OK seriously I always forget just how good these books are! It's a marathon of a read, but honestly, I enjoy that because I want something I can just reliably turn to every night. I can't wait to get to the next book ( I LOVE Mongols).Excellent parts:--Benito outsmarting Hades, go you, Benito --Alessia and the whole undine thing like as a little girl I would have killed for a mermaid godmother--Maria's development in general--RIP to Umberto and Svanhild tho boooooooo! For killing off amazing cha...

catching up on my records

Originally published on my blog here in June 2007.It took me a long time - around two hundred and fifty pages of reading - to get into This Rough Magic, and yet I ended up enjoying it immensely. I picked this up in the local library, without looking at it too closely, and didn't even realise that it is the second in a series.The central part of the plot is about a (fictional) siege of the citadel on the island of Corfu in 1539, when it was held by the Venetians. The Hungarians, led by the evil K...

From Publishers Weekly Lusciously set in alternative-history 16th-century Venice, Corfu and sinister points northeast, this huge sequel to the authors' equally massive and magnetic Shadow of the Lion will appeal to adolescents of all ages. In this world, broken off from ours in A.D. 349 (when St. Hypatia saved the Alexandrian Library), Christian magic battles blackest sorcery, with a wild card-the old, old Mother Goddess still worshipped in Corfu's mountain caves-eventually entering the f

While I like this series just fine, and This Rough Magic is a perfectly acceptable entry, I don't like it as much as its predecessor for a couple reasons.The pacing issues I mentioned in my review of the previous book become almost overwhelming here. This is not so much a book as a collection of three separate novels about the same people spliced together - my paperback copy is 900 pages long. It's hard to pick out what needed to be cut, though, because it's all solid writing and tight plotting

I have mixed feelings about this series. On the one hand, I keep staying up much too late to keep reading them. They are compelling, the action is enjoyable, I like the characters, and their development over time. Well, the good characters. On the other hand, every time one of the villains comes along, which is often, I wince, mostly because they are over-the-top revolting. In addition to being gross, it gets tedious. Weird combination, but true. I get really tired of overly-horrible villains, w...

Well, I had to have liked the book somewhat to have finished all 893 pages of "This Rough Magic". The book is the second book in a series that is centered around characters of 16th century Europe. Most of the characters come from Venice and the fate of that country seems to be of central concern to the book. Though it is in 16th century Europe, making it historical fiction, the book also fits squarely in the fantasy genre as their is much sword and sorcery a foot with a bit of the smell of gun p...

So far one of the good historical fiction books I've read. Intertwined with magic and mystery this book gets into another level. I generally like combined genres and do find such books enthralling. The main issue with this book I think it was its length. Usually I'm fine with long books and series but particularly found this plot too difficult to follow. There were many stories stitched together and events which took place in several countries, sometimes at the same time. The research on histori...

This is the sort of alternate history that's right up my alley. A thoroughly enjoyable blend of history, mythology, and fantasy.The main reason that it doesn't have five starts like its predecessor is that the novelty of the setting wore off a bit, and, while the adventure at the end was quite fun from a number of perspectives, it tended a bit towards a combination of deus ex machina and plot invulnerability.

I read this during my Fantasy kick. It's filled with political intrigue and a question for our youthful heroes. It was more gritty than the usual Ms. Lackey because of her co-authors, in my opinion. I liked the world building. It was pretty complicated. Still, not something I'd read again. A bit too dry for me now.

I actually liked this book much more than the first one in the series. Seems that since we're already familiar with the main players, we can get on with the story right from the start. That said, the ultimate evil vs ultimate good chasm was a bit much for me, especially at the end. I also felt the female adversaries weren't as deeply thought out as were the males.

I cannot get enough of this series. It winds me up, it breaks my heart, it keeps me turning pages when I should be doing other things. The prose isn't the most stylish, and it has a tendency to put people into Good and Bad categories, but watching the complex plot wheels turn is immensely pleasurable.

The next installment in the Heirs to Alexandria series focuses on some new characters while continuing to develop the characters introduced in the first novel. You can easily see the characters grow and change without losing their initial focus or personalities. Another excellently written, and very rich story.

This book was written by Mercedes Lackey, Eric Flint & Dave Freer. It is in an alternate universe where the library of Alexandra wasn't destroyed, and the Roman Catholic church has powerful magicians fighting other magic.Very well done.

Actually slower moving and less interesting than the first, neither historical nor military fiction and the disgusting satanistic stuff is glossed over instead of being given a more appropriate horror. =[

This book was positively addictive, though I had figured out a bit before it happened. That aside, I truly enjoyed. It'll probably be a while before I find another book that I devour like that.I read about half of the book in one day.

Our favorite characters from Shadow of the Lion are back battling evil as the King of Hungary lays siege to the island of Corfu.

The action never stops and continues to shadow Dorothy Dunnett's House of Nicolo series. Very good read!

baen ebook

I liked this book a bit better than the first part of the series. The character development is a bit cliched, but the plot is fun.

Fun Read.

i couldn't finish it. I tried, but so slow going :/

I read this for the second time this week. I still love the characters and the setting is really unusual for an epic fantasy. Holy moly is this book long though! Even liking it I barely made it.

Second in the Heirs of Alexandria series. Another great alternate history series Eric Flint is involved with.

I liked this better than the first one! The story comes together much more quickly, doesn't feel disparate for so long.