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Wizard of the Grove #1-2
Wizard of the Grove
IN THE AGE OF GODS--
dwarfs, centaurs, and other Elder Races roamed the lands freely, and the race of Mortals was created as a mere plaything for Lord Death.
IN THE AGE OF WIZARDS--
the very earth was tortured by the power games of these immortal children of gods, till wizardry went too far, and the dragons flew to bring the wizards and the world down in flames.
IN THE AGE OF MORTALS--
the Elder Races have withdrawn almost completely from the world of humans. Gone, too, are the dreaded wizards. Or so the people of Ardhan believe, for unbeknownst to them, there is one wizard who still survives, a master of evil bent upon claiming lordship over the entire world. No mere mortal can stand against him, so the Elder Races have chosen to intervene one final time. Their gift to Ardhan is Crystal, the Child of the Grove, daughter of Power and the last-born wizard who will ever walk the world. And thus the battle lines are drawn, and the final war is about to begin...
dwarfs, centaurs, and other Elder Races roamed the lands freely, and the race of Mortals was created as a mere plaything for Lord Death.
IN THE AGE OF WIZARDS--
the very earth was tortured by the power games of these immortal children of gods, till wizardry went too far, and the dragons flew to bring the wizards and the world down in flames.
IN THE AGE OF MORTALS--
the Elder Races have withdrawn almost completely from the world of humans. Gone, too, are the dreaded wizards. Or so the people of Ardhan believe, for unbeknownst to them, there is one wizard who still survives, a master of evil bent upon claiming lordship over the entire world. No mere mortal can stand against him, so the Elder Races have chosen to intervene one final time. Their gift to Ardhan is Crystal, the Child of the Grove, daughter of Power and the last-born wizard who will ever walk the world. And thus the battle lines are drawn, and the final war is about to begin...
576 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
61 people are currently reading
950 people want to read
About the author
Tanya Huff
151 books2,448 followersTanya Sue Huff is a Canadian fantasy author. Her stories have been published since the late 1980s, including five fantasy series and one science fiction series. One of these, her Blood Books series, featuring detective Vicki Nelson, was adapted for television under the title Blood Ties.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
January 30, 2020
Not as good as what I remembered. Nostalgia really does skew things.
September 19, 2016
Nothing important happens until page 90. The protagonist of the 576-page duology isn't born until page 125-ish. The plotting is full of holes and the first 100 pages were basically pointless. All in all, you can start at chapter 6 without much confusion. Don't expect anything great because the dynamics of the first book's plot are based a lot on people's stupidity, namely the centaurs'. While the centaurs trained the protagonist, they didn't tell the protagonist 2 very important pieces of information that would have made the ENTIRE first 3/4ths of the first book different had she known them. I don't know if that was supposed to be a joke but I felt like it was a waste of my time. Also, the whole premise of the protagonist's conception and prophecy was faulty. A dwarf later says that, yeah, any beautiful virgin could have solved the problem, but they wanted the beautiful virgin to be a wizard just in case. It makes me angry.
In the second book, the protagonist goes on a random adventure that actually has legitimate character development potential. Of course, those issues are resolved suddenly in the last 5 pages of the book and the protagonist is given an illogical/unfounded/unexplained power up that changes everything. At one point near the end of the story (maybe 60 pages from the end), the protagonist points out that most of what has happened has been coincidence or luck, but then she never figures out who was directing her or why.
I remembered this book fondly. I must have read it in middle school, maybe 15 years ago. Now I read it and I'm just disappointed by the poor plotting and pacing and a focus on apparently meaningless adventure. Also, there were a lot of sexual things that went over my head as a kid. My favorite part of the story was and still is the personification of death. He was a lot more angsty and whiny than I remembered him though and he really doesn't have much screen time.
I do not recommend this book.
In the second book, the protagonist goes on a random adventure that actually has legitimate character development potential. Of course, those issues are resolved suddenly in the last 5 pages of the book and the protagonist is given an illogical/unfounded/unexplained power up that changes everything. At one point near the end of the story (maybe 60 pages from the end), the protagonist points out that most of what has happened has been coincidence or luck, but then she never figures out who was directing her or why.
I remembered this book fondly. I must have read it in middle school, maybe 15 years ago. Now I read it and I'm just disappointed by the poor plotting and pacing and a focus on apparently meaningless adventure. Also, there were a lot of sexual things that went over my head as a kid. My favorite part of the story was and still is the personification of death. He was a lot more angsty and whiny than I remembered him though and he really doesn't have much screen time.
I do not recommend this book.
March 4, 2017
If you can make it to when Crystal is born, the rest is quite good. But that will still take you 126 pages of far too detailed setup. The second book is actually really good. I would almost say start at Crystal's birth, and you won't miss much, but there could be some confusion later on. Bottom line, if you want to give this author a try, do not start with this book, or you may develop an inaccurate opinion of her skill.
August 6, 2018
Light fantasy novel.
This is an omnibus, and covers Child of the Grove and The Last Wizard.
Child of the Grove has two sections. The first is about Rael - the King's son. His mother is Milthra, a hamadryad who can't leave her silver birch. There's some question about succession - although Rael's father Raen accepts him, the people are hesitant due to his heritage. We follow Rael leading them to war.
I really enjoyed this section - it's predictable, in the sense that you know what the end result is going to be, but the writing beautifully draws out the sense of family between Rael and Raen and the longing between Raen and Milthra.
The second section is about Rael's descendants. Rael's enemy in the war was
This part is about .
The second book, The Last Wizard, deals with Crystal after the war. She suffers from a lack of purpose. In a way, this book is also about the romance between .
This is a great book for happy ever afters.
This is an omnibus, and covers Child of the Grove and The Last Wizard.
Child of the Grove has two sections. The first is about Rael - the King's son. His mother is Milthra, a hamadryad who can't leave her silver birch. There's some question about succession - although Rael's father Raen accepts him, the people are hesitant due to his heritage. We follow Rael leading them to war.
I really enjoyed this section - it's predictable, in the sense that you know what the end result is going to be, but the writing beautifully draws out the sense of family between Rael and Raen and the longing between Raen and Milthra.
The second section is about Rael's descendants. Rael's enemy in the war was
This part is about .
The second book, The Last Wizard, deals with Crystal after the war. She suffers from a lack of purpose. In a way, this book is also about the romance between .
This is a great book for happy ever afters.
July 13, 2023
"In the Beginning there was Darkness and out of the Darkness came the Mother. From her flesh She formed the Earth. With her tears She filled the seas and lakes and rivers. She walked upon her creation and where She passed grew grasses, trees, and flowers. Her breath became the winds. With her right hand She created all animals that run and swim and fly. With her left hand She created all animals that slither and sting. Her laughter became the song of the birds."
(Combined volume featuring Child of the Grove and The Last Wizard)
It's hard to pick a favorite or least favorite when it comes to these two books, which is why I prefer it as one cohesive read. The Child of the Grove has A LOT of backstory at the beginning, so we don't meet the heroine until well into the story, that was boring and dull for me. The remainder of that book is okay, but not as exciting as I would have thought, but reading it as a the first half of a book means its all just plot development. The Last Wizard has more character development than the first, and is more of an adventure novel than anything else.
It's a good book for a younger crowd, and I loved it when I was a pre-teen (the first time I read it).
(Combined volume featuring Child of the Grove and The Last Wizard)
It's hard to pick a favorite or least favorite when it comes to these two books, which is why I prefer it as one cohesive read. The Child of the Grove has A LOT of backstory at the beginning, so we don't meet the heroine until well into the story, that was boring and dull for me. The remainder of that book is okay, but not as exciting as I would have thought, but reading it as a the first half of a book means its all just plot development. The Last Wizard has more character development than the first, and is more of an adventure novel than anything else.
It's a good book for a younger crowd, and I loved it when I was a pre-teen (the first time I read it).
September 2, 2017
I've read this book at least 8 times. Probably more since I've had two paper copies of it, and now the Kindle version. I love it dearly. I don't have anything besides that to say. It's just my favorite book.
June 19, 2018
Like many others, I picked this book up on a whim too, and I've got to say, I'm very satisfied with it. It is exactly what I expected- a classic style fantasy, with goddesses and magic and creatures aplenty, maybe even more than the comparatively diminutive length would warrant, and an ending that, twenty pages before it, had me wondering how on Earth it would have enough time to wrap itself up properly. (And to answer that, it kinda didn't, but it also kinda did? Definitely difficult to define.)
Up front, the best way I can describe it is that this book is kind to its reader, if it is the right person holding it.
It doesn't over-explain things, if you've read your fair share of fantasy novels already: it builds upon what you already know, weaving the classic and the refreshing into such an intricate knot, the end result is both already done and sweetly new, a quintessential fantasy (that, I would argue, echoes more of a feminist viewpoint than one might expect from the genre's contemporaries). It takes you on a ride, but not one that will have you on the edge of your seat- rather one that will have you settle comfortably into your favorite chair, and be entertained for a nice handful of hours.
Crystal, the protagonist, is your bona-fide wizardess, and what I like to call the Little Girl Power Fantasy: she is gorgeous beyond compare, a kind and gentle beauty whose song cures the dying and soothes the living, yet she is stronger and more capable than every single man in all the lands who in turn, fall head over heels for her. Her clothes are woven from snow and woodsmoke, her eyes so mesmerizing that the very concept of death falls in love with her, and she is so strong that she can make mountains crumble with her scorn and routinely bail her love interest out of trouble with her Awesome Muscles. She is perfect, but not in a way that is boring or annoying- which is thanks in part to her softness, and the charmingly beautiful storytelling interlaced with subtle, playful humor.
The two books, Child of the Grove and The Last Wizard, have precious little to do with each other beyond that they share her as a protagonist, set a dozen years apart. (In fact, I would say that Child of the Grove only half has her, given that she's born a generous hundred pages into the book, but never mind such technicalities.) They are very different books, unified only by the style of prose and a handful of characters, but let's be real... if you enjoy the genre enough to find this book and pick it up, chances are, you've read series with less in common between its installments, and you're going to have a nice, not overly demanding or serious time with it. Give it a try.
Up front, the best way I can describe it is that this book is kind to its reader, if it is the right person holding it.
It doesn't over-explain things, if you've read your fair share of fantasy novels already: it builds upon what you already know, weaving the classic and the refreshing into such an intricate knot, the end result is both already done and sweetly new, a quintessential fantasy (that, I would argue, echoes more of a feminist viewpoint than one might expect from the genre's contemporaries). It takes you on a ride, but not one that will have you on the edge of your seat- rather one that will have you settle comfortably into your favorite chair, and be entertained for a nice handful of hours.
Crystal, the protagonist, is your bona-fide wizardess, and what I like to call the Little Girl Power Fantasy: she is gorgeous beyond compare, a kind and gentle beauty whose song cures the dying and soothes the living, yet she is stronger and more capable than every single man in all the lands who in turn, fall head over heels for her. Her clothes are woven from snow and woodsmoke, her eyes so mesmerizing that the very concept of death falls in love with her, and she is so strong that she can make mountains crumble with her scorn and routinely bail her love interest out of trouble with her Awesome Muscles. She is perfect, but not in a way that is boring or annoying- which is thanks in part to her softness, and the charmingly beautiful storytelling interlaced with subtle, playful humor.
The two books, Child of the Grove and The Last Wizard, have precious little to do with each other beyond that they share her as a protagonist, set a dozen years apart. (In fact, I would say that Child of the Grove only half has her, given that she's born a generous hundred pages into the book, but never mind such technicalities.) They are very different books, unified only by the style of prose and a handful of characters, but let's be real... if you enjoy the genre enough to find this book and pick it up, chances are, you've read series with less in common between its installments, and you're going to have a nice, not overly demanding or serious time with it. Give it a try.
July 7, 2017
Two very different books; I can see how they actually make more sense as an omnibus than as a separate duology. I liked the mythic quality of the first one, even though it seemed to take a long time to get to Crystal and the plot. The second one also took a long time to get to what was basically a D&D dungeon crawl, but I liked the characters enough to persist. They were really the strength of the story; I liked the people and wanted to know what would happen to them. Plus some very pretty descriptions of dragons and magic places and people!
March 7, 2018
Fantastic duology! I loved the history of this fantasy world. Following the generations of characters at the beginning in the first book really built the story in such a way that I felt very close to the world it was set in. The second book followed only Crystal and really dove into a deeper part of who she is. I am thoroughly happy with the whole experience of reading this, and especially with the ending which was unexpected but pleasing enough to bring a tear or two when it was over. This was the first book(s) that I ever read by Tanya Huff, and I can assure you it won't be the last!
January 8, 2025
Book 1 was fine. Bit uneventful, but has some plot twists and the story keeps moving.
Book 2 was dreadful. Dread-ful. The characters (including the main character) were uninteresting. Never before have I NOT CARED about a plot like this. The entire premise of this adventure tale is trash. So much potential wasted, as the - somewhat meager - world-building actually has great potential as a setting for adventure stories starring the wizard.
Book 2 was dreadful. Dread-ful. The characters (including the main character) were uninteresting. Never before have I NOT CARED about a plot like this. The entire premise of this adventure tale is trash. So much potential wasted, as the - somewhat meager - world-building actually has great potential as a setting for adventure stories starring the wizard.
September 26, 2019
The first book in this duology was charming and traditional. The second book was a boring drag with Crystal being flakey and uninteresting. (All the men SHOULD NOT be in love with the female lead. This is an older book, so I partially forgive this mistake, but not enough to finish the last quarter of this volume.) I skipped to the end, which was conclusive but somehow unsatisfying.
Read
September 23, 2022DNF. I read one of Tanya Huff's Blood series books and enjoyed it, so I know she can write, but you wouldn't know it from this book. It started out rather enjoyable, but then the author leaps forward a couple of centuries and the characters in this phase of the novel are a bunch of whiny, unlikable, uninteresting brats.
May 23, 2018
I read this a long time ago, and decided to reread it again. Glad I did, for I had forgotten some of the pieces in the stories. I enjoy Tanya Huff's work and I'll have to go through my boxes to find more of her work that I've stashed away.
January 7, 2020
I have read this book multiple times & simply love this story. I have had to buy multiple copies of this book because they are so worn out from my reading them over & over again. You won’t regret reading & owning this book!
February 24, 2021
I noticed multiple typos(/printing errors?) throughout the book, but it's not many and the stories are SO GOOD. Great complex world building, character development, etc. The right amount of romance, too. I'm unsure of what to think of what happened to *certain characters* at the end though 🤭
September 22, 2017
Got this out of the basket at work. Quite nice, older fantasy story about a female wizard
November 5, 2018
Did not like it as much as the Blood Line Books.
August 26, 2021
I quite enjoyed book 1, and mostly enjoyed book 2, but the end, while understandable, felt like... an easy way out? A way to not have to deal with consequences? I was unsatisfied with it.
December 16, 2023
I really enjoyed this duology!
April 14, 2024
Love this story, comes in three parts really. It is a great fantasy book. Well written, engaging
July 29, 2025
I remember a lot of this from having read it a while back. Had to have my former librarian friend translate my memories back into a title. might need to read it again 🙂
July 4, 2023
I really enjoy this book. It starts slow building the world and history but really adds later to the depth of the story. This story is sweet and the characters are interesting. Really enjoy this vibrant story and world.
June 14, 2023
Do you have a book that, when rereading it, causes you to vividly remember where you were the first time you read it? Wizard of the Grove is that book for me. I spent the summer of 2002 travelling in Quebec and Ontario. I remember picking out the book before I left Montreal, annoyed because I had finished Lord of the Rings v.1 but didn't bring v.2, and really all I wanted to do was keep reading that but there was no point buying the additional volumes that I already had at home. It took me forever to find a book that seemed long enough to last me for my trip in Ontario, and I also didn't want to start a massive series because assumably I'd be finishing up Lord of the Rings for the rest of the summer when I got home. Anyway, picking out this book was an ordeal.
It was a fantastic read though. I remember sitting in the park near Niagara Falls, reading while I wasted time until it got dark and they lit up the Falls. I remember I was listening to La Bottine Souriante's Anthologie I on my discman (!). It was really hot in Ontario that summer. I was not super impressed with the town of Niagara, but the Falls themselves were pretty. I was too cheap to go on the boat tours or behind the falls, as this was my first time ever encountering PST. Also I'm just cheap. So I sat on the grass and read my book.
Then it sat on the shelf for thirteen years. It moved with me a few times. I could never manage to donate it during various book culls. I guess there was a reason, as a couple months ago I picked it off the shelf, sure it would be the perfect size to take on my flight to Las Vegas to watch the Continental Cup of Curling.
And it was. Perfect.
Wizard of the Grove collects together two novels, Child of the Grove (1988) and The Last Wizard (1989). It chronicles the story of Crystal, a young female wizard who was created for one purpose: to destroy the last living evil wizard. The first novel is about the history of how she came to be, her family, and the lead up to and resolution of a great war. The second novel deals with the aftermath of the war, and follows Crystal as she travels to the last wizard tower with two new companions. So the first is about war, the second is about a journey, and they're both full of world building and your usual fantasy characters like dragons and goddesses and beasts and of course wizards and their magic.
The first novel is stronger, and more brutal, whereas the second is more adventurous. There are elements of love in both, though as someone who dislikes romance in books, I didn't find these storylines overpowering. And actually, my favourite part is Crystal's friendship with Lord Death. I can understand why young adult me really liked these novels, as they were fantasy, but not hardcore fantasy, and romance, but not hardcore romance. Huff has created interesting characters and an interesting world and I enjoyed myself immensely reading this book on both occasions.
Perhaps the main reason why I enjoyed this omnibus was the presence of a strong female lead in a fantasy novel - like when does that ever happen?! (And if you know of any other fantasy books with strong female leads, please please please leave me a comment!) She's not a pathetic pushover or one who is searching for a man to save her either, she's a proper kick ass character. There's also a healthy dose of humour to offset the brutality (especially in the first novel), and who doesn't love a book with Death as a character?
I'd recommend this to any woman who likes fantasy stories with strong female characters. And bonus - they rereleased the book in 2012 with an updated cover so it's still around. I'm going to track down more of Huff's work too, which is something I've always meant to do. There's a reason this book has survived on my shelves after all these years, and it's not going anywhere. It will stay in it's spot until I'm ready for another reread in another thirteen years!
It was a fantastic read though. I remember sitting in the park near Niagara Falls, reading while I wasted time until it got dark and they lit up the Falls. I remember I was listening to La Bottine Souriante's Anthologie I on my discman (!). It was really hot in Ontario that summer. I was not super impressed with the town of Niagara, but the Falls themselves were pretty. I was too cheap to go on the boat tours or behind the falls, as this was my first time ever encountering PST. Also I'm just cheap. So I sat on the grass and read my book.
Then it sat on the shelf for thirteen years. It moved with me a few times. I could never manage to donate it during various book culls. I guess there was a reason, as a couple months ago I picked it off the shelf, sure it would be the perfect size to take on my flight to Las Vegas to watch the Continental Cup of Curling.
And it was. Perfect.
Wizard of the Grove collects together two novels, Child of the Grove (1988) and The Last Wizard (1989). It chronicles the story of Crystal, a young female wizard who was created for one purpose: to destroy the last living evil wizard. The first novel is about the history of how she came to be, her family, and the lead up to and resolution of a great war. The second novel deals with the aftermath of the war, and follows Crystal as she travels to the last wizard tower with two new companions. So the first is about war, the second is about a journey, and they're both full of world building and your usual fantasy characters like dragons and goddesses and beasts and of course wizards and their magic.
The first novel is stronger, and more brutal, whereas the second is more adventurous. There are elements of love in both, though as someone who dislikes romance in books, I didn't find these storylines overpowering. And actually, my favourite part is Crystal's friendship with Lord Death. I can understand why young adult me really liked these novels, as they were fantasy, but not hardcore fantasy, and romance, but not hardcore romance. Huff has created interesting characters and an interesting world and I enjoyed myself immensely reading this book on both occasions.
Perhaps the main reason why I enjoyed this omnibus was the presence of a strong female lead in a fantasy novel - like when does that ever happen?! (And if you know of any other fantasy books with strong female leads, please please please leave me a comment!) She's not a pathetic pushover or one who is searching for a man to save her either, she's a proper kick ass character. There's also a healthy dose of humour to offset the brutality (especially in the first novel), and who doesn't love a book with Death as a character?
I'd recommend this to any woman who likes fantasy stories with strong female characters. And bonus - they rereleased the book in 2012 with an updated cover so it's still around. I'm going to track down more of Huff's work too, which is something I've always meant to do. There's a reason this book has survived on my shelves after all these years, and it's not going anywhere. It will stay in it's spot until I'm ready for another reread in another thirteen years!
June 3, 2010
This is the first novel I've read from this author and I liked her writing style; everything was fluent and direct to the point. Her narration was also very clear and easy to follow. The stories were really entertaining and refreshing. However, I was debating whether I'll give this a 3 or a 4, and after much weighing and consideration, I gave it a 3.
This book has 2 stories and they were really promising. In this review, I'll note my likes for every story, and the reasons why I didn't rate it higher.
In the first story, "Child of the Grove", I was hooked by the creation of the world, of wizards, dwarves, centaurs, gods, and goddesses. I found them fascinating, especially the magic and fantasy of the story where the Lady of the Grove lives in a tree and she never aged. There were generations after her until we get to the main heroine, Crystal. The story was fast paced, there was a war fought and won, but in spite of all that, there's trouble brewing, like a disaster waiting to happen. It reminded me a bit of Lord of the Rings because of the war, and the unlikely friendships forged, and how good triumphed over evil in the end, there's also a balance of love story but it seems our heroine wouldn't get her own happily ever after.
I already mentioned that this story was promising, it had all the right elements of a good fantasy and a little adventure, but how Crystal triumphed over Kraydak was anti-climactic. I was hoping there would be a big face off between the last two wizards. One is obviously more powerful than the other, but it's ingenious how she defeated Kraydak, and lured him into her game. In a way, it was she who defeated him; she used her wits and thought of all the knowledge the centaurs gave her. Sure they own but I still find it lacking.
In the second story, "The Last Wizard", Crystal continues to roam around with Lord Death until he falls in love with her. In the aftermath of everything, she's still viewed as something (not someone) to be feared. The people have branded her with the other wizards' sins until she proves that she's different from them. Things got interesting when she met the two mortals Raulin and Jago, and together they set forth towards finding Aryalans tower.
It's good that the goddesses inside Crystal were introduced and they slowly begin to take over her when and not needed. I liked the Lord Death and Crystal pairing since they really need the company - they're both lonely and both immortal so it's a win-win situation. They also met the demon with the map to the tower, and the giant who helped them against the wer. It was a slow-paced adventure with them setting camp and traveling in wintertime. It again reminded me of LOTR because of the journey, and I know the story's not meant to imply adult scenes somewhat, but because of Crystal's relationship with Raulin and Jago, I had the distinct impression they're in a menage. Raulin is her lover, while Jago is connected with her life stream after the healing.
It seems that Raulin knew the thing between him and Crystal is just a fling and he accepted it because he knew they would never be; he seemed shallow at first but he turned out OK as I read along. Sometimes I had to read between the lines because the author tends to suggest things. I liked the challenge but since I considered this a light read, I didn't want to think too much. I wasn't really sure what happened with Crystal, all I could do is guess, and she's another Creator. It's interesting that I didn't see it coming, everything worked out well for all of them and that's something.
This book has 2 stories and they were really promising. In this review, I'll note my likes for every story, and the reasons why I didn't rate it higher.
In the first story, "Child of the Grove", I was hooked by the creation of the world, of wizards, dwarves, centaurs, gods, and goddesses. I found them fascinating, especially the magic and fantasy of the story where the Lady of the Grove lives in a tree and she never aged. There were generations after her until we get to the main heroine, Crystal. The story was fast paced, there was a war fought and won, but in spite of all that, there's trouble brewing, like a disaster waiting to happen. It reminded me a bit of Lord of the Rings because of the war, and the unlikely friendships forged, and how good triumphed over evil in the end, there's also a balance of love story but it seems our heroine wouldn't get her own happily ever after.
I already mentioned that this story was promising, it had all the right elements of a good fantasy and a little adventure, but how Crystal triumphed over Kraydak was anti-climactic. I was hoping there would be a big face off between the last two wizards. One is obviously more powerful than the other, but it's ingenious how she defeated Kraydak, and lured him into her game. In a way, it was she who defeated him; she used her wits and thought of all the knowledge the centaurs gave her. Sure they own but I still find it lacking.
In the second story, "The Last Wizard", Crystal continues to roam around with Lord Death until he falls in love with her. In the aftermath of everything, she's still viewed as something (not someone) to be feared. The people have branded her with the other wizards' sins until she proves that she's different from them. Things got interesting when she met the two mortals Raulin and Jago, and together they set forth towards finding Aryalans tower.
It's good that the goddesses inside Crystal were introduced and they slowly begin to take over her when and not needed. I liked the Lord Death and Crystal pairing since they really need the company - they're both lonely and both immortal so it's a win-win situation. They also met the demon with the map to the tower, and the giant who helped them against the wer. It was a slow-paced adventure with them setting camp and traveling in wintertime. It again reminded me of LOTR because of the journey, and I know the story's not meant to imply adult scenes somewhat, but because of Crystal's relationship with Raulin and Jago, I had the distinct impression they're in a menage. Raulin is her lover, while Jago is connected with her life stream after the healing.
It seems that Raulin knew the thing between him and Crystal is just a fling and he accepted it because he knew they would never be; he seemed shallow at first but he turned out OK as I read along. Sometimes I had to read between the lines because the author tends to suggest things. I liked the challenge but since I considered this a light read, I didn't want to think too much. I wasn't really sure what happened with Crystal, all I could do is guess, and she's another Creator. It's interesting that I didn't see it coming, everything worked out well for all of them and that's something.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2019
This is actually an omnibus edition of two different books, Child of the Grove and The Last Wizard. I had quite enjoyed Huff's first two Keeper Chronicles books, so I looked into more of her fantasy work. I liked these, but they didn't grab me the way the Keeper ones did. There was some interesting world-building, and I liked the character of Crystal, the titular wizard. I guess it's no wonder Lord Death fell in love with her. I felt they were just okay plot-wise, though.
September 18, 2016
3.75 stars
“Wizard of the Grove” by Tanya Huff is a two-volume book comprised of “Child of the Grove” and “The Last Wizard”. The battle that is being waged for final control of the lands relies on the concerted efforts of both humans and Elders and ultimately becomes a desperate gamble that requires supreme sacrifices. The need for a being of great power and knowledge has to be balanced by different priorities, as the humans have a very different idea of what’s important and time sense than those beings who are immortal or much more long-lived. The second volume gives a glimpse of the repercussions and remaining issues after the fateful battle between wizards, as the victor deals with both personal issues and remnants of a predecessor. There are puzzles and unexpected challenges and hidden dangers, plus conflicts that force change, whether it is wanted or not.
This fantasy duology has fun and intriguing elements, and even better for me, fantastical creatures such as dryads, centaurs, and wizards. There are sweeping political struggles, romance, betrayal, courage, and cowardice. In other words, the elements of a fantastic epic are present, but for me, the action is uneven and erratic, and no sooner had I gotten intrigued by the characters and events than the focus changed—or so it seemed to me. I generally adore the works written by this author, but this particular collection had so many things that were glossed over that I felt it was more like a series of short stories that were quickly woven together. There are wonderfully emotional interludes and tragic developments but I felt buffeted by the shifts and thought that the villain(s) were somewhat superficially portrayed. There are odd alliances in the second volume with a complicated and shifting set of relationships (both physical and metaphysical) that didn’t resonate with me although I did enjoy the phlegmatic giant, Sokoji, and the connection between the brothers. This is an entertaining read, but not one of my favorite from this talented author.
A copy of this title was provided to me for review
“Wizard of the Grove” by Tanya Huff is a two-volume book comprised of “Child of the Grove” and “The Last Wizard”. The battle that is being waged for final control of the lands relies on the concerted efforts of both humans and Elders and ultimately becomes a desperate gamble that requires supreme sacrifices. The need for a being of great power and knowledge has to be balanced by different priorities, as the humans have a very different idea of what’s important and time sense than those beings who are immortal or much more long-lived. The second volume gives a glimpse of the repercussions and remaining issues after the fateful battle between wizards, as the victor deals with both personal issues and remnants of a predecessor. There are puzzles and unexpected challenges and hidden dangers, plus conflicts that force change, whether it is wanted or not.
This fantasy duology has fun and intriguing elements, and even better for me, fantastical creatures such as dryads, centaurs, and wizards. There are sweeping political struggles, romance, betrayal, courage, and cowardice. In other words, the elements of a fantastic epic are present, but for me, the action is uneven and erratic, and no sooner had I gotten intrigued by the characters and events than the focus changed—or so it seemed to me. I generally adore the works written by this author, but this particular collection had so many things that were glossed over that I felt it was more like a series of short stories that were quickly woven together. There are wonderfully emotional interludes and tragic developments but I felt buffeted by the shifts and thought that the villain(s) were somewhat superficially portrayed. There are odd alliances in the second volume with a complicated and shifting set of relationships (both physical and metaphysical) that didn’t resonate with me although I did enjoy the phlegmatic giant, Sokoji, and the connection between the brothers. This is an entertaining read, but not one of my favorite from this talented author.
A copy of this title was provided to me for review
January 10, 2010
I really liked the books. This fantasy world is quite different and although it includes "typical" fantasy creatures (not that I dislike typical fantasy creatures!), they are rather original in characteristics. Crystal is a great heroine and she shares my name, which immediately inclined me to favor her. I'm going to review each book separately.
The first book, Child of the Grove, captured me with the beginning tale of creation. I always like it when a novel includes histories and myths of the fictional world, and I thought this one was great. I think it was my favorite part of the story. I thought Rael was the main character for about 1/3 of the book! The death of the king Raen I thought a particularly beautiful scene. There was a bit of tragic romance; there were great battles, noble heroes, a strong protagonist, and a dragon, what's not to like?
I agree that the second book read like a romance novel without the "detail." I liked it, but not as well as the first. Again the "typical" fantasy creatures (we meet some new ones here - the wer) and her non-typical treatment of them. I liked Jago; she should have written a sequel about him. The ending confused me in a couple of ways; what was the creature?
The first book, Child of the Grove, captured me with the beginning tale of creation. I always like it when a novel includes histories and myths of the fictional world, and I thought this one was great. I think it was my favorite part of the story. I thought Rael was the main character for about 1/3 of the book! The death of the king Raen I thought a particularly beautiful scene. There was a bit of tragic romance; there were great battles, noble heroes, a strong protagonist, and a dragon, what's not to like?
I agree that the second book read like a romance novel without the "detail." I liked it, but not as well as the first. Again the "typical" fantasy creatures (we meet some new ones here - the wer) and her non-typical treatment of them. I liked Jago; she should have written a sequel about him. The ending confused me in a couple of ways; what was the creature?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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October 9, 2013Huff's duology (Child of the Grove and The Last Wizard), together in one volume, bring the reader to a land of wizards-gone-bad. The land is recuperating, and the people beginning to piece their lieves back together. When the gods and goddesses, created of the Mother, stopped the evil wizards with the Wizard's Doom, little magic was left. Or so they thought. It appears, many decades (even centuries) later, that one wizard survived. An evil (as all wizards were back in the day) wizard who gains power as time passes - and there is no one left to stop him. No one. Until the Lady of the Grove, a dramadryad of myth (or so most people believe) gets invovled. In a land recuperating from the damage wreaked by evil wizards, in a time when myths of goddesses living in trees and begetting children with mortals are not believed, come characters who may save - or destroy - the world and the Elder races and mortals that live in it. Huff's characters are true to their natures and surprise the reader with their choices throughout this fun, fantastical romp in a world of goddesses, dwarves, centaurs, and, of course, Lord Death.
January 12, 2012
When thinking of fantasy this novel assigns itself well to genre: mythical creatures, magic, and feudal monarchies with lands both civilized by man and left for fey to rule. Though it does so abide by the archetypes of the Wizard of the Grove novels ("Child of the Grove" and "The Last Wizard") do stand out as good works by their own right. The series does more work to involve the reader in the principal characters and their internal conflicts- grief, love, sexuality, self-esteem, acceptance -than in the setting.
This is not to say that the setting is poor. On the contrary, the world's cosmology is great, a boon to the story, aiding its progression, however it is not entirely necessary to the intrigue of the story and the characters involved.
While not fast-paced, I wouldn't say that these novels are slow reads. Rather I think that it would be more fitting to say that they carry a low tempo, fluid and graceful. The ending is satisfying and gives the series a good close while opening up the mind to future possibilities. This duology, I think, is worth the time to read.
This is not to say that the setting is poor. On the contrary, the world's cosmology is great, a boon to the story, aiding its progression, however it is not entirely necessary to the intrigue of the story and the characters involved.
While not fast-paced, I wouldn't say that these novels are slow reads. Rather I think that it would be more fitting to say that they carry a low tempo, fluid and graceful. The ending is satisfying and gives the series a good close while opening up the mind to future possibilities. This duology, I think, is worth the time to read.
March 17, 2008
This book is actually a duology of two novels written about the same character, Crystal, who is the last wizard. Crystal is a strong female character, which I always appreciate in fantasy novels, and the author adds some light humor and interesting world-building. Unfortunately, the first novel is much stronger than the second one. Whereas the first novel has great world-building and an interesting look at the immortal races, the second novel has a rather ludicrous plot where Lord Death falls in love with Crystal and he spends most of his time moping around for her. Snooze! However, all-in-all, I recommend this for fantasy fans who are looking for female lead characters.
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