84, WG71, E83, / NG13, D1, B10, N1,C0, Frz0,

Tanya Huff, Wizard of the Grove (Child of the Grove & The Last Wizard)

Irgendwann vor langer Zeit hatte ich mal das erste Buch von Tanya Huff probiert und den Hintergrund und die Charaktere in den ersten Kapiteln für so stereotyp und idealisiert befunden, dass ich nach dem ersten Drittel aufgab. Jetzt entschloss ich mich doch es noch einmal zu versuchen und hatte nach den ersten Kapiteln das Gefühl damals ein anderes Buch gelesen zu haben. Tatsächlich kommt der Zweiteiler um die letzte Magierin Crystal schwer in Gang, aber spätestens in der zweiten Hälfte des ersten Bandes etabliert sich Huffs eigener Stil und ihr Humor. Der zweite Band dann ist die reinste Wonne zu lesen. Keine Ahnung ob mir jetzt wirklich nichts mehr von Huff fehlt - möglicherweise schwirrt irgendwo noch eine Kurzgeschichte herum - aber die längeren Werke sind jetzt erstmal komplett. Schade eigentlich...

"Who sees that the men get fed, and clothed, and to council on time? Who teaches them to love, when to be strong, and when to be weak? Who sees that the race continues? Some say that the Mother created women in her image and then created men to give them something to do.
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Lapus stiffened at the word traitor. "I am true only to Truth, milady, and although it is true that men and women are equal in the eyes of the Mother, it is equally true that they are not the same. It does no honor to men that they are better to facilitate the arrival of Lord Death. Perhaps because a woman better understands how difficult it is to create a life, she becomes less willing to take one. Most of the surgeons and healers that ride with the army are women."
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The messenger grabbed a handful of silky mane and dragged herself awkwardly up on the broad back. She was barely seated when the unicorn leaped forward, out of the range of the rest of the pack, and landed galloping. The trees which had seemed so far away were reached in seconds. She closed her eyes and held on tightly as her mystical mount wove among them without losing speed or breaking stride. Suddenly a thought struck her, almost causing her to lose her balance.
"I'm not a virgin!" she wailed.
"That's hardly my fault," the unicorn muttered in reply... or it might have just been the wind of their passing.
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(Tanya Huff, Child of the Grove, 1988)