What do you think?
Rate this book
Great Alta #1
Sister Light, Sister Dark
Then Great Alta plaited the left side of her hair, the golden side, and let in fall into the sinkhole of the night. And there she drew up the queen of shadows and set her upon the earth. Next she plaited the right side of her hair, the dark side, and with it caught the queen of light. And she set her next to the black queen.
"And you two shall be sisters. You shall be as images in a glass, the one reflecting the other..."
Raised on a mountainside, Jenna learned the arts of the warrior, and from the mountain women the magic of the ancient lore. The greatest magic was calling her dark sister from the depths of the mirror of the land of light and shadow. Skada, the dark one, existed only when the moonlight cast a shadow or lamplight flickered in a darkened room.
"And you two shall be sisters. You shall be as images in a glass, the one reflecting the other..."
Raised on a mountainside, Jenna learned the arts of the warrior, and from the mountain women the magic of the ancient lore. The greatest magic was calling her dark sister from the depths of the mirror of the land of light and shadow. Skada, the dark one, existed only when the moonlight cast a shadow or lamplight flickered in a darkened room.
244 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1988
About the author
Jane Yolen
941 books3,121 followersJane Yolen is a novelist, poet, fantasist, journalist, songwriter, storyteller, folklorist, and children’s book author who has written more than three hundred books. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Born and raised in New York City, the mother of three and the grandmother of six, Yolen lives in Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews
November 17, 2017
The best thing about this lyrical almost mythological series is the world building. I've not seen anything like it before or since and it's, simply put, amazing. The writing is definitely on the side of strong and empowered women (showing some 1970s feminist roots). I think the world and story are complex enough for any reader, although I believe the target audience is YA. I love it, it's brilliant!
Read
February 7, 2022“A child is not yours to own but yours to raise. She may not be what you will have her be, but she will be what she has to be. Remember what they say, that Wood may remain twenty years in the water, but it is still not a fish.”
Spoilers follow, and I’ll be spending some time discussing pedophilia.
So What’s It About?
Jenna lives in a remote mountainside hame with the followers of Alta, an elite group of all-women warriors and scholars who live in solitude with their dark sisters, soulmate counterparts summoned awake to live with them when they come of age. Jenna, however, is restless and full of questions, and it soon becomes clear that she may be all that stands between the followers of Alta and their doom as the world of men becomes restless.
What I Thought
In my mind, this book’s principle strength is its utterly unique world-building. The idea of the dark sisters -magical soulmates that mysteriously awaken into being once the followers of Alta access their magic – is unlike anything I’ve read before, and it brings with it the potential for some fascinating explorations of sisterhood and duality:
“THE MYTH: Then Great Alta plaited the left side of her hair, the golden side, and let it fall into the sinkhole of night. And there she drew up the queen of shadows and set her upon the earth. Next she plaited the right side of her hair, the dark side, and with it she caught the queen of light. And she set her next to the black queen. “And you two shall be sisters,” quoth Great Alta. “You shall be as images in a glass, the one reflecting the other. As I have bound you in my hair, so it shall be.” Then she twined her living braids around and about them and they were as one. “
However, the unfortunate thing is that Jenna’s own sister only appears towards the very end of the book, so the most fascinating part of the book plays a much less prominent role than I would have hoped.
The second thing that I enjoyed about this book is the historical framing device. Each section of the main narrative is framed by pseudo-academic essays from a variety of perspectives, which also include pieces of song, myth and poetry. It’s really interesting to see the way that the ongoing story is forgotten, distorted, reclaimed and interpreted in different ways by fictional historians and academics.
On paper, the third big draw of this book is the empowerment of the all-female society that lives in progressive, peaceful unity. The sisters of Great Alta are self-sustaining and isolationist, and I imagine that this book would be something of a dream to a feminist separationist. I can appreciate world-building that centers around female independence and empowerment, but I don’t necessarily agree with feminist separationism and the kind of defeatist misandry that I feel underlies it. As someone who mainly subscribes to intersectional feminism more than anything else, I also think it’s a massive oversimplification to argue that the solution to complex intersections of oppression could ever be to simply to separate women from men. It belies the ways that women perpetuate other forms of oppression and creates a false essentialist dichotomy.
It also doesn’t help that there were was one particularly reprehensible scene that felt so gross to me that it soured my entire perspective on the followers of Alta and the book as a whole. Jenna meets up with a runaway prince, and they become friends and travel together. They are both late tweens to early teens at this point, but the ADULT WOMEN of the hame they visit immediately start fawning over him, making suggestive comments and if I remember correctly one of them propositions him. As one of them says:
“There are several in the Hame who like bull calves.”
:/
It’s also unfortunate that there is a certain amount of queerbaiting in the relationship between Jenna and her best friend Pynt. At a certain point it switches over from queerbaiting to plain old unrequited love as it becomes apparent that Pynt loves her and becomes very jealous and possessive at the dawning of the tepid, tepid romance between Jenna and Runaway Prince. There’s also this gem:
“There is one homeoerotic song, a rather wistful melody, about her best friend, Margaret [Pynt’s actual name], dying of love for her as the Anna strides off into battle once again.”
Spoilers follow, and I’ll be spending some time discussing pedophilia.
So What’s It About?
Jenna lives in a remote mountainside hame with the followers of Alta, an elite group of all-women warriors and scholars who live in solitude with their dark sisters, soulmate counterparts summoned awake to live with them when they come of age. Jenna, however, is restless and full of questions, and it soon becomes clear that she may be all that stands between the followers of Alta and their doom as the world of men becomes restless.
What I Thought
In my mind, this book’s principle strength is its utterly unique world-building. The idea of the dark sisters -magical soulmates that mysteriously awaken into being once the followers of Alta access their magic – is unlike anything I’ve read before, and it brings with it the potential for some fascinating explorations of sisterhood and duality:
“THE MYTH: Then Great Alta plaited the left side of her hair, the golden side, and let it fall into the sinkhole of night. And there she drew up the queen of shadows and set her upon the earth. Next she plaited the right side of her hair, the dark side, and with it she caught the queen of light. And she set her next to the black queen. “And you two shall be sisters,” quoth Great Alta. “You shall be as images in a glass, the one reflecting the other. As I have bound you in my hair, so it shall be.” Then she twined her living braids around and about them and they were as one. “
However, the unfortunate thing is that Jenna’s own sister only appears towards the very end of the book, so the most fascinating part of the book plays a much less prominent role than I would have hoped.
The second thing that I enjoyed about this book is the historical framing device. Each section of the main narrative is framed by pseudo-academic essays from a variety of perspectives, which also include pieces of song, myth and poetry. It’s really interesting to see the way that the ongoing story is forgotten, distorted, reclaimed and interpreted in different ways by fictional historians and academics.
On paper, the third big draw of this book is the empowerment of the all-female society that lives in progressive, peaceful unity. The sisters of Great Alta are self-sustaining and isolationist, and I imagine that this book would be something of a dream to a feminist separationist. I can appreciate world-building that centers around female independence and empowerment, but I don’t necessarily agree with feminist separationism and the kind of defeatist misandry that I feel underlies it. As someone who mainly subscribes to intersectional feminism more than anything else, I also think it’s a massive oversimplification to argue that the solution to complex intersections of oppression could ever be to simply to separate women from men. It belies the ways that women perpetuate other forms of oppression and creates a false essentialist dichotomy.
It also doesn’t help that there were was one particularly reprehensible scene that felt so gross to me that it soured my entire perspective on the followers of Alta and the book as a whole. Jenna meets up with a runaway prince, and they become friends and travel together. They are both late tweens to early teens at this point, but the ADULT WOMEN of the hame they visit immediately start fawning over him, making suggestive comments and if I remember correctly one of them propositions him. As one of them says:
“There are several in the Hame who like bull calves.”
:/
It’s also unfortunate that there is a certain amount of queerbaiting in the relationship between Jenna and her best friend Pynt. At a certain point it switches over from queerbaiting to plain old unrequited love as it becomes apparent that Pynt loves her and becomes very jealous and possessive at the dawning of the tepid, tepid romance between Jenna and Runaway Prince. There’s also this gem:
“There is one homeoerotic song, a rather wistful melody, about her best friend, Margaret [Pynt’s actual name], dying of love for her as the Anna strides off into battle once again.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 23, 2019
With this book's consistent 5-star ratings, I feel a little bad for not enjoying it as much. The world is certainly imaginative. The women of Alta hames have the power to call forth their dark sisters from the other side of the mirror, sisters who are them and not them at the same time. Learning the culture of the hame was a large draw of the book for me. I got into it, and I enjoyed being in that world.
What I didn't like is how the book is divided up into sections - Legend, Myth, History, Song, Ballad ... These sections add little, if anything, to the story itself and mostly served to pull me out of the narrative. I didn't care about the historical analysis of the Alta women from 700 years in the future. I didn't care about a song written about the events I had just read. I didn't care about a legend that foretold what I was about to read. I just wanted to read the story and stop getting interrupted by extraneous information.
After a couple chapters I just skipped over the extra sections, making an already short book (about 200 pages) even shorter, which brings me to the second thing that annoyed me a little. This is the first book in a two-book story that could have easily been combined into one. Not only is the book short, but this book by itself does not tell a complete story. The plot really only picks up at the end with what really should be the middle of the book or just before it.
This first book, really is just set up for the next one, and I just take issues with stories that are published like this. One book, should tell one complete story, in my opinion. It can have lose ends. Questions can be left unanswered. But there needs to be a rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. This book doesn't have that. It's all just rising action. And that bothers me. I do plan on continuing on to the next book, but this one gets two stars because I found it lacking.
This and other reviews at heidisgoodreads.blogspot.com
What I didn't like is how the book is divided up into sections - Legend, Myth, History, Song, Ballad ... These sections add little, if anything, to the story itself and mostly served to pull me out of the narrative. I didn't care about the historical analysis of the Alta women from 700 years in the future. I didn't care about a song written about the events I had just read. I didn't care about a legend that foretold what I was about to read. I just wanted to read the story and stop getting interrupted by extraneous information.
After a couple chapters I just skipped over the extra sections, making an already short book (about 200 pages) even shorter, which brings me to the second thing that annoyed me a little. This is the first book in a two-book story that could have easily been combined into one. Not only is the book short, but this book by itself does not tell a complete story. The plot really only picks up at the end with what really should be the middle of the book or just before it.
This first book, really is just set up for the next one, and I just take issues with stories that are published like this. One book, should tell one complete story, in my opinion. It can have lose ends. Questions can be left unanswered. But there needs to be a rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. This book doesn't have that. It's all just rising action. And that bothers me. I do plan on continuing on to the next book, but this one gets two stars because I found it lacking.
This and other reviews at heidisgoodreads.blogspot.com
April 9, 2017
3.5 stars
A solid story with excellent worldbuilding that has aged very well since it was first published.
I loved the women focused story and world that Yolen has constructed. For readers of fantasy, there is some familiar ground here, but what sets this apart is the wide variety of female characters who make up nearly all the actors in the tale.
The story does end rather suddenly, which is something to keep in mind. I do have the next book, and will likely pick that up fairly soon.
A solid story with excellent worldbuilding that has aged very well since it was first published.
I loved the women focused story and world that Yolen has constructed. For readers of fantasy, there is some familiar ground here, but what sets this apart is the wide variety of female characters who make up nearly all the actors in the tale.
The story does end rather suddenly, which is something to keep in mind. I do have the next book, and will likely pick that up fairly soon.
December 4, 2015
When I first saw the movie Willow, I enjoyed it. As I got older, however, my view got a little more jaded. It's true, you have some really good aspects in it - Jean Marsh's acting is great, the character of Sorsha, a young Val Kilmer, a father who wants to be more than that for a bit, a female Gandalf - and the chosen one is female.
And that's the rub - for the chosen one is a baby thoughout the whole damn movie, and the ones that do the major getting rid of baddies are male. The Chosen One just looks cute (until the sequel novel which wasn't very good). Compare that to say, Luke Skywalker. Skywalker has agency. So does Harry Potter.
In many ways, it is difficult to not think of reading Willow when reading this book.
This book is in many ways what Willow could have been.
The concept is interesting -and does with questions of self duality.
And we have a girl chosen one who does things.
There are aspects that could have used more development, but they might get ironed out later.
The use of comparison between myth, legend, and the real story is really cool.
And that's the rub - for the chosen one is a baby thoughout the whole damn movie, and the ones that do the major getting rid of baddies are male. The Chosen One just looks cute (until the sequel novel which wasn't very good). Compare that to say, Luke Skywalker. Skywalker has agency. So does Harry Potter.
In many ways, it is difficult to not think of reading Willow when reading this book.
This book is in many ways what Willow could have been.
The concept is interesting -and does with questions of self duality.
And we have a girl chosen one who does things.
There are aspects that could have used more development, but they might get ironed out later.
The use of comparison between myth, legend, and the real story is really cool.
April 28, 2009
Multilayered Jane Yolen novel that works on several levels. Jenna, a three-times orphaned child, is brought to a secret woodlands camp to be raised by the all-female followers of Great Alta, a mother Goddess figure. The concept of dark sisters, who only appear after the sun sets, who share a soul with their light sisters, is certainly unique, and is presented in a mysterious fashion that only becomes clear near the end of the book. In between the chapters are little folktales or folk rhymes from some future in the world, that show a partially corrupted, partially intact view of the history of the Alta worshipers. Also, particularly interesting, are the scholarly arguments about the nature of Alta worshipers, in some very distant future with an academic world much like our own. Fantasy, historeography, folklore studies--as I said, it works on many levels.
This is one of Yolen's best works, and one of the very best fantasies of the 20th century.
This is one of Yolen's best works, and one of the very best fantasies of the 20th century.
April 9, 2017
Is Jenna the one from the prophecy--the white Anna that will bring both the end and the beginning for the Amazonian women of Alta's hames? Three mothers die before she's out of infancy, and she's covered in white hair, as the prophecy foretold. But is that enough to make someone the chosen one, when they still have an absolutely normal childhood?
Sister Light, Sister Dark is a YA novel that explores the chosen one archetype among an all-female religion and society. It mixes the story of Jenna--the possible chosen one--with a future patriarchal history, with songs, and with legends. As an adult very familiar with fantasy novels, it's a bit generic. However, I'm quite sure I would've enjoyed it as a preteen. Recommended for all the young feminists out there.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
Sister Light, Sister Dark is a YA novel that explores the chosen one archetype among an all-female religion and society. It mixes the story of Jenna--the possible chosen one--with a future patriarchal history, with songs, and with legends. As an adult very familiar with fantasy novels, it's a bit generic. However, I'm quite sure I would've enjoyed it as a preteen. Recommended for all the young feminists out there.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
April 28, 2016
Somehow, I’ve never gotten around to reading much by Jane Yolen, so I was excited to see this title pop up on NetGalley prior to its rerelease (with new and striking cover art) as an ebook. Sadly, it was just okay. First published in 1988, Sister Light, Sister Dark has aged fairly well, all things considered, but like many feminist fantasy works of the ‘80s, it tends towards second-wave gender essentialism and a sort of pseudo-pagan sensibility. There’s nothing particularly offensive or terribly problematic about it, really, but it’s a subgenre that has just been done to death and has a definite sameness to similar work that will almost certainly make it feel dated and derivative to modern readers. It’s also a book that has some definite love-it-or-hate-it qualities.
Read the full review at SF Bluestocking.
Read the full review at SF Bluestocking.
December 2, 2019
This was a long time developing, but it managed to hold my attention. I am thinking this may fall into the Young Adult category, whatever it is that defines that. When I was "young" there were children's books and book, books. A clear distinction.
A unique concept of sisters having a dark side, but not dark as in evil. The sister dark is more a shadow that appears only at night. Female communes, if you will, made up of orphans. I will continue with the next two in the series. Inexpensive entertainment and light reading.
A unique concept of sisters having a dark side, but not dark as in evil. The sister dark is more a shadow that appears only at night. Female communes, if you will, made up of orphans. I will continue with the next two in the series. Inexpensive entertainment and light reading.
October 23, 2019
I picked this book up on my husband's suggestion as something that would fulfill the Twins square for Fantasy Bingo, and it does do that. This is a relatively short read at 256 pages (though my Kindle edition claimed 342 pages somehow). For those reading electronically, the length is a little misleading as the actual story content ended at about 85% -the rest being some of the folks songs with musical scores (lost on this unmusically trained reader) and a preview of the next book, bonus material basically.
Anyhow, a brief, fairly sweet YA level read. This is secondary world fantasy, though it feels pretty much like England-but-not in a sword and bow level culture. Our protagonist, Jenna is the prophesied child of three mothers (one who died giving birth, a midwife who dies carrying Jenna to safety, and a foster mother who also dies). The prophesies and culture Jenna ends up being adopted into is that of the Altites, who are devoted to a deity called Great Alta. It's basically a female-only culture with the standout feature being that the vast majority of the adult women go through a rite that allows them to summon a dark sister - literally a twin companion who is real and solid but is only corporeal at night when there is light (moonlight or candlelight). Each community (Hame) is led by a priestess though the women who belong to the Hames all serve in different roles according to their skills/interests - foragers/hunters/guards/infirmarers/priestesses/childcare/cook, etc. They are very cooperative enclaves.
The standout feature to me was that each chapter had an epigraph of Myth/Legend/History, or some combination. The Myths are bits of the Altite religion or the stories from it. The Legend sections are sort of what the "Story" (main narrative section) becomes over time. The histories were my favorite bits - written from the perspective of scholars long after the events of the main narrative, they are very pompously dissecting bits of story, archaelogical evidence, and so forth and merrily bashing the other scholars. For whatever reason, this is a story device I love - I've seen it somewhat recently used well in K.J. Parker's Sixteeen Ways to Defend a Walled City and William Ray's Gedlund.
This book also features a fair amount of songs and poems as part of the lore. The Author, Jane Yolen, has a background in this area as I discovered. I'm not a huge fan of this in fantasy, but it is sure traditional, right back to Tolkien.
With all that background, not a whole lot seems to happen in this first book. Jenna is born, she's adopted into a small Hame, she gains some knowledge, mostly of woodcraft. When she's ready to go on her mission year (basically a tour of other Hames) she sets off and then the action does start when a stranger finds her in the woods and "cries mercy" to her and she ends up defending him. This sparks off all kinds of conflict and starts making prophesies fall into place. But that's about all we get in this first book. It doesn't end on a cliffhanger, but it also doesn't feel like a self-contained full story. I will probably give the second and third books in the trilogy a read to get the conclusion.
Anyhow, a brief, fairly sweet YA level read. This is secondary world fantasy, though it feels pretty much like England-but-not in a sword and bow level culture. Our protagonist, Jenna is the prophesied child of three mothers (one who died giving birth, a midwife who dies carrying Jenna to safety, and a foster mother who also dies). The prophesies and culture Jenna ends up being adopted into is that of the Altites, who are devoted to a deity called Great Alta. It's basically a female-only culture with the standout feature being that the vast majority of the adult women go through a rite that allows them to summon a dark sister - literally a twin companion who is real and solid but is only corporeal at night when there is light (moonlight or candlelight). Each community (Hame) is led by a priestess though the women who belong to the Hames all serve in different roles according to their skills/interests - foragers/hunters/guards/infirmarers/priestesses/childcare/cook, etc. They are very cooperative enclaves.
The standout feature to me was that each chapter had an epigraph of Myth/Legend/History, or some combination. The Myths are bits of the Altite religion or the stories from it. The Legend sections are sort of what the "Story" (main narrative section) becomes over time. The histories were my favorite bits - written from the perspective of scholars long after the events of the main narrative, they are very pompously dissecting bits of story, archaelogical evidence, and so forth and merrily bashing the other scholars. For whatever reason, this is a story device I love - I've seen it somewhat recently used well in K.J. Parker's Sixteeen Ways to Defend a Walled City and William Ray's Gedlund.
This book also features a fair amount of songs and poems as part of the lore. The Author, Jane Yolen, has a background in this area as I discovered. I'm not a huge fan of this in fantasy, but it is sure traditional, right back to Tolkien.
With all that background, not a whole lot seems to happen in this first book. Jenna is born, she's adopted into a small Hame, she gains some knowledge, mostly of woodcraft. When she's ready to go on her mission year (basically a tour of other Hames) she sets off and then the action does start when a stranger finds her in the woods and "cries mercy" to her and she ends up defending him. This sparks off all kinds of conflict and starts making prophesies fall into place. But that's about all we get in this first book. It doesn't end on a cliffhanger, but it also doesn't feel like a self-contained full story. I will probably give the second and third books in the trilogy a read to get the conclusion.
January 20, 2021
So, I'm reading at work again - in my defense, there's literally nothing else to do - and today ended up having a very weird, very specific theme: historiography of woman-warrior societies. I finished this book, and then I ran a random number generator and landed on Searching for the Amazons: The Real Warrior Women of the Ancient World for the latter half of my shift. It's a fitting combo.
That's a very roundabout way of saying that what fascinates me the most about this book is how it tells a story in multiple layers: the story itself, the songs and folklore inspired by it, and the historical research that comes after to piece the story back together from archaeological and anthropological evidence. Inasmuch as it's about the characters' journey and the events they live through, it's even more about how events are distorted through time, about the imperfectness of how we strive to understand those who came before. I'm genuinely surprised to find that Yolen doesn't have a degree in cultural anthropology, because this book could honestly be used as a jumping-off point in an intro class about the field.
The story is good, too, but next to that fascinating structure it feels solid, not extraordinary. There's some interesting rumination on prophecy and what happens when one comes true right in front of you - how do you handle the knowledge that everything is about to change, even when you have faith that the change will be for the better? And what do you do if you're the person the prophecy is about, and all you want is to be normal? - and of course, the concept of the dark sisters is interesting, but it's not really... the focus.
It feels more like the book is about an exploration of this just-slightly-magical alternate world, and how it could be remembered and reinterpreted. Yolen describes the entire Great Alta series as both feminist and humanist, on her website, and I definitely see both of those aspects. It feels reflective (pun intended) and meditative, and immersive enough that I had to stop myself from Googling several of the scholars referenced to see if they were real.
Definitely a classic of the fantasy genre, paradoxically all the more for how it almost seems to fit into our world. I'm shocked I haven't read more Yolen before this.
That's a very roundabout way of saying that what fascinates me the most about this book is how it tells a story in multiple layers: the story itself, the songs and folklore inspired by it, and the historical research that comes after to piece the story back together from archaeological and anthropological evidence. Inasmuch as it's about the characters' journey and the events they live through, it's even more about how events are distorted through time, about the imperfectness of how we strive to understand those who came before. I'm genuinely surprised to find that Yolen doesn't have a degree in cultural anthropology, because this book could honestly be used as a jumping-off point in an intro class about the field.
The story is good, too, but next to that fascinating structure it feels solid, not extraordinary. There's some interesting rumination on prophecy and what happens when one comes true right in front of you - how do you handle the knowledge that everything is about to change, even when you have faith that the change will be for the better? And what do you do if you're the person the prophecy is about, and all you want is to be normal? - and of course, the concept of the dark sisters is interesting, but it's not really... the focus.
It feels more like the book is about an exploration of this just-slightly-magical alternate world, and how it could be remembered and reinterpreted. Yolen describes the entire Great Alta series as both feminist and humanist, on her website, and I definitely see both of those aspects. It feels reflective (pun intended) and meditative, and immersive enough that I had to stop myself from Googling several of the scholars referenced to see if they were real.
Definitely a classic of the fantasy genre, paradoxically all the more for how it almost seems to fit into our world. I'm shocked I haven't read more Yolen before this.
August 1, 2016
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
So here's a book that I thought read very old-school but pulled it off. It looks like this is about to be re-released.
If you like the old Marion Zimmer Bradley, Juliet Marillier, Judith Tarr style of writing fantasy for women, you'll probably enjoy this one. There's nothing incredibly new about it, it's just that the author does this style well and it worked for me.
Most of the book is the origin story of a young girl who may be the prophecied Anna, come to be a catalyst for change. This young orphan's name is Jenna. She is adopted by an all-female commune of those who worship the Great Alta, a sort of mother-goddess. The book takes place in some sort of alternate medieval time period. One thing that's slightly different is that chapters are preceded by short scholarly articles on this long-past era, or songs or legends about Anna and Alta are related. I'm not really sure about what these bits are supposed to achieve long-term, except perhaps to show how stories and legends grow from actual events. It kind of threw me out of the story although it was also amusing.
Anyway, in this book Jenna hears and refuses the Call to Action of the Hero's Journey. She doesn't want to be part of a frightening prophecy. While you're doubtless read many origin stories before, this one contains a couple of differences from the norm. First, the book is extremely female-centered. The women in Jenna's commune are almost entirely self-sufficient. They have warriors of their own to protect their Hames. The other interesting bit is the concept of the Shadow Sister. Through some sort of magic, after an initiation ceremony a devotee of Alta gains a sort of twin, who can only appear where shadows appear. At least in this book, it's not clear exactly where Shadow Sisters come from, only that they do have their own place not on this earth and that they do have their own personalities and opinions.
Jane Yolen knows her folklore and mythology, and draws ably upon it for the concepts in this book. Jenna and her friends are well-developed characters and she's got the show-not-tell thing down. i'm looking forward to reading the next one.
So here's a book that I thought read very old-school but pulled it off. It looks like this is about to be re-released.
If you like the old Marion Zimmer Bradley, Juliet Marillier, Judith Tarr style of writing fantasy for women, you'll probably enjoy this one. There's nothing incredibly new about it, it's just that the author does this style well and it worked for me.
Most of the book is the origin story of a young girl who may be the prophecied Anna, come to be a catalyst for change. This young orphan's name is Jenna. She is adopted by an all-female commune of those who worship the Great Alta, a sort of mother-goddess. The book takes place in some sort of alternate medieval time period. One thing that's slightly different is that chapters are preceded by short scholarly articles on this long-past era, or songs or legends about Anna and Alta are related. I'm not really sure about what these bits are supposed to achieve long-term, except perhaps to show how stories and legends grow from actual events. It kind of threw me out of the story although it was also amusing.
Anyway, in this book Jenna hears and refuses the Call to Action of the Hero's Journey. She doesn't want to be part of a frightening prophecy. While you're doubtless read many origin stories before, this one contains a couple of differences from the norm. First, the book is extremely female-centered. The women in Jenna's commune are almost entirely self-sufficient. They have warriors of their own to protect their Hames. The other interesting bit is the concept of the Shadow Sister. Through some sort of magic, after an initiation ceremony a devotee of Alta gains a sort of twin, who can only appear where shadows appear. At least in this book, it's not clear exactly where Shadow Sisters come from, only that they do have their own place not on this earth and that they do have their own personalities and opinions.
Jane Yolen knows her folklore and mythology, and draws ably upon it for the concepts in this book. Jenna and her friends are well-developed characters and she's got the show-not-tell thing down. i'm looking forward to reading the next one.
June 17, 2017
3.5 stars, might upgrade after reread.
Through myth and legend, history and ballad, story and song is this tale told. The intricacies of the world history, the academic jibes, the ominous warnings and the sociological studies were quite fascinating to me, almost surpassing the story itself as I saw how the passing of time would alter the "real" tale.
The storyline itself didn't seem as strong as I'd expect from Jane Yolen, and there are some elements of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkovan Reununciates, but, like MZB, the heroes are kept real: there's bickering and jealousy, love and death, success and failure, and some worrying prophecies. It took me a while to feel I grasped the concept of the dark sisters, and then I realized I'd completely misunderstood it, but that also gave me insight into how those outside the Hames might view them.
And a caveat for other Kindle readers who might, like me, be startlingly frustrated: as you near 86%, prepare for the end of the book. The remaining 15% contains, rather interestingly, scored music for some of the songs and also a preview of the next book, but the perceived early ending was a little disappointing.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
--
Reread as part of the ,a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... edition, also from NetGalley. It fares better when read as a part of the whole, rather than left as standalone.
Through myth and legend, history and ballad, story and song is this tale told. The intricacies of the world history, the academic jibes, the ominous warnings and the sociological studies were quite fascinating to me, almost surpassing the story itself as I saw how the passing of time would alter the "real" tale.
The storyline itself didn't seem as strong as I'd expect from Jane Yolen, and there are some elements of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkovan Reununciates, but, like MZB, the heroes are kept real: there's bickering and jealousy, love and death, success and failure, and some worrying prophecies. It took me a while to feel I grasped the concept of the dark sisters, and then I realized I'd completely misunderstood it, but that also gave me insight into how those outside the Hames might view them.
And a caveat for other Kindle readers who might, like me, be startlingly frustrated: as you near 86%, prepare for the end of the book. The remaining 15% contains, rather interestingly, scored music for some of the songs and also a preview of the next book, but the perceived early ending was a little disappointing.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
--
Reread as part of the ,a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... edition, also from NetGalley. It fares better when read as a part of the whole, rather than left as standalone.
November 2, 2015
A wondrous fantasy series with a rich mythology and enough wry humor to keep even the most cynical fantasy reader amused. I love Jane Yolen and my only wish is that she were a teeny tiny bit more prolific with her adult fantasy. Siter Light, Sister Dark and its companion White Jenna are a veritable feast for the imagination. The saga of Jenna an orphan destined to be the warrior queen of her people the tribes of Alta and her battle against the patriarchal Garunians is totally riveting and perfectly blends fantasy with a fictional historical record of her story.
The story itself is terrific, very classic fantasy, but the "historical record" being debated through letters, accounts of the myths that resulted from Jenna's life and scholarly papers that begin each chapter provides a fascinating commentary on that old saying "history is written by the victors."
The story itself is terrific, very classic fantasy, but the "historical record" being debated through letters, accounts of the myths that resulted from Jenna's life and scholarly papers that begin each chapter provides a fascinating commentary on that old saying "history is written by the victors."
December 21, 2014
I'm not a fan of the "chosen one" fantasy trope, but I try to be a little more lenient on books like this one that were written in the era that trope was so prominent.
The world building is really great (lots of side stories and tales showing how the events and situations in this book might be viewed a few centuries down the line) and it shows a huge feminist slant (also not unusual for that era) since it is, of course, a society comprised entirely by females.
But I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't already read about Bujold's all-male society in Ethan of Athos since I kept comparing how Yolen handled particular aspects of society to how Bujold handled them - and unfortunately for Yolen, Bujold usually won.
The world building is really great (lots of side stories and tales showing how the events and situations in this book might be viewed a few centuries down the line) and it shows a huge feminist slant (also not unusual for that era) since it is, of course, a society comprised entirely by females.
But I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't already read about Bujold's all-male society in Ethan of Athos since I kept comparing how Yolen handled particular aspects of society to how Bujold handled them - and unfortunately for Yolen, Bujold usually won.
March 25, 2016
Originally read sometime around 1998. Rating reflects most recent rereading and the new edition. Review TK.
December 6, 2018
On the face of it this book should have appealed to me more: a community of women, including warriors, who worship a goddess and provide a safe haven for the abandoned girl babies of their local communities. It is a 'chosen one' type story which has become rather more of an overused trope than at the time of first publication, but all the same there should have been the opportunity to become involved with the characters and their problems.
Unfortunately, I found the same kind of distancing that I found in this authors Cards of Grief. This time it is accomplished by constant interruptions to the story to tell us what the mythical version of these real events was, what the legendary and often very distorted version was, and what various learned academics made of it a thousand or so years later, often rubbishing the very idea of women as warriors or the existence of the main character, Jenna, as a real person rather than an archetype. Unfortunately this interfered to a major extent with my ability to invest in the characters and also - especially the academic parts - came across as a Pseud's Corner type sendup (for anyone who doesn't know that is a column in the journal 'Private Eye' which sends up this type of academic language and analysis). So I didn't find the story or characters very engaging as a result. The end is also a bit abrupt as it sets up the situation for book 2 of the trilogy - having built up the unpleasant priestess in Jenna's community as a real threat to her mission, said threat is easily and quickly neutralised. So I can only rate this as 2 stars.
Unfortunately, I found the same kind of distancing that I found in this authors Cards of Grief. This time it is accomplished by constant interruptions to the story to tell us what the mythical version of these real events was, what the legendary and often very distorted version was, and what various learned academics made of it a thousand or so years later, often rubbishing the very idea of women as warriors or the existence of the main character, Jenna, as a real person rather than an archetype. Unfortunately this interfered to a major extent with my ability to invest in the characters and also - especially the academic parts - came across as a Pseud's Corner type sendup (for anyone who doesn't know that is a column in the journal 'Private Eye' which sends up this type of academic language and analysis). So I didn't find the story or characters very engaging as a result. The end is also a bit abrupt as it sets up the situation for book 2 of the trilogy - having built up the unpleasant priestess in Jenna's community as a real threat to her mission, said threat is easily and quickly neutralised. So I can only rate this as 2 stars.
June 9, 2022
This was a tough read, I fell back and forth between intrigued and bored. It had decent characters and all around unque feel to it. Mane I'll do a reread at a further date, it might've been a wrong time read.
October 18, 2017
I don't remember reading any Jane Yolen as a kid, but do remember seeing her name everywhere, so when this book showed up as an ebook deal, I figured why not.
The takeaway is this is the kind of book I would have eaten up when I was 10-13 and reading it took me way back to early in my reading life when I had infinite patience and would pretty much grab anything off the shelf if it was even moderately interesting.
As a ten year old, this book would have blown. my. mind. the idea of an all female society here women trained to be warriors with their mysterious "dark selves" that only showed up at night? Preteen Justine would have been all in. The narrative construct that has the actual story compared to folk legends and then a fake academic modern day explanation? World rocked. The actual sheet music of folk songs? Would have totally banged those out on the piano.
As an adult, reading Sister Light Sister Dark was less entertaining and highlighted the flaws of subpar (sorry) young adult fiction. I found the characters to be less than compelling with very little real motivation, and many of the constructs to be rather trite. Even the feminist-eque construction of the altite society feels kind of one dimensional at times as does the half-baked prophetic heroine.
That being said, I really enjoyed the feeling of being brought back to my pre-teen self and already prebought the other two books of the trilogy so will probably finish reading this. 13 year old self would be proud.
The takeaway is this is the kind of book I would have eaten up when I was 10-13 and reading it took me way back to early in my reading life when I had infinite patience and would pretty much grab anything off the shelf if it was even moderately interesting.
As a ten year old, this book would have blown. my. mind. the idea of an all female society here women trained to be warriors with their mysterious "dark selves" that only showed up at night? Preteen Justine would have been all in. The narrative construct that has the actual story compared to folk legends and then a fake academic modern day explanation? World rocked. The actual sheet music of folk songs? Would have totally banged those out on the piano.
As an adult, reading Sister Light Sister Dark was less entertaining and highlighted the flaws of subpar (sorry) young adult fiction. I found the characters to be less than compelling with very little real motivation, and many of the constructs to be rather trite. Even the feminist-eque construction of the altite society feels kind of one dimensional at times as does the half-baked prophetic heroine.
That being said, I really enjoyed the feeling of being brought back to my pre-teen self and already prebought the other two books of the trilogy so will probably finish reading this. 13 year old self would be proud.
July 25, 2012
An excellent novel with a particularly compelling premise: a group of women in an otherwise non-magical fantasy world can call up their "dark sisters" from mirrors. The "dark sisters" are their alter egos, like yet unlike them, real and solid in moonlight or firelight, but who vanish like mist when the light goes out.
Told in an intriguing mix of conflicting "sources" like "history," "legend," "story," "ballad," etc. Like Yolen's Briar Rose, it's about the knowability and unknowability of the past, and how its interpretations shape us. Don't let this make you think it's dry and academic. It's actually a mix of haunting legend, primal archetypes, and rousing adventure.
The sequels, unfortunately, are substantially less good. And also increasingly depressing. But this stands on its own.
Told in an intriguing mix of conflicting "sources" like "history," "legend," "story," "ballad," etc. Like Yolen's Briar Rose, it's about the knowability and unknowability of the past, and how its interpretations shape us. Don't let this make you think it's dry and academic. It's actually a mix of haunting legend, primal archetypes, and rousing adventure.
The sequels, unfortunately, are substantially less good. And also increasingly depressing. But this stands on its own.
November 20, 2015
This is such an easy read and a really fun one too! I got so into it that by the time I finished I was flipping through the pages screaming, IS THAT IT??? IS THAT THE END???? WHERE IS THE REST OF IT?!? Then promptly went off to Amazon to find cheap used copies of the rest of the trilogy.
I was cackling but in a good way while reading this, it just REEKS of 2nd wave Feminism and 80s/90s new agey spiritualism. But in the best way possible.
So like, imagine 'Herland', but more spiritual and new agey, with a dose of fantasy that is very turn of the first millennium (900-1000AD).
The characters are so endearing that they really got to me in a way that made me react the way I did when the book finished!
I'm currently now patiently waiting by the door for the rest of the trilogy to ship to me.... ♥
https://hercommonplaceblog.wordpress....
I was cackling but in a good way while reading this, it just REEKS of 2nd wave Feminism and 80s/90s new agey spiritualism. But in the best way possible.
So like, imagine 'Herland', but more spiritual and new agey, with a dose of fantasy that is very turn of the first millennium (900-1000AD).
The characters are so endearing that they really got to me in a way that made me react the way I did when the book finished!
I'm currently now patiently waiting by the door for the rest of the trilogy to ship to me.... ♥
https://hercommonplaceblog.wordpress....
November 20, 2016
After a slew of books that I didn't care for, or were not to my taste, or just didn't quite come together for me in some undefinable way, it's nice to have a nice, original fantasy to chew on. No factory-extruded fantasy product here, even if a prophecy is involved. The annoying aspect, though, is that the story is regularly interrupted by legends that grow up after the fact and uninformed historical analysis trying to remove all the fantastical elements. As playing with folklore and how it evolves goes, it's kind of fun. But it annoys me on some level, like the story of the lecturer telling the incognito author of the book they were lecturing on that the author's theory of the themes of the book were all wrong.
I keep really liking Jane Yolen and I need to keep reading her books.
I keep really liking Jane Yolen and I need to keep reading her books.
April 18, 2017
Interesting to re-read this many years later. It's a writing style and theme I enjoyed and read so much of years ago. Still do enjoy although I tend to read much more science fiction these days.
September 7, 2021
Yolen's first book in the Great Alta series is a multi-layered story. It unfolds from excerpts written from the perspective of modern-day scholars, written records of legend and song, and the story as told by the actual myths. This is absolutely fascinating method of telling a fantasy story as it shows the significance of these tales, and the eventual misinterpretations of the true story.
The prophecy of a world-changing queen known as White Jenna is the core of the story. It starts on a fateful evening when a mother dies in childbirth and her daughter is taken into the mountains to be trained as a warrior. The daughter, Jenna, grows up unmothered and rumors swirl around her existence. Eventually, she is sent out on a mission, where she learns about her destiny and meets important players that will shape it.
This is a fantastic introduction to the series. Not only does Yolen present complex world-building, but she does it in a way that does not overwhelm the reader. Instead, the world slowly starts to take form as Jenna grows up and eventually ventures out into the world. This is when we learn about the different factions and conflicts going on in the world, which ultimately Jenna will resolve. As a result, this book is really only a taste of the story yet to come, but it doesn't feel lackluster. I've never read anything else by Yolen, but I'm excited to explore the rest of her work.
The prophecy of a world-changing queen known as White Jenna is the core of the story. It starts on a fateful evening when a mother dies in childbirth and her daughter is taken into the mountains to be trained as a warrior. The daughter, Jenna, grows up unmothered and rumors swirl around her existence. Eventually, she is sent out on a mission, where she learns about her destiny and meets important players that will shape it.
This is a fantastic introduction to the series. Not only does Yolen present complex world-building, but she does it in a way that does not overwhelm the reader. Instead, the world slowly starts to take form as Jenna grows up and eventually ventures out into the world. This is when we learn about the different factions and conflicts going on in the world, which ultimately Jenna will resolve. As a result, this book is really only a taste of the story yet to come, but it doesn't feel lackluster. I've never read anything else by Yolen, but I'm excited to explore the rest of her work.
Shelved as 'queued'
April 17, 2024Thus was her coming foretold...ISBN 0708882854/9780708882856 (Futura/Orbit, 1989, 252 pages including "The Music of the Dales" appendix)
And the prophet says a white babe with black eyes shall be born unto a virgin in the winter of the year. The ox in the field, the hound at the hearth, the bear in the cave, the cat in the tree, all, all shall bow before her, singing, "Holy, holy, holiest of sisters..."
Jenna's birth was hard but normal. It was not until years later that her legend turned it into a miracle; a legend that she herself did not believe. Brought up as a priestess of the Goddess Alta, Jenna knew her destiny was to be a hunter and receive, at the right time, her Dark Sister, with whom she would share all. But destiny can go awry.
Jane Yolen's 100th published book displays yet again her intelligence, compassion and sensitivity. It is the first in a stunning new series which will chronicle the growth of a new mythology and the death of a culture.Cover illustration by Stephen Lavis
July 24, 2018
Science fiction people talk in terms of parallel universes, where all the possibilities of our actions—and their consequences—are lived out. But in this book there is simply the dichotomy of dark and light—that there is a self of the light, and a self who emerges out of the darkness. Both are distinct, yet twins. There is no perjuritive judgement of light and dark with good and evil. Just two separate, yet twin states. Enough has been written about how this book—indeed, the series—is a kind of feminist manifesto. I’m not sure of the writer’s intention. I will only say that it is refreshing to read a story, its world well developed, in which females, and female societies are at the forefront.
July 16, 2020
Great story! I give it only 3 stars for two reasons. One reason is that the interruption of myth and legend was quite unnecessary and lent nothing to the story. The second reason is where this story ends. This is the first book of a trilogy. Without the myth and legend sections this trilogy would easily be one novel. The story ends quite abruptly in this first book. As to the story, I was invested in the characters and am interested to see where this goes. The world is vivid with strong female characters, a definite plus.
July 6, 2020
I enjoyed this, I liked the back and forth of the imperfect history at the lead of each chapter and the "truth" of the story after. Two small gripes about character behavior realism. The behavior of her third foster mother seamed a little random and out of the blue. The attraction between Jenna and Carum as being a little to instant and unrealistic. These were only small issues though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2020
I've never read a book by Jane Yolen before.
But this was a welcome surprise,the author does a great job with worldbuilding.And when it comes to character building she does very good.This book held my interest throughout.
But this was a welcome surprise,the author does a great job with worldbuilding.And when it comes to character building she does very good.This book held my interest throughout.
May 20, 2019
Part of the bundle of older fantasy novels by women writers that I bought a while back. This followed some true YA fantasy tropes: orphaned girl who discovers that she is the fulfillment of a prophecy. Good story, if a little heavy on the set up for the next book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews