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Lyra #4
Caught in Crystal
This spellbinding tale of dark magic takes readers back to Lyra, the world of Shadow Magic and Daughter of Witches.
THERE STANDS A TWISTED TOWER...
hidden in the Windhome Mountains. Something is imprisoned there -- the Sisterhood of Stars does not know precisely what, but something is bound tight with a wizard's spell so that it can never escape again.
Kayl is one of the few to have looked upon the Twisted Tower. She has no desire to see it again - she left the Sisterhood long ago, settling down to a quiet life. Her sword lies unused in a secret place beneath the stones of her hearth.
But something evil is leaking from the Tower. And now a sorceress and a wizard have appeared on Kayl's doorstep, demanding she take up the sword again.
THERE STANDS A TWISTED TOWER...
hidden in the Windhome Mountains. Something is imprisoned there -- the Sisterhood of Stars does not know precisely what, but something is bound tight with a wizard's spell so that it can never escape again.
Kayl is one of the few to have looked upon the Twisted Tower. She has no desire to see it again - she left the Sisterhood long ago, settling down to a quiet life. Her sword lies unused in a secret place beneath the stones of her hearth.
But something evil is leaking from the Tower. And now a sorceress and a wizard have appeared on Kayl's doorstep, demanding she take up the sword again.
293 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1987
47 people are currently reading
1310 people want to read
About the author
Patricia C. Wrede
67 books4,000 followersPatricia Collins Wrede was born in Chicago, Illinois and is the eldest of five children. She started writing in seventh grade. She attended Carleton College in Minnesota, where she majored in Biology and managed to avoid taking any English courses at all. She began work on her first novel, Shadow Magic, just after graduating from college in 1974. She finished it five years later and started her second book at once, having become permanently hooked on writing by this time.
Patricia received her M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota in 1977.
She worked for several years as a financial analyst and accountant, first with the Minnesota Hospital Association, then with B. Dalton Booksellers, and finally at the Dayton Hudson Corporation headquarters.
Patricia finished her first novel in late 1978. In January, 1980, Pamela Dean, Emma Bull, Will Shetterly, Steven Brust, Nate Bucklin, and Patricia Wrede -- all, at that point, hopeful but unpublished -- formed the writer's group that later became known as "The Scribblies." Several years later, they were joined by Kara Dalkey. In April of 1980, Patricia's first novel sold to Ace Books. It came out at last in 1982, which is the year she met Lillian Stewart Carl (who introduced her to Lois McMaster Bujold by mail).
In 1985, shortly before the publication of her fifth book, she left the world of the gainfully employed to try winging it on her own.
Her interests include sewing, embroidery, desultory attempts at gardening, chocolate, not mowing the lawn, High Tea, and, of course, reading.
She is a vegetarian, and currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her cat Karma. She has no children.
Patricia received her M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota in 1977.
She worked for several years as a financial analyst and accountant, first with the Minnesota Hospital Association, then with B. Dalton Booksellers, and finally at the Dayton Hudson Corporation headquarters.
Patricia finished her first novel in late 1978. In January, 1980, Pamela Dean, Emma Bull, Will Shetterly, Steven Brust, Nate Bucklin, and Patricia Wrede -- all, at that point, hopeful but unpublished -- formed the writer's group that later became known as "The Scribblies." Several years later, they were joined by Kara Dalkey. In April of 1980, Patricia's first novel sold to Ace Books. It came out at last in 1982, which is the year she met Lillian Stewart Carl (who introduced her to Lois McMaster Bujold by mail).
In 1985, shortly before the publication of her fifth book, she left the world of the gainfully employed to try winging it on her own.
Her interests include sewing, embroidery, desultory attempts at gardening, chocolate, not mowing the lawn, High Tea, and, of course, reading.
She is a vegetarian, and currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her cat Karma. She has no children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
July 28, 2024
Barb and I were introduced to the work of one of my favorite fantasy authors, Patricia C. Wrede [pronounced as "Reedy"] back in the 90s through her wonderful series The Enchanted Forest Chronicles. Those books are primarily for younger readers; but in the same decade, we also read and liked two of her works written for adults, the story collection Book of Enchantments and this novel, which we'd stumbled across at a flea market, and have now just finished rereading together. She began her writing career in the late 70s; this book, published in 1987, is part of one of her earliest bodies of work, the five-novel Lyra series. Never having heard of the latter, however, we approached this tale as a stand-alone, and in fact it essentially is: though all five of the books are set in the author's fantasy world of Lyra, they're all about entirely different sets of characters, widely separated geographically or chronologically (or both --like Tolkien's Middle Earth, Lyra has a very long fictional history), and are unrelated in their plots.
As is usual in traditional fantasy, Lyra is a low-tech world much like medieval Europe, except that magic really works there and is universally recognized as a reality. Also unlike medieval Europe, it has no equivalent of the Roman Catholic Church; such religion as it has is a vague polytheism that doesn't bulk large in the story. It's home to five races (at least some of which can interbreed): humans, the elven Shee [I pronounced this as "She-ay," along the lines of the Celtic Sidhe in our world); the furred Wyrds, who are somewhat cat-like, but are as big as small humans, use spoken language and have opposable thumbs; the mostly aquatic Neira; and the gray-skinned sklathran'sy, often referred to by humans as "demons," but as in the work of such writers as Piers Anthony and Robert Asprin, not evil fallen angels but just a non-human race with a talent for magic. (In fact, all of the non-human Lyran races have a more natural affinity for magic than humans, and that factor plays a role in this novel and probably the series as a whole.)
Our protagonist is Kayl Larrinar, who when the book opens is a 36-year-old innkeeper in a back-water village, five years a widow, and a caring mom to two kids (Dara and Mark, ages 12 and 10). But (although we learn some of these details a bit more gradually), she's not native to the place. Orphaned or at least separated from her parents young, she was first raised among Thar raiders but then taken in as a child by the Sisterhood of Stars, an all-female clerisy of warriors and sorceresses who wield considerable influence in much of Lyra. Trained as a swordswoman (though her sword is now buried beneath her hearth --but she still knows how to use it), she was one of the order's best. But she broke with the Sisterhood 15 years ago, after an ill-fated expedition to the mysterious and ill-omened Twisted Tower that stands in the remote and inhospitable Windhome Mountains (the expedition where she met her late husband, a Varnan wizard). She never wants to see that place again. Now, however, sorceress Elder Sister Corrana, one Glyndon shal Morag (another survivor of the expedition and a fellow wizard and friend of Kayl's husband), and an unsavory gaggle of Magicseekers, a society of humans determined to get their hands on magical power by any means, fair or foul, are all converging on the inn, and the Tower's casting its shadow again.
While this novel has many more high ratings on Goodreads than low ones, with an average rating of 3.75 stars, it's not universally loved, partly because things that I and some other readers may see as strong points are viewed by others as negatives. When I first read it, I was really impressed by the wonderfully textured world-building. As I know now, that's helped by this being the fourth book set in the same world. But it's still impressive! The magic systems (built in the case of the Sisterhood on the use of true names) also have some thought behind them.) Kayl's a very relatable heroine, a good and conscientious mom whose relationship to her kids is developed well, and realistically; plenty of real-world single moms, I think, could easily identify with her. There's an element of clean, low-key romance that was also a plus for me. Wrede tells her story at a deliberate pace that allows for character development; and while there are points of suspense and danger, serious violent action occurs only at the climax of the plot. Kayl can (and does) handle herself very well in combat, but that doesn't take up much of the plot. Readers who prefer more exoticism and less realism in their fantasy, a plot-driven and faster-paced story, and more violence, sexual steam and general Sturm und Drang won't like this as much as Barb and I do. But for my part, I appreciated this as an involving, serious fantasy tale that respected my intelligence as a reader. And the positive message of cross-racial and cross-cultural friendship and respect, and the negative view of prejudice, have grown more rather than less relevant in the ensuing decades.
For Barb and me, the primary enjoyment of this reading experience was in spending time with these three-dimensional, vital and likeable main characters. Even though Lyra is well-realized, it's not such a fascinating setting in itself that we feel any need to re-visit it centuries later with totally different characters. (I'm more interested in reading Wrede's Magic & Malice!) But I can enthusiastically recommend this as a great adventure for fantasy fans who want a stand-alone rather than a gargantuan series.
As is usual in traditional fantasy, Lyra is a low-tech world much like medieval Europe, except that magic really works there and is universally recognized as a reality. Also unlike medieval Europe, it has no equivalent of the Roman Catholic Church; such religion as it has is a vague polytheism that doesn't bulk large in the story. It's home to five races (at least some of which can interbreed): humans, the elven Shee [I pronounced this as "She-ay," along the lines of the Celtic Sidhe in our world); the furred Wyrds, who are somewhat cat-like, but are as big as small humans, use spoken language and have opposable thumbs; the mostly aquatic Neira; and the gray-skinned sklathran'sy, often referred to by humans as "demons," but as in the work of such writers as Piers Anthony and Robert Asprin, not evil fallen angels but just a non-human race with a talent for magic. (In fact, all of the non-human Lyran races have a more natural affinity for magic than humans, and that factor plays a role in this novel and probably the series as a whole.)
Our protagonist is Kayl Larrinar, who when the book opens is a 36-year-old innkeeper in a back-water village, five years a widow, and a caring mom to two kids (Dara and Mark, ages 12 and 10). But (although we learn some of these details a bit more gradually), she's not native to the place. Orphaned or at least separated from her parents young, she was first raised among Thar raiders but then taken in as a child by the Sisterhood of Stars, an all-female clerisy of warriors and sorceresses who wield considerable influence in much of Lyra. Trained as a swordswoman (though her sword is now buried beneath her hearth --but she still knows how to use it), she was one of the order's best. But she broke with the Sisterhood 15 years ago, after an ill-fated expedition to the mysterious and ill-omened Twisted Tower that stands in the remote and inhospitable Windhome Mountains (the expedition where she met her late husband, a Varnan wizard). She never wants to see that place again. Now, however, sorceress Elder Sister Corrana, one Glyndon shal Morag (another survivor of the expedition and a fellow wizard and friend of Kayl's husband), and an unsavory gaggle of Magicseekers, a society of humans determined to get their hands on magical power by any means, fair or foul, are all converging on the inn, and the Tower's casting its shadow again.
While this novel has many more high ratings on Goodreads than low ones, with an average rating of 3.75 stars, it's not universally loved, partly because things that I and some other readers may see as strong points are viewed by others as negatives. When I first read it, I was really impressed by the wonderfully textured world-building. As I know now, that's helped by this being the fourth book set in the same world. But it's still impressive! The magic systems (built in the case of the Sisterhood on the use of true names) also have some thought behind them.) Kayl's a very relatable heroine, a good and conscientious mom whose relationship to her kids is developed well, and realistically; plenty of real-world single moms, I think, could easily identify with her. There's an element of clean, low-key romance that was also a plus for me. Wrede tells her story at a deliberate pace that allows for character development; and while there are points of suspense and danger, serious violent action occurs only at the climax of the plot. Kayl can (and does) handle herself very well in combat, but that doesn't take up much of the plot. Readers who prefer more exoticism and less realism in their fantasy, a plot-driven and faster-paced story, and more violence, sexual steam and general Sturm und Drang won't like this as much as Barb and I do. But for my part, I appreciated this as an involving, serious fantasy tale that respected my intelligence as a reader. And the positive message of cross-racial and cross-cultural friendship and respect, and the negative view of prejudice, have grown more rather than less relevant in the ensuing decades.
For Barb and me, the primary enjoyment of this reading experience was in spending time with these three-dimensional, vital and likeable main characters. Even though Lyra is well-realized, it's not such a fascinating setting in itself that we feel any need to re-visit it centuries later with totally different characters. (I'm more interested in reading Wrede's Magic & Malice!) But I can enthusiastically recommend this as a great adventure for fantasy fans who want a stand-alone rather than a gargantuan series.
August 5, 2014
I read Caught in Crystal strictly because of The Raven Ring: A Lyra Novel. Unfortunately, this book doesn't measure up to Ring, or even to Wrede's other works. While the world of Lyra is interesting with racial tensions and the sense that deep change is underway, the plot of Crystal is unevenly developed. In retrospect, the setting strongly reminds me of Andre Norton's Witch World series, full of nostalgia for an era gone by, and a group of sorcerous women fighting against eagle-helmed men.
Caught is particularly unusual in the realm of fantasy for having a heroine who is a widowed mother with two younger children. While it's an interesting twist, it brings a jarring note of everyday reality into the fantasy--sometimes while reading, I felt like the dialogue was incongruous, taken from television rather than the setting of Lyra. Names reflected this incongruity as well--while everyone else has more unusual names that you wouldn't find in a baby dictionary, Kayl's children are 'Mark' and 'Dara;' perfectly good names, but lending that aura of modernity to the tale. Was this Wrede's homage to two children she knew?
In Ring, Wrede is able to develop an atmosphere of tension and danger, while the danger in Crystal feels half-hearted and incompletely realized. It just wasn't that frightening, perhaps because the children were never particularly frightened either, even as they fled their inn and home. Strangers in the city are menacing, but never for more than a few minutes at a time. Pacing is terribly uneven; after fleeing their home, a journey of six months is over in two pages, a journey that should include self-reflection, growth as the children learn about their parents' heritages and interactions with a potentially hostile Sorceress. Awkwardly framed flashbacks give insight into Kayl's earlier life as a warrior, the team of women she worked with and her first encounters with her husband. Still more awkward Prologue and Interludes between sections attempt to nutshell the complex history of Lyra, giving rise to the feeling of uneven pace and development. Overall, it just was not up to the level of quality in Ring, or in Wrede's Enchanted Forest series. Truly while I would like to rate this higher in fondness to Wrede, it was a "meh" level book for me. Skip this and read
The Raven Ring: A Lyra Novel instead; it's far more developed and enjoyable.
Caught is particularly unusual in the realm of fantasy for having a heroine who is a widowed mother with two younger children. While it's an interesting twist, it brings a jarring note of everyday reality into the fantasy--sometimes while reading, I felt like the dialogue was incongruous, taken from television rather than the setting of Lyra. Names reflected this incongruity as well--while everyone else has more unusual names that you wouldn't find in a baby dictionary, Kayl's children are 'Mark' and 'Dara;' perfectly good names, but lending that aura of modernity to the tale. Was this Wrede's homage to two children she knew?
In Ring, Wrede is able to develop an atmosphere of tension and danger, while the danger in Crystal feels half-hearted and incompletely realized. It just wasn't that frightening, perhaps because the children were never particularly frightened either, even as they fled their inn and home. Strangers in the city are menacing, but never for more than a few minutes at a time. Pacing is terribly uneven; after fleeing their home, a journey of six months is over in two pages, a journey that should include self-reflection, growth as the children learn about their parents' heritages and interactions with a potentially hostile Sorceress. Awkwardly framed flashbacks give insight into Kayl's earlier life as a warrior, the team of women she worked with and her first encounters with her husband. Still more awkward Prologue and Interludes between sections attempt to nutshell the complex history of Lyra, giving rise to the feeling of uneven pace and development. Overall, it just was not up to the level of quality in Ring, or in Wrede's Enchanted Forest series. Truly while I would like to rate this higher in fondness to Wrede, it was a "meh" level book for me. Skip this and read
The Raven Ring: A Lyra Novel instead; it's far more developed and enjoyable.
August 10, 2019
I found this enjoyable. I liked the main character, it was interesting the Kayl was a widow in her thirties with two children, it is unusual in fantasies for a mother to be the main character. While I enjoyed the interactions Kayl had with her children I felt like those belonged in a different sort of story, more domestic less adventurous. I felt that a lot of the traveling was glossed over, although the journeys took weeks or months the writing took only a couple of pages. I did like that the children acted like children, squabbling, not listening to their mother, running off but it made the threats they were facing seem less real. I did find Kayl’s reflections on her inability to return to the Sisterhood realistic, but the love story seemed quite truncated. But it was something that I enjoyed reading, I just found it too simple. I had picked up an e-copy of all of the the Lyra novel for a couple of dollars a while back. I look forward to the final novel The Raven Ring.
February 18, 2019
Of the four in this series I have read, Caught in Crystal was by far the best. In depth character development and inventive plots. Some of the history given refers back to the previous books, but there is no dependency, so the book can be read as a stand alone. I will admit, though, that knowing the material of the previous books does add to this tale.
Also interesting, is the Silver Sisters society, which mingles various magics as separate entities. Sorcery, swordsmanship and healing among them. And forever, the clash of races. Shee, Wyrd, Varans and the lowly, greedy humans. Some subtle threads there, if you care to look for them, but all done in good taste. Erase the greed and doubts and all can live together. Knowledge levels the playing field.
Onto book five.
Also interesting, is the Silver Sisters society, which mingles various magics as separate entities. Sorcery, swordsmanship and healing among them. And forever, the clash of races. Shee, Wyrd, Varans and the lowly, greedy humans. Some subtle threads there, if you care to look for them, but all done in good taste. Erase the greed and doubts and all can live together. Knowledge levels the playing field.
Onto book five.
January 6, 2010
Patricia C. Wrede, through Caught in Crystal(CIC hereafter), was introduced to me by my mother in 3rd grade. While having already read the Hobbit, and Dragonlance chronicles at this time, it was one of the centerpiece novels that defined and set the standards of fantasy for me. Wrede has a remarkable ability to create characters with whom you can identify, with believable intercourse where you can follow motivation. Simplistic writing in the sense that it is smooth, flows well, rolls off the tongue easily if you are narrating, and conveys the story without becoming an overcomplicated literary piece.
Separating itself from a majority of other fantasies, CIC story revolves around a retired adventurer, who has been living as an innkeeper(cliche to be true), just when her past of 15 years catches up with her and draws her back in. Decisions aren't so easily made, as she now has two children, which are the focus of her life.
CIC provides adventure, drama, a little action and magic, with very realistic characters and motivations. Patricia C. Wrede understands people well, and this is evident as the book progresses.
Something to note, is that you will always find some reference to something you will encounter or understand from another Lyra novel, an easter egg, if you will, be it a person, place, or thing. Similar to William Gibson's cameo reference to say, Automatic Jack, or Bobby Quine in his cyberpunk genre novels, there isn't a direct interaction, but a simple line that makes you smile and say "Hey, I know that guy" or something similar.
I'm not fond of spoilers, so let me say that I have read and enjoyed George R. R. Martin, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, Robert Jordan, David Eddings, Terry Goodkind, JRR Tolkien, and many other authors. I believe that Caught in Crystal is a must read for fantasy lovers. It is quick and stand alone, and easily enjoyable, and suitable for all ages from grade school up.
Separating itself from a majority of other fantasies, CIC story revolves around a retired adventurer, who has been living as an innkeeper(cliche to be true), just when her past of 15 years catches up with her and draws her back in. Decisions aren't so easily made, as she now has two children, which are the focus of her life.
CIC provides adventure, drama, a little action and magic, with very realistic characters and motivations. Patricia C. Wrede understands people well, and this is evident as the book progresses.
Something to note, is that you will always find some reference to something you will encounter or understand from another Lyra novel, an easter egg, if you will, be it a person, place, or thing. Similar to William Gibson's cameo reference to say, Automatic Jack, or Bobby Quine in his cyberpunk genre novels, there isn't a direct interaction, but a simple line that makes you smile and say "Hey, I know that guy" or something similar.
I'm not fond of spoilers, so let me say that I have read and enjoyed George R. R. Martin, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, Robert Jordan, David Eddings, Terry Goodkind, JRR Tolkien, and many other authors. I believe that Caught in Crystal is a must read for fantasy lovers. It is quick and stand alone, and easily enjoyable, and suitable for all ages from grade school up.
May 20, 2012
I did not think I was going to enjoy this book because it's kind of slow at the beginning but it does build up as you go along. I like Kayl because she is a single mother (widowed) who stands her ground while trying to juggle an Inn. I also liked how they intertwine the kids in the story, it never neglected in the story that the main character was a mother. I enjoyed that she is a mother, and is trying to handle them along with the quest that was handed to her. And, her children were not just there to annoy the reader/background noise but the author allows them to be involved in the adventure as well. Which sometimes is annoying but they seemed to grow along with the story.
I also was confused with how Kayl was now in love/fancied Glyndon, because well, he showed that he did when he was drunk at an Inn. It never really expressed that she was. But it did also say that she is always avoiding her emotions on things with tasks which with what happened to her at the Twisted Towers is understandably. It just didn't feel very connected to the story it was as if it were just there to give the story a better ending.
I enjoyed the cranky Sisterhood. I don't know why because it most books or even movies those types of establishments irk me very much. But she somehow made the characters welcoming to the reader. Don't ask why but that's how i feel. I mean, I personally would never approach the building if it were real..
But I give it the stars that I did because it impressed me because I was certain that I was not going to enjoy this book but toward the end I was sad to see the story end. I also liked the breaks that it had in the books to explain things. But I think really my only disappointment was the love story that did not develop and I don't even enjoy romance parts...
I also was confused with how Kayl was now in love/fancied Glyndon, because well, he showed that he did when he was drunk at an Inn. It never really expressed that she was. But it did also say that she is always avoiding her emotions on things with tasks which with what happened to her at the Twisted Towers is understandably. It just didn't feel very connected to the story it was as if it were just there to give the story a better ending.
I enjoyed the cranky Sisterhood. I don't know why because it most books or even movies those types of establishments irk me very much. But she somehow made the characters welcoming to the reader. Don't ask why but that's how i feel. I mean, I personally would never approach the building if it were real..
But I give it the stars that I did because it impressed me because I was certain that I was not going to enjoy this book but toward the end I was sad to see the story end. I also liked the breaks that it had in the books to explain things. But I think really my only disappointment was the love story that did not develop and I don't even enjoy romance parts...
July 6, 2009
I'm not really sure what age these books are best for. On some level, a 12 yr old might enjoy them, but then there are other aspects that I think perhaps a bit older would be best. I read them in order of publication, but I think chronology would be better. The other nice thing about this series is that the books are self-contained. You do not have to read all of the books. You can pick and choose. None of the stories rely on the others. The connection is the world of Lyra and battling darkness.
I enjoyed this particular book because the heroin was a middle-aged mom. That doesn't happen very often, so it was fun to read.
I enjoyed this particular book because the heroin was a middle-aged mom. That doesn't happen very often, so it was fun to read.
September 1, 2008
The Lyra series is one of my favorites. I find them interesting, but not so convoluted that I can't keep track of who is doing what where and when. The people and situations are generally believable, and even the fantasy elements seeem to me to fit it; they don't stretch my imagination to the breaking point. I haven't read all the Lyra books, but of the three that I have, I think this is my favorite.
November 26, 2008
My brother bought an old dog eared copy of this book at a second hand books store, it was the first fantasy book I've ever read. I loved this book, I read it 5 times, but I just found out its part of a series, I'll have to check out the other Lyra books, it may be tough, I believe most of them are out of print.
March 27, 2012
Review brought to you by OBS staff member Verushka
Beware of Spoilers
Caught in Crystal is part of Patricia Wrede’s acclaimed Lyra series of books, now published for the first time in ebook form. The series consists of five books that are loosely connected, but all are based on the same world – Lyra. An interesting side-note is that Wrede created a role-playing game about Lyra, and after reading this book, it’s one I would love to get my hands on.
I think the hidden gem of this novel is the introduction to the Lyra series by the author. Included in the introduction is a collection of posts Wrede shared on her blog of the the first chapter of Shadow Magic, and her reasons for the changes she made. It is such an intriguing look into her thought processes as a writer, and includes comments and points-of-view that as a reader I know I haven’t thought of before. When I found myself going back and re-reading parts of the excerpts and her comments, I realized I would have to leave this part of the book until the end, because I would have these comments at the back of mind while reading, wondering what she was thinking. Kind of like watching a behind-the-scenes featurette of a movie, seeing how all the SFX are done and not being able to forget that knowledge while watching the movie.
But, back to the book – the story of this novel revolves around Kayl, an innkeeper and former member of the Sisterhood of Stars, a powerful and respected coven of witches. But, within the Sisterhood, Kayl was considered a warrior, not a magic user. She left the Sisterhood years before the book begins, and after a mission that went horribly wrong. When the book opens, she is an innkeeper, a widower and a mother trying to keep her children in line and her head above water in her business – all in all, she is facing the typical issues any single mother would.
Soon enough, the Sisterhood comes calling, asking her to return to its fold and to return to the Twisted Tower, the very place that she went to years before on another mission for the Sisterhood. The Sisterhood believes that whatever is currently interfering with its magic will be found there. Nothing is straightforward about that though, for Kayl can’t trust her memories of the prior mission, and Dara, her daughter is to her dismay intricately tied to the current mission despite Kayl’s best intentions of protecting her from her past.
So, it would seem straightforward enough right? The best stories often are, and with this Lyra title at least (the others are on my to-read list) Wrede shows off her world-building skills, something I find that pretty much makes or breaks a series for me. Lyra is a world with four races, in conflict over different issues and experiencing very familiar biases. The Sisterhood begins the book as a coven that is looked up to, but Kayl notes their awful treatment of two beings she is close to – Glyndon (Varnan) and Bryn (Wyrd). The book includes a prologue where Wrede provides a tale of the history of Lyra and its races, its wars and while reading such histories can be a chore in some titles, Wrede has crafted a prologue that makes her Lyra history something that is interesting to read.
Through the book, aside from the characters’ interactions, there are interludes, histories really, of the places where a large part of the book occurs. Again, they are a straightforward telling of the places’ histories. They bring weight to the chapters that follow, and these histories, like the prologue are relatable to any reader I think, which makes them a strength of the novel.
Character-wise, it is Kayl and her children will receive loving attention from Wrede. But Kayl, first – what I liked was years after being part of the Sisterhood, Kayl acknowledges she is older and out of shape compared to her younger, warrior self. It’s going to take time to get back to being fighting fit, practice even and I know it seems strange, but things like this are often glossed over in books and I can appreciate a writer treating a character realistically like this, and giving her the time to get back to being fighting fit. In this case, during Kayl’s journeys to different places in the book, she makes a point of mentioning the practice Kayl goes through with her sword, remembering old lessons she learned at the Sisterhood.
Another facet of Kayl’s character that I found interesting was that she was the only female warrior in the group travelling to the Twisted Tower. It’s not that Glyndon or anyone else was incapable of physically defending themselves, but Kayl in her past was defined as being a warrior, and a strategist in the Sisterhood (remember this book was written in 1987) in the story. Wrede has flipped expectations when it comes to what readers might expect of a story featuring magic, I think.
This isn’t a story without romance, but it is done subtly. Glyndon, an old friend of her husband (a wizard too) returns and admits to having loved her for years. From the point I found this out, I did consider that perhaps their romance was too subtly done, shown in the briefest of touches or banter, but then it occurred to me this isn’t the tale of a romance between Glyndon and Kayl, this is Kayl’s tale – a mother who is trying to right her past, and whose children always come first. Glyndon is and should be secondary to that.
I do confess though, I would love to read a tale about what he went through in his years apart from Kayl or perhaps learn more about why he loved her for so long. Or, even a tale of their lives after this one.
Mark and Dara, Kayl’s kids are the other important part of this novel for me – they can be annoying, as kids their ages tend to be, but obedient of their mother when they should be. They are ultimately everything that drives Kayl, and for them to matter as much to readers as they do Kayl, they needed to be fully realized characters with quirks, and strong relationships with their mother.
The characters of the Sisterhood are secondary I felt to the above characters I mentioned, but they play their part if being aloof characters, caught only by their desire to regain their magic. They manipulate whoever they need to achieve those ends and Kayl struggles with seeing that truth about them compared to the high esteem in which she held them years previous. Despite the circumstances in which she left the coven, she has to admit that to herself and let go of the old image she had of them.
All in all, this is a wonderful read, filled with incredible world-building and characters that are easy to relate to.
http://openbooksociety.com/article/pa...
Beware of Spoilers
Caught in Crystal is part of Patricia Wrede’s acclaimed Lyra series of books, now published for the first time in ebook form. The series consists of five books that are loosely connected, but all are based on the same world – Lyra. An interesting side-note is that Wrede created a role-playing game about Lyra, and after reading this book, it’s one I would love to get my hands on.
I think the hidden gem of this novel is the introduction to the Lyra series by the author. Included in the introduction is a collection of posts Wrede shared on her blog of the the first chapter of Shadow Magic, and her reasons for the changes she made. It is such an intriguing look into her thought processes as a writer, and includes comments and points-of-view that as a reader I know I haven’t thought of before. When I found myself going back and re-reading parts of the excerpts and her comments, I realized I would have to leave this part of the book until the end, because I would have these comments at the back of mind while reading, wondering what she was thinking. Kind of like watching a behind-the-scenes featurette of a movie, seeing how all the SFX are done and not being able to forget that knowledge while watching the movie.
But, back to the book – the story of this novel revolves around Kayl, an innkeeper and former member of the Sisterhood of Stars, a powerful and respected coven of witches. But, within the Sisterhood, Kayl was considered a warrior, not a magic user. She left the Sisterhood years before the book begins, and after a mission that went horribly wrong. When the book opens, she is an innkeeper, a widower and a mother trying to keep her children in line and her head above water in her business – all in all, she is facing the typical issues any single mother would.
Soon enough, the Sisterhood comes calling, asking her to return to its fold and to return to the Twisted Tower, the very place that she went to years before on another mission for the Sisterhood. The Sisterhood believes that whatever is currently interfering with its magic will be found there. Nothing is straightforward about that though, for Kayl can’t trust her memories of the prior mission, and Dara, her daughter is to her dismay intricately tied to the current mission despite Kayl’s best intentions of protecting her from her past.
So, it would seem straightforward enough right? The best stories often are, and with this Lyra title at least (the others are on my to-read list) Wrede shows off her world-building skills, something I find that pretty much makes or breaks a series for me. Lyra is a world with four races, in conflict over different issues and experiencing very familiar biases. The Sisterhood begins the book as a coven that is looked up to, but Kayl notes their awful treatment of two beings she is close to – Glyndon (Varnan) and Bryn (Wyrd). The book includes a prologue where Wrede provides a tale of the history of Lyra and its races, its wars and while reading such histories can be a chore in some titles, Wrede has crafted a prologue that makes her Lyra history something that is interesting to read.
Through the book, aside from the characters’ interactions, there are interludes, histories really, of the places where a large part of the book occurs. Again, they are a straightforward telling of the places’ histories. They bring weight to the chapters that follow, and these histories, like the prologue are relatable to any reader I think, which makes them a strength of the novel.
Character-wise, it is Kayl and her children will receive loving attention from Wrede. But Kayl, first – what I liked was years after being part of the Sisterhood, Kayl acknowledges she is older and out of shape compared to her younger, warrior self. It’s going to take time to get back to being fighting fit, practice even and I know it seems strange, but things like this are often glossed over in books and I can appreciate a writer treating a character realistically like this, and giving her the time to get back to being fighting fit. In this case, during Kayl’s journeys to different places in the book, she makes a point of mentioning the practice Kayl goes through with her sword, remembering old lessons she learned at the Sisterhood.
Another facet of Kayl’s character that I found interesting was that she was the only female warrior in the group travelling to the Twisted Tower. It’s not that Glyndon or anyone else was incapable of physically defending themselves, but Kayl in her past was defined as being a warrior, and a strategist in the Sisterhood (remember this book was written in 1987) in the story. Wrede has flipped expectations when it comes to what readers might expect of a story featuring magic, I think.
This isn’t a story without romance, but it is done subtly. Glyndon, an old friend of her husband (a wizard too) returns and admits to having loved her for years. From the point I found this out, I did consider that perhaps their romance was too subtly done, shown in the briefest of touches or banter, but then it occurred to me this isn’t the tale of a romance between Glyndon and Kayl, this is Kayl’s tale – a mother who is trying to right her past, and whose children always come first. Glyndon is and should be secondary to that.
I do confess though, I would love to read a tale about what he went through in his years apart from Kayl or perhaps learn more about why he loved her for so long. Or, even a tale of their lives after this one.
Mark and Dara, Kayl’s kids are the other important part of this novel for me – they can be annoying, as kids their ages tend to be, but obedient of their mother when they should be. They are ultimately everything that drives Kayl, and for them to matter as much to readers as they do Kayl, they needed to be fully realized characters with quirks, and strong relationships with their mother.
The characters of the Sisterhood are secondary I felt to the above characters I mentioned, but they play their part if being aloof characters, caught only by their desire to regain their magic. They manipulate whoever they need to achieve those ends and Kayl struggles with seeing that truth about them compared to the high esteem in which she held them years previous. Despite the circumstances in which she left the coven, she has to admit that to herself and let go of the old image she had of them.
All in all, this is a wonderful read, filled with incredible world-building and characters that are easy to relate to.
http://openbooksociety.com/article/pa...
July 14, 2024
I liked this one. Wrede's writing style nice, I like the cadence, and the moments in which she's having fun with little interactions between the characters are a joy to read. Made me fondly remember the Dealing with Dragons series from my childhood, which I hope to reread at some point.
It's also important to have fantasy with older folks that have children. Sometimes I feel like all the cool adventures are gobbled up by 18-year-olds or wizards older than time, so having a widow with children going on an adventure is a) something fantasy needs more of (surprised we haven't got a whole of a lot more since 1987), and b) a fun construction (the children add a lot of mischief and wonder, while still having a believably competent MC that doesn't need to do a long training arc).
Where this book lost me a bit is many of the dialogue feels like it happens for the reader's benefit (i.e. plot reasons) and not the benefit of the characters. This flaw is not apparent in moments where Wrede is just vibing, but it is in almost every plot scene. Characters bring up what might have been a plot hole or unexplained, and then resolve it, even when it seems like the problem might not have occurred to a particular character. There's also some problems with repetitive exposition. I'm the type who would rather be a bit confused about the narrative/world and figure it out slowly rather than one who needs to know everything. I like being confused a bit in a fantasy world (normally with the characters), it's fun for me.
TLDR, fun, will read more Wrede, struggled with the exposition at times.
It's also important to have fantasy with older folks that have children. Sometimes I feel like all the cool adventures are gobbled up by 18-year-olds or wizards older than time, so having a widow with children going on an adventure is a) something fantasy needs more of (surprised we haven't got a whole of a lot more since 1987), and b) a fun construction (the children add a lot of mischief and wonder, while still having a believably competent MC that doesn't need to do a long training arc).
Where this book lost me a bit is many of the dialogue feels like it happens for the reader's benefit (i.e. plot reasons) and not the benefit of the characters. This flaw is not apparent in moments where Wrede is just vibing, but it is in almost every plot scene. Characters bring up what might have been a plot hole or unexplained, and then resolve it, even when it seems like the problem might not have occurred to a particular character. There's also some problems with repetitive exposition. I'm the type who would rather be a bit confused about the narrative/world and figure it out slowly rather than one who needs to know everything. I like being confused a bit in a fantasy world (normally with the characters), it's fun for me.
TLDR, fun, will read more Wrede, struggled with the exposition at times.
September 16, 2018
The Lyra novels clearly show Wrede progressing as a writer, or at least attempting more complex stories. “Shadow Magic” is simply imitative, a story of good triumphing over evil in a well-established epic fantasy fashion. “Daughter of Witches” is far more original but still largely straightforward, with a plot that moves in a largely linear fashion without confusion about who the bad guys are, and though Ranira’s struggles to shed her past life are real, it’s clear that she’s struggling towards a new, better one. (That makes the brief appearance of Erenal, who, though he is Gadrath’s henchman, is an honorable man who believes that he is doing the right thing and helping people, a bit jarring: he doesn’t really fit in the moral fabric of the book.) “The Harp of Imach Thyssel” adds a more complex plot, with multiple converging strands, and some moral complexity in the form of the Duke, who may be a good guy but doesn’t always act like one, and Shalarn, who seems to be a bad guy but is not allied to the main bad guys. However, Emereck is so obviously the protagonist that the other plot lines are too subsidiary to be important, and the moral ambiguity dissolves at the end, when everybody has to line up either for or against the obvious evil of the Shadow-born. “Caught in Crystal” sticks to a largely linear plot, with the exception of a series of flashbacks, but by dropping the Shadow-born Wrede makes a more interesting plot possible. There’s still Utrilo Levoil and the Circle of Silence as nominal villains, but Kayl, our heroine, spends most of the book slowly coming to see that the Sisterhood of Stars, which raised her and where she spent many happy years, is just as bad in its own way: increasingly biased against magic, power-hungry, bigoted, manipulative, and selfish. (It must be noted, however, that an important part of the indictment of the Sisterhood is its hatred of Varnans, and though two of the three Varnans we meet are quite nice, Varna in general, with its slaveholding and mistreatment of demons, seems like a rather unpleasant place. Wrede does try to suggest that this is only a partial portrayal of Varna, but given how much emphasis is put on this point, more evidence would seem to be necessary, or else a stronger effort to establish that Kevan and Glorshag are different than simply pointing to their relationships with Kayl.) Indeed, the climax seems to suggest that, Levoil aside, the Magicseekers are just another organization, competing for the same goals with similar methods. Wrede also adds complexity by giving Kayl some of the family ties that both Ranira and Emereck lacked in the form of two children, making her the rare protagonist of a fantasy adventure novel who is also a middle-aged mother. This naturally adds an extra layer of difficulty to her search for a place of her own, which is really the central theme of the novel.
Having left the Sisterhood, gotten married, had two kids, and become a widow, the novel begins with Kayl’s midlife crisis, ably symbolized by the arrival of numerous pieces of her past — Corrinna, a member of the Sisterhood; Glorshag, a Varnan who is also an old friend of her and her late husband; and the Magicseekers, old enemies — to demonstrate to her that her current existence, as a small-town innkeeper and single mother, is a holding pattern rather than a life. Jolted out of her rut, Kayl naturally returns to the Sisterhood, the only other life she has ever known, agreeing to accompany a new expedition they are mounting to the Twisted Tower: the results of the first expedition were what caused her to leave the Sisterhood originally. The new expedition, though, largely serves the purpose of convincing Kayl that she needs something new in her life: this will turn out to be, the book suggests, the brand-new Temple of the Third Moon, just being founded at this point in time (hundreds of years prior to the events of the previous three books). All this is wrapped in a nominally adventurous plot that in practice consists mostly of talking. About a quarter of the way in, Wrede has Kayl don the leathers and sword that she wore as warrior for the Sisterhood, but rather than being a promise of fights ahead, this has instead to do with Kayl considering the possibility of returning to the Sisterhood: up until the end, the action occurs (with the exception of a brief attempted kidnapping) solely in the form of flashbacks to the first expedition. The meat of the book is Kayl’s conversations with members of the Sisterhood, with Glorshag, and with her children, as she works out what she wants to do with her life, and so also her children’s lives. This naturally requires that Kayl, Glorshag, and the children all be sympathetic and well-written enough that we care what they have to say, and Wrede comes through here. On the other hand, with the exception of Corinna the members of the Sisterhood are mostly less interesting: those Kayl knew before are just there as reminders of a lost past, while the new ones serve as demonstrations that the past will stay lost. The climax itself is a bit of a letdown, in that we never really learn anything about the nature of the Tower and its guardian, including the reason why it can be destroyed in the method adopted, but of course the real climax occurs afterwards, when Kayl decides to strike out for a new life, one entered into by conscious choice rather than happenstance. This is the real victory, and it’s considerably more satisfying.
Having left the Sisterhood, gotten married, had two kids, and become a widow, the novel begins with Kayl’s midlife crisis, ably symbolized by the arrival of numerous pieces of her past — Corrinna, a member of the Sisterhood; Glorshag, a Varnan who is also an old friend of her and her late husband; and the Magicseekers, old enemies — to demonstrate to her that her current existence, as a small-town innkeeper and single mother, is a holding pattern rather than a life. Jolted out of her rut, Kayl naturally returns to the Sisterhood, the only other life she has ever known, agreeing to accompany a new expedition they are mounting to the Twisted Tower: the results of the first expedition were what caused her to leave the Sisterhood originally. The new expedition, though, largely serves the purpose of convincing Kayl that she needs something new in her life: this will turn out to be, the book suggests, the brand-new Temple of the Third Moon, just being founded at this point in time (hundreds of years prior to the events of the previous three books). All this is wrapped in a nominally adventurous plot that in practice consists mostly of talking. About a quarter of the way in, Wrede has Kayl don the leathers and sword that she wore as warrior for the Sisterhood, but rather than being a promise of fights ahead, this has instead to do with Kayl considering the possibility of returning to the Sisterhood: up until the end, the action occurs (with the exception of a brief attempted kidnapping) solely in the form of flashbacks to the first expedition. The meat of the book is Kayl’s conversations with members of the Sisterhood, with Glorshag, and with her children, as she works out what she wants to do with her life, and so also her children’s lives. This naturally requires that Kayl, Glorshag, and the children all be sympathetic and well-written enough that we care what they have to say, and Wrede comes through here. On the other hand, with the exception of Corinna the members of the Sisterhood are mostly less interesting: those Kayl knew before are just there as reminders of a lost past, while the new ones serve as demonstrations that the past will stay lost. The climax itself is a bit of a letdown, in that we never really learn anything about the nature of the Tower and its guardian, including the reason why it can be destroyed in the method adopted, but of course the real climax occurs afterwards, when Kayl decides to strike out for a new life, one entered into by conscious choice rather than happenstance. This is the real victory, and it’s considerably more satisfying.
February 24, 2019
This book deserved the full five stars. This is my favorite of the Lyra series because it is about a mother who is just trying to do what she thinks is right. I love how she deals with combative characters in this book. I also like how when the story ends you feel satisfied. You don't wonder what will happen next because the book isn't wrapped up all the way and the things that needed to be explained got explained. I fully recommend this book.
March 10, 2019
Just finished re-reading this older book on my shelf and I’m happy I kept this one. I don’t have the others in the series; I didn’t even realize it was a series as the story is completely self-contained. Reading it as an adult instead as a teenager, I appreciate the conflicts and uncertainties faced by the main characters. Very well written.
November 16, 2020
4.5
This is my favorite in the series so far! I love how the heroine is a slightly older woman who is a widow and has children. I also loved the character development and that Wrede took more time with this book- the other ones I felt could have benefitted from being a little longer. The pacing was great, nice and steady, and I liked how things wrapped up in the end in a realistic way.
This is my favorite in the series so far! I love how the heroine is a slightly older woman who is a widow and has children. I also loved the character development and that Wrede took more time with this book- the other ones I felt could have benefitted from being a little longer. The pacing was great, nice and steady, and I liked how things wrapped up in the end in a realistic way.
April 13, 2008
Wrede is very good at meshing a "current" story with the "flashbacks," giving us both stories in one book. Even though I had to get this book interlibrary loan, it was worth it. I've really enjoyed the other Lyra books, too. This is the first in the loosely-connected series.
March 10, 2008
"I enjoyed this book very much. It was one I read after I started Katherine Kurtz's novels. Most fantasy I did not care for, but this one has a bit of humanity that I often find missing in other fantasy."
November 22, 2013
What I liked best was that the heroine is a middle aged mother of two who doesn't completely fit in her leather hero pants anymore but goes out and beats the bad guys anyway. And took her kids even though they often didn't listen and argued with each other.
March 5, 2012
Not Wrede's strongest (I'm a rabid fan of her Pioneer Magic series), but always wonderful to have a strong thirtysomething female protagonist who has children.
August 30, 2025
Lately I've been low-key thinking about how writers evolve over time, and being invited to beta read a first novel really got me going. I looked at the bibliographies of some of my favorite authors to see if I could remember progression, and saw that I'd never read Patricia C. Wrede's first published works, a 5 book series (this series... duh). Opportunity!
And boy did I get what I wanted, more even than I asked for. I borrowed copies from my library, and the third and fifth book had a foreword from Patricia talking about exactly this, about how she's grown as an author, with a revised and annotated version of the first chapter of the first book (Shadow Magic)... It was so perfect I didn't even notice at first, I was just so satisfied at getting an even closer look at the process than I'd expected. My luck here was astounding.
So, what do I think of this particular author's evolution? It was genuinely fascinating. I knew that she's good, I've read most of her other books and liked them, some enough to have physical copies in my strictly curated library (her Forest Chronicles, they're my most reliable cheer-up books) besides the ebooks that are what I actually read. Now I see how she developed her talents, through hard work and an openness to constructive criticism and learning. The progression was surprisingly stark, with the first book being something of a mess (the revised chapter in the aforementioned foreword shows what she could do with it later on, infinitely better) and every consequent book improved, with the last one (The Raven Ring) being truly great.
If you're only going to read one of the Lyra books, make it The Raven Ring. If you have a bit of interest in looking behind the curtain at a writer's evolution though, I enthusiastically recommend you read all five in publication order (and at least one being a later edition with the foreword). I probably wouldn't have continued past part of book one if I had only been reading for enjoyment, but reading them this way was deeply satisfying.
Because I read them as a group, with an eye to the evolution, I'm copying this as the review text for all of them. The only difference being the star rating.
And boy did I get what I wanted, more even than I asked for. I borrowed copies from my library, and the third and fifth book had a foreword from Patricia talking about exactly this, about how she's grown as an author, with a revised and annotated version of the first chapter of the first book (Shadow Magic)... It was so perfect I didn't even notice at first, I was just so satisfied at getting an even closer look at the process than I'd expected. My luck here was astounding.
So, what do I think of this particular author's evolution? It was genuinely fascinating. I knew that she's good, I've read most of her other books and liked them, some enough to have physical copies in my strictly curated library (her Forest Chronicles, they're my most reliable cheer-up books) besides the ebooks that are what I actually read. Now I see how she developed her talents, through hard work and an openness to constructive criticism and learning. The progression was surprisingly stark, with the first book being something of a mess (the revised chapter in the aforementioned foreword shows what she could do with it later on, infinitely better) and every consequent book improved, with the last one (The Raven Ring) being truly great.
If you're only going to read one of the Lyra books, make it The Raven Ring. If you have a bit of interest in looking behind the curtain at a writer's evolution though, I enthusiastically recommend you read all five in publication order (and at least one being a later edition with the foreword). I probably wouldn't have continued past part of book one if I had only been reading for enjoyment, but reading them this way was deeply satisfying.
Because I read them as a group, with an eye to the evolution, I'm copying this as the review text for all of them. The only difference being the star rating.
March 25, 2022
The fourth entry in Wrede’s Lyra novels is the longest so far and coming off of the excellent Harp of Imach Thyssel I was eager for a longer adventure. The longer novel helps the author expand Lyra into a massive, believable world. If the first few novels felt more like examining the individual trees of a very large forest, Caught in Crystal pulls you back to appreciate the larger forest as Kayl and her companions journey across the continent.
While the world building benefitted from a larger volume the characters and plot did not. Kayl is a wonderful protagonist, Coranna a great “frenemy,” but the rest of the characters don’t get the attention they deserve. There are hints that Kayl’s children (Dara in particular) will have a larger role to play but much of their training and experience are sidenotes that happen off the page, and there is one plot line for Dara that seems important when it is introduced but is never visited again.
Much of the interaction between the characters focuses on the same tensions and disagreements rehashed over and over, with little depth given to the relationships involved. The last third of the book was a slog at points and I had to push through to the (mostly) rewarding climax. Definitely worth reading if you love the Lyra series but not the strongest entry.
While the world building benefitted from a larger volume the characters and plot did not. Kayl is a wonderful protagonist, Coranna a great “frenemy,” but the rest of the characters don’t get the attention they deserve. There are hints that Kayl’s children (Dara in particular) will have a larger role to play but much of their training and experience are sidenotes that happen off the page, and there is one plot line for Dara that seems important when it is introduced but is never visited again.
Much of the interaction between the characters focuses on the same tensions and disagreements rehashed over and over, with little depth given to the relationships involved. The last third of the book was a slog at points and I had to push through to the (mostly) rewarding climax. Definitely worth reading if you love the Lyra series but not the strongest entry.
Read
July 15, 2022DNF. I remembered enjoying the Lyra books as a teenager, so I picked up this one. I had as an adolescent read the first 3 books in an onimbus volume and I had also read The Raven Ring, so when I saw Caught in Crystal, the Lyra novel I hadn't read, for sale at the library for 50 cents a couple years back, I thought "hey, maybe it's time for a pleasant stroll down memory lane."
I didn't make it past 50 pages. Maybe this is one of those cases where I outgrew the author or maybe the Lyra series isn't as good as I remembered or maybe this was just the poorest written book of the bunch, I don't know. I found it to be very derivative, to be honest. The goodies were just so good and the baddies just so bad.
I know from browsing Patricia Wrede's website a number of years back that's she's big into worldbuilding and she even had a questionnaire for budding authors about how to build a good fantasy world/society. But world-building doesn't mean squat if you rely on hackneyed cliches and poor characterization to help carry your story along. Plus, I'm sick of fatness being used as a signifier of villainry. "Ho-ho-ho, we know this dude is bad because he's fat." So lazy, using fatphobia in lieu of authentic character development.
So disappointing. I'm not in any rush to revisit the world of Lyra anytime soon, lest my precious childhood memories be tainted.
I didn't make it past 50 pages. Maybe this is one of those cases where I outgrew the author or maybe the Lyra series isn't as good as I remembered or maybe this was just the poorest written book of the bunch, I don't know. I found it to be very derivative, to be honest. The goodies were just so good and the baddies just so bad.
I know from browsing Patricia Wrede's website a number of years back that's she's big into worldbuilding and she even had a questionnaire for budding authors about how to build a good fantasy world/society. But world-building doesn't mean squat if you rely on hackneyed cliches and poor characterization to help carry your story along. Plus, I'm sick of fatness being used as a signifier of villainry. "Ho-ho-ho, we know this dude is bad because he's fat." So lazy, using fatphobia in lieu of authentic character development.
So disappointing. I'm not in any rush to revisit the world of Lyra anytime soon, lest my precious childhood memories be tainted.
September 23, 2017
Now here's an interesting novel in the Lyra series: every other story in the series is concerned with a young hero or heroine, usually learning their place in the world with some subtle exploration of romance; Caught in Crystal is about a widow innkeeper and her two children who go back to explore the consequences of the big adventure of her life, when she was young.
I think this feels the most ambitious of the Lyra series, in that it involves flashbacks, several different magical systems, and confrontation of prejudice and politicking on many different parties. Having been an adventurer who lost people she was close to, and also a settled innkeeper who lost her husband less excitedly, the protagonist Kayl has a different perspective on risk and obligations than someone with few attachments might when told about an ancient evil, or about problems with magic that could reshape the international order.
The mythic races of the first few books here are treated almost completely as myths facing human prejudice, in a complicating B-plot that establishes ties to the overall themes of the Lyra series (like the other books, this is completely standalone with no shared characters; like in the Harp of Imach Thyssel, the shared world history helps enrich the background).
I think this feels the most ambitious of the Lyra series, in that it involves flashbacks, several different magical systems, and confrontation of prejudice and politicking on many different parties. Having been an adventurer who lost people she was close to, and also a settled innkeeper who lost her husband less excitedly, the protagonist Kayl has a different perspective on risk and obligations than someone with few attachments might when told about an ancient evil, or about problems with magic that could reshape the international order.
The mythic races of the first few books here are treated almost completely as myths facing human prejudice, in a complicating B-plot that establishes ties to the overall themes of the Lyra series (like the other books, this is completely standalone with no shared characters; like in the Harp of Imach Thyssel, the shared world history helps enrich the background).
August 8, 2024
I picked this novel up at my local bookstore on a whim. The overall story was enough to keep me reading until the end, but there were a lot of shortcomings along the way.
I think the primary issue I have with this book is that it suffers from the "I'll tell you later" trope. Again and again, characters deflect questions or moments arise only for the characters to be flustered and affirm that they will explain everything "later". The dialogue is often interrupted mid sentence to add artificial susp-.
But don't worry, everything will be explained later.
It was refreshing to have a female protagonist in her 30's instead of another 16 year old orphaned "chosen one" born with all of the magical talents.That being said, the children are annoying throughout the whole book. Every time she was going to leave them behind as she moved onto another phase of the adventure, I was super pumped - only to be disappointed when she changed her mind and brought them along. The romance felt weird and forced.
All in all, the story fueled my imagination but I won't be picking up another Wrede book anytime soon.
I think the primary issue I have with this book is that it suffers from the "I'll tell you later" trope. Again and again, characters deflect questions or moments arise only for the characters to be flustered and affirm that they will explain everything "later". The dialogue is often interrupted mid sentence to add artificial susp-.
But don't worry, everything will be explained later.
It was refreshing to have a female protagonist in her 30's instead of another 16 year old orphaned "chosen one" born with all of the magical talents.That being said, the children are annoying throughout the whole book. Every time she was going to leave them behind as she moved onto another phase of the adventure, I was super pumped - only to be disappointed when she changed her mind and brought them along. The romance felt weird and forced.
All in all, the story fueled my imagination but I won't be picking up another Wrede book anytime soon.
July 22, 2024
I have so many questions about this world. I don't know if Wrede created an entire back story for Lyra or if she only created the vaguest of outlines, but I found it frustrating that we get only a few glimpses of what is going on and are left to our own devices to fill in or leave blank so many unexplained things. At the very least I would like a map. (An explanation of how a moon exploded and the Shadow-born were created, (which it seems like are related events, but we never really know) would also be nice.) I think I found this more frustrating here than in the other books because so many things are hinted at and/or partially explained. (And probably also because this is the last volume of the series I read, so I knew that any unanswered questions would remain unanswered.)
Other than those frustrations I quite liked the plot and the characters. Kayl and her children keep things fun and lively, and the quest they are on has a very well balanced amount of challenge and possibility.
Other than those frustrations I quite liked the plot and the characters. Kayl and her children keep things fun and lively, and the quest they are on has a very well balanced amount of challenge and possibility.
April 4, 2021
2.5 stars, and I'll round up mostly just because of nostalgia for Lyra.
The pacing was terrible, the plot had some choices that struck me as bizarre and disappointing, and the writing was incredibly repetitive. As a fan of the Lyra setting, what I found the most important worldbuilding answer was a throwaway comment on page 288 of 293. Which was was too late in the book, given that it was the reason I was reading it in the first place.
The only truly redeeming aspects were that most of the characters were women in various stages of life, and the characterization of the main character's kids was fantastic. Even so, there was no character growth (certainly not believably) throughout the entire book.
The pacing was terrible, the plot had some choices that struck me as bizarre and disappointing, and the writing was incredibly repetitive. As a fan of the Lyra setting, what I found the most important worldbuilding answer was a throwaway comment on page 288 of 293. Which was was too late in the book, given that it was the reason I was reading it in the first place.
The only truly redeeming aspects were that most of the characters were women in various stages of life, and the characterization of the main character's kids was fantastic. Even so, there was no character growth (certainly not believably) throughout the entire book.
August 20, 2021
https://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2021/0...
This one is a little more interesting than its predecessors with both plot and characters: our protagonist is a thirty six year old widowed mother of two, running an inn, when a sorceress and a wizard with ties to her past come searching for her (separately). I actually couldn’t figure out when in the world's chronology this was meant to take place, though I had the impression it was a prequel? Anyway it’s pretty good, but ends the same way as all the other ones (final battle is somewhat anti-climactic and then there’s a heteronormative kiss, the end). I don’t really have high hopes for the last one but it’s an entertaining enough way to spend an evening, I suppose. B+.
This one is a little more interesting than its predecessors with both plot and characters: our protagonist is a thirty six year old widowed mother of two, running an inn, when a sorceress and a wizard with ties to her past come searching for her (separately). I actually couldn’t figure out when in the world's chronology this was meant to take place, though I had the impression it was a prequel? Anyway it’s pretty good, but ends the same way as all the other ones (final battle is somewhat anti-climactic and then there’s a heteronormative kiss, the end). I don’t really have high hopes for the last one but it’s an entertaining enough way to spend an evening, I suppose. B+.
February 7, 2021
Each successive novel in this series shows an improvement in the author's writing skills. This story is about a young widow who must confront her past with a group of female sorceresses and the last, failed mission she attempted for them. She travels with her children, the remaining members of her original team, and some of the sorceresses in an attempt to successfully complete the mission this time. She is hampered by her own doubts, a loss of magic in the sorceresses, and a group of magic seekers racing to gain the prize she is hoping to contain. Deeper character development, more intrigue, and a fuller plot line, this is the best in the series so far.
June 11, 2021
Oh my gosh! I found it! I couldn't remember the title of this book for the longest time.
I think I read this when I was a child and the story stayed with me for a long time. It's still very readable after all these decades so I give it five stars.
I really love the main character. She's an adult with kids who does her best to be responsible. Adult MCs are still a rarity in fantasy. I mean, there are a lot of old characters in fantasy, but most of them act like kids or teenagers.
Good story, great characters.
I think I read this when I was a child and the story stayed with me for a long time. It's still very readable after all these decades so I give it five stars.
I really love the main character. She's an adult with kids who does her best to be responsible. Adult MCs are still a rarity in fantasy. I mean, there are a lot of old characters in fantasy, but most of them act like kids or teenagers.
Good story, great characters.
April 10, 2025
This was a nice, simple, "old-school" fantasy read from the late 80s. There is nothing practically special about his book, other than the main character is a woman (which was rare still even today), and an older woman with 2 kids to boot. Character development is light. The story is oddly developed in that most of the book fees like it is leading up to another novel, but this is a stand-alone book that wraps up neatly in under 300 pages. The world of Lyra, from the snippets you get int his book, is compelling and a place I would like to know more of.
But, regardless, I found the book a nice, easy-to-read fantasy book.
But, regardless, I found the book a nice, easy-to-read fantasy book.
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