Caroline Stevermer
1 When the dead come home
This sprightly, original fantasy concerns necromancy and an apprentice artist who drives everyone into an advanced state of irritability with her determination to experience true art.
The setting is a finely detailed post-Renaissance somewhere-in-Europe city. Readers of Stevermer's "A College of Magics" will recognize some of the place names, but this book takes off on its own with the very likeable Hail Rosmer and her fellow apprentices.
Hail becomes obsessed with the deceased artist, Maspero who was interested in magic as well as art. She discovers a gold medallion in the palace archives that Maspero supposedly cast, with a portrait of Good King Julian on one side, the obverse being a view of the city of Aravis. She pesters the archivist into letting her sketch both sides of the medallion, then makes a wax copy, and casts it over and over again in bronze until she is satisfied with the result.
The young apprentice is very pleased with her medallion until one of her jealous colleagues accuses her of counterfeiting. What could any self-respecting heroine do but clobber her accuser over the head with her heavy market basket. She then flees from the city, not knowing whether she killed her fellow apprentice.
Four days into her flight along the river, it begins to rain and Hail takes shelter under a bridge. There she sees a ragged tramp catch a mudskip with his bare hands and eat it raw. This doesn't bother her half as much as the fact that the man is a dead ringer for good King Julian--who departed from life over 200 years ago. She recognizes him from her medallion.
Now we're into the sorcerous part of the book, with a magician as equally nasty as any that came out of "A College of Magics." Hail plays an important role in the battles and necromantic manipulations that follow, including the recasting of King Julian's crown (again, the original was fashioned by her favorite artist, Maspero).
"When the King Comes Home" has a relatively happy ending if the reader is into artistic fulfillment rather than romance. The wicked are punished, the good deceased sail away into a starlit diminuendo of love and death. Hail's masterpiece, "When the King Comes Home" is ---well, I don't want to give away the ending. Read this subtle, graceful fantasy. There's nothing else like it.
2 Slow, but brilliant
Many of the other reviewers have complained that this book moves too slowly. If you go into it expecting a rollicking adventure, then you'll be disappointed. This is not a novel of swords and sorcery. It's not something that you could pull from transcripts of your last D&D campaign. And that is very much in its favor.
Stevermer has painted a picture of the life of her main character. She is not your typical fantasy heroine, nor is she a wilting flower waiting to be saved by the big strong men. She's an individual, and the joy of the book is learning about Hail.
The book expects more of you, too. Unless you're familiar with Renaissance Europe, and have a more than passing acquaintance with the Arthurian legends, you'll find many of the references obtuse. But for the rest of us, Caroline Stevermer has given us a rich world full of memorable characters, and my only disappointment is that the book was too short.
3 Lovely writing style but not enough to please me
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a very good critic. I enjoy plays and books that people will think are horrible. It's not very often that I give something 2 stars but I am willing to with this book.
Her writing style is gorgeous but not very fast paced. I expected a different sort of storyline because I misunderstood the dust cover. I didn't feel a strong connection with any of the characters and couldn't relate with any of them very well. Few of the characters seemed to care greatly for Hail. She often seemed foisted off onto people who tolerated her. Throughout the book people complained of her being too chatty but I did not find her so until I neared the end. Some readers complain that the book has a slow start and that's true. However it does get more exciting as it goes on. Despite this improvement the characters seemed too bland to me.
4 Stopped reading 58/236 pages through
I started reading this book expecting an adventure but getting to about page 60 and having to put a 236-page book down is pretty sad. The plot just doesn't move. If this was a biography it would actually be quite interesting, but taken as a fantasy novel? At first I thought maybe she was just trying to get more into Hail's character, but I found that I really did not know that much about Hail. I knew her fellow apprentices better. I put this book down on page 58. I have only ever not finished two books in my entire life; they were Homecoming by Cynthia Voit (sp?), and The One Armed Queen by Jane Yolen. I don't recommend either. It pains me greatly to not finish a book. The whole idea of the book would have been wonderful were the plot interesting in the first 20 pages, and it was in a way, but maybe only because I like to draw and she was becoming and apprentice to an artist. If you prefer biographies and are looking into going into fantasy books I could recommend this book, but that is considering that I really don't like biographies.
Sorry for rambling.
5 HMMM, WATCH THE GRASS GROW OR READ THIS BOOK
I made it to about page 100 before I surrendered - something I rarely do. This book, while well written, does not move at all. Page after page of nothing. I'm giving two stars because I think that Stevermer is probably a good writer and is capable of actually creating some fantasy worth reading - this book isn't it.
6 BORING !
After having read many fantasy books by many different authors I must say that this book was the worst of all !
Even though the style is ok, the plot is as interesting as watching a stone fall to dust...
At first I thought it might improve and kept on reading up to page 184 (of 236) but then just couldn't stand it anymore and stoped.
The story is very constructed, the surrounding world doesn't feel real, everything appears very static and the characters are lifeless puppets. Not even once did I have the feeling of being part of the story, instead I always forced to myself to keep on reading in hope for an improvement ...which never came, up to that point where I simply gave up, and I'm not the kinda guy who gives up easily on a book.
I can't recommend this book at all.
7 When the King Comes Home -- Will he be welcome?
If something is unlikely, it is said it will happen when the King comes home. This refers to Good King Julian who has been dead for 200 years.
Hail Rosamer is the daughter of a sheep merchant but she has a talent for art and wishes to pursue it. She gets her wish when a talented artist agrees to accept Hail as an apprentice. Hail's studies go well and by being in the city, she gets to see fabulous and legendary works of art, including ones that accurately depict the Good King, his Champion and his Queen.
But a jealous apprentice tries to frame Hail and Hail flees the city. While resting under a bridge, she encounters a strange man. A man with the face of Good King Julian!
Hail then gets caught up in politics as the Prince Bishop, the man who really runs the Empire, tries to squash rumors that the Good King has returned.
But he man is not the King, he is the King's Champion, accidently resurrected by necromancy. Necromancy that will try again to resurrect the King. Thus the King returns, not as the Empire's savior, but as a puppet tool of an outlaw baron and a necromancer.
Can the city and the Empire survive the return of the King? Can Hail disentangle herself from the politics? Will Hail's love and knowledge of art and the King's artist provide a key for stopping the ensorcelled King? What happens if they succeed?
An interesting tale of one way that a people's hopes and dreams can turn awry.
8 Absolutely Wonderful
Stevermer does a wonderful job of portraying what really happens when the king comes home. I really cared about the main characters - Hail Rosamer and Ludo. The one complaint I have about the book is that she didn't fall in love. Just as another reviewer said, I really wanted them to fall in love. Anyway, I really enjoyed how Hail was an artist. I liked how Maspero, the object of her obsession, was connected to everything. It is a very original fantasy and thoroughly satisfying (except for the whole not falling in love with Ludo - who is perfect for her). I think this is better than Stevermer's A College of Magics - but read that too.
9 try something else of hers
There's no doubt Stevermer can write some eloquent prose, however, her ability to keep a story interesting falters in several places in this book. It took a short while for me to get into the book and start liking it, and it was a good story for half, until she threw in her major plot twist which I feel disrupted a more interesting story. By the last few chapters I was speed reading just to find out how it finished. I have hopes that her style might yet yield a better book from her, but I don't think I'll try another Stevermer.
10 well-written, wry fantasy about the powers of legend and art
Caroline Stevermer's latest fantasy is an elegantly written and wryly witty story about a young artist's apprentice and her encounter with a living legend -- Good King Julian, raised from the dead by a necromancer with political ambitions. Its appealing characters held my attention from the first page to the last, but like another reviewer, I found the ending somewhat disappointing. Still, I will keep an eye out for any other stories by this very original author.
11 A Very Good Book for a Rainy Day
I've been a Caroline Stevemer fan since 1993 when I found one of her early books. When the King Comes Home is delightful. The mix of magic and art, her post-Renaissance pre-Reformation alternate Europe with the city state as supreme governing structure and the ateliers as the height of artistic education reminded me of Firenze, Italy. Being married to an artist, although not one myself, she caught well the creative process and how creating changes the creator as well as the object created. Delightfully written, spare and elegant, with a nice blend of characters and an unexpected ending - all elements conspire to make a wonderful read. Highly recommended; Hail Rosamer is one of those people you wish you had living near by.
12 Enchanting heroine and world, disappointing ending.
OK, I admit it. I wanted the herione to fall in love at then end of the book. There. Something just rankles about our girl Hail Rosamer being so clueless and indifferent to the hero, after all they've been through! But stilll...it was a good, original story and you can't say that about a lot of fantasy these days! Hail Rosamer is an artist apprentice and either Stevermer is an artist herself or she's done her research, because the littlest details of Hail's training are fascinating. Hail goes to the big city to learn art, she meets a jealous rival and encounters interesting people. Then one day she runs afoul of her rival and runs away, only to stumble onto a seeming living legend. From there we have necromancing sorceresses, Arthurian and Fisher King-like heroes and a work of Art above it all. Although this is set in the same world as "A College of Magics" (which I would rate higher and enjoyed even more) there is little similarity other than one character with a same last name and some references to the juxtaposition of the fantasy world Stevermer has created and our own.
Stevermer is a good and fastastically creative writer--I just wish I had her ear next time to tell her how to end the story! :)
This book is suitable for high school age and up.
13 Enjoyable, but not really memorable
Caroline Stevermer has a new book out, _When the King Comes Home_. It's apparently set in the same world as her fine earlier book _A College of Magics_. It's been a while since I read the earlier book, and I confess I didn't notice any close links: I'm pretty sure both books can be read independently. This new one is a decent book, though not terribly memorable.
The world it's set in is very much like roughly 16th Century Europe. It's set in an imaginary country in Europe, and the other fantasy element is that magic works, though magic isn't wildly prevalent. Mostly, the feel of the setting is like our world. The narrator, Hail Rosamer, is a young apprentice to a successful artist. She lives in the capital city of their "country", which is ruled by an old, dying, King, and a capable "Prince-Bishop". But people remember the days of Good King Julian, 2 centuries before, with great affection. It is said "When the King Comes Home", any number of miracles might happen. Wilful Hail becomes obsessed with an artist of King Julian's time, Gil Maspero, who among other things made a special medal for the King. Against her mistress' wishes, Hail makes a copy of this medal, and by happenstance ends up one day encountering a man who looks just like the old King. Soon it is clear that sorcery is afoot: an evil witch in league with the rebellious lord of one of the provinces is trying to recall King Julian's soul to a new body and bind the King to her will. Hail ends up imprisoned for a time, then trying to help track down the witch, then trying to help free the King from her spell. I liked it, it was fun to read, but in a way I felt that not quite enough happened. It's quiet, and it ends in an honest but rather muffled fashion: Stevermer worked hard to avoid an ending with any sort of heroic cliche. That's a good thing, on the one hand, but perhaps it detracts from the book, too. Or perhaps while avoiding cliche (good) the book also avoids replacing the standard cliches with something really special. Lest I seem too negative, though, I repeat that it's a fun, engaging, read. Hail is a neat character, wholly an artist, headstrong, interesting, unobservant of anything she doesn't care about, like the obviously besotted soldier who keeps encountering her. The other characters are well drawn, too, and largely good people too.
14 Not a bad book
but not a great one either.
Set in a mythical renaissance kingdom in Central Europe, WHEN THE KING COMES home tells the story of Hail Rosmer, art student with a fascination for a long-dead artist/alchemist. When the alchemist's seal is used to return long-vanished King Julian, Hail is drafted to protect the kingdom from the necromancer.
It's an interesting premise and Stevermer's world is interesting enough as well. I found it hard to get into the characters, however. Hail's fascination for Maspero drives the novel, but isn't really explained. Partly because the story is told from Hail's first person point of view, the other characters blend in together without strong differentiation.
WHEN THE KING COMES HOME is a pleasant read--but it has hints that it could be so much more.
15 If only the King came Home more often!
Caroline Stevermer is one of those authors who writes (it seems) a book a decade, but oh what a book, when it finally appears! _When the King Comes Home_ is a true treasure -- realistic fantasy that doesn't shy away from showing all of the trials and tribulations that we often forget when indulging in a fantasy. The narrator is a young girl, apprenticed to an artist in the capital city of her (imaginary) country, who ends up being witness and participant in the changes that come when the Good King Julian of legend (he lived several hundred years ago, and died while at war, in Europe) reappears. There is a subtle Arthurian twist to the tale, which makes the characterization of the King's Seraph and his Queen, who also are brought back by necromantic means, richer and deeper.
This is a book which rewards reading and re-reading. Another classic by Stevermer.
