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The Valkyrie by Deborah L. Davitt: Sweeping, But Not for the Light Fantasy Reader!

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DianeD+
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The Valkyrie by Deborah L. Davitt: Sweeping, But Not for the Light Fantasy Reader!

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OK, so I read this last month - it's still on my mind as a recommendation - and since I read avidly in science fiction but a bit less so in fantasy and even less in alternative sci-fi, that's saying something. Perhaps I don't read as much 'alternative history' because so many titles rely on the reader's prior knowledge of the original history for impact: not so The Valkyrie, which offers an intriguing premise (what if Rome DIDN'T fall, and what if magic was an accepted part of the world) and an action-packed story.

I wasn't looking for a light read, thankfully: this is a long, epic fantasy, suitable for readers who like their stories sweeping, their protagonists believable and compelling, and their fantasy worlds well-detailed and intricate. It takes a few chapters to fully absorb a cast of characters with different names and purposes, and a setting that is at once quite different from our world yet replete with similarities, right down to the blue jeans.

Readers who look for sweeping sagas embracing political, historical and social change will welcome Davitt's approach to creating a more complex set of scenarios than the usual fantasy story offers. Think 'Tolkien' when placing her works into a similar category; because her attention to details of place, time, and the politics behind confrontations is just as well-wrought.

The Valkyrie is world-building at its highest level: as such, its readers shouldn't be ones looking for a light fantasy adventure, but those who root out the few Tolkien-like epics in the fantasy genre, there to live amongst gods, monsters, and brave adventurers who traverse a dangerous world with purpose, courage, and visions of creation, recreation, and change.
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