Alix is young, naive, and in love---with Carillon, heir to the throne. She's aware that he's destined to marry a princess to forge alliances between nations, and a commoner girl like herself can't hope for more than a position of mistress. Still, she can dream. Until the Cheysuli come, and drag her forcibly into their world. They insist she is one of them and refuse to let her go back to her home. Is she? And what of Carillon, whose uncle has sworn to eradicate every Cheysuli?The book is, in large part, more about who Alix will sleep with and whether or not that will be her choice than the eventual struggles between Cheysuli and the majority Homana populace and the war between Homana and a neighboring nation. And after she joins the Cheysuli the tribe still insists the best way she can help them is by bearing a lot of children. I can commend Alix for pushing for a position as wife, not mistress, and for demanding her husband's fidelity to her alone. I am less convinced by the very open marriages common to the Cheysuli; it's an idealized society where everyone can have the freedom to come or go in these relationships without issues like rejection or jealousy coming into play. Or at least that's what's said, and then there are hints that marriage is kind of a "until death do us part" deal after all, and it gets a little muddled.The book felt a bit lopsided to me. Alix gets virtually no backstory other than a few sketchy details; the city of Homana-Mujhar in particular has very little description; there are more than two warriors but we don't even get to see what kinds of animals other Cheysuli have taken as lir. Nor, for that matter, do we ever get more than four or five of them named.Once Alix settles down the book does get a lot more interesting, as it shows the disastrous consequences to the genocide against the Cheysuli. Finn gets props for moving out of the stereotypes he starts in. It's a pretty quick read, and relatively engaging, but I'm not totally sold on reading more of the series. I rate this book Neutral.
I first read this trilogy as a teenager. I had just discovered fantasy novels and was looking for books with female protagonists. I remember loving the world of this book. People who could take animal form, special animal companions called Lir, princes, horses and lost princesses...I was hooked. I was a little worried to reread this. What if I hated it now? What if it wasn't as good as I remembered? I'm happy to report that, although it's not quite as good as I remembered, it's still a pretty good book. Alix is a little more annoying to me now. Carillon isn't around as much as I thought (though the next book is all about him). And Duncan is a little wooden and distant. I remember as a teen liking Finn better than Duncan, and I think I still do (what is it about bad boys?) Best of all, the Lir are just as cool as I remember. No wonder I spent all that time in my room as a teen drawing wolves and falcons.In the interest of full disclosure, yes, the writing is a little clunky and the pacing seems a little off. This is a book that might've benefitted from a little more detail, especially about the Cheysuli and their way to life. Ms. Roberson's world building is excellent, though. And if it feels like you've seen it all before, remember, this was written back in the 1980's. There was very little fantasy written from a female perspective back then. Women were either fierce, heartless warriors, demure maidens/queens or slutty wenches to be bedded and left behind. Anyway, I'm looking forward to rereading the other two books. I hope they continue to live up to my memories
What do You think about Shapechangers (1984)?
I enjoyed greatly the Sword Dancer series from Jennifer Roberson, so I had high expectations about this one. Unfortunately, this book is terrible. I sincerely don't know what happened here. Not only does this pale in comparison with Sword Dancer, but it also fails as a stand-alone novel. The Cheysuli are shape-shifters and renegades who live in forests and have a specific bond with animals. After they kidnap our heroine, Alix, and find out that she is half-Cheysuli herself, they try to force her to stay with them. And then this whole thing goes on and on and on and before you know it, we are almost HALF through the book already! I just read pages after pages of story that could have been condensed on a few pages! I repeat: what happened here, Roberson?The other notable characters are all male, and they all want to sleep with Alix, even though they are all more or less related to her! So instead of reading about wars, politics, magic, people and how all this effects the society and the world Roberson created, we are forced to read about this annoying love... quadrangle?Needless to say, I decided to quit after arriving on about 45% of the book, because I just couldn't take any more of this nonsense. A shame really... Sword Dancer is so much better, I actually recommend it! But if you are more into whiny heroines and impossible romance, Chronicles of the Cheysuli might be for you.
—Arminion
I can't even finish it! The heroine annoyed the hell out of me. Why can't anyone write a heroine who's as smart as I am! Looking at my grades I'm not asking much so why is it so hard to write a smart heroine now adays!?I'm soo tired of heroines who find that they have magical powers then started acting like it's a damn curse! The girl can freaking shift into an animal, why can't she be like a normal teenager and start jumping up and down yelling AMEN! but noooo! God forbid a heroine that's actually excited by the prospect of having magical powers. They just dive in to self pity because you know- making good fusses about it robs the heroine a chance of playing the 'buhuhuh I'm the victim, my life is ruined' Oh shut up!!!She starts by acting like a love struck teen which is disgusting. Romance is fine by me. I adore romance but do you have to lose your head too?. She defends something 'That's unfair! Don't judge!blah blah blah then suddenly loses conviction and abandons all her cries of justice and fairness when it face to face with the real deal . Where's your conviction now you little hypocrite?She spends half of the entire book hating, then denying, then submerging into self pity, and being stupid all over again. This has so much potential. The plot is fantastic and very interesting. Why ruin it with a bitchy heroine!? Why?
—Jemma Gutierrez
I read this book for the first time when I was a teenager and thought it was fabulous. I read it again as an adult and still enjoyed it, but found the writing a trifle immature and a little cheesy. It is clear the the author was still developing her skills. The main character is a bit obnoxious - something I did not notice as a teenager. Probably because I though such behavior acceptable at the time - ha! The story and land are both interesting and encourage the imagination. It is a different type of fantasy novel. Follows more of a nature and Native American feel. Reminds me a bit of Kate Elliott's Jaran Science fiction series. Its a quick read for a beach or a quiet afternoon. Enjoyable for that, but not for discussion or a book club. Certainly not anything heady or harder than a 6th grade reading level.
—Kate
