"Fantasy, Myth, and Realistic Romance"
Orson Scott Card has been disappointing me with a lot of
his books lately, but Enchantment was a wonderful fantasy
that makes up for these. It's about what happens after the
end of the fairy tale. You know, the hero beats the
monster, wins the princess, gets the kingdom. But what if
he's a Jewish scholar from the 20th century who killed the
monster to save his own skin, and doesn't particularly want
to be saddled with a princess and kingdom in 890 AD
Russia? How does the princess really feel about having to
marry a man who isn't the warrior she expected but a
weakling who can barely pick up a sword? And is her father
going to be comfortable turning his kingdom over to this
guy, or is he going to try to get around the promise
without everyone ending up cursed? This was kind of a time-
travel romance, although it's the sort of romance found in
fantasies, not in romances. No blatant sex and lusting,
just two people finding one another the way the rest of us
do. There was a sense of reality even though the rules of
fairy tales were maintained (Baba Yaga was one of the main
characters, gods and magic existed). There was also some
humor, both from the situations and from the hero who saw
the world through slightly offbeat eyes. I *did* have to skim a number of the scenes written from
Baba Yaga's point of view. She was really evil, and while
some of the scenes were humorous in a very dark way, a
couple just were over the top with me. And for those who have found Card to be preachy lately,
there's none of that in this book. Religion has a strong
presence but it's everyone's religions, no favoritism
shown. I recommend this book to those who like fantasy and myth
with a realistic romance thrown in. Shelly Raines / March, 2000
Copyright © 2000 for ParaNormal
Romance Reviews
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted October 1, 2002
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