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Great Science-Fiction & Fantasy Works
Science-fiction & fantasy literature: a critical list with discussions.
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This is a brief discussion of Mary Gentle and, of course, of some speculative-fiction books by Gentle.
This discussion and list does not necessarily include every book by Gentle: it includes only those books that I both know and like. Just as with the author list itself, omission of a particular item may mean I didn’t think highly enough of the omitted item, or it may simply mean that I have not yet sufficient familiarity with it. (In a very few cases, I have listed some books merely on the strength of my opinion of the author: all such books are clearly marked below, as throughout these lists, with a hash mark (#) before the title so you know what’s what.)
I don’t pretend that this discussion is a deep analysis. My intent is no more than to give you a rough idea of what kinds of tales Gentle tells, how those tales are usually told, and what makes them and Gentle worthy; in sum, to help you rank Mary Gentle (and the works by Gentle listed here) on your personal literary “to do” list.
A Few Words About Mary Gentle
Regrettably, I have not yet had an opportunity to write an essay on this author, but the “Other Resources” section below will lead you to some information about the “Notable Books” listed farther down this page.
For such a known author, with a not-inconsiderable output, the paucity of in-depth critical pages is remarkable; most of the available material is one-book reviews, few analytic. Here’s most of what there is.
Mary Gentle at The Idle Woman blog: reviews two books
There are more Gentle-related pages, of variable utility: most of the “reviews” are of the plot rehash plus “Gee, I liked it a lot” sort. But Google Is Your Friend.
The White Crow (An omnibus containing the three novels linked separately below plus two novelettes—unique to this edition—and a novella in the same cycle; see also the third novel below.)
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