Daughter of the Blood
A novel by Anne Bishop

Many readers complain that fantasy authors display an amazing lack of ingenuity when thinking up a new plot for their books. Being an avid reader of fantasy, I've run across this problem countless times. I'll be reading happily along, and then, "wait a sec, this story line is exactly the same as the story line in the last THREE books I read!" Unfortunate, but true.

When I first read Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop, I was blown away by the vividness of her writing. This book reminds me of what I always imagined the devil to be. Dark, morbid, sinister, and yet it holds you completely fascinated and spellbound by its beauty. Once I'd begun reading it, I couldn't bring myself to put down the book and leave the world that Anne Bishop had magically spun around me. Daughter of the Blood went straight to number one on my list of top 10 books. I fell in love with the characters immediately, and felt bereft when I finally finished the trilogy.

The series revolves around a female character called Witch, the embodiment of dreams and legend, literally "Dreams made flesh". Although Witch is the central character, the story is mostly told from the perspective of the males around her, thus preserving the mystique and wonder of Witch. Characters are written in such a way that you come to know them and love them, yet acknowledge that they are far from perfect and have flaws. Yet somehow, the imperfections endear them to you even more.

Daughter of the Blood is rich in both positive and negative emotions and intense in its portrayal of human behavior and human desires. At the same time, it also has many humorous moments, reminiscent of similar moments that occur in life. The exasperation that parents often feel when dealing with mischievous offspring, and the remarkable way siblings have of tormenting each other in infinitely funny ways, are neatly written in Anne Bishop's engaging narrative, making one chortle along with the book.

The cool thing about this book is that Darkness is seen as a positive thing instead of a negative one. The system of magic in the book is such that each person is reliant on their blood jewel, a jewel given them at birth by the Powers That Be, and the darker the jewel, the stronger that person's gift. Some aspects of the book were rather obviously turning the tables on literary conventions of good and evil. For example, the three main male characters in this book are Daemon, Lucivar and Saetan. (Can we say demon, Lucifer and Satan, children?) However, its easy to look past their names simply because they're such lovable characters. Terrifying, but still lovable.

There are some particularly gruesome scenes in the trilogy, and if you're the sort of person easily put off by grossness, then this book may not be for you. But if you can get past those scenes, you're going to be rewarded with one of the most original and readable books in the fantasy genre. You'll want to buy it, and the next two, and keep them around forever.

RE-READ FACTOR: Ohhhh, yeah. I've gotten four friends completely hooked on the trilogy so far, and each and every one has bought at least one copy of each book so they can read and re-read at leisure. And all four are eagerly awaiting Bishop's new book, due out in October.

SEQUEL FACTOR: Very strong sequels. Unlike most fantasy trilogies, Bishop actually understands the logic behind three books: one story. Which means there's continuity, further character building, and story conclusion.

STRONG CHICK FACTOR: Well, the central character in all three books is Witch. She's the epitome of strong chick. The women in the series are born with superior magical abilities to the men, and Witch is the most powerful Blood female ever. She's got powers the men have never even dreamt were possible.

-- Samantha Bong

Daughter of the Blood, published by New American Library, is currently available in paperback.

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