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Check for Availabilityout of stock. Click on the button below to search for this title in other formats.  The Cup of the World
Staff Pick
A subtle and compelling story of Phaedra, a willful girl who is not about to be her father's pawn in the game of arranged marriages. From the moment you meet her you can't wait to find out what she'll do next, and who the man of her dreams really is! Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:FILLED WITH IMMENSE characters, this thrilling medieval fantasy filled with moral complexity and vision announces the arrival of a special new writing talent. Phaedra, the beautiful daughter of a baron, has been visited in dreams by an elusive knight for almost as long as she can remember. And when his presence becomes a reality, she is forced to choose him and a new life over her home and her father. But this sets off a chain of events that she could not have foreseena battle between good and evil, which is in turn violent and psychologically compelling. This stunning novel grapples with the huge themes of life, and turns the readers expectations upside down again and again, with one vertiginious plunge after another. Review:"Dickinson's debut fantasy has lofty ambitions but quickly gets mired in its own complexity. Phaedra, 16, is the only child of the widowed Warden of Trant, one of 10 territories in an unnamed Kingdom. As such, she is sought after for the lands that will come into the hands of her husband upon her father's death; as countless suitors vie for her hand, Phaedra rebuffs them. She holds out for the mysterious knight who appears in her dreams each night, and agrees (through her dreams) to meet with him in person. He turns out to be Ulfin, the March-count of Tarceny, 'of whose house no man could say a good thing.' She escapes with him by sea, and discovers that the 'dreams' are due not to witchcraft, according to Ulfin, but rather what he 'prefer[s] to call under-craft,' a 'gift' from the titular Cup in his possession. Phaedra marries Ulfin, precipitating a war between Trant and Tarceny, which snowballs into a conflict involving the entire Kingdom. Soon, Phaedra's father is dead, she is pregnant, and Ulfin's dark secrets come to the surface. The plot moves slowly and the narrative can be ornate and bulky ('Then the world was blotted out by his arms about her, his lips upon her face, and the thud, thud, thud of her own heart within her chest'). Although Phaedra emerges as an interesting heroine, only determined readers will manage to stay the course to savor her bittersweet victory. Ages 12-up. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc.) About the AuthorJohn Dickinson worked for the Ministry of Defense, but has taken a sabbatical to concentrate on his writing. This is his first novel. He is married with children and lives near Exeter in England. What Our Readers Are SayingAdd a comment for a chance to win!Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
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