Thomas the Rhymer

Ellen Kushner has used an old ballad to create a fascinating and lovely tale of a young harpist and singer. Thomas appears one day at the door of an older and childless couple in the country who take him in and begin to love him as a son. He in turn, loves and respects them, all the while finding himself fascinating to and fascinated by a neighbor girl whose fiery temperament charms him. Off and on he reappears, leaving behind the courts of the nobility where he sings and plays for their pleasure. One day, while visiting his friends, he wanders onto Eildon Hills and meets the queen of the faeries. She takes him with her to her home where he abides for 7 years. He becomes her lover, her plaything, and a challenge to others in the land, because he is forbidden to speak to anyone except the queen. Having fulfilled his bargain, the queen returns Thomas to his own world, burdened with a terrible gift: He can only speak the truth. Told by Gavin, the elderly farmer, Thomas, and the girl whom he marries upon his return, the story of the life of True Thomas unwinds almost as a song does. There is melody, harmony, and many verses. For those who come to believe, the end will bring tears to their eyes. Readers who enjoy this book might also enjoy Kushners earlier novel, Swordspoint. She does not write often, but she writes well.

Oh dear god. It was UTTERLY hopeless to try to get into this book. I stared at the paragraphs and they were so unengaging that my eyes kept sliding around, looking for words that went together, maybe, kind of, sort of. But not really. The prose was just weird and completely uncompelling. It didnt feel in the least like Ellen Kushners other work. Ugh.

Thomas the Rhymer is a bewitching tale that speaks to our longing for other more perfect worlds. Im going to read the book again because the storys message has to do with the truths of being human and how Thomas came round to being a real person. This book is filled with rich imagery that can easily throw off the impressionable reader. I love the book.

Ellen Kushner takes a traditional Scottish ballad and weaves it into something magical and beguiling in this lovely, haunting tale. The ballad sings of a minstrel lad abducted to Elfland for seven years to serve as the Elf Queens lover, then returned to the mortal world with the gift of always speaking the truth. Kushner deepens the focus of the story and humanizes the characters. Thomas is a footloose and carefree young minstrel and gifted seducer of willing ladies, eager to win fame for his singing and harping. His sojourn in Elfland is conveyed in dazzling prose, rich with the heady, heedless abandon of youth as Thomas gives himself up to the quicksilver Elf Queen and the succulent delights of her bower. Yet, he is tormented, too, by her small, careless cruelties, by the elves constant game-playing, and by his lonely isolation as a mortal in a magical realm. He is scarcely any less isolated when he finally returns to mortal Middle-Earth, a more sober and compassionate man, hailed as both rhymer and prophet, but who never again quite feels in step with his fellow beings. While Thomas Orpheus-like descent into the eerie glamor of the Elvish underworld is the centerpiece of the story, Kushner provides humanistic grace notes in the characters of a down-to-earth farm couple who love Thomas like a son and help to tell his story. They are joined by another narrator, the wild-spirited but careworn country lass who wins young Thomas heart and witnesses the bittersweet epiphany of the storys conclusion. Both fairy tale and love story, full of lusty balladeering, poetry and heartbreak, this novel is truly enchanting. I felt bereft when it was over, as if the portals of Elfland had been shut behind me forever.

Kushner takes one of the most basic Celtic myths -- the human taken into the land of Faerie -- and fashions it around the life of an historical figure, Thomas the Rhymer. She tells the story from many perspectives to give the myth weight, a sense of time and place, and most of all, an understanding of why the story has endured. Rarely, a fantasy novel earns the right to be called classic; this one does.

Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner I must admit that Ellen Kushner, award winning writer, radio personality and lecturer was unknown to this reader prior to Thomas the Rhymer. Going forward that will not be the case. I was very impressed by this book on many levels. First and foremost Ms. Kushner is a storyteller in the most positive connotation of that term. I have always believed that speculative fiction novels - be they fantasy or science fiction - must at a minimum present an engaging story that the reader dearly desires to explore and even inhabit. The characters must be a combination of the sympathetic, feared, mysterious and courageous types and the prose must weave a spell with words. Ms. Kushner has met and exceeded all my criteria and I echo the praises of professional reviewers for her brilliant novel. The account of Thomas and his love affair with the Fairy Queen, the hard bargain he made to be with her and the girl he left behind kept this reader engaged from cover to cover. The ultimate tribute I can pay to any author is to say that as a result of this book I will seek out other title they have written - so be it.

Nice classic story. Very interesting read and a fun tale. If you like Irish history, its a good read. And if you dont, you should read more :)

For fantasy purists, it doesnt get more pure than this.

Thomas the Rhymer came highly recommended to me by the lady who hosted our role-playing group. Its of a genre that Id never read before. This is a fantastical tale told in the points of view of the Rhymers hosts, his human wife, and himself. Of a Ren-Faire setting, its descriptions are fluid and visible to the reader. Its a story of many kinds of love -- the love of the Rhymers childless hosts of the Rhymer and of the girl up the hill, and of the Rhymer of them, of the girl, and of the Elfin Queen who cannot love him back in a way that he understands. Its a tale of human growth, of restraint, of sadness, and of joy. I will be looking for more books by Ellen Kushner, and I highly recommend Thomas the Rhymer to you.

Im always shocked that Ellen Kushner is not more well known. She blends fantasy with interesting characters so seamlessly. The words are so well written that music is in the background of my mind as I read. There is a reason why there is always a recommendation from Neil Gaiman.