Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Daggerspell (Deverry #1)

by Katharine Kerr (Goodreads Author)

3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 · rating details · 5,439 ratings · 146 reviews

Even as a young girl,Jill was a favorite of the magical, mysteriousWildfolk, who appeared to her from their invisiblerealm. Little did she know her extraordinaryfriends represented but a glimpse of a forgotten pastand a fateful future. Four hundred years-and manylifetimes-ago, one selfish young lord caused thedeath of two innocent lovers. Then and there hevowed never to re...more

Paperback, 454 pages

Published November 1st 1993 by Spectra (first published 1986)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Best Fantasy Series, Trilogies, and Duologies

95th out of 966 books — 4,858 voters

The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

The Best Epic Fantasy

99th out of 1,560 books — 10,556 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Apr 14, 2012 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: epic fantasy fans

Shelves: epic-fantasy, fantasy, my-library

Kerr's Deverry series is a classic in the epic fantasy field, and it's no surprise why. World building is excellent, detailed and consistent; she does an amazing job of bringing early, almost primitive, Welsh culture to life, albeit a culture with more magical tendencies than our own. From a village tavern to the women's hall in a lord's dun, to riding patrol through a forest, it feels earthy and real. The magical system is a kind of sophisticated spiritualism that is vital to development of the...more Kerr's Deverry series is a classic in the epic fantasy field, and it's no surprise why. World building is excellent, detailed and consistent; she does an amazing job of bringing early, almost primitive, Welsh culture to life, albeit a culture with more magical tendencies than our own. From a village tavern to the women's hall in a lord's dun, to riding patrol through a forest, it feels earthy and real. The magical system is a kind of sophisticated spiritualism that is vital to development of the plot.

One of my favorite things about the series is the complexity of character development. We witness people struggling with personal and political issues, occasionally failing, but occasionally overcoming challenges with grace. I particularly enjoy how women are developed; though the culture is at heart sexist, we see the many ways women take power for themselves at different levels of society, from the common lass Jill to the lady of the dun, Lovyan. Also notable is Kerr's refusal to glorify violence, even as one or two of her characters are some of the most feared swordsmen around. An additional noteworthy aspect is that Kerr includes non-nobility classes without glorifying their struggles or minimizing the role they play in maintaining the nobility's lifestyle.

One of the central concepts to this series is the idea of 'Wyrd,' an aspect of destiny combined with reincarnation. Characters are not completely fated to a particular course of action, but will find themselves repeating ill-negotiated challenges until their soul gets it right. The central characters in this series are drawn together across space and time because four hundred years ago, family obligations, injustice and tragedy occurred in such a way as to bind their threads together. Nevyn, a sorcerer known as a 'dweomermaster,' is the only one of the people in this situation who is aware of the cycle of Wyrd, and one of his goals is to connect with the others as they enter their new life cycles and correct his mistakes.

What adds depth and complexity to the overall plot is that the characters are working out their Wyrd in three different time periods. As we go back in time, we also experience the culture in earlier forms, allowing the reader to get the sense of development of society. Somewhat unfortunately, names are in dialect and it lends itself to confusion in keeping track of each person and their three names. The first time through, I found it confusing, but I was younger then. It's a shame I only discovered the reincarnation end notes after finishing--it might have helped me keep some of the names/personalities straight during the three periods covered. On re-read, the time changes flow better, and the situations playing out slightly differently in the second time period adds to the sense of tragedy to the first and hope for the third.

Truly a great read for those who like complex epic fantasy. Star one: world-building. Star two: character development. Star three: nicely developed plot with what could have been very conventional fantasy--yes, there are serfs and nobles, and battles, and elves and even a dwarf, but they are done in a way that feels real, and emphasizes the loss as much as the magic. Star four: complexity in all of the aforementioned categories. The beginning Deverry series achieves a rare pathos, and likely spoiled me for many subsequent fantasies.

Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/0...

(less)

19 likes · like · see review

Apr 24, 2012 Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Epic fantasy readers

Recommended to Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress by: Carol

Shelves: owned-copy, epic-fantasy, part-of-a-series, fantasy-aficionados-april-read, 2012-sky-s-the-limit-club, reincarnation, magic, wizard-warlock-sorcerer, warrior-woman, warrior, father-daughter-relationship, mythical-beasties, faerie, celtic-mythology, yearly-reading-challenge, rec-d-by-carol, angsty-read, dangerous-hero-2012-general-reading, chubby-chunkster-2012

Daggerspell is an epic fantasy novel built on the idea of reincarnation. If we have failed to fulfill our destiny in one life, we are compelled to return to this life in another form to do that. As I read this novel, I was confronted with my feelings about that inalienable destiny. There are some people that you have in your life that seem only to bring pain and hardship, and the comfort is that when you leave this life, you leave that pain they cause you behind. In this novel, that is not the c...more Daggerspell is an epic fantasy novel built on the idea of reincarnation. If we have failed to fulfill our destiny in one life, we are compelled to return to this life in another form to do that. As I read this novel, I was confronted with my feelings about that inalienable destiny. There are some people that you have in your life that seem only to bring pain and hardship, and the comfort is that when you leave this life, you leave that pain they cause you behind. In this novel, that is not the case. And more importantly, a person cannot run from themselves and the anguish their own actions will deliver them. In some ways, that was a bitter pill to swallow as I read. The blessing in this novel was that one man, Nevyn, which sounds like ‘no one’ has lived through three lives and walks that anguished road with those people who he failed to help the first time.
Another integral part of this novel is the Welsh-like feel to their world. I’m not an expert on Welsh language, so if I’m wrong, I apologize. But it felt as though this novel used some of the Welsh language particulars and it felt pretty distinct and authentic to me. I was afraid that the names and the language would be an issue, but it wasn’t. After I read the novel, I read through the glossary, and surprisingly, I was able to discern what most of the terms meant through context.

The Characters:
Nevyn and Jill were standout characters for me. I felt deeply for Nevyn. The huge burden of seeing people he had cared for in the first go-round suffer through their Wyrd (destiny) again and again until they got it right. That was tough. I loved that he had followed his own destiny, not without loss or sacrifice, and had used this incredible skills as a dweomerman (magician/wizard) to help people and to fight for the forces of light. In the first life, he made a selfish choice, and it cost the life of a woman he loved. He had vowed to help her find her destiny, and it took him three life cycles to do it. That’s determination. Jill was young but she had substance and a strong heart. One of her choices in this novel gave me heartburn. For a romantic, I was surprised I didn’t want her to follow that path and go in another way. I’m glad that this worked out despite my apprehensions about it. Cullyn was also a compelling character. He had me worried a few times. He was a man who had one heck of a wyrd to work out, and it was a rough one. What I loved is that he was able to overcome that dark destiny through the power of his integrity and love for his daughter. Rhodry was a character that didn’t quite convince me he was worthy of Jill. He was a decent person, a little spoiled, but I didn’t feel he was Jill’s wyrd, at least not in a good way. I guess the author knows better than me about such things. In the first life cycle, it was like watching a car wreck before it happens, I mean literally. That really took me out of my comfort zones. I was actually shouting at the book, saying, “Please don’t do that.” It took some fortification to keep reading after that, but part of me couldn’t let go of this story because like any good fiction novel, it made me ask the central question. “What happens next?” I’m not a believer in reincarnation, but the way things work out for the characters in that life cycle kind of made me glad that it exists in this novel.

Magic and Magical Folks:
I loved that Jill could see and interact with the Wildfolk. Especially the cute gray gnome who was often her boon companion and her comfort through her tough young life. I liked this idea that those marked by the dweomer are able to perceive the Wildfolk. It was also interesting how many ‘normal’ folks feared the magic and many more didn’t even believe in it. It seemed strange to me since this felt so real, and their lives were deeply affected by the power of the magic around them. I appreciated how within this landscape of humanity there were pockets of legendary creatures, such as a dwarf metalsmith who gives Jill her silver dagger, and the Westfolk, who are actually elves. I really liked the elves!

My final thoughts:
I went into reading this cold. I had never heard of this book until it was recommended on the fantasy group. I saw it at the bookstore and thought, “Why not?” And I am glad I read it. I think the writing was strong, the storyline interesting, although a bit on the tragic side in some ways. It felt intricate and complex and deep, and that appeals to me. The idea of having to work out the consequences of the choices you make in life resonates with me, and for a foundation of a fantasy novel, it works surprisingly well. I think I would like to continue this series to see where Kerr takes this story and the characters next. I recommend it to readers who enjoy epic fantasy.
(less)

21 likes · like · see review

Mar 23, 2012 Tatiana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, medieval, celtic, high-fantasy

The Deverry saga is a long fantasy saga, but the great thing is that the it is organized in cycles, the first one being the first 4 books ("The Deverry cycle"). And at the end of a cycle, you get a real ending.
So if you hesitate to buy this book, thinking that you'll have to wait too long to know the end, don't. You'll have a real ending at the end of book 4.

The story is set in an alternative 11th century, Kerr imagining a celtic culture having survived and evolved into the Middle Ages thanks to...more The Deverry saga is a long fantasy saga, but the great thing is that the it is organized in cycles, the first one being the first 4 books ("The Deverry cycle"). And at the end of a cycle, you get a real ending.
So if you hesitate to buy this book, thinking that you'll have to wait too long to know the end, don't. You'll have a real ending at the end of book 4.

The story is set in an alternative 11th century, Kerr imagining a celtic culture having survived and evolved into the Middle Ages thanks to a group of Gaulish-like people having settled long ago in a new territory.

Our heroes are Jill, Rhodry, Cullyn and Nevyn. Rhodry is a young lord threatened with death by another lord and his army, for an unknown reason. Jill, orphan of mother since she was 7 but now a young adult, follows her father Cullyn on "the long road". He is a silver dagger, a mercenary, a dishonoured man kicked out from his warband and compelled to sell his service here and there. She too now is a silver dagger, probably the only girl having ever done that, but she has never known anything else. Nevyn is a very smart and old herbman. Or rather, this is how everyone sees him. He is actually a four-century year old sorcerer, or more precisely "dweomermaster".
The dweomer is at the center of The Deverry Cycle. This is the name given to magic. A magic common folk is afraid of or don't believe in, but that is truly known only by long trained dweomermasters. The dweomer is a very spiritual magic: it gives you the possibility to use telepathy with another trained mind, to meditate, to see omens, etc. A dweomermaster is also able to see and communicate with the Wildfolk (gnomes, sprites, undines or salamanders), elemental spirits.
Spirits that Jill is also able to see, an ability denoting her predisposition for dweomer. And Nevyn mission, among others, is precisely to bring her to the dweomer and to train her, but he cannot force her. He can drop hints, but the choice must entirely come from her. A difficult task, that unfortunately he has failed to accomplish several times in the past, when Jill's soul lived in other bodies... And he will have no rest until he accomplishes it.

The great originality of course of this saga is to make the readers discover in long flashbacks the past lives of our heroes. This creates a very deep psychology of characters and is just fascinating. The depiction of both the system of magic and the spiritual world, and the fictional 11th celtic culture are enthralling. Kerr has obviously done quite an amount of research on both these subjects before beginning her saga. I've always liked it when you can relate fantasy or fantastic works to history, and this is definitely the case here. I admire the blending of historical references and pure imagination.

The thing I also completely dig is Kerr's writing, and I definitely don't understand why some reviewers here criticized it. One thing for sure: her sytle is literary, and I guess some people find it tedious because they're only used to read books with very basic styles. However, it is not difficult at all to follow her writing, which is very visual, direct and lively. No overlong boring passages, every sentence hits its target.

I saw some people complained about the incest and the sexual scenes. It's true that Kerr doesn't hesitate in taking risks with her story and she explores new territories. And this is really enjoyable. You read something new, something daring. Anyway Kerr's writing is always classy and careful, and the books remain material suitable for teens, there's nothing "sordid" here. The "sexual scenes" (not yet in Book 1) are necessary because a dark character is involved in ritual sex, and later a protagonist is sexually abused. Kerr is not showing our heroes making out. Those few "sex scenes" are here to serve as key points in the story, and are not described in visual details.
Concerning the incest, that is at the center of Book 1, there is no scabrous details, and that people would stop reading the book just because it talks about it is very weird.

To finish, I really recommend this book to everyone!! I lent the first book to my best friend and to one of my teen student, and they both loved it!! They bought all the others! :D(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 27, 2011 Toby Andersen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The opening Deverry novel, Daggerspell, struck me straight away as a unique take on the fantasy genre. An ongoing fantasy series by Katharine Kerr, the Deverry series employs a multiple timeline structure, but with the added nuance of reincarnation. in each timeline the souls of the core characters are reincarnated in ever different guises, forever trying to right the wrongs of their youths. only problem is that only Nevyn, the wandering sorcerer is aware of this. What follows is an extremely in...more

1 like · like · see review

May 29, 2012 Stine rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, wizards, magic

Ehmm... A friend of mine recommended this book to me, and now I regret reading it. This book really wasn't my type of book. Not that I have a particular type, but this just isn't it.

First I have to confess that the only reason I finished this book, was because I went on a trip and hadn't thought of bringing more than one book. This is something I deeply regret. Why?????

The story in itself isn't all that bad, I find the overall plot quite intriguing actually, but not all the politics in this book...more

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 15, 2010 Mark rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It has been 16 years since I first picked up the first Deverry novel, DaggerSpell, and here in am, 16 years later, about to finish the fifteenth and final one.

Has the journey been worth it? Yes. Was the wait too long? Yes.

I would not recommend anyone starts reading the Deverry cycle unless they intend to read them all, as the macroscopic story is at least as important as the microscopic ones, and as such I am reviewing the books as a set.

I almost give them 4 stars (excellent) but in the end I am...more

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 10, 2010 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: bought-copy, fantasy, series

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 l...more 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.(less)

6 likes · like · see review

May 09, 2012 Bea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-epic, z__eng, z__r

I'm not very fond of long sagas and there are only few that I've finished whole. Usually i'm trying not to start one, but my curiosity drove me to pick up this book. I'm sure that I'm going to drop this before long, unless it gets more engaging. I'll see after 4th book.
I like the world, the magic system, the idea of reincarnation and I find the characters interesting. However, this book wasn't easy to read. One of reasons is that the story is laced with celtic-like terms and names that made har...more

like · see review

Jul 01, 2009 Misha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: college, loved-it, novel, fantasy

I had mostly eschewed reading fantasy novels before this one, unless it was written for younger readers, such as The Chronicles of Narnia or Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising series. About the only exception I made for fantasy written for adults was Roger Zelazny's stuff because he didn't use the stock fantasy characters such as mages, elves, etc.

I can't recall what it was that made me pick up this book. I think it was that I had a good friend who loved fantasy and I wanted to understand what i...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 08, 2009 Joyce rated it 2 of 5 stars

Meh.

1 like · like · see review

Jun 21, 2012 Benjamin Thomas rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, read-prior-to-1987

This is actually a re-read for me. I had read the first two books in this series way back, probably over 25 years ago. At that time I was a neophyte when it comes to reading fantasy fiction and I don't remember liking either book very well. They were more complicated than the easier-to-read Dragonlance-style stuff I was into at that time and I think I had built up a sort of negative attitude towards them. But over the years, through one form or another, I have accumulated the entire series with...more This is actually a re-read for me. I had read the first two books in this series way back, probably over 25 years ago. At that time I was a neophyte when it comes to reading fantasy fiction and I don't remember liking either book very well. They were more complicated than the easier-to-read Dragonlance-style stuff I was into at that time and I think I had built up a sort of negative attitude towards them. But over the years, through one form or another, I have accumulated the entire series with the idea of one day reading through them all. So this was the week that I finally put aside my previous prejudices and began anew.

Wow, I'm so glad I did. I was intrigued with the central idea of reincarnation mixed in a fantasy realm and but I also found the story and the characters to be very interesting. It certainly kept my interest throughout the novel and while the ending was satisfying it certainly sets up the follow-on novels well.

In the past I've found that novels, particularly fantasy novels that have lots and lots of characters, are a problem for me. I just lose track of who's who. Perhaps my mind isn't what it once was but I think I've always been this way and I simply find keeping track of them all to be a turnoff. I realized with this novel (and the entire series of 15 novels), that I would need a way to keep track of them all, especially given that we're dealing with reincarnations of the same characters over many time periods and mostly with different names. After all, just knowing that Garreant in the year 643 is the same person (in reincarnated form) as Cullyn in the 1060s isn't enough because that character will have 8 other reincarnations over the entire series, all with different names. So I made myself a cheat sheet. I am happy to be living in the age of Wikipedia and so I did a quick search for Deverry characters and found a great table that has been developed and posted there. It cross-tabulates all of the major characters and their timeframes so it's actually pretty easy to keep track of. I printed it, cut it out and will carry it in each book as I read through them. It worked great and I felt much more connected to the story this time around.
This is definitely a keeper and I look forward to my further adventures in the land of Deverry.
(less)

1 like · like · see review

Mar 27, 2013 Bram Vandenbussche rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Overall I was disappointed with this book. I had picked it up after reading some reviews about how "great" the series is supposed to be, and how lovely the first book was.

I've had this uncomfortable feeling the entire time that I was reading that there was this incredible world that was waiting to suck me in, but it never happened; The writing style mostly threw me off. Short descriptions of people / environments, constantly switching point of view didn't do the flow of the story any good.

The us...more

like · see review

Aug 23, 2012 Samuel Lubell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This is one of my all time fantasy reads (but be sure to get the revised edition). This is a tale of magic and reincarnation. A magician, called dweomermaster committed a wrong that led to his love's death when he should have taught her magic. So now he is cursed never to die until he can teach one of her reincarnations magic. The latest incarnation, Jill, can see the wildfolk, spirits, but no one believes her. Her father is a silver dagger, a mercenary, and she wants to be like him, even though...more

like · see review

Apr 18, 2013 David Shaw rated it 5 of 5 stars

Welcome to the world of Deverry, where the lives are made up and the points don't matter!

I presume if you're reading this you already know the synopsis of the book, so I won't bore you by rehashing it. I simply wanted to state, as a huge, huge fan of the Deverry series, please don't be put off by the fact the series is 15 books long. While all the books do take place in the same land, the series is split into story arcs of three or four books each. You will see recurring characters and places, b...more

like · see review

Apr 22, 2010 Auraya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Daggerspell is the first in the Deverry series. The first four books follow the story of Jill, Rhodry and Nevyn, amongst other characters, through many lifetimes. It is a story of reincarnation and it is told non-linearly. We follow their lives in the present time but the story also goes back to various previous reincarnations of the main characters. The basic premise, that these souls will keep being reborn until they work through their destiny, is what attracted me to the books. And I have to...more

like · see review

Aug 11, 2011 Ruth Macleod rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, favourites

Book 1 of 15 in total, the first in a long series it has a lot to live up to and a lot to accomplish, however it did just that. Daggerspell is probably one of my favourite books in this series as well as a favourite in general. Set in a sort of celtic time the world Katherine Kerr has created is both detailed and thoroughly real, you can immerse yourself in the culture seamlessly and the way she describes things such as the magic and peoples past lives is wonderfully detailed but still understan...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 02, 2010 EmmaLee Pryor rated it 2 of 5 stars

Maybe I expect too much from authors, since most authors expect me to believe that their characters are in love after knowing each other for a small amount of time, barely having any conversation and just jumping into bed together. This book really doesn't get in-depth with any characters, but then I just read that there are 15 MORE books!!! (so maybe by book 10 I would start to care or get to know these characters :) I just was not interested enough in this one to start on that project. I also...more

like · see review

Mar 29, 2012 Jen3n rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Look, this one is just ... it's not good. It's basically about the same five people reincarnating over and over and over and over again, doing the same stupid, awful things to each other over and over and over .... And it's all along the lines of Rape my sister? It seemed like such a good idea LAST lifetime! I think I'll do it again!

The characters are all really underdrawn and playing on tired archtypes: The Girl is The Most Beautiful Woman in the World, with no opinions or ideas of her own and...more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 14, 2011 Emma rated it 5 of 5 stars

I motherflippin' love this book. I don't even know how many times I have read the first four Kerr books, but I am pretty sure it's an embarrassing amount.
I first read Daggerspell when I was little, and I am 110% sure it's the single reason I love fantasy novels so much (don't worry though, I totally didn't get to the later books with the whole ritual man rape thing until a few years later- think Mum forgot about that bit when she was recommending them from the bookshelf for the smaller version o...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 27, 2009 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

Alright I admit to reading the whole series... and owning a fair chunk of them as well.

I know its not the stuff classics are made of and well not really high brow intelligent mind expanding stuff. Whatever - it makes for great bedtime reading.

Over the years I have enjoyed returning to lands beyond boarders with shape shifter type elves who weave in and out of years and dimensions. Along with some magical age defying humans in cold drafty castles that have special "dweomer power" plotting and fi...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 23, 2009 Shari Mulluane rated it 5 of 5 stars

Once you get used to the storytelling style, you will discover a tale that keeps you fully engaged in the unfolding events. Boring is not a word I could imagine using in conjunction with this book. It twists, it turns, it has action pouring off the pages and there is constant underlying question, will Nevyn ever find a way to make things right? Meanwhile you have plenty of entertaining characters, desperate wars, evil sorcerers, human tragedies and heart wrenching love stories, all designed to k...more

like · see review

Apr 30, 2009 Dan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: signal

Fantasy world, plus reincarnation. Told from the view of the Present; the book is mostly comprised of short stories about what happened to these characters when they met in their past lives. What I really liked about this book was its approach to morality: there was no good or evil, just people who were doing well or poorly at resisting temptation.

...Then the sequel rolled around and, whoah, the main character's suddenly a saint, and he's fighting some sort of demon gods, and suddenly everyone's...more

like · see review

May 17, 2012 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I've had couple in this series on my shelves for years, but never actually picked one up until this one. I am always a little wary of authors who focus heavily on pronunciation for their characters and language in general, but I skimmed past that preface and didn't feel I missed a beat in the story because of it. It took a little getting used to the large jumps in time and back between the main sections of the book, at first, but I ended up enjoying the paths of fate and reincarnation the theme...more

like · see review

Jun 11, 2012 Tracey Alley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Katharine Kerr has done something extremely difficult in fantasy writing - come up with something truly original and absolutely outstanding. This was a wonderful novel from start to finish, great characters, fabulous plot, excellent pacing - I honestly couldn't fault it and couldn't wait to get my hands on the rest of the series. I've since read them all and cannot recommend her highly enough to fans of fantasy fiction. Actually even if you're not really a fan, this is a great place to start as...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 28, 2012 Scarlet rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, fantacy

Daggerspell is a very promising book, whether it meets the expectations or not is totally up to the person reading, for me I'm afraid I liked the book more at the beginning, but started to lose interest later.
I liked the timing of the story, while some people may not like it I absolutely loved the past/present switch, I actually got upset when it stopped, the notion of incarnation was also well played in the book.
The characters on the other hand weren't as good, my favorite character would have...more

1 like · like · see review

May 15, 2012 Kcgood rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ok-for-high-school, sharable

Good plot and truly engaging characters who win your sympathy and engagement. However, there is so much made-up vocabulary and there are so many aggravatingly similar names for dissimilar people, and dissimilar names for the same people (or souls) that I was fully halfway through this book before I really got into it and cared what happened. If you can keep yourself slogging through that (and the excessive descriptions of different kinds of forts) the last half of the book is very good.I do want...more

like · see review

Nov 22, 2008 Kitty rated it 3 of 5 stars

A bigger book than it looks like, in more ways than one. Spans about 400 years, (600 to 1000 AD). Prince with a big destiny screws up big-time and friends die. He vows to make things right, and ends up living for over 400 years in order to do that. Friends are reborn and he has to find them and "try again". It takes more than one of their life-times to fix things. (The covers says it all: a powerful novel of fate, strange magic, and reincarnation.) Good, first of three in a series. I can't fault...more

like · see review

Sep 25, 2012 BeyondTheWall rated it 3 of 5 stars

Warning: This book has a brother in love with his sister, then after being re-incarnated it's the father that is in love with his daughter. Only wish someone would have given me that warning before i started reading.

If your still not entirely put off & were considering starting this series then go ahead. Over all, if you try your best to ignore the screwed up 'love' situations, then I found it interesting enough to finish and will start the following book in the series soon. (spoiler) I'll...more

like · see review

Apr 18, 2013 Luca Corradini rated it 5 of 5 stars

The "good" of this 15 BOOKS saga (not just the opening one), at least for me. Your personal opinion of course may vary :)

- The "reincarnation" theme ;

- The "magic" system and the society, strongly rooted in celtic history and mythology. ;

- the realistic approach when describing the society and the world. Yes, there is a touch of so called "high fantasy", but I like the gritty aspect of the world, not dissimilar to what George Martin did with his famous "Songs of Ice and Fire" saga. ;

- Some chara...more

like · see review

Jul 24, 2012 Deborah rated it 4 of 5 stars

The story begins with the Sorcerer Nevyn, he has a vision about the rebirth of someone who is intertwined to his own destiny, a young child called Jill. Jill is the illegitimate child of a Tavern woman and a mercenary soldier, who occasionally visits to give money to the child's mother. At the age of seven her mother dies, her father whom she barely know, collects her and takes her on his journeys with him where she is exposed to a dangerous life of war, royal politics and sorcery.

The story mov...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Story vs. Style	5	46	Mar 29, 2013 12:57am
Fantasy Aficionados: April 2012 Epic Fantasy Read: Daggerspell by Katharine Kerr Spoilers Allowed	27	79	Aug 16, 2012 08:35am
Fantasy Aficionados: April 2012 Epic Fantasy Read: Daggerspell by Katharine Kerr No Spoilers Allowed	14	42	Apr 07, 2012 01:13pm

combine
Other Editions (26)

More editions...

Genres

Fantasy

646 users

Fantasy > Epic Fantasy

29 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

24 users

Fantasy > High Fantasy

14 users

Fantasy > Magic

13 users

Romance

12 users

Fantasy > Dragons

10 users

Novels

7 users

Epic

7 users

Adult

6 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

The Curse of the Mistwraith
by Janny Wurts
King's Dragon
by Kate Elliott
A Shadow on the Glass
by Ian Irvine
Dragon Prince
by Melanie Rawn
The Baker's Boy
by J.V. Jones

About Katharine Kerr

Born in Ohio, 1944. Moved to San Francisco Bay Area in 1962 and has lived there ever since. Katharine Kerr 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.

More about Katharine Kerr...

Books by Katharine Kerr

Days of Air and Darkness (Deverry: The Westlands, #4)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Daggerspell

1 trivia question

More quizzes & trivia...

title link	preview: Daggerspell
avg rating	preview: Daggerspell Goodreads rating: 3.84 (5439 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/498214.Daggerspell?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1326401538l/498214.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/498214.Daggerspell?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Daggerspell by Katharine Kerr[/url]

Daggerspell (Deverry #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website