Bronwyn's Bane (Songs from the Seashell Archives)

This book was written with such humor! Bronwyn is cursed and cannot tell the truth. It isn't that she just says the opposite of what she means, she concocts elaborate stories that just make the reader grin. The adventurers meet mermaids, a talking tapeworm, wizards, and a talking swan. Lots of things talk in this book. I think this book would be wonderful for young adults, but it is still entertaining for any age. There are some odd errors not caught by editing in the later part of the book. My copy is from the first print. I'm guessing these mistakes were caught in later editions.

I love books that're quest fantasy, but the usual serious dry way authors tell it is boring. I want humor, a kind of tongue-in-cheek thing, and Bronwyn's Bane is the perfect book for that. If you're sick and tired of blood, guts, and gore fantasy, try this!

I cannot wait to read more of Elizabeth Scarborough's work after finishing "Bronwyn's Bane" a few days ago. "Bronwyn's Bane" is a delightful story of a princess' curse, told with a mesmerizing tongue-in-cheek style, reminiscent of the "Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series. What makes Scarborough's characters so fascinating is their dry, quirky wit, and their talent for stumbling into one troublesome situation after another. Scarborough's royalty, rather than being elegant, sage and lofty, is verbose, well-meaning but clumsy. All of her characters -- mermaids, gypsies, princess swans, ogre sorceresses -- are endearing, charming characters, and have great hearts -- despite the fact that they often get on each other's nerves. Scarborough also has one of the best and most foresightful imaginations I have encountered. Scarborough, for example, connects omnivorous sea-monsters that come ashore in the dark (terrorizing the islanders) with the islander's toxic contamination of the waters, which in fact created the giantic horrors. Ms. Scarborough has an excellent hand at very effective and thought-provoking irony, as well as an understanding of wit and human nature. "Bronwyn's Bane" is an ingenious,tongue-in-cheek tapestry of imagination, and I am delighted to have found Ms. Scarborough's work. I look forward to reading as many of her other works that I can find.