Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #447190 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Customer Reviews

Interesting, but not gripping.
I decided to read The Gypsy when I found out that Megan Lindholm and Robin Hobb were in fact the same author. Being a huge fan of Ms Hobb's books, I wanted to read anything else that she had written, and this was the first book that I was able to find. I will say from the outset that this is not a good reason for purchasing this novel. The Gypsy is initially a rather slow and confusing story. I found the disjointed, soap-opera style of story telling rather irritating, and the need to constantly check back to find out who is who made progress rather slow. Once the style and characters became established, after about 100 pages or so, the story does begin to take shape and the novel becomes more enjoyable. The blend of fantasy and reality; the cross-over between the world of the cop Stepovich and that of the gypsy brothers was intriguing, although I did feel at times that occurrences in the fantasy world were a little too abstract and difficult to follow. Overall the book provided an interesting diversion, but not the gripping read that I hoped for.

vague and slowpaced
I really wanted to like this, being a fan of the musical version [Songs From the Gypsy] by Boiled in Lead, but I have to admit that I'm not impressed. The sections concentrating on Stepovich the cop are fairly compelling, but the sections about the various Gypsy brothers and especially the Fair Lady [who's the villainess] are so vaguely described as to not engender any interest. Plus the subplot involving the seduction of Stepovich's daughter by the Fair Lady seems forced, like it was shoehorned in at the last minute to give Step a personal stake in the story. Overall I found that large parts of this novel just dragged interminably. I didn't feel like hurling it against the wall when I finished it, but I didn't feel like my time had been well spent either.

Recommended reading for anyone who likes Steven Brust
Steven Brust, mostly known for his tales of a sarcastic nice guy who also happens to be an assassin/sorcerer/witch by the name of Vlad Taltos, seamlessly unites two worlds in an interesting, gritty urban faerie tale. Brust, an old hand at creating three dimensional characters, quickly embroils you in the lives of two rather disparate characters who must unite to save their world. This novel is somewhat more gritty than the Cycle series but still maintains a sophisticated edge of wit and humor. I recommend it for any Brust fan or anyone who enjoys good literature.