than needed (How may times did Ashe weep at the 3rd book? Jee-sus dude, hold yourself back man! You are the .... after all!)

On the other hand, I absolutely ADORED the way the author treated the readerss on the conclusion. Once the really bad guy is...(well I am not gonna say it am I now? You might be surprised)...the story does not just fold in itself with "they all lived happily ever after". Insted Haydon follows the fantastic idea of Prof. Tolkien (Reminder : Sauron is dead, we expect the happy ending and...oops...Saruman has taken hold of the Shire...wha???) and she allows another 150 pages of story to unfold. An excellent touch that when it finishes it leaves you sated and utterly satisfied.

If you have just finished any of Eddings's or Hobbs's works and are craving for something similar then go ahead and buy! :)

ps : The musical magic system of Haydon works SO MUCH BETTER than LeModesitt's "Soprano Sorceress" books...you'll be amazed!

Never-Ending Story
From the outset, Rhapsody starts out well enough, a little different from your standard fantasy fare. It begins with a burgeoning relationship which piques the interest and then promptly vanishes. Images of some celestial film editor messing about with spools of fate or somesuch, only add to the confusion.
The next part again starts off well, introducing the characters who initially seem fascinating. A singer who can alter the properties of objects, a huge gruff but well-meaning ogre and a swarthy, dark assassin.
Once these characters are introduced however, their development just stops. That's it. The Ogre remains well meaning and gruff, the Assassin remains swarthy and dark and Rhapsody remains well, just pleasant and pretty to the last page.
This nicely parallels the feeling that the plot, alongside the characters is also going nowhere. This felt very like a book in which I was stuck - often checking to the back of the book to see how much further I had to read. I became mired in it. When the trio take off for a journey through the Earth, dear God, I suffered with them, I really did. When they longed for it to be over, I was right there with them.
Please, no more, we wept, all four of us. But for different reasons.
The dialogue often becomes blurred too. As we're in the standard fantasy-medieval setting, it seems incongruous when the characters start giving each other high fives and calling each other 'Rhaps'. I mean dude, come on.
There are some nice parts to this book. There are, but not many.
That's actually probably a decent way to describe the book.
It's a nice book.
No wrenching details of slaughter here, thank you so much. Everyone's irredeemably nice - even when fighting. I got the impression that the battles consisted of nothing more than roundly slapping each other's faces.
It rambles on, and you may find yourself skipping chunks of 'past history' of the isles and the name of the dragon's sister's second cousin quickly become irrelevant.
Again - one or two interesting flourishes. But I can't really recommend a book that I was so eager to finish.