Illusion [Mass Market Paperback]

The events of these turbulent times are seen through the eyes of a high-born young woman, Eliste vo Derrivalle. Eliste is at first a product of her society and upbringing--a spoiled brat who doesn't think to question her class's superiority over the serfs and working class. She is only willing to respect one serf--the brilliant Dref Zeenoson, whose talents belie everything Eliste has been taught about the inferiority of his kind. When Eliste's father shows himself as a cruel master, and Dref defies him, only Eliste can save Dref from a terrible fate. She frees him--and then tries to put this subversive incident out of her mind.

For Eliste has been appointed as a maid of honor to the Queen herself. She travels to the capital and is trained in courtly ways. But the fairy-tale court is not long for this world; a revolution is beginning. When Eliste loses everything she had taken for granted, she will have to learn to survive just like everyone else. But she will not always be without help--for there is one person who has never forgotten Eliste's first act of heroism. This is an enthralling, heartbreaking, and suspenseful story, made all the better by its wonderfully drawn characters: the ingenious Dref, the stubbornly dignified grand dame Zeralenn, the incorrigibly shallow Aurelie, the so-sweet Kairthe, and even the terrifying Whiss v'Aleur, who lays waste to a nation to assuage his childhood feelings of inadequacy. But most of all, Eliste, who matures into a very different sort of woman than she had planned to become.

This is not just a good fantasy; it also holds its own with the best sort of straight-up historical fiction, illuminating a place and time from its hovels to its palaces, as seen through the eyes of memorable characters. If you like fantasy, read this book. If you don't normally go for fantasy, but like a good romantic historical epic, suspend your disbelief about the magic and read it anyway. And if you're like me, and like both genres--don't hesitate another moment.

Eliste's world is not France of course, and the King and Queen are not Louis and Marie Antoinette, but they may as well be (though they have no children). The strict formalities that surrounded the French Court are faithfully related here, and you come to believe in this society where the Exalted lived just as the aristocracy did in France. Anyone who is familiar with the French Revolution will find this very clever - the reader can indulge in a game of "find the characters" - Marat for instance, who spent most of his time in a bath due to an unpleasant skin condition, is transformed into the beggar leader Fungus (who as the name suggests has an equally unpleasant skin condition). Even the guillotine is transformed into something far more nasty - a machine called Kokette with enormous spikes and needs of its own!

Interspersed with all this is some magic, some terrible hardship (the author does not shirk from some rather graphic descriptions of hardship and deprivation), and of course love. Eliste travels a rocky road from a spoilt young lady to a woman with rather formiddable skills and fortitude.

This is a different, clever and entertaining book. It is quite long, but thankfully keeps your attention for the whole time. I recommend it highly for people who enjoy a great story, fabulous writing and a complex plot.

Illusion is obviously a fantasy take on the French revolution, so it's fairly clear what is going to happen...but so what--that doesn't reduce the suspense any. A reader interested in history will easily be able to pick out the parallels of in characters, the guillotine, and the palace at Versailles.

I couldn't put this book down. You will want to read Illusion in one sitting, partially because it's so gripping, partially because you can't bear to leave the character until the situation gets, at least, slightly better. The middle of the book reminded me of nothing so much as a nightmare, the kind where you are always afraid, always running, where all your family and the people around you are caught or killed. Thankfully, three-fourths of the way through, the books lightens a little, and the ending is somewhat optimistic.

Volsky's world is richly textured and totally immersive. Illusion perfectly captures the terror of a revolution, the anger of the masses, the rioting, and the revolution's metamorphasis from idealistic to dictatorial. It is an engrossing fantasy take on the French revolution and well worth your time.