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Loading... Cursed (1995)by Dave Duncan
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.  Isamoor | Mar 20, 2011 |   wfzimmerman | May 29, 2007 | no reviews | add a review
Awards
"A complex and gripping story" of plague, prophecy, and a woman's quest for freedom from the author of Portal of a Thousand Worlds (Booklist). The world was desperate. Since the empire had fallen a hundred years ago, Gwin and her people had nearly given up hope that the Renewer would come. Gwin had lost everything. Her husband was killed in one of the wars. Her children died of Star Sickness. Even her work at the hostel was in jeopardy because the politicians had it out for her. The cursed Gwin, therefore, had nothing to lose. When she took in the girl, a survivor of the Star Sickness, it was a dreadful crime. Gwin was at the end of her rope, and possibly the end of her life if she was found out. But the Sickness had left the girl with certain magic, certain powers, which could prove very useful to them both. Was it possible that this young survivor could save their lives and the empire? Was a new life for Gwin and her world finally at hand? No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813Literature English (North America) American fictionLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.8)
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Wikipedia in English
3
Characters: Quite the strong point actually. He developed a surprising number of characters fairly deeply. Good male, female, and hermaphrodites. If anything, the villains were a little lacking, but it was more a story about discovery anyway.
Plot: Reasonable and supportive. Not exactly riveting, but very plausible and moved at a solid pace. The pacing at the end just got silly. If the last couple chapters had just been an epilogue it would have worked better. Instead, he flashed through a few hundred years in a couple chapters. You lost all connection with the characters this way and it just wasn't satisfying for me.
Style: The world building really was superb. The cities and the villages actually felt alive. That is something many authors get wrong. All the motivations were solid, and even the action was passably good. (