From the Ashes

Ryna, a gypsy and veteran Renaissance Faire worker has been looking forward to the Pendragon Renaissance Faire all year. Last year, she met and fell for the handsome and incredibly dashing Liam, and was looking forward to seeing him again. His first act upon her return is to dump her, causing her much confusion and hurt...not the best way to start of the Ren. Faire. A rookie faire performer, Bea, also has been waiting anxiously for the faire to start. Her brother Daniel, is a veteran, and has finally convinced his little sister to try out. Now as she wanders the village in the persona of the crotchety herb woman Phoenix, she is introduced to the wonders of the faire life. Unfortunately, now that Liam is free he has set his sights on the extremely sheltered young woman, and his intentions are far from pure. This would not be a huge surprise, but Liam is willing to do anything, including forging an alliance with dark powers to ! get his desires. He won't stop if Ryna stands in his way...in fact, he's hoping she will.

Bea and Ryna make an interesting contrast as well as a romantic pairing. Ryna grew up on the road. She lives in a vardo that she pulls behind her truck every time she and her large, extended family more to the next show. She understands the ropes, and has a very snug, nice nitch for herself. Everyone knows her and likes her. Her fellow gypsy family are warm and very caring. She is also comfortable with her magick, and knows the ways of the world of the Bright, as well as the way of the mortal. She's very hurt by Liam's desertion of her, so she is unwilling to allow herself to love. Bea, on the other hand, is totally new to the Ren. While we see things through Ryna's eyes as comfortable and familiar, we see things through Bea's as bright and exciting and new....she has a strong sense of wonder, and it makes everything seem more amazing. Seeing the Renaissance Faire from both these points of view is interestin! g, because we get to explore a world made new by Bea's explorations and we also get the commonplace feel that a old hand like Ryna must experience. Bea is also a very sweet person...she's been protected all of her life, and because of this enforced shyness, she is very unsure of herself. Through the book we watch her open up and develop. The camaraderie between the two girls is wonderful to watch, because they balance each other so well.

The true beauty of this book is the setting that the reader find themselves in. Brunner herself is a long time Rennie, and therefore can create for us the world of the faire in incredible color. The antics of the peasants, who are always looking for something funny to do, where it's to eat out of a (rigged!) garbage can or see how many of them can fit into a privy, or port-a-jon. We're introduced to the O'Malley's, a croft living family who spend their days much like any other Irish Family of the time would, the Bertenelli's, who make the most wondrous of deserts, and the Merry Maids, who with their fearless leader Robyn, happily act out the antics of Robin Hood in genre revered roles. Along with the gypsy family who play beautiful music, dance amazingly or blow fire, we have an eclectic group of talents and entertainment. All these people have good hearts and get along like a large family. Perhaps in some ways their ca! ring for each other and their great sense of humor and openness are the most magical aspects of this book. Who would not want to be welcomed with open arms into a place were everyone looks after each other, where people share readily and tease each other with gentle jokes that are made out of fondness, not spite? In some ways these lovely and ideal things are really what makes this book the great read that it is, that we see the Ren so clearly, and that we feel welcomed within it. I was struck with a great longing to see if I could put together an act and hit the road myself. The people are so accepting and so diverse that it is hard to believe that any of us could not fid a content home among them.

True, there are Bright Fae and Shadow Fae, and magicks galore, but it's the people who will bring you back for the sequel.

Four out of Five Pixies
Cindy Lynn Speer
9/26/2002
1st Books
http://www.faire-folk.com\par ">http://www.faire-folk.com">http://www.faire-folk.com
ISB
0-7596-8170-8May 2002