From rec.arts.sf.reviews Thu Sep 4 14:29:50 1997 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!eru.mt.luth.se!www.nntp.primenet.com!globalcenter1!news.primenet.com!nntp.primenet.com!europa.clark.net!205.252.116.205!howland.erols.net!newsfeed1-hme1!newsfeed.internetmci.com!192.88.144.6!news.kei.com!eecs-usenet-02.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!news!wex From: "Kevin B. Hewett" Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: _The Barbed Coil_ by J. V. Jones Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Date: 02 Sep 1997 19:20:10 GMT Organization: Software Agents Group Lines: 47 Approved: wex@media.mit.edu Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: tinbergen.media.mit.edu Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.sf.reviews:1521 _The Barbed Coil_ by J. V. Jones Review Copyright 1997 by Kevin B. Hewett J. V. Jones has written a novel which chronicles the conflict between the untried magical abilities of a woman snatched from modern America with the experience and knowledge of those in an alternate universe who would use magic for conquest. Although this basic plot is very similar to that in Stephen R. Donaldson's duology "Mordant's Need" [_The Mirror of Her Dreams_ (Del Rey, 1986) and _A Man Rides Through_ (Del Rey, 1987)], in detail it is quite different. The magical ability that the heroine Tessa possesses is that of being able to utilize the Medieval Illuminator's craft to affect the physical world around her. She is summoned to the city of Bay'Zell by the work of a dying scribe for an unknown purpose. She quickly finds herself embroiled in intrigue as the mercenary, Ravis of Burano, who saves her life is trying desperately to prevent the conquest of Bay'Zell. The first two thirds of this intricate novel involves Tessa seeking out knowledge about her strange abilities while avoiding cutthroats, thieves and assassins. During her search for knowledge she discovers that her abilities, long the province of the a monastic order, have been suppressed for nearly five hundred years as a product of demonic influence. This leads her to a short stay on the Anointed Isle where she learns from an old monk the true purpose of her summoning - the breaking of a spell cast by the monks five centruries earlier that should never have been cast. The climax of this novel occurs when all of Tessa's new found abilities are put to the test in attempting to break the spell, ending a war and a warlords reign of terror. I highly recommend this novel for those who want to read a refreshing fantasy with unique outlook upon the practise of magic. %A Jones, J. V. %T The Barbed Coil %I Warner Books %C New York %D September 1997 %G ISBN 0-446-52109-4 %P 612 pp %O hardcover, US $22.00 Kevin B. Hewett hewett@flinthills.com Dept. of Chemistry hewett@ksu.edu Kansas State University http://www.flinthills.com/~hewett/ Manhattan, Kansas