The Mirror of Her Dreams: #1

Donaldson depicts the despair and confusion that result from lives turned awry: in Teresa's case by childhood abuse/neglect and in Geraden's case by an inability to understand and use his gifts, in the realm's case by a hero-king who has suddenly stopped defending the kingdom. These confusions lead the characters into mistakes and dilemmas so true to life that I have read every one of Donaldson's long-winded words in the two Mordant books for the gift of better understanding despair and hope, confusion and clarity, seduction and care, and the redemptive possibility of hope. I find Donaldson's other series dark and lacking in the hope and genuine love that make this tale one of my all-time favorites.

It had been a long time since I had just picked up a book and curled up on my couch. When I started reading Mirror of Her Dreams, I was surprised to find myself so engrossed in the novel that hours had passed since I began reading. I still didn't want to put it down.My opinion of fantasy novels had always been that they were pointless, and the only good writers wrote science fiction. This novel changed my outlook entirely...good storyline, plot twists, intrigue, treachery...it has it all.Next time you want someting worthwile and enjoyable to read keep this novel in your thoughs.

I never cease to enjoy this book and its sequel, "A Man Rides Through". I just finished "The Mirror of Her Dreams" for the fourth time and will be diving into the sequel tonight. These are the kind of books you read well into the night when you should be sleeping. Because of these, I read Donaldson's "Gap" and "Thomas Covenant" series -- both of which I enjoyed greatly and will read again and again -- but these remain my favorites.There really is only one thing I might add to the other positive reviews here -- and it is something I noticed in "Thomas Covenant" as well: Mr. Donaldson takes an ordinary person from our own world, places them in an extraordinary place and situations and allows them to grow from there. Terisa Morgan is a woman with no sense of self, no confidence, and no purpose. Her passivity and doubt are frustrating -- frustratingly real. But her arrival in Mordant and her subsequent involvement in its crisis -- as well as the faith shown in her by the loyal Geraden -- allows her to discover the woman she truly is: powerful, courageous, and passionate (to name a few) -- qualities she never would have discovered if she'd remained in her own world.The action and intrigue are captivating -- but it is the characters and their evolution (and not just Terisa's but Geraden's as well) that make these books so addictive.In the paperback version, there is a rather major editorial mistake. In the last pages of the second to last chapter, a few sentences have been left out, making things a little confusing. Having always read the hardcover edition before, I noticed the mistake. Briefly, and hopefully without giving anything away, what was left out is this: Castellan Lebbick informs the Congery that Nyle wishes to speak to Geraden alone. This is what he whispers into the Castellan's ear. That's really all that was left out. I had to read it a few times to make sure I hadn't skipped something. Hopefully, this helps anyone who thinks they missed something, too!All in all, two wonderful books with characters that stay with you.

I literally stumbled over this book on a flea market, not aware it was on the first part of an amazing two-volumes novel by Donaldson. And it took me quite some time to find the sequel...Still, this book had a great impact of me. It was one of those novels you can read from the first to the last page, without any interruption, mostly because of the main character, a young frustrated woman brought into a new world, a parallel universe, middle-age style, where magic still exists... Slowly, over the time she spends in this world, she gets rid of her own problems, getting more and more involved in the intrigues of this fantastic world she starts to like more and more, until she arrives at the point where she has the possibility to go back, but finally doesnt... I particularly liked that the main character was a woman, who finally will be able to make her way in this world dominated by prejudiced men...The plot of the book is just brilliant, the characters fascinating, even the bad guys, and this is a great pleasure to read... But to find out about all the secrets in this book, you will need to read the equally well written sequel (A man rides through) to this volume and therefore I recommend you greatly to buy the two books together if you want to read this story.

I have read Tolkien, Brooks, Eddings, etc. and enjoyed them. But this series had one unique element which I have never seen in any other fantasy novel. It had the development of a magic (mirrors) and its uses which the characters slowly discovered as the story progressed. This can usually only be found in a good Sci-Fi novel with the development of a technology. I simply could not believe (to my enjoyment) how far he took the concept of mirrors and their discovered abilities and uses for good and evil. It was not simply "find sword, discover how to use sword, kill evil with sword". I think the most amazing thing these books did was combine elements of all genres! An almost impossible task, but it turned out amazingly well! Fantasy, action, adventure, intrigue, romance, humour, suspense, horror, sci-fi, and more! In fact, make sure you have the second volume sitting right in front of you when you finish the first. Trust me. Also, if anyone reads this review who HAS read these books and enjoyed them as much as I have, I want you to email me the titles of any which could be similar in caliber and content. I simply cannot find any--and I have read many. Thanks!