Although I don't normally read fantasy, I decided to try this one based on a recommendation. The fantasy parts didn't work for me, but the rest of the book was excellent.
Nobody's Son by Sean Stewart
(1995, Fantasy) 1/21/05
Grade: 4
Shielder's Mark is a peasant - "nobody's son" - but after he breaks the spell of the Red Keep, he is hailed a hero. The King grants him any wish - and he chooses to marry Princess Gail, the fiesty youngest daughter of the King. But "happily ever after" is more difficult than he'd expected!
A unique perspective on the usual fantasy story. The first couple of chapters were typical fantasy, full of obscure language and sacred quests. (This part was kind of boring.) But once Mark arrives at court, the story picks up. The Court intrigue was fascinating, and Mark's prickly relationship with Gail and her friends was compelling. I really enjoyed the character development. The writing is very good too - sometimes overly poetic but after the first bit, mostly understandable. The book started to drag again near the end (as it went back into the fantasy part of the story), but overall I found it quite good and very readable.
This book pulled me in two directions - on one hand, the beginning and end reminded me again why I stopped reading fantasy many years ago. But the middle part was excellent - it could have been a romance or a historical fiction novel, except for a few minor paranormal elements. I'm sticking with romance, but this was an interesting change of pace.
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