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Damiano #1-3
A Trio for Lute
Tutored in music by the Archangel Raphael, and in magic by the beautiful pagan witch Saara, Damiano must learn to use the hellish powers that are his heritage to preserve the people and the land he loves. His journey of discovery will take him from war-torn Italy through the plague-ridden French countryside and into the Moorish slave markets. And at the end of his odyssey lies a shattering confrontation with the Father of Lies and an awesome reckoning with an unexpected destiny.
680 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 1988
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290 people want to read
About the author
R.A. MacAvoy
18 books199 followersRoberta Ann (R. A.) MacAvoy is a fantasy and science fiction author in the United States. Several of her books draw on Celtic or Taoist themes. She won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 1984. R. A. MacAvoy was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Francis and Helen MacAvoy. She attended Case Western Reserve University and received a B.A. in 1971. She worked from 1975 to 1978 as an assistant to the financial aid officer of Columbia College of Columbia University and from 1978 to 1982 as a computer programmer at SRI International before turning to full-time writing in 1982. She married Ronald Allen Cain in 1978.
R.A.MacAvoy was diagnosed with dystonia following the publication of her Lens series. She now has this disorder manageable and has returned to writing. (see http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/non...)
R.A.MacAvoy was diagnosed with dystonia following the publication of her Lens series. She now has this disorder manageable and has returned to writing. (see http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/non...)
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 14, 2013
In for a penny, well then . . . in for a pound! A bound trilogy is a great way to gain an introduction to R. A MacAvoy's work.
She loves playing with language like her musicians play their lutes, their ouds, their chitars, like her archangels, witches and Berber slaves sing. In the last few pages of Raphael, the final book in the trilogy, her description of one particular musician's music-making struck me as an apt description of her writing style. She writes, "[He] played. His left hand spread like a spider on the broad lute neck. His right hand bounced. He played seconds against one another. He ended lines on the seventh chord. He played melodies that chased each other impudently in and out of a music where structure threatened to dissolve momentarily into chaos. The lute sounded like a guitar, like a harp . . . though their was virtuosity . . . , it was not mere show, for the technique worked in the service of feeling, in a music with much soul and a very playful rhythm."
Indeed! She can be very playful. Macchiata is talking dog in the first book, who I didn't take to readily. But MacAvoy's writing is such that when Macchiata met with a . . . shall we say life-changing experience, I was quite taken aback. I think, though, after the magnificent black dragon, my favorite four-legged creature is Festilligambe, the arrogant and ever so discriminating gelding.
She can be very serious, as she explores what it means to be loyal, to have empathy for other beings, others who one may have to offer great sacrifice. As well, she can play with the dissonance of a very real historical landscape erupting with magic.
And indeed, great magic and mighty spiritual events transpire in medieval Mediterranean city states, provinces and ports. It is a landscape periodically ravaged by the plague. And in this historically accurate world, the reader is treated to a wild tale . . . Lucifer in his lost Paradise, baits those he has dominion over. Loyalty, betrayal, corruption, and healing all come into play in this saga. I couldn't get enough of Saara, the Fennish witch, where all the Saami are born witches and her power to sing magic. Wise, loyal, full of love, and great passion, she unleashes forces of great change. And with MaAvoy, change has consequences, whether wrought by mistake or intent.
In the end, it's MacAvoy's love of language that kept me turning the pages.
She loves playing with language like her musicians play their lutes, their ouds, their chitars, like her archangels, witches and Berber slaves sing. In the last few pages of Raphael, the final book in the trilogy, her description of one particular musician's music-making struck me as an apt description of her writing style. She writes, "[He] played. His left hand spread like a spider on the broad lute neck. His right hand bounced. He played seconds against one another. He ended lines on the seventh chord. He played melodies that chased each other impudently in and out of a music where structure threatened to dissolve momentarily into chaos. The lute sounded like a guitar, like a harp . . . though their was virtuosity . . . , it was not mere show, for the technique worked in the service of feeling, in a music with much soul and a very playful rhythm."
Indeed! She can be very playful. Macchiata is talking dog in the first book, who I didn't take to readily. But MacAvoy's writing is such that when Macchiata met with a . . . shall we say life-changing experience, I was quite taken aback. I think, though, after the magnificent black dragon, my favorite four-legged creature is Festilligambe, the arrogant and ever so discriminating gelding.
She can be very serious, as she explores what it means to be loyal, to have empathy for other beings, others who one may have to offer great sacrifice. As well, she can play with the dissonance of a very real historical landscape erupting with magic.
And indeed, great magic and mighty spiritual events transpire in medieval Mediterranean city states, provinces and ports. It is a landscape periodically ravaged by the plague. And in this historically accurate world, the reader is treated to a wild tale . . . Lucifer in his lost Paradise, baits those he has dominion over. Loyalty, betrayal, corruption, and healing all come into play in this saga. I couldn't get enough of Saara, the Fennish witch, where all the Saami are born witches and her power to sing magic. Wise, loyal, full of love, and great passion, she unleashes forces of great change. And with MaAvoy, change has consequences, whether wrought by mistake or intent.
In the end, it's MacAvoy's love of language that kept me turning the pages.
December 1, 2017
Read in 1989 - pre-Goodreads
One of my all time favorite books. I love this book. I've actually skimmed some passages since 1989. It was a fantasy novel I could get into. I loved the archangel Raphael and the boy, Lute. And the witch Saara. And the dog. It gets a little weird at the end becuase I think the author pulled characters from another book.
I often wish I could stumble across another gem like this. I had picked it up at the local Waldens (wow, that dates me!) and I've still got it in my basement.
One of my all time favorite books. I love this book. I've actually skimmed some passages since 1989. It was a fantasy novel I could get into. I loved the archangel Raphael and the boy, Lute. And the witch Saara. And the dog. It gets a little weird at the end becuase I think the author pulled characters from another book.
I often wish I could stumble across another gem like this. I had picked it up at the local Waldens (wow, that dates me!) and I've still got it in my basement.
August 26, 2013
A very unique story. I must say that what I was expecting the story to be was not at all what it was. I found Damiano to be a most intriguing character and his quest to do what is right was very admirable, though I did not always agree with his methods. You don't see a whole of writers exploring moral complexity anymore. Yet MacAvoy has managed to create a somewhat morally complicated character who is worth the read in and of himself. A great read and one that I am happy to recommend to others.
August 25, 2017
I made it through two chapters before I was too bored to care. Not my cuppa
August 3, 2018
Wonderful
Love of good music is a gift for all. Three stories of luteists is just right. Magic is lovely, but music is better.
Love of good music is a gift for all. Three stories of luteists is just right. Magic is lovely, but music is better.
June 8, 2022
A very interesting trilogy with a surprising ending in the third book. I'll read more MacAvoy.
Want to read
April 30, 2014Recommended by justin
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews