Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Kari Sperring's first novel was a finalist for the Crawford Award, a Tiptree Award Honor Book, a "LOCUS "Recommended First Novel, and the winner of the Sydney J. Bounds Award for Best Newcomer. Now she returns to the same amazing and atmospheric world with an entirely new story set several hundred years after the earth-shaking events of "Living With Ghosts." When a wealthy young woman, obsessed with a childhood vision of a magical Shining Palace, sets out with her true love to search for a legendary land, she discovers the devastated WorldBelow - the realm of the Grass King - and the terrifying Cadre, who take her prisoner, and demand she either restore the king's concubine... or replace her.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A keenly intelligent young woman faces arranged marriage to a boorish oaf, and a pointless existence in a society where she is expected to be a mere ornament. A young soldier pursues a duty that can bring him no honour. Brought close together by a shared perception of injustice, they find themselves on a quest through disordered times, and devastated lands...
A rich, resonant fantasy, with more of a fairy tale feel than Kari Sperring's first book, 'Living with ghosts', yet still with solid and engaging characters, still full of mystery. If you're looking for fantasy with original and utterly immersive world-building - in the vein of Barbara Hambly, Martha Wells, or Amanda Downum - then you should add Kari Sperring to the list of authors to buy on sight.
A rich, resonant fantasy, with more of a fairy tale feel than Kari Sperring's first book, 'Living with ghosts', yet still with solid and engaging characters, still full of mystery. If you're looking for fantasy with original and utterly immersive world-building - in the vein of Barbara Hambly, Martha Wells, or Amanda Downum - then you should add Kari Sperring to the list of authors to buy on sight.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Kazi
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I loved this. One of my best reads this year. It manages to combine haunting, lyrical descriptions of the court of the Grass King, with gritty realism of the World Above and the funny antics of the ferret twins. Reading it, I was reminded of my early reactions to Jon Courtney Grimwoods Effendi etc... I even had to read in my lunch hour. A rare treat. More please.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars
6 reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Detailed and thought-provoking
24 Aug 2012
By Katharine Kerr
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This is an exceptionally well-written fantasy that offers something different from the usual themes and characters. Sperring's heroine, Aude, comes from the upper class of a society based on a sharp division between the rich and the poor. When her awakening social conscience drives her to discover the source of her family's wealth, she finds herself trapped in a strange and magic land, the WorldBelow. While her husband desperately searches for her, Aude must find the answers she seeks or stay trapped forever.
One thing I particularly liked about the book is its non-human characters. (None of them are the usual elves and dwarves.) They are as alien as any you'll find in well written SF, and some, like the ferret women, are both comic and threatening. This is not easy to pull off.
One thing the book is not is a "fast, fun read" as too many books are these days, mind candy that's instantly forgetable. Sperring gives the reader things to think about and clues that the reader must put together as the heroine finds them. And because of this, the book is absorbing and memorable.
One thing I particularly liked about the book is its non-human characters. (None of them are the usual elves and dwarves.) They are as alien as any you'll find in well written SF, and some, like the ferret women, are both comic and threatening. This is not easy to pull off.
One thing the book is not is a "fast, fun read" as too many books are these days, mind candy that's instantly forgetable. Sperring gives the reader things to think about and clues that the reader must put together as the heroine finds them. And because of this, the book is absorbing and memorable.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Evocative fantasy that feels dense, and rich
14 Aug 2012
By Mary Robinette Kowal
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The Grass King's Concubine caught me on the first page with the language. Kari Sperring has managed to create this... epic fantasy is not right. It's a mythic fantasy, in that it feels like I was reading a story much, much older than it was, but it's all original. It's a novel that is very much about the power of language to shape things and in a book like that you need prose that is strong. Here you get strong, lyrical, and, at times, playful. I very much enjoyed it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An lyrical epic fantasy
19 Nov 2012
By Mikaela
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The first time I heard about this book was when Kari Sperring read from it at Eurocon in 2011. I have waited for it to be released ever since. Did it live up to my expectations? Yes.
The setting felt believable. In fact, at times it felt like I was reading a historical fantasy. Because while the Brass City is imagined,it reflects the uncertainities of life in the mid 1800's in European Cities. But it wasn't just that. It was the clear contrasts between the wealthy in the Silver City and the poor in the Brass City, and how that affected the relationship between the cities.
But if the Worldabove was believable, then Worldbelow was chilling. That was enhanced by seeing how the World Below looked in it's hey day.
The plot wasn't fast paced, but it was well paced. The story switched between past and present, between World Below and World Above. It should have been confusing, but it wasn't. The main reason for that was because it was easy to follow the characters logic. Well, maybe except for the Cadre.
The characters felt unique. I admired Aude for her mix of curiosity and pragmatism. Which showed in a lot of ways through the story. And then there were the twins... I think this is the first time that I have read a ferret's POV. I felt for Jehan as he chased after Aude.
The only problem I had with this book was the budding romance between Aude and Jehan. I felt that it was buried behind Aude's search for her family's history, and it wouldn't have hurt if it was a little bit stronger.
The setting felt believable. In fact, at times it felt like I was reading a historical fantasy. Because while the Brass City is imagined,it reflects the uncertainities of life in the mid 1800's in European Cities. But it wasn't just that. It was the clear contrasts between the wealthy in the Silver City and the poor in the Brass City, and how that affected the relationship between the cities.
But if the Worldabove was believable, then Worldbelow was chilling. That was enhanced by seeing how the World Below looked in it's hey day.
The plot wasn't fast paced, but it was well paced. The story switched between past and present, between World Below and World Above. It should have been confusing, but it wasn't. The main reason for that was because it was easy to follow the characters logic. Well, maybe except for the Cadre.
The characters felt unique. I admired Aude for her mix of curiosity and pragmatism. Which showed in a lot of ways through the story. And then there were the twins... I think this is the first time that I have read a ferret's POV. I felt for Jehan as he chased after Aude.
The only problem I had with this book was the budding romance between Aude and Jehan. I felt that it was buried behind Aude's search for her family's history, and it wouldn't have hurt if it was a little bit stronger.
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 6 reviews
4.5 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
