Wizard of the Grove

Some books I hate, others I love. I think it has to do with characters and what authors do to them. So many try to force the character to do something that they want, and when you read the passage, it just doesn't feel right. Not with this book, I like the fact that the author let the character be who she was. It was believable; she had faults as well as perfections. So for those who are looking for a story about a hero, but what a true hero that they can relate to, I highly recommend this book.

An excellent story about the trials and travels of Crystal, a young woman who also happens to be one of the last wizards. Tanya Huff does such a brilliant job of characterization and creates such an original plot that I find it hard to believe that this book is a compiliation of some of her earliest work! Plot outline: Everyone thought that the wizards were dead, killed by the dragons that they created in a fit of pride, but one very powerful and very evil wizard escaped, and hundreds of years later he has recovered his strength and is attempting to (what else?) take over the world. Realizing that that no mortal could hope to oppose a wizard, the Earth Mother, the last of the gods, and the Elder Races (dwarves, centaurs, hamadryads, etc.) collaborate to create one last wizard. Unfortunately for sixteen year old Crystal, that wizard is her! Now, even though she is barely trained in the use of her powers, she must save the world from her infinitely more experienced nemesis. And you thought that YOU had it rough as a teenager!

This is a wonderful book. I'm a Tanya Huff fan, so I decided, what the hey, I'll try this. I was drawn in almost immediately. At the beginning it takes a while to realize that Crystal,the last wizard, doesn't appear till later in the book, a few generations later. I found the story utterly engaging, humerous, and completely the kind of book I was looking for. It is different than most science fiction/fantasy books, which all seem to have the same plot overall, this book is quite unique. I highly recommend it.

I found this book wonderful. I read it in three hours, and it was worth every second. I believe a few of the characters are under-developed, while most are well characterized. Most of the plot is understandable, although a few parts were hard to follow. This is one of my two favorite books.

I was a little intimidated at the size of this two-books-in-one, but once I got over it and sat down to read, I was SO HAPPY that I did! The characters are likeable, creative, and realistic (which says a lot about Tanya, due to the fact that a vast majority are WIZARDS, GIANTS, WER-PEOPLE, MER-PEOPLE, AND DWARVES!!) A great book for anyone who enjoys fantasy and incredible insight in writing. Also, listen to some Sara McLaughlan while you read it...for some reason, it just works.