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BEARDLESS_IN_PARIS

                                         April 6, 2006

On the plane to Bali, I read:
Cecilia Holland - "The Angel and the Sword"  (2000)

Based on the legend of
"Roderick the Beardless":

A princess must go on the run from
her wicked stepfather, she disguises
herself as a man and becomes known as
a warrior knight, defending
Paris from Viking attack.

Throughout she appears to have the
assistance of some spirit, a
magical entity that can only barely
be percieved: an "angel", though
it's not called that until the
novel's close.

This is something like a
"young adult" fantasy novel
except it uses a much more                 This is a lot like
authentic historical setting               that book "Mooned Woman"
than is usual.                             (or whatver it was),
                                           except that it isn't a
   And this is one of my                   piece of junk.
   standard criticisms 
   of genre fantasy: why 
   use an invented pseudo-
   historical setting, 
   when you could use a 
   real one? 
             
             
        (A rhetorical question.
        The answer is that you   
        need to know something 
        to write historical
        fiction.)


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