The Grand Ellipse (Bantam Spectra Book)

Throughout the history of war fire has been used as an unreliable weapon. It is dangerous and can be used to an advantage, but is nearly impossible to control, thus making it something not used in modern warfare or in large action (ie, lighting fire to an entire army) but if you could control the fire, things would be different.That's the premise of this book. In the neutral country of Lower Hetz a magician recently developed what he called sentient fire, fire that was capable of thought and responded to its master's commands. Naturally, this fire could be used as a great weapon, or for many other things (construction, clearing forests...) but the King refuses to sell or give the secret away. The people of world are a little miffed about this, particularly the people under the attack from the imperial nation of Grewland (think Germany) who know they have almost no hope of not being conquered by this extremely well equipped military nation.So one of these nations about to be under attack, Vonahr (think France) comes up with a plan. You see the King of Lower Hetz is also holding a race around the world, and the first prize in this race, this "Grand Ellipse", is a peerage in the country of Lower Hetz and a personal meeting with the King. So Vonahr sends in Luzelle Devaire, a young female adventures who writes and lectures on her world travels, and happens to be in desperate need of money if she wants to retain her beloved independence. She strikes a deal with the ministry of foreign affairs-she'll run the race, which they'll pay for, and at the end, once she's won the race, she'll do anything, really anything, to try and convince the womanizing King of Lower Hetz to part with the secret of sentient fire.It sounds simple enough for Luzelle but when it turns out that her ex-fiancé is also in the race, along with the young, god like and extremely kind war hero of Grewland (and assorted other weirdoes) and his icy, do anything, really anything, to win uncle, it gets complicated. Add in some magic from every culture on the planet, a little Indian-Jones action and some really cool cultural and landscape descriptions, and the periodic check ins' with the sentient fire where we get to see how it slowly takes over the mind of its master and we have one awesome book. It's different from "Illusion", more action packed, with less emphasis on morals and politics-more of a story novel, but still every bit as good in its own right.As a side note, while "Illusion" was obviously a fantasy re-write of the French revolution, and this book does have an overt connection to "Around the world in 80 days" I think that really "The Grand Ellipse" this book draws more subtle connections to the creation of the atom bomb. There are other obvious parallels between Grewland and Germany during WW2, so obviously this book has something to do with that period-I'm just not sure how the race fits in. It doesn't really matter, this is a fun book. Recommend for sure.Five stars.

Okay, maybe not a year. I remember the first time I saw "Around the World in 80 days." I was quite young and thought it was wonderful. Many years later, I saw the movie again and realized that it was a travelogue with brief incidents in a variety of countries rather than a real story about real peopel. "The Great Ellipse" is alot like that...fun but no real substance. Don't get me wrong...I love fun! But even in a fun book, you've got to like your heroine - and you end up dismissing Luzelle. The story begins well with Luzelle defying her monster father. Unfortunately, Luzelle is a self-proclaimed intellectual and explorer and her thoughts and actions are too air-headed to make this assessment reality. Throughout the entire book, Luzelle's adventurous past comes through for her only once. She is much more likely to act out of pique because someone gave her unwelcome news or sensible advise. She feels she MUST win and proceeds to pull some nasty stunts on the other racers. Our hero, Girays, Luzelle's ex, is clearly far more competent, honest, and likeable than the man Luzelle describes or Luzelle herself. You must, therefore, take Luzelle's character with a large grain of salt which diminishes her stature in the eyes of the reader. Girays makes a more logical focus for the plot but he doesn't appear as much as Luzelle.The real oddity in the story is a golden god of a man who is racing for the enemy, Karsler Stornzof. Luzelles thinks he's just 'gorgeous' and you wait to find he has feet of clay. Well, he doesn't. He is all the things he's supposed to be: kind, loyal, honorable, brave, smart, talented...he just happens to be representing the local equivalent of Nazi Germany. The story progresses and Karsler becomes more and more torn by his own loyalties as his country destroys, tortures, bullys it's way across his world. It is his character, the only one with any depth, that is the biggest weakness of the book. His tortured soul makes every other character a comic book cutout, which is hard on a plot centered around another character.So, what is the bottom line on the "Grand Ellipse?" It's "Around the World in 80 Days" with Hamlet in a supporting role.

I enjoy Paula Volsky's science-fantasy novels - "Illusion" and "The Wolf of Winter" have particularly appealed - and it is a frustration that there are so few of them and they are so comparatively difficult to source out. Certainly, before the internet came along, it was extremely difficult! It was through Amazon that I managed to find "The Grand Ellipse", and it's another of her books that has been enjoyable, although not without its faults."The Grand Ellipse" includes the element that is central to Volsky's writing, that of "magic" and of "ghosts" that pervade the normally perceived world, the powers of which can be controlled by only a few. The plot revolves around a race around the globe of this particular imaginary world - not entirely dissimilar to the concept behind Verne's "Around the World in Eighty Days" - and I think that is where the book has a weakness, as the race takes too long to unfold and the plot loses some of its vitality as a result. There is at least one leg of the race too many, it's not needed for plot or character development, and the impetus is lost. The reader wants the denouement - which is tantalisingly dangled a number of times - to unfold but round you go again, unnecessarily.When it did come, the climax of the book was good and up to the standard one has come to expect from Volsky. Had the plot's development been sharper, "The Grand Ellipse" would have been worthy of five stars.However, even with this fault, it's still well worth searching out for fans of the author.

Ein grandioses Buch übers Reisen!Hauptperson ist die junge Forscherin (wir würden vielleicht sagen, Ethnologin) Luzelle Devaire. Sie lebt in einer Welt, die unserer ähnelt, wie sie im 19. Jahrhundert war. Es gibt die »fortschrittlichen« westlichen Nationen mit kolonialen Ambitionen, es gibt exotische, kaum erschlossene Gebiete voller Ureinwohner und Bodenschätze ' und es gibt den militärischen Hegemon Grewzland, der sich anschickt, die bekannte Welt vollständig zu unterwerfen. Luzelles Heimatland soll das nächste Ziel werden.Zu Beginn des Buches ruft der exzentrische aber eisern neutrale König Miltzin IX das Große Rennen aus, ein Wettlauf um die ganze Welt, auf dessen Sieger ein attraktiver Preis und eine Audienz mit dem König selbst warten. Da Miltzin Besitzer der einzigen Waffe ist, die Grewzland stoppen kann, wird Luzelle ins Rennen geschickt, um im Falle eines Sieges mit Miltzin über den Verkauf der Waffe zu verhandeln.Es ist eine schillernde, facettenreiche Welt, die Frau Volsky hier entwirft, authentisch und durchdacht bis ins letzte Detail, alles andere als ein müder Abklatsch unserer Realität. Jedes Land, das die Wettläufer durchqueren, hat seinen ganz eigenen Charakter, hat eine Geschichte, ist ein komplexer Kosmos in sich. Frau Volsky zeichnet dieses gigantische Bild mit solcher Leichtigkeit und Spielfreude, dass ich oft einfach aus reinem Spaß am Entdecken der grandios hingetupften Kleinigkeiten weitergelesen habe. Allein die verrückten Kreationen von König Miltzins Lieblingsgerichten ' Chili-oil eels, lard-smackers, potato-beet-turnip triple-helixes ' ploppen kunterbunt vor dem Inneren Auge auf.Die Heldin Luzelle Devaire ist jung und unerschrocken, eine typische 'starke Frau', wie es sie ' zugegeben ' in der Fantasyliteratur zuhauf gibt. Luzelle ist aber nie nervig, sie hat ihre Schwächen, macht Dummheiten, ist häufig zu stolz, sich helfen zu lassen, und erleichtert, wenn es doch jemand tut. Meistens ist das eine der beiden männlichen Hauptpersonen, Rivalen im Großen Rennen, aber auch 1) Ex-Verlobter und 2) enigmatischer feindlicher Oberkommandant, zwischen denen sie sich ' natürlich ' nicht entscheiden kann. Perfekte Zutaten für die Prise romantische Wirrungen, die dem Buch noch etwas Extra-Pepp verleiht.Zwischendurch habe ich mir beinahe gewünscht, Luzelle möge nie ankommen, so viel Spaß hatte ich am Entdecken dieser fantastischen Welt. Und dabei spart Frau Volksy sogar den einen oder anderen Teil der Reise aus. Vor allem das Finale kommt relativ abrupt. Hier hätte sie von mir aus gerne nochmal 200 Seiten draufpacken können.Ein klare Leseempfehlung an alle, die den ganz großen Entwurf mögen und Spaß daran haben, in eine fremde Welt einzutauchen!