From the Bookshelf of Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy"…
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OK, let me just get this out of the way first: Brackett's use of the name "Rhiannon", and various other Celtic terms (Caer Dhu, e.g.) just bugs me way more than it probably should. And yes, they're very nice, sounding names, but she was more than capable of coining utterly gorgeous names -- Jekkara, Valkis, etc. -- so the Irish-sounding stuff just felt really out of place.
Having said that, what a great book! Admittedly shorter than the "what has come before" section of your average Game of Thron ...more
Having said that, what a great book! Admittedly shorter than the "what has come before" section of your average Game of Thron ...more
Leigh Brackett's sword & planet adventure The Sword of Rhiannon is a short novel but a favorite among aficionado's. It was first published Sea-Kings of Mars and Otherworldly Stories in "Thrilling Wonder" Magazine in 1949 (cover artist Earle Bergey).
It is like Indiana Jones looted Cthulhu's tomb!
This really is a gem. Written before Sci-Fi and Fantasy really became substantial genres of their own, the summary of this sounds Sci-Fi but really is Fantasy. The Mars milieu features little technology; ...more
It is like Indiana Jones looted Cthulhu's tomb!
This really is a gem. Written before Sci-Fi and Fantasy really became substantial genres of their own, the summary of this sounds Sci-Fi but really is Fantasy. The Mars milieu features little technology; ...more
Its economy of writing, its sheer pacing, is amazing. There's a scene transition early on when Matthew Carse decides he will search for The Tomb of Rhiannon and after a brief piece of narration explaining Rhiannon, he is at the tomb. Everything about it respects the readers enough to let them fill in the gaps.
But in its second half I think the compactness works against it. The scope of the story has opened from Brackett's decayed Mars of decadent, inward-looking cities and dry sea beds and econo ...more
But in its second half I think the compactness works against it. The scope of the story has opened from Brackett's decayed Mars of decadent, inward-looking cities and dry sea beds and econo ...more
Jun 25, 2020
Jason Ray Carney
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
sword-and-planet
Entertaining "sword and planet" / "planetary romance" novel with elements of "space opera" (it is set on a pre-modern Mars with swords, triremes, kings, pirates, princesses, and gods). To an extent, the protagonist Carse is a victim throughout the novel. He doesn't act so much as he is acted upon by dire circumstances. This wasn't 100% to my taste but skillfully executed. There is also an intriguing romantic / antagonistic relationship between the protagonist and a beautiful, cruel woman: Ywain.
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Jul 28, 2008
Charles
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
science-fiction
I really liked this one. Adventures on a decaying Mars. Very different than Burroughs, but just as good in it's own way.
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There's something about Mars. Edgar Rice Burroughs was the first explorer to really map out the fictional canals & cities in detail, but he was hardly the last. Leigh Brackett's Red Planet deserves your attention. --MK
...more
Excellent book, literate, well written
Jun 10, 2009
Jim Kuenzli
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction
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Apr 24, 2015
Athena Shardbearer
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
sci-fi-fantasy,
space
