Rhapsody : Child of Blood | 
| Author: Elizabeth Haydon
Publisher: Tor Fantasy
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
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Rating:  357 reviews
Sales Rank: 202250
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 672
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 6.6 x 4.3 x 1.2
ISBN: 0812570812
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780812570816
ASIN: 0812570812
Publication Date: June 15, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com Review
Rhapsody is high fantasy, descended from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings through Eddings's Belgariad and Malloreon series, complete with an elf-like people, cannibalistic giants, fire-born demons, and dragons. Inquiring fantasy readers will wonder whether it can live up to such distinguished predecessors. The answer is yes. Haydon's first fantasy is a palpable hit. The three protagonists are well-realized characters whose adventures are by turns hilarious, horrific, and breathtaking. Best of all, though elements are drawn from familiar sources ranging from Norse myth to Mozart's The Magic Flute, Haydon's magic worldbuilding is convincing, consistent, and interesting. Rhapsody, a young woman trained as a Namer, can attune herself to the vibrations of all things, tap the power of true names, and rename people, changing their basic identities. Her magic lies in music: "Music is nothing more than the maps through the vibrations that make up all the world. If you have the right map, it will take you wherever you want to go," she tells her adoptive brothers. They are "the Brother," a professional assassin able to sense and track the heartbeats of all natives of the doomed Island of Seren, their homeland, and his giant sidekick Grunthor, a green-skinned Sergeant Major who enjoys making jokes, using edged weapons, and honing his cannibalistic palate. Inadvertently, Rhapsody has renamed the Brother Achmed the Snake, breaking his enslavement to Tsoltan the F'dor (a fire-born demon). Tsoltan sends minions in pursuit to rebind Achmed. The three escape into the roots of a World Tree, Sagia, emerging transformed into another country and century. But have they truly escaped the F'dor's evil? And how does all this relate to the prologue's story of Gwydion and Emily, two young lovers brought together across history and then separated by the mysterious Meridion? Like most first volumes, Rhapsody contains a lot of background information and foreshadowing, though Haydon ties up numerous plot lines at the end. The dislocations in time can be confusing, and some readers may find that the very 1990s dialogue clashes with the epic storytelling of the descriptive passages. Overall, however, Rhapsody is a smashing debut that delivers hours of great reading and will have you impatient to read the rest of the series. --Nona Vero
Product Description
The brilliant new saga is born ...
Rhapsody is a woman, a Singer of some talent, who is swept up into events of world-shattering import. On the run from an old romantic interest who won't take no for an answer, Rhapsody literally bumps into a couple of shady characters: half-breeds who come to her rescue in the nick of time. Only the rescue turns into an abduction, and Rhapsody soon finds herself dragged along on an epic voyage, one that spans centuries and ranges across a wonder-filled fantasy world-- a world so real you can hear the sweet music of Rhapsody's aubade and smell the smoldering forges deep within the Cauldron.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 352 more reviews...
 Fantasy for Chicks! May 11, 2009
A. Tucker (Indiana)
I am on my second reading of the "Symphony of the Ages" saga of which this is the first book. I absolutely LOVE it. As a long-time reader of fantasy, I am so excited to read a book with such a strong female voice. Not an "I'm better than a man" voice but a truly feminine voice which embraces all that is stereotypically feminine and shows the strength that can be found there.
Yes, these books have been accused of being the "Harlequin Romances" of fantasy and that accusation is not without merit. There is much more romance and sex (a little too much explicit sex, actually)in these books than there is in most fantasy series, but that is where the resemblance to pulp romance ends. These books are intelligent and have a refreshing and exciting new take on many of the old worn out themes of the fantasy genre. This is the smart but girly chick's fantasy series! It has all the action and magic, guts and glory that you expect from a fantasy novel PLUS it has a strong and sexy main character who is ALL WOMAN. She can open up a can of whoop-@$$ when necessary but spends the majority of her time worrying over the fate of her friends, her "grandchildren" and the man she loves.
This book will introduce you to Rhapsody's rich and fascinating world. The writing is brilliant, the storytelling enthralling and the usual complicated lore and geography of a fantasy novel is unfolded seamlessly and understandably. You will be captivated. I must warn you, if you read this book you'd better clear your schedule because you will not be able to put it down! You'll be haunting the bookstore or library for the next book in the series and you'll be sad, even six books and thousands of pages later, that it was over too soon.
If you have read these book and loved them, I recommend Stephen R. Donaldson's books "The Mirror of Her Dreams" and "A Man Rides Through". They have the same type of feminine main character, romance and engaging plot as the "Symphony of the Ages" series while telling a different, but equally innovative, story.
 An interesting read but some things about it just don't make sense February 4, 2009
Thomas W. Roth
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was over 150 pages into the book and I told my wife "I like the book but I can't tell what it's about" since there was no clear story line. Who are these people and where are they going and why? The author beats you over the head with the history of the peoples time and time again; is there going to be a test afterward? The idea that crossing the "International date line" would cause a breakdown of the idea of Time is just plain silly. So, if I travel to Australia I no longer will age? Amazing, but this is what much of the story hinges on. The constant conflict between Achmed and Rhaps gets very tiresome and considering they have both saved each others lives, it becomes asinine and childish. Rhapsody is supposed to be a street-wise woman who took on the role of Michael's whore to save an unknown child yet acts like someone who never became a mature adult. When the group takes on Jo, only Achmed has the sense to think that maybe this lying stealing kid is nothing but a liability. Nonsense. Likewise her blind acceptance of Ashe and trust of Lauron. Nobody is PURE and GOOD like he comes across. What's he hiding? We aren't told.
The last quarter of the book which has the group conquering an entire nation in a matter of weeks is silly, too, and what is the goal anyhow? What is the goal of the group? We're never told. Doesn't Achmed want to find and destroy the Demon who made him a killing slave? He doesn't tell Rhaps his "story" until 400 pages into the book? That ridiculous!
What does Grunthor want out of this quest? He's nothing more than a big cuddly teddy bear who's nearly indestructible in times of fighting. Rhaps is the one who seems to have the power, and her power is whatever the author needs it to be whether traveling through the fiery, molten core of the world or bringing a dead tree back to life, yet the other members of the 3 always fear for her safety when she's alone. Make sense? Not to anyone with a brain.
I hope the sequel is better and more logical, and that Rhaps will give Achmed some of the respect he's due.
 Seinfeldian: A Book About Nothing January 9, 2009
Les A. Thomas (Houston, TX)
Elizabeth Haydon is a good writer, unfortunately she doesn't have much of a story to tell. I just finished reading this book and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why I should care about any of it. The characters were thin, the plot thinner. The only reason I finished reading it was because I had a morbid curiosity if any of this was going anywhere. At the end of the last page I found out: Nope.
I am somewhat stunned that this book was reviewed so well. Apparently not enough people out there reading Jordan and George R.R. Martin. Again, Haydon writes competently, but with little inspiration and without any target. I have no idea who would want to read the next book in the series or why. While other fantasy writers have taken to keeping multiple plot lines going, Haydon seems to have trouble keeping just one afloat. I expected at some point for more than her main 3 characters to be introduced ... but then we have no reason to care about these characters so why should she introduce others?
I will hand it to Haydon that the Preface presents an interesting concept and plot element, but the action happens so slowly that it's difficult to care about any of it by the time the end of the book rolls around. Do yourself a favor and read Robert Jordan, George R.R. Martin or re-read your favorite author rather than bother with this book. Truly disappointing.
Lacks a plot December 31, 2008
IdrilCelebrindal
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Sure, Elizabeth Haydon demonstrates potential here - but she squanders it in a number of unlikeable ways. First and foremost being the complete lack of plot. Honestly, I'm reading the positive responses and questioning at what point these people encountered a story. I gave up about 100 pages before the end because I had given up all hope of encountering some coherency that tied everything together beyond the incessant need to throw more history at me.
The first third of the book is a travel-log. Rhapsody, Achmed and Grunthor spend a long, long, long, long, long, long, long time traveling across the Root. And then pass through the Fire that re-virginizes Rhapsody. Worst of all, it makes her the most amazingly beautiful woman on the planet, which just got annoying to read. Yeah, Rhapsody's so stunningly beautiful that every male she encounters at her feet literally drops in shock at how incredibly attractive she is; that is not an exaggeration. What started out as an above-average female protagonist - who demonstrated she was intelligent, competent and could take care of herself - devolved into someone who was nothing more than so incredibly beautiful that I couldn't stand to read about her anymore.
The second third of the book is about history. You know, I get it; having a huge long history is great - especially in what is trying to be a high fantasy novel akin to Tolkien or Jordan. I think reading an epic fantasy series where I have to understand that world's history to appreciate everything that's going on is fantastic. But Jordan doesn't give it to you all at once. It comes out bits at a time, logically, over the first few books. Whereas in this novel, it became a repeat of: travel to meet this person - cue long paragraphs of exposition explaining this part of the history...and repeat. I mean, I get that she's in love with her world; I even commend her for her creativity in its conception. But that doesn't mean I want it all thrown at me so often that every time someone (including the narrator) drops around for another history lesson, all I can think is "Again??"
The last third is a combination of the two: they travel to meet more people...so they can get more history. And in all this, she somehow forgot to include a plot. I mean, what is it that ties this all together? She at least gives Rhapsody motivation - albeit a touch contrived - for why she goes with the others down to the Root and across the world and everything. But Achmed and Grunthor are a complete mystery to me; I have no idea in the world why they wanted to travel across the Root, I have no idea why they wanted to move forward in time - or if they even knew their actions were going to move them forward in time - or pretty much anything else. What is their motivation? It speaks to a severe lack of characterization, and despite a few glimmers, I found the three main characters a bit bland.
It also didn't help that, for so much of the book, it's just them. Especially as they will meet more people, who instantly fall for Rhapsody, inexplicably all pledge lifelong relationships, and then three protagonists separate from them for the next entry in the travel-log and such characters are never heard from again. It gets really, really boring.
Like I said, she's created a great world here. I even rather enjoyed it at moments just for it's general atmosphere; and it's hard not to admire the fundamentals of her creativity here. I also commend her for her use of magic - there's some cool and interesting things here, both done with Rhapsody's powers, and also throughout the history of the world, and so forth.
But, seriously - this is one of the most uninteresting books I've found to have encountered in a long while; I can't get in anyway involved when the book is so involved in its own history that it fails to even produce a plot. I just couldn't force myself through the last hundred pages, let alone continuing with the series. Particularly as I'm afraid that they'll likely just be repeats of the notion - more history lessons. I don't read a book for the history of its world; I read it for its characters and plot. Of which this book barely has either.
An absorbing, fast-paced light read October 4, 2008
debeehr (Illinois, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Hayden has created a rich and well-detailed world. Its history is complex and fascinating, and the way in which we discover her world--through the eyes of characters out of time--is effectively executed. Although the world itself is somewhat cliched, she puts a new spin on old concepts; the way she uses time, for example, is a really good idea. She describes this world vividly as well, giving her readers clear images of the places and things in it, and this is a big strong point; description, especially in fantasy novels, is essential to making the world seem real. The plot is fast-paced (with one notable exception), moving quickly from scene to scene once it gets going while never leaving the reader feeling cheated or deceived. It does take a while to get going, however; the sequence on the Root probably went on too long and I suspect that more than a few people gave up on the book at that point.
If the book has a weakness, it is in her characterization. Her characters are well-written for what they are and behave consistently through the book; however, the fact is that they never exceed two dimensions. We know everything we need to know about the characters within the first few pages. Achmed the Snake is the quiet sardonic one, Grunthor is the big hearty cheerful one, and Rhapsody is the "chick." (Grunthor's Cockney accent, btw, could have been toned down a notch or five easily; it was actively distracting to me, as well as being more than a little out of place.)
About Rhapsody: She made the Mary Sue-meter twitch a little on her first introduction, then pegged it hard after her trip through the Earth. A powerful Namer, gifted with song, carries a special weapon, and powerful in the Fire element, she is described as so jaw-droppingly beautiful she literally causes a riot when she is seen on the street (this happens more than once, btw). She is always kind and cheerful, trusts everybody she meets instantly and that trust is always rewarded; children love her (and are never bratty or undisciplined around her, not our Rhapsody). The trust thing is *particularly* unrealistic given that before the book opened, she spent time living on the streets as a prostitute, and experienced horrible sexual abuse at the hands of a local warlord. However, she shows absolutely no psychological aftereffects of the ordeal whatever, and even her virginity is magically restored (!) after a trip through the fires at the center of the Earth, so *that's* all right.
The beauty thing is especially rich. Okay, I'm willing to buy that that kind of beauty could actually be a valid character trait, but it would take some extremely skillful handling; for example, make the character terribly shy and equipped with a crippling fear of going out in public because of the attention she attracts. Or make the character coldly cynical and use her beauty as a tool to manipulate others. (This, actually, could be a plausible aftereffect of her time as a prostitute--if she had come to see men as nothing more than creatures of lust and her beauty as one of the few weapons she had against them.) But instead Hayden simply lards it on on top of an already "wonderful" Rhapsody to create a character who is literally perfect, inside and out. She's so humble, in fact, that she doesn't even realize how beautiful she is (shades of the Sue-iest Sue who ever Sued, Ayla from Earth's Children, perhaps?)
Since her beauty was bestowed after the aforementioned trip through the Earth, it's suggested that she doesn't realize it yet; however, in that case she should be *seriously* starting to wonder and question her companions *why* people are acting strange whenever they see her, *why* she can't go out on the street without being mobbed, and starting to be seriously shaken in her self-confidence, wondering what's wrong with her. Hayden does toss a few grace notes in this direction, but does nowhere near enough with it, at least as far as I've read.
I don't mean to sound as hard on Rhapsody as I perhaps do; she doesn't totally dominate the story the way most Mary Sues do, and Achmed and Grunthor are given things to do as well (in fact, it is their greater knowledge about the world that drives much of the plot). It's just that I've rarely seen a Sue with characteristics that flagrant before. Overall, this is an absorbing, diverting read, though nowhere near as deep as, say, Donaldson's or Tolkien's work.
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