Duainfey

by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Book Overview

Faliance is a world where there is traffic and trade between humans and Fey, elflike beings who control powerful magic. Lord Altimere is powerful, both in influence and in magic. The former because he... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416591672
• ISBN13: 9781416591672
• Release Date: February 2009
• Publisher: Baen
• Length: 496 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 3.6" x 7.2"

Customer Reviews

An interesting combination - NOT what it appears!

When I saw this book's description I thought it was an interesting mix of two genres I enjoy - Regency and fantasy. And it is - sort of! I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so suffice it to say that there is a twist which you could easily miss at first. It was so good I immediately went online and ordered the sequel even though it was a pre-order for a hard cover. I HAD to know what happened. The characters and story are fascinating and the whole premise behind it quite intriguing. I couldn't put either of them down. One cautionary note: If you do not like some fairly graphic sex content, or are buying this for a teenager, there are parts of this book which are, ahem, well, graphic! Frankly, I skipped a lot of them as unnecessary. While the sexual content was needed story wise, it didn't need to be quite so - detailed. It was here that one could see that the book is written by two people, these parts were very different. BUT - this is a great book and I highly recommend it to anyone liking both these genres - or even just fantasy. The whole Regency thing really doesn't play into it after the first few chapters. I liked both books well enough to want to read more by these two authors, especially any related stories.

Fantastic Segue from Liad Series

I thought this was a fantastic book, with great characters, plot, and especially dialogue. Any fans of Victorian type settings and fantasy should love this book. Yes, it's different from other Lee/Miller work, but that's expected when the difference is that it's fantasy and not science fiction. If you don't like fantasy, especially dark fantasy, you may not like this, but please try not to blame your dislike of the genre on the authors or their considerable talents. A beautiful work of art with a unique world full of intrigue, mystery, and danger.

Horror that creeps upon one

What if you were shown the power to change your life? What if it were within your grasp? Would you take it, no matter the cost? These questions are posed by Duainfey, the first half of a dark fantasy duology by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. This book starts out like a typical Regency with a bit of a fantasy twist. If you're expecting a fantasy Regency with a few elves and sparkles and maybe a panpipe or two, this isn't the book for you. Rather than thinking of Regency romances, think of Faerie Ballads. Duainfey is about the use and abuse of power. Rebecca Beauvelley is nearly powerless to prevent an unwanted marriage. She's nearly powerless in her father's house, and her husband-to-be has shown that he intends to keep her powerless. But Altimere, an elder fey from across the border, shows her that she has the power to accept his invitation to go with him. And so she puts her trust in him, and goes across the border. Across the border in the court of the Queen of Fey, Meripen Vanglelauf is awakened betime from his healing sleep, and is bitterly aware that his love was killed in the land of men, by people intent on power over the fey. He is then sent on a quest to find out why the land and the wood are falling ill. He has come to hate men, and thinks much on their powers. Although Rebecca and Meripen Vanglelauf do not meet in this book, their stories, and their horrors, parallel one another. And make no mistake. This is a horror story. And it's the most hair-raising kind of horror --not things that go bump in the night, or bloody corpses, although both of those do exist in this book. Rather, it's the horror of the decision made hastily, the question not asked, the price too high, and the courage that might not be enough. And the horror creeps up, written as it is in Lee and Miller's clear, lovely prose. The horror has enough of a sexual content that I don't feel comfortable recommending this book to younger readers, unlike many Lee and Miller books. In the same way, I don't feel comfortable recommending A Clockwork Orange to younger readers. Both are very fine books, but they are books that should be read with eyes open. It's not really appropriate for younger teens. Older teens? I would tell them that it's a cautionary tale that pulls no punches. There is the potential that the second book in this pair, Longeye, may not be as much of a horror story as Duainfey. But there's also the potential for deeper horror. I do hope for a happy continuation for both Becca and Meripen, but I don't yet count on it.

Different and pleasing

Showing versatility, yet with the same command of dialogue and characterization that are familiar from the Liaden Universe books, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller have crafted a tale that is dark yet hopeful. Lee and Miller's strength is their ability to paint images for their readers' pleasure. This captivating story centers a power hungry Elder Fey and his unwitting human pawn and accomplice, Becca. Her struggle to recognize her captivity and fight for her freedom is at once disturbing and electrifying. Kudos to the authors for giving their fans a totally different story from any previously published Lee and Miller work.

A Willful Woman

Duainfey (2008) is the first fantasy novel in a new duology. A hint on a breeze through the keleigh led the Queen of Viatura to send someone to investigate. The Woods Wise reluctantly returns to Xandurana and her queen to report. The Barrens caused by the great war have healed and a new people have settled in the land. They do not appear to use kest at all, but have brought great bounty from the land. Their auras are beautiful and even intoxicating. In this novel, Rebecca Beauvelly is the elder daughter of an Earl. She is unmarried due to her deformed arm and the shame that she had brought upon her house. Yet her father has found a suitable match for her and she is soon to marry. Her younger sister Caroline is eagerly awaiting her chance to come out in New London. Her brother Dickon has been her protector from spiteful others for many years. He can't quite stop Caroline from making disparaging remarks, but he tries. His friend Ferdy is also Rebecca's friend. Becca is helping prepare for a dance that her sister Caroline has persuaded their mother to hold. Caro can be very persuasive when she pouts, pleads and cries. Dickon comes with news about a stranger in the area, a Fey gentleman from the other side of the boundary. Altimere is tall and very handsome, with buttery colored hair and amber eyes. He has come to talk to Ferdy's father about starting a breeding farm with Fey horses. Lord Quince has already breed a quarter-Fey mare that seems very smart, but not malevolent like the grandsire. Sir Jennet Hale is Rebecca's fiance, In their only meeting, Sir Jennet seemed to be quiet-spoken, portly, a bit red in the face, and about her father's age. His previous wife being deceased, Sir Jennet needs another to hold his household. Meripen Vanglelauf is a Woods Wise ranger. He has been asleep for nine thousand nights recovering from his wounds. He and Faldana Camlauf had been captured beyond the keleigh by the Newmen and horribly tortured. Meri had escaped, but Faldana had not. In this story, Rebecca meets Altimere while seeking aid for a fallen friend. Altimere is well spoken and takes an instant liking to Rebecca. He compliments her on her riding and comments on her aura. At the ball, he dances the first set with her. Caroline is as quickly enamored of the Fey gentleman and tries to separate the two on several occasions. Sir Jennet is furious that Rebecca had paid attention to another man and drags her to a chair and throws her in it. He hurts her deformed arm in doing so and seems to delight in her pain. Later, her father orders her to apologize to Sir Jennet. Rebecca runs away from the marriage to Sir Jennet. Altimere rides with her and somehow nobody appears to observe her presence. Her brother rides right by her without noticing. She doesn't wonder about these happenings, but follows behind Altimere through the boundary, which the Fey call the keleigh. Rebecca slowly notices her own deference to Altimere and her