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Rusalka v 1 CJ Cherryh 9780749307868 Books

Download As PDF : Rusalka v 1 CJ Cherryh 9780749307868 Books

Rusalka v 1 CJ Cherryh 9780749307868 Books

I can't remember the condition the seller said the book was in, so I hesitate to complain about the stain on the dust cover--that is, however, my only complaint about the condition. The book itself has an good story line, but is not fantastically written and strikes me as very generic. Still, an interesting read.


Tags : Rusalka (v. 1) [C.J. Cherryh] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers.,C.J. Cherryh,Rusalka (v. 1),Arrow Books Ltd,0749307862

Rusalka v 1 CJ Cherryh 9780749307868 Books Reviews

In the layout of the story this book is different than the Cherryh I'm familiar with. Not because it's fantasy primarily--the Gate of Morgaine books were as well stylistically, for all that they also tied into Alliance-Union. That series was recognizably a similar approach to her larger canon, the focus on politics and intrigue, the outsider as central figure. Here it's recognizably the same hand with characterization and prose, but the plot layout looks fairly conventional. It takes a pre-Christian Russian fairy tale, but at core it's a dramatization of a stock mythological concept with a focus on building of relationships rather than sustained reflection on the larger community. As a book it works pretty well, slow and a little disorienting to get into but after that point quite gripping, with some strong writing and good moments of horror and wonder. Also, after awhile of finding myself displeased by the characterization of Bren, here the layout of more flawed and believable people is good. They're characters without a firm grasp on the answers for their universe, without a blueprint for their future. That works in many of the most intense scenes, where they have to grapple with their own ignorance and the strange metaphysics of a world that is actively coming around to kill them. The novel toys with a lot of the forms of magical horror, but ultimately turns from it because the victory lies in obtaining knowledge and clarifying ambiguity. Some initially menacing forces turn out to be co-opted into alliance, and there's usually a lot more room to work with than killing or being killed.

I'd view this work as more minor than a lot of Cherryh's work, though, and the focus is in many ways narrower and less ambitious. At a certain level I think her approach to writing doesn't capture the fun potential of exploring stories and mythology in the way a Neil Gaiman can do.

Better than The Shining by Stephen King
Worse than King Rat by China Mieville
Roughly equivalent to The Steel Remains by Richard Morgan
Rusalka is a fantasy set in pre-Christian Russia. Cherryh creates plenty of atmosphere as her characters Pyetr and Sasha flee trouble in Vojvoda during the darkness of winter and find themselves at the mercy of a powerful wizard in a dead forest. Pyetr, who was mortally wounded as he fled, has ironically been healed and returned to life by a magic he denies exists ... a skeptic. Sasha believes in magic and lives at its mercy until he discovers that he is a wizard and must learn how to direct the powerful forces that flow through him.

Despite their differences, Pyetr and Sasha are devoted to each other. Street-wise Pyetr is determined to protect the younger and naive Sasha from those who would take advantage of his innocence, and Sasha refuses to leave Pyetr alone and unprotected from the powerful magic that he vehemently denies. Pyetr relies on his wits to shield him from misfortune. Sasha is determined to avoid trouble by learning to carefully control his powerful thoughts. Together they learn that neither wits nor careful manipulation will protect them from the uncertainties of life and that there is nothing more powerful than a good and loyal friend.

Pyetr and Sasha will need to rely on each other if they are to survive the ordeal that awaits them. They encounter various magical spirits that inhabit this dark forest while constrained by the will of Uulamets, the wizard. These spirits are quite fickle and most times very dangerous. Along with these not-so-benevolent spirits, the forest is haunted by the ghost of a young murdered woman. She is a rusalka and she is the daughter of Uulamets. The rusalka doesn't want to be dead and so must drain the life from anything or anyone in order to maintain existence until her father can bring her back to life.

Cherryh uses Slavic folklore, with its heavy emphasis on magical power, to tell the story of a different kind of power ... the power of friendship. This is the strength of Rusalka. Cherryh's ability to create an atmospheric novel is one of her strong points as a writer. She can also generate an intensity that leaves you gasping and dreaming strange dreams at night. That said, I was disappointed with this novel. The struggle of wills revealed through the dialogue between characters was meant to build and create that intensity I just mentioned, but instead I found the conversations repetitive and tedious. I couldn't wait for the characters to stop their constant bickering and for Cherryh to just get on with some action instead. I generally like Cherryh's books a lot, so I'm a bit baffled by my ambivalence toward this novel. Perhaps I wasn't in the right mood for this one, so I'm glad that this was not my first experience with Cherryh.
First, I would like to say that I do not know about Russian culture. A friend of mine told me that there are plays and operas based on Rusalka. Depending from different parts of Russia, Rusalka is a ghost with past different mythologies & varieties of powers. Well, Ms. Cherryh create a great fantasy based on the concept of a Rusalka.

The intorduction of the book is fast paced where one the the characters, Pyetr falsely accused of something and the village wants him dead. Along the way, he gets unexpected help from a wet behind ears teenage boy and escape the village of Vojvoda.

Pyetr learns a little bit more about his new companion, tries to portray the real harshness of life & squash fairy tales of magic. Pyetr getting weak & near death they fortunately meet the likelihood of Uulamets. Uulamets a proud wizard in own right does something that is believe that can't be done. The trio soon become somewhat of a family when a new chartacter, Eveshka comes into the mix. Don't want to give away to much but this a great read especially for a book that was written sometime in the 80's.
It leaves you with a lot to think about.
This is OK - not anywhere as good as her other books
I can't remember the condition the seller said the book was in, so I hesitate to complain about the stain on the dust cover--that is, however, my only complaint about the condition. The book itself has an good story line, but is not fantastically written and strikes me as very generic. Still, an interesting read.