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Fifth Millenium
The Cage
Badly used by Habiku Smoothtongue, Megan Thanesdoom plots her vengeance against him, picking up friends and allies along the way back to her home
402 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
4 people are currently reading
250 people want to read
About the author
S.M. Stirling
170 books1,646 followersStephen Michael Stirling is a French-born Canadian-American science fiction and fantasy author. Stirling is probably best known for his Draka series of alternate history novels and the more recent time travel/alternate history Nantucket series and Emberverse series.
MINI AUTO-BIOGRAPHY:
(personal website: source)
I’m a writer by trade, born in France but Canadian by origin and American by naturalization, living in New Mexico at present. My hobbies are mostly related to the craft. I love history, anthropology and archaeology, and am interested in the sciences. The martial arts are my main physical hobby.
MINI AUTO-BIOGRAPHY:
(personal website: source)
I’m a writer by trade, born in France but Canadian by origin and American by naturalization, living in New Mexico at present. My hobbies are mostly related to the craft. I love history, anthropology and archaeology, and am interested in the sciences. The martial arts are my main physical hobby.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 16, 2020
This is a decent science-fantasy adventure novel that's been on my TBR forever, since I saw Eric Raymond's 1990 review. It's a somewhat generic post-apocalyptic novel, set in Central Europe around 4973 AD, long after a worldwide nuclear holocaust. Civilizations are at roughly medieval levels, and there is a bit of magic too. The protagonists are Megan, a wealthy shipping and trading-company owner headquartered on (I think) the Dnieper river, and Sh'kaira, her woman-warrior lover from faraway Almerkun across the Lannic Ocean. Megan was swindled out of her company and sold into slavery by her former business partner Habiku Smoothtongue. Megan has escaped slavery and she's mad as hell. She wants her company back, and revenge on the evil, scheming Habiku. The book is well-written and moves right along, but is certainly not even near to the same class as Bujold's classic Vorkosigan adventures, as Raymond suggested. And Stirling's done much better elsewhere. But this book has a dedicated fan base, as you will see from other reviews here. So, if you like fast-paced, romantic lesbian action-adventure tales, this might be right for you.
Eric Raymond, whose reviews I have generally found to be reliable, liked this one a lot in 1990:
"Stirling and Meier deserve praise for having written a novel that works as an intense psychological study without sacrificing any of the action, color, and other virtues of the "pulp fiction" tradition. Happily, there's been a rash of this lately (I think of Lois McMaster Bujold's "Miles Vorkosigan" stories, in particular) but one can find examples as far back as Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination). The Cage is strong stuff -- and strongly recommended."
http://catb.org/~esr/sfreviews/RR0000...
Eric Raymond, whose reviews I have generally found to be reliable, liked this one a lot in 1990:
"Stirling and Meier deserve praise for having written a novel that works as an intense psychological study without sacrificing any of the action, color, and other virtues of the "pulp fiction" tradition. Happily, there's been a rash of this lately (I think of Lois McMaster Bujold's "Miles Vorkosigan" stories, in particular) but one can find examples as far back as Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination). The Cage is strong stuff -- and strongly recommended."
http://catb.org/~esr/sfreviews/RR0000...
September 1, 2012
Many years ago I found this book at a flea market and the cover instantly caught my interest. I was dubious as to quality, I mean, the cover is rather cheesy, but I love fantasy, and the idea of a lesbian hero to my then teenage self proved irresistible.
This is one of the few books I've read that has stood up over time. Or rather that I love just as much as an adult as I did as a teen. Every few years I pull out my yellowed, shabby, much-loved copy and re-read it. And every time I fall in love all over again: with the characters, their world, and their plight.
This is one of the few books I've read that has stood up over time. Or rather that I love just as much as an adult as I did as a teen. Every few years I pull out my yellowed, shabby, much-loved copy and re-read it. And every time I fall in love all over again: with the characters, their world, and their plight.
February 27, 2013
ADORED this book. It opened the whole world of Fantasy for me - and two strong women??? I found Heaven!!! I read this book many times over the years and really loved the whole series. Wish the series went on and on....
May 14, 2012
Why did I love this book so much? I liked the idea of Megan and Shkai'ra.. Both warrior-women, and both clever and smart. The first thing that drew me to the book though, was Larry Elmore's fantastic cover. I've been a fan of Larry's since the Dragonlance books were first released, so pretty much any book that came out with one of his covers, I bought.
I liked the idea of the flitter-kitties, the feather-snakes, and Ten-Knife and the Ri. The supporting characters get a good back-story to explain who they mostly are, and why they all come to crew Megan's boat as it heads back to her homeland for her to take her revenge on the man she loved and who sold her into slavery.
I liked the idea of the flitter-kitties, the feather-snakes, and Ten-Knife and the Ri. The supporting characters get a good back-story to explain who they mostly are, and why they all come to crew Megan's boat as it heads back to her homeland for her to take her revenge on the man she loved and who sold her into slavery.
May 22, 2008
I am re-reading this book again for the 10+ time. I remember being amazed by it when I was younger because it dealt with a lesbian/bi couple in the lead character roles. And one of them has razorblade edged fingernails!
A great fantasy read and page turner, I consider it one of my comfort reads. Yes, only I would find a story about two-mismatched lesbians seeking revenge comforting!
A great fantasy read and page turner, I consider it one of my comfort reads. Yes, only I would find a story about two-mismatched lesbians seeking revenge comforting!
March 3, 2022
I came across this while sorting through boxes of books, and felt the urge to reread it (as well as the other books in the Fifth Millenium series). I did start with this book, if only because it was the first book of the series that I read originally.
Megan Whitlock is a trader who was betrayed by a subordinate, who drugged her, raped her, and handed her to someone to kill, but that person decided to sell her as a slave instead (and make more money that way). Now she's on her way home, along with her lover, Shkai'ra, a barbarian from the other side of the Lannic Ocean.
That last bit gives you a hint of the setting. It's three thousand years from now, long after what is probably a nuclear war, although only remembered in legendary terms ("the earned fires"). But it's a fantasy novel.
Basically, we have Megan, who is twisted up inside by her childhood (which involved abuse) and the betrayal. Then there is Shkai'ra, who is exiled from her barbarian, canibalistic tribe in what used to be North America. She's completely comfortable in her own skin, although her background gives a strange twist to her attitudes.
And then we have Habiku Smoothtongue, who is obsessed with Megan, betrayed her, but still wants her. And his own abused past helps to understand just why his attitudes are twisted as well.
So, two people obsessed with each other for different reasons and the people caught up in their feud, in a fascinating world. I enjoyed my reread just as much as I enjoyed it when I read it the first time more than twenty years ago.
Megan Whitlock is a trader who was betrayed by a subordinate, who drugged her, raped her, and handed her to someone to kill, but that person decided to sell her as a slave instead (and make more money that way). Now she's on her way home, along with her lover, Shkai'ra, a barbarian from the other side of the Lannic Ocean.
That last bit gives you a hint of the setting. It's three thousand years from now, long after what is probably a nuclear war, although only remembered in legendary terms ("the earned fires"). But it's a fantasy novel.
Basically, we have Megan, who is twisted up inside by her childhood (which involved abuse) and the betrayal. Then there is Shkai'ra, who is exiled from her barbarian, canibalistic tribe in what used to be North America. She's completely comfortable in her own skin, although her background gives a strange twist to her attitudes.
And then we have Habiku Smoothtongue, who is obsessed with Megan, betrayed her, but still wants her. And his own abused past helps to understand just why his attitudes are twisted as well.
So, two people obsessed with each other for different reasons and the people caught up in their feud, in a fascinating world. I enjoyed my reread just as much as I enjoyed it when I read it the first time more than twenty years ago.
September 14, 2009
To be honest, I only got through this book because it had lesbian lead characters. Please don't think I'm shallow or chauvinistic. I just wanted something positive to say because I liked the author's other books. Skip this whole series and try something else.
November 7, 2015
Well-done sword and sorcery epic with bi female protagonists and alternative family structure. I read this quite a while back, then ended up recommending it at a con panel recently. Thinking of revisiting the series.
February 28, 2023
Okay so I originally got this thinking it was was gunna be a 🌶 80’s fantasy book. How can you not think that when a characters name is Smoothtongue?! But alas it was just a regular fantasy book with hints of fade to black moments.
That being said, the plot line was great with cute quips of humor. Would have been rated higher but I honestly can’t stand 80’s/90’s writing. I had to keep flipping back to understand half the words and then some weren’t even included in the glossary. WHAT EVEN IS ZIGHT?!
Also be warned it’s part of a series written by two authors but the order is unknown. Had no idea it was part of a series at all until I put it into goodreads here. So I was lost for most of the backstory because of this.
That being said, the plot line was great with cute quips of humor. Would have been rated higher but I honestly can’t stand 80’s/90’s writing. I had to keep flipping back to understand half the words and then some weren’t even included in the glossary. WHAT EVEN IS ZIGHT?!
Also be warned it’s part of a series written by two authors but the order is unknown. Had no idea it was part of a series at all until I put it into goodreads here. So I was lost for most of the backstory because of this.
October 19, 2023
A great story of revenge, hampered only by Stirling's incessant need throughout his works to make every single antagonist a rapist. Which actually wouldn't be as bad in this novel since it's a large part of the protagonist's personality and the trauma drawn from it, but the authors still go in detail of the assaults repeatedly and with multiple different characters. If it weren't such a good story in all other respects I would have put it down early on because of it.
July 19, 2018
4.5*.
August 10, 2009
This was a very interesting fantasy novel; after having been used to Weiss/Hickman when it comes to 80s fantasy, this was quite different. Very, VERY densely full of description...sometimes to a distracting degree, which was annoying. This book too me *much* longer to read than I had anticipated - I was expecting a light fantasy novel for the summer. But it was far from that. Still, however, enjoyable in its uniqueness - the characters & storyline & races were all something to get used to, and I ended up liking most. I just feel like perhaps I would have benefited from having read the other books in the series (I had no idea this was the third in a series when my friend recommended it to me, years ago), but I don't really have any interest in doing so. I'm glad I finally read this book, but I don't think I'd read any others by this author, as well-written as I thought The Cage was.
May 28, 2020
Megan Thanesdoom, backed by friends but mainly by her partner Shkai'ra, starts putting her plan to revenge herself on the enemy who'd destroyed her life in motion. It's an excellent story, as the reader is caught by the horror of what Habiku did to her, but also by the horror of what she wants to do to him in retaliation, the horror of how her life and ambitions have been twisted by him. Will her vengeance be enough for her to end it? Will she find peace at last?
June 28, 2014
This is the first book of the series that I came across and is still my favorite. I enjoy the bond between the strong women characters, and the different ideas of marriage and relationship in it. It's an enjoyable adventure, and I badly want one of those great big dogs. :)
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews