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| The Night Bird | 
 enlarge | List Price: $14.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 8 reviews)
Sales Rank: 154134
Category: Book
Author: Catherine Asaro
Publisher: Luna
Studio: Luna
Manufacturer: Luna
Label: Luna
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 576
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 4.8 x 1.1
ISBN: 0373802684
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780373802685
ASIN: 0373802684
Publication Date: July 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
For centuries the women of Aronsdale have lived freely among the green and misted valleys. Creatures of exotic beauty and sensuality, they possess powerful skills of enchantment?and young Allegro is no different. But her life?and Aronsdale's independence?is threatened when Jazid nomads invade, carrying Allegro into the desert as a prized trophy?or worse.Until an unexpected ally falls under her spell. From the moment feared Jazid warrior Markus Onyx sees the alluring beauty, he knows he has found his queen. But even the promise of love cannot quell Allegro's determination to save her homeland. Summoning her powers, she casts herself north?out of passion's grip?and into the dark heart of conflict.?
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 What a shape! October 5, 2008
Okay, I love Cathrine Asaro fantasy. This is a professinal women who owns a research facility has a phd in physic and a series of science fictin longer then my arm. But to me she is a great writer of fantasy. This is a standalone book in her spherical harmondy series where magic uses geometrical shapes to focus. So we have shape and color of magic, the more side to the shape the more powerfull the magic and higher the frequency of the color. In this story we have a girl who sings her magic she still need to have a shape to focus. But when she sings lullabies people really go to sleep.
I think some of fixes that she gets into were kind of contrive and should or would not had happen if this story was in a real world. But I still love her writing. I am glad that there is a Luna Imprint for good fantasy to get printed but hate the Tradebook size. But Im not waiting a year till they print the mass market paperback to get a good novel.
five stars all the way. If this is you first introduction to this world I suggest you find the Cliff of Mist series first. or later or at the same time.
Very complex story told with skill September 13, 2008
I thought this was a very realistic but not heavy story of a very male dominated race that see women as both of no worth yet a status symbol of power and wealth. Add to that a captured woman from a race that was strong and cognizant of her own worth and that of her fellow sex, and who was horried over the abuse, humiliation and denigration experienced by the woman and who dared to question why. I couldn't put it down.
 No Slave to Love... August 30, 2008
Allegro is a simple dairy maid on her way to the Song Weavers Guild to get some training for her magic. She's kidnapped by slavers and taken to the harsh desert kingdom of Jazid, where slavery is a part of life. With her rare blond hair and violet eyes, she's to be auctioned off privately to the outlaw Prince Regent and his General. Jazid is a kingdom rich in mining and gems and metals, but poor in people and women in particular. It was recently conquered by Cobalt the Dark, but the young heir to the former king is still alive and protected by his older half-brother, the Regent and the General. They secretly aim to invade the neighboring kingdom of TakMar and with the riches and troops, get their own kingdom back.
Allegra is shocked and horrified at the Jazid treatment of women as less than human chattel. She can understand that the harsh conditions of the land require strong men, but sees that their culture harms them as well as their women, by keeping women away! They also have no healers and have a high death rate--all a part of the slavery and low status of women--who are not allowed to read or write or have any rights at all.
Featuring this kingdom with its cruelties is not an easy thing for any romance. Markus Onyx, the Prince Regent, is Allegra's master. Even though he is extremely enlightened for a Jazid (he's the son of the king and a concubine, recognized but not eligible as heir to the throne--and he remembers his mother's precarious position, he doesn't wish to beat Allegra into submission and dislikes taking women by force) he has to hide this and conform in order to keep his position and for the good of his young brother, the heir/King and for his countrymen. Allegra is glad of his restraint, but still angry that he goes along with slavery and subjugation of women. Markus even sees that the practice hurts his people--keeps the women scarce and population low, but he thinks his people will not change and doesn't quite see why they should change. Because he has a gentle, intelligent side that he shows only to her, Allegra is drawn to him. But she cannot live in slavery, no matter how beautiful the man and how good the sex.
The General is a cruel man who has no inhibitions about beating and raping women. He is Allegra's enemy. He's smart, a good general... and because men are not 100% one thing or another, he also is dedicated to his country and the young King and he actually feels fatherly towards both the Regent and the King, even if his influence is tainted by his cruel nature.
The young king, only nine years old, turns out to be more influenced by Markus than the General. He's sweet and intelligent and has a love of mathematics. Allegra fears for him and Markus with their plans of war and invasion and fears for their future as the bloodshed and death could affect the young king's innocence.
Meanwhile, all the kingdoms are on the verge of war and upheaval, even Allegra's own, small, peaceful homeland. Even as a slave, Allegra knows she must try to do something about their grim future.
There are clear boundaries of good and evil in this book and there are also many gray areas where doing the right thing and making the right decisions are not easy. I don't think the problems of slavery and rape are sugar-coated. Markus is basically a good man, but still many flaws. Allegra finds herself falling in love with him, but not his culture and his willingness to go along with it. His culture is a part of him, a part of his heritage, all he's ever known. It's not something that will magically drop away--even if he finds he cannot live without Allegra.
I liked that there were no easy answers. There's also plenty of action and adventure for those who like a bit of that. I had a bit of trouble finding sympathy with Allegra at first since her reactions to her kidnapping were sometimes strange (she knew about the slavers from the country next-door, but was shocked that they could kidnap her when it was against her country's law and against a signed treaty--perhaps it was a bit of denial?), but I got used to her. She's a bit of a one-note with her 'I'm just a simple country girl; I want to go home' thing, but she was gutsy at times and it did keep up her will to escape and never accept her fate.
Markus was indeed both an appealing and an unappealing romantic hero. It's not an easy depiction to create and I thought it was handled pretty well.
The story was worth reading, I think. I enjoyed it, anyway, and I haven't always cared so much about some of the tales in this series.
 What happened, Catherine Asaro? August 9, 2008
4 out of 8 found this review helpful
I have been a fan of this series since the beginning, The Charmed Sphere. I've loved these books for the strong women portrayed in them, and the complexities of their romances that grew ever more complex with each book and each new couple.
This book made me cry for all the wrong reasons.
My complaint is not with Asaro's depiction of a brutal, male-dominated society where women are valued somewhere above goats but less than horses. I don't even mind the violence shown; I abhor the manner in which the "relationship" between Allegra and Markus is portrayed. It is abusive, and what he does to her is rape by any decent standards. Their relationship is the type all mothers warn their daughters against, and yet Asaro wants us to believe it's all right because Markus is somehow less violent than other Jazidian men. But he's still violent, he's still possessive, and he still has the mentality that Allegra is his property. Yet, Allegra falls in love with him anyway. I believe Asaro wants us to believe Allegra is confused, but it doesn't come across that way at all. Allegra loves him, despite his violence, despite the rape, and despite the very real danger to her life remaining with him presents.
No, Asaro. No, no, a million times no. This is not a romantic relationship, nor a marriage to be desired. I'd have much preferred it if Colbalt had executed Markus.
Woman falls in love with her rapist August 2, 2008
3 out of 7 found this review helpful
Need I say more? If you are looking for fantasy, this aint anything new, and the writer should be ashamed of writing such a dreadful message. The "Hero" can capture a woman, parade her around half naked and paw her, force her into sex and then marriage, command her loyalty--and drum roll- get it. Very dissapointing from a writer with so much education. I hope she doesnt teach.
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