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80th out of 112 books
—
94 voters
The Mirror of Her Dreams (Mordant's Need #1)
Once again Stephen R. Donaldson, has created a shining example that proves his gift as a master storyteller. It is the story of Terisa Morgan and Geraden, son of the Domme, set in the strange land called Mordant. It is a rich and finely textured novel of love and lust, power and court politics, in a place where nothing is ever what it seems....
Mass Market Paperback, 627 pages
Published
October 12th 1987
by Del Rey
(first published January 1st 1986)
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Mar 11, 2011
Just Emily
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
contemporary-fiction,
fantasy-fairytales
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I know the author wanted to show the reader the progression of a timid girl into a strong, fierce woman, but the protagonist started out so insipid and cowardly, she irritated me constantly. I made myself read the sequel--it is a two-part story--and it was a more enjoyable read once the heroine got a backbone. However, Donaldson uses too many similes and metaphors for my taste. He also has a low regard for his readers' ability to figure anything out, so everything is explained in excruciating de...more
Edited: Dear Stephen R Donaldson-- Write shorter books!!
heh- This book happens to be part one of two. No part of the book actually mentions it, not the dust cover, nor the title page, nor any other decent location. You realize that this is a two booker series when you get to about thirty pages before the end, realize that all of the threads he has opened can't possibly finish by the end of those thirty pages and scream in frustration because 'damn it! it was getting really good'.
Donaldson seems...more
I keep reading Donaldson's books, hoping he will eventually write a "protagonist" character I don't hate. I mean, really hate. There's no doubt Donaldson is a good author; no other writer in my memory has ever made me hate their characters like Donaldson does. This book is no different; as others have mentioned, the primary starts out so weak, so spineless and cowardly, I can generate zero empathy for her. It's true genius how Donaldson keeps writing about such winning personalities over all the...more
7/15/2004 - 2/10
Mordant's Need is about a woman from our world that gets transported to a magical world where mirrors are powerful. The first book didn't start off that bad - it had some nice political and court intrigue. The plotting quickly became rather simplistic, full of holes and obvious as to what was going to happen. I thought all the characters were stupid and did plenty of annoyingly idiotic things. They were all predictable one dimensional caricatures. Character development is limited...more
Mordant's Need is about a woman from our world that gets transported to a magical world where mirrors are powerful. The first book didn't start off that bad - it had some nice political and court intrigue. The plotting quickly became rather simplistic, full of holes and obvious as to what was going to happen. I thought all the characters were stupid and did plenty of annoyingly idiotic things. They were all predictable one dimensional caricatures. Character development is limited...more
I first read this book about 15 years ago and it's still one of my top favorite fantasy novels today. When the book opens Terisa Morgan is a beautiful girl, living in a busy city but she feels cut off from the rest of humanity. She has no close friends, no family that really care about her, no ties to anyone- and that lack has left a deep impression on her. It's gotten so bad that Terisa has covered her entire apartment in mirrors and she spends hours sitting in front of them, trying to prove to...more
Donaldson does a fantastic job of weaving Terisa into the fantasy world behind the glass. When I first read the premise, I was very doubtful. Usually I'm not interested in stories that toss a modern character into a fantasy world, but this is really well done. The conflict is slow-going, but strong, and the relationships between characters keep things interesting between major plot points.
Geraden is just lovely as a companion, and Terisa makes for an interesting protagonist. She makes me want to...more
Geraden is just lovely as a companion, and Terisa makes for an interesting protagonist. She makes me want to...more
It's been a while since I read this book. Stephen Donaldson has a way of creating thoroughly dislikeable lead characters. I found the same with his Thomas Covenant series, where I was getting increasingly annoyed with Thomas' whining and poor action. This book is much the same in that regard as Terisa's self-involved ignorance gave me, to put it crudely, the shits. There were so many instances in which even a young child would have thought 'hang on a sec, this doesn't seem right' and yet she is...more
This is one of my favourite two-part series, which is interesting because the main character is not really that likeable of a person. She's indecisive, easily pushed around and a bit of a whiner. That being said, it makes sense that she is these things because of the way she was raised and for some reason, it made me want to see her come into her own.
I think it's the universe that is the most interesting to me. To be able to travel between worlds via mirrors was something I always pretended was...more
I think it's the universe that is the most interesting to me. To be able to travel between worlds via mirrors was something I always pretended was...more
The book is well-written, and some parts are actually enjoyable, but I only gave it one star because half of the book focused on a character which I found to be absolutely irritating. Halfway into it, I was prepared to throw it away. I found the character to be that annoying. But, I didn't throw it away. Instead, I skipped all the way to the end, and found out that this character, Terisa Morgan, doesn't get any better. She stays almost as weak and stupid as she was at the start of the novel, onl...more
Main character too frustrating and not entirely credible
I was disappointed and even slightly disgusted by "The Mirror of Her Dreams" and its sequel, "A Man Rides Through."
SPOILER ALERT! I don't give away the end or even the middle, but still a bit of a SPOILER...
My biggest complaint was that this was too obviously a middle-aged male author's botched attempt at portraying a young female protagonist (Terisa). Terisa's thoughts and motivations were heavily-influenced by MALE psyche and ego to the p...more
I was disappointed and even slightly disgusted by "The Mirror of Her Dreams" and its sequel, "A Man Rides Through."
SPOILER ALERT! I don't give away the end or even the middle, but still a bit of a SPOILER...
My biggest complaint was that this was too obviously a middle-aged male author's botched attempt at portraying a young female protagonist (Terisa). Terisa's thoughts and motivations were heavily-influenced by MALE psyche and ego to the p...more
Subtle is a good description of this book. It has an almost Alice in Wonderland quality, with more time spent being lost in the main character's confusion than lost in the unfamiliar customs and creatures of an alternate world. Although complex, and at times bogged down with its own intricate details, this book was very well-crafted. Context clues leave no room for last moment twists and yet somehow the suspense still remains. It's like the proverbial train-wreck you can see coming a mile off an...more
NO spoilers. (July, 2012)
This is my 'go to' duology. When I'm feeling blue, or need a pick-me-up, I pull out these two novels. I have no idea how many times I have read them, but I have read them a lot.
I have no idea why, as it's not the most uplifting of stories, but then perhaps it's the fight for good, or something along those lines? I'm not too sure, and I don't really want to analyze it. Suffice to say, that I've had the series for two decades now (ick, that long? Where DOES the time go?),...more
This is my 'go to' duology. When I'm feeling blue, or need a pick-me-up, I pull out these two novels. I have no idea how many times I have read them, but I have read them a lot.
I have no idea why, as it's not the most uplifting of stories, but then perhaps it's the fight for good, or something along those lines? I'm not too sure, and I don't really want to analyze it. Suffice to say, that I've had the series for two decades now (ick, that long? Where DOES the time go?),...more
Definitely one of Donaldson's best series. What I love about these books is that for once they have characters who seem far more human and normal in their motivations, thoughts and behaviours than his characters in the Covenant or Gap books. Terisa and Geradan the main protagonists are just not as extreme, and because of this (being normal people in an abnormal situation) the story is far more human and engaging.
The world of Mordant, Cadwal and Alend could be considered to be a quite stereotypic...more
The world of Mordant, Cadwal and Alend could be considered to be a quite stereotypic...more
Apparently I loved this book and its sequel when I first read them as a teenager. Having doggedly re-read The Mirror of herDreams, I'm not sure why! The central magical concept - mirrors reflect other things and can be used to produce them into the world - is interesting, although oddly under-utilised in the first book. The essential plot will be familiar to readers of Donaldson - wholly inadequate protagonist with lots of issues is transported to a magical world which apparently they have the p...more
I almost gave up on this book. The world seemed to have potential -- what you see of it -- yet was too easily bogged you down in details. The plot has the appearance of being intricately woven yet so full of holes and presented in such a way that it's obvious that Donaldson does not expect his readers to be blessed with an abundance of intelligence. The characters are memorable -- even if they are a bit simplistic and all too predictable. The heroine was the most incredibly useless and incapable...more
Having read this author's Thomas Covenant series, I wasn't sure whether I should expect to be completely depressed by these characters. I almost quit (the first time through) in the first few pages because the main character is sooooo ineffectual and self-effacing. Then her hero (sort of a bumpkin) (though a handsome one) appears and some light begins to shine on her life.
I enjoyed the premise of these books, a fantasy world where mirrors act not as reflectors but as gateways to other places, ti...more
I enjoyed the premise of these books, a fantasy world where mirrors act not as reflectors but as gateways to other places, ti...more
I loved this 2 book series. As always, the main requirement of crisp well-defined characters has been met. The storyline is unique (to me) and I totally relate to the main character, which as I have read in other reviews totally irritates many of the other readers... explains alot on other peoples irritation for me through the years (I guess). (I also relate to her counterpart lead character) But yet I totally understand the feeling of invisibility... the struggle... the feeling of having valuab...more
A great story ruined by lots of unecessary salacious crap. It's like he thought no one would read the story unless there were vast amounts of abuse, sexual and otherwise, heaped on the womenfolk.
A common theme in his works unfortunately. I don't object per se, it's more that it was so totally unecessary to have the blow by blow descriptions, and not at all relevant to moving the story along. The story about the mirrors was engaging enough.
I read this and the next one directly after each other,...more
A common theme in his works unfortunately. I don't object per se, it's more that it was so totally unecessary to have the blow by blow descriptions, and not at all relevant to moving the story along. The story about the mirrors was engaging enough.
I read this and the next one directly after each other,...more
This is the most readable thing Donaldson has written. Here, we begin the story of a woman who escapes from a hopeless, loveless life on the contemporary real Earth into a fantasy world whose heroic king has withdrawn into madness, leaving his people victim to unknown malefactors. His inexplicable unconcern provides the tension that keeps us turning pages.
In the sequel, A Man Rides Through, the dramatic necessity of some exposition eventually drains the mystery away, but the characters and relat...more
In the sequel, A Man Rides Through, the dramatic necessity of some exposition eventually drains the mystery away, but the characters and relat...more
I chose this book because the author was said to have redefined the Fantasy genre ... and since I write fantasies, I thought it a good idea to check this one out.
While the world was compelling and the plot was interesting, I could not get over my dislike for the main character. Teresa was weird at first, and her sense of detachment to the world was a little sympathetic -- but I stress "at first." As the plot continued forward, I grew to hate her. Midway through the book, I wanted to bash my hea...more
While the world was compelling and the plot was interesting, I could not get over my dislike for the main character. Teresa was weird at first, and her sense of detachment to the world was a little sympathetic -- but I stress "at first." As the plot continued forward, I grew to hate her. Midway through the book, I wanted to bash my hea...more
This was a re-read and while I find some fundamental aspects of Terisa's character as irritating as ever I think that I can actually appreciate how much internal logic they make, to her characterisation and to the story.
Terisa is transported (by magic!) from the real world to Mordant, just in time to play a role in the political upheaval of the time. Is she the saviour they're looking for? From Terisa's point of view, this seems extremely unlikely, some days she can barely convince herself that...more
Terisa is transported (by magic!) from the real world to Mordant, just in time to play a role in the political upheaval of the time. Is she the saviour they're looking for? From Terisa's point of view, this seems extremely unlikely, some days she can barely convince herself that...more
I much preferred this series to the Thomas Covenant series. More accessible and not so downright depressing. Very good read.
Donaldson's 2-part Mordant's Need series has the same basic scenario as the Thomas Covenant - modern American is translated to a fantasy kingdom whereupon she learns that she has hidden magical talents that will solve everything if she can only learn how to master them. I suspect that these books were a bit of a quicky for Donaldson. But at least in this one he has made the rapist (he does have a thing for them, doesn't he?) the bad guy. These take a long time to get anywhere, but once they got...more
Jul 27, 2011
Joan Podleski
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
multiple-reads,
my-favorites
This 2 book story is my favorite fantasy novel of all time. I reread it every couple of years. While it's obviously well written, because Donaldson never puts out a book that isn't, I think it's the core of each character that moves me the most. Each recognizes their imperfections, doubts their strength, but just keeps moving forward and accomplishing more than they thought possible. And while recognizing their own weaknesses, they also recognize the strengths in each other and band together to...more
The best kinds of books—like the best kinds of teas—are the ones able to be savored over and over again, without losing their magic. "The Mirror of her Dreams" is this kind of book for me.
Just like St. Paul's London Breakfast Tea, my BookTasting companion to Donaldson's novel. Together, it's poetry in notion.
Find the full review here: http://www.graspingforthewind.com/201...
Just like St. Paul's London Breakfast Tea, my BookTasting companion to Donaldson's novel. Together, it's poetry in notion.
Find the full review here: http://www.graspingforthewind.com/201...
The main character, Terisa, is very annoying for the first half to three-quarters of this book, because she is indecisive and doubts her own existence. That character trait in itself may have been bearable, but we are reminded of it every few sentences, and it quickly wearies the reader. Not surprising really, since it comes from the author of the Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever series, but at least in this series, the hero finally recognizes she has power and starts to use it. Things pick up nea...more
Thank goodness for fellow bibliophiles with better author memories than me!
I read this ages ago and was intrigued enough to read the squeal, and recall, years later, quite a bit of the plot, which had some fun twists here and there, but overall Donaldson takes way too many words than necessary, the whole story that takes two enormous thick books to be told could have problem been told in a quarter of that length by someone who understands the importance of editing and not meandering on for pages...more
I read this in the late 80s, maybe early 1990. I remember this book becuause I read it even though I wasn't "supposed to" (parents had decreed it had too much sex, which meant of course, I had to read it).
The magic system was pretty cool, and I liked the use of mirrors (I still remember most of it). The main character bugged me. She had quite a few "too stupid to live" moments as I recall.
I'm giving it 3 stars because although I remember it even after all of this time, I remember enough that I...more
The magic system was pretty cool, and I liked the use of mirrors (I still remember most of it). The main character bugged me. She had quite a few "too stupid to live" moments as I recall.
I'm giving it 3 stars because although I remember it even after all of this time, I remember enough that I...more
This is the sort of fantasy book that I should have read when I was 14. It's weird that I missed it. It's nice classic, happy ending high fantasy, with some clever original magic and a good mix of the personal and political. It's the sort of book that you can see in your mind - what the places and the people look like - it's quite engaging!
Really the best part is that Terisa, the heroine, is completely borderline. As a narrative device, it works suspiciously well. It keeps you forgiving the diss...more
Really the best part is that Terisa, the heroine, is completely borderline. As a narrative device, it works suspiciously well. It keeps you forgiving the diss...more
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Stephen Reeder Donaldson is an American fantasy, science fiction and mystery novelist. He earned his bachelor's degree from The College of Wooster and master's degree from Kent State University. He currently resides in New Mexico.
Stephen R. Donaldson was born on the 13th May 1947 in Cleveland, Ohio. His father, James, was a medical missionary and his mother, Ruth, a prosthetist (a person skilled i...more
More about Stephen R. Donaldson...
Stephen R. Donaldson was born on the 13th May 1947 in Cleveland, Ohio. His father, James, was a medical missionary and his mother, Ruth, a prosthetist (a person skilled i...more
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“The story of Terisa and Geraden began very much like a fable. She was a princess in a high tower. He was a hero come to rescue her. She was the only daughter of wealth and power. He was the seventh son of the lord of the seventh Care. She was beautiful from the auburn hair that crowned her head to the tips of her white toes. He was handsome and courageous. She was held prisoner by enchantment. He was a fearless breaker of enchantments.
As in all the fables, they were made for each other.”
—
6 people liked it
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As in all the fables, they were made for each other.”
Jul 16, 2012 11:38am