written by DonnyGood on 15/05/2004
Imagine being holed up in a castle, surrounded by a horde of goblins bent on eating your flesh, and as you ready yourself for the bloody horror of your own death, you see, coming down out of the heavens like the avenging angels of hell itself, an army of angry naked dead women, armed with axes, knives and teeth, who proceed to slaughter the goblins with a level of feminine uber-angst that makes you feel pity for the tail-whipping, teeth-gnashing goblins.
Wow. I don't know where this book came from, but when it hits the stands in June, stop what you're doing and go get a copy of Anne Kelleher's ninth novel, Silver's Edge.
Silver's Edge is a novel that creates worlds within worlds, a reality where mortals, faeries (not the garden or tinkerbelle variety), goblins, gremlins, and hags all exist in parallel realities separated only by the logic of Kelleher's imagination. A mix of Celtic mythology, heroic tradition, modern mysticism fused with a rich and luscious writing style, Anne Kelleher's world seduces and invites the reader into lush dreamtime.
One of the most interesting characters is Nessa, the blacksmith's daughter and a blacksmith herself - not your usual fantasy or romance heroine - a woman with strong arms, broad shoulders, dark hair and rough hands, who still possesses the drive and determination to march into Faerie and confront the sidhe on behalf of her father. Another strong element is Kelleher's ability to create chapters that read like encores of a great concert - you wonder how she's going to top that one, until the next one blows you away. She writes with the color of Lord of the Rings, the punch of a Springsteen concert, and the sound of poetry running through the prose. I can't wait for the next installment. Buy this one as soon as you can - the first edition won't last.