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The Hound and the Falcon #1
The Isle of Glass
Brother Alfred, monk at St. Ruan's abbey, doubts his human origin, because he has scarcely aged in his sixty years at the abbey
276 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1985
35 people are currently reading
1378 people want to read
About the author
Judith Tarr
121 books419 followersAKA Caitlin Brennan, Kathleen Bryan.
Judith Tarr (born 1955) is an American author, best known for her fantasy books. She received her B.A. in Latin and English from Mount Holyoke College in 1976, and has an M.A. in Classics from Cambridge University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Medieval Studies from Yale University. She taught Latin and writing at Wesleyan University from 1988-1992, and taught at the Clarion science-fiction-writing workshops in 1996 and 1999.
She raises and trains Lipizzan horses at Dancing Horse Farm, her home in Vail, Arizona. The romantic fantasies that she writes under the name Caitlin Brennan feature dancing horses modeled on those that she raises.
Judith Tarr (born 1955) is an American author, best known for her fantasy books. She received her B.A. in Latin and English from Mount Holyoke College in 1976, and has an M.A. in Classics from Cambridge University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Medieval Studies from Yale University. She taught Latin and writing at Wesleyan University from 1988-1992, and taught at the Clarion science-fiction-writing workshops in 1996 and 1999.
She raises and trains Lipizzan horses at Dancing Horse Farm, her home in Vail, Arizona. The romantic fantasies that she writes under the name Caitlin Brennan feature dancing horses modeled on those that she raises.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
June 3, 2016
I was sitting in my parents' living room with tears falling down my face at the end of this. I've only got the phone to compose on while I'm visiting, so for now I'll just say I loved it. This "stub" stands in for what will be, I hope, a not too slobbery review once I get to a real keyboard.
*
I'm a week out from reading this novel and am still hard-pressed about what to say about it. I loved Brother Alf and his internal conflicts, how the events in the book and those conflicts were so important to each other, and how the end of the book both expanded Alf's world and took him home again at the same time. Some of my responses were more deeply personal than is true of other books: among other things, there was a pang that came from having been raised in a religious household, having no religion in adulthood, and reading about somebody who is pretty obviously a saint but who doesn't realize it himself. (I suspect that his abbot, among others, does know, though.)
Isle of Glass wraps up Alf's story well, and I'm curious to see if the other two books in "The Hound and the Falcon" series follow him at all or move on to other things. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to the rest, regardless of who the main characters might be.
Nothing to do with the text: how about that cover? Those disgusted expressions. Those '80s hairdos! This is supposed to be King Richard's time. Today's tone-deaf artist would give Thea's hair a purple dye job and Alf's a fauxhawk, I guess.
*
I'm a week out from reading this novel and am still hard-pressed about what to say about it. I loved Brother Alf and his internal conflicts, how the events in the book and those conflicts were so important to each other, and how the end of the book both expanded Alf's world and took him home again at the same time. Some of my responses were more deeply personal than is true of other books: among other things, there was a pang that came from having been raised in a religious household, having no religion in adulthood, and reading about somebody who is pretty obviously a saint but who doesn't realize it himself. (I suspect that his abbot, among others, does know, though.)
Isle of Glass wraps up Alf's story well, and I'm curious to see if the other two books in "The Hound and the Falcon" series follow him at all or move on to other things. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to the rest, regardless of who the main characters might be.
Nothing to do with the text: how about that cover? Those disgusted expressions. Those '80s hairdos! This is supposed to be King Richard's time. Today's tone-deaf artist would give Thea's hair a purple dye job and Alf's a fauxhawk, I guess.
December 4, 2011
The Hound and the Falcon trilogy remains one of those that has survived my evolution into a super-picky reader, and is still among my favorite books. Sure, the angst of Alfred sometimes gets a little heavy--but unlike far too many novel characters, Alf has some pretty good reasons for being angsty, particularly in this first installment of the trilogy. Alfred of St. Ruan's, you see, is a foundling; he has no idea who his parents were. He's also a monk. Doesn't seem too bad on the angst front yet, right?
Except that Alfred isn't human. He's more than eighty years old--and can still pass for about seventeen. He's inhumanly fair, with milk-white skin, white-blonde hair, and eerie eyes that reflect the light like a cat's--and also have a cat's slitted pupils. He can make moonlight into tangible cloth; he can heal with a touch; he can see the future (and it always sucks). In short, with the notable exception of pointy ears (really, they'd be superfluous on top of everything else), Alfred is well-named: he's one of the Fair Folk.
He's also a devout priest and philosopher--and the Church says that the Fair Folk have no souls and are automatically damned to Hell.
Alfred has reasons to be angsty.
Mixed into Alf's various existential crises is the larger-than-life Richard, villainous barons, fanatical witch-hunter monks, and the beautiful (and aggressive) Thea, one of the Fair Folk who has taken one look at Alfred and decided that he's hers. (The vows present her with a bit of a problem, as Alfred takes them VERY seriously.)
The Isle of Glass is a wonderful bit of historical fantasy, and the trilogy--which continues in The Golden Horn--only gets better.
Except that Alfred isn't human. He's more than eighty years old--and can still pass for about seventeen. He's inhumanly fair, with milk-white skin, white-blonde hair, and eerie eyes that reflect the light like a cat's--and also have a cat's slitted pupils. He can make moonlight into tangible cloth; he can heal with a touch; he can see the future (and it always sucks). In short, with the notable exception of pointy ears (really, they'd be superfluous on top of everything else), Alfred is well-named: he's one of the Fair Folk.
He's also a devout priest and philosopher--and the Church says that the Fair Folk have no souls and are automatically damned to Hell.
Alfred has reasons to be angsty.
Mixed into Alf's various existential crises is the larger-than-life Richard, villainous barons, fanatical witch-hunter monks, and the beautiful (and aggressive) Thea, one of the Fair Folk who has taken one look at Alfred and decided that he's hers. (The vows present her with a bit of a problem, as Alfred takes them VERY seriously.)
The Isle of Glass is a wonderful bit of historical fantasy, and the trilogy--which continues in The Golden Horn--only gets better.
February 21, 2016
Trilogy begins here. Told in 3rd person, this is a slow-moving, thoughtful, and historically credible (fair elves notwithstanding) medieval fantasy set during the time of the Crusades and King Richard the Lionhearted. The Knights Templar get a mention, too.
A plot to weaken and overthrow the king of Anglia. A zealous religious order (the Paulines) similar to the Spanish Inquisition (interesting take on Brother Adam). A strong bond of friendship. A budding romance. A nuanced view of King Richard. And of the church.
Slow moving, but some frightful action scenes, some heartwarming scenes, some witty dialogue, some profound moments.
Lots of likable characters here, including some solid secondary characters (Abbot Morwin, Jehan, Thea, etc.). Some church clerics are quite villainous but others are kind and heroic. Credible. I sensed no overt bias in the writer.
My heart went out to Alf (Alfred, a brother of the Order of Jerome) for the inner struggles he had to endure (sometimes I grew impatient with him) but he comes out on the other side, stronger and more at peace within his own fair skin. He's happier. And well-loved by anyone with sense, given his own capacity to love and understand and forgive.
There is a surprisingly upbeat Christian message relating to the soul and the creator, but this book didn't feel like it was written to appeal to Christians, per se, given the tolerance towards homosexuality.
The title, Isle of Glass (aka Ynys Witrin) is known today as the city of Glastonbury. It is south of Bristol, and not really an island. Rather, from what I can gather it's surrounded by marshes and mists, making it look sometimes like an island from the high Tor above. (Legends say King Arthur was buried on the island of Avalon (aka the Isle of Glass?). The Marches are also key to the book, apparently they are the old borderlands between Anglia (England) and Wales. Lots of Old English, Old French, and Celtic / Welch names in this book.
The audio narration is good but not outstanding.
Outdated cover art from ~1984.
A plot to weaken and overthrow the king of Anglia. A zealous religious order (the Paulines) similar to the Spanish Inquisition (interesting take on Brother Adam). A strong bond of friendship. A budding romance. A nuanced view of King Richard. And of the church.
Slow moving, but some frightful action scenes, some heartwarming scenes, some witty dialogue, some profound moments.
Lots of likable characters here, including some solid secondary characters (Abbot Morwin, Jehan, Thea, etc.). Some church clerics are quite villainous but others are kind and heroic. Credible. I sensed no overt bias in the writer.
My heart went out to Alf (Alfred, a brother of the Order of Jerome) for the inner struggles he had to endure (sometimes I grew impatient with him) but he comes out on the other side, stronger and more at peace within his own fair skin. He's happier. And well-loved by anyone with sense, given his own capacity to love and understand and forgive.
There is a surprisingly upbeat Christian message relating to the soul and the creator, but this book didn't feel like it was written to appeal to Christians, per se, given the tolerance towards homosexuality.
The title, Isle of Glass (aka Ynys Witrin) is known today as the city of Glastonbury. It is south of Bristol, and not really an island. Rather, from what I can gather it's surrounded by marshes and mists, making it look sometimes like an island from the high Tor above. (Legends say King Arthur was buried on the island of Avalon (aka the Isle of Glass?). The Marches are also key to the book, apparently they are the old borderlands between Anglia (England) and Wales. Lots of Old English, Old French, and Celtic / Welch names in this book.
The audio narration is good but not outstanding.
Outdated cover art from ~1984.
March 20, 2024
This was super slow, and I didn't really connect with the characters. Were I much younger, I might have liked this fantasy historical better, but this one dragged out. The writing was good, I was just bored. I did like Thea, and eventually grew to liking Jehan and Alf. Alun was intriguing. But overall, I just wasn't interested in the whole of it. 3 ⭐.
July 21, 2012
Alfred is a monk of St. Ruan’s Abbey- devoted to his Brothers and his God, a scholar of rare talent, and very much more than a man. A foundling, he was taken in and raised by the Abbey as one of their own, and while his colleagues have grown to old men, he remains no more than a youth.
The quiet Abbey life that Alfred clings to is pulled away from him as he is sent out to the world, carrying a message of violence to the Richard Coeur de Leon. Once out of the Abbey’s comforting walls, Alfred cannot help but acknowledge something other than human blood runs through his veins. His eerie beauty and otherworldly skills catch the eye of the Hounds of God, who swear to purge him and all others like him from the Church, as well as the world itself.
From the temperate north to the sweltering heat of the Crusades, the Hound and the Falcon trilogy is a magnificent journey. There is a beauty, an acknowledgement of the sublime, that swells through every page. Pausing and closing the book was like coming up for air, almost disorienting, definitely displeasing as I wanted nothing more than to keep reading. Rarely have I been touched so by a book, but there is something bare, brutal and honest to Alfred and his search for identity and meaning that I could not help but be moved.
All else, all grand crusading and conflict aside, it reaches down to the root of identity and poses questions there that inflict an almost sympathetic bout of introspection upon the reader. And it is perfect.
Ms. Tarr has woven a depth of history and cultural detail in her books that make the world breathe. The characters and settings are whole, believable, and obviously lovingly researched.
Highly recommended.
The quiet Abbey life that Alfred clings to is pulled away from him as he is sent out to the world, carrying a message of violence to the Richard Coeur de Leon. Once out of the Abbey’s comforting walls, Alfred cannot help but acknowledge something other than human blood runs through his veins. His eerie beauty and otherworldly skills catch the eye of the Hounds of God, who swear to purge him and all others like him from the Church, as well as the world itself.
From the temperate north to the sweltering heat of the Crusades, the Hound and the Falcon trilogy is a magnificent journey. There is a beauty, an acknowledgement of the sublime, that swells through every page. Pausing and closing the book was like coming up for air, almost disorienting, definitely displeasing as I wanted nothing more than to keep reading. Rarely have I been touched so by a book, but there is something bare, brutal and honest to Alfred and his search for identity and meaning that I could not help but be moved.
All else, all grand crusading and conflict aside, it reaches down to the root of identity and poses questions there that inflict an almost sympathetic bout of introspection upon the reader. And it is perfect.
Ms. Tarr has woven a depth of history and cultural detail in her books that make the world breathe. The characters and settings are whole, believable, and obviously lovingly researched.
Highly recommended.
November 21, 2025
The Kurtz is strong with this one.
So when I reviewed Deryni Rising I said I thought that it was probably more secretly influential than it's given credit for (and I did name-drop Judith Tarr in the review), but at that point it had been some decades since the last time I read the Hound and the Falcon trilogy in particular; and now that I'm going back to read them (less than a year after the last time I read Deryni Rising), it really does feel like this book in particular is in conversation with Kurtz, while still being very much its own story.
Like the Deryni books, this takes place in a distinctly medieval setting of monasteries and tiny warring kingdoms; but this time around, the approach is almost Graustarkian -- the action in the first book takes place primarily along the English/Welsh border near the end of the 12th Century, but with some new, fictional principalities added to the map, most notably the faerie kingdom of Rhiyana -- this is a version of medieval Europe that does still have some elves, but they're kind of midway between Tolkien and the older, Oberon & Titania sort -- impossibly fair, mostly immortal and able to manifest power in various ways that do not, as a rule, endear them to Mother Church.
Our main character is Alfred, a brother at St. Ruan's, who is, in fact, an elf -- a changeling or foundling orphan who's been living and serving at the monastery for at least the last 60 years (never getting any older, but the rest of the monks have adopted a strict policy of "Don't ask, don't tell,"), whose quiet existence is upended by the arrival of one Alun, an emissary of the Elf King, who was captured and savagely tortured by one of the border barons who wants to foment trouble so that he can expand his holding; and also because he's just a jerk like that. (And this is not an especially nice Middle Ages -- plenty of awful things happen to people who deserve it and to people who don't.)
So altogether unworldly Alf (accompanied by a young, but massive, lay brother, Jehan) is pressed into service to complete Alun's mission to try to keep the peace between the various, squabbling kingdoms, a mission that will be complicated by the appearance of Thea (also an elf, herself from the Kingdom of Rhiyana and a shapeshifter to boot) and the involvement of the Order of St. Paul, a group of priests who would like nothing better than to tie elves and other heretics to the stake and have an old-fashioned cookout. Oh, and also Richard Cour de Leon steps onto the stage before things are through.
It's been way too long since I last read anything by Judith Tarr and I'd forgotten just how good of a writer she is -- her prose is a joy to read, the historical details keep everything grounded regardless of the magic, and the story and characters are altogether compelling.
So when I reviewed Deryni Rising I said I thought that it was probably more secretly influential than it's given credit for (and I did name-drop Judith Tarr in the review), but at that point it had been some decades since the last time I read the Hound and the Falcon trilogy in particular; and now that I'm going back to read them (less than a year after the last time I read Deryni Rising), it really does feel like this book in particular is in conversation with Kurtz, while still being very much its own story.
Like the Deryni books, this takes place in a distinctly medieval setting of monasteries and tiny warring kingdoms; but this time around, the approach is almost Graustarkian -- the action in the first book takes place primarily along the English/Welsh border near the end of the 12th Century, but with some new, fictional principalities added to the map, most notably the faerie kingdom of Rhiyana -- this is a version of medieval Europe that does still have some elves, but they're kind of midway between Tolkien and the older, Oberon & Titania sort -- impossibly fair, mostly immortal and able to manifest power in various ways that do not, as a rule, endear them to Mother Church.
Our main character is Alfred, a brother at St. Ruan's, who is, in fact, an elf -- a changeling or foundling orphan who's been living and serving at the monastery for at least the last 60 years (never getting any older, but the rest of the monks have adopted a strict policy of "Don't ask, don't tell,"), whose quiet existence is upended by the arrival of one Alun, an emissary of the Elf King, who was captured and savagely tortured by one of the border barons who wants to foment trouble so that he can expand his holding; and also because he's just a jerk like that. (And this is not an especially nice Middle Ages -- plenty of awful things happen to people who deserve it and to people who don't.)
So altogether unworldly Alf (accompanied by a young, but massive, lay brother, Jehan) is pressed into service to complete Alun's mission to try to keep the peace between the various, squabbling kingdoms, a mission that will be complicated by the appearance of Thea (also an elf, herself from the Kingdom of Rhiyana and a shapeshifter to boot) and the involvement of the Order of St. Paul, a group of priests who would like nothing better than to tie elves and other heretics to the stake and have an old-fashioned cookout. Oh, and also Richard Cour de Leon steps onto the stage before things are through.
It's been way too long since I last read anything by Judith Tarr and I'd forgotten just how good of a writer she is -- her prose is a joy to read, the historical details keep everything grounded regardless of the magic, and the story and characters are altogether compelling.
October 27, 2019
Beloved fantasy from the 1980's that still holds up today. So many new and shiny books out these days it's a shame that they tend to overshadow most of the fantasy of 20 and 30 years ago. Happy memories of weekend afternoons spent laying on the couch reading cover to cover, one book after the other. And then reading them again. History and fantasy mixed together ... love it!
December 9, 2016
It seems that if I really dislike a book, it's the fault of the main character. That is certainly the case with this book. I loathed Alf, who really should be named Angst. Ugh. The premise was interesting but the story did not work for me.
January 10, 2020
I liked this. It's the Tolkien problem -- do elves have souls? -- set in historical time and done very well. You can tell Tarr is a scholar and knows her stuff. Religion was handled extremely well. This was the most nuanced use of inquisition figures I have ever read. That being said, I'm still not a fan of inquisition stories. And Alf the elf was a wee bit angsty. I think that means instead of reading all three in this series at once, I'm going to take a break before the next one.
July 2, 2018
Some flowery language, some would say corny. This book accomplished the task of setting the tone and story for the two longer books that follow. The main character is just a wee bit too cool for me. Hope the author knocks him down a bit. On to the next!
March 25, 2020
Den eksistentielle angst genklinger slet ikke i mig på samme måde som da jeg var teenager (egentlig meget rart). Men stadig fin :-)
Want to read
February 18, 2022G2KY2022 Beth
November 1, 2017
This is so great.
It's basically the archetypal hero's journey - Alfred of St Ruan is forced to go on a journey of discovery by his old friend, the Abbott. Alf has lived his whole life in the monastery, never aging past seventeen. He's hinted to be a changeling in a world where the Fair Folk (read: elves) live among humans.
It's a deeply Christian book - we see so the prayers incorporated as part of Alfred's worldview, and Alfred's inner conflict when he acts against that - e.g. when he acts in rage. I enjoyed reading Alf's apparent external serenity as well, and passiveness - letting things happen, reacting primarily to protect others. The inner narrative is so rich! I know others might find his actions unnecessarily self-sacrificial, but to me, it fits with his upbringing (and his sense of discomfort with his inner self).
I could go on about the action, but all of that facilitates Alf's sense of self-discovery - and the choices he faces in the end (and his decision) are based off that. In fact, his act of making a choice - compared to a choice being forced onto him - shows character growth.
The writing style is lovely as well, and I loved how rich the worldbuilding is (in this case, meaning the sense of the world it gave). It's clear that the author knows a lot about the time period - so much so that when I saw her description at the end, I was unsurprised by her field of study. I'm in rhapsodies from how much I enjoyed this.
It's basically the archetypal hero's journey - Alfred of St Ruan is forced to go on a journey of discovery by his old friend, the Abbott. Alf has lived his whole life in the monastery, never aging past seventeen. He's hinted to be a changeling in a world where the Fair Folk (read: elves) live among humans.
It's a deeply Christian book - we see so the prayers incorporated as part of Alfred's worldview, and Alfred's inner conflict when he acts against that - e.g. when he acts in rage. I enjoyed reading Alf's apparent external serenity as well, and passiveness - letting things happen, reacting primarily to protect others. The inner narrative is so rich! I know others might find his actions unnecessarily self-sacrificial, but to me, it fits with his upbringing (and his sense of discomfort with his inner self).
I could go on about the action, but all of that facilitates Alf's sense of self-discovery - and the choices he faces in the end (and his decision) are based off that. In fact, his act of making a choice - compared to a choice being forced onto him - shows character growth.
The writing style is lovely as well, and I loved how rich the worldbuilding is (in this case, meaning the sense of the world it gave). It's clear that the author knows a lot about the time period - so much so that when I saw her description at the end, I was unsurprised by her field of study. I'm in rhapsodies from how much I enjoyed this.
May 28, 2017
Rrrgh. I want to give this 2 stars because it frustrated me so much, but a big part of why it frustrated me is because it simply isn't my taste, and it wouldn't be fair to knock a book just because it isn't what I happen to like. So I've gone with 3.
First the good: Tarr's prose style is great and I wish more people would learn from her. It's deceptively simple and straightforward, but that very simplicity gives it a beautiful bell-like clarity. She clearly knows a lot about the time period she's writing in, but doesn't get bogged down with info dumps, and the plot is well paced and moves briskly without seeming rushed. So with that said, why didn't I like the book ?
Simply put: the book is very, very, very slashy. M/m slash, to be more precise. It's limeish not lemonish (i.e. Non-explicit) but it's totally there. Alf, the main male character, is fetishized, sexualized, and constantly placed in gratuitous sexual jeopardy (from other males, btw); he forms powerful homoerotic bonds with King Richard, Alun and the young male novice Jehan, and the one female character in the book, Thea, basically seems to exists for "no homo" purposes. I don't care for m/m slash and never have (femmeslash is a different story), and if I'd known it was this slashy I would never have picked it up. If it had been a library book I could have taken it back but since I actually spent money on it I felt compelled to finish it; however I won't check out the rest of the series.
Again, the book is very well written and people who like m/m slash will probably love this; unfortunately it's just not for me. At least I finally finished it and can move onto something I'll like better.
First the good: Tarr's prose style is great and I wish more people would learn from her. It's deceptively simple and straightforward, but that very simplicity gives it a beautiful bell-like clarity. She clearly knows a lot about the time period she's writing in, but doesn't get bogged down with info dumps, and the plot is well paced and moves briskly without seeming rushed. So with that said, why didn't I like the book ?
Simply put: the book is very, very, very slashy. M/m slash, to be more precise. It's limeish not lemonish (i.e. Non-explicit) but it's totally there. Alf, the main male character, is fetishized, sexualized, and constantly placed in gratuitous sexual jeopardy (from other males, btw); he forms powerful homoerotic bonds with King Richard, Alun and the young male novice Jehan, and the one female character in the book, Thea, basically seems to exists for "no homo" purposes. I don't care for m/m slash and never have (femmeslash is a different story), and if I'd known it was this slashy I would never have picked it up. If it had been a library book I could have taken it back but since I actually spent money on it I felt compelled to finish it; however I won't check out the rest of the series.
Again, the book is very well written and people who like m/m slash will probably love this; unfortunately it's just not for me. At least I finally finished it and can move onto something I'll like better.
June 22, 2014
Wow, I am impressed with this author. She creatively weaves history and fantasy and her background in Classics and as a Medievalist makes for an excellent foundation for her work in this first book of the Isle of Glass trilogy.
She seems like an interesting person as well as an excellent author.
Here is the very interesting Wiki info on her: (born 1955) is an American author, best known for her fantasy books. She received her B.A. in Latin and English from Mount Holyoke College in 1976, and has an M.A. in Classics from Cambridge University, and an M.A. and PhD in Medieval Studies from Yale University. She taught Latin at Wesleyan University from 1990–1993.
She breeds Lipizzan horses at Dancing Horse Farm, her home in Vail, Arizona. The romantic fantasies that she writes under the name Caitlin Brennan feature "dancing horses" modeled on those that she raises.
I am glad that I read a little children's lit. in the summer! Adults who enjoy a little of the Hill folk will like this one. It is veiled but violent sodomy and sexuality alert for young ones.....
She seems like an interesting person as well as an excellent author.
Here is the very interesting Wiki info on her: (born 1955) is an American author, best known for her fantasy books. She received her B.A. in Latin and English from Mount Holyoke College in 1976, and has an M.A. in Classics from Cambridge University, and an M.A. and PhD in Medieval Studies from Yale University. She taught Latin at Wesleyan University from 1990–1993.
She breeds Lipizzan horses at Dancing Horse Farm, her home in Vail, Arizona. The romantic fantasies that she writes under the name Caitlin Brennan feature "dancing horses" modeled on those that she raises.
I am glad that I read a little children's lit. in the summer! Adults who enjoy a little of the Hill folk will like this one. It is veiled but violent sodomy and sexuality alert for young ones.....
August 3, 2016
This first book in Tarr’s The Hound and the Falcon trilogy is a work of alternate history, taking place in England during the reign of Richard I. Alf, a monk at St. Ruan’s Abbey, is an elfin changeling left there as a baby, and despite his fair looks and that he never seems to age, only a few are aware of or suspect his true nature. When an injured rider arrives at the abbey one evening, it becomes Alf’s turn to play the part of messenger and ambassador to Richard I in order to prevent war among neighboring lands.
Although I wasn't completely wowed, I like Judith Tarr and I’m looking forward to reading the next part in the series.
Although I wasn't completely wowed, I like Judith Tarr and I’m looking forward to reading the next part in the series.
November 17, 2015
I can't believe I waited this long to get into Tarr's earlier work. LOVE.
What do I love?
- very nice, loving male friendships (that may or may not be sexual)
- the language
- the magicky bits were balanced by good, solid characters
- a main character in a fantasy story who is not ok with violence
The story wanders a bit somewhere in the middle, but it gets its shit together a bit later on. Nice cameo by Richard Lionheart.
What do I love?
- very nice, loving male friendships (that may or may not be sexual)
- the language
- the magicky bits were balanced by good, solid characters
- a main character in a fantasy story who is not ok with violence
The story wanders a bit somewhere in the middle, but it gets its shit together a bit later on. Nice cameo by Richard Lionheart.
July 5, 2019
I’ve already started the second one! This book was a bit slow to explain itself, it kept you guessing at Alf, the main character, and his true abilities. Jehan, Thea, Morwin, and King Richard were incredible characters. I absolutely loved the development of these characters and relationships for their honest, open portrayal of love and all emotions. Men cry together, hold hands, tell each other they love them, and honestly “sodomy” (gay love) is common, open, and accepted. I also liked that this series discusses rape and the high probability of it for both women and men in the Middle Ages. It was a dark time, not all pretty horses and shining armor, and Tarr captures that well. The last forty pages are impossible not to read in one sitting, your nose will be on the page as you read this ending. I’m very much looking forward to books two and three.
August 7, 2022
I bought this on a whim, and I enjoyed it so much!!! Like wtf I did not expect to like it that much??? probably closer to a 4.5.
Alf is a bit of a whiny protagonist, but so am I. Thea deserves more page time. ALSO. Romance. Let's talk about that, because I have a PROBLEM with it. So Thea/Alf is clearly going to be the endgame. Virgin priest/fae royalty blah blah blah. I like the idea of it. BUT. I love the idea of King Richard the Lionheart having queer fanfiction written about him 900 years after his death. I THINK ALFRED SHOULD END UP WITH RICHARD! Yes, he is a shitty king but he's PASSIONATE. Literally if this book had come out 40 years later, it would be gay. Judith, I see you girl. I see your intentions. I'm sorry the publishing industry of the 80s was homophobic!
History hates lovers!
Alf is a bit of a whiny protagonist, but so am I. Thea deserves more page time. ALSO. Romance. Let's talk about that, because I have a PROBLEM with it. So Thea/Alf is clearly going to be the endgame. Virgin priest/fae royalty blah blah blah. I like the idea of it. BUT. I love the idea of King Richard the Lionheart having queer fanfiction written about him 900 years after his death. I THINK ALFRED SHOULD END UP WITH RICHARD! Yes, he is a shitty king but he's PASSIONATE. Literally if this book had come out 40 years later, it would be gay. Judith, I see you girl. I see your intentions. I'm sorry the publishing industry of the 80s was homophobic!
History hates lovers!
January 4, 2022
Did you ever find a book and think, 'Oh, that sounds perfect, I must read it!' then, when you get it and read the first few pages, you realize the reason why it's so perfect is because you read it multiple times in the past?
Because, yeah, that happened and before long, I was caught up with Alf and Jehan and Thea and their adventures with King Richard in Alf's quest to keep a war from starting.
The funny thing is, I had been thinking of the other characters in the same 'verse the other day and wondering where in my collection of boxes full of books that series of novels might be. However - these are great characters and a super-fun story and I'm really glad I thought I ought to read it (again).
Because, yeah, that happened and before long, I was caught up with Alf and Jehan and Thea and their adventures with King Richard in Alf's quest to keep a war from starting.
The funny thing is, I had been thinking of the other characters in the same 'verse the other day and wondering where in my collection of boxes full of books that series of novels might be. However - these are great characters and a super-fun story and I'm really glad I thought I ought to read it (again).
April 7, 2020
This is an old-school, quiet type of fantasy novel - an alternate England with elves, religious orders, and knights. It is not my usual type of novel, for sure, but this was engaging and a fast read. Alf gets a little tiresome with his constant self-flagellation over sin and morality (but other characters do call him out on it), and sometimes, I got confused with the spare use of dialog tags and similar (or multiple) names for some characters. There are only a few major events - it's far more about the inner struggles of Alf and how others view him - but it moves well. The sequel seems to concentrate more on one of my favorite characters, Thea, so I may have to check it out.
February 6, 2021
First book of a triology - an enjoyable medieval romp following the career of Alf, a monk who has spent most of his life in the confines of St Ruan's Abbey.
After finding a wounded knight on the road, Alf's oldest friend and abbot, pushes Alf and his novice-squire Jehan out into the world to try and avert a war between three kingdoms, Anglia, Gwynedd and the somewhat mystical Rhiyanna.
It's well told, and with plenty of detail about the medieval world and lots of background detail about the church, ecclesiatical politics and plenty of worldbuilding and (unobstrusive) set ups for plotlines which come to fruition in books 2 and 3.
After finding a wounded knight on the road, Alf's oldest friend and abbot, pushes Alf and his novice-squire Jehan out into the world to try and avert a war between three kingdoms, Anglia, Gwynedd and the somewhat mystical Rhiyanna.
It's well told, and with plenty of detail about the medieval world and lots of background detail about the church, ecclesiatical politics and plenty of worldbuilding and (unobstrusive) set ups for plotlines which come to fruition in books 2 and 3.
April 2, 2021
Denne bog læste jeg som del af TFF-readathon 2021. Jeg fik den anbefalet min kollega fra biblioteket, fordi jeg ledte efter en god fantasy-bog fra før 1995, mit eget fødselsår. Hun sagde, at skulle jeg læse denne serie. Den er så flot. Jeg savner et kort og man godt mærke på sproget, at den er fra 1985. Handlingen er så dragende, at jeg gjorde noget, jeg normalt ikke gør. Jeg snød, når jeg læste. Med det mener jeg, at jeg, når det var rigtig spændende, skimmede nogle linjer længere nede på siden, for lige at vide hvad jeg gik ind til. Det er en utrolig interessant hovedperson.
Resten af anmeldelsen kan I læse på min bogblog " bogbien.wordpress.com " - jeg håber I vil kunne lide den.
Resten af anmeldelsen kan I læse på min bogblog " bogbien.wordpress.com " - jeg håber I vil kunne lide den.
October 28, 2019
I concur with reader Louise. He should be named ANGST instead of Alf. The writing is skilled, the reading is ok. The characters are flat...one dimensional. If Angs....ummm Alf were any more self doubting, self deprecating and self negating...he wouldn't exist.
Frankly, the entire premise is implausible. Super-beings(relative to humans) allow themselves to be abused, denigrated and killed, by bigoted lesser beings, all while pronouncing moralistic tropes adopted from their abusers.
It didn't just bore me, it annoyed me...he annoyed me.
Frankly, the entire premise is implausible. Super-beings(relative to humans) allow themselves to be abused, denigrated and killed, by bigoted lesser beings, all while pronouncing moralistic tropes adopted from their abusers.
It didn't just bore me, it annoyed me...he annoyed me.
December 24, 2016
Absolutely loved this first book of a trilogy I've been meaning to read for a long time. Took a little bit to get going, and sure could've used a glossary of characters and a map like do many other books in the genre now have, but once rolling, it was a storyteller's paradise. Historical fantasy that brings to life the Middle Ages with room for elves in a fantastic way. Look forward to reading the other two books in the series and other works by Tarr.
did-not-finish
January 21, 2025DNF at about 25%.
Tarr certainly knows how to write good prose, but there were a few other elements that weren’t for me. The plot was a bit too fast - the protagonist spends his first few chapters angsting about his place in the church but we haven’t seen enough of his early life to really see what growing up in the church has meant to him - so the angst isn’t as effective as it could be. The urgency of the messenger's mission that the protagonist ends up taking on is undercut by the fact that the countries at war are barely sketched out to the reader, just mentioned briefly in a few paragraphs early on.
There was also only one female character introduced as a temptation for our religious and chaste male protagonist, and to be fair she seems like a capable character, but she’s kind of out of place when every other male relationship, between the good guys or the bad guys, is blatantly homoerotic. Don’t get me wrong, that's especially impressive for a book from 1986, but I prefer more of a focus on female characters.
Tarr certainly knows how to write good prose, but there were a few other elements that weren’t for me. The plot was a bit too fast - the protagonist spends his first few chapters angsting about his place in the church but we haven’t seen enough of his early life to really see what growing up in the church has meant to him - so the angst isn’t as effective as it could be. The urgency of the messenger's mission that the protagonist ends up taking on is undercut by the fact that the countries at war are barely sketched out to the reader, just mentioned briefly in a few paragraphs early on.
There was also only one female character introduced as a temptation for our religious and chaste male protagonist, and to be fair she seems like a capable character, but she’s kind of out of place when every other male relationship, between the good guys or the bad guys, is blatantly homoerotic. Don’t get me wrong, that's especially impressive for a book from 1986, but I prefer more of a focus on female characters.
September 28, 2018
I saved this from my adolescence as one of my favorite books, but on rereading it as an adult I am a little mystified as to why I loved it. It is extremely religious, with basically the whole story revolving around the main character’s self doubt. Maybe the series gets better in books 2 and 3, but so far not impressed.
January 30, 2023
The Isle of Glass is a really great book! I really liked the character of Alf. Tarr wrote his internal struggle so beautifully that I could really feel it. Each of her characters feel real to me, something that most fantasy books severely lack and need. Tarr managed to weave fantasy and history together to create a beautiful story of a man's search of his true place in the world.
August 9, 2019
An old favorite
Tarr puts her education to good use here and in the subsequent books of the trilogy. The story is deftly told even if familiar. This is my fourth time through the series and each time has been a joy.
Tarr puts her education to good use here and in the subsequent books of the trilogy. The story is deftly told even if familiar. This is my fourth time through the series and each time has been a joy.
October 15, 2022
Still good after 25 years
I loved this trilogy when I was in college, and I was nervous about re-reading it in case grown-up me didn't enjoy it as much. Nothing to fear, I LOVED it!! Can't wait to re-read the rest.
I loved this trilogy when I was in college, and I was nervous about re-reading it in case grown-up me didn't enjoy it as much. Nothing to fear, I LOVED it!! Can't wait to re-read the rest.
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