Confessions of an English Opium Eater (Penguin Classics)

Book Description

In this remarkable autobiography, Thomas De Quincey hauntingly describes the surreal visions and hallucinatory nocturnal wanderings he took through London-and the nightmares, despair, and paranoia to which he became prey-under the influence of the then-legal painkiller laudanum. Forging a link between artistic self-expression and addiction, Confessions seamlessly weaves the effects of drugs and the nature of dreams, memory, and imagination. First published in 1821, it paved the way for later generations of literary drug users, from Baudelaire to Burroughs, and anticipated psychoanalysis with its insights into the subconscious.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Autobiographical Work of Art.......2007-08-10

I stumbled on this book while I was a long-haired undergrad in college many years ago, and I selected it (probably because of the intriguing, rebellious-sounding title) to write a term paper on for a class I was taking in biography. I have nursed a special attraction for this work of literary art ever since those days, and currently own it in several different editions, including this one from Penguin Classics.

While his writing is probably tough-going for the typical modern day reader, De Quincey was truly a master stylist of English prose (one of the greatest who ever lived) and the writing here is lushly impeccable -- beautiful and poetic. Contemporary readers, do not be afraid of this kind of book! Sure, it might be difficult to read (it's certainly not "dummied down" like so much modern day stuff), but if you don't try, I think you'll be missing out on a great adventure. After all, consider, Shakespeare and the Bible are difficult to read too!

In any event, these writings of De Quincey's, quite autobiographical, tell of the marvelous stimulus to creativity and pleasure that opium can provide (at least, in the initial phases) to those who become emeshed in her dark empire, as well as the chilling aftermath -- the pathetic fear and trembling that inevitably follow from addiction. At his peak usage, I have read that De Quincey was doing around 8,000 drops a day (approximately 80 teaspoons). As one of the other reviewers here correctly noted, tincture of opium (I think that it actually came as a liquid blend of opium, drinking alcohol, and cinnamon) was sold over-the-counter as medicine in neighborhood apothecary shops (drug stores and pharmacies) in those days.

The "Confessions" date from 1822, while a complementary sequel, "Suspiria de Profundis", dates from 1845. De Qunicey, who relapsed three times after trying to "clean himself up" and "go straight", passed away in December 1859, right about the time that Baudelaire (who also died an opium addict -- in 1867) was completing his own book (it was in direct response to De Quincey's) about the dreamy debacheries of hashish and opium, entitled "Artificial Paradises".

Flawless, beautiful prose, compelling autobiography........2007-05-18

This is English that one can luxuriate in and enjoy for it's precision and beauty. There are few if any English compositions that better convey subjective feeling than this book. You feel as though you are inside the author's mind as he writes so exactly and sympathetically.

As a recounting of a man's struggle with addiction it is a compelling story.

Not visions of sugar plums.......2004-12-01

It's a classic of course, but not very readable as pure entertainment.Probably the parts about his opium addiction, which are pages 44-88, are of most interest today. To be frank, most of the rest is hard going unless you're adept at reading early nineteenth century English, perhaps an English or history major. De Quincey was a rambling and digressive writer, even by nineteenth century standards. There is some fascination in the interlocking lives of this circle of writers of the romantic movement (the "Lake Poets";Wordsworth, Coleridge and Southey, and their contemporaries Keats, Shelley and Byron) especially if you've read Richard Holmes's wonderful biographies.
You can get the "Confessions of an English Opium Eater" alone cheaper in the Dover edition. This Penguin Classics edition contained other writings which are of limited appeal, but the notes and the introduction and appendix by Barry Mulligan make it more understandable and provide useful historical background about opium use.
Opium was freely available over the counter in England until 1858, so this could be read as a warning about what might happen with legalization. It has always been a puzzle that De Quincey and Coleridge described vivid dreams and hallucinations as part of their experience, whereas opioids used by addicts today are not usually hallucinogenic. De Quincey was aware that his experiences were atypical and offered his own explanations ("one whose talk is of oxen will dream of oxen").
I was intrigued his account of the relief of his withdrawal symptoms by the use of valerian (prescribed by Bell of Bell's palsy).

Confessions of an English Opium-Eater: and Other Writings (Oxford World's Classics)

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This is the DeQuincey you want
A masterpiece from a brilliant yet ignored philosopher

Confessions of an English Opium-Eater: and Other Writings (Oxford World's Classics)
Thomas De Quincey
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0192836544

Book Description

This selection of De Quincey's writings includes the title piece--his most famous work--as well as "On the Knocking at the Gate in Macbeth," "The English Mail-Coach," and the Suspiria de Profundis.

Customer Reviews:

This is the DeQuincey you want.......2001-01-11

If you are choosing between several editions of the -Opium Eater-, this one is the one you want.

True, it does not have Alethea Hayter's introduction, like the Penguin edition has; that being a point in that one's favour. But here you -also- get the entire -Suspiria de Profundis-, which is in many ways more beautiful and interesting than the Opium Eater itself. -Levana and Our Ladies of Sorrow- must surely be the single greatest prose poem ever written in English.

The -Suspiria- was intended as a sequel to the -Opium Eater-, and those who enjoy the one will want them both.

A masterpiece from a brilliant yet ignored philosopher.......1998-12-17

This masterpiece of literature is a fascinating account of the pains and pleasures of opium as well as an autobiographical account of his youth. This books illustrates that sometimes moral or other world issues are not always in black and white. A sensitive and beautiful man, de Quincy's great book is a treasure!!!!

The Confessions of an English Opium-eater

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The Confessions of an English Opium-eater
Thomas De Quincey
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ASIN: 1420927078

Confessions of an English Opium-eater (Penguin Popular Classics)

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Confessions of an English Opium-eater (Penguin Popular Classics)
Thomas De Quincey
Manufacturer: Penguin Books Ltd
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Binding: Paperback

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Confessions of an English Opium Eater (Dover Thrift Editions)

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Trainspotting -- Early 19th Century Style
For Verbiage Junkies Only
I confess, I found it severely lacking
Not the common definition of "confession"....
A Great Book and A Great Writer

Confessions of an English Opium Eater (Dover Thrift Editions)
Thomas De Quincey
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
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ASIN: 0486287424

Book Description

Impressive account — admired for its introspective penetration and journalistic astuteness — of author's early years as a precocious student of Greek and Latin, his adventures among the outcasts and prostitutes of London, studies at Oxford University, introduction to opium in 1804 and his longterm involvement with the drug.

Customer Reviews:

Trainspotting -- Early 19th Century Style.......2003-07-18

I recently learned that Thomas De Quincey attended my school, although this is a fact that is not prominent in its promotional literature (having the distinction of being the alma mater of one of history's most famous drug addicts not being high on the list of items deemed likely to attract the attention of well-heeled parents seeking a school for their precocious ten-year olds). This is a drug memoir of sorts, but it is washed in a romantic aestheticism that distinguishes it from the familiar gritty and sordid morality plays of more recent times. De Quincy sometimes comes off as an erudite version of the charcher played by Ewan McGregor in Trainspotting. Entertaining stuff, if a little dry in places.

For Verbiage Junkies Only.......2002-11-30

Thomas De Quincey was a contemporary of Wordsworth and more importantly in terms of comparison, Coleridge. He writes that Coleridge and he met several times and in one instance they perused some Parnesi prints together. Whether on not they were both high at the time, De Quincey doesn't reveal. However, given the tenor of the tangent upon which De Quincey expounds, it is certain that at least he was using, and given Coleridge's history, he probably was a well. Why do I cite this incident? Because it is one of the few points in the narrative that is memorable. As someone interested in literary figures, the image of two 19th century literary hop-heads grooving-out whilst staring at Parnesi prints (you should look up Parnesi on the web - a definite precursor to M.C. Escher)is just plain marvelous.

Unfortunately, that, and a few paragraphs depicting some truly macabre nightmares are the only noteworthy incidents in this book. Too often, De Quicey's labarynthine riffs doen't really lead anywhere. His writing style in some ways can be compared to another of his more illustrious contemporaries, Thomas Carlyle's. Both go in for elongated Latinate constructions, with modifier upon modifier and dependent and independent clauses ad infinitum. Carlyle, however, can pull it off. His great wit and energy of mind holds the center of the thought together, even as the rest of his sentence veers off into Baroque space. De Quincey is not an adept enough magician to perform this trick.

De Quincey's subject is himself. His mode of writing in this instance is primarily that of a diarist. This leads to comparisons with some other English diarists of note. Two that come immediately to mind are Defoe (A Journal of the Plague Year) and Pepys (the most famous of all). De Quincey doesn't hold up well in comparision. Defoe's journal is interesting because his subject matter is compelling, he's a great journalist (conveying to our mind's eye the events he depicts), and he gets to the point. Pepys is wonderful because he provides us a full panorama of life in London in the latter half of the 17th century. De Quincey is so absorbed in his solipsistic self-examination, that we as readers aren't even allowed to come up for air, much less see anything around us. That would even be permissable if the narrator were like Proust's Swann, who is at least likeable and self-effacing. Not so De Quincey. He interupts his own narrative on countless occasions to tell us what a splendid scholar he is and (to borrow a phrase from Ophelia) "what a great mind is here o'erthrown." He peppers the text with words like "heautontimoroumenos" to indicate that he is learned in Greek. Throughout the narrative, he is in way to big a hurry to impress these points upon the reader, instead of allowing the reader to judge for him/herself.

If you want to know what it's like to be a junkie, read Burroughs. If you want to read some painfully constructed English prose, give this one a go.
BK

I confess, I found it severely lacking.......2002-01-27

Confessions of an Opium Eater, almost entirely autobiographical, has a great many words of text but fails to say much of anything. Worse yet, it suffers form the greatest of literary afflictions....want of interesting writing.

Confessions has the appeal of listening to the incoherent, unorganized ramblings of a thoroughly bland speechgiver. He gives fits of lucidity to his story, in the form of making a point, only to derail it into some meaningless anecdote or philosophical pondering that leaves you wondering what his original point was to begin with.

The sum of his story is he began taking opium to alleviate the pain from a stomach malady and through increased use and increasing dosage became an addict. Little insight is given that would be relevant to understanding modern day drug abuse. However, much of the physical effects of opium abuse related by the author are common to the hell of chemical abuse suffered by today's addict.

I cannot remember the last time I fell asleep reading a novel but I did so 4 times while reading Confessions from sheer boredom. The unimaginative use of his obviously well developed vocabulary coupled with a story that ultimately goes nowhere made reading this book a most unbearable, tediuos chore.

Not the common definition of "confession"...........2001-07-26

When I first heard of this book, I thought that it was a work of fiction. Given my basic knowledge of the Victorian era, I didn't think anyone, much less a writer, would stand up and talk about addiction. Alas, I was wrong, but do not regret reading this in the least.

Although this book is short, about 70 pages for this edition, it is not as quick a read as you would think. His vocabulary can be quite extensive and to fully understand him, you have to have his background in Greek (the language and mythology) to understand his allusions. His writing seems to approximate a conversation with a very intelligent, but distracted, person. Many of these sentences (especially in the beginning) are quite long and filled with commas and colons. It is like the intelligent person trying to tell you something important, but as he speaks, he is not sure that he is being clear, so he adds little phrases to try to illustrate his point more effectively as he leans forward earnestly in hopes of adequately trying to prove his point.

Within this piece, he talks of his background and why he started taking opium. He debunks many commentaries on opium use and explains why. DeQuincey also mentions other famous people who took opium (or laudanum). Lastly, he tells of some of his dreams which were "enhanced" by his opium taking. After reading these descriptions, I find myself looking at the work of Coleridge in a new light, and even the fictional character Sherlock Holmes.

I would recommend this piece to any wanting a better understanding of DeQuincey and his time.

A Great Book and A Great Writer.......2001-05-22

De Quincey is an exceptionally honest writer. Yet, while remaining honest, he manages to express his thoughts and emotions in beautiful words. While reading this book, one feels as if they're having a personal conversation with De Quincey(no doubt, a one-way conversation), and it becomes easy to develop a love and admiration for the guy. Moreover, it is interesting to hear a first hand account of what life was like in the early 19th century. It is not hard to see why this book is a classic. Read it, its short.

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Confessions of an English Opium Eater

Manufacturer: The Heritage Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GUZD1U

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Confessions of an English opium-eater
Thomas De Quincey
Manufacturer: Heritage Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Alien Nation: Nineteenth-Century Gothic Fictions and English Nationality (New Cultural Studies Series)

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Alien Nation: Nineteenth-Century Gothic Fictions and English Nationality (New Cultural Studies Series)
Cannon Schmitt
Manufacturer: University of Pennsylvania Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Confesiones De Un Ingles Comedor De Opio/ Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (Letras Universales)

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Confesiones De Un Ingles Comedor De Opio/ Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (Letras Universales)
Thomas De Quincey
Manufacturer: Ediciones Catedra S.A.
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Binding: Paperback

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Confession of an English opium-eater
Thomas De Quincey
Manufacturer: Hurst
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0008A3DOW

Book Description

A weaver of tales, a caster of spells, and a writer of rare imagination, Sarah Ash lends her unique vision to epic fantasy. In this captivating continuation to her story, the author of Lord of Snow and Shadows revisits a realm filled with spirits and singers, daemons and kings.

Gavril Nagarian has finally cast out the dragon-daemon from deep within himself. The Drakhaoul is gone—and with it all
of Gavril’s fearsome powers. Though no longer besieged by the Drakhaoul’s unnatural lusts and desires, Gavril has betrayed his birthright and his people. He has put the ice-bound princedom of Azhkendir at risk and lost.

Emerging from his battle with the Lord Drakhaon scarred but victorious, Eugene of Tielen exacts a terrible price. He arrests the renegade warlord Gavril Nagarian for crimes against the Rossiyan Empire and sentences him to life in an insane asylum—for the absence of the Drakhaoul is slowly driving Gavril mad. But Eugene has another motive as well. He longs to possess the Drakhaoul—at any cost to his kingdom and his humanity. With Gavril locked inside the Iron Tower, three women keep his memory alive. His mother returns to the warmer climes of her homeland, where she foments the seeds of rebellion. A young scullery maid whose heart is broken by Gavril’s arrest sends her spirit out to the Ways Beyond. And even the emperor’s new wife is haunted by her remembrances of the handsome young painter who once captured her soul.

The five princedoms of a shattered empire are reunited. The last of Artamon’s ruby tears adorns Eugene’s crown. But peace is as fragile as a rebel’s whisper—and a captive’s wish to be free.

Glowing with the powers of light and darkness, Prisoner of the Iron Tower will astonish and enthrall you, as courtly intrigue collides with the fantastic—and good and evil become as nebulous as the outlines of a dream.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Imprisoned in an Asylum.......2006-10-18

Prisoner of the Iron Tower (2004) is the second Fantasy novel in the Tears of Artamon trilogy, following Lord of Snows and Shadows. In the previous volume, Gavril let the Drakhaoul destroy the Tielen army besieging Kastel Drakhaon and then rescues his mother from Swanholm. With help from Malusha, Gavril liberates himself from the Drakhaoul. Later Kaspar Linnaius, the Court Artificier, takes the terribly burned Prince Eugene away from the monastery of Saint Sergius.

In this novel, Gavril has lost his daemon, but the creature then possesses Andrei Orlova, Astasia's brother. Astasia returns to Muscobar with Count Velemir's ashes and discovers that the West Wing of the Winter Palace is aflame. The Tielens use her request to rescue the Grand Duke and Duchess as justification for the invasion of Mirom.

Emperor Eugene proposes to Astasia and she accepts. The Grand Duke agrees and gives Eugene the Mirom Tear of Ardamon. Now that all five Tears are possessed by Eugene, his jewelers reconstruct the imperial crown. After the fifth Tear is added, the crown glows red and a beam of red light shoots into the heavens. Following the imperial wedding, Eugene wears the crown for the first time.

With the formation of the New Rossiyan empire, Eugene begins to think about the defeat in Azhkendir. Gavril Nagarian still rules at Kastel Drakhaon. Eugene sends dispatches to the Northern Army.

In this story, a Tielen army once more besieges Kastel Drakhaon and Gavril surrenders himself to them rather than watch his druzhina die needlessly. He is taken to Mirom, tried and convicted for acts against the empire, and confined for life within an insane asylum. There his name is taken away from him and he is known only as Number Twenty-one.

Empress Astasia gets permission for Elysia Andar to return to Smarna. Despite Tielen occupation, Smarna is rapidly becoming a thorn in the side of the empire. When Elysia finally arrives in Smarna, she finds herself in the midst of a rebellion. When students demonstrate before the Old Citadel, the Tielens fire on them and kill a student; open insurrection is now inevitable.

Magus Linnaius searches the locked archives at Saint Sergius's monastery and discovers some forgotten information about the banished daemons. He also discovers more in Kastel Drakhaon and interviews Kiukiu about the casting out of Drakhaoul from Gavril. Linnaius then overwhelms her mind and gets her to lead him to Malusha.

The title and Gavril's confinement remind one of The Man in the Iron Mask. The context, however, is quite different. This novel has demons!

Recommended for Sarah Ash fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of political intrigue, demonic possession and exotic magic.

-Arthur W. Jordin

The plot thickens..........2006-10-14

Sarah Ash continues to develop the intriguing world of New Rossiya in "Prisoner of the Iron Tower," the second installment in the Tears of Artamon trilogy. Prince Eugene is now emperor of a fledgling New Rossiya (made up of the five countries introduced in the first book). At his side is Astasia, who, due to her brother's death and the uprising in her country, agrees to marry Eugene because she sees no other options. Eugene takes Gavril, now a regular human since his daemon has been cast out, prisoner in an attempt to find out how to gain Gavril's former power. A rebellion against the new empire in Gavril's former home country of Smarna and the introduction of some new characters from a far-off country who have an interest in Artamon's Tears and the Drakhaouls round out the story.

"Prisoner" gives us some needed history about the Drakhaouls, their origins, and the events that led up to the possession of the Nagarian family. There's also a great amount of characterization in this novel that was lacking in the first book. Many of the main characters are developed further, the most intriguing being Eugene and Astasia and their personal relationship. The story line is still the main focus, though, with a bit of a slowdown in the early half of the book.

One thing that bothered me was the lack of characterization for Kiukiu. Since she's the love interest of the main character, you'd hope that she has more spunk, cleverness, or at least some common sense. But she seems painfully childish and naive and, due to her one-track mind, gets into a lot of situations that could have been avoided. Despite everyone's warnings, and her own knowledge of what's happening, she chooses to think that Linnaius won't play her false. It's really annoying, because I find it hard to believe that Gavril, who is very politically and personally savvy, would want someone who, well, isn't.

Other than that, a solid read and one that kept me hooked. Highly recommended.

This entertaining and complex fantasy continues........2006-08-11

A great follow up to book one of this trilogy!

Well written and easy to read, I found this book had just about everything one could ask for in a good (bordering on great) fantasy story; that being love, deceit, unexpected twists and turns, creatures and people with special talents and of course a liberal dose of magic sprinkled through out the entire novel.

The Pros:
a.)There was substantial character development through out the entire series, and not just the main characters. The good guys had some faults and the bad guys usually had a few redeeming traits.
b.)Multiple, complex and convoluted story lines; just when things seem to be leveling out something else happens to reshape the scheme of things

The Cons:
Only one, that being; I found it easy to get a little confused at times because of the number of twists and turns that occurred, especially in the third book.

All in all a good book and an extremely interesting and complex fantasy adventure. Recommended!
4 and ½ Stars.

Prisoner of the Iron Tower (The Tears of Artamon, Book 2)

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Some improvements in sequel
A bit of a muddle
has some of book one's flaws, but mostly a better read
This series continues to improve as the story gains depth
Wonderfully Unpredictable!

Prisoner of the Iron Tower (The Tears of Artamon, Book 2)
Sarah Ash
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 055338211X
Release Date: 2004-08-03

Book Description

Download Description

Sarah Ash, who trained as a musician, is the author of four fantasy novels: Lord of Snow and Shadows, Moths to a Flame, Songspinners, and The Lost Child. She also runs the library in a local primary school. Sarah Ash has two grown-up sons and lives in Beckenham, Kent, with her husband and their mad cat, Molly.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Some improvements in sequel.......2007-02-22

The second of the three volumes in the Tears of Artamon series shows some improvement over the first volume. This series is set against a higher tech level than most fantasies, being based roughly on Eastern Europe circa 1700, and the relatively unusual setting should be one of its strengths, but the society was so vaguely described as to negate that strength. The setting is more filled in this time, although still not as realized as it should be.

The characters were entirely one dimensional in the first volume. That's not quite as bad here - some characters, especially Prince Eugene, whose ambition to become emperor over all the five nations of Rossiya drives the plot, are much better realized in the sequel. Unfortunately, Gavril, the central character, isn't as strong as he should be. Some reviewers complain that Kiukiu, his love interest, is too easily manipulated by other characters. That didn't really bother me; since she is described as young and inexperienced it's consistent for the character. But Gavril's mother, who is portrayed as mature, smart, and widely traveled, is equally easily gulled.

In this book, Gavril has been defeated and is imprisoned in an asylum and forced to undergo brutal 'treatments'. Kiukiu is desperate to find Gavril, and her hope of finding him leads her to foolishly trust the villain Kaspar Linnaeus. At the end, Gavril and Kiukiu are reunited, but the prices both have paid may make the reunion meaningless. Meanwhile, Eugene is searching for both a guarantee of his new empire's security and a miracle cure for his beloved daughter, which drives him to a desperate attempt that endangers not only him but the whole world.

This book ends with more of a cliffhanger than a resolution. The books in this trilogy are intended to be read as a unit, and don't work at all as standalones.

A bit of a muddle.......2005-05-09

I finished this book feeling a bit bemused. That came as no real surprise, as I remember having the same reaction to the first book in the series. It's not bad fantasy, by any means, but it seems to me that the characters are so shallow and erratic that bemusement is a reasonable response to the story.

Gavril, the hero of the novel, can always be counted on to do the right thing for others, unless he's too busy reacting to events and just can't find the time. After escaping from the tower, he goes home to rest and instead ends up overexerting himself in the cause of Smarnan independence. He then messes around for days in the company of the rebels, leaving his druzhina (to whom he owes greater loyalty, one would think) to the tender mercies of the Tielens until his men nearly get crushed in a mine collapse. He's similarly uninterested, at first, in his lady love Kiukiu, having been instantly smitten by one of the Smarnan rebels. And Gavril seems strangely incapable of planning for the predictable results of his transformations into the dragon; he knows he'll need to drink blood afterward, but he just lets the need build up until he goes wild, rather than nipping a bit here and there so that he'll be able to control himself better. It's not consistent with his good guy persona that he'd *still* be in denial and handle his physical needs so badly.

Then there's Kiukiu, who also spends all of her time reacting to events. In the first book, Gavril's mother got herself into trouble by trusting everyone she ran across; in this book, it's Kiukiu's turn to exhibit this irritating personality trait. For reasons that are never explained, she implicitly trusts the Magus, in spite of the fact that he's been working for the Emperor (Gavril's archenemy) for years. Thus he is able to dupe her over and over again, until she needs some serious rescuing. When she's not in need of rescue, however, she's a Spirit Singer of enormous power who can do nearly anything even though she's only been in training for a brief time.

The Emperor Eugene doesn't make any better sense. While he's busy opening primary schools and generally behaving like an enlightened monarch, he keeps a wizard as his closest advisor (think Napoleon meets Rasputin), and he's trying to get himself possessed by a demon of his own. There seems to be a contradiction here, one that would make a person with more than two thoughts in his head pause for a moment to try to figure out what kind of empire he's really trying to create. Eugene doesn't pause, however; he leaps into the life of the demon-possessed with gusto, never reflecting on possible consequences. That's just silly.

Then there are the small illogicalities and inconsistencies that detract from the plot: after Gavril returns to human form, his clothes are always shredded and he loses his shoes. Nevertheless, he can wander without being noticed through the imperial palace afterward, where such attire (or lack thereof) would be likely to draw some attention. And how to explain the fact that the 'new' demon who possesses Eugene is actually more powerful than Gavril's? Does it make sense that an old saint would be able to banish a more powerful demon, but find himself incapable of defeating a lesser one? I suspect the point here is to portray Gavril as the underdog in the ensuing fight, which makes sense from an emotional point of view. It just makes no logical sense.

Reading these books is ultimately a frustrating experience, and will probably remain so unless you have a deep and abiding interest in matters sartorial. If you don't care what people are wearing, and like your characters to make sense, I can't recommend this series. It might be worth checking out from the library, but you ought to spend your money elsewhere.

has some of book one's flaws, but mostly a better read.......2004-11-02

The Prisoner of the Iron Tower shares some flaws with its predecessor, Lord of Snow and Shadows. The characterization remains uneven, with some characters more developed than others and some actions seeming abrupt or out of character. The plot still moves a bit jerkily from scene to scene, lacking full context or a sense of dramatic depth in many places. Despite these shared flaws, though, Prisoner is a deeper, smoother, and overall better book.
One of the reasons I think is that in this book we get a fuller sense of the Drakhaoul, its history, its vulnerability, its longing. There is an added sense of pathos as well as a deeper complexity if the creature is made more "human", as is done in this sequel.
The focus remains on Gavril, no longer possessed by the Drakhaoul but also not quite free of it. Its loss has cost him and his country and one of the questions throughout the book is was the price too high and will Gavril reconsider paying it? The ethics involved are not simple, and they are made more complex by the reader's more intimate knowledge of the creature.
Other characters and events are somewhat familiar, at times too much so. Eugene still seeks to create and hold an empire, still seeks power and revenge, still has a personal grudge against Gavril. As in the first book, he is a tantalizing character in that he should be more fully-formed and more complex than presented; the author still hasn't quite mined his potential. Other characters, Gavrils' mother Elysia, his love Kiukiu, Eugene's bride of conquest Astasia and her believed-to-be-dead brother are all painted a bit too shallowly to do much more than move the plot along. Kiukiu especially is a disappointment, too passive and naive by far. One hopes she strengthens as a character in book three. As in the first book, there are some lost dramatic opportunities due to weak characterization, abrupt shifts, or scenes that just come and go too quickly. She should trust herself to linger a bit more. Also, the physical atmosphere/tone isn't as pronounced as in book one, which is too bad since it added so much to that first book's mood and sense of originality.
If the end is a bit anti-climatic and a bit predictable, it does set up what promises to be a much more interesting third book. Based on the improvement from book one to book two, I'll certainly continue on in the series, more from interest than from, as sometimes happens, the perfunctory need to "complete" a series. Recommended.

This series continues to improve as the story gains depth.......2004-09-13

I enjoyed this novel more than I did the first book in this series, and read it quite quickly. The story moves along at a brisk pace with a steady character development for all the main players in the story with no noticeable slow patches in the plot pacing.

By ridding himself of the Drakhaon Gavril Nagarian appears to have gained personal freedom for himself. However, he has left his country fatally weakened to Prince Eugene's ambition. Gavril and those he loves will pay a price higher than he ever imagined for his freedom from his daemon and by the end of this novel the whole world will stand on the brink of disaster as old secrets and their promise of power become unravelled.

I'm looking forward to book 3 of this series, which I assume is the final volume. It will be interesting to see how these storylines resolve as these characters grow on you as you are alternatively appreciative and appalled by their actions.

Wonderfully Unpredictable!.......2004-09-10

This was an excellent follow-up to the Lord of Snow and Shadows. I expected this book to be fairly linear in plot, however I was pleasantly surprised at the many twists and turns the author led us through in this adventure. I found myself being constantly surprised at the increasingly complicated plot and Sarah Ash has done a wonderful job of letting us understand how each character feels. The Drakhoul is less demon and more tortured soul in this book. We learn more about its origins and history; I hope Sarah goes into this in more detail in the next volume.
The end was very dramatic and the cliffhanger ending will definitely have me coming back for the third installment.
I recommend this book to all fantasy lovers, although do keep in mind that there are many characters and different points of view and it can sometimes be difficult to keep everyone's story straight. Excellent adventure!

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