Gaskell, Jane Books

The Serpent (The Atlan Saga, No 1)

Jane Gaskell

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

"Zerd frowned." 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I have to confess that I was a little bit nervous about revisiting The Atlan Saga. Lately, I have been re-reading a number of the fantasy series which I enjoyed the most as a child. Some of the writers have stood up well, but others have been disappointing. I admit that I kind of suspected that Gaskell would be among the writers who might disappoint me.

Cija was one of my favorites of the sexy little heroines who seemed to populate so many of those fantasy series as a preteen. I liked her better than Shebat. I liked her better than Estri. I thought that she had a beautiful name and I re-read the Atlan books multiple times.

I'm happy to say that The Serpent held up better over time than other similar books. Gaskell is a talented writer, and even when she works in stereotypes she manages to make it interesting. The book does have something of a dated quality, but it was written in 1963-- so I guess that's allowed. In all truthfulness, it is probably more of a three star read than a four star read. That extra star is for the nostalgia value.

By the way, I read this as a very young teenager and am a little bit shocked by that now. There is some very adult material in The Serpent. Parents may want to consider its appropriateness carefully.

Some summer Lands (Daw Science Fiction)

Jane Gaskell

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The final word in an extraordinary story! 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

The final story in the ATLAN SAGA has many differences from the rset - Cija's daughter, not Cija, narrates it. This time around we have a five-year-old narrator, who manages to be more cynical and insightful than her rather innocent mother, and this offers a whole new angle on the Atlan Saga. The old characters return but they learn their lessons, some in rather memorable ways. The destruction of Atlan is moving and beautiful as is Cija's "rebirth". However, while the first three books in the series were pretty shocking, this one breaks the mold. There are some rather unsavoury moments. While the characters are excellent, there are some flaws- no mention is made of Cija's foster family, by all logic, Judz the Atlantean should have died with his country and again Cija forgets friends from previous installments somewhat, including the father of her third child. But all in all, this book puts a fresh twist on an artistically brilliant series. You are not a serious collector of fantasy titles if you don't have these books!

The City

Jane Gaskell

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The culmination...or is it? 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Cija returns again, this time back on the mainland. Strangely she finds a family, but things seem to take a turn for the worse when she is kidnapped by ape-men. The most philosophical and peaceful of the tetralogy, with some beautifully portrayed scenes, Cija is again the centre of the story, but her character shows signs of evolution. We see as a mother and an adopted daughter and we appreciate her strength. In an era where a central female character tends to be a big brassy beauty with a gun, it is nice to see a physically weak, childish, endearing character with a love of life. However this beautiful book has moments of magic grandeur and savagery (If you have a fear of crocodiles you might want to flinch away from certain scenes). There is also an unorthodox love story, its sad ending likely to evince a tear. While lesser than THE SERPENT, it is better than ATLAN and is a definite read.

More fantastic adventures with Cija! 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Cija has escaped to the city where she was born, though she does not at first know it. She returns by way of the slave market, where she is sold, and is rescued only to become a slave/whore in a brothel! As usual, she blunders from one danger to the next...

There are no adventures like these on this earth, and no adventuress like Cija! She lurches from luxury to the utmost degradation in the space of a gasp. She is a Goddess, a fool, a child, and a mother wrapped in one skin, and is an utterly believable and empathic heroine. As are the other books of this saga, this is sublime fantasy/adventure!

The Serpent (Atlan, Vol. 1)

Jane Gaskell

By: Tandem Books, London Amazon Marketplace: 1 new & used starting at $3.95

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Editorial Review:

UK edition. The Atlan Saga, first book.

The Serpent (The Atlan Series, Volume 1)

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Editorial Review:

Mass market paperback by Popular Library, 1968. The first book in a series, Atlan, of fantasy. In the lost world of pre-history, a girl is born. Is she a goddess? Cija herself believes that she is. For 17 years her mother has kept her imprisoned in an isolated tower. When she is released, it is with a mission : to seduce Zerd, the snake-scaled general of an occupying army - and to stab him to death. 477 pages