The Serpent Dreamer (The Soul Thief) - Hardcover

Holland, Cecelia

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0765305577 ISBN 13: 9780765305572

Publisher: Forge Books, 2005

Synopsis

In The Soul Thief, and its spellbinding sequel, The Witches' Kitchen, celebrated historical novelist Cecilia Holland began an enthralling new tale of adventure, conflict, and passion set against the turbulent backdrop of the Viking invasions of Ireland in the ninth century. When Norse raiders slaughtered his family and abducted his sister, Corban Loosestrife set out on an odyssey that took him across half the world, from the Viking fortress of Jorvik to the wild and desolate shores of Vinland in the New World.
Now, with The Serpent Dreamer, Holland continues this powerful epic, as Corban struggles to make a new life alone in this strange land amid bloody clashes between warring native clans.

His service to the King of the Danes concluded, Corban returned to his new home in Vinland to find the colony destroyed, his beloved wife dead, and his twin sister Mav, with whom he shared a mystic bond, transfigured into a numinous being caught between this world and the next. Seeking shelter with a nearby tribe, Corban was shunned for his pale skin and dark, coarse hair, and feared for his strange powers to make fire and cut through the toughest skins with his magic blade.

Epashti, the tribe's healer, came to love Corban, and in time bear him children. But Miska, the proud and cunning chief of the Wolf clan, despised Corban - in part because of his strangeness, but more because of Corban's bond with his twin sister, who Miska loves. Mav gave Miska a daughter, but spurned him ever after.

Now, Mav's young daughter Ahanton has begun to show some of her mother's strange gifts. When her dream of a mighty army that worships a serpent convinces Miska that his old enemies, the Sun People, are approaching, he sets out to the east to unite the warring tribes into a force that may stand up to the invading army.
But another vision compels Corban to travel west, toward the home of the Sun People, taking Espashti and young Anhaton with him. Hailed as an incarnation of Ixewe, the White Buffalo god, and kept as a curiosity by Itza Balam, the Lord of the Serpent Wand,. ruler of the great city of Cibal, Corban will play a pivotal role in a great destiny that will forever alter the world he has come to know.

About this title

About the Author

Cecelia Holland has been writing since she was 12, and spends a good deal of every day writing. She chose to write historical fiction, because, being 12, she had precious few stories of her own, and history seemed to her then, as it still does, an endless fund of material.

She was encouraged to write by the poet William Meredith and the short story writer David Jackson. Her first novel was The Firedrake, and it was published by Atheneum in 1966. Since then, Cecelia has written a lot, read a lot, and raised three daughters. She lived in northern California, in the country. Once a week, she teaches creative writing at Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, and, every day, she takes care of a small menagerie of little animals.

Review

"A nonstop romp through a fictional time of evil sorcery, ruthless kings, fierce pirates, kidnapped heroines, sweet romance and everyday heroes, set against the brutal backdrop of Norse life in feudal times.. ... Holland delivers an artful blend of history and fantasy throughout. "--Publishers Weekly on The Soul Thief

"Action and period flavor characterize Holland's latest historical novel ... With vivid descriptions and continual action, combined with elements of mysticism, sorcery, and politics, Holland fleshes out a lively account of the time of Eric Bloodaxe. Recommended."--Library Journal on The Soul Thief

"Holland has penned another pulse -pounding historical saga brimming with authentic period detail and distinguished by vivid characterizations. ... Like Holland's previous yarns, elements of romance, mysticism, and suspense are interwoven into one superlative, spine-tingling adventure."--Booklist on The Soul Thief

"A potent blend of fantasy, history and romance, this sequel to Holland's The Soul Thief is a rousing, vivid tale rich with Nordic lore."--Publishers Weekly on The Witches' Kitchen

"Holland revisits the enthralling saga of Corban Loosestrife in this equally engaging sequel to The Soul Thief. Holland interweaves elements of romance, magic, and suspense into a superlative historical epic featuring a stoic hero often at odds with the all-powerful Viking warriors."--Booklist on The Witches' Kitchen

About this edition

• Publisher: Forge Books
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0765305577
• ISBN 13: 9780765305572
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336