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Tales of Alaric the Minstrel #1
Born To Exile
vg++ to fine HarperCollins 1st 1992 edition paperback In stock shipped from our UK warehouse
215 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
8 people are currently reading
644 people want to read
About the author
Phyllis Eisenstein
75 books90 followersPhyllis Eisenstein was an American author of science fiction and fantasy short stories as well as novels. Her work was nominated for both the Hugo Award and Nebula Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
August 1, 2020
OK wow I have never read a book like this. I get it. Pretty great.
March 14, 2024
Born To Exile is a gentle vignette that's full of heart and wanderlust.
Comprised of the first five tales of Alaric the minstrel, it follows him over two years of life as he travels an unnamed low-magic fantasy world. Alaric is a likeable, moral protagonist and, although the world he explores is harsh enough for there to be stakes, each of the stories mostly feels light on imminent danger thanks to the hero's uncanny ability to teleport anywhere in memory at will.
There was a fair amount of bittersweet romance filtered throughout these stories that took me by surprise. In typical fantasy fashion the protagonist has several nightly courtships with a few female characters, and there's always a risk of this leading to needlessly gratuitous sex scenes (especially when read in the era of book-tok fairy smut). However, Eisenstein doesn't seem to have been that kind of author here; more often than not, tasteful fades to black prevented distraction from the emotional core of these encounters, and what's left is beautifully bittersweet in a world where duty and distance often leave love as little more than a memory.
As a male reader reading a female author writing a male protagonist, I found Eisenstein's take on the male fantasy hero to be refreshing. The women he falls for are more than just conquests or rewards at the end of a story; they're treated as real people, with their own lives, regrets and dreams outside of Alaric, and I was pleasantly surprised when several such characters became recurring friends throughout the book. Similarly, Alaric is sympathetic and human in return, and treats nobody as an object to be won. It lends each subsequent encounter an intimacy that punctuates a very real heart in these stories.
The only thing stopping me from giving this book five stars is the last few pages. Without spoiling anything, the novel's conclusion is sudden to the point of feeling rushed, and this detriment is likely a result of each chapter's origin as a separately published short story. This is honestly a real shame, because the rest of the novel was such a wonderful experience. However, considering how much I enjoyed the rest of it, I'll be starting the sequel right away.
Comprised of the first five tales of Alaric the minstrel, it follows him over two years of life as he travels an unnamed low-magic fantasy world. Alaric is a likeable, moral protagonist and, although the world he explores is harsh enough for there to be stakes, each of the stories mostly feels light on imminent danger thanks to the hero's uncanny ability to teleport anywhere in memory at will.
There was a fair amount of bittersweet romance filtered throughout these stories that took me by surprise. In typical fantasy fashion the protagonist has several nightly courtships with a few female characters, and there's always a risk of this leading to needlessly gratuitous sex scenes (especially when read in the era of book-tok fairy smut). However, Eisenstein doesn't seem to have been that kind of author here; more often than not, tasteful fades to black prevented distraction from the emotional core of these encounters, and what's left is beautifully bittersweet in a world where duty and distance often leave love as little more than a memory.
As a male reader reading a female author writing a male protagonist, I found Eisenstein's take on the male fantasy hero to be refreshing. The women he falls for are more than just conquests or rewards at the end of a story; they're treated as real people, with their own lives, regrets and dreams outside of Alaric, and I was pleasantly surprised when several such characters became recurring friends throughout the book. Similarly, Alaric is sympathetic and human in return, and treats nobody as an object to be won. It lends each subsequent encounter an intimacy that punctuates a very real heart in these stories.
The only thing stopping me from giving this book five stars is the last few pages. Without spoiling anything, the novel's conclusion is sudden to the point of feeling rushed, and this detriment is likely a result of each chapter's origin as a separately published short story. This is honestly a real shame, because the rest of the novel was such a wonderful experience. However, considering how much I enjoyed the rest of it, I'll be starting the sequel right away.
March 26, 2015
This review will be available on my blog Fantasy Findings
This is kind of an odd duck to review. Written back in 1978, the vast majority of this book barely even feels like fantasy: it feels much like a tale that a minstrel like himself would have told around a fire in whatever part of medieval Europe he happened to be in: a story of a youth of 15 follows his hormones and falls in "love" with the Princess Solinde (a love that, like fair Juliet would have likely all but fizzled if they were to spend true time together), beds her and is forced to flee when caught. From there he wanders, stays at an ill filled with people of bad intentions, wanders and finds the family he never knew he had. At that point the story really does get quite interesting, but sadly, it more or less ends the second that it really begins to feel like a true bit of fantasy in a cliffhanger that one sense will never be resolved.
And why would I say that given that there is in fact a second book?
Because in fact (and something I forgot in the intervening months since I bought this book) this isn't a duology. Both books are instead collections of short stories. I can't speak to the second, but if it's like the first, said short stories were then cobbled together into something resembling a novel. In a way, the books weaknesses begin to make much more sense: the simplistic plot, the episodic nature of the tale and that cliffhanger of an ending that will probably never see resolution. I wish this had been put together more traditionally, because the family that was born into was both creepy and yet an amazing concept that demands to be more richly explored.
All in all, I don't know that I can recommend it. While an easy read, it's unquestionably unsatisfying since the short stories were never really fleshed out properly, the way they should have been. Add on top of that that the book is out of print and unavailable digitally - larger libraries may have it in their collection, but these are old enough that it's no guarantee that smaller systems would - that having to hit up the used book market (or things like Amazon sellers) is a must. While the books are pretty readily available in that space, I honestly don't know it worth that it's worth more than $5.
If you're curious about the author, I'd probably check out the Rogues anthology where she revisits the character. It's a contemporary piece of fantasy and so much the richer for it. You'll probably find more enjoyment there than you will here, not to mention all the other fantastic shorts collected within.
This is kind of an odd duck to review. Written back in 1978, the vast majority of this book barely even feels like fantasy: it feels much like a tale that a minstrel like himself would have told around a fire in whatever part of medieval Europe he happened to be in: a story of a youth of 15 follows his hormones and falls in "love" with the Princess Solinde (a love that, like fair Juliet would have likely all but fizzled if they were to spend true time together), beds her and is forced to flee when caught. From there he wanders, stays at an ill filled with people of bad intentions, wanders and finds the family he never knew he had. At that point the story really does get quite interesting, but sadly, it more or less ends the second that it really begins to feel like a true bit of fantasy in a cliffhanger that one sense will never be resolved.
And why would I say that given that there is in fact a second book?
Because in fact (and something I forgot in the intervening months since I bought this book) this isn't a duology. Both books are instead collections of short stories. I can't speak to the second, but if it's like the first, said short stories were then cobbled together into something resembling a novel. In a way, the books weaknesses begin to make much more sense: the simplistic plot, the episodic nature of the tale and that cliffhanger of an ending that will probably never see resolution. I wish this had been put together more traditionally, because the family that was born into was both creepy and yet an amazing concept that demands to be more richly explored.
All in all, I don't know that I can recommend it. While an easy read, it's unquestionably unsatisfying since the short stories were never really fleshed out properly, the way they should have been. Add on top of that that the book is out of print and unavailable digitally - larger libraries may have it in their collection, but these are old enough that it's no guarantee that smaller systems would - that having to hit up the used book market (or things like Amazon sellers) is a must. While the books are pretty readily available in that space, I honestly don't know it worth that it's worth more than $5.
If you're curious about the author, I'd probably check out the Rogues anthology where she revisits the character. It's a contemporary piece of fantasy and so much the richer for it. You'll probably find more enjoyment there than you will here, not to mention all the other fantastic shorts collected within.
Want to read
April 22, 2018It has come to my attention that (and I really shouldn't be surprised, given the sexist bias, present still in 2018, but I'm in a bit of a shock and frankly, I'm appalled,) women writers have essentially been systematically erased; forgotten.
Tor.com presents https://www.tor.com/2018/01/22/fighti...
In an attempt to bring awareness to this very important--and saddening-- issue, I thought I'd present them here. Maybe we can learn from the mistakes of the past and build a better future. That is my hope.
Eisenstein’s Born to Exile is the first of two published books about Alaric the Minstrel, whose ability to teleport would win him the starring role on top of a pyre if superstitious mundanes ever discovered what he can do. In this collection of short stories Alaric explores a considerable part of his world and discovers the origin of his curious knack.
We live in a golden age of ebook reprints, but thus far Eisenstein has not benefited from it; however, you can find her story “The Caravan to Nowhere” in Rogues, the 2014 anthology edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois.
July 29, 2014
A very well-crafted series of vignettes about a minstrel born with the ability to teleport to any place he's seen before, and the companions he acquires on his journeys. The story is riveting but somewhat short, and the ending feels somewhat tacked on. The 'climax' is only a few pages before the story simply peters out and our narrator resumes his wandering. I've heard there is a sequel, which I plan to check out. Overall a very enjoyable story that is slightly marred by the lack of a satisfying conclusion.
August 7, 2017
So, when I picked this book up in a free mini-library in my neighboorhood, I did not expect to like it very much. It seemed like just a pulpy seventies fantasy novel, and while I do have a soft spot for those, it's very much a "love-hate" relationship. This is fantasy from before the time that every single fantasy-trope was completely exhausted, and this often results in a kind of genuineness that I find very charming. It's just someone writing about dragons, because they like dragons and dragons are cool, in a way that has become very hard nowadays, because fantasy writers either play too much into the tropes, which makes them feel unoriginal and stale, or are too busy trying to subvert them. On the other hand... these types of books also tend to stumble very easily into terrible sexism, homophobia, racism and plenty of other -isms, which is what makes them such a gamble for me. But hey, it was short enough, so I decided to take a chance.
And I'm glad I did. No, it isn't the best fantasy novel I have ever read. It is very light literature, and honestly, it IS a bit cheesy at times, but it is also FUN. And sometimes I like things to be fun.
Some Things I Liked:
-Alaric, being a minstrel and all, isn't a "Conan the Barbarian" type fantasy hero. He wins not with brute, all-mighty strength, but mostly by using his modest magical talent, as well as by being tricky and by just simply knowing when to get the fuck out of dodge. Having a fantasy hero who owns a swords, but doesn't care to use it most of the time was oddly refreshing.
-About half-way Alaric meets a character, Mizella, who is a prostitute in a dire situation. Usually, a prostitute character in a dire situation, especially in 70s fantasy, does not exactly promise something well-written and interesting, but boy, was I proven wrong! While at first I was afraid that she would just be a very cliched Whore With A Heart Of Gold type character, with the Required Tragic Backstory, who would be nothing but a plot point to our hero, she turned out to actually be... a person? With thoughts and feelings? And she was actually interesting and fun to read about? To my surprise (and pleasure!), Mizella quite quickly became my favourite character.
Some Things I Did Not Like Very Much
-You can stop telling us how many women you boned, Alaric. We get it, you are a very good lover, even though Princess Solinde is your only true love in the world. (Also, someone should let Phyllis Eisenstein know that Hymens Don't Work Like That)
-The book has a very episodic structure, with Alaric traveling from town saving people and wooing women, and it only gains a more traditional plot structure in the last few chapters. This felt like a bit of a lost opportunity to me, since every chapter is still connected to the larger over-arching story in some way. It feels like, with only a little tweaking, and a few re-writes, these stories could have been told in a way that resembles a more natural plot structure and story arc.
-The ending to Mizella's arc was very unsatisfying to me! I would have liked a larger role for her in the last chapters (favorite character, remember?), or at least for her "happy ending" to be a little bit happier.
Conclusion: Though it's not worth the effort to go scour second-hand bookshops for it, read it, if you can find it, especially if you have a soft spot for old, cheesy fantasy. Hey, it's fun, and short enough!
And I'm glad I did. No, it isn't the best fantasy novel I have ever read. It is very light literature, and honestly, it IS a bit cheesy at times, but it is also FUN. And sometimes I like things to be fun.
Some Things I Liked:
-Alaric, being a minstrel and all, isn't a "Conan the Barbarian" type fantasy hero. He wins not with brute, all-mighty strength, but mostly by using his modest magical talent, as well as by being tricky and by just simply knowing when to get the fuck out of dodge. Having a fantasy hero who owns a swords, but doesn't care to use it most of the time was oddly refreshing.
-About half-way Alaric meets a character, Mizella, who is a prostitute in a dire situation. Usually, a prostitute character in a dire situation, especially in 70s fantasy, does not exactly promise something well-written and interesting, but boy, was I proven wrong! While at first I was afraid that she would just be a very cliched Whore With A Heart Of Gold type character, with the Required Tragic Backstory, who would be nothing but a plot point to our hero, she turned out to actually be... a person? With thoughts and feelings? And she was actually interesting and fun to read about? To my surprise (and pleasure!), Mizella quite quickly became my favourite character.
Some Things I Did Not Like Very Much
-You can stop telling us how many women you boned, Alaric. We get it, you are a very good lover, even though Princess Solinde is your only true love in the world. (Also, someone should let Phyllis Eisenstein know that Hymens Don't Work Like That)
-The book has a very episodic structure, with Alaric traveling from town saving people and wooing women, and it only gains a more traditional plot structure in the last few chapters. This felt like a bit of a lost opportunity to me, since every chapter is still connected to the larger over-arching story in some way. It feels like, with only a little tweaking, and a few re-writes, these stories could have been told in a way that resembles a more natural plot structure and story arc.
-The ending to Mizella's arc was very unsatisfying to me! I would have liked a larger role for her in the last chapters (favorite character, remember?), or at least for her "happy ending" to be a little bit happier.
Conclusion: Though it's not worth the effort to go scour second-hand bookshops for it, read it, if you can find it, especially if you have a soft spot for old, cheesy fantasy. Hey, it's fun, and short enough!
August 19, 2017
I bought this book because I read a Phyllis Eisenstein short story about Alaric the minstrel. I enjoyed it very much, except for the ending. All the way through, Alaric's magic was about knowing where he was "jumping" to, and suddenly at the end he had to know where he was jumping from to be able to escape. The ending just happened as well - it felt like there should have been more. It was as if she didn't quite know how to end it. So apart from the disappointment of the last little bit, it was a good story and I will read more about Alaric.
April 3, 2011
I found the main character fabulous. Not a tough strong man but so sensitive...
January 27, 2014
Excellent. A grand exploration of the super-power theme. If you can do something special, how to monetize it? The Spider-Man problem that we all know and love.
December 13, 2017
Born to Exile (1978) by Phyllis Eisenstein is a fix-up, collecting together the stories of Alaric, the wandering minstrel, who has the power of teleportation and a born wanderlust, but isn't so much on violence. The novel won the Balrog award, so it obviously pleased somebody, and I can see why. The story breaks many tropes simply by the main character being anything but a testosterone fueled, square jawed hero. He doesn't wander in, take charge, follow a destiny, or alter the course of history. It's a very human-scale story.
Alaric has the power of teleportation, but because people are afraid of witches, they will only see him as a witch, so they will try to kill him. This keeps him very careful with his power.
The book moves along rather snappily as each story is about 50 pages long, so there's too little time for the plot to drag. We learn lots about the character until the stories end, but you can't really call the ending an ending. The last story doesn't wrap up anything, and you really don't get the feel of a story arc, which is the problem with an episodic story. Even the stories themselves lack a certain punch at the end, just sort of wandering on, happening, and wandering off.
Alaric gets laid a lot. In fact, I think that he gets laid for just showing up. On the other hand, he's not a walking bundle of muscle, nor a walking jerk, and he still gets laid, so hooray on that. Somebody who treats women as people and is generally sociable gets laid.
The women who show have personality, character, and agendas. Most importantly, the women get to be imperfect, and not paragons of anything. They even take
While the book has bad guys, it has a screaming lack of villains, those personalities who have plans. If anything, the villain is the world itself, which is just Alaric walking into trouble and wending his way back out. Just as often, this works against the story, as the character find answers to himself, but never actually formulates anything that he wants, other than moving on.
On the whole, this was a fun read, just right for those times when you want something easy and munchy, like a snack, without too much angst or drama.
Alaric has the power of teleportation, but because people are afraid of witches, they will only see him as a witch, so they will try to kill him. This keeps him very careful with his power.
The book moves along rather snappily as each story is about 50 pages long, so there's too little time for the plot to drag. We learn lots about the character until the stories end, but you can't really call the ending an ending. The last story doesn't wrap up anything, and you really don't get the feel of a story arc, which is the problem with an episodic story. Even the stories themselves lack a certain punch at the end, just sort of wandering on, happening, and wandering off.
Alaric gets laid a lot. In fact, I think that he gets laid for just showing up. On the other hand, he's not a walking bundle of muscle, nor a walking jerk, and he still gets laid, so hooray on that. Somebody who treats women as people and is generally sociable gets laid.
The women who show have personality, character, and agendas. Most importantly, the women get to be imperfect, and not paragons of anything. They even take
While the book has bad guys, it has a screaming lack of villains, those personalities who have plans. If anything, the villain is the world itself, which is just Alaric walking into trouble and wending his way back out. Just as often, this works against the story, as the character find answers to himself, but never actually formulates anything that he wants, other than moving on.
On the whole, this was a fun read, just right for those times when you want something easy and munchy, like a snack, without too much angst or drama.
April 11, 2020
This book is different. I am torn between 3 and 4 stars but leaning towards three because although the style is good the book neither wowed me nor overly stirred me. As one reviewer put it: this is hardly your typical swords and sorcery fantasy. I will attempt to describe it vaguely enough that nothing is revealed yet with enough of the general tone so a reader of this review can decide if they are interested.
While we follow one main protagonist and this is a shorter book, the overall tone reminds greatly of the cutthroat personas you find within Game of Thrones. Many people that our main character encounters are very ruthless in doing what they do with a few "goodies" punctuating the commonplace selfishness. Our main character possesses a trait that allows his rare good heart to somehow survive despite the dreary reality of the very stark and unforgiving world he lives in - see the world of Game of Thrones and indeed our own world at times. Phyllis Eisenstein has a good hand for bringing the situation crisp to our mind's eye without bogging down in overly verbose style. The book is good at rounding out our main character in very realistic ways despite our fantasy setting and his narrative thought processes are accurate and and keep to the path of the round and well developed character that our author develops. My criticisms are thus: I don't know how our minstrel would ever get away in the end and the second novel, by assessment, seems to leave the past development behind. I also walk away with some emotions from the novel but nothing really shifted or inspired. Our main character seems somewhat back right where he started, on more than one occasion.
Thus 3 stars instead of 4.
While we follow one main protagonist and this is a shorter book, the overall tone reminds greatly of the cutthroat personas you find within Game of Thrones. Many people that our main character encounters are very ruthless in doing what they do with a few "goodies" punctuating the commonplace selfishness. Our main character possesses a trait that allows his rare good heart to somehow survive despite the dreary reality of the very stark and unforgiving world he lives in - see the world of Game of Thrones and indeed our own world at times. Phyllis Eisenstein has a good hand for bringing the situation crisp to our mind's eye without bogging down in overly verbose style. The book is good at rounding out our main character in very realistic ways despite our fantasy setting and his narrative thought processes are accurate and and keep to the path of the round and well developed character that our author develops. My criticisms are thus: I don't know how our minstrel would ever get away in the end and the second novel, by assessment, seems to leave the past development behind. I also walk away with some emotions from the novel but nothing really shifted or inspired. Our main character seems somewhat back right where he started, on more than one occasion.
Thus 3 stars instead of 4.
December 24, 2019
These are the adventures of Alaric the minstrel, a foundling discovered on a wooded hillside with a severed hand clutching his leg. Taken in by a childless couple desperate for someone to care for he later is befriended by a minstrel called Dall who recognises his unusual ability - liable to be described by the society they live in as witchcraft. Alaric has the power of self-teleportation - handy for extricating himself from dodgy situations but a dangerous attribute.
In his wanderings after Dall’s death he comes to a castle where the local princess takes a fancy to him. Their liaison uncovered he has to flee precipitately but cannot forget her. Eventually he meets a former midwife with a strange tale to tell. She has only one hand. Cut off when a child she had just delivered disappeared along with it and banned from her home kingdom for failing to take proper care of her charge. Through her he comes to his ancestral home and finds a family he didn’t know he had (all of whom have his ability - but it must be kept secret.)
Born to Exile is a pleasant enough read, Alaric is a reasonably engaging protagonist - with a conscience (though the sexual politics of his world are typical of fantasy novels of this vintage) - and the ending provides scope for a sequel.
In his wanderings after Dall’s death he comes to a castle where the local princess takes a fancy to him. Their liaison uncovered he has to flee precipitately but cannot forget her. Eventually he meets a former midwife with a strange tale to tell. She has only one hand. Cut off when a child she had just delivered disappeared along with it and banned from her home kingdom for failing to take proper care of her charge. Through her he comes to his ancestral home and finds a family he didn’t know he had (all of whom have his ability - but it must be kept secret.)
Born to Exile is a pleasant enough read, Alaric is a reasonably engaging protagonist - with a conscience (though the sexual politics of his world are typical of fantasy novels of this vintage) - and the ending provides scope for a sequel.
March 21, 2023
Good old fashioned sword and sorcery, imaginative, escapist, and really fun. Maybe you have to have grown up in the genre to really appreciate the appeal, and I can't deny it's a bit silly, a bit cheesy...
The abandoned child is an archetype I've always identified with. Minstrels are a common trope in fantasy, as are hidden talents, and lost love... it's all the classic elements,thrown together in a somewhat haphazard volume that ends too abruptly, but amuses along the way.
I'm only sorry her body of published works isn't a bit larger; reliably decent female authors are in short supply.
The abandoned child is an archetype I've always identified with. Minstrels are a common trope in fantasy, as are hidden talents, and lost love... it's all the classic elements,thrown together in a somewhat haphazard volume that ends too abruptly, but amuses along the way.
I'm only sorry her body of published works isn't a bit larger; reliably decent female authors are in short supply.
September 28, 2023
I was super excited to start this. I read one of Phyllis' short stories in the Rogues collection and loved it, it was easily my favourite out of the 20 or so in there. I feel therefore my rating here is probably more due to too high expectations. I enjoyed the book, I really rattled through it, but overall for me it was too fast paced. It could easily have been double the length with no additional story points but giving it time to breathe and for the relationships to feel truer and give you time to get invested. Still having said that I enjoyed the plot and the story and will try my best to find another by her.
February 10, 2025
I gotta ask about the elephant in the room. Incest wasn't there just in my copy of the book, right? Because I feel like with no one mentioning it there's gotta be something wrong with my book.
Other than that it was fine, the last story ends very abruptly. My definite criticism is how 1. the main character is in love with one woman but keeps bedding others. Even women won't write male characters who stay celibate for their true love, huh? And in similar vein, 2. really every woman had to want to jump his bones? Was his dick so magical it sent magical vibes to all women?
Because all of the above I have no interest in reading second installment.
Other than that it was fine, the last story ends very abruptly. My definite criticism is how 1. the main character is in love with one woman but keeps bedding others. Even women won't write male characters who stay celibate for their true love, huh? And in similar vein, 2. really every woman had to want to jump his bones? Was his dick so magical it sent magical vibes to all women?
Because all of the above I have no interest in reading second installment.
February 6, 2018
I recently saw Phyllis Eisenstein recommended as one of the best women science fiction authors and wanted to read something of hers. This is a gentle tale of Alaric the minstrel, who has a secret power he would be in danger to reveal. Sweet adventure fantasy.
January 29, 2019
High fantasy about a minstrel who discovers he has the ability to teleport. Really good. More of a collection of vignettes featuring the recurring character of Alaric. There's a sequel to this I want to read right now.
July 4, 2020
I read one or two of the novel sections as stories back in the 1970s. This novel holds up quite well and is very enjoyable. I thought about the Hapsburg family as I read this. Good characterization and good story lines. Well done
July 28, 2022
Vermakelijk verhaal over een familie met een bijzondere gave.
Vrijwel vanaf de eerste bladzijde voel je sympathie voor de hoofdpersoon en je leeft de rest van het verhaal met hem mee. Met zijn angsten, met zijn moraal, en uiteindelijk snap je de uitweg uit zijn dilemma.
Vrijwel vanaf de eerste bladzijde voel je sympathie voor de hoofdpersoon en je leeft de rest van het verhaal met hem mee. Met zijn angsten, met zijn moraal, en uiteindelijk snap je de uitweg uit zijn dilemma.
July 26, 2020
I only read this because Stephen Gould, the author of Jumper, listed it as a source of inspiration for his series about teleportation.
April 10, 2021
Unlike any other tale I’ve read, unique and original. This is what I picture Alan A Dale’s life would be like. Wandering from village to town, singing stories of old.
August 5, 2024
If you're waiting for Patrick Rothfuss's Doors of Stone, give this beautiful book a try! It's cozy and each vignette has a twist that you won't see coming.
Read
August 20, 2024Books that make you say “well that was weird and fucked up”
October 21, 2025
This book was highly original and entertaining. I first read it as a child, and it left a strong impression on me. Recently reread it and my initial impression wasn't wrong.
April 28, 2022
4 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews
Summary
Alaric, found as a baby on a mountainside, with a human hand attached to his ankle, has reached adolescence as a journeyman minstrel, but left alone again with the murder of his master and friend. Unknown to others, Alaric has the power to travel instantly to any place he's been before - but it's as much curse as blessing when it forces him away from the woman he loves.
Review
Born to Exile was my introduction to Phyllis Eisenstein, and it was a good one. An episodic novel first published as separate stories, it works well as a novel. Eisenstein has a deft hand with characterization, and the story flows smoothly, with satisfying arcs within most chapter/stories. Alaric, though acting a bit older than his 16-17 years, is an engaging, interesting character who considers his actions. The book itself is a bit less successful in its arc, and ends somewhat suddenly, without exploring one of the mysteries it sets up.
Though the author is a woman, the stories were written in the ’70s, and some of the attitudes are a product of their time, with purely supporting roles for women. Despite that, it’s a very enjoyable read, and I recommend it.
Summary
Alaric, found as a baby on a mountainside, with a human hand attached to his ankle, has reached adolescence as a journeyman minstrel, but left alone again with the murder of his master and friend. Unknown to others, Alaric has the power to travel instantly to any place he's been before - but it's as much curse as blessing when it forces him away from the woman he loves.
Review
Born to Exile was my introduction to Phyllis Eisenstein, and it was a good one. An episodic novel first published as separate stories, it works well as a novel. Eisenstein has a deft hand with characterization, and the story flows smoothly, with satisfying arcs within most chapter/stories. Alaric, though acting a bit older than his 16-17 years, is an engaging, interesting character who considers his actions. The book itself is a bit less successful in its arc, and ends somewhat suddenly, without exploring one of the mysteries it sets up.
Though the author is a woman, the stories were written in the ’70s, and some of the attitudes are a product of their time, with purely supporting roles for women. Despite that, it’s a very enjoyable read, and I recommend it.
September 20, 2015
Born to Exile (1978) 251 pages by Phyllis Eisenstein
Alaric is a sixteen year old minstrel with a witch's power to instantly move to any spot that he can picture clearly. Until the age of ten or eleven he made his living using his power and stealing. That's when he met Dall who trained him to be a minstrel. They roamed for years until Dall died. Dall had frequently talked about a distant kingdom and returning to Castle Royale to make his fortune. Alaric decided to go there. His singing got him a job as the minstrel. He became fast friends with prince Jeris, princess Solinde and the dwarf court jester. He is living a great life, although kind of having a longing for the princess, until an incident causing him to use his witch's power occurs and he is banished. There are four more contiguous novellas.
Even though he started off as a thief Alaric didn't feel right about it and was much more content earning a living as a minstrel. A fantastic character. I've read several other Alaric stories in F&SF and all the stories have been great. I picked up this book as a direct result of reading her in F&SF. All of the stories will stand alone, but these tell of his early life, his origin, and his family, so it's a great a place to start reading.
Outstanding, fun stories. Quick read, it made my travel day short.
Alaric is a sixteen year old minstrel with a witch's power to instantly move to any spot that he can picture clearly. Until the age of ten or eleven he made his living using his power and stealing. That's when he met Dall who trained him to be a minstrel. They roamed for years until Dall died. Dall had frequently talked about a distant kingdom and returning to Castle Royale to make his fortune. Alaric decided to go there. His singing got him a job as the minstrel. He became fast friends with prince Jeris, princess Solinde and the dwarf court jester. He is living a great life, although kind of having a longing for the princess, until an incident causing him to use his witch's power occurs and he is banished. There are four more contiguous novellas.
Even though he started off as a thief Alaric didn't feel right about it and was much more content earning a living as a minstrel. A fantastic character. I've read several other Alaric stories in F&SF and all the stories have been great. I picked up this book as a direct result of reading her in F&SF. All of the stories will stand alone, but these tell of his early life, his origin, and his family, so it's a great a place to start reading.
Outstanding, fun stories. Quick read, it made my travel day short.
June 22, 2012
Boulder, Colorado is home to a wonderful used bookstore called "The Bookworm". This is where I found "Born to Exile" by Phyllis Eisenstein. The cover to this book was created by Richard Hescox. For reasons that are too complicated to explain, I thought this was the cover to the Jack Vance omnibus titled "Durdane". I had given up on looking for this particular book cover after ordering a couple of used Durdane omnibuses and not getting this picture. ( My enthusiasm came from the guitar theme so beautifully portrayed here.) Anyway, I never expected to find this cover and while looking through the
F and Sf section of this store stumbled upon it. And although I was on vacation, and I promised myself that I wouldn't get involved with any sagas on my vacation, I read the first chapter of this book. I continued to read it on our flight back home and devoured it in four hours. Not only is this a graet story about guitars, Or lutes specifically, It's also a story about love and magic. And it's so wonderfully told that i couldn't put it down throughout the entire flight. Now, the Jack Vance "Durdane" story is another amazing tale about guitars and life, but I'll review that on another occasion.
F and Sf section of this store stumbled upon it. And although I was on vacation, and I promised myself that I wouldn't get involved with any sagas on my vacation, I read the first chapter of this book. I continued to read it on our flight back home and devoured it in four hours. Not only is this a graet story about guitars, Or lutes specifically, It's also a story about love and magic. And it's so wonderfully told that i couldn't put it down throughout the entire flight. Now, the Jack Vance "Durdane" story is another amazing tale about guitars and life, but I'll review that on another occasion.
September 30, 2014
Written in 1977 this is a gentle and thoughtful fantasy. I was also slightly shocked to see that the magical talent described here is the same as appeared in the Jumper films and books some 30 years later, I’d love to know what the author thought of her ideas being reflected by another author.
Anyway, Alaric has the ability to teleport himself but hides this in a world where any sort of witchcraft is punishable by death. His skills as a minstrel get his into a castle but his mistake is to fall in love with a princess and have his skill exposed. It is almost a book of three parts as following this adventure he travels to a village hiding a dark secret and then he finds himself on a journey to discover his origins and the strange family he comes from.
It is a short but well written book with an engaging lead character and it avoids overuse of his magic. It felt slightly old fashioned in the telling but I liked that aspect. The cover(s) may appear whimsical or more pointed towards the ladies but this is still a worthwhile, easy, read.
Anyway, Alaric has the ability to teleport himself but hides this in a world where any sort of witchcraft is punishable by death. His skills as a minstrel get his into a castle but his mistake is to fall in love with a princess and have his skill exposed. It is almost a book of three parts as following this adventure he travels to a village hiding a dark secret and then he finds himself on a journey to discover his origins and the strange family he comes from.
It is a short but well written book with an engaging lead character and it avoids overuse of his magic. It felt slightly old fashioned in the telling but I liked that aspect. The cover(s) may appear whimsical or more pointed towards the ladies but this is still a worthwhile, easy, read.
August 6, 2015
I liked it. I didn't fall crazy for it, but I was entertained in a very relaxed way. It is not one of those fantasy bullies that grab you and don't let you go until the end of page 800 and something while threatening to kill off important characters. This one is easy and nice, not too elaborated or complicated. I'll see if it gets any trickier in the second and third book. Worth reading if you want some easy-going fantasy.
August 21, 2013
This is a easy fun and adventure book of magic in a whole new way. This was a one read book. Enjoyed it a lot.
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