This book was incredibly detailed and wonderfully researched. Chamberlin gives a vivid description of how religion and politics might have mixed, and clashed, in Biblical times. She also gives a human side to the more earthy parts of matriarchal religions. Although we can only reconstruct part of what might have happened during such rites, from existing frangments of tablets found in the region, Chamberlin does a great job of filling in the blanks. Kudos to her for also tackling the intriguing issue of trance-based Goddess rites in the Middle East (readers might be more familiar with the stories of the Priestess-Oracles at Delphi, but the practice was far more widespread).

"Tamar" is a great read for anyone interested in ancient Biblical history and/or goddess worship. Chamberlin expertly weaves an amazing amount of detail into her descriptions of ancient Hebron, Jerusalem and other Biblical places of importance. A beautifully written story!!

In contrast to Sofia, I could relate to and sympathize with the characters of this story. Also unlike Sofia, Tamar was not shallow and the plot had a clear direction. I will give Ann Chamberlin another chance with "The Sultan's Daughter"

,,,I think this book is a brilliant piece of fiction, an intelligent fantasy about the pagan culture of medieval Europe. When you start reading it you just get lost in it, you feel like you're really there. I think it's as close as we'll ever get to experiencing pagan life in the Middle Ages. I've read other Ann Chamberlin books and I think she's really a fine writer; I know that The Merlin of St. Gilles' Well was named "One of the Ten Best Fantasy and SF Novels of the Year" by Booklist. If you like really good historical novels and/or fantasy novels, fine prose, and a compelling story, you'll love this. Happy reading!

In 1425 France, soldiers' blood continues to flows as decades of war divides the country. England and Burgundy occupy land that rightfully belongs to the French. Soldier-witch Gilles de Raes and his milk brother witch Yann know that the nation will continue to be a river of blood before Merlin's prophecy will save the earth in the guise of a maid from the Bois-Chenau.

In Domenry, Jehannette D'Arc wears the red kirtlee that signifies she is not available for courting. She hears voices in her head that she believes is God telling her what he wants her to do. Unlike most females, Jehannette can ride a horse and fight as good as any male. To many she is the incarnation of Merlin's prophecy and they are ready to follow her into hell once she gives the signal.

Ann Chamberlin writes a powerful mix of mysticism and fact to create the exhaling THE MERLIN OF THE OAK WOODS, setting the stage for Joan of Arc's endeavor to drive invaders from French soil. The juxtaposition of battle scenes with a child growing into a warrior-woman is believable and quite colorful. The only drawback to this powerful historical novel is that readers will need to wait one year for book two.

Harriet Klausner

safiye sultan venedikli bir esir ama Osmanlý Sarayýnda sultanlýða kadar yükseliyor. Kendisine aþýk olan tek insanýn hadým edilmiþ olmasý onun büyük aþkýný engellememektedir. Bir yabancý gözüyle osmanlýya gerçekci bir yaklaþým sergileyen bu eser için yazarýna teþekkürler.

In 1564 Ottoman Empire, Esmikhan, THE SULTAN'S DAUGHTER and wife of the Grand Vizier, learns that she is pregnant. The Quince divines that the unborn is male which pleases everyone except Safiye, formerly Sophia, daughter of a rich Venetian merchant. Safiye, who may have been the real model for Machiavelli, previously caused the deaths of several of her fellow Venetian and turned her lover Giorgio Veniero into Abdullah, a eunuch. While Safiye is the favorite of Murad, Sultan Suleiman's grandson, Abdullah is a slave owned by Esmikhan. ......Safiye has been studying the Turkish power structure. She realizes that she must solidify her current position because that could be as fleeting as the wind. To secure her position, she would need to give Murad a male heir. Of course, being Safiye she cannot do this the old fashion way. Instead, she puts a plan in motion to secure her current position and increase her influence throughout the empire. However, this plan could hurt Esmikhan, leaving it up to Abdullah to keep his mistress from being the latest victim of Safiye's ambitions. ......The second book in Ann Chamberlin's Ottoman Empire series is historical fiction at its greatest level. THE SULTAN'S DAUGHTER is so colorful and real, readers can not only see sixteenth century Turkey, but smell the aromas (pleasant and ugly) of a different society. Like SOFIA (book one), this novel provides rare insight into Ottoman society during its heyday. Ms. Chamberlin is one of the best writers today as she combines teaching her readers with an amazingly entertaining and interesting tale of intrigue. This reviewer strongly recommends this novel and its predecessor because both books are among the best historical fiction written in the nineties. ......Harriet Klausner ---

I borrowed this book from the library and find it so captivating and enjoyable that I plan to buy it now.

Any fantasy enthusiast will enjoy this story of pagan religion mixed with magic. Wonderful book!

I look forward to book two with great enthusiasm!

It's not an easy feat to write a fantasy novel that will stand out from others, but that is exactly what Ann Chamberlain has done. She has adeptly managed to seamlessly blend truth, fiction and myth in a story that transports readers to another time and place. Although there are instances where the names and places were a bit confusing, it was easy to overlook that and focus on how skillfully the story was told. It read more like history than fantasy and at times I had to remind myself that the spells of magic in the book were fictional...or weren't they? That's what Ms.Chamberlain makes you think and feel. At some points in the book I felt the influence of pagan rites (for lack of a better term) and realized that she had successfully woven it into her story and managed to show it in a better light than others have previously done. In this story the heretical and heathenish behavior unfavored by the Catholic church was shown to the reader to have origins of good intentions--something that I'd never seen before in a book. Ms. Chamberlain's storytelling also was successful in creating characters that were extremely likeable and/or despicable. I pitied Jean Le Drapier and also liked and disliked Gilles, his milk-brother. I have yet to make a determination about his character until the next book, which unfortunately won't be out for several months. For me, this book is exceptionally good and I'll be sure to put it right next to my other favorite trilogy: The Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series by Tad Williams.

For historical and fantasy fiction lovers, "The Merlin of St. Gilles' Well" is right on target. And Ann Chamerlin begins a promising Joan of Arc series!

It is the early 15th century and is the story of Jean Le Drapier, who is a crippled man with his own "magical powers" (ala Merlin) and a French nobleman Gilles de Rais. Gilles is "destined" one day to fight alongside the Maid of Orleans herself; he will also become the progenitor of the Bluebeard legends! As in the actual story, this novel examines the internal political, social, and religious struggles among the people of France and does so in a most appealing manner!

As the story begins, Guy de Rais, who is poaching on illegal grounds, accidentally shoots in the hand a young peasant boy, Yann, who, naturally (or "unnaturally") becomes infected; the wound cripples him and he begins to have fits and see visions--he sees the salvation of France through Joan of Arc, among other "sights." There is the traditional hermit, who insists that de Rais become resonsible for the child's upbringing. (De Rais has a son named Gilles, who grows up with Yann.) And while this may be reminiscent of Mary Stewart's Merlin/Arthur trilogy ("The Crystal Cave," etc.), Chamberlin's story stands on its own.

As the story progresses Yann and Gilles explore--and embrace--the Old Religion and during ritual ceremonies, Gilles tatoos himself (chin: blue--hence, "Bluebeard"). Guy de Rais attacks these rituals (he is not an advocate of the Old Religion) and mortally wounds the hermit. Yann issues a curse (they all die soon after!) and inherits the shrine. The beauty of fiction is that the author is permitted to take liberties and Chamberlin does with the historical accounts; but no matter. This is fiction--and fantasy fiction at that--and as such the author has created an exciting, compelling work. We can only encourage her to publish the next episode. (Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

Apart from Chamberlin's elegant prose, this book left me enormously unsatisfied. The idea is very interesting, but the characters are drawn so superficially that it is very difficult to even empathize with them. The characters' motivations are not well illuminated at all, and tend to make them seem like caricatures rather than full-fledged people. All in all, this reading experience was pretty uncompelling.

I could not put this book down as it was an engrossing read narrated by Adam's daughter, Na'amah, by his first wife Lilith. It weaves in ancient folklore with whispers of Lilith, the Mother Goddess of all the earth. And Na'amah tells the story softly to enchant the readers into listening to what may have happened in the Garden of Eden. It weaves together the creationist and evolution theories together.

I must be brutally honest here ~~ I did not care for Adam and Eve in this story. I walked away with the impression that those two are incredibly selfish and bent on having their own way of doing life. In the hunter-gatherer age, the clan was very vital for survival. No one could survive outside of the clan. Adam came up with a new vision to create a new beginning of the way life should be ~~ a farmer rooted in one spot. It's a great vision ~~ for it led the way to our lifestyles today ~~ but to accomplish that, he had to deny the daughter he had. Na'amah wanted nothing more than to haver her father to love her ~~ which he was never able to do, especially after he set eyes on Eve. He wasn't allowed to marry Eve because of the tradition that a man should never remarry while the offspring of his first wife was still alive. He literally had to resort to murder to accomplish his dream of marrying Eve.

It is an awesome feat of changing the way a clan shall live from then on ~~ that is how things evolve over time. Adam can be credited with having the foresight of changing the future ~~ but he can also be credited with destroying a beautiful way of life and for destroying the garden. Eve in this book is nothing more than an immature child with eyes only for Adam. She was the temptress ~~ but so immature!

I could go on and on with discussing this book but I better not ~~ so you can read the book yourself. I highly recommend this book, especially if you like "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant (I think that's her last name!). "Leaving Eden" is a book that leaves you feeling that your vision of Eden is slightly altered ~~ it is a what if book ~~ what if Adam hadn't met Eve, what if Eve was a different woman, and what if the ruler of the universe is a woman. It just gives you a different perspective of how things could have been. It is a book that requires a lot of imagination ~~ just listen to Na'amah tell the story and listen carefully. It'll be worth your journey.

Ann Chamberlin did a wonderous job on the book, her poetic discriptions made the book not only a master piece but it made it come alive. With the facts of Lilith (adams first wife) and a fictional outlook on a the times taken place. I do say that this book is not ment for children under 17 for the material that it does cover throughout the book. Another thing that Ann Chamberlin did to make this book great was putting the book not in the eyes of Lilith or in a third person view but in the view of Liliths daugther (Na'amah). Ann Chamberlin Discribes Na'amah as being abandoned and left to take care of Adam (her father), which in this case brings fact and fiction to the story. With this event Ann Chamberlin puts a sublime twist to the book.

This book is not for those who want to know about the History of the Ottomans during the 16th century. It does not really give insight to the "Harem World" and sadly disappointing in terms of the historical accuracy. But a fun book for those on holiday. The ending left me with a feeling of not wanting to buy the second book. ("sultan's daughter")

I was really pulled into this novel. The rich history, descriptive language, and excellent stroytelling make this book a great read - especially if you like histroical fiction. I knew very little about Turkish history before reading this book, and loved learning more...

It is amazing to see how a writer from so far away and a totally different culture was able to grasp the beauty and richness of genuine Turkish palace culture. As a ganddaugher of a palace lady, I am proud to recommend this fantastic historical novel to the rest of the world.