Mirror of Destiny

Five Senses #2

by Andre Norton

The Industrial Monster has descended upon Varslaad, devouring all the arable land in its path. By royal decree, the displaced must venture into the treacherous woodland domain of a strange and secret race. The King's lottery has determined that Twilla, young, orphaned apprentice of a renowned wisewoman, must marry -- for only the wedded can survive the terrible fate awaiting those who penetrate the primeval forest. Altered by a talisman of great power, she escapes her unwanted lot -- joining a commander's tragically blinded son on a remarkable journey from peril to peril. For they are the chosen who must rescue the vanquished of an ancient war of magicks. . . and shape the destiny of a bloody, disputed land.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Magic, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Ebooks, Fae

400 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Andre Norton, born Alice Mary Norton, was a pioneering American author of science fiction and fantasy, widely regarded as the Grande Dame of those genres. She also wrote historical and contemporary fiction, publishing under the pen names Andre Alice Norton, Andrew North, and Allen Weston. She launched her career in 1934 with The Prince Commands, adopting the name “Andre” to appeal to a male readership. After working for the Cleveland Library System and the Library of Congress, she began publishing science fiction under “Andrew North” and fantasy under her own name. She became a full-time writer in 1958 and was known for her prolific output, including Star Man’s Son, 2250 A.D. and Witch World, the latter spawning a long-running series and shared universe. Norton was a founding member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America and authored Quag Keep, the first novel based on the Dungeons & Dragons game. She influenced generations of writers, including Lois McMaster Bujold and Mercedes Lackey. Among her many honors were being the first woman named Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy and SFWA Grand Master. In her later years, she established the High Hallack Library to support research in genre fiction. Her legacy continues with the Andre Norton Award for young adult science fiction and fantasy.

Reviews

[Jennifer Woodings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andre Norton’s Mirror of Destiny follows Twilla, the orphaned apprentice of a renowned wisewoman, as she is scooped up by the King’s lottery and sent over the mountains to the west to be forcibly wed to a man she has never met; for only the wedded can safely venture into the primeval forest bordering these lands. Twilla is not without protection however, for she is given talisman of great power, a mirror with the power to change appearance and perception. She is accompanied in her flight from the westland keep by Ylon, a commander’s son who was struck blind by the folk of the woodlands and is now viewed as less than a man by those he once led. The hidden people of the wood are preparing to wield their mystical weapons of the body, mind and spirit to repel the invasion of the humans from over the mountain, and only Twilla and her mirror can uncover the path to a peaceful resolution and prevent the war to come.

This is the second of five books in the Five Senses series, though they can be read in any order since none of the books share the same world or even common characters but are instead tied together by the common theme of a single sense dominating the plot. Mirror of Destiny is based around the sense of Sight, with Twilla’s power being brought forth by the titular Mirror. The story makes great use of the metaphor of sight with how characters see themselves being important to what they are capable of doing, as well as physical appearances deceiving others.

At times the reader can find themselves just as confused as the characters about what is going on since the book seems to assume that you are already familiar with the world. References are made to events in the history of the land which are important to the characters with no accompanying exposition to inform the reader about what is going on. At one point Twilla passes through a doorway, that she had been told earlier was the seal of a prison holding enemies of the people of the wood, and releases the race trapped there. I kept expecting these new people to rise up against the people of the wood and continue the war that led to their imprisonment only to discover two or three chapters later that they were in fact allies of the people of the wood who had been falsely imprisoned!

Despite the awkward storytelling mechanics Mirror of Destiny is a thoroughly enjoyable book. I quickly fell in love with Twilla and the world around her, which Ms. Norton describes beautifully. From the inside of Twilla’s home with the wisewoman, to the swirling mists of the forest and the stony underworld beneath it each location is brought to life with simple but elegant descriptions befitting a book based upon the theme of sight. Mirror of Destiny is a perfect fantasy book for those who like to read in bed; it is easy to find where you left off if you happen to fall asleep while reading (which happens to me more frequently than I like to admit). I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a nice light work of fantasy as an interlude between works of high fantasy or science fiction.

[Valerie]

This is one of my favorite Norton books, largely because it's less violent than most, and the women make the final settlement. It's a settlement that will probably doom everyone unless modified, because it's based on the assumption that fallen trees have no value to a forest. I can relate personal experience to the contrary: I went to SIU Carbondale, where a part of the legacy of the land donor was that nobody could remove even fallen trees from the forest (except that they might cut a path through the trunk to clear footpaths). People questioned the value of this bequest when a nest of tornadoes tore through the forest--but I arrived only a few years later, and the forest was thriving.

I'm not sure what people mean when they describe books as 'boring'. It seems to indicate a 'want of exciting incident', to paraphrase one of the criticisms of Charlotte Bronte's works. Personally, I too often find Norton's books restless and (sometimes literally) breathless. People are reduced to states of extreme deprivation, especially sleep deprivation. A literature of deprivation may be 'exciting' to some. I personally would like a better chance to catch my breath and see how people live normally. But maybe that's just me.

[Catherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

The plot was interesting, the characters were OK, but the writing style was painful. It felt like a mix of old medieval English reboot meets Yoda. "Come from the West, they did". "Concentrated on her mirror, she was". I ... can't.... handle. I made it about 1/3 of the way through the book and put it down. It's unfortunate because I liked the general story.

In a medieval land, the Prince trades the unmarried maidens in his kingdom to a neighboring land in exchange for food, wood, and resources. The main character has been an apprentice to a village witch. The witch doesn't have the power to overcome the Prince's military escorts and hesitantly lets her ward go, but not before giving her something to help protect her in the journey. She quickly learns the new kingdom is 'haunted' by a mysterious force hiding in the forests surrounding the farm land. A little Jackson's The Lottery, a little Beauty and the Beast, and a lot of Avatar, this book has some interesting themes, concepts, and story lines.

Unfortunately, the writing style would frequently throw in a sentence that was poorly structured. Or confused me on what the subject was. I found myself having to re-read sentences and sometimes whole paragraphs to figure out if I had missed something. The 'readability' factor was too low to keep going. While I've read worse, I've read loads better, and there's too many better books to keep trudging through this one.

[E. Cormick · Rating 5 out of 5]

It makes you wonder what this world will end up like. The further ahead we get, it seems, the further behind we go.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm glad I read it, because I wanted to read some Andre Norton. But not at all one of her best.

[Gwyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

First, I need to stop reading books that are promoted by Kindle. Their track record is middling to poor. I knew that, but when they suggested this series by Andre Norton, a well-known and prolific fantasy writer, I thought I’d give it a try.

I liked the premise of the story, but the further I read, the more of a slog it became. I’d read a couple sentences, fall asleep, reread them and wonder “Is it me or is this writing awkward?” Every time I pick up the book, I wonder “are we done yet?”

I thought maybe this is an older series, written with an affected style, but no, it was published in 1995. I was finally gratified to read an independent reviewer who captured my impression perfectly: “Norton also brings across inventive world building, but it's not enough for me – across the board I felt there was something off with each story, be it the pacing or the lack of attention to characterisation. Not to mention the clumsy sentence construction. Whether the latter is a product of its time or simply that these stories were never subjected to the tender mercies of both a structural and copy editor's talents, I don't know.”

[Shelli Ingle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to picked "Mirror of Destiny" past April after I DNF'ed Dragondrum. I thought the book was okay,but I don't like there a lot of woman abuse and sexism in this book. It's mostly focused on saving the environment (oh, okay).

It is about a girl who got forced into slavery (that's sexist right there) and ended up getting marries to the Lord's son who was about to rape her,but she winded up to ran with the other son who blind and befriends elves (I don't mind the elves) then they made dwarves to free their woman that were under an evil overlord's spell.

I thought the main character was stupid that she gave her plague to prevent her from being sold and I don't like how it had ended it.

[Karen GoatKeeper · Rating 4 out of 5]

She is an apprentice healer taken to be forced to marry a man over the mountain. He is the son of the Lord over the mountain blinded by the demons in the forest.
She distorts her appearance hoping to gain her freedom. The second son of the Lord is to be her husband and seeks to destroy her first.
She flees with the first son to the forest. Mission: Save the forest and the valley from war.
This is an easy, enjoyable book to read.

[Rhane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Myth and legend combine with history to make lessons for today

Andre Norton is a grande dame of science fiction and fantasy fir a reason. She is a gentle social justice warrior who teaches while entertaining. You read along in a compelling tale of magic and bravery and find that you’ve learned something new. The best stories cause your mind to see common things in a new light.

[WayBackWhen]

DNF. 38%. Started to stop caring about the characters about when they're in the forest. The author's writing is also really odd. Often odd choices of words or excess words used that made me have to stop and re-read to make sure I got what the author was trying to say. Didn't make for a very smooth read. It seems to be solid work with a cool sort of fantasy vibe but overall it wasn't for me.

[JBJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually read books about magic, but I gave this one a try since it was written by Andre Norton, and I enjoyed it enough to keep reading the next two. Some sites say this is book two of five and others say it's book one of three. Oh, well, it's worth reading either way.

[Kris Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy Andre Norton's work. This book is a good middle-read from her, but not one of her best. It echoes elves and dwarves and other known magical entities a bit too clearly. Good and evil have simple lines. Still, a middling Andre Norton book is better than so many other reads.

[Kathy Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andre Norton’s Words are Magic

Norton lays down words like brushstrokes. The multilayered text forms the story shading and illuminating her narrative. There is uniqueness to the way she fashions fantasy.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

would have benefitted from an editor

I liked the premise and characters, but the writing was unnecessarily ponderous with strange constructions. There were also numerous, annoying errors in spelling and grammar. It was as if I read an incompletely edited draft.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Occasionally confusing. Some of that may be I think this was an OCR ebook and there were places it clearly didn't get it right. An okay fantasy, but not anything that amazed me.

[Megan James · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was so slow!

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best of Andre Norton in my opinion, but still worth reading. Don't know how I missed this one before. A bit slow-moving and mildly confusing in some places. I enjoyed it anyhow.

[George Polansky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtful and entertaining read.

[Aeris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favourite books from Andre Norton (besides the Witch Word books). It ages well and I often come back to it. Brilliant story about friendship, honour and of course love.

[George Kraus III · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Yarn Worth Reading

Andre Norton spins a yarn well worth reading, but beware, you will not so easily put it down once you pick it up to read.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mirror of Destiny

I have always loved Andre Norton. And this book is a prime example of her work. This writer was my intro to sci-fi, and I have been hooked ever since.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable Tale

An interesting and well-paced tale of healers, fae, dwarfs, and the humans that challenge them. I read way past my bedtime and finished the book early the next day.
I absolutely adore books by Andre Norton.
Read in KU.

[Nuranar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lot better than I expected it to be. Low expectations: It seems have to been one of Norton's last solo works, it's definitely more mystical/naturalistic than I prefer, and the protagonist is female. (That last is a purely involuntary, illogical reaction that I'm not sure how to explain but yet affects my enjoyment of any book.)

It was still dissatisfying in some ways. I don't sympathize at all with the Industry Is Evil, Human Culture Is Evil, and Women Are Awesome And Men Are Inferior/Bad/Stupid/Pigs tropes that Norton leans toward in a lot of her books. And since this one was a later book, I'm less tolerant of those old-hat ideas in this book than in her earlier work.

Also, this seemed to be more of an adult-audience book than the vast majority of what Norton wrote. So when it set up some harsh circumstances - a "bride lottery" in which women were conscripted and men had no choice of bride - somehow I expected different handling. For example, she drew a comparison to a slave auction. It was superficially similar, but she wholly overlooked some fundamental differences. That kept it from ringing true - not the situation, not the emotions, but the writing.

On the plus side, though, there's a lot. It was longer than most of Norton's books, over 300 pages. The conflict was more complex than her typical plots, and there was more sustained action than usual, particularly in her more "dreamy/mystical" stories. The pacing really felt different, and it kept me engaged.

The protagonist did not irritate me once. Not once! This is notable, since as aforementioned I prefer males, and I tend to be critical and dislike stereotypical action. Now, I didn't really *like* her much either; but she was admirable and really, more adult. The male protagonist - whose part in the plot was admittedly a major reason I got this book - was quite interesting as well. Seeing him through her eyes was really well done. And somehow Norton even subverted the Men Are Whatever trope when handling him! A memorable character.

In addition to all this, there was still Norton's trademark inventiveness of peoples and worlds. There was much to discover about the world in the book, and it was all interesting. A weakness of the plot might be that it was a bit diffuse, but that allowed for journey, coming-of-age, spiritual awakening (so to speak), and even battle elements to all be present.

I've really gone on too long. Boiled down, this is a good book because it kept me interested and when I put it down, I was satisfied.

[Sandra Munger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't short change women. Women are forced to move to the other side of the mountains and by lottery, marry a man. This is because of the dangerous woods that are dangerous mostly to unmarried men. Twilla is one of several women sent to be brides. She has worked with a wise woman for years and knows the properties of herbs and plants. She is paired with a man who does not want her in her current guise. He plans dire things for her but she is able to escape with Ylon his brother. She works to straighten out all the conflicts between the woods and the settlers.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another re-read. This is not my favorite Norton, but it is still a good one. It is slow to get started, then it picks up the pace a bit... then it gets boring again... then it exciting again. It is still a good story, though.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty slow moving and at times excruciatingly repetitive (i put it down for over a month and was able to pick up where I left off because off how repetitive it is), but overall good storyline (even if it could have used more detail in the actual relationship area).

[Asenath · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book could have been good. Twilla is a healer, but is sent away during the "maiden-sweeps"(men obtaining wives to be immune to the evils of the forest.) Boring and formulaic. Why did I force myself to read this?

[Doris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book although the formula showed clearly. Written for the teen audience.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

learning about your destiny and how you can change things for the better

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Predictable.