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⇒ Read Free Ideality The Vengeance of Masks Rosemary Edghill 9780615951157 Books

Ideality The Vengeance of Masks Rosemary Edghill 9780615951157 Books



Download As PDF : Ideality The Vengeance of Masks Rosemary Edghill 9780615951157 Books

Download PDF Ideality The Vengeance of Masks Rosemary Edghill 9780615951157 Books

This is the story of Childeric, called The Shatterer, Last Emperor of the Eidolon Empire. He swashbuckled through a swordly and sorcerous universe...in four novels written by A. E. Phillips during the fantasy revival of the late 1960s. This is the story of Arcadia Stanton McCauley, who spent a couple of summers being A. E. Phillips and got on with her life...until her life was over. Only it wasn't. Not quite. Because Cady McCauley died one night on an LA freeway. But she woke up in the Eidolon Empire.... The first Childeric the Shatterer adventure was written in two weeks flat on a borrowed Royal portable in late nights fueled by black coffee and Boone's Farm Apple Wine. If Cady hadn't been desperate enough for money to try anything she would never have finished it. When it was long enough, she sent it off to a publisher called Eponym Books without even bothering to read it over. She received a contract in the mail within the month. She didn't read that, either, except for the part that said they'd pay her fifteen hundred U.S. dollars. She had no idea of how to write a sequel; the writing that had become a grinding torture by the end of Book Two (Temptation of Masks), and Childeric had become an impotent incestuous mass-murdering alcoholic bisexual masochist. She tried bestiality. Necrophilia. Child abuse. Cannibalism. Eponym also bought books three (Starchild Mourning) and four (City of Tombs). By then Cady was in her junior year at college and her father gave up. He sent her a check for the last three years' worth of tuition and living expenses. When the check cleared, A. E. Phillips (Childeric's doom-laden amanuensis) was buried in an unmarked grave. For a while.

Ideality The Vengeance of Masks Rosemary Edghill 9780615951157 Books

As I've said before -- many times, in fact -- Rosemary Edghill can write anything.

In "Ideality: The Vengeance of Masks," she's written a captivating story about a complex and flawed hero named Childeric. He's a nobleman who's been brought up to rule, but ends up betrayed and left for dead . . . while he struggles, first for his life, later for some meaning or some sense of purpose, he sometimes does unspeakable things in pursuit of survival -- and revenge.

But Childeric isn't the only person to consider here. Arcadia, our heroine, is a fifty-one-year-old woman from our world, driving along in Los Angeles at a very late hour. The freeway is all but deserted, but someone's intent on running her off the road. She blacks out, and wakes in Childeric's world . . . actually within the palace that should've been Childeric's, had Childeric not been so badly betrayed. And she meets Childeric multiple times, as a child, as a young adult, and then, finally, as the thirtyish man he's become -- worn, scarred by life's experiences, yet somehow still compelling.

Arcadia is drawn to Childeric, even though she knows he's not what anyone would call a "nice man." In fact -- and this is a bit of a spoiler -- Childeric technically isn't a man at all, as Arcadia realizes right away that Childeric isn't exactly like a human male in all respects. (Functional, yes. Most definitely functional. But not human in the same way she is, no.)

And oddest of all, Arcadia actually wrote about Childeric many years ago . . . did she see into another world? Or is she really Childeric's creator? (This is a spoiler I'm not willing to divulge, so you're going to have to read IDEALITY to find this out.)

Then, about three-quarters of the way through IDEALITY, everything gets turned on its head as something I truly didn't expect to happen actually did -- and that unexpected event not only deepens and strengthens the novel, it also makes you wonder just what makes a human being. (Surely it's not all up to biology, is it?)

There are many, many questions raised in IDEALITY. The question of sexual politics. The nature of love itself. And the biggest question of all: is redemption possible?

Ultimately, all of these questions are answered, but sometimes in unsettling ways as befits a novel that's part-fantasy, part-horror, and all itself.

One final thought: As with all of Ms. Edghill's work, there are many interesting turns of phrase, some snarky dialogue (especially when it comes to Arcadia), and quite a few allusions, misdirections, and maybe a pun here and there if you're inclined to find it. This adds to the richness of the reading experience, and is not to be missed.

IDEALITY kept me up long past my bedtime, and made me think, sometimes made me laugh, and definitely made me root for both Childeric and Arcadia, even though sometimes I wanted to throttle them. (Repeatedly.)

Final analysis: Five stars-plus, highly recommended for readers of dark fantasy, fantasy mixed with horror, or lovers of just-plain-good writing everywhere.

Barb Caffrey

P.S. I received this book for the purposes of an honest review . . . which I have just given you. (All hail the FCC.)

Product details

  • Paperback 598 pages
  • Publisher Rosemary\Edghill; 3 edition (February 1, 2014)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10 9780615951157
  • ISBN-13 978-0615951157
  • ASIN 0615951155

Read Ideality The Vengeance of Masks Rosemary Edghill 9780615951157 Books

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Ideality The Vengeance of Masks Rosemary Edghill 9780615951157 Books Reviews


As I've said before -- many times, in fact -- Rosemary Edghill can write anything.

In "Ideality The Vengeance of Masks," she's written a captivating story about a complex and flawed hero named Childeric. He's a nobleman who's been brought up to rule, but ends up betrayed and left for dead . . . while he struggles, first for his life, later for some meaning or some sense of purpose, he sometimes does unspeakable things in pursuit of survival -- and revenge.

But Childeric isn't the only person to consider here. Arcadia, our heroine, is a fifty-one-year-old woman from our world, driving along in Los Angeles at a very late hour. The freeway is all but deserted, but someone's intent on running her off the road. She blacks out, and wakes in Childeric's world . . . actually within the palace that should've been Childeric's, had Childeric not been so badly betrayed. And she meets Childeric multiple times, as a child, as a young adult, and then, finally, as the thirtyish man he's become -- worn, scarred by life's experiences, yet somehow still compelling.

Arcadia is drawn to Childeric, even though she knows he's not what anyone would call a "nice man." In fact -- and this is a bit of a spoiler -- Childeric technically isn't a man at all, as Arcadia realizes right away that Childeric isn't exactly like a human male in all respects. (Functional, yes. Most definitely functional. But not human in the same way she is, no.)

And oddest of all, Arcadia actually wrote about Childeric many years ago . . . did she see into another world? Or is she really Childeric's creator? (This is a spoiler I'm not willing to divulge, so you're going to have to read IDEALITY to find this out.)

Then, about three-quarters of the way through IDEALITY, everything gets turned on its head as something I truly didn't expect to happen actually did -- and that unexpected event not only deepens and strengthens the novel, it also makes you wonder just what makes a human being. (Surely it's not all up to biology, is it?)

There are many, many questions raised in IDEALITY. The question of sexual politics. The nature of love itself. And the biggest question of all is redemption possible?

Ultimately, all of these questions are answered, but sometimes in unsettling ways as befits a novel that's part-fantasy, part-horror, and all itself.

One final thought As with all of Ms. Edghill's work, there are many interesting turns of phrase, some snarky dialogue (especially when it comes to Arcadia), and quite a few allusions, misdirections, and maybe a pun here and there if you're inclined to find it. This adds to the richness of the reading experience, and is not to be missed.

IDEALITY kept me up long past my bedtime, and made me think, sometimes made me laugh, and definitely made me root for both Childeric and Arcadia, even though sometimes I wanted to throttle them. (Repeatedly.)

Final analysis Five stars-plus, highly recommended for readers of dark fantasy, fantasy mixed with horror, or lovers of just-plain-good writing everywhere.

Barb Caffrey

P.S. I received this book for the purposes of an honest review . . . which I have just given you. (All hail the FCC.)
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