What do you think?
Rate this book
Light #2
Witchlight
Marion Zimmer Bradley, one of the most beloved and praised fantasy storytellers of our time, has once again written a compelling and powerful novel with larger-than-life characters.Winter Musgrave's past is largely blank, her memories missing or tissue-thin. She seem to be possessed--objects shatter when she passes, the corpses of animal appear on her doorstep. And she has the terrible feeling that something horrible happened in her empty past--results of which are now haunting her with unbridled fury.Seeking help, Winter turns to Truth Jourdemayne and learns that the key to unlocking her lost memories lies within herself--and in the magickal circle of friends in college. But the circle was broken long ago. Winter must reconstruct it is she is to save her life.Not just the story of a woman's search for her missing past, Witchlight is a powerful novel of contemporary fantasy that pulls readers in and hold them until the final page. Anyone who loves good contemporary fiction will devour Witchlight.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
324 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1996
18 people are currently reading
735 people want to read
About the author
Marion Zimmer Bradley
800 books4,877 followersMarion Eleanor Zimmer Bradley was an American author of fantasy novels such as The Mists of Avalon and the Darkover series, often with a feminist outlook.
Bradley's first published novel-length work was Falcons of Narabedla, first published in the May 1957 issue of Other Worlds. When she was a child, Bradley stated that she enjoyed reading adventure fantasy authors such as Henry Kuttner, Edmond Hamilton, and Leigh Brackett, especially when they wrote about "the glint of strange suns on worlds that never were and never would be." Her first novel and much of her subsequent work show their influence strongly.
Early in her career, writing as Morgan Ives, Miriam Gardner, John Dexter, and Lee Chapman, Marion Zimmer Bradley produced several works outside the speculative fiction genre, including some gay and lesbian pulp fiction novels. For example, I Am a Lesbian was published in 1962. Though relatively tame by today's standards, they were considered pornographic when published, and for a long time she refused to disclose the titles she wrote under these pseudonyms.
Her 1958 story The Planet Savers introduced the planet of Darkover, which became the setting of a popular series by Bradley and other authors. The Darkover milieu may be considered as either fantasy with science fiction overtones or as science fiction with fantasy overtones, as Darkover is a lost earth colony where psi powers developed to an unusual degree. Bradley wrote many Darkover novels by herself, but in her later years collaborated with other authors for publication; her literary collaborators have continued the series since her death.
Bradley took an active role in science-fiction and fantasy fandom, promoting interaction with professional authors and publishers and making several important contributions to the subculture.
For many years, Bradley actively encouraged Darkover fan fiction and reprinted some of it in commercial Darkover anthologies, continuing to encourage submissions from unpublished authors, but this ended after a dispute with a fan over an unpublished Darkover novel of Bradley's that had similarities to some of the fan's stories. As a result, the novel remained unpublished, and Bradley demanded the cessation of all Darkover fan fiction.
Bradley was also the editor of the long-running Sword and Sorceress anthology series, which encouraged submissions of fantasy stories featuring original and non-traditional heroines from young and upcoming authors. Although she particularly encouraged young female authors, she was not averse to including male authors in her anthologies. Mercedes Lackey was just one of many authors who first appeared in the anthologies. She also maintained a large family of writers at her home in Berkeley. Ms Bradley was editing the final Sword and Sorceress manuscript up until the week of her death in September of 1999.
Probably her most famous single novel is The Mists of Avalon. A retelling of the Camelot legend from the point of view of Morgaine and Gwenhwyfar, it grew into a series of books; like the Darkover series, the later novels are written with or by other authors and have continued to appear after Bradley's death.
Her reputation has been posthumously marred by multiple accusations of child sexual abuse by her daughter Moira Greyland, and for allegedly assisting her second husband, convicted child abuser Walter Breen, in sexually abusing multiple unrelated children.
(from Wikipedia)
Bradley's first published novel-length work was Falcons of Narabedla, first published in the May 1957 issue of Other Worlds. When she was a child, Bradley stated that she enjoyed reading adventure fantasy authors such as Henry Kuttner, Edmond Hamilton, and Leigh Brackett, especially when they wrote about "the glint of strange suns on worlds that never were and never would be." Her first novel and much of her subsequent work show their influence strongly.
Early in her career, writing as Morgan Ives, Miriam Gardner, John Dexter, and Lee Chapman, Marion Zimmer Bradley produced several works outside the speculative fiction genre, including some gay and lesbian pulp fiction novels. For example, I Am a Lesbian was published in 1962. Though relatively tame by today's standards, they were considered pornographic when published, and for a long time she refused to disclose the titles she wrote under these pseudonyms.
Her 1958 story The Planet Savers introduced the planet of Darkover, which became the setting of a popular series by Bradley and other authors. The Darkover milieu may be considered as either fantasy with science fiction overtones or as science fiction with fantasy overtones, as Darkover is a lost earth colony where psi powers developed to an unusual degree. Bradley wrote many Darkover novels by herself, but in her later years collaborated with other authors for publication; her literary collaborators have continued the series since her death.
Bradley took an active role in science-fiction and fantasy fandom, promoting interaction with professional authors and publishers and making several important contributions to the subculture.
For many years, Bradley actively encouraged Darkover fan fiction and reprinted some of it in commercial Darkover anthologies, continuing to encourage submissions from unpublished authors, but this ended after a dispute with a fan over an unpublished Darkover novel of Bradley's that had similarities to some of the fan's stories. As a result, the novel remained unpublished, and Bradley demanded the cessation of all Darkover fan fiction.
Bradley was also the editor of the long-running Sword and Sorceress anthology series, which encouraged submissions of fantasy stories featuring original and non-traditional heroines from young and upcoming authors. Although she particularly encouraged young female authors, she was not averse to including male authors in her anthologies. Mercedes Lackey was just one of many authors who first appeared in the anthologies. She also maintained a large family of writers at her home in Berkeley. Ms Bradley was editing the final Sword and Sorceress manuscript up until the week of her death in September of 1999.
Probably her most famous single novel is The Mists of Avalon. A retelling of the Camelot legend from the point of view of Morgaine and Gwenhwyfar, it grew into a series of books; like the Darkover series, the later novels are written with or by other authors and have continued to appear after Bradley's death.
Her reputation has been posthumously marred by multiple accusations of child sexual abuse by her daughter Moira Greyland, and for allegedly assisting her second husband, convicted child abuser Walter Breen, in sexually abusing multiple unrelated children.
(from Wikipedia)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
March 9, 2016
I never read this author before, despite her celebrity status in the speculative fiction genre, and this book definitely wasn’t the one to start. It’s rather blah. The heroine’s all-consuming emotion throughout the story is anger. She is stubborn, snooty, and she doesn’t treat anyone well. For all I can tell, she doesn’t like anyone, with rare exceptions. She is cold and inconsiderate and indecently self-absorbed. I disliked her, and my attitude towards her spilled over to her story. I disliked it.
Besides, the writing wasn’t very good either. Lots of descriptive drivel about the inner workings of magic, lots of repetition about the poor protagonist’s inability to accept her own magic, or to sympathize with anyone, but the plot was only so-so. Not boring, precisely, but I started skimming pages to get to the action sequences about 50% in.
Not for me.
Besides, the writing wasn’t very good either. Lots of descriptive drivel about the inner workings of magic, lots of repetition about the poor protagonist’s inability to accept her own magic, or to sympathize with anyone, but the plot was only so-so. Not boring, precisely, but I started skimming pages to get to the action sequences about 50% in.
Not for me.
July 25, 2011
Poorly written, way too cliche, flat characters, wholly unsatisfying. The third MZB book I've read, and it failed to deliver at every level. Countless times I yelled out "...WHAT." while reading. This was usually followed by some of the biggest eye rolls I've ever performed in my life. Useless, lifeless book.
September 20, 2012
I've read a number of Bradley's books and enjoyed most of them (though Mists of Avalon was by far her best). But this... was horrid. Don't waste your time.
June 18, 2009
I love Marion Zimmer Bradley's writing but have never read her books outside of those associated with the Mists of Avalon series. So this novel was my first foray into her general fantasy fiction.
It was a strange ride, although I did read the entire book in one day as I had to find out what happens. This is a sort of mystery novel with a sci-fi/fantasy twist. The main character, Winter (I have to say the names in this novel were a little like something out of a bad renaissance fair. Everytime a new character was introduced I rolled my eyes.) awakens to find herself in an unfamiliar house where strange things keep happening and no memory of her life except that she checked herself into - and out of - an insane asylum. The book then follows her path as she attempts to discover what or who is causing the horrible events (dead animals on her doorsteps, doors being left open, electrical systems exploding) as well as what has happened in her past to cause such a dramatic memory loss.
As with all of Bradley's novels this is well written and entertaining. Unfortunately it did not convince me that I wanted to continue to branch out into her other forms of fantasy writing. Perhaps it is a fault in myself that I am comparing this book to the Avalon series rather than allowing it to stand on its own, but I think I will float in Avalon just a bit longer.
It was a strange ride, although I did read the entire book in one day as I had to find out what happens. This is a sort of mystery novel with a sci-fi/fantasy twist. The main character, Winter (I have to say the names in this novel were a little like something out of a bad renaissance fair. Everytime a new character was introduced I rolled my eyes.) awakens to find herself in an unfamiliar house where strange things keep happening and no memory of her life except that she checked herself into - and out of - an insane asylum. The book then follows her path as she attempts to discover what or who is causing the horrible events (dead animals on her doorsteps, doors being left open, electrical systems exploding) as well as what has happened in her past to cause such a dramatic memory loss.
As with all of Bradley's novels this is well written and entertaining. Unfortunately it did not convince me that I wanted to continue to branch out into her other forms of fantasy writing. Perhaps it is a fault in myself that I am comparing this book to the Avalon series rather than allowing it to stand on its own, but I think I will float in Avalon just a bit longer.
October 29, 2010
I've read a few books by MZB, so I was pretty surprised at the subject of this book. Where I usually associate her with fairy tale kingdoms & Arthurian legends, this book is solidly in the "present" (1990s). The end result is something that both pleased & disappointed me.
Winter is a young woman running from something that she is unable to describe. Previously she was a self-assured young mover & shaker on Wall Street, but took a leave of absence from all of that due to reasons she is somewhat unable to put her finger on. Taking refuge in an old house after being released from a mental clinic, she tries to ignore the signs that something is after her. Each day she finds all of the windows & doors in the house open. It isn't until she once again finds dead, flayed animal corpses on her front door that she attempts to get help from local psychic researcher Truth. As the manifestations become more & more violent, her dreams of a mysterious man from a past she can't seem to remember begs for her help.
Witchlight is volume 2 in MZB's "Light" series, a fact I was unaware of until I came onto amazon to write this review. Don't worry- you should be able to read this book without having to read the previous books, although future books seem to require that you've read everything that has gone on before.
I rather liked the idea of this book. It's just that the book didn't deliver on everything that it promised. The magic in the book is the best part, which isn't surprising for MZB- she has a knack for making magic enticing to read. It's just that the characters weren't all that appealing. Every time that I thought Winter was getting over her whole "is this magic or insanity" thing, she'd jump right back on to that bandwagon. Frankly, it got really old after a while. The ending was also a little rushed in my opinion. It just seemed to be kind of a "huh? that's it?" type of thing. I was rather underwhelmed.
Still, even mediocre MZB is still fun. Fans of her far better written work will be sorely disappointed with this book, although new fans should like it- plus they get the added bonus of moving on to better books by her. This was good enough that I'll be looking for the other books, but not really good enough to really warrant keeping it. This is one that I'll probably be trading with friends or the local used book store for other reading material.
Winter is a young woman running from something that she is unable to describe. Previously she was a self-assured young mover & shaker on Wall Street, but took a leave of absence from all of that due to reasons she is somewhat unable to put her finger on. Taking refuge in an old house after being released from a mental clinic, she tries to ignore the signs that something is after her. Each day she finds all of the windows & doors in the house open. It isn't until she once again finds dead, flayed animal corpses on her front door that she attempts to get help from local psychic researcher Truth. As the manifestations become more & more violent, her dreams of a mysterious man from a past she can't seem to remember begs for her help.
Witchlight is volume 2 in MZB's "Light" series, a fact I was unaware of until I came onto amazon to write this review. Don't worry- you should be able to read this book without having to read the previous books, although future books seem to require that you've read everything that has gone on before.
I rather liked the idea of this book. It's just that the book didn't deliver on everything that it promised. The magic in the book is the best part, which isn't surprising for MZB- she has a knack for making magic enticing to read. It's just that the characters weren't all that appealing. Every time that I thought Winter was getting over her whole "is this magic or insanity" thing, she'd jump right back on to that bandwagon. Frankly, it got really old after a while. The ending was also a little rushed in my opinion. It just seemed to be kind of a "huh? that's it?" type of thing. I was rather underwhelmed.
Still, even mediocre MZB is still fun. Fans of her far better written work will be sorely disappointed with this book, although new fans should like it- plus they get the added bonus of moving on to better books by her. This was good enough that I'll be looking for the other books, but not really good enough to really warrant keeping it. This is one that I'll probably be trading with friends or the local used book store for other reading material.
July 12, 2008
I should have read this book BEFORE I read Gravelight, but since there was nothing on the books telling me which order was correct, I ended up reading them as I did.
Of the three I've read: Ghostlight, Gravelight and Witchlight, I liked Witchlight the best. It has several of the characters present in the other two books, and they play a somewhat minor role. The main character, Winter Musgrave, has recently checked herself out of an asylum for the wealthy. She can't remember most of her past, and she thinks she's haunted or possessed. She seeks the assistance of psychic experts, but she must figure out what's happening on her own while discovering and confronting her past.
I really enjoyed this book, and even though I was warned about unusual twists, I was still surprised by them. I thought the story was tighter than the other two books, and I found it satisfying. Truthfully, I had a hard time putting it down.
Of the three I've read: Ghostlight, Gravelight and Witchlight, I liked Witchlight the best. It has several of the characters present in the other two books, and they play a somewhat minor role. The main character, Winter Musgrave, has recently checked herself out of an asylum for the wealthy. She can't remember most of her past, and she thinks she's haunted or possessed. She seeks the assistance of psychic experts, but she must figure out what's happening on her own while discovering and confronting her past.
I really enjoyed this book, and even though I was warned about unusual twists, I was still surprised by them. I thought the story was tighter than the other two books, and I found it satisfying. Truthfully, I had a hard time putting it down.
September 17, 2008
I liked this better than the first one. It had a little bit more plot twists in it. Although the main character was a bitter woman, kind of like Truth was in the first book, Winter finds herself and discovers that she doesn't have to be so bitter and angry over her past and how much forgiveness heals. Thrown in are some interesting things about the paranormal and some witchcraft and occultism, makes for a interesting read.
I wanted to learn more about the "Grey Angels", but that seems to be being saved for a later book in the series. The ending of this book was a bitter sweet one.
This book also touches controversies such as prejudice and womens' rights and is it right to have an abortion? or perhaps, will it haunt you for the rest of your life? And ultimately it's your choice and you have to pay the piper in your own way. Anyway, debates and discussions that can be saved for later. All and all a pretty good book.
I wanted to learn more about the "Grey Angels", but that seems to be being saved for a later book in the series. The ending of this book was a bitter sweet one.
This book also touches controversies such as prejudice and womens' rights and is it right to have an abortion? or perhaps, will it haunt you for the rest of your life? And ultimately it's your choice and you have to pay the piper in your own way. Anyway, debates and discussions that can be saved for later. All and all a pretty good book.
March 3, 2013
Winter Musgrave awakens one morning in a remote farmhouse, and realizes she has amnesia. She cannot remember exactly how long she's been living in the house or why she came there. She has vague memories of being a successful New York stockbroker, but doesn't know why she quit... until she begins to find dead, mutilated animals on her doorstep, and flashes of the horror she's endured come back to her. In the fear that she is causing occult phenomena unconsciously, she seeks out psychic researcher Truth Jourdemayne (who appeared in the previous novel of this series, Ghostlight) to help her, and she goes on a quest to unravel what happened to her, back when she was a member of an occult circle in college. What happened to her college boyfriend, with whom she was truly in love? Who is she, and what are her powers? Most importantly, what is the malevolent force that seems to be following her?
Not bad, but several aspects of the plot are a bit dubious, and the ending is a bit unbelievable.
Not bad, but several aspects of the plot are a bit dubious, and the ending is a bit unbelievable.
July 27, 2010
This was my introduction to Marion Zimmer Bradley. The story was not at all what I thought it was going to be, but I enjoyed the book nevertheless. Bradley's writing is clear and concise and brings you right into the scene and into the characters minds and who they are as people.
Winter Musgrave is a strong heroine, on the search for a part of her past she has repressed and therefore forgotten. She is strong enough to figure it out and face up to it and come out a better person for it in the end. If only all female characters could be as badass (I'm talking to you Bella Swan. ;))
The book had more of a psychic leaning then a witchy one (which is what I thought it would be more about; more magickal practices and based in paganism), but as I said before, I still completely enjoyed the book. Definately recommended.
Winter Musgrave is a strong heroine, on the search for a part of her past she has repressed and therefore forgotten. She is strong enough to figure it out and face up to it and come out a better person for it in the end. If only all female characters could be as badass (I'm talking to you Bella Swan. ;))
The book had more of a psychic leaning then a witchy one (which is what I thought it would be more about; more magickal practices and based in paganism), but as I said before, I still completely enjoyed the book. Definately recommended.
August 6, 2013
After the mess that was Ghostlight (book one in the Light series) I was relieved to find this one was written a little better. It isn't really necessary to read them in order, although you will miss out a little on the backstory of some characters. And there's been some uproar about the fact that this book was co-authored (ghostwritten, completely written, noone seems to know for sure) by someone other than Marion Zimmer Bradley, despite her name being on the cover.
When Winter Musgrave finds herself in an old house all she remembers is that she released herself from a mental institution. The rest of her past is fuzzy, and strange occurrences keep happening around her, the worst of which being the mutilated animals on her doorstep. Having been a powerful trader on the stock exchange, Winter is surprised to learn that she once went to the local college and was studying the arts, but left before she was to have graduated. Realizing that the phenomena happening is getting more violent though, she desperately seeks her friends from back then, hoping they can fill in the gaps before it is too late.
Winter bounces all over the place in personality. She goes from being cold to hopeful to reminiscent and back again over the spectrum. This is to be expected, she's undergone a lot of stress. But it just didn't feel genuine at times. In fact, the only character who really felt real was Truth, and maybe that's because she was in the first book. The rest were just flat characters who were there to serve a purpose. At least they had some interesting histories though, so you did care about where they came from.
This book started out great. You really wanted to know what happened to Winter and cheered for her when she started making discoveries about herself. But by the end of the book, the pace was all off and things started happening too quickly. The author also assumes that the reader has more than a base knowledge of the occult/magic/etc. and if you don't, it can make the concepts of this book difficult to understand. I had a general idea of what was going on, but I suspect I missed a lot of the nuances that having a broader knowledge depth would have given me. It just made the book more difficult to read.
I think someone more familiar with the occult and magic in different forms might enjoy this book more than the average person. It definitely has a specific audience unlike some of the other books with Bradley's name on the cover. I've got one more of the Light series at home that I'll probably read, but they're definitely not books I would seek out otherwise.
Witchlight
Copyright 1996
303 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2013
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
When Winter Musgrave finds herself in an old house all she remembers is that she released herself from a mental institution. The rest of her past is fuzzy, and strange occurrences keep happening around her, the worst of which being the mutilated animals on her doorstep. Having been a powerful trader on the stock exchange, Winter is surprised to learn that she once went to the local college and was studying the arts, but left before she was to have graduated. Realizing that the phenomena happening is getting more violent though, she desperately seeks her friends from back then, hoping they can fill in the gaps before it is too late.
Winter bounces all over the place in personality. She goes from being cold to hopeful to reminiscent and back again over the spectrum. This is to be expected, she's undergone a lot of stress. But it just didn't feel genuine at times. In fact, the only character who really felt real was Truth, and maybe that's because she was in the first book. The rest were just flat characters who were there to serve a purpose. At least they had some interesting histories though, so you did care about where they came from.
This book started out great. You really wanted to know what happened to Winter and cheered for her when she started making discoveries about herself. But by the end of the book, the pace was all off and things started happening too quickly. The author also assumes that the reader has more than a base knowledge of the occult/magic/etc. and if you don't, it can make the concepts of this book difficult to understand. I had a general idea of what was going on, but I suspect I missed a lot of the nuances that having a broader knowledge depth would have given me. It just made the book more difficult to read.
I think someone more familiar with the occult and magic in different forms might enjoy this book more than the average person. It definitely has a specific audience unlike some of the other books with Bradley's name on the cover. I've got one more of the Light series at home that I'll probably read, but they're definitely not books I would seek out otherwise.
Witchlight
Copyright 1996
303 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2013
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
November 10, 2011
Thirty-something Winter Musgrave awakens one morning possessing only ragged shreds of memory about her very identity. Even more scary are the mutilated animals she keeps finding in the yard, and the creepy way in which things keep flying off shelves. Hysterical, Winter seeks the assistance of a team of parapsychologists, and by following their advice, she begins to recover bits and pieces of her past. She also discovers that she has some formidable psychic abilities.
Witchlight cannot even hold a pale candle to author Bradley's acclaimed The Mists of Avalon. While Mists drew its readers into a rich, credible fantasy world, Witchlight reads more like soap opera. As a character, Winter, described as a Wall Street trader, is remarkably overwrought and helpless. I kept thinking that a mild tranquilizer would go a long way toward helping her to get a grip. The plot revolves around a place called "Nuclear Lake" (really!), where as college students, Winter and her friends dabbled in black magic. Something happened that prompted Winter to leave school only weeks from graduation. Though she lost touch with her clique, it is now imperative that she reconnect with each of them.
Bradley wraps things up with a melodramatic scene in which Winter reunites with her (now dead) former boyfriend. The final pages are trite and treacly. Give this one a miss; Bradley can do much better.
Witchlight cannot even hold a pale candle to author Bradley's acclaimed The Mists of Avalon. While Mists drew its readers into a rich, credible fantasy world, Witchlight reads more like soap opera. As a character, Winter, described as a Wall Street trader, is remarkably overwrought and helpless. I kept thinking that a mild tranquilizer would go a long way toward helping her to get a grip. The plot revolves around a place called "Nuclear Lake" (really!), where as college students, Winter and her friends dabbled in black magic. Something happened that prompted Winter to leave school only weeks from graduation. Though she lost touch with her clique, it is now imperative that she reconnect with each of them.
Bradley wraps things up with a melodramatic scene in which Winter reunites with her (now dead) former boyfriend. The final pages are trite and treacly. Give this one a miss; Bradley can do much better.
June 21, 2009
I really didn't care for this book. I didn't get very far in it. It took to long to get into the story and I couldn't really follow where it was going. It didn't make any sense to me.
June 29, 2009
I was rummaging around on my shelves, and I came across this. Eh. Sort of forgetable.
October 9, 2022
"'Where the trouble was.' What an admirably neutral way of putting it."
"The semanticist would argue that you didn't 'believe' in chairs, at all then--belief, after all, implies an element of faith, and faith isn't necessary when you have the physical object available to you on a moment's notice, now, is it?"
"It was true that she didn't feel crazy--or even afraid. What she did feel was a faint but nagging sense of urgency--a sense of some unrealized omission, and that the time in which it would be possible to make amends was drawing to an end."
"The Elemental had not needed to breach the barriers Truth had made, because its ally was already within them: the serpent of Winter's hate; the rejection of everything that might defy it--blind intolerance and knee-jerk prejudice, a hatred that fenced Winter in to a safe and ever-shrinking circle of things that would not challenge her preconceptions."
"You make choices, and by the time you figure the first one wasn't that good and ought to be unmade, you've already made five more on top of it, then ten--and you can't go back. It's just easier, I guess, to let it ride. Because you're all tangled up, and even if you could get loose and shove everything back to square one, the chances you thought you had when you were twenty are all gone--and there's no way you could have known how they were going to work out anyhow. I'm just not that brave."
"There was a certain freedom, however, in doing what you wanted no matter how you were dressed. The question was who was to be the master, as Humpty Dumpty had once said to Alice, and Truth felt that her desires--even her whims--should be more important than a suit of clothes."
"What could she have changed in the past to make the present other than it was?
There was no answer to that; there never had been an answer for as long as people have been asking that question. But if Winter could not find some way to change the present, there would be no future at all."
"Even if the rest of her life was to be a losing fight, she intended to make a good showing. Jack had always said that showing up for the fight won half the battle."
"Change is usually a good thing, when it helps people and organizations adapt to new truths."
"But the deepest cuts don't bleed, Truth. They don't bleed at all."
"'Why trust anybody, Winter?' Grey spoke to her out of her memory. 'It's a free country. Doubt everything. Question authority.'"
"It was her anger that saved her. Not the killing rage that, uncontrolled, brought on the psychokinetic storms that for so long she had ascribed to an outside agency, but a cold quiet determination to do what she had said she would do, no matter how great the odds were against her."
"The semanticist would argue that you didn't 'believe' in chairs, at all then--belief, after all, implies an element of faith, and faith isn't necessary when you have the physical object available to you on a moment's notice, now, is it?"
"It was true that she didn't feel crazy--or even afraid. What she did feel was a faint but nagging sense of urgency--a sense of some unrealized omission, and that the time in which it would be possible to make amends was drawing to an end."
"The Elemental had not needed to breach the barriers Truth had made, because its ally was already within them: the serpent of Winter's hate; the rejection of everything that might defy it--blind intolerance and knee-jerk prejudice, a hatred that fenced Winter in to a safe and ever-shrinking circle of things that would not challenge her preconceptions."
"You make choices, and by the time you figure the first one wasn't that good and ought to be unmade, you've already made five more on top of it, then ten--and you can't go back. It's just easier, I guess, to let it ride. Because you're all tangled up, and even if you could get loose and shove everything back to square one, the chances you thought you had when you were twenty are all gone--and there's no way you could have known how they were going to work out anyhow. I'm just not that brave."
"There was a certain freedom, however, in doing what you wanted no matter how you were dressed. The question was who was to be the master, as Humpty Dumpty had once said to Alice, and Truth felt that her desires--even her whims--should be more important than a suit of clothes."
"What could she have changed in the past to make the present other than it was?
There was no answer to that; there never had been an answer for as long as people have been asking that question. But if Winter could not find some way to change the present, there would be no future at all."
"Even if the rest of her life was to be a losing fight, she intended to make a good showing. Jack had always said that showing up for the fight won half the battle."
"Change is usually a good thing, when it helps people and organizations adapt to new truths."
"But the deepest cuts don't bleed, Truth. They don't bleed at all."
"'Why trust anybody, Winter?' Grey spoke to her out of her memory. 'It's a free country. Doubt everything. Question authority.'"
"It was her anger that saved her. Not the killing rage that, uncontrolled, brought on the psychokinetic storms that for so long she had ascribed to an outside agency, but a cold quiet determination to do what she had said she would do, no matter how great the odds were against her."
December 26, 2020
E se a magia fosse real, será que a conseguíamos controlar?
Como é comum nos livros de fantasia sobre magia, a magia é controlada pela capacidade de controlar as emoções. Quantos de nós éramos capazes de tal? Acredito que a maioria não seria a não ser com um bom treino de controlar as suas emoções, falo também por mim, quantas vezes somos levados por elas? Muitos, nem as compreendem e elas guiam as suas ações quanto mais se não fosse necessário fazer nada para elas se demonstrarem em todo o seu poder.
Este é o segundo livro de uma trilogia, por isso, quando comecei a ler, pensei que tivesse alguma dificuldade em compreender a história, mas isso não aconteceu e consegui bem ler como se não tivesse existido um primeiro livro. Winter, a personagem principal, não se recorda de alguns factos sobre a sua vida, nem se quer recordar. Confusa e acabada de sair de um hospital psiquiátrico, quer apenas ter uma vida calma. No entanto, estranhos acontecimentos insistem em acontecer à sua volta, como janelas e portas abertas sem ela as abrir, animais mortos em volta da casa onde mora entre outros que não a deixam ter a paz que tanto deseja. Ela tenta lutar para que aqueles incidentes deixem de acontecer ao mesmo tempo que tenta compreender se é ela ou não que os faz acontecer. Finalmente, ela compreende que precisa de saber mais de si e do seu passado para poder resolver aquele problema e voltar à sua sanidade. Nós embarcamos com ela nessa viagem que acaba também por ser uma viagem de autoconhecimento. Tanto que a certa altura do livro, senti que estava a ler um livro semelhante à Brida de Paulo Coelho.
Gostei muito porque as técnicas de autoconhecimento e até mesmo a ideia de magia assemelha-se a outros livros e penso que as ideias são bem aplicadas aqui na história. A capacidade de descobrir tudo sobre nós e o nosso autoconhecimento e aceitação muda-nos e isso também está refletido neste livro.
Penso que este livro é mais do que um livro de fantasia, é um caminho para se encontrar e demonstra bem como a personagem faz esse caminho e enfrenta os seus maiores medos, ódios e traumas. Também é uma busca do tempo perdido e uma luta para um futuro melhor.
Para quem gosta de livros em que se conjuga o autoconhecimento e desenvolvimento pessoal à fantasia, este livro é recomendado. No entanto, entendo que este livro pode não ser para pessoas que apenas gostam de fantasia ou pessoas que não gostam de livros de ficção. Recomendo para quem gostou do livro da Brida de Paulo Coelho aconselho porque apesar de ser diferente ainda temos aquela sensação de magia em tudo que existe. É uma mistura entre fantasia e realidade o que o torna incrível, mas não para ser apreciado por todos.
Como é comum nos livros de fantasia sobre magia, a magia é controlada pela capacidade de controlar as emoções. Quantos de nós éramos capazes de tal? Acredito que a maioria não seria a não ser com um bom treino de controlar as suas emoções, falo também por mim, quantas vezes somos levados por elas? Muitos, nem as compreendem e elas guiam as suas ações quanto mais se não fosse necessário fazer nada para elas se demonstrarem em todo o seu poder.
Este é o segundo livro de uma trilogia, por isso, quando comecei a ler, pensei que tivesse alguma dificuldade em compreender a história, mas isso não aconteceu e consegui bem ler como se não tivesse existido um primeiro livro. Winter, a personagem principal, não se recorda de alguns factos sobre a sua vida, nem se quer recordar. Confusa e acabada de sair de um hospital psiquiátrico, quer apenas ter uma vida calma. No entanto, estranhos acontecimentos insistem em acontecer à sua volta, como janelas e portas abertas sem ela as abrir, animais mortos em volta da casa onde mora entre outros que não a deixam ter a paz que tanto deseja. Ela tenta lutar para que aqueles incidentes deixem de acontecer ao mesmo tempo que tenta compreender se é ela ou não que os faz acontecer. Finalmente, ela compreende que precisa de saber mais de si e do seu passado para poder resolver aquele problema e voltar à sua sanidade. Nós embarcamos com ela nessa viagem que acaba também por ser uma viagem de autoconhecimento. Tanto que a certa altura do livro, senti que estava a ler um livro semelhante à Brida de Paulo Coelho.
Gostei muito porque as técnicas de autoconhecimento e até mesmo a ideia de magia assemelha-se a outros livros e penso que as ideias são bem aplicadas aqui na história. A capacidade de descobrir tudo sobre nós e o nosso autoconhecimento e aceitação muda-nos e isso também está refletido neste livro.
Penso que este livro é mais do que um livro de fantasia, é um caminho para se encontrar e demonstra bem como a personagem faz esse caminho e enfrenta os seus maiores medos, ódios e traumas. Também é uma busca do tempo perdido e uma luta para um futuro melhor.
Para quem gosta de livros em que se conjuga o autoconhecimento e desenvolvimento pessoal à fantasia, este livro é recomendado. No entanto, entendo que este livro pode não ser para pessoas que apenas gostam de fantasia ou pessoas que não gostam de livros de ficção. Recomendo para quem gostou do livro da Brida de Paulo Coelho aconselho porque apesar de ser diferente ainda temos aquela sensação de magia em tudo que existe. É uma mistura entre fantasia e realidade o que o torna incrível, mas não para ser apreciado por todos.
September 5, 2018
While there was less world-building in this second novel in the series than in the first, the elements of the supernatural were still omnipresent and made for creepiness. The main character, Winter, was less engaging than Truth Jourdemayne (who does show up here and there in this book too), particularly for her stubborn refusal to marry reality with perception. There were times when I felt her stubborn refusal was over-written and even a little hard to believe, particularly given that it was all that stood between her and actual plot progress. However, when the plot did get up a head of steam, it was extremely compelling. Uneven might be the word I'd use to describe this one for me. That said, it earned its four stars for the parts that were brilliant in description and narrative pacing; they more than made up for the frustrations in other parts.
October 21, 2018
Every time Marion Bradley lets a ghostwriter (in this case Rosemary Edghill) do the writing for her, the result seems to be a predictable book, filled with cliche's and flat characters. That's too bad, because I like her own books.
The idea of Winter, behaving the way she did, is very poorly described, so she looks more like someone with a rotten personality, instead of like the panicked, stressed out, weary person she is meant to be. I did like the idea, though. And there were aspects of Winters background with which I could ideantify. The parts where Winter was in denial of magic being real became unbelievable after a while, especially when she would still do that while she had learned to control her magical powers. I liked the end, despite the fact that the parts in the astral world were not explained very well, so that they were a bit difficult to follow.
The idea of Winter, behaving the way she did, is very poorly described, so she looks more like someone with a rotten personality, instead of like the panicked, stressed out, weary person she is meant to be. I did like the idea, though. And there were aspects of Winters background with which I could ideantify. The parts where Winter was in denial of magic being real became unbelievable after a while, especially when she would still do that while she had learned to control her magical powers. I liked the end, despite the fact that the parts in the astral world were not explained very well, so that they were a bit difficult to follow.
August 1, 2022
Het tweede deel van de "lichten" serie.
In dit deel lezen we het verhaal van Winter. Een vrouw die het heeft gemaakt op Wallstreet, en de daarbij behorende harde mentaliteit eigen heeft gemaakt.
Tot er dingen in haar leven gebeuren die Winter niet kan verklaren en haar bang maken.
Bovendien heeft zij geen herinneringen aan haar verleden.
In haar wanhoop benaderd zij Truth Yourdemaine, die we kennen uit het eerste deel van deze trilogie, en vraagt haar om hulp.
Winter komt er echter achter dat zij de demonen uit haar verleden zelf onder ogen zal moeten komen.
Langzaam maar zeker komen de herinneringen aan een ander leven terug.
Dit tweede deel van de serie vond ik veel beter dan het eerste deel. Een veel beter verhaal, of misschien sprak dit verhaal mij meer aan.
Maar dit deel vond ik zeer zeker de moeite waard.
Nu op naar het laatste deel.
In dit deel lezen we het verhaal van Winter. Een vrouw die het heeft gemaakt op Wallstreet, en de daarbij behorende harde mentaliteit eigen heeft gemaakt.
Tot er dingen in haar leven gebeuren die Winter niet kan verklaren en haar bang maken.
Bovendien heeft zij geen herinneringen aan haar verleden.
In haar wanhoop benaderd zij Truth Yourdemaine, die we kennen uit het eerste deel van deze trilogie, en vraagt haar om hulp.
Winter komt er echter achter dat zij de demonen uit haar verleden zelf onder ogen zal moeten komen.
Langzaam maar zeker komen de herinneringen aan een ander leven terug.
Dit tweede deel van de serie vond ik veel beter dan het eerste deel. Een veel beter verhaal, of misschien sprak dit verhaal mij meer aan.
Maar dit deel vond ik zeer zeker de moeite waard.
Nu op naar het laatste deel.
October 2, 2024
I really enjoyed reading this. It is a short, engaging, read that has unique elements that differentiates it from other urban/modern fantasies. The characters are compelling and I found myself looking forward to returning to it every time I had to break from reading to do adult things like work etc.
Funnily enough I didn't realize until I'd read 5 chapters and come here to add it to my Goodreads list that this is the "second" book after Ghostlight, but this one reads quite well on its own and I had no problem with anything missing by not having read the first one. I'll go back and read it, but I'm quite happy I finished this one first. I personally got a lot out of it and feel it touches on some very relevant topics nearly 30 years after it was written. Also goes to show there are some ares we not only haven't made progress in, but have backslid a great deal.
Funnily enough I didn't realize until I'd read 5 chapters and come here to add it to my Goodreads list that this is the "second" book after Ghostlight, but this one reads quite well on its own and I had no problem with anything missing by not having read the first one. I'll go back and read it, but I'm quite happy I finished this one first. I personally got a lot out of it and feel it touches on some very relevant topics nearly 30 years after it was written. Also goes to show there are some ares we not only haven't made progress in, but have backslid a great deal.
November 30, 2019
Sigh... this book was bad, I know it, but I still really enjoyed it. It was CHOCK FULL of all kinds of wacky occult references and mixed magics, with a little bit of melodramatic madness, heartbreak, unrealistic redemption, etc. Totally not at all worth my time to read it but I found it compelling and really entertaining, if you are willing to suspend any sort of critical judgment (which, clearly, I was). Anyway, I think this is a MZB ghostwriter so we’ll give her a pass — I am enjoying the connected characters, however. My favorite one in this cheesy cadre of schlocky novels is still The Inheritor, but I’m enjoying these really terrible “Light” ones too. I love a good 80s-90s cheesy magickal novel.
April 2, 2021
história fraca e mal contada, confusa e desconexa. protagonista insuportável e sem graça, os personagens secundários compensam um pouco disso, mas só um pouco.
não entendi o propósito, não entendi o enredo e achei que faltou coisa.
a autora quis trabalhar tanto conceito ao mesmo tempo, que no fim, não conseguiu explorar nada direito.
a protagonista é ignorante, egoísta e acha que ser rica é um grande traço de personalidade. no final tá basicamente todo mundo mais ou menos, e a bonitona consegue até ressuscitar o namoradinho meia boca pra ficar com ela.
seria melhor se tivesse sido uma história de fantasmas e com a Verdade como protagonista. não sei como não entrei em ressaca depois de passar semanas me arrastando com esse livro.
não entendi o propósito, não entendi o enredo e achei que faltou coisa.
a autora quis trabalhar tanto conceito ao mesmo tempo, que no fim, não conseguiu explorar nada direito.
a protagonista é ignorante, egoísta e acha que ser rica é um grande traço de personalidade. no final tá basicamente todo mundo mais ou menos, e a bonitona consegue até ressuscitar o namoradinho meia boca pra ficar com ela.
seria melhor se tivesse sido uma história de fantasmas e com a Verdade como protagonista. não sei como não entrei em ressaca depois de passar semanas me arrastando com esse livro.
May 13, 2022
Winter Musgrave has amnesia--she doesn't remember most of her adult life. Strange things are happening around her--windows and doors that won't stay open, blown electrical systems, and dead animals. She seeks help from Truth Jourdemayne and the Bidney Institute. Winter is telekinetic. But that doesn't explain the magickal child haunting her.
Digging into her own past, Winter discovers she was a member of the Blackburn Circle in college, was in love, and was forced by her parents to have an abortion. She eventually reunites with her lover, who is in a coma. She saves him and together they banish the spirit. All ends well.
Digging into her own past, Winter discovers she was a member of the Blackburn Circle in college, was in love, and was forced by her parents to have an abortion. She eventually reunites with her lover, who is in a coma. She saves him and together they banish the spirit. All ends well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2021
My favorite Bradley's book so far because of the story. The writing was the most enjoyable so far. (Awful bonus: Bradley had tons of internalized fatphobia and in this one book is more evident than ever, you can feel it through all the witch/mclaren saga but in this one is almost senseless predominant - all the women in this book are described as fat/they do not take good care of themselves beside for the main character which is described by others as super skinny and good-looking - all these details are pretty pointless for the plot as well)
May 4, 2017
An intense psychological mystery set amid modern witchcraft and family politics. Can Winter regain the person she once was? Does she want to? And just who would that be? Reading it more than a decade after it was written does leave a feeling that the story is a bit dated, as certain aspects seemed to belong more to the 1970s than today, but keeping the publication date in mind can overcome that.
May 23, 2019
This took me awhile to get into. It just felt a little dated, and odd in topic. But, once I got beyond the strange New Light culture in the early 1990s, and focused on the story, it was actually a pretty entertaining.
January 3, 2023
Maybe the full work is an excellent one, but the abridged version leaves out too much for a whole lot of this book to make logical sense (as logical as a book with alternate dimensions can be, anyway). If you're thinking about reading this, I'd suggest seeking out the full work instead.
June 21, 2018
Aika höttöinenhän tämä oli, sellainen olisi elokuvana päätynyt suoraan DVD levitykseen ja siellä alelaariin.
March 13, 2019
If I could I would give 500 stars
January 26, 2021
So many Aubusson carpets, so little meaningful narrative.
April 16, 2021
I flew through this one and I am glad for the things that got resolved..don't want to let anything out of the bag, lots of tension and excitement.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews