Curse of the Black Heron

by Lisle

Isbetta -- Izzy to her friends -- had happy memories from when she was very young, and her father had been one of the greatest Bards in the land. But that was before she was given over to a foster mother who raised her in poverty, apprenticing her to a weaver. Izzy had looked forward to being free of both her apprenticeship and her foster mother, when she could make her own living as a weaver, and that time was only nineteen days away.Then a new ruler seized the throne of her country by force, and Izzy and her friend Giraud, only surviving heir of an out-of-favor Lord, were running for their lives. They would be pursued by assassins, captured by a monster who demanded that they free it from a curse, make friends with a dwarf, and be entrusted with a spell that was supposed to remake the world into a paradise -- a spell with a fatal flaw. And Izzy would find that her father had not abandoned her, but had been murdered by a mysterious figure known as the Black Heron. Determined to find the Black Heron, she would search using her newly discovered powers as a Bard. Unfortunately, she lacked any Bardic training, and was much too powerful a Bard for her own good -- and perhaps, for the good of the whole world.

• ISBN10: 0671878689
• ISBN13: 9780671878689
• Publish Date: 1 February 1998
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Baen Books
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 233
• Language: English

Reviews

[celinenyx]

Holly Lisle's Curse of the Black Heron reminds me of what fantasy is lacking nowadays: short, snappy adventure tales.

Isbetta is a weaver's apprentice in a small village. Her father was the court bard, and her mother she doesn't remember, and a few days before completing her apprenticeship her parents' legacy catches up with her. Together with her best friend Girauld she tries to escape from the clutches of those that want to do them harm.

Can we just appreciate the wonderfully pulpy cover this book has for a second? Izzy Might Be the Greatest Bard in All the World - If She and the World Survive! And, the little gem on the back flap, Too Much Power + Too Little Training = CATASTROPHE (No Matter How Good the Intentions)

CATASTROPHE!!!

Curse of the Black Heron is a very straight-forward fantasy story. The bardic magic - casting spells by singing folky songs - was a nice touch. Izzy and Girauld trip through one predicament into the other. What surprised me was that the story took quite a gory turn about midway, raking up quite the body count. The impact of these casualties are lessened by the fact that there is very little room for the feelings and reactions of the main characters. Even though very bad things happen, the story doesn't stop to dwell on this. The action and the adventure is the main focus, and the character's reactions to them are only secondary.

While I loved this little fantasy romp, I agree with the other reviewers that the ending is rushed. If it had received a few more pages, it would have had more of an impact. Still, quite a nice book. Though it is related to a video game, one doesn't need to have any knowledge of the game to enjoy the book.