Phyllis Eisenstein (1946–2020)
Autor de Sorcerer's Son
Sobre El Autor
Series
Obras de Phyllis Eisenstein
The Island In The Lake 3 copias
Lost And Found 2 copias
In The Western Tradition 2 copias
Von Neumann's Bug 1 copia
Attachment 1 copia
No Refunds 1 copia
Conspicuous SF 1 copia
The Man With The Eye 1 copia
Dark Wings 1 copia
Nightlife (novelette) 1 copia
Subworld 1 copia
Sorceror's Son 1 copia
Obras relacionadas
What Did Miss Darrington See? : An Anthology of Feminist Supernatural Fiction (1989) — Contribuidor — 117 copias
Gateways: A Feast of Great New Science Fiction Honoring Grand Master Frederik Pohl (2010) — Contribuidor — 95 copias
New Eves: Science Fiction About the Extraordinary Women of Today and Tomorrow (1994) — Contribuidor — 62 copias
In Lands That Never Were: Tales of Swords and Sorcery from The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (2004) — Contribuidor — 33 copias
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact: Vol. XCIV, No. 4 (December 1974) (1974) — Contribuidor — 19 copias
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction September 1977, Vol. 53, No. 3 (1977) — Contribuidor — 13 copias
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction September 1988, Vol. 75, No. 3 (1988) — Autor — 12 copias
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction August 1988, Vol. 75, No. 2 (1988) — Contribuidor — 12 copias
Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: Vol. 9, No. 3 [March 1985] (1985) — Contribuidor — 11 copias
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction January/February 2019, Vol. 136, Nos. 1 & 2 (1978) — Contribuidor — 10 copias
Etiquetado
Conocimiento común
- Nombre canónico
- Eisenstein, Phyllis
- Fecha de nacimiento
- 1946-02-26
- Fecha de fallecimiento
- 2020-12-07
- Género
- female
- Nacionalidad
- USA
- Lugar de nacimiento
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Lugar de fallecimiento
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Causa de fallecimiento
- COVID-19
stroke complications - Lugares de residencia
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Educación
- University of Illinois (BA | 1981 | Anthropology)
University of Chicago - Ocupaciones
- teacher
author
copy editor - Relaciones
- Eisenstein, Alex (spouse)
- Organizaciones
- Columbia College Chicago
Leo Burnett Worldwide - Premios y honores
- Balrog Award (1979)
Miembros
Reseñas
{First of 3 in Book of Elementals series; fantasy} (1990)
It's been a bit longer than usual since I last posted a book read because this book, while it's one of the first I bought for my own, single shelf with funds eked out of my pocket money and one I keep coming back to, took a while to read. Not that it is hard to read; quite the contrary - it is gentle but rich. Eisenstein didn't write much but I did borrow most of her books from the library in the '90s when she published most of her work. There is one published sequel to this book and one unpublished because, although it was completed, Meisha Merlin folded before it could do so (according to Wikipedia). Sadly, Eisenstein passed away last year after an illness and with covid complications.
When Delivev Ormoru rejected Smada Rezhyk's proposal of marriage, he immediately suspected her of wanting to destroy him. Both Delivev and Rezhyk are sorcerers from sorcerous families but while she deals in more gentle arts of spinning with control over animals like spiders and snakes as well as plants like ivy, climbing roses and other creepers, he has enclosed himself in Castle Ringforge where he smelts metals into rings and sculpts and fires clay into shapes to enslave demons to do his bidding. His longest serving and most trusted demon, Gildrum (whose most commonly used earthly form Rezhyk has sculpted as a young girl), suggested a spell which would combine both provinces as protection for Rezhyk against Delivev's powers. However, Rezhyk felt that he would still be vulnerable for the month or so it would take to craft the spell and then the demon pointed out that if she were to conceive, her powers would be limited for that time. And so, in the form of a handsome young knight, the demon went to Delivev and then returned to the command of its master.
But Delivev and Gildrum both fell in love. And, against Rezhyk's and Gildrum's expectations, Delivev kept the baby and raised him by herself in Castle Spinweb while Gildrum secretly watched, longing to end his servitude and return to them. Cray, though, always wanted to find out what happened to his father, that handsome young knight whom his mother loved and who rode away promising to return after his mission for his lord was completed and who never came back. And so, at the age of fourteen, he rides away from Spinweb, determined to find his father and become a knight like him although his mother urges him to stay and learn sorcery from her instead. Fortunately he is as generous and open-hearted as Rezhyk is closed-in and cold and he makes friends easily, such as Feldar Sepwin, another boy, who shares some of his adventures.
But, of course, his quest is doomed to failure and Cray has many adventures, not least when Rezhyk finally discovers his existence and throws more obstacles in his path, suspecting further mischief from Delivev.
This was a gentle but rich story, as much about a mother's love for her son (with a touch of poignancy for me now that my eldest is 17 and threatening to fly the nest) as about the adventures that Cray has once he leaves the protection of Spinweb to learn to be a knight. Eisenstein shows us demons as being alien from humans, but not necessarily menacing, with a few visits to their elemental world.
June 2021
4.5 stars… (más)
It's been a bit longer than usual since I last posted a book read because this book, while it's one of the first I bought for my own, single shelf with funds eked out of my pocket money and one I keep coming back to, took a while to read. Not that it is hard to read; quite the contrary - it is gentle but rich. Eisenstein didn't write much but I did borrow most of her books from the library in the '90s when she published most of her work. There is one published sequel to this book and one unpublished because, although it was completed, Meisha Merlin folded before it could do so (according to Wikipedia). Sadly, Eisenstein passed away last year after an illness and with covid complications.
When Delivev Ormoru rejected Smada Rezhyk's proposal of marriage, he immediately suspected her of wanting to destroy him. Both Delivev and Rezhyk are sorcerers from sorcerous families but while she deals in more gentle arts of spinning with control over animals like spiders and snakes as well as plants like ivy, climbing roses and other creepers, he has enclosed himself in Castle Ringforge where he smelts metals into rings and sculpts and fires clay into shapes to enslave demons to do his bidding. His longest serving and most trusted demon, Gildrum (whose most commonly used earthly form Rezhyk has sculpted as a young girl), suggested a spell which would combine both provinces as protection for Rezhyk against Delivev's powers. However, Rezhyk felt that he would still be vulnerable for the month or so it would take to craft the spell and then the demon pointed out that if she were to conceive, her powers would be limited for that time. And so, in the form of a handsome young knight, the demon went to Delivev and then returned to the command of its master.
The storm drove from beyond the fortress, and so there was a respite from both wind and wet in its lee. Almost at the arch of the gate, the animal stopped and bent to drink from a puddle and to crop a bit of soaked grass; its rider fell then, slid silently off its back and dropped to the mud in an awkward heap.
Inside, warm and dry and surrounded by the things she loved, was Delivev Ormoru, mistress of Castle Spinweb. She expected no visitors, neither on a stormy night nor a clear one; no one had knocked at the gates of Castle Spinweb in many years, and she was pleased with that state of affairs. But when the ivy curled in her bedroom window, when a small brown spider scurried across its tendrils to report a stranger outside, she was curious. The stranger had not requested entry, had not pounded on the heavy wooden gate or shouted or beat sword upon shield to attract attention through the noise of the storm, yet why would he be there but to enter? She looked out of her window, but the outer wall was too high for her to see anything close beneath it. She could have spun a web to view there, but walking would take no greater time, so she went.
But Delivev and Gildrum both fell in love. And, against Rezhyk's and Gildrum's expectations, Delivev kept the baby and raised him by herself in Castle Spinweb while Gildrum secretly watched, longing to end his servitude and return to them. Cray, though, always wanted to find out what happened to his father, that handsome young knight whom his mother loved and who rode away promising to return after his mission for his lord was completed and who never came back. And so, at the age of fourteen, he rides away from Spinweb, determined to find his father and become a knight like him although his mother urges him to stay and learn sorcery from her instead. Fortunately he is as generous and open-hearted as Rezhyk is closed-in and cold and he makes friends easily, such as Feldar Sepwin, another boy, who shares some of his adventures.
But, of course, his quest is doomed to failure and Cray has many adventures, not least when Rezhyk finally discovers his existence and throws more obstacles in his path, suspecting further mischief from Delivev.
This was a gentle but rich story, as much about a mother's love for her son (with a touch of poignancy for me now that my eldest is 17 and threatening to fly the nest) as about the adventures that Cray has once he leaves the protection of Spinweb to learn to be a knight. Eisenstein shows us demons as being alien from humans, but not necessarily menacing, with a few visits to their elemental world.
June 2021
4.5 stars… (más)
***Spoilers!***
An enjoyable fantasy. The initial scenario is ingenious, and the initial outworking of Cray's quest, reaching more and more dead ends as he hunts for a father who never really existed, is nicely paced in a pleasantly drawn pseudomedieval world. I had reservations about the episode in which he enters the realm of the air demons, which seems too conveniently habitable by a human, and whose powerful yet childlike inhabitants are not entirely convincing, and I was also a little underwhelmed by a certain lack of sophistication in the final confrontation, though I liked the central element of the concluding plot line (defeat the sorcerer who enslaves demons by recruiting other demons as willing allies). The actions of the wilful and paranoid sorcerer and the careful plotting of his technically obedient yet subtly disloyal gender-fluid demon servant are particularly well played. MB 4-ix-2020… (más)
An enjoyable fantasy. The initial scenario is ingenious, and the initial outworking of Cray's quest, reaching more and more dead ends as he hunts for a father who never really existed, is nicely paced in a pleasantly drawn pseudomedieval world. I had reservations about the episode in which he enters the realm of the air demons, which seems too conveniently habitable by a human, and whose powerful yet childlike inhabitants are not entirely convincing, and I was also a little underwhelmed by a certain lack of sophistication in the final confrontation, though I liked the central element of the concluding plot line (defeat the sorcerer who enslaves demons by recruiting other demons as willing allies). The actions of the wilful and paranoid sorcerer and the careful plotting of his technically obedient yet subtly disloyal gender-fluid demon servant are particularly well played. MB 4-ix-2020… (más)
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.
After the sorceress Delivev Ormoru rejects his marriage proposal, sorcerer Smada Rezhyk becomes worried that she's out to get him. In order to reduce her powers so that he'll have time to weave himself a protective gold shirt, Rezhyk sends his demon slave Gildrum to impregnate Delivev with Rezhyk's own seed. Gildrum takes on the form of a handsome young knight (Mellor) and shows up injured at Delivev's doorstep. As expected, Delivev falls in love with Mellor, but unexpectedly, Gildrum (who doesn't even have a heart) falls in love with her, too. However, Gildrum must return to serve Rezhyk. He doesn't tell Delivev that he's really a demon -- he lies and tells her that he'll come back after he delivers a message.
Sure enough, Delivev becomes pregnant and gives birth to Cray. And, of course, Mellor never returns. When Cray becomes a teenager, he decides to find out what happened to the father whom his mother still loves. This leads to a series of adventures which create more questions than answers.
Phyllis Eisenstein's Sorcerer's Son is a pleasant coming-of-age novel. The writing, for the most part, is lovely -- it flows well and is not overdone or pretentious. The dialogue, however, (and there is more of it than their needs to be) is sometimes stilted and unrealistic.
The plot of Sorcerer's Son is original and interesting -- especially the parts in which Delivev or Rezhyk appear. Delivev has control over nature -- particularly snakes, spiders, and ivy. Rezhyk summons and enslaves various types of demons who live in a complex world and follow strict rules about summoning. These parts are very creative and entertaining and I found that I have developed a respect for Phyllis Eisenstein's imagination.
Unfortunately, I just could not believe in Cray, the hero of the story. He was too nice, good at everything he tried, rarely complaining, and too mature, noble, and philosophical for a teenager. Except for the very rare occasions when he lost his temper, he was boring. I'm not into angsty teenage brooding, but Cray could have used a couple more personality dimensions.
The ending of Sorcerer's Son was a little too sweet for me, but if you like that sort of story, then this is a good read.
Read this review in context at Fantasy Literature's Phyllis Eisenstein page.… (más)
After the sorceress Delivev Ormoru rejects his marriage proposal, sorcerer Smada Rezhyk becomes worried that she's out to get him. In order to reduce her powers so that he'll have time to weave himself a protective gold shirt, Rezhyk sends his demon slave Gildrum to impregnate Delivev with Rezhyk's own seed. Gildrum takes on the form of a handsome young knight (Mellor) and shows up injured at Delivev's doorstep. As expected, Delivev falls in love with Mellor, but unexpectedly, Gildrum (who doesn't even have a heart) falls in love with her, too. However, Gildrum must return to serve Rezhyk. He doesn't tell Delivev that he's really a demon -- he lies and tells her that he'll come back after he delivers a message.
Sure enough, Delivev becomes pregnant and gives birth to Cray. And, of course, Mellor never returns. When Cray becomes a teenager, he decides to find out what happened to the father whom his mother still loves. This leads to a series of adventures which create more questions than answers.
Phyllis Eisenstein's Sorcerer's Son is a pleasant coming-of-age novel. The writing, for the most part, is lovely -- it flows well and is not overdone or pretentious. The dialogue, however, (and there is more of it than their needs to be) is sometimes stilted and unrealistic.
The plot of Sorcerer's Son is original and interesting -- especially the parts in which Delivev or Rezhyk appear. Delivev has control over nature -- particularly snakes, spiders, and ivy. Rezhyk summons and enslaves various types of demons who live in a complex world and follow strict rules about summoning. These parts are very creative and entertaining and I found that I have developed a respect for Phyllis Eisenstein's imagination.
Unfortunately, I just could not believe in Cray, the hero of the story. He was too nice, good at everything he tried, rarely complaining, and too mature, noble, and philosophical for a teenager. Except for the very rare occasions when he lost his temper, he was boring. I'm not into angsty teenage brooding, but Cray could have used a couple more personality dimensions.
The ending of Sorcerer's Son was a little too sweet for me, but if you like that sort of story, then this is a good read.
Read this review in context at Fantasy Literature's Phyllis Eisenstein page.… (más)
2 
Kat_Hooper | 3 reseñas más. | Apr 6, 2014 |
Kat_Hooper | 3 reseñas más. | Apr 6, 2014 | Listas
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There is very little supernatural here. Alaric has only one talent that bends scientific reality, and it appears that this is the only supernatural talent anyone can have in Eisenstein's fantasy medieval world (there MIGHT be prognostication as well but it is never used or proven). So it is a single well thought out plot device that drives the story. Otherwise the world behaves pretty much as it should and Alaric himself is a committed skeptic of all other things "magical" or supernatural. He uses the fact that all superstition is nonsense to his advantage and proves when he saves an accused witch that it truly is all nonsense.
Once Eisenstein got the hook in me and I realized this wasn't going to be the same old childish swords and sorcerers fantasy nonsense, I really enjoyed it. I would love to read a sequel since we are left hanging on a cliff of sorts.… (más)