Of all the Mercedes Lackey re-told fairy tales I've read, this is one of my least favorites. Ivan is constantly getting beat up, to the point of broken bones - and yet days later he's able to climb trees & jump fences. My husband bruised his ribs once and it was 3-4 weeks before he could even lay flat! When Ivan isn't half-dead from his latest beating, he's chasing girls. Or thinking about girls. Or thinking about the girls his father and brothers get instead of him - or after him. While there is no descriptive sex, half of the plot revolves around either hormones or violence. We're supposed to root for Ivan the hero becuase he doesn't abuse his girls as his father & brothers do, because the girls think he's good in bed, and because he doesn't enjoy hurting people. I didn't like him because of his constant wenching, his wimpiness (he never does learn to stand up to his brothers), his stealing, lying, and at the end, petty victory over one of his brothers. A hero by comparison to the bumpkins around him is not a hero at all.
A delightful retelling of the Russian fairy tale. Lackey makes it sound so reasonable!
From back cover: Ilya, son of a Russian prince, is largely ignored by his father and tormented by his larger, older brothers.His only friends are three old people: a priest, a magician, and a woman who toils in the palace dairy.From them Ilya learns faith, a smattering of magic, and the power of love--all of which he will need desperately, for his life is about to be turned upside-down.The prince's magnificent cherry orchard is visited at midnight by the legendary Firebird, whose wings are made of flame.Ilya's brothers' attempts capture the magical creature fail.
When Ilya tries to catch the Firebird, he sees her as a beautiful woman and earns a magical gift:the speech of animals. Banished, the young man journeys through a fantastical Russia full of magical mazes, enchanted creatures, and untold dangers.As happens in the best fairy tales, Ilya falls in love with an enchanted princess, but to win her freedom will be no easy task.
From back cover: Ilya, son of a Russian prince, is largely ignored by his father and tormented by his larger, older brothers.His only friends are three old people: a priest, a magician, and a woman who toils in the palace dairy.From them Ilya learns faith, a smattering of magic, and the power of love--all of which he will need desperately, for his life is about to be turned upside-down.The prince's magnificent cherry orchard is visited at midnight by the legendary Firebird, whose wings are made of flame.Ilya's brothers' attempts capture the magical creature fail.
When Ilya tries to catch the Firebird, he sees her as a beautiful woman and earns a magical gift:the speech of animals. Banished, the young man journeys through a fantastical Russia full of magical mazes, enchanted creatures, and untold dangers.As happens in the best fairy tales, Ilya falls in love with an enchanted princess, but to win her freedom will be no easy task.