A Secret History

The Book of Ash #1

by Mary Gentle

There Is More Than One History Of The World...

In the mid-fifteenth century there was Burgundy, the jewel of Europe - opulant and powerful, the undisputed center of an uncivilized world.

In an epoch of war and madness there was Ash. A girl born in mud and dung, she slew her first men while only eight. Scarred and ravaged, but still beautiful, she rose up to lead a great mercenary army before the age of twenty - and followed a sacred voice wise in the bloody ways of battle to a pinnacle unattainable to even the most potent of legends.

In a time when empires and alliances shifted like sand - when Mithras the bull was worshiped freely alongside the Christ - a great cloud arose out of Africa to darken the sun. The Visgoths came with their terrible machines - powered by magic or a science unknown to this day - and aimed their irresistible might toward the rich Burgundian prize, wrenching the wheel of civilization in an unknown and unexpected direction. And with their coming, one incomparable warrior raised on Destiny's ash heap became more than anyone thought one woman could be.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Alternate History, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical, Historical Fantasy

424 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 2, 1999

About the author

This author also writes under the pseudonym of Roxanne Morgan

Excerpted from Wikipedia:
Mary Gentle's first published novel was Hawk in Silver (1977), a young-adult fantasy. She came to prominence with the Orthe duology, which consists of Golden Witchbreed (1983) and Ancient Light (1987).

The novels Rats and Gargoyles (1990), The Architecture of Desire (1991), and Left to His Own Devices (1994), together with several short stories, form a loosely linked series (collected in White Crow in 2003). As with Michael Moorcock's series about his anti-heroic Jerry Cornelius, Gentle's sequence retains some basic facts about her two protagonists Valentine (also known as the White Crow) and Casaubon while changing much else about them, including what world they inhabit. Several take place in an alternate-history version of 17th century and later England, where a form of Renaissance Hermetic magic has taken over the role of science. Another, Left To His Own Devices, takes place in a cyberpunk-tinged version of our own near future. The sequence is informed by historically existing ideas about esotericism and alchemy and is rife with obscure allusions to real history and literature.

Grunts! (1992) is a grand guignol parody of mass-market high fantasy novels, with orcs as heroes, murderous halflings, and racist elves.

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of a female mercenary in the 15th century, A Secret History: The Book of Ash has an interesting premise, so I settled in with a hot cup of coffee and prepared to witness Ash kick ass, preferably Tarantino style. And then I waited . . . and waited . . . and waited . . . and it's the last page . . . and, holy shit, no ass kicking in sight! Not one can of whoop-ass opened. This, of course, pissed me off.

I'm not really sure how to describe A Secret History, but I can list what I consider to be its shortcomings. Obviously, these did not bother others as much as they did me. The book is highly rated, which is why I expected as much from it as I did.

A) There are actually two storylines: one takes place in the present day and is a series of e-mails being sent back and forth between the author and the publisher. Apparently, the author's source material has been compromised as many of the historical documents he used in researching his non-fiction account of Ash have been mysteriously reclassified as fiction. These e-mails bog down the narrative and can be summed up as follows:

Publisher: I have serious doubts about your source material. What is going on? You have to tell me!
Author: I don't understand it either. But I'll look into it. In the meantime, you won't believe what I've found! I can't believe it! Did I mention that you won't be able to believe it? The world won't be able to believe it! But here's a tidbit to tide you over [insert tidbit here].
Publisher: Received your last e-mail. This is amazing stuff! But I have a problem with your source material. What is going on? You have to tell me!
(And repeat, ad nauseum)

B) The character of Ash is completely unbelievable as a mercenary captain capable of inspiring men to trust in her leadership. She struts around in armor, cusses a lot, and . . . basically, that's it. Then again, from what I've seen of the "rousing and inspiring coach monologue" of football movies, maybe that is enough to inspire men to beat the crap out of one another. She doesn't do much of anything other than be pushed around by events. She seldom seems in control and never really makes any decisions that demonstrate her skill as a warrior or tactician. In part, this is because Gentle introduces us to 8 year old Ash (apparently just so she can have Ash raped as a child and witness her brutal retaliation, thus establishing why she would so whole-heartedly embrace a life of violence) and then jumps forward to Ash in command of her mercenary band known as the Lion Azure. She leap-frogged what would have been the most interesting part of Ash's story and the part needed to solidify the reader's belief in Ash as a warrior: how did Ash rise to power and come to command her own army?

C) Even though it's sloppily explained by the contemporary historian translating the history of Ash as his attempt to modernize the language of the story, there are a lot of modern idioms and phrases used that take away from the authenticity of the time period and which I doubt any true historian would so gleefully sprinkle throughout a text.

There are a few mildly interesting twists, but the one dimensional characters and lack of fidelity to the time period mean that this is a series I won't continue.

Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I must confess to a great deal of disappointment in this book... And that's for a couple of reasons. First, I read all kinds of glowing reviews on this (these) book(s). I read "if you like military fantasy you'll love these". It (they) were compared to many of the books I like greatly....

So I did something I've done in the past and said over and over I wouldn't do again. Since the books were hard to find I tracked the entire series down and bought them.

Ouch.

This seems on the face of it as if it should be a great book. A female protagonist set in a mythical or re-imagined 15th century. It's done as a scholarly work complete with foot notes, translation notes, discussions and correspondence inserted throughout the book. We are following a mercenary troop through the confused and warring history (alternate history) of Europe.

Ash our protagonist is a young girl who grows up tough in the camps. Losing her virginity very, very (very, very, very) young she's simply part of life in the camp. At 8 years old she kills a man who sets out to rape her...because it's rape, not because she doesn't know what sex is. She has already (as noted) lost her virginity.

To say the book is gritty doesn't really do it justice. The mud, blood and filth of the 15th century are characters of the story in their own right. The book opens up with action, character introductions and we follow Ash as she (very quickly) is grown and ends up running the mercenaries.

Of course the "Holy Roman Emperor" and others have no idea how to handle a woman commander... Ash continues to forget this. So at one point when she's to receive a "reward" for a battle well fought, the Emperor announces he's marrying her off.

Of course that means as far as the law goes the mercenary troop and everything she owns will now belong to her husband...women can't really "own" property.

From here the book bogs down completely with alliances, betrayals, plans, plots, politics and so on...and of course angst, gritty angst, but angst all the same.

Pretty much told just as things really were handled then. Just as they happened. While we know peasants are probably getting slaughtered in the background somewhere we're not there to see it so no big deal (right?). We're listening to Ash be disappointed that her new husband won't "bed her" and also trying to figure a way to kill him without it "looking like" murder.

I was about 2/3 through when I decided it was a lost cause. I'd laid the book aside so many times and just not gotten back to it (till I would find myself out with nothing else to read) and not enjoying the book I thought...a few dollars isn't worth this.

The entire series goes to my favorite used book store (not that I have anything against them. I'm sure someone will buy them...maybe even like them. I mean I saw all those good reviews. I guess I'm just not the target audience.)

Can't recommend it. If you like it I'm ecstatic for you.

[Inara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title in German:
Die Legende von Ash 1. Der blaue Löwe

The historian Pierce Ratcliff discovers long lost manuscripts about Ash a female captain of mercenaries in the late 15th century Europe. The more he translates this work from Latin to today´s English the more he gets convinced that the history of this time period wasn´t like our established records suggests. What if there could be found evidence of this alternate history? The subplot in this novel is Ratcliff´s e-mail correspondence with his editor Anna Longman about his search for (archaeological) truth of his documents. The story of Ash herself is exciting and shows much of the hard life of mercenaries – dirt, angst, gore, death, violence – and their fight to live through the battles unharmed and see the next day. Everyone who has an idealized view about the existence of a soldier in the Middle Ages should read this book – the wake-up call will leave you disenchanted for sure. The main plot is Ash´ fight against the Visigoths who are threatening to destroy Europe and spreading darkness all over their conquered countries only Burgundy is the last bastion against the mighty army. This army is also led by a woman "the Faris" who is Ashs "sister" but I don´t want to give too much away from the plot.
It´s a fascinating book although there are many disgusting scenes and foul language but I was very intrigued by the storyline nonetheless. Ash is a strong but also vulnerable woman marked but not destroyed by her bad orphaned childhood in the midst of the baggage of a mercenary troop and I liked her and her own motley crew of mercenaries.
This book is remarkable by the author´s great knowledge of armors, battles and the history of the Middle Ages, it´s a combination of realism, fantasy and scifi elements. It´s an excellent and original novel in my opinion and worth the time you spend reading it (and in time you get used to the vulgar language of the mercenaries, believe me..lol).

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

FEELING: Gritty warfare; lots of context in regards to the Medieval era (excellent usage of Medieval names and armor descriptions); runs slow at times; several interesting alternative Historical results. CONCEPT: It is the time of mercenaries as the Middle Ages come to a close; a mercenary female captain, based somewhat on Joan of Arc, is given special military powers to fight her enemies; but, Europe is about to fall to the Empire of Carthage. MARKETING APPEAL: Main appeal to those who are interested in seeing the later medieval ages turned into a fantasy setting; Historians will appreciate the flip of what happened; most notably that the Visigoths invaded North Africa from Spain and actually started an Empire of merit over there. SCORING: Superb (A),

Excellent (A-), Very good (B+), Good (B) Fairly Good (B-) Above Average (C+), Mediocre (C ), Barely Passable (C-) Pretty Bad (D+), Dismal (D), Waste of Time (D-), Into the Trash (F)

DIALOGUE: B+ STRUCTURE: B+ HISTORY SETTING: A CHARACTERS: B EVIL SETUP/ANTAGONISTS: B- EMOTIONAL IMPACT: C SURPRISES: B LITTLE THINGS: A MONSTERS: n/a PACING: B OVERALL STYLE: B FLOW OF WORDS: B- CHOICE OF FOCUS: B+ TRANSITIONS/FLASHBACKS/POV: A- COMPLEXITY OF WORDS/SYMBOLISM/THEMES: B OVERALL GRADE: B

(1) What makes this a great story or a good/mediocre story? First off, this story isn't as good as George R.R. Martin (the author I use as the best of the best in fantasy stories) or Roger Zelazny or even some of Terry Brooks or THE LEGEND OF HUMA . . . in the latter cases, I am referring to the emotional resonance I received upon completion of the story. While Brooks and HUMA are much more simplistic and black and white story telling, they echoed for me far more substantially. Regardless, this is a good story in some areas (Medieval context, usage of names, most of the pacing, POV of Ash, interesting alternative Historical points, email usage of a Historian and publisher to prove that a part of History was lost to us and actually existed) and not so good in other areas (emotional resonance was lacking for me with the characters, the usage of present and past tense during the story telling got confusing, pacing was off at times, the surprises and twists went up and down at times).

It is especially of interest to Medieval History buffs, as well as readers who love to hear about alternative Historical points. (7) TOP THREE CHARACTERS: and list why . . . as to what was learned as a writer and reader. This could very well be one of the reasons the story didn't truly resonate for me. While I found Ash fascinating to read about, she didn't turn me on . .. nor did any of the other characters really. The story, in itself, has a very appealing medieval context and some good plot points and surprises but nothing big like GRRM's A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE. (19) CHARACTER EMPATHY: did you find yourself caring about what happens to the main or other characters? I didn't latch on to any of the characters unfortunately. This was the biggest drawback to the story for me. While I found the story and setting interesting, I just didn't emotionally resonate with Ash and, since she was the only POV in the story, that left me with no options. They say you need to like the character to feel enough emotions to care about the story . .. and, I agree. I still enjoyed reading the story but I didn't care too much about Ash. What didn't I like about Ash? Hard to say, really. I didn't necessarily hate her or even dislike her. I just didn't care about her even though she was a fully dimensional character. Perhaps I never felt enough of a weakness in her since she was always operating from anger of mistrust.

[Jake · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Secret History is actually two stories in one, though you wouldn’t know it by reading the description on the back.

The primary story/text in the book is the story of Ash, a female mercenary captain living in 15th century Europe. The story begins when, at the age of eight, Ash kills two men who attack her in the mercenary camp where she lives. From there, we see Ash again as a teenager, learning the arts of war, and finally as an adult and the leader of her own mercenary company. But Ash isn’t simply a skilled warrior…she hears a voice that answers her questions regarding combat/tactical scenarios, and she uses that voice to her advantage. Yes, there are definite and intentional parallels between Ash and Joan of Arc. More on that later.
The bulk of the story centers around events in Ash’s adult life. There’s some courtly intrigue, a forced marriage, and an invasion by a Carthaginian army that uses Golems for servants and blots out the sun where they conquer.

Yes, now might be a good time to describe the second story.
Throughout the book are interspersed email exchanges between the publisher of this book, and the scholar who is supposedly translating a series of historical documents. Those documents are, of course, the main storyline of the novel. The email exchanges are short, never more than five or six pages at a time, but there is a plot that runs through them. The publisher is initially pleased, but turns somewhat incredulous around the time that Golems are first introduced into the novel. This sets scholar and publisher both off on research expeditions, in which we learn that all of the documents about Ash’s life have been mysteriously re-labeled as medieval romance as opposed to medieval history. At the same time, an archaeologist friend of the scholar makes a startling discovery - actual Golems, just as described in the Ash texts! Thus, we are left with a puzzling denial and affirmation of this history, which is largely unresolved by the end of the book.

The main body of the book (Ash’s life) is well written, and fairly interesting, but it suffers in a few places. The biggest one comes from Ash’s "love" interest…who takes the form of an abusive, spoiled, inveterate coward of a nobleman who Ash is manipulated into marrying towards the beginning of the novel. His only redeeming quality is that he’s pretty, and good in bed. It’s unclear why Ash cares about him at all, and even Ash admits there’s no good reason why she should like him. It’s sad, primarily because it takes a very strong female character (of whom there are few in fantasy literature), and seriously undermines her strengths. It’s hard to respect Ash as a tough-as-nails warrior when apparently any well-endowed pretty boy will set her heart a-flutter.

The other members of Ash’s company are fun, but not particularly notable. There’s one woman disguised as man, a few grizzled vets, some with more of a sense of humor than others. None particularly jump out at my memory, though it’s been a few weeks since I finished the book. Ash herself is fairly well characterized, but ultimately, this is a book more about plot than people. That may change later on in the series, I suppose, but it seems that Gentle is more interested in exploring an idea than a character.
Is it worth reading? Yes, but I wouldn’t rush out for it. I suspect I’ll check out the second book eventually, but I don’t feel like I’m in a rush either. While the book has some neat ideas, and some good writing, I ultimately didn’t find the characters quite as engaging as I hoped. While Ash may be a great inspiration to her men, she didn’t quite inspire me.

[Llona ❤️ "Così tanti libri, così poco tempo." · Rating 3 out of 5]

merita qualcosa più di 3 stelle
ma ho letto la versione omnibus e dopo 2.200 pagine no-stop credo di essermi spazientita

TRAMA:
biografia della mercenaria Ash

[Julia Sarene]

This was a really short stint.
I was highly recommended this, and picked it up without reading the sampler.
An obvious error.

Not my cup of tea at all.
At first there's a lot of back and forth between a fictional author and his publisher, and it was so boring I skipped most of it, thinking it was some sort of foreword? Turns out no, it's part of the book. For some reason.

And the story itself is written in a style that just rubs me wrong. Not so much the sheer grit, though that needs a bit of a warning too;
it starts right of with us learning Ash, aged 8, has been raped by two men. She wasn't a virgin at that point, as the kids all huddle under the blankets together and she has certain friends. But the two grown men where not friends. One cut her face because she cried, and she then killed them both. One with a carelessly lying around crossbow, the other with a knife, as she's too little to use a sword, though she's already training.
Yeah. Ok. She also then sees her deeply scarred face in the metal of another man's armour, a man who is currently debating her punishment for killing those men, and is fascinated by how beautiful her scars are....

But no, not so much the grit, but the prose itself just doesn't draw me in, but rather grinds and annoyed me. So I'll just give up, about 3 chapters in.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Born and raised in a mercenary camp, the only thing Ash knows how to do is survive. She fights like a man, dresses like a man, and thinks like a man, but the men who are a part of her life won’t let her forget that she’s a woman in a man’s world—which is Europe in the mid-1400s. Despite this, by her early teens she has her own army of 50, and by the time she’s twenty she has 800 fighting men who are well-known throughout the region for being the best.

As the book opens, she’s contracted with King Charles of Burgandy while he’s at war with a duke; and to reward Ash for her heroics on the battlefield he marries her off to a cousin. At first to Ash this is great news because it means she would own land (as part of her reward from the king), but then realizes as a woman, the land belongs to her husband—who is another problem, altogether.

She almost loses her mercenary company to her husband and the king, but when Europe is invaded by a mysterious Carthaginian army, she must regain control in order to survive. Ash discovers that the Carthaginian army is led by woman who hears voices—but not from a saint. Instead she hears voices from a mechanical golem that speaks to her from where it resides in Carthage. Unfortunately, this golem has made the Carthage general unstoppable, as she invades Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, and plans to work her way through France and Burgandy.

The book is a “secret history” in that the story is a re-telling from a historical document, and we are occasionally interrupted by emails from the “author” and the book editor discussing the publication. At first this is very irritating and interrupts the flow of the story. But if you stick with it you realize there is more going on than meets the eye; certainly this story is a heroic-adventure-romance about Ash, but that there’s also a mystery that needs to be solved. Why are all the historical Ash documents suddenly re-catalogued as fiction? Are the supernatural events that surround Ash’s life real or myth?

Ash as the main character is fascinating and well-portrayed by Gentle. She’s a woman, but can fight like a man—and quite credibly, too. You actually believe that she can wield a sword and lead fighting men. She has problems with her men, with her husband, and the Carthaginian army, and it’s so well done that the reader is pulled into the story and feel Ash’s worries, as well. Ash is surrounded by fascinating women and men who are all real and complex; of particular note is the company doctor, who has everybody completely fooled. The politics of the era are also significant to the story, adding flavor and complications.

The plot itself is pretty straightforward and moves along steadily. The writing is fluid and subtle. Important things are slowly revealed to us, constantly building the suspense—with the occasional jolting surprise. These surprises are what make A Secret History a great read, but I can’t reveal them here, of course, or else I’d ruin the story for you.

Despite the significant revelations, most of the story is a big buildup for what’s coming in the subsequent books, so there’s something of a cliffhanger at the end. My biggest complaint about the book is the constant obscenities. I’m sure soldiers have filthy language, but really, how necessary is all the swearing? There are also some brief sex scenes and homosexual references (so if it were a movie, it would be rated R).

[Kim Headlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

When it comes to depicting violence and sex in 20th century fiction, two modes dominate. The first -- and my preference as both a reader and a writer -- involves dropping intelligent hints to stimulate the imagination. The second reveals every grunt and thrust, every leakage of every bodily fluid. To say that A Secret History employs the latter technique would be a gross understatement. This book should sport a warning sign: "Do Not Read If You Are Pregnant Or Have A Heart Condition."

Suffering neither physical limitation, I kept reading. Halfway through, I started asking myself why. I like to savor the words and lose myself in the story. My aversion to the extreme violence and profanity on every page of A Secret History robbed me of that sort of reading experience. But, intrigued by the female mercenary captain at the story's center, I kept turning those pages.

In a time when empires and alliances shift like sand, the Visigoths with their mighty army and magic-powered machines arise out of Africa to darken the sun. Literally, and for weeks at a stretch, not unlike the ninth plague of Moses' day. Setting their sights on Burgundy, opulent and powerful 15th-century jewel of Europe, the Visigoths begin devouring every nation in their path, spreading the darkness in their wake.

Until they encounter Ash.

Born in the mud and dung of a mercenary camp, of unknown parentage, she slew her first man at age eight. While most young women occupy themselves attracting men to their beds, Ash attracts men to her banner. They follow her because she wins, and she wins because of the unerring guidance of a sacred voice wise in the ways of war. And because she genuinely cares about the eight hundred men and women of her mercenary band. This concern shines through her vulgar and masculine demeanor.

Though religious, Ash is no virginal Jeanne d'Arc. Money alone motivates her, not some Higher Cause. That begins to change when she realizes she may be the only obstacle between the Visigoths and their conquest of Europe.

A Secret History features a literary device that at first I dismissed as a gimmick. Ash's story unfolds as though it were a hitherto undiscovered medieval manuscript suffering translation by a late 20th century historian, complete with footnotes. Transcripts of email correspondence between the historian and his editor appear at intervals throughout the text. Don't give into the temptation to skip these sections. Rather than detracting from the flow, the email transcripts form rungs of a ladder to propel the novel onward, containing information that aids the suspension of disbelief.

Not a book for the fainthearted -- consider yourself warned! But if you crave a unique fantasy that eschews the object-oriented quest cliché, then refill your digitalis prescription and buckle yourself in for the ride.

(Originally published in Crescent Blues. Reprinted with permission.)

[Abigail Singer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ash kills her first men when she is 8 and by 18 is the leader of her own mercinary army. She is one of the best mercinary captains in midevil Europe, and has to fight against constraints of her gender in order to get the job done. The battles are bloody, gritty and unpleasent, if not exciting. They depict what war really is, not what stories percieve it to be. I recomend this book to anyone who likes realistic battles and midevil history. Sadly, this series is out of print in America but can be found used on Amazon UK. I've done the research and this is the cheapest way to get all four books, even with the overseas shipping and exchange rate.

[Jenne · Rating 2 out of 5]

For serious, if you took a drink every time it mentions a piece of armor, you would be dead of alcohol poisoning in 3 pages.

I can't quite decide if this counts as SF or fantasy, and I don't think I want to read the rest of the series to find out.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but not compelling. Strong start; goes downhill some. The interludes where the 'researcher' talks theory with his publisher for this new secret text were all I cared about at the end. Looks like further books are out of print but I am not sure I would be digging for them anyway.

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, I freaking loved this. It's probably a 4.5 for me. It has one of my favorite things: a complicated but strong woman in power. But more than that, it appeals to the history nerd in me by toying with the narrative, making the reader question if they're reading about actual events or fiction. Yeah, there's description space devoted to armor, which probably won't mean much to modern readers, but easy enough to let that stuff float right past you. There's mystery enough in this entry, part 1 of 4, to make me immediately seek out the next ones. A personal challenge for Ash, plus a bit of a romance (if you want to call it that) is plenty of enticement to carry on with the narrative, not to mention the larger war story / history.

[John Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped keep me in a very demanding Medieval Studies program...
just because Gentle is that much of a frakking genius.
Said program hasn't panned out all that well employment wise, but you can't win them all...
and reading this book (and the series, but...really, this book is the most solid work)...
is a pretty great thing to take away from an entire college education (though I actually read this book in high school, I spent a lot of time staring at it while at ND)

[Tony Hisgett · Rating 1 out of 5]

First of all I found the use of the pseudo historical documents and the introductory letters a bit annoying but what really irritated me was why the hell did Ash marry the idiot Lord when it was absolutely clear the mess that would ensue. She was a mercenary and could have quite easily threatened to walk away or if all else failed, just left. After this any credibility this story had was finished.

[Emme Greer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful fantasy with some real historic figures intertwined. Bit confusing at first between time switching (present day and late medieval). But a great device once I figured it out. Loved the evidence of research on medieval weaponry.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea at all! I considered DNFing so many times. I read this one for hubby because he loves this series, but it was just fighting, fighting, fighting. It did not hold my interest at all. The author bio at the end talks about her MAs in Seventeenth Century Studies and War Studies, and that really came through in her writing. Unfortunately the subject just was not for me.

[Molly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I appreciate that A Secret History tries to be a more grounded fantasy story, but that's about it.

The first thing I take issue with is trying to frame this around being a real uncovered historical document and while I get that's to emphasize the realism of the story, it makes the text seem horribly out of place for the time period, that the "translator" decide to put in curse words in his academic translation, and the leaps of logic he takes that even I as a non-historian feel go too far. It honestly feels like Mary Gentle wanted to have an excuse to write extra information about armor rather than play with how an academic translation would work. (Which frankly I think would've been boring, but accurate.)

Then there is all the rape in the story. Mary Gentle seems to have been working under the impression that realism=suffering, and while there is certainly room for stories involving child abuse, death, and rape, I don't think this book used any of those elements to say much more than "Life sucks, so this is realistic."

I have more minor complaints I could levy against the book, but they're minor or microcosmos of the things I've already mentioned, so I'll just leave it at those complaints. I didn't have a fun time with this and I doubt many would.

[Pamr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not think I was going to enjoy this as it looked like Joan of Arc with a twist. but I could not put it down. It combined two things I really love history and fantasy the cross over creeps up on you as you suspect that it is not a faithful representation of the past.

Even if you do not read heavy books it is worth the effort if you have the one volume English published version and not split out four volume version for the US market.

A note of caution is that this is likely to be a love it or really vehemently dislike it book...

[Cindy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sloppy writing. I can't handle the sudden, inexplicable switching from present tense to past tense - even within the same paragraph. It was confusing and pulled me out of the story. To be honest, though, the story didn't hold my attention anyway. The email exchanges between Pierce and Anna were not remotely realistic and it bothered me that Ash was totally okay with being married to a psychopath (a cowardly psychopath) because he was hot. Really? No thanks.

[Kivrin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope. Just couldn't get into it. Ash seemed like she was going to be quite the strong female protagonist, but she didn't really live up to it. The setup for the book is confusing...there's the story about Ash, but then there are other parts that are supposed to be a writer (or professor) researching Ash's history and arguing with his editor? about whether it's factual or not. Just didn't do anything for me.

[Jolene · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just too long and drawn out with nothing happening. It opens up all sorts of story lines without solving any, I guess the answers are in the later books. But I am so not into the unbelieveable bits that I can't go on. Also, it keeps stopping the story to have these lengthy dialogues between some fictitious historian and his editor. Totally annoying.

[Kelly]

I think I need to set this aside and come back to it when I'm not still so mad about that women-warriors debate. I feel like I'm supposed to be finding this story empowering but instead am being dragged through her continuous sexual degradation. Grrr.

ETA: Finally admitting I'm probably not going to go back to this book--just not my cuppa.

[Arnaud]

Beware, this book starts strangely. At the beginning I didn't understood what it was : an historical study ? a fantasy novel ? the author suceed to give us a strange feeling not knowing what to expect. After the first 30 pages, you are taken in this strange world part medieval part fantasy. Great reading can't wait to read the second opus.

[Catherine Delos Santos · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was painful. It had so much potential and the reviews were amazing. The writing is stunted, unable to engage, and just plain dull. I'd have to say that I found the ONE Danielle Steele book I read (in desperation) while in the hospital to be a far better read than this. I wanted to like it, but it just doesn't have the chops.

[Wraith Tate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think it'll be a while before I pick up any of the other books in this series. I found it very annoying that the author would change from past to present tense, sometimes in the middle of a paragraph. Pick a tense and stick with it!

[Costi]

Cea mai proasta traducere posibila. Am rezistat 50 de pagini.

[Darryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel was very different than other fantasy novels I enjoy - for the genre was alternate history fantasy, whereas my favorite fantasy novels have been Eddings, Jordan, Tolkien.
What makes this novel special is the 15th century environment Mary Gentle has placed the reader in. Her main character is Ash, who seems to be based on the Joan of Arc type character. The story follows Ash's campaigns in leading her mercinary company of warriors. Gentle goes into vivid detail about war strategy, battle equipment and terminology. At times I felt like I was reading medieval historical non-fiction, as opposed to fantasy. Be warmed though, this novel can get very graphic and I would not recommend this novel for someone under 12 years old.
As I write this review, I'm currently on the 3rd book. I think that this novel's storyline takes a little while to really take off - and that is probably due to the fact that when this book was originally published in England, all 4 novels were a single novel. Take heart though, the story becomes more intriguing in later books...

[Jeanne Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je me suis plongée dans ce récit avec délices, heureuse de m'apercevoir qu'il était à la fois original et passionnant, et de savoir que j'avais trois autres tomes devant moi.
J'ai attrapé le deuxième volume immédiatement après avoir refermé le premier.
Un bémol pour la langue (dans la traduction ?) qui me gêne parfois assez pour que je prenne le temps de relire la phrase et de réfléchir à la façon dont je l'aurais moi-même tournée.

[David H.]

Why I didn't finish this: I was super interested in this series, having enjoyed the couple other books by Gentle, but I just got bored about a third of the way through. I might try it again, but not for a long while. My understanding is that the series gets really weird.