Book Description
In a pristine valley hidden in the Himalayas, Anand has a disturbing vision. His mentor and spiritual guide, the Master Healer Abhaydatta, is apparently in grave danger. What should he do? If he conveys this information to his elders, he'll waste precious time. But is it wise to take matters into his own hands?
Anand makes his choice and embarks on a spectacular adventure that takes him not only across contemporary India but also several hundred years into the past to the time of the Moghul rulers. There he encounters powerful sorcerers, a haughty and arrogant prince, and a jinn capable of unspeakable magic.
Customer Reviews:
Brilliant.......2007-08-14
After picking up her first book in the series, I knew I had to find out if I could find the sequel. I really love her style of writing, spare yet there are no loose ends in the story line. The story is tight and smooth, the characters are richly imagined-although the main character Anand is the focus of most of the character development. This is a happy fantasy series about magic and adventure in historical India that you won't want to miss and will draw you in regardless of your age, with positive morals and themes that are great for children. If you like books like Harry Potter, you'll love this.
Magical!.......2006-04-28
This book, the sequel to The Conch Bearer, mixes the sense of excitement that every book needs, a wonderful use of magic realism (which is illustrated by the fact that Anand, the main character, travels from the present day India to the ancient India, who'se realistic features are marred by the fact that Anand is a magician) , an overhanging gloom and really, really, really great writing.
This was one of my favorite books and I would definately recommend it to anyone!!!
The right blend of fantasy and reality .......2005-10-04
Anand is the Keeper of the Conch. He gave up his family and his home so that he can help the world, as a Healer in Silver Valley. His friend Nisha comes with him, the first ever female healer, and the master healer Abhaydatta is one of his instructors. As Anand struggles with his studies, he hears a warning from the wind and views an alarming scene on a wall. The Healers must take action; they know it is their duty to protect the world from the "evil that stirs." Abhaydatta and a young healer called Raj-bahnu embark upon a quest to find this evil, leaving a heart-broken Anand behind. However, just before he leaves, Abhaydatta gives Anand a pearl necklace that will change color if he is in danger. In yet another alarming scene, Anand views Abhaydatta beside a lake with an unconscious Raj-bhanu at his side. He knows they are in danger, but the pearls are nowhere to be found. The Healer's Council will decide upon a course of action in the morning, but Anand knows that by then it will be to late. The Conch agrees to transport Nisha and Anand to the lake, but something goes slightly awry. Can Anand find the Conch, Abhaydatta, and Nisha before evil destroys the world?
The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming expresses just how powerful love can be. Adventure, fantasy, and mystery intertwine to form an exciting novel with many important lessons. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has created a world of fantasy that involves so many of life's true feelings and emotions that it seems real; a world full of hardships and triumphs. Readers young and old who love an exciting novel will definitely enjoy The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming, and anyone searching for a book with just the right blend of fantasy and reality has just found the perfect tale.
(...)
A series to treasure.......2005-09-25
With rich, sumptuous detail and admirable clarity Chitra Divakaruni draws us into the Conch Bearer Anand's journey for a second time. The difficulties faced and lessons learned by the Brotherhood of the Conch in this newest book combine to create an enchanting story. Both The Conch Bearer and The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming provide vibrant descriptions, especially concerning culture and food. These books are delightful adventures wholesome enough for any age group to enjoy. Happy Reading
Book Description
Everyone has heard the story -- the dwarves, the talking mirror, the evil witch. But this tale doesn't belong to Snow White anymore....
Bert and Will, the twin sons of the baron of Ambercrest, are best friends. They do everything together and can't help it if trouble just seems to...find them. But the baron is fed up and has decided that separation will keep them out of mischief. One twin, he proclaims, will stay in Ambercrest for the summer, while the other will be sent to The Crags -- a foreboding, rocky outpost on the edge of the kingdom.
It is there, hidden in a forbidden black chamber, that one of the boys discovers a bejeweled and mysterious mirror. What is the precious object? And why does it make him feel so...powerful? Soon the twins' kinship is replaced by dark magic and deceit, and a kingdom hangs dangerously in the balance. What becomes of one who is ruled by the forces of evil? And can brotherly love conquer a consuming quest for power?
Customer Reviews:
SUPER READ!.......2007-09-21
I bought all the books by this author for my 9-year-old daughter. She LOVES them, so I started reading one. I could not put it down! Now I am reading all of them! Great for any age!
Book Description
One of the best known and enduring genres, the fairy fales origins extend back to the preliterate oral societies of the ancient world. This books surveys its history and traces its evolution into the form we recognized today. Jones Builds on the work of folklorist and critics to provide the student with a stunning, lucid overview of the genre and a solid understanding of its structure.
Average customer rating:
- A fantastical Venice with a gripping and mysterious plot
- On par with Jonathan Stroud or Garth Nix
- I "Heart" Venice ...
- Clever, But Ending is Unsatisfying
- Fresh new fantasy...
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The Water Mirror (Dark Reflections)
Kai Meyer
Manufacturer: Margaret K. McElderry
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Binding: Hardcover
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The Stone Light (Dark Reflections)
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Pirate Curse (The Wave Walkers)
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Pirate Emperor (The Wave Walkers)
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The Last Apprentice (Revenge of the Witch)
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ASIN: 0689877870 |
Amazon.com
Kai Meyer's engaging fantasy portrays Venice as a city alive with wonder--stone lions pad with heavy paws on the canal banks and sometimes fly (as steeds for the Venetian Guard); the canals are full of mermaids with wide shark jaws, and the island city has been under siege by Egypt for 36 years. Only the power of The Flowing Queen, the mysterious spirit of the waters, has kept the city safe. But now the essence of the Queen has been stolen by traitors within the government, and the powers of Hell are offering a blood treaty. Two orphan girls, Merle, 14, and blind Junipa, 13, have become apprentices at the workshop of Arcimboldo, the maker of magic mirrors. He treats them kindly and restores gentle Junipa's sight by replacing her eyes with two round silvery bits of mirror. Merle soon emerges as the more adventurous of the two, and experienced fantasy readers are not surprised when she is given a quest to save the doomed city. American readers of this German bestseller will be reminded of Cornelia Funke's The Thief Lord, by the intriguing mix of actual Venetian locations and a fantasy underworld, and also Neil Gaiman's Coraline, by the matter-of-fact acceptance of grotesqueries. In this unusually short (for fantasy) initial volume, Kai Meyer has planted enough backstory, hints, foreshadowings, and unanswered questions to fuel several sequels. (12 and up) --Patty Campbell
Book Description
In Venice, magic is not unusual. Merle is apprenticed to a magic mirror maker, and Serafin -- a boy who was once a master thief -- works for a weaver of magic cloth. Merle and Serafin are used to the mermaids who live in the canals of the city -- beautiful creatures with hideous mouths that split their faces from ear to ear -- and to the guards who patrol the streets on living stone lions. Merle herself possesses something magical: a mirror whose surface is water. She can reach her whole arm into it and never get wet.
But Venice is under siege by the Egyptian Empire; its terrifying mummy warriors and flying sunbarks are waiting to strike. All that protects the Venetians is the Flowing Queen. Nobody knows who or what she is -- only that her power flows through the canals and keeps the Egyptians at bay.
When Merle and Serafin overhear a plot to capture the Flowing Queen, they are catapulted into desperate danger. They must do everything they can to rescue the Queen and save the city -- even if it means getting help from the Ancient Traitor himself.
Kai Meyer's bold, original fantasy conjures up a land of magic and menace as Merle and Serafin begin a journey to unimagined realms in the extraordinary world of Dark Reflections.
Customer Reviews:
A fantastical Venice with a gripping and mysterious plot.......2007-09-23
This Venice isn't a tourist's Venice. It's a puzzling, magical Venice at its most extreme, a perfect mythical setting for the first of Kai Meyer's trilogy. The Water Mirror is targeted at teenagers, but like other successful trilogies such as Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, many adults have become increasingly attracted to Kai Meyer's work.
I read this in one sitting, thrilled to the bone by what I read and imagined. It's nothing like what I've read before. It's evocative, it's mysterious, it's deliciously dark, and it doesn't shy away from the grotesque, reminding me vaguely of the the computer game, "American McGee's Alice", in which a children's story becomes warped and sinister and extremely enticing.
On par with Jonathan Stroud or Garth Nix.......2007-04-16
I found this to be a very engaging beginning. I know Kai Meyer is doing just fine with being a bestseller in Germany and published in many other countries, but I'm surprised this doesn't have a larger readership here in the U.S. It should, and you won't be disappointed if you give it a try.
I found it to be well-written and inventive. Meyer's Venice is both grounded and surreal. At times it has touches of magic realism. Like with the mermaids that open the book. Instead of mermaids being something to feel awe about, they're essentially enslaved by Venetians and treated harshly. Basic human nature uncovered. I don't think that's that far from a type of fantastic/reality that Gabriel Garcia Marquez would recognize.
But without a doubt this is a fantasy adventure that's deservedly on par with the work of Jonathan Stroud -The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1) or Garth Nix -The Abhorsen Trilogy Box Set. Like those author's works, this if YA that can hold an adult's interest. What's actually more enjoyable about is that the main characters, Merle and Junipa, are very likable and sympathetic. They're smart, make reasonable decisions, and deal admirably with the challenges thrown at them.
You might as well know that the novel doesn't really end with any sort of completion. It cries to be carried on in the next volume. I, for one, will be happy to do so.
I "Heart" Venice ..........2007-01-02
It seems Venice has become a hot commodity in children's literature ever since Cornelia Funke's "Thief Lord" appeared. But Kai Meyer gives the ancient city a new, dark twist in "The Water Mirror". Filled with sharp-toothed mermaids and flying stone lions, the "Water Mirror" is a satisfying begginning in this new series.
Merle and Junipa are two orphan girls who live in an alternate Venice, one which is under seige by the powerful Egyptian Empire and its mummy armies. Magic is not unusual in this Venice, as mermaids swim through the canals and the city is patrolled by flying stone lions. But only the Flowing Queen, who is said to be the very water herself, can truly protect Venice from the Empire.
One day for reasons unknown to them, Merle and Junipa are whisked away from their orphanage and apprenticed to the mysterious magic mirror-maker, Arcimboldo. Here is where their adventure starts, and Merle learns that her water mirror, the one she's had since she was a child, is mysteriously linked to the Flowing Queen. Soon, Merle along with her new neighbor boy Serafin, learn of a plot in the Venetian Council to betray the Flowing Queen to the Pharaoh. If Merle has any hope of saving Venice, she knows she must first save the Flowing Queen.
"The Water Mirror" is an exciting fantasy, richly detailed and interesting. The characters are believable and the magic is enticing. Venice is the true star of this story. The city is alive with magic and detail, yet there is also an extremely atmospheric foreboding about its fate. Meyer manages to keep the reader interested long enough with mermaids, flying stone lions, and political intrigue until they reach the ending where the story truly picks up. The book ends in mid-adventure hinting at more to come, but Meyer skillfully leaves the reader wanting more by revealing a bigger plot at plan than what was originally shown before.
While stopping in mid-adventure, "The Water Mirror" is still an interesting and magical read. It's the most original story I've read in a while, and the sudden new plot details revealed in the end left me and I'm sure will also leave readers wanting more. Highly reccommended, "The Water Mirror" is not to be missed if you are looking for high fantasy with a dark twist.
Clever, But Ending is Unsatisfying.......2006-08-06
This book started out fantastically. I was excited by the characters and plot, and could not wait to find out what happened next. I thought Serafin was a very rich and detailed character, and I liked the slight creepiness of Junipa's mirror eyes. However, as it got nearer and nearer to the end, I thought the book began to unravel a bit. It was like Kai Meyer got bored of writing the story and decided to hurry it along a bit by adding unrealistic plot twists. I know this is the first book in a trilogy, so I can only hope that Mr. Meyer manages to get this wonderful story back on track in the next two books. Even though the ending to The Water Mirror is unsatisfying, I would still recommend buying the book, or at the very least, getting it out of the library.
Fresh new fantasy..........2006-02-08
As a fan of the fantasy genre, I was very happy to read this innovative book, which finally breaks free of the tired conventions authors have been following for years.
From the very start, the setting (a magical Venice, in the early 1900s) is a change from the standard Middle Earth ripooffs and medieval castles. Main character Merle is a well-rounded character who acts quite a bit more like an actual person than any heroine in recent memory. And the supporting cast is no slouch, either; in this well-crafted universe, even standard archetypes have been transformed into fresh new personalities.
As is required for any magical world, the fantasy Venice is sprinkled with all kinds of mythical objects and creatures, from stone lions and mummy warriors to "mirror phantoms" and mermaids. All of these are described in a way that makes them seem like they could really exist.
The constant stream of unique ideas only helps to drive an intriguing plot. Since this is the first in a series, the ending leaves plenty of loose ends for readers to ponder until the translation of book 2.
This book's pretty cover art drew me in, but its strong plot hooks and great writing will keep me coming back until the series concludes.
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- CMMI(R): Guidelines for Process Integration and Product Improvement (2nd Edition) (The SEI Series in Software Engineering)
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- Dragon of the Red Dawn (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
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- Ender's Shadow (Ender, Book 5)
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