| | Elizabeth Haydon--Rhapsody |
 | | The plot developments flow logically, without gratuitous subplots or points of view, and the many detailed descriptions enhance the story without slowing it or tipping over the line into excess (the excruciatingly extended sex scenes are an exception, but fortunately there aren't many of them). |
 | | The novel does lose tension when Rhapsody and the others emerge from beneath the earth; and its second half, which relies on some pretty standard fantasy tropes and allows character development to fall into the background, carries a disappointing sense of formula. |
 | | Overall, Rhapsody is a solid start to Haydon's projected mega-series (reportedly, there are to be three separate trilogies set in Rhapsody's world); while it may not please fantasy buffs looking for something new and different, fans of doorstop fantasymeisters such as Eddings and Jordan are certain to be thrilled by this new author. |
| www.sff.net /people/victoriastrauss/ReviewRhapsody.html (572 words) |