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    Daggerspell
    Daggerspell
    Daggerspell
    Audiobook15 hours

    Daggerspell

    Written by Katharine Kerr

    Narrated by Ruth Urquhart

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Even as a young girl, Jill was a favorite of the magical, mysterious Wildfolk, who appeared to her from their invisible realm. Little did she know her extraordinary friends represented but a glimpse of a forgotten past and a fateful future. Four hundred years-and many lifetimes-ago, one selfish young lord caused the death of two innocent lovers. Then and there he vowed never to rest until he'd rightened that wrong-and laid the foundation for the lives of Jill and all those whom she would hold dear: her father, the mercenary soldier Cullyn; the exiled berserker Rhodry Maelwaedd; and the ancient and powerful herbman Nevyn, all bound in a struggle against darkness . . . and a quest to fulfill the destinies determined centuries ago.

    Here in this newly revised edition comes the incredible novel that began one of the best-loved fantasy seers in recent years-a tale of bold adventure and timeless love, perilous battle, and pure magic. For long-standing fans of Deverry and those who have yet to experience this exciting series, Daggerspell is a rare and special treat.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJun 26, 2018
    ISBN9781977378897
    Daggerspell
    Author

    Katharine Kerr

    Katharine Kerr was born in Ohio and moved to San Francisco Bay Area in 1962, where she has lived ever since. She 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.

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    Reviews for Daggerspell

    4/5

    480 ratings15 reviews

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    • 3/5
      The story in itself is actually good, but the narrator is horrible!!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      The first book in the Deverry series starts the epic world Kerr created in which characters are reincarnated and their many lives intertwine. This book focuses on the love square between Prince Galrion, Brangwen, her brother Gerraent and their friend Blaen. The actions and tragedies of their lives carry on over 400 years, even as their souls inhabit new bodies and destinies. If you enjoy epic fantasy with magic and adventure and strong characters, you'll enjoy this book. I've actually already read the three books towards the end of this series (The Red Wyvern, The Black Raven and The Fire Dragon) which are sort of a stand alone set within the series, so I'm familiar with Kerr's world and some of the characters. I'm excited to start at the beginning though. I love seeing how the characters change (or don't) and interact over the centuries. I really have no major criticisms of this book. The only thing that might trip you up is remembering who reincarnates as who and what their relationships are. But Kerr provides a handy chart in the back of the book - I was able to memorize them pretty easily. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!
    • 5/5
      Great series. :)
    • 5/5
      I had thought about starting the Deverry series for a long time, but something made me put it off time and again. Well, I have finally read the first book. Very much in a Celtic vain, the story is well written and evokes much of the myths and legends of ancient Ireland, bringing the beings and magic to life. The true strength of the novel; however, lies in the choices the characters make, especially Nevyn, who is cursed by his father the king and indebted through time by his lost love. Can honor carry him through the lonely centuries?
    • 5/5
      A glorious Celtic fantasy that sweeps you up and won't let go. Katherine Kerr even manages to shift between different times and use characters who are reborn again and again into different lives as they work out their destinies without confusing the reader and while still maintaining a clear thread of narrative.
    • 3/5
      Although I've given this book a rating of three, it really wavers between three and four.
      I adore the magic behind the story, the idea of the characters' "wyrds" wildfolk, & dweamor.
      The language of the story is charming- after reading the book, I found myself adding the word "truly" to my thoughts every now and again.
      I also really like Jill, the main heroine.

      On the other hand, I was very annoyed by the other male characters' overshadowing of Jill and her past selves. Nevyn had entirely too much of the narration to himself, which got boring after awhile- his dweamor powers are too great, which takes the fun out of learning about the magical possibilities. He also explained too much, without explaining enough. He gave away the identities of the characters' reincarnations and the consequences of their every action, which I would have liked to puzzle out for myself. He didn't explain how their reincarnations work, and how close they are or aren't to the original characters.
      I also thought the jealousy of the men around her came across a bit too strong- I know it's essential to the story, but it tended to lead to a neglecting of Jill and the telling of her story. At first, when it came from Nevyn's POV I thought it was merely a flaw on his part that he zeroed in on her male companions and their issues rather than on her, but as the story went on it seemed to come directly from the writing. I wanted to scream at them to get lost and let Jill (and her past selves) tell her story.
      Perhaps I was wrong, but I had a strong sense that Jill was the main heroine, the centre of the story. She is certainly the most interesting/likeable character.

      I also had difficulty keeping the names of the people, clans and cities straight. I feel like the division of the kingdom is too complicated. A cheatsheet would have been welcome.

      Lastly, I feel like the structure makes everything a bit incoherent. Too much time is spent on one scene or short story, not enough on another. It needs an internal logic to support it- if there is one already it isnt obvious enough. It doesn't have to be a linear logic- even a moral logic, or a character growth logic, some sort of order to help me keep things straight.

      In summary, this is a beautiful book, with complex and lovely magic and characters, which I wholeheartedly recommend reading. But I warn you that you will either need to put up with a layer of confusion and frustration underneath it all, or devote yourself to memorising every little name or event, and tackling the book as though it were a research project. It has its flaws, but it is worth pushing through them to get to the beautiful core.
    • 4/5
      A very good read. I was properly caught up in the story and wanted to know what would happen to the characters. A potentially confusing reincarnation plot was handled very well. And the writing is quite good (and blissfully, blissfully free of the most annoying writing tics that so often pop up in genre fiction--like adverbs strewn all over the dialogue tags). Perhaps just a touch drag-y for a bit in the third quarter, but otherwise a solid, enjoyable fantasy novel with an interesting plot and memorable characters.
    • 5/5
      I love the Deverry series of books because it combines two of my favorite subjects: Fantasy and reincarnation. Some of the twist and turns the characters take in the series are annoying, and the magic 15th book leaves a few loose ends, but all worth the read.
    • 5/5
      While I was reading Robert Jordan one of my best friends, N, was reading Katherine Kerr. Not sure how long she’d been reading Katherine Kerr for but somewhere, most likely during of our epic phone conversations, it came up that we had moved from reading the likes of Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë to a new genre, Fantasy. I suggested a swap. I have not had much exposure to the genre and was keen to read something new. I read Daggerspell in three days. I don’t think I had ever read a book so quickly, I loved it. It pulled at my heartstrings, I hated characters, I loved characters and I was constantly surprised by the plot.Thumbing through the book, which I have so long neglected, brings back the memories of an awkward teenager, who sat in the back yard, on beach towels, drinking tea, under an umbrella, at the height of the Australian summer with her sisters rereading the story until she had a grasp on what had actually happened.The story is definitely a 5/5 stars. There are not many fantasy authors with the skill to pull off such a complicated plot and not miss a thing. This book is what a fantasy novel should be, it is concise and the characters have immeasurable depth. It is a complete story but one which continues and if you don’t have the next book, you’ll probably have to quickly find the car keys and drive to your nearest bookstore.
    • 5/5
      Finally a fantasy story that is not a close cousin to LoTR! The world of magic is unique among the books I have read and I expect will be explored in greater detail in the rest of the series.Some of the characters are a little flat and opaque, but most of them are understandable and sympathetic. The author manages to easily avoid the anachronistic feminist tendencies even with her adept swords-woman character.
    • 4/5
      This is the first book in Katharine Kerr's long-running series about Deverry and the Westlands. It introduces the three linked characters of Jill, Rhodry and Nevyn. This book - and indeed the series - is set up in such a way that it will jump from future to past and back again. It can make for complicated reading and an issue with pacing, but it genuinely brings the events to life.The idea is that in the year 643 Galrion (who is to become Nevyn) makes a series of decisions that causes his lady love Brangwen to turn away from a life of dweomer (the name for magic) and become embroiled in an incestuous relationship with her own brother. Nevyn makes a vow that he will never rest until he has put things right. Consequently, he is unable to die and experiences the characters being reborn again and again while he tries to bring Brangwen to a life of dweomer. Jill is the latest woman that has the soul of Brangwen. The strength of Kerr's writing is not so much in the story itself, but in the characters who inhabit it, and in the way she is able to tell each of the short stories about one of the lives that Brangwen lives. Her ability to invest you in what is essentially a short story is exceptionally good.There are some tired cliches - the Elves for instance. Here called the Westfolk or the Elcyion Lacar, they are nomads with pointed ears and cat pupil eyes. They are foreign to the humans, and able to see the Wildfolk - the denizens of the etheric plane.I also got frustrated with two recurring over-uses of description. Many of the characters, especially the women, toss their heads. Constantly. Many of the characters keen in mourning. Frequently. Barring these two things, the writing flows well.I enjoyed the heavy Celt flavouring to Deverry, it was tied richly into the story. I do have a small complaint that a number of the names are familiar and Kerr does not bring on the characters of those in the secondary string enough for you to tell easily between your Pedyr's and your Daumur's. I thoroughly enjoyed this first instalment of the series and will read onwards eagerly.
    • 5/5
      Easily my favorite fantasy series, Katherine Kerr's tales of Deverry and the Westlands brings a new spin to some familiar elements of Celtic lore and fantasy. The story covers a span of several hundred years while keeping some common elements (mostly in the undying sorcerer Nevyn) to anchor it. The consequences that one life can have on the next generation is a recurring theme in these books, and it's fun to watch how the actions of a person influences their reincarnations and children hundreds of years later. Kerr has been working on this series for a long time, and there are currently 11 books. The most frustrating part is that the last two books in the series haven't been finished yet, but I wait patiently.
    • 2/5
      A bit too generic for my taste. The story was good, as these things go, but the writing was a little too clunky for me to really enjoy it. Mind you, I suppose this is not a genre I visit often, so I'm not much of a judge.
    • 5/5
      This book was much more wonderful than I expected. Though Kerr tends to use unusual words with a noticeable frequency, it barely detracts from the enchanting Celtic world that she creates. I'd recommend this to any fantasy fan - I've read more acclaimed works that fall short of this novel, which I'd never heard of until my friend gave it to me as a gift. I can't wait to buy the next!
    • 5/5
      I could not recommend this series more. The plotline is based around what is essentially reincarnation, and it jumps back and forth in time throughout the series as it follows several souls who keep reincarnating until they fulfill their wyrds, or destinies. Usually jumping around from perspective to perspective and through assorted plots annoys me, but its very well done here and each new storyline will drag you right in. Daggerspell introduces you to the primary or "present day" characters. The next few books hop back and forth between previous incarnations and what the "current" individuals are up to.