What do you think?
Rate this book
Snare
The Snare [Paperback] Kerr
630 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2003
21 people are currently reading
348 people want to read
About the author
Katharine Kerr
69 books1,634 followersBorn in Ohio, 1944. Moved to San Francisco Bay Area in 1962 and has lived there ever since. Katharine Kerr has read extensively in the fields of classical archeology, and medieval and dark ages history and literature, and these influences are clear in her work. Her epic Deverry series has won widespread praise and millions of fans around the world.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
February 21, 2011
The cover blurb says, "On the planet Snare, the descendants of Islamic fundamentalists war with the descendants of scientists, and the alien natives, for the fate of a planet." Let this be a warning to you against reading cover blurbs.
It's not 100% false. We do have the descendants of Islamic fundamentalists. We do have the descendants of scientists. We do have the native intelligent species--though something in me balks at describing beings living on their own planet where they evolved as "aliens." We even have a fourth group, a third human population, a nomadic culture technologically more primitive than either of the other two human populations. We even have some degree of conflict which could have major consequences for the fate of the planet--after all, with no conflict, and nothing important at stake, where's the story?
What we don't have is a war amongst these groups--especially not between the descendants of the Islamic fundamentalists and the descendants of the scientists. In fact, the only war is a civil war amongst the Islamics, in which the issue is responsible government, not religious purity. What we do have is a much more interesting story.
It's ten years after the accession of a new Great Khan, Gemet, amongst the Kazraks, and he has proved to be both paranoid and repressive. One of his first actions was to kill all his brothers and other close male relatives who are khans, i.e., recognized as legitimate possible heirs. Taxes are so heavy they're grinding the population down into poverty. The army and the upper levels of society go in fear of a secret police-like group called the Chosen. In this atmosphere, a sorceror arrives from the Cantons, bringing word to cavalry officer Idres Warkannan and a few of his friends that one of Gemet's brothers, Warkannan's good friend Jezro Khan survived and escaped, eventually reaching the Cantons, where he has lived lived for the past decade. The sorceror, Yarl Soutan, has a letter from Jezro, and a plan for bringing him back to Kazrajistan to overthrow Gemet. It's not long before Warkannan, Soutan, and two younger men are traveling across the plains and the Rift towards the Cantons. Meanwhile the Chosen Ones, acting on the word of an informant that Warkannan's "investment group" is plotting against the Great Khan, have sent one of their own onto the plains, under the cover of being a cashiered cavalry officer (complete with very real public flogging in a market town where lots of comnee tribesmen will witness it). Zayn Hassan has volunteered for this duty because he knows Idres Warkannan can't possibly be involved in treason, and wants a chance to prove it.
As the two groups cross the plains and the Rift, it becomes clear that Soutan has an agenda beyond being the powerful advisor of the new Great Khan, and that a lot of his "magic"--identical to the "magic" employed by the Spirit Rider of the comnee tribe Zayn has hooked up with--is simply solar-powered advanced technology. What's this technology doing on a planet that's otherwise at a 16th- or 17th-century level? Why do the comnee tribes have it when the more advanced Kazraks don't? Why are the tribes longer-lived and healthier than other humans on the planet? And where did Zayn's "demonic" powers of memory, which damn him to Hell after death, and in life mean that the only real fellowship he can have is with the other similarly-damned Chosen Ones, really come from? Along the way, both groups have encounters with some of the lizard-like natives, the Cha'Meech, and more questions also suggest themselves. It's not until they reach the Cantons that some answers start to present themselves, and Warkannan and Zayn each start to find out what real trouble is.
This is a more complex story than is apparent from initial examination, and an enjoyable way to spend a few hours.
It's not 100% false. We do have the descendants of Islamic fundamentalists. We do have the descendants of scientists. We do have the native intelligent species--though something in me balks at describing beings living on their own planet where they evolved as "aliens." We even have a fourth group, a third human population, a nomadic culture technologically more primitive than either of the other two human populations. We even have some degree of conflict which could have major consequences for the fate of the planet--after all, with no conflict, and nothing important at stake, where's the story?
What we don't have is a war amongst these groups--especially not between the descendants of the Islamic fundamentalists and the descendants of the scientists. In fact, the only war is a civil war amongst the Islamics, in which the issue is responsible government, not religious purity. What we do have is a much more interesting story.
It's ten years after the accession of a new Great Khan, Gemet, amongst the Kazraks, and he has proved to be both paranoid and repressive. One of his first actions was to kill all his brothers and other close male relatives who are khans, i.e., recognized as legitimate possible heirs. Taxes are so heavy they're grinding the population down into poverty. The army and the upper levels of society go in fear of a secret police-like group called the Chosen. In this atmosphere, a sorceror arrives from the Cantons, bringing word to cavalry officer Idres Warkannan and a few of his friends that one of Gemet's brothers, Warkannan's good friend Jezro Khan survived and escaped, eventually reaching the Cantons, where he has lived lived for the past decade. The sorceror, Yarl Soutan, has a letter from Jezro, and a plan for bringing him back to Kazrajistan to overthrow Gemet. It's not long before Warkannan, Soutan, and two younger men are traveling across the plains and the Rift towards the Cantons. Meanwhile the Chosen Ones, acting on the word of an informant that Warkannan's "investment group" is plotting against the Great Khan, have sent one of their own onto the plains, under the cover of being a cashiered cavalry officer (complete with very real public flogging in a market town where lots of comnee tribesmen will witness it). Zayn Hassan has volunteered for this duty because he knows Idres Warkannan can't possibly be involved in treason, and wants a chance to prove it.
As the two groups cross the plains and the Rift, it becomes clear that Soutan has an agenda beyond being the powerful advisor of the new Great Khan, and that a lot of his "magic"--identical to the "magic" employed by the Spirit Rider of the comnee tribe Zayn has hooked up with--is simply solar-powered advanced technology. What's this technology doing on a planet that's otherwise at a 16th- or 17th-century level? Why do the comnee tribes have it when the more advanced Kazraks don't? Why are the tribes longer-lived and healthier than other humans on the planet? And where did Zayn's "demonic" powers of memory, which damn him to Hell after death, and in life mean that the only real fellowship he can have is with the other similarly-damned Chosen Ones, really come from? Along the way, both groups have encounters with some of the lizard-like natives, the Cha'Meech, and more questions also suggest themselves. It's not until they reach the Cantons that some answers start to present themselves, and Warkannan and Zayn each start to find out what real trouble is.
This is a more complex story than is apparent from initial examination, and an enjoyable way to spend a few hours.
July 22, 2008
A rare single volume fantasy book - which is the reason I bought it. I like the view it gives of how some cultures might evolve if left to themselves. Also the technology which makes it read almost like a pure sci-fi novel by the end.
July 21, 2021
Snare follows the stories of two men, one who has defected from his corrupt leader in order to stage a coup, and the man who has been sent to stop him. Along the way we're introduced to the varying cultures of this planet.
The book is part fantasy and part science fiction, this is the first time I've read something like that and I loved it a lot, please recommend me other books like this if you know of any! I appreciated that it gave me enough info to figure out how things worked, without actually telling me how things worked. I was intrigued by the mysterious Canton culture and how it was introduced.
I loved the culture of the comnee, with the women holding power because they owned horses, but men have their own type of power too (a female spirit rider, male chief in each comnee). I also loved that it was seen as perfectly normal and common for there to be queer relationships! I've also never read a book that normalised loving polyamorous relationships, and I liked that the reason for it being so accepted was woven into the comnee culture.
It wasn't just the comnee culture that was progressive though, I loved that the Islamic men got to be soft and caring towards one another. It might not have been openly accepted but it was definitely something they felt comfortable doing.
There were also some really interesting discussions about indigenous rights in the face of (accidental) colonialism. How can colonialism be accidental you ask? You'll just have to read it and find out!
I honestly haven't felt this way about finishing a book since the last Harry Potter came out. I'm just devastated that I can't read more about this world, though I'm content with the way it was wrapped up.
The book is part fantasy and part science fiction, this is the first time I've read something like that and I loved it a lot, please recommend me other books like this if you know of any! I appreciated that it gave me enough info to figure out how things worked, without actually telling me how things worked. I was intrigued by the mysterious Canton culture and how it was introduced.
I loved the culture of the comnee, with the women holding power because they owned horses, but men have their own type of power too (a female spirit rider, male chief in each comnee). I also loved that it was seen as perfectly normal and common for there to be queer relationships! I've also never read a book that normalised loving polyamorous relationships, and I liked that the reason for it being so accepted was woven into the comnee culture.
It wasn't just the comnee culture that was progressive though, I loved that the Islamic men got to be soft and caring towards one another. It might not have been openly accepted but it was definitely something they felt comfortable doing.
There were also some really interesting discussions about indigenous rights in the face of (accidental) colonialism. How can colonialism be accidental you ask? You'll just have to read it and find out!
I honestly haven't felt this way about finishing a book since the last Harry Potter came out. I'm just devastated that I can't read more about this world, though I'm content with the way it was wrapped up.
July 27, 2014
I rarely pay attention to book blurbs, and it's just as well in this case because the front cover blurb ("...the descendants of Islamic fundamentalists war with the descendants of scientists...") almost put me off looking any further.
It bemuses me that someone could have picked on just about the least relevant details as a hook to promote the story. Instead of being enticed, I was worried that this would be nothing more than a thinly-veiled soapbox. I wanted entertainment, not lecturing.
Luckily I read the first pages and got drawn into a rich tale of people who just happen to be the descendants of fundamentalists and scientists, but who could honestly have been from just about any persuasion.
Through the course of the book, the perspective and stakes gradually expand from personal survival and political intrigue, to an understanding of the truth about their people's origins and the fabric of lies that their ancestors had put in place for their own protection.
The characters and cultural details are finely drawn, both of the conflicting human populations and of the indigenous ChaMeech.
Only one thing stopped me from awarding five stars. At about the two-thirds mark until near the end I found the story started to drag. It was still well-told and interesting stuff, but the suspense and sense of danger that gripped me through the first part of the book evaporated. However, things picked up again towards the end, and the story drew to a satisfying conclusion.
It bemuses me that someone could have picked on just about the least relevant details as a hook to promote the story. Instead of being enticed, I was worried that this would be nothing more than a thinly-veiled soapbox. I wanted entertainment, not lecturing.
Luckily I read the first pages and got drawn into a rich tale of people who just happen to be the descendants of fundamentalists and scientists, but who could honestly have been from just about any persuasion.
Through the course of the book, the perspective and stakes gradually expand from personal survival and political intrigue, to an understanding of the truth about their people's origins and the fabric of lies that their ancestors had put in place for their own protection.
The characters and cultural details are finely drawn, both of the conflicting human populations and of the indigenous ChaMeech.
Only one thing stopped me from awarding five stars. At about the two-thirds mark until near the end I found the story started to drag. It was still well-told and interesting stuff, but the suspense and sense of danger that gripped me through the first part of the book evaporated. However, things picked up again towards the end, and the story drew to a satisfying conclusion.
February 26, 2011
Interesting that the people who reviewed this negatively tend to like the Deverry books. I sought out the Deverry books having read Snare, and found them to be exceedingly disappointing by comparison. I thought Snare was a well-realised, complex world, with some nice questions about whether and how spirituality emerges from religion (if all the magic of the Tribes is just legacy tech, and their religion made up out of whole cloth, why do the cranes try so hard (as they do) to be Zayn's totem?).
I felt the ending was a little too tidy, especially the way she dealt with Soutan.
If only her other books had been constructed as well as this one, I would be one very happy reader.
I felt the ending was a little too tidy, especially the way she dealt with Soutan.
If only her other books had been constructed as well as this one, I would be one very happy reader.
April 8, 2021
I really wanted to like this novel, as the world building is really well done and the motivations of the characters are a little less black and white (and more shades of grey) than others in this genre. However, I found the pace of the plot too glacial and too much attention was given to trivial aspects of camp life and long rides through the steppe to keep me interested. The plot meanders for a good 4/5s of the book then just sort of fizzles out. Having a disappointing payoff to a story is bad enough with any story, but particularly so with such a drawn out story as this. While a bit more two dimensional, I didn't find any of the characters particularly interesting or likeable. I quickly found myself reading it more out of obligation to finish rather than enjoyment. I'd probably consider this book more of a 2.5, but you can't rate half a star on here. I rated it three because I think the author's effort makes it more deserving of a 3 than a 2.
June 24, 2022
This was a re-read after some years of a book that impressed me. Short version, still impressed. It reads as a fantasy.
The story starts with a plot against the Khan - who thoroughly deserves to be deposed with prejudice - and follows a practical and honourable senior army officer, just retired, as he sets out to bring back the only viable heir not just from hiding in another country.
Meanwhile an agent of the Khan - one of the Chosen - formerly army as well - is out looking for conspirators and joins the nomadic horse people while following a lead. I do love the nomads - I'm always fond of a nice most egalitarian tribe full of practical people and these really hit the spot.
It is more than just an adventure story - it is also people learning more about themselves in a major way, and more about the people on their planet and their history, including the lizard like race, as well as the various nations of humans.
The story starts with a plot against the Khan - who thoroughly deserves to be deposed with prejudice - and follows a practical and honourable senior army officer, just retired, as he sets out to bring back the only viable heir not just from hiding in another country.
Meanwhile an agent of the Khan - one of the Chosen - formerly army as well - is out looking for conspirators and joins the nomadic horse people while following a lead. I do love the nomads - I'm always fond of a nice most egalitarian tribe full of practical people and these really hit the spot.
It is more than just an adventure story - it is also people learning more about themselves in a major way, and more about the people on their planet and their history, including the lizard like race, as well as the various nations of humans.
July 25, 2017
I would actually rate this 3.5, since I ended up doing quite a bit of scanning as I read. I thought the Deryni Chronicles were great. This was good.
A planet is invaded by three groups sharing a star ship that got list. There is a sapient species already on the planet. A pact is created to separate and protect all the groups that now need to coexist on the only inhabitable continent. Of course, every group despises the other groups, because the pact demands that they not interact and share information.
I could emotionally connect with military characters following their creed, and the natives trying to protect their young. I do wish there was a map for the various regions for each tribe.
A planet is invaded by three groups sharing a star ship that got list. There is a sapient species already on the planet. A pact is created to separate and protect all the groups that now need to coexist on the only inhabitable continent. Of course, every group despises the other groups, because the pact demands that they not interact and share information.
I could emotionally connect with military characters following their creed, and the natives trying to protect their young. I do wish there was a map for the various regions for each tribe.
May 10, 2017
A dense book, without even chapters to offer some relief. The beginning of the story can be overwhelming, with many names, countries and races thrown in all at once to explain a political landscape I found a bit difficult to grasp, especially since there are two "levels" at play. However after the first 100 pages or so, the story really focuses on individual characters, their goals and flaws and journey, and it became very interesting to follow them along as well as discover new cultures through their eyes. A satisfying read.
September 25, 2021
This was fantastic. Just absolutely fantastic. this is my first non-Deverry cycle book, and the first book I've read by Kerr in a decade or more, and it's just so good.
Warkannan is a compelling hero, and so is Zayn Hassan--and Kerr pits these two against in a way that is captivating. Ammadin is great. And I love that there are three heroes. Each with their own strengths, each essential to the plot.
And the Cha' Meech! The level of depth and complexity Kerr infuses into cultures she's created. It's a such a vibrant story.
Warkannan is a compelling hero, and so is Zayn Hassan--and Kerr pits these two against in a way that is captivating. Ammadin is great. And I love that there are three heroes. Each with their own strengths, each essential to the plot.
And the Cha' Meech! The level of depth and complexity Kerr infuses into cultures she's created. It's a such a vibrant story.
June 17, 2019
Oooof, I am not sure how I finished this. Entirely too much religion and an utterly ponderous pace for the first 4/5ths of the book only to finish in a massive rush skipping over much of what was really the most interesting parts of the book to me! So much religion.
August 19, 2018
Second time I have read this. Enjoyed it as much as the first time round, perhaps a bit more because I understood what it was all about a bit better this time.
July 26, 2021
This seems to be fantasy but really has SF bones. It’s set in the same universe as Palace but you don’t need to have read that to enjoy this and the links aren’t strong.
Read
September 9, 2023I have no recollection of reading this book…
February 24, 2013
Originally published on my blog here in June 2005.
Katharine Kerr has long been an author I have enjoyed reading. She is best known for her long running Deverry series, which is basically standard fantasy, albeit well written and with some nice individual touches. I think that her other books, closer to science fiction, are more interesting, but now Snare brings that inventiveness back to a new fantasy world. (A slight caveat about what I've just said - this is fantasy with a fairly remote science fiction background, like Anne McCaffrey's Pern or Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover.)
The world of Snare is divided between four main groups, three human and one native to the planet. To begin with, we seem to be in fairly standard genre territory - the groupings appear to be loosely based on Earth history, with a Persian-like civilization opposed to barbarian steppe nomads. The Great Khan has become corrupt, ruthlessly destroying any threat to his power; at the start of the novel, a small group of cavalry offices set off across the steppe to find the only remaining survivor from the ruling family, who escaped the Khan's murderers. Then invent an excuse (investigating a business opportunity), but fail to allay the Khan's suspicions: he sends one of the Chosen (his secret police force) after them. So far, so similar to innumerable other novels. But soon things become, by almost imperceptible steps, different.
This is achieved through good writing. Most fantasy is pretty melodramatic, featuring a cast of heroes ranged against an unspeakable but one-dimensional evil (this of course follows Tolkien's example: orcs are not characterised beyond being vulgar and unpleasant members of a horde). By building the characters properly, by giving them realistic motivations, Kerr makes the reader simpathise equally with the Chosen and with those he hunts. Very little fantasy makes a credible attempt to humanise both opposing sides, and to do so necessitates something else unusual about Snare, which is that the situation is made more complex than a straightforward black and white division between good and evil. She does this by introducing interactions with the other groups already mentioned, who naturally have their own agendas. Her acheivement is not just unusual within the fantasy genre; very little fiction tries to make the reader sympathise with those who work for evil masters, no matter what the justifications they make for their actions.
Though as long in itself as many fantasy trilogies of earlier years, Snare is truly a standalone novel, as it amounts to a journey of discovery - both generally, as much of the hidden past of the planet is revealed, and for the individual characters. This is Katherine Kerr's trademark construction, and gives her novels a depth which is unusual in writing that seems to be typical of the fantasy genre, because her characters develop as they make discoveries, and the nature of their quest itself changes as a result. This complex novel is a top class piece of fantasy.
Katharine Kerr has long been an author I have enjoyed reading. She is best known for her long running Deverry series, which is basically standard fantasy, albeit well written and with some nice individual touches. I think that her other books, closer to science fiction, are more interesting, but now Snare brings that inventiveness back to a new fantasy world. (A slight caveat about what I've just said - this is fantasy with a fairly remote science fiction background, like Anne McCaffrey's Pern or Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover.)
The world of Snare is divided between four main groups, three human and one native to the planet. To begin with, we seem to be in fairly standard genre territory - the groupings appear to be loosely based on Earth history, with a Persian-like civilization opposed to barbarian steppe nomads. The Great Khan has become corrupt, ruthlessly destroying any threat to his power; at the start of the novel, a small group of cavalry offices set off across the steppe to find the only remaining survivor from the ruling family, who escaped the Khan's murderers. Then invent an excuse (investigating a business opportunity), but fail to allay the Khan's suspicions: he sends one of the Chosen (his secret police force) after them. So far, so similar to innumerable other novels. But soon things become, by almost imperceptible steps, different.
This is achieved through good writing. Most fantasy is pretty melodramatic, featuring a cast of heroes ranged against an unspeakable but one-dimensional evil (this of course follows Tolkien's example: orcs are not characterised beyond being vulgar and unpleasant members of a horde). By building the characters properly, by giving them realistic motivations, Kerr makes the reader simpathise equally with the Chosen and with those he hunts. Very little fantasy makes a credible attempt to humanise both opposing sides, and to do so necessitates something else unusual about Snare, which is that the situation is made more complex than a straightforward black and white division between good and evil. She does this by introducing interactions with the other groups already mentioned, who naturally have their own agendas. Her acheivement is not just unusual within the fantasy genre; very little fiction tries to make the reader sympathise with those who work for evil masters, no matter what the justifications they make for their actions.
Though as long in itself as many fantasy trilogies of earlier years, Snare is truly a standalone novel, as it amounts to a journey of discovery - both generally, as much of the hidden past of the planet is revealed, and for the individual characters. This is Katherine Kerr's trademark construction, and gives her novels a depth which is unusual in writing that seems to be typical of the fantasy genre, because her characters develop as they make discoveries, and the nature of their quest itself changes as a result. This complex novel is a top class piece of fantasy.
September 3, 2010
A very interesting idea,imagining the outcome of a planet being accidentally populated by 3 completely different societies of people, the evolution of these societies over 800 years as well as their impact on the native life-forms. The literary style was not quite to my liking, and the characters seemed to follow templates already decided by the author at the beginning of the book with very little in the way of development through events unfolding in the book. Zayn for example remained a pathetic whiner for far too long after Ammadin's sensible explanations to him regarding all that was supposedly wrong with him. Also, it was surprising that he did not jump to the obvious conclusion regarding Jezro still being alive for several days after pretty much all the clues were brought to him on a platter. Let's just say I'd like my smart characters to be actually smart, rather than declared to be so and then to go about doing incredibly dumb things regardless.
Some things are not wrapped up very neatly, for example it was not very clear to me how the Inborn traits kept cropping up throughout despite the fact that the Inborn were freely mixing their precious genes with normal folk well over 800 years and that during this time most Inborn who showed weird traits were being murdered and weeded out of the population. How did Zayn get to be a proper Recaller down to the um, datajack-on-his-head-thingie. His father clearly is a non-recaller, and although not much is known about his mother it seems a bit incredible that such precise bio-engineered traits could survive such mixing and deliberate weeding out over 8 centuries.
A better exploration of a similar theme is Karl Schroeder's Ventus, which is freely available online.
Some things are not wrapped up very neatly, for example it was not very clear to me how the Inborn traits kept cropping up throughout despite the fact that the Inborn were freely mixing their precious genes with normal folk well over 800 years and that during this time most Inborn who showed weird traits were being murdered and weeded out of the population. How did Zayn get to be a proper Recaller down to the um, datajack-on-his-head-thingie. His father clearly is a non-recaller, and although not much is known about his mother it seems a bit incredible that such precise bio-engineered traits could survive such mixing and deliberate weeding out over 8 centuries.
A better exploration of a similar theme is Karl Schroeder's Ventus, which is freely available online.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2013
This is a rather strange book. It is excellently constructed, and a surprisingly deep world. In fact, the process of worldbuilding is the best part of the book. The characters think they live in one relatively shallow world with a relatively shallow history, and we learn their true situation more or less as they do. (Well, faster, but not so fast as to make it useless exposition).
The plot is long and twisting. The main worldbuilding thrust is interesting, but the original main plot's return for the epilogue makes a poor, understated ending.
The book is _very_ long for a single novel. It is subplotted in such a way that I am surprised it was sold as one book instead of three.
Most of the characters are flat, opaque, and not particularly likeable; that's the worst part about the book.
The plot is long and twisting. The main worldbuilding thrust is interesting, but the original main plot's return for the epilogue makes a poor, understated ending.
The book is _very_ long for a single novel. It is subplotted in such a way that I am surprised it was sold as one book instead of three.
Most of the characters are flat, opaque, and not particularly likeable; that's the worst part about the book.
September 3, 2014
A really different book which I really enjoyed. Kerr always focusses a lot on language and I guess you know it has its place in this book but to be honest the story would have worked just as well without it though the near French words like shen made me laugh.
I really liked the 3 human cultures in the book and this made the story pretty easy to understand in the beginning, however as things are revealed the plots and motives of the 2 cultures in branching out alone are the kind of reasons I can imagine actually driving people in the future so that all worked as well.
I don't want to give away any spoilers so let me just finish by saying good writing as always, good story complex enough but not too complex and really good characters. Well worth a read as a stand alone Sci-fi book.
I really liked the 3 human cultures in the book and this made the story pretty easy to understand in the beginning, however as things are revealed the plots and motives of the 2 cultures in branching out alone are the kind of reasons I can imagine actually driving people in the future so that all worked as well.
I don't want to give away any spoilers so let me just finish by saying good writing as always, good story complex enough but not too complex and really good characters. Well worth a read as a stand alone Sci-fi book.
March 4, 2012
Quite good! On the planet of Snare, three different groups of humans and a race of aliens live in separate societies. One group of humans is descended from Islamic fundamentalists; one is descended from scientists & engineers, and one is descended from soldiers.
Each group sees the world a little differently and has different priorities. As the novel unfolds, the various characters learn more about their history, their beliefs, and each other. It's well-done, and doesn't give away too much too soon.
Each group sees the world a little differently and has different priorities. As the novel unfolds, the various characters learn more about their history, their beliefs, and each other. It's well-done, and doesn't give away too much too soon.
April 28, 2011
This was one of the hardest books I ever read when I was a freshman in high school. It was also the second book I ever read after starting to read again when I was 16. It was so hard to read because the words are so tiny and because it is one big book :) I loved it though. It is almost kind of like a newer version of Star Wars if you will. Nothing beats Star Wars, but this came pretty close. With grass that is purple and a sky that is red, I loved this book and highly recommend this to any fantasy lover!
Hope you like it as much as I did!
Hope you like it as much as I did!
May 2, 2016
Katherine Kerr has written fiction steeped in history. A journey of enlightenment and realisation of falsehoods. Each character's quest brings them closer to their own individual acknowledgment of belonging, place, and identity. 'Snare' for me was an amazing read on so many different levels. This novel profoundly asks the question 'why do we believe our histories', and answers, 'because that's what we've been told'. I will read more of this author.
Read
April 24, 2012Really interesting and unpredictable plot, which starts giving hints in one direction and developed in a completely different manner, revealing the setting.A bit too many coincidences and often terminology typical from the setting not well explained may make the reader a bit confused.Anyway, a pleasant reading.
June 1, 2015
This was surprisingly good! I was a little worried that it would be forced, but it flowed naturally and the surprises at the end were appropriate in a way that it felt more like a mystery being solved than anything else. I would highly recommend it!
August 14, 2014
For some reason (perhaps because it was on the Kindle?) it took me a while to get into this book, but once I settled into it on holiday I really enjoyed the characters and societies that Kerr created.
October 17, 2014
I have mixed feelings on this one. I did truly enjoy the world she created & the characters. Very interesting idea. I do have to agree with some other critics on it being a little slow & it kind of fizzles out at the end.
December 7, 2007
A rather different book that shows that you can mix fantasy and sci-fi. Also shows that Kerr's can write more then good fantasy. The book is a bit slow sometimes, however it is still worth reading.
June 9, 2008
Started reading it because I liked the Deverry books. Couldn't get into it, didn't get any further than the torture scene.
November 17, 2009
This book is responsible for introducing me to the world of Deverry.
All I can say is "more"! This book does have a potential for more volumes - before and after.
All I can say is "more"! This book does have a potential for more volumes - before and after.
August 22, 2010
Wonderful book! I enjoyed the characters and the level of detail very much.
November 9, 2010
Quite a good novel, the plot starts to wander a little, but it is quite an enjoyable standalone.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews