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Dancer #3
Dancer's Illusion
Book by Maxwell, Ann
191 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 2, 1983
About the author
Ann Maxwell
39 books74 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
(1)romance author
aka Lowell Charters, Elizabeth Lowell, A.E. Maxwell individually and with co-author/husband Evan Maxwell and Annalise Sun.
Ann Maxwell has written over 60 novels and one non-fiction book. There are 30 million copies of these books in print, as well as reprints in 30 foreign languages. The novels range from science fiction to historical fiction, from romance to mystery to suspense.
Writing as Ann Maxwell, she began her career in 1975 with a science fiction novel, Change. Since then, seven of her nine science fiction novels have been recommended for the Science Fiction Writers of America Nebula Award; A Dead God Dancing was nominated for what was then called TABA (The American Book Award).
In 1976 Ann and Evan (as A. E. Maxwell) collaborated with a Norwegian hunter and photographer, Ivar Ruud, on The Year-Long Day, a nonfiction work that was condensed in Reader's Digest and published in four foreign editions and three book club editions. In 1985, the first A. E. Maxwell crime novel featuring a couple called Fiddler and Fiora was published by Doubleday. The Frog and the Scorpion, received a creative writing award from the University of California. The fourth book in the series, Just Enough Light to Kill, was named by Time magazine as one of the best crime novels of 1988.
Ann and Evan (writing as Ann Maxwell) have published four suspense novels, the most recent of which is Shadows and Silk. These novels appeared on nation-wide bestseller lists.
In 1982, Ann began publishing romances as Elizabeth Lowell. Under that name she has received numerous professional awards in the romance field, including a Lifetime Achievement award from the Romance Writers of America (1994). Since July of 1992, she has had 30 novels on the New York Times list. Her most recent book is BLUE SMOKE AND MURDER.
(1)romance author
aka Lowell Charters, Elizabeth Lowell, A.E. Maxwell individually and with co-author/husband Evan Maxwell and Annalise Sun.
Ann Maxwell has written over 60 novels and one non-fiction book. There are 30 million copies of these books in print, as well as reprints in 30 foreign languages. The novels range from science fiction to historical fiction, from romance to mystery to suspense.
Writing as Ann Maxwell, she began her career in 1975 with a science fiction novel, Change. Since then, seven of her nine science fiction novels have been recommended for the Science Fiction Writers of America Nebula Award; A Dead God Dancing was nominated for what was then called TABA (The American Book Award).
In 1976 Ann and Evan (as A. E. Maxwell) collaborated with a Norwegian hunter and photographer, Ivar Ruud, on The Year-Long Day, a nonfiction work that was condensed in Reader's Digest and published in four foreign editions and three book club editions. In 1985, the first A. E. Maxwell crime novel featuring a couple called Fiddler and Fiora was published by Doubleday. The Frog and the Scorpion, received a creative writing award from the University of California. The fourth book in the series, Just Enough Light to Kill, was named by Time magazine as one of the best crime novels of 1988.
Ann and Evan (writing as Ann Maxwell) have published four suspense novels, the most recent of which is Shadows and Silk. These novels appeared on nation-wide bestseller lists.
In 1982, Ann began publishing romances as Elizabeth Lowell. Under that name she has received numerous professional awards in the romance field, including a Lifetime Achievement award from the Romance Writers of America (1994). Since July of 1992, she has had 30 novels on the New York Times list. Her most recent book is BLUE SMOKE AND MURDER.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 21, 2014
Great fun rereading this book for the nth time. I just wish there Ann Maxwell could have written more books in the series. I absolutely love the main characters.
February 1, 2009
Not the best I have read...but was good enough to read while laying in bed recovering from a bad cold.
October 18, 2026
Rheba and her big, stoic alien bodyguard Kirtn are still driving that cosmic school bus. They’re doing their best to return the rest of those freed slaves to their original doorsteps, but this latest stop is the trickiest one yet. They land their star-truck on a planet called Yhelle (sometimes called Yherelle). Now, on paper, Yhelle is supposed to be the most high-falutin', polite, and civilized paradise in the whole galactic empire. The folks who live there are master Illusionists. But as any country boy knows, just because a house has a fresh coat of paint on the outside doesn't mean the floorboards aren't rotting underneath. The minute our duo steps off the ship, they realize the planet's fancy civilization is nothing but a mask. Underneath the surface, the local rulers are harboring a dark, deadly secret. To keep their crooked operations hidden, the bad guys use a bunch of mind-altering artifacts called Ecstasy Stones. These stones are like a super-powered, sci-fi version of a snake-oil trap—they broadcast a powerful, fake mental wave that messes with a fellow's brain, trapping them in a beautiful dream world so they don't notice the real danger. Even tough-as-nails Kirtn gets his bell rung by 'em, getting his mind totally scrambled by the alien illusions. With her partner dazed and confused, it's up to Rheba to save the day. To break the mental hold of the stones, she has to weave her raw, explosive Fire Dancing energy directly into Kirtn’s mind, using her fiery soul to snap him back to reality. It's a real intimate, romantic moment that finally forces these two to admit how deep their feelings go. Once they’re both clear-headed, the final showdown is on. Rheba and Kirtn have to navigate a maze of hallucinations, outsmart a planet full of professional liars, and unleash enough psychic firepower to blow the roof off the whole corrupt empire. A completely satisfying end to a fine 1980s trilogy. It moves away from the casino gambling of book two and plays absolute havoc with your mind. It shows you that when a country girl's inner fire meets a bunch of city-slicker illusions, the fire wins every single time.
July 27, 2018
Wow, that was indeed imaginative! I suppose it would have been easier to read if I had read the other two in the series before, but this was the one I had at home.
A lot of science fiction and hard to remember all the different creatures in the book. Well out-thought though I do like my fiction to be just a little less fictitious than this.
A lot of science fiction and hard to remember all the different creatures in the book. Well out-thought though I do like my fiction to be just a little less fictitious than this.
Read
October 23, 2025Surviving the devastating fire that consumed their home planet, beautiful Fire Dancer Rheba and warrior protector Kirtn embark on a mission to return liberated slaves to a distant planet, where they uncover deadly secrets. Original.
November 10, 2017
Loved it, but now I am sad. I finally got to read this series I began as a teen, only to find out it was never finished. :(
July 6, 2009
The third book in the Dancer saga, has our fire dancer, Rheba, and her Bre'n helping the illusionists home. Sounds easier than it really was. On a planet of only illusion, you can't trust anything to be real. But danger still lurks behind each image. When Ecstasy Stones transform the people, changing and entrapping them (and Kirtn), Rheba must find a way to save the people she loves.
Sadly the last in the series which Ms. Maxwell wrote. Although there are plenty of future stories to tell, we lack the closure since she isn't working on this series anymore. But if you are a fan of McCaffrey, this is a must read. Filled with wonderfully complex characters and an amazing world, Dancer's Illusion is a book I read again and again.
Sadly the last in the series which Ms. Maxwell wrote. Although there are plenty of future stories to tell, we lack the closure since she isn't working on this series anymore. But if you are a fan of McCaffrey, this is a must read. Filled with wonderfully complex characters and an amazing world, Dancer's Illusion is a book I read again and again.
Want to Read
May 6, 2011I liked this book as a teenager, although in retrospect it does contain some fairly skeevy mentor/dependent relationship stuff. Ordered it to complete my set of the two books (the series has been discontinued)
January 27, 2012
four stars for nostalgia, they're very simple Sci-fi action romp, and it's a shame I'll never get to read any more as these three books were all that were published...
June 5, 2017
2017 WCPLRC: A Used Book Sale Book; A Book Set In Another World; A Book Written In The Third Person
June 8, 2013
I love this series - this one still works for me :)
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews