<<first <previous INDEX OF ALL REVIEWS next> last>>

Delia Marshall Turner
OF SWORDS AND SPELLS

Book 2
1999


Who recommends: Shelley, Barbara, JW, Lynn, Preeti, Rebekah, Kathleen, Tanya, Isabel
Who discommends:

I finished OF SWORDS AND SPELLS last night. It was a fun novel, but the romance is very low key. I would class it as an adventure fantasy, not a romance.

For those of you who read NAMELESS MAGERY it does take place in the same universe and we get to see some of the same characters from the last novel. Since some of the ending of OSAS will make more sense if you have the details from NAMELESS MAGERY I would not recommed reading as a stand alone.

Although I did not think OSAS was as strong as NM I did enjoy it and will be happy to read the authors next novel.--Shelley

And then I read OF SWORDS AND SPELLS. Hmmm, I'll have to think about this one. Written in the first person, I still spent half the time trying to figure out what was going on. Even now, I think I missed a few things. Yes, the romance is very low key and I think I missed most of it. Now no one can claim the characters in this novel are cast in a mold they can't break out of. Well done characters also, these are unique h/h you won't soon forget - almost opposites in manners, each driven by their own needs which are often at cross purposes. I have an idea people will either love or hate this one. Not a very long book - 200 pages - and planet jumping and twists in the plot to keep you going. I didn't fall in love with these characters like THE LAST DRAGONLORD. Let me think more about this one. It's a read and probably a keeper but I think I liked NAMELESS MAGERY better.--Barbara

An even odder, more random and patchwork book than Turner's first one, but I really liked Malka. OS&S; interwove with NAMELESS MAGERY like two out-of-control speedracers jockeying for positioning as they hurtled towards the finish line. But Turner did it again -- I enjoyed the book a lot because of the great main character, Malka the Mouse or Malka the Flapper of Hands or Malka the Mighty, Nemesis of Soup. Much of the book is the mystery of who, or what, is Malka. There is a romance, but it's Not As We Know It. Gotta recommend just for shear interestingness.--Rebekah

I especially liked the heroine's self-deprecating humor. Lots of fun, and the naming of the chapters was inspired.--Kathleen

I absolutely loved this book. It has my heartfelt recommendation, especially to other fans of Diane Wynne Jones.--Preeti

I loved the mix of magic and technology, and Malka is such an appealing character - I spent most of the first reading focussing on what she might turn out to be, so then of course I had to go back and read it again for the rest of the plot ... the romance is pretty understated, but I can see it working out very nicely. And the author certainly knows how to put a sentence together.--Tanya (17 Aug 99)

The romance is almost non existent but Malka made the book interesting. I also liked having the finale presented from two completely different view points in the two books. Definitely worth checking out!--Isabel (27 Aug 99)

I think I prefer 'Of Swords and Spells', despite the lack of romance ... I couldn't find Kaihan an attractive character at all, and Lisanne rather irritated me, though I can't say exactly why. 'Of Swords and Spells' was wittier, which I think is why I preferred it - and the characters seemed more rounded.--Tanya (27 Aug 99)


Back to Top | About Us