[.ca] Firebird (ISBN 0765317192)

From Amazon.com:
Mercedes Lackey never puts a foot wrong in this confident, funny fairy-tale adaptation. Tsar Ivan has eight sons; all are brutes like himself except for happy-go-lucky, least-favored Ilya. Cast out through the machinations of his jealous, competitive brothers, Ilya stumbles onto an enchanted castle, distressed damsels, a garden of questing princes turned to stone, and the secret of the shapeshifting woman called the Firebird. In love with a captive princess, Ilya enlists the Firebird and a charming, crafty vixen to help him battle the sorcerer. But is settling down with a princess what "happily ever after" really means?

Worth reading...:
This is the first Lackey book I've read and I found it interesting. It was not that catching to start with, but soon the story unfolded. Ilya, the main character, is charming and smart. Once he sees the Firebird he's given the gift of speaking to and understanding animals. The bad part about seeing the Firebird, is that she brings bad luck. Well Ilya sure gets his share of that. The ending really disappointed me and that's why I rated it down. After building up a good story the book comes to an abrupt "happily ever after " ending

Rusalkas, Demons, and Firebirds, Oh My!:
I really enjoyed _Firebird_ by Mercedes Lackey. The use of Russian mythology is wonderful and adds a taste of richness to the story. Everything in the book is magical and fairy-tale-like without being too sugary-sweet. If you are looking for a light read with adventure, romance, and fun, read this book!

More than OK:
Mercedes Lackey is one of todays greatest fantasy writers and this book continues her legacy of great writing. Set in the middle of Russia, the story takes on a magical essence as more and more fables creatures come to life. The reader is honestly transported to another time and place where everything tempts the senses. Not only are there fantastical settings but Ilya, the main character, is fascinating. He's full of charm, witt, and most importantly kindness which has the reader cheering him on. He continues from one adventure to the next climaxing with a powerful wizard in a magnificent story. In all it is a beautiful story. Some readers do not appreciate the fact it has a "happily ever after" ending. Yet this ending is still refreshing and after all....it is a fairy tale.

Mercedes Lackey spews out yet another excellent novel...:
Being the ballet fanatic that I am, I expected the story of the Firebird to be similar to that of the ballet, and recieved a pleasant surprise when I found that there were several very interesting deviations. For example, they made it much more difficult from Ilya to get to the magician's soul (in this case his heart) which definitely made it more interesting. The beginning dragged a little, but as Ilya left his home and went out on his own, the story took on a completely new atmosphere, and it picked up from there. I definitely would recommened this to anyone looking for a good fantasy book to drown themselves in.

Good, but she can do better:
I have enjoyed Lackey's work ever since I started with her "Arrows" trilogy, some twelve years ago. When she's in top form, Misty can create a world full of characters so rich and vibrant, you truly can feel what they are going through. In the aforementioned "Arrows" books, as well as in "The Last Herald-Mage" series, Lackey has shown that she's capable of moving readers to tears. With "Firebird", there was no need for kleenex. Not that it wasn't good. Lackey's take on the Russian fable was interesting. Readers are given a good overview of medieval life under the boyars and Great Tsar (Ilya's interaction with the "bannik" in the steambath was both humorous and insightful). The detailed descriptions of various environments (i.e. going from Ivan's palace, to the woodsman Yasha's simple home in a maze, to the grandeur of the Katschei's estate) helped in developing the novel's changing atmosphere in general, while illustrating changes in Ilya's physical and emotional state in particular. Lackey has a real talent for placing her characters in situations of danger/momentary safety/back to danger again. The criticism lies in that Lackey tends to let her characters overthink certain situations. She sometimes has Ilya pondering his next decision for several pages, when a couple of tightly written paragraphs would have sufficed. It seemed to take Ilya a mighty long time to leave his abusive father, whereas Ilya's brother, Pietor, heads out after one very well-plotted scene. Ilya's time as a "monster"/spy in the Katschei's palace seemed to take forever as well. While Lackey probably wanted to make sure her character saw the situation from all possible angles, the story's pacing suffered because of it. Again, on an up note, I did like the final chapter and how Ilya had to deal with his own "happily ever after" scenario. It's definitely a "be careful what you wish for" situation! I do recommend the book, but there are others of Lackey's that I would put ahead of this one.