false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173212977m/258653.jpg 258653 7 Do not pity Alice Borchardt. Her sister, Anne Rice, may be immensely better known, but Borchardt, the older sister, is Rice's equal in presenting lush otherworlds balanced with historical detail. Indeed, Rice, in an introduction to <I>Devoted</I>, cites Borchardt as an inspiration for her own fiction and an early collaborator in imaginative excess. Like the Brontës before them, the sisters' childhood was spent sharing a dream world peopled with heroes, heroines, pirates, and aliens.<p> As a first work, <I>Devoted</I> may presage the author's potential. It reads as though she were shaking the tree of her imagination to see what will drop. One story can hardly contain all the fruitful ideas that fall. Set in the year 900, the story centers on a medieval stronghold beset by invading Vikings, corrupt feudal landlords, and a traitor within. Owen, Bishop of Chantalon, is a Christian; Elin, beaten, raped, and forced into slavery by the Vikings, is of the Forest People, pagans with magical skills. Through their union, Borchardt explores the conflict between paganism and early Christianity and the flagrant inequalities between men and women, the nobility and the lesser born, and people with different beliefs. These large themes make the story overlong, sometimes threatening to take it over. But the monumental, blood-soaked clashes between the Saxons and the Vikings; the descriptions of household artifacts, weaponry, and fashion in the Middle Ages; and, of course, the heart of the tale: the love that is hammered into being like a coat of woven mail between Owen and Elin, make this first novel a worthwhile read. <I>--Brenda Pittsley</I> 805539 1995 Devoted (Devoted #1) total:66|5:16|4:24|3:19|2:7|1:0| 66 247 117 2 258653 0451403967 9780451403964 62 2 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173212977m/258653.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258653.Devoted 3 0 false Sun Sep 10 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Fri Apr 10 21:30:52 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 10 21:31:52 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 258653 0451403967 9780451403964 62 2 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173212977m/258653.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258653.Devoted 5 0 false Tue Dec 09 13:57:21 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 09 13:59:48 -0800 2008 more...]]> 258653 0451403967 9780451403964 62 2 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173212977m/258653.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258653.Devoted 4 0 false Mon Dec 14 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Dec 16 06:34:27 -0800 2009 Wed Dec 16 07:21:14 -0800 2009 258653 0451403967 9780451403964 62 2 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173212977m/258653.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258653.Devoted 0 0 false Wed Dec 02 14:06:11 -0800 2009 Wed Dec 02 14:06:11 -0800 2009 258653 0451403967 9780451403964 62 2 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173212977m/258653.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258653.Devoted 0 0 false Mon Nov 30 22:27:44 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 30 22:27:44 -0800 2009 258653 0451403967 9780451403964 62 2 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173212977m/258653.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258653.Devoted 0 0 false Wed Nov 18 14:58:22 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 18 14:58:22 -0800 2009 258663 0525940464 9780525940463 3 0 3.74 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258663.Devoted 0 0 false Tue Nov 17 19:08:56 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 17 19:08:56 -0800 2009 258653 0451403967 9780451403964 62 2 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173212977m/258653.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258653.Devoted 4 0 false Thu Oct 22 08:04:16 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 22 08:04:16 -0700 2009 258653 0451403967 9780451403964 62 2 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173212977m/258653.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258653.Devoted 4 0 false Tue Oct 06 05:56:59 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 06 05:56:59 -0700 2009 258653 0451403967 9780451403964 62 2 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173212977m/258653.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258653.Devoted 0 0 false Mon Oct 05 13:53:52 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 05 13:53:52 -0700 2009 258653 0451403967 9780451403964 62 2 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173212977m/258653.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258653.Devoted 0 0 false Sat Oct 03 13:17:11 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 03 13:17:11 -0700 2009 258653 0451403967 9780451403964 62 2 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173212977m/258653.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258653.Devoted 0 0 false Wed Sep 30 06:11:26 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 30 08:55:51 -0700 2009 6877133 1567401287 9781567401288 1 0 3.74 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6877133-devoted 0 0 false Mon Sep 21 11:25:32 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 21 11:25:32 -0700 2009 6877133 1567401287 9781567401288 1 0 3.74 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6877133-devoted 3 0 false Fri Sep 18 17:28:03 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 18 17:28:18 -0700 2009 258653 0451403967 9780451403964 62 2 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173212977m/258653.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258653.Devoted 0 0 false Thu Sep 17 22:08:11 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 17 22:08:11 -0700 2009 258653 0451403967 9780451403964 62 2 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173212977m/258653.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258653.Devoted 0 0 false Tue Sep 15 07:00:37 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 15 07:00:37 -0700 2009 258653 0451403967 9780451403964 62 2 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173212977m/258653.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258653.Devoted 5 0 false Mon Sep 07 17:37:11 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 17:37:11 -0700 2009 258653 0451403967 9780451403964 62 2 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173212977m/258653.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258653.Devoted 0 0 false Wed Sep 02 13:15:53 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 02 13:15:53 -0700 2009 258653 0451403967 9780451403964 62 2 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173212977m/258653.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258653.Devoted 0 0 false Sun Aug 30 11:02:52 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 30 11:02:52 -0700 2009 258653 0451403967 9780451403964 62 2 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173212977m/258653.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258653.Devoted 0 0 false Sun Aug 30 07:08:12 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 30 07:08:16 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=258653