Caledon of the Mists

Caledon #1

by Deborah Turner Harris

After the death of her brother in a battle against a shape-shifting demon, Mhairi takes up the struggle to unite the Caledonians and must use all her Feyan powers to overcome a tyrant's dark magic and regain her rightful throne.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy

402 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Deborah Turner Harris (born 1951 in Pennsylvania), is an American fantasy author, best known for her collaborations with Katherine Kurtz. She lives in Scotland and is married to Scottish author Robert J. Harris.

Reviews

[Kogiopsis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read as part of my ongoing shelf audit; acquired sometime in high school at the local Friends of the Library book sale, for about fifty cents.

Just... meh. Two stars because I didn't actively dislike it, but I also just didn't care. Characters were uninteresting, plot was predictable, funky fey stuff barely came into play at all. It passed the time and that's about all there is to say. My copy will be donated back to the library, and hopefully they can make another fifty cents for it.

[Heidi Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read it sometime ago, and remembered liking it. After reading it again, I am not sure if I like it as much as I thought I did. It has a lot of similarities to a book about Irish or Celtic people and also Scotland, but I am not sure that I like the direction it went. Even though I own the books I don't think I will read them again.

[Keith · Rating 1 out of 5]

An interesting concept spoiled by beige prose and too many plot threads and viewpoint characters explored in too little detail.

[Sandy Frediani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this as much as I'd anticipated when I picked it up at a local library book sale. I think I'm just not the "target" audience.

[Maggie Foster]

As it turned out, this book is not in my genre and that makes it harder for me to write a useful review. Those who routinely read fantasy involving demons and fairies will be better able to judge.

First, the good news. Ms. Harris can write. Her command of the English language (and a few of its variants) is effective, evocative, rich, and satisfying. The characters are individuals and interesting in their own right. The dialogue is believable and the motives understandable.

The story suffers from the lack of a strong protagonist, a loose thread that was never explained, and predictability. The ending was a foregone conclusion from the first few pages. I also skipped over the barroom brawl and endless battle scenes.

But the weak point in this tale is the setting and ambiance. I write about the Scots. I grew up with them. I am one of them, via the diaspora. Ms. Harris could claim the same level of familiarity, perhaps more. She has chosen, however, to twist what she knows into something that rings false. Every time she used a familiar quotation, or song, or location, or bit of genuine Scottish history it was rendered just enough out of skew to grate on the nerves. It was like fingernails on a chalk board. Instead of loving the faux Scotland she created, I shied from it. In my opinion the story would have been better served by changing the venue and making it the author’s own.

[KDawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time with the story. I just didn't find it very interesting, which was disappointing b/c I like her collaboration with Katherine Kurts on The Adept series. Ah well.

[Jason Martian · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was better than I thought it was going to be