DEVOTED

A marriage between Owen, Bishop of Chantalon, and Erin, a woman of the Forest People, promises to bridge the Christian world with the pagan mysticism of the past, until a Viking raid leaves Erin the sole hope of preserving the fragile peace of ninth-century Chantalon. 75,000 first printing. Lit Guild & Doubleday.

Gut-roiling battle scenes are the strength of this first novel set in ninth-century France, but they come too late and too infrequently to inspire most readers to forgive the overwrought prose that surrounds them. Owen, Bishop of Chantalon, risks his life to save Elin, a forest girl of sorceresslike powers who has escaped the Viking camp where she was enslaved. Undying love develops between the two?instantly, with no setbacks and little tension?and is expressed often and graphically. Viking raiders are terrorizing the region; their menace is exacerbated by Count Anton and his bastard son Gerlos, who collect tributes from the people for the Vikings but keep part of the confiscated riches for themselves. Betrayed by his friend Reynald, Owen is captured by the "Northmen" but quickly saved by his Saxon henchman Enar and a band of Elin's "forest people." Later, Elin's mystical powers curse Reynald to his death and bring on a storm to defeat the northern invaders. Borchardt effectively conjures life in a far-flung era, but more action and less romance might have made this tale of an odd alliance between early Christians and European pagans a fresher read.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

When Viking prisoner Elin warns Owen, the bishop of Chatalon, of his imminent capture by Vikings, he repays her by escaping with her in tow and taking her to wife. But Owen's ultimate capture provide obstacles to their happiness?obstacles that eventually only Elin and her pagan kinfolk who follow the Old Ways can overcome. Filled with humor, action, and characters who are of their time and who speak through their actions, this novel of medieval France is romantic, historically accurate, and compelling. All in all, a rather remarkable first novel. Borchardt is Anne Rice's sister.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In a top-notch example of the "heaving bosom, swollen manhood" subgenre of historical fiction, Owen, the bishop of Chantalon, and the enslaved Elin, who, like all the Forest People, is skilled in the arts of healing and magic, meet while both are escaping from Vikings. Their passionate love affair, which represents the melding of Christian and pagan beliefs, is graphically played out against the constant assaults on the town by Viking raiders. When Owen is captured by a Viking chieftain, Elin uses the strengths of both their worlds to rescue Owen and save the town. This first novel, which leaves ample plot room for a sequel, is plagued with a pedestrian writing style and a confusing array of indistinguishable characters. In addition, given the dearth of convincing historical detail, readers will be hard pressed to figure out when and where the book is set. Why should libraries spend $24.95 for what should be a $5.99 paperback? Because Borchardt is Anne Rice's sister, a fact that savvy publicists will no doubt use to great advantage in encouraging a large readership. Nancy Pearl