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168th out of 171 books
—
152 voters
Karavans (Karavans #1)
A NEW JOURNEY DAWNS
Audrun and her husband Davyd, along with the others of the land of Sancorra, have been left homeless because of the brutal Hecari. Consulting diviners, they learn that their newest child must be born in the peaceful province of Atalanda. They must now travel close to the sinister woodlands of Alisanos, where darkness awaits. Joining a karavan for safety...more
Audrun and her husband Davyd, along with the others of the land of Sancorra, have been left homeless because of the brutal Hecari. Consulting diviners, they learn that their newest child must be born in the peaceful province of Atalanda. They must now travel close to the sinister woodlands of Alisanos, where darkness awaits. Joining a karavan for safety...more
Paperback, 448 pages
Published
April 3rd 2007
by DAW
(first published 2006)
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I wish there was a way to rate this between 3 and 4 stars. It didn't quite reach 4 stars for me because I've listed some real faves as much but it didn't feel quite as low as just 3 starts... arg!
I did like this and it was quick, fun sort of read. I liked a lot of the characters, most especially the Shoia cousins Rhuan and Brodhi, but also side characters the Bethid and Ilona.
Spoilers may follow below, but I'll try not to give too much away...
I'm very intrigued by the dioscuri and want to know...more
I did like this and it was quick, fun sort of read. I liked a lot of the characters, most especially the Shoia cousins Rhuan and Brodhi, but also side characters the Bethid and Ilona.
Spoilers may follow below, but I'll try not to give too much away...
I'm very intrigued by the dioscuri and want to know...more
Aaaand we're back to The Stupid.
This book is extremely slow with no payoff. Densely detailed without any depth and crammed full of characters who take several chapters to sort out from one another only to discover the five-or-six "main" characters all have their own storyline you have to follow even though none of the characters have more than one dimension or are at all interestingly drawn. Most of the people who inhabit this book are painfully dumb. There is not one example of critical thinkin...more
This book is extremely slow with no payoff. Densely detailed without any depth and crammed full of characters who take several chapters to sort out from one another only to discover the five-or-six "main" characters all have their own storyline you have to follow even though none of the characters have more than one dimension or are at all interestingly drawn. Most of the people who inhabit this book are painfully dumb. There is not one example of critical thinkin...more
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I liked this book. I would give it 5 stars except the ending was very abrupt like an after thought. Turns out, the second book picked right up at that point. But I believe books should be self contained and not have endings that are setups for part 2. Having said that, Karavans was an interesting and engaging read for me. Ms Roberson really created a believable world that was different enough to keep the imagination going and familiar enough to be comfortable. "There is an immediate or local vil...more
After re-reading Sword-Dancer and thoroughly enjoying it, I picked up Karavans hoping for more good writing. I didn't find it. One of my criticisms of Sword-Dancer is that there's almost too much action, packed too close together. Karavans has exactly the opposite problem. I turned pages in a desultory sort of way, waiting for the plot to show up, and when I hit page 178, with still no plot in sight, I gave up. The foreshadowing concerning the baby, the Shoia, the mystery surrounding the demons...more
The concept of the 'Black Forest' is an old one. Oh, don't go there, people who go in don't come out. The woods are haunted. It eats foolish boys and girls who stray to close. There are monsters there. All of the above are true of Alisanos, the nightmare forest in Karavans.
But what happens when the forest can move?
Worse yet - what if it were alive insofar as having intellect and intent?
Alisanos is a place that eats people and spits out monsters. Those who go into the Deepwood do not come back hu...more
But what happens when the forest can move?
Worse yet - what if it were alive insofar as having intellect and intent?
Alisanos is a place that eats people and spits out monsters. Those who go into the Deepwood do not come back hu...more
As a long-time fan and re-reader of both the Tiger&Del series and the Cheysuli books, I had pretty high expectations of the new Karavans series. As such, it took me a long time to get into this book. It is very, very different- and it forced me to let go of any preconceived notions or expectations, and take this book on it's own merits.
Rather than focusing on a character or two, it has a huge ensemble cast of characters, none of whom are given their own limelight to really grow and flourish...more
Rather than focusing on a character or two, it has a huge ensemble cast of characters, none of whom are given their own limelight to really grow and flourish...more
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Aug 11, 2007
lynne naranek
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of good fantasy
Shelves:
2007
about 1/3 of the way through. an absorbing read. more once i've finished with it.
***
okay, read it through. Yikes, this is a SCARY tale! Seriously, it had me on the edge of my seat imagining what was going on, especially in the last few chapters what with the moving of Alisanos and all..
Story-wise, we are given only tantalizing hints of who, or what, the Shoia really are; little bits here and there indicating they consort with the demons of Alisanos, they are somehow connected to that deepwood,...more
***
okay, read it through. Yikes, this is a SCARY tale! Seriously, it had me on the edge of my seat imagining what was going on, especially in the last few chapters what with the moving of Alisanos and all..
Story-wise, we are given only tantalizing hints of who, or what, the Shoia really are; little bits here and there indicating they consort with the demons of Alisanos, they are somehow connected to that deepwood,...more
As a lot of fantasy novels that are the first book in a new series, there is a lot of world building that goes on. Jennifer Roberson gives us rich detail and alot of character development in this first novel; often to a fault. With so much of the focus on character, the plot is sacrificed. Not much happens in this book. But the exciting conclusion sets up exciting things for the sequel. Be that as it may, I was still complaining "Why didn't this stuff happen 200 pages ago" all the way through th...more
Okay, I loved this book right from the beginning.
Jennifer Roberson is wonderful inventor...of characters....of worlds...of magic.
Any book that transports me to that world, is a good book. By the end of this first, in a series, I felt, even the weather, as if I was there.
She reveals only as much as you need to know, as if you are another character who does not have 100% of the information.
I love that it keeps you wondering and sometimes thinking you know.
Ha...yes we are still learning about the c...more
Jennifer Roberson is wonderful inventor...of characters....of worlds...of magic.
Any book that transports me to that world, is a good book. By the end of this first, in a series, I felt, even the weather, as if I was there.
She reveals only as much as you need to know, as if you are another character who does not have 100% of the information.
I love that it keeps you wondering and sometimes thinking you know.
Ha...yes we are still learning about the c...more
Once you let go of the ideas of her previous works, you quickly find yourself immersed in the Jennifer Roberson's new world. It's a wonderfully written story that draws you deeply because it immediately has you asking the "who", "what", "where", "when", "why" questions but the answers don't come when expected (ie: at the beginning), instead coming only as the story wants them to. Highly recommended.
Aug 26, 2009
Jennifer
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Jennifer by:
saw it on the library shelf
While it takes some time to get fully into, once I got to the end I found that I *really* want to start the next one NOW!
It took some time for her to explain what some of the terms meant (I kept hoping for a glossary or something @ the back) but once she explained it I understood why she had to wait. To know any earlier would have given away too much.
It took some time for her to explain what some of the terms meant (I kept hoping for a glossary or something @ the back) but once she explained it I understood why she had to wait. To know any earlier would have given away too much.
I found the Shoia/Dioscura thing interesting--that's most of what kept me going through this, feeling that there was something else going on there--though it was kind of frustrating how most of the book consisted of waiting for things to happen, & the ending was sort of a cliffhanger. I'll try the second book to see if the story speeds up.
This really took me awhile to get into. It's told from several points of view and in the begining it was a little overwhelming trying to keep them all strait. I stuck with it though and I'm glad I had book two to jump into. I do think that these books could easily have been combined into one novel.
This book is really well done. I love how she writes - gets right to the point and I respect that. This book is very easy for me to get into because I can attach onto the charactures and story easily. This is much like a mature version of The Enchanted Forrest Chronicles. That meaning, those books are YA and appropiatly so, and these are a bit more The Lord of the Rings/Enchanted Forrest/differant sort of mythology and I love storylines like that. These books also aren't cheesy sci-fi to where '...more
Don't let the cover art put you off. Karavans is a terrific start to a new fantasy series by Jennifer Roberson. It is, however, Book One so be prepared to wait for the resolution of a number of plot threads.
Although I have read and liked Jennifer Roberson's earlier works, this one just didn't work for me. Couldn't get involved with the characters and found I couldn't be bothered to finish the book.
I enjoyed the story and the unique protagonists: a pregnant woman, her family, and other people who are drawn into their circle. My only complaint is that the story tended to move slowly at times--the book could have been a little more concise. Onto the next one!
I enjoyed the book. It was mysterious enough that I wanted it to continue. Nothing much was resolved at the end. You are left wanting to know more about the characters and to see more action. I want to read the next book so it left me wanting more which is good. I would have liked to see more action and pacing.
I quite like Jennifer Roberson, however I was actually unable to finish this book. I felt as though the story was dragging and just couldn't get into it. However being hat she is an author I usually enjoy I might give it another chance.
I don't know how I missed it when it first came out, but I stumbled over it in the library.
I'm glad to see one of my favorite writers going back to fantasy.
I'm glad to see one of my favorite writers going back to fantasy.
Really took a while to get into this book. It starts out like the reader knows what is going on but really did not. Some unlikeable characters.
just what it said it would be - an adventurous escape...nothing extraordinary in the plot line, but enough to keep me engaged.
I finished this book after maxing out my library's renewals. There's a varied cast of characters, none terribly interesting or multi-dimensional; attempts at worldbuilding that never really worked for me (I never really got the feel of the wagon lifestyle, never mind more sweeping aspects of the world); and little gasps of emotion and drama that annoyed me more than anything else.
Its virtue (and the reason why I did bother finishing it) is that it was written just well enough to be readable, but...more
Its virtue (and the reason why I did bother finishing it) is that it was written just well enough to be readable, but...more
The characters are interesting and well fleshed out. Unfortunately, nothing really happens in the book. The plot develops slowly...too slowly.
A good book in the fantasy genre. It kept me interested from beginning to end.
This book was so good and I was kept surprised by the plot. Loved it.
Major cliffhanger at the end... not much plot until then, mostly takes its time building the world and characters.... Fast read.
Fantasy, but not the same worlds you tend to see over and over. As is usual with this author, the world is fully realized and so easy to picture it is almost like having snapshots. The characters are intriguing, though at first difficult to keep straight. There are still questions about the characters at the end of the book, leaving room for development in the sequel. Can't wait to read the next one!
Sep 27, 2011
joy *the clean-reader extraordinaire*
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Shelves:
high-fantasy,
nonstarters
the first three chapters each introduced a new character. it felt like the book started over three times...and i just didn't engage with any of them.
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Jennifer Mitchell Roberson O'Green is an author of fantasy and historical literature. Roberson has lived in Arizona since 1957. She grew up in Phoenix, but in 1999 relocated to Flagstaff. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in journalism from Northern Arizona University. Roberson had spent her final semester in England at the University of London. This enabled her to do indepth research at castles...more
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