The Dove Looked In

Water! #2

by Gael Baudino

Having her youth and beauty restored by the Goddess, Sari vows to bring her people back to the Caves of the forbidden mountains, but diplomats from the Righteous States of America also search for the mountains, hoping to overcome Napoleon. Original.

Genres: Fantasy

336 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Gael Baudino (born 1955) is a contemporary American fantasy author who also writes under the pseudonyms of Gael A. Kathryns, K.M. Tonso, and G.A. Kathryns.

Reviews

[Aaron Rath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, and the whole trilogy, was a revelation to me. It was the first time I realized that a fantasy book could also be, well, literary. The writing is sharp, funny, and carefully crafted. It also plays fan service to many of literature's greats, with scenes written in the style of Joyce here, Faulkner there, and nods to many others. I come back to the trilogy every handful of years or so, to see what other references and jokes I missed last time but can recognize now.

The series does at times demand some careful reading, but for those who pay close attention, the deeper you look, the more there is to enjoy. There are places that seem confusing at first pass, but I assure you they not only aren't nonsense, if you look closer they're probably hilarious. Or you can gloss over the more confusing bits and still come through with a delightfully twisted and consistently funny fantasy adventure.

I've read a lot of fantasy, most of it somewhere between pure fluff and well-polished fluff. Entertaining, maybe even memorable, but in the end sort of insubstantial. Gael Baudino's "Water!" series is entertaining, memorable, and well polished, but it's also something different--it's True Art.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's interesting to me, to read a book by an at-the-time Wiccan author, that includes some mentions of Quakers, especially when you consider that the internet has it that M. Baudino is now a Quaker. Even more so when you consider the story itself dealing so much (in a way) with the worship of a goddess, god, and a puritanical version of Christianity.

The humor and humor attempts aside, these books can be tough reads. not so much because of the content, but purely because of the writing style. They're still interesting and at times humorous, but putting the details, oh so many plot lines, and on occasion even characters into order can be quite a task that even a critical reading champ can struggle with.

Thankfully, while I know book 3 gets better, memory can't promise me that it gets easier or more clear, but it does hint that the ending does contain some satisfaction. Sadly, that's the best inducement I can offer to finish the series.