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Enchantment

Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
2 of 2 copies available

The moment ten-year-old Ivan stumbled upon the clearing in the Carpathian forest, his life was forever changed. Atop a pedestal encircled by fallen leaves, a beautiful princess lay still as death, but a malevolent presence nearby sent Ivan scrambling for safety.

Years later, Ivan is an American graduate student, engaged to be married. Yet he cannot forget that long-ago day in the forest nor convince himself it was merely a frightened boy's fantasy. Compelled to return to his native land, Ivan finds the clearing just as he left it. This time he does not run. This time he awakens the beauty with a kiss—and steps into a world that vanished a thousand years ago.

A rich tapestry of clashing worlds, Enchantment is an original novel of a love and destiny that transcends centuries and the dark force that stalks them across the ages.

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  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 29, 1999
      Intertwining the story of Sleeping Beauty with Russian mythology, Card (Homebody, etc.) creates an appealing though not potent fairy tale. Ten-year-old Ivan is terrified by, yet drawn to, a beautiful woman frozen in time in the middle of the primordial forest of Russia. More than a decade later, he returns and uses his prowess as a track-and-field star and a promise of marriage to rescue this princess. Echoes of Narnia sound (including some slightly preachy undertones) as Ivan is drawn back into the princess's time. He finds that he has no skills useful in the ninth century, and yet must find a way to defeat the witch Baba Yaga, who has harnessed the power of a god to take over Princess Katerina's kingdom. Ivan brings his betrothed into the modern world to keep her from Yaga's clutches and the pair learn to understand not only each other, but each other's powers and weapons. By the time they return to the fairy-tale world, they are armed with modern-day knowledge and aided by Ivan's relatives, who turn out to be minor Russian deities and witches. In an apparent desire to make his tale believable, Card leaches it of some of its magic, offering up the extraordinary as matter of fact, and his characters lack some of the depth that usually makes his writing so rewarding. His new look at a classic tale is clever, however, adding attractive whimsical twists and cultural confluences to a familiar story. Author tour. (Apr.) FYI: Card has won four Hugos, two Nebulas and one World Fantasy Award.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      In a variation of the tale of "Sleeping Beauty," Ivan is transported back about a century with his princess. Then unravels a story of magic and a classic struggle of good and evil, with a little time-travel and a sprinkling of fantasy thrown in. Alyssa Bresnahan narrates with enthusiasm, control, and empathy. Her no-nonsense style makes it easy to follow the complicated plot. She does not provide distinct voices for each character, but the dialogue is clear and flows smoothly. The plot is a little hard to follow, but that may be function of the abridgment. J.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Sleeping Beauty? Yes, but she's a real princess in Eastern Europe in the ninth century. Growing up in the area, Ian first sees Katerina when he's 10 years old; later, as an adult, he comes back from America to visit relatives and sees her again--still sleeping in a chasm with a bear preventing her rescue. Rescue her he does, and when she takes him back to her time, he finds that the folk tales he has studied--and the magic in them--have a basis in fact. This compelling fantasy is made even richer by the evocative narration of Alyssa Bresnahan, who finds all the nuances in her vocal portraits of the characters. Her range, from deep and gravelly to light, and the various emotional shadings of the story are shown to their fullest advantage. A few abridgment glitches are minor annoyances. M.A.M. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:850
  • Text Difficulty:4-5

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