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Rhapsody: Child of Blood Paperback – June 15 2000

by Elizabeth Haydon (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 768 ratings
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The brilliant new saga is born ...

Rhapsody is a woman, a Singer of some talent, who is swept up into events of world-shattering import. On the run from an old romantic interest who won't take no for an answer, Rhapsody literally bumps into a couple of shady characters: half-breeds who come to her rescue in the nick of time. Only the rescue turns into an abduction, and Rhapsody soon finds herself dragged along on an epic voyage, one that spans centuries and ranges across a wonder-filled fantasy world-- a world so real you can hear the sweet music of Rhapsody's aubade and smell the smoldering forges deep within the Cauldron.

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Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 9
    The Symphony of Ages
  2. Print length
    672 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Tor Fantasy
  5. Publication date
    June 15 2000
  6. Dimensions
    10.16 x 2.54 x 16.51 cm
  7. ISBN-10
    0812570812
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0812570816
  9. See all details
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Product description

Review

“The debut of a great new fantasy talent. With Rhapsody, Elizabeth Haydon begins an epic saga worthy of Eddings, Goodkind, and Jordan.... A spell-binding storyteller with the rare ability to manage memorable characters with both intimacy and power.” ―Romantic Times (4-1/2 stars out of 5)

“A stunningly told tale by a new fantasy author who is sure to go far.” ―Anne McCaffrey

From the Back Cover

The brilliant new saga is born ...

Rhapsody is a woman, a Singer of some talent, who is swept up into events of world-shattering import. On the run from an old romantic interest who won't take no for an answer, Rhapsody literally bumps into a couple of shady characters: half-breeds who come to her rescue in the nick of time. Only the rescue turns into an abduction, and Rhapsody soon finds herself dragged along on an epic voyage, one that spans centuries and ranges across a wonder-filled fantasy world-- a world so real you can hear the sweet music of Rhapsody's aubade and smell the smoldering forges deep within the Cauldron.

"The debut of a great new fantasy talent. With Rhapsody, Elizabeth Haydon begins an epic saga worthy of Eddings, Goodkind, and Jordan.... A spell-binding storyteller with the rare ability to manage memorable characters with both intimacy and power."--Romantic Times (4-1/2 stars out of 5)

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tor Fantasy (June 15 2000)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 672 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0812570812
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0812570816
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 318 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.16 x 2.54 x 16.51 cm
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 768 ratings

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Elizabeth Haydon

Elizabeth Haydon

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
768 global ratings

Top reviews from Canada

L. Spooner
5.0 out of 5 stars Keeper Series. Definitely read.
Reviewed in Canada on June 3, 2016
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The entire series is simply a relaxing, engaging -- and very well written read. If you like fantasy sci-fi fiction and a storyline you can completely immerse yourself in ... definitely give this one a read!
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Leanne Nicholson
5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE this book
Reviewed in Canada on June 24, 2015
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LOVE this book! This isn't my first time reading it but I just had to read it again.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars wow, amazing
Reviewed in Canada on August 11, 2020
This is one of the most diverse and different fantasy novels i read in a long time. It is well rounded, suspenseful and absolutely different. I am on the second book, "Prophecy" and i can't put it down. I read a lot but this had been one of the most interesting fantasy novels in a long time. Great read.
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LoveBoardGames
4.0 out of 5 stars I bought this for my wife, but I enjoyed it instead
Reviewed in Canada on June 7, 2004
Rating System:
1 star = abysmal; some books deserve to be forgotten
2 star = poor; a total waste of time
3 star = good; worth the effort
4 star = very good; what writing should be
5 star = fantastic; must own it and share it with others
STORY: As one reviewer nicely put it: Rhapsody is a woman, a Singer of some talent, who is swept up into events of world-shattering import. On the run from an old romantic interest who won't take no for an answer, Rhapsody literally bumps into a couple of shady characters: half-breeds who come to her rescue in the nick of time. Only the rescue turns into an abduction, and Rhapsody soon finds herself dragged along on an epic voyage, one that spans centuries and ranges across a wonder-filled fantasy world.
MY FEEDBACK:
1) SETTING - the world in which Haydon throws her characters is easily imaginable and full of wonderful details and surprises. She takes some "common" fantasy races and either renames them or creates half-breeds that provide interesting changes from the typical full-blood elves, dwarves and barbarians of standard D&D or Tolkien influenced stories.
2) CHARACTERS - As mentioned the characters are interesting partly because of their uniqueness of being mixed bloods. The motivations for the three main protagonists is revealed enough that you want to help the good guys along. The interaction between the three is consistent throughout. The only complaint I had, which I also saw in other reviews, is how Rhapsody can be the "most beautiful woman in the world" and not realize it and take advantage of it...especially considering her prior profession before she was hijacked by Achmed and Gunthor.
3) PLOT - Up to page 270 I couldn't wait to turn to the next page. Then for the next 100+ pages we get this huge information dump on the history of the world over the past fourteen centuries. Though creative and well though out, this was too much for me and I had to labor through it in hopes that the story would pickup with the same pace and wonder as the first 270 pages. Well it didn't fully. The pace does pickup and the story progresses a bit more but there is still a lot of history and background given in the rest of the book.
Eventually you realize...there is no main "antagonist" for everyone (yet), which was ok with me and made it so I couldn't predict exactly what was going to happen.
This is a story of how these three characters find themselves in a new world and how they cope. It does lay the ground work for an "ultimate" evil that needs to be conquered but that isn't in this book.
OVERALL: I really liked the book and it kept my interest plenty as I'm one who doesn't HAVE to finish a book like some people feel who obligated to after a couple hundred pages to do so. I'm inclined to read the rest of the original trilogy (I think a 4th book is out now) as I do want to continue the journey with the characters.
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OldSciFiDog
5.0 out of 5 stars OldSciFiDog
Reviewed in Canada on October 5, 2001
Rhapsody: Child of Blood by Elizabeth Haydon.
Wow! What can I say that is not redundant to what has already been said. First of all you will NOT glean any specific plot lines, or characters from this review. What I do, is try to indicate whether or not this author and this tale is worth your time and nickel. I write this review with the perspective of having read the sequel.
This work I would classify as fantasy and would also classify it as not just a story or tale, but as an Epic Tale. The story plots and characters are superbly defined, and she continues to evolve her characters within the story plot lines in each book in a seamless fashion. I personally do not care what an author bases their universe on as long as the author defines the rules and is consistent within them. This author has created a New World that is fascinating, consistent, and believable as defined.
This epic tale is broken very cleverly into three sections with each book concerned with a portion in clarification and solving a set of mysteries. This book introduces us to the principle characters and gives us a glimpse of what mysteries are to be resolved later. You will want to re-read this book to get what you missed the first time (probably because you could not help yourself reading so fast). Ms Haydon weaves a very interesting and complex series of intrigues and mysteries, which held my attention and made me, thirst for MORE!
The characters remain true and consistent to their characteristics even though at times you want to scream "DON'T BE SO NAIVE!" I also found the characters and their motivations to be consistent within the story parameters.
Now, for the down side observations. On my third pass through this work I have come to the conclusion that not everyone is going to fall in love this.
Those who want action unending will not find it in these pages. What they will find instead is characters well developed, placed in crises situations which they have to overcome using intelligence, developed skill and team work. But these situations do not occur on every page (which I find refreshing). This is NOT a put down for those readers thirsting for action or the authors who write it, I am merely saying you wont find this work to be in that vain.
I have also found three items that might distress some. 1) Achmed has a scene on the Root where he appears to become immobilized due to cold (via being renamed Achmed the Snake). This after Rhapsody has said that a Namer can not change the basic character of an object. This is the only scene that Achmed appears to have a problem with cold temperatures. 2) Rhapsody appears to own and be able to use a Bow, without having any training in its use. The Bow as in the Sword is an acquired skill and the author does a very credible job in Rhapsody's training in the use of the Sword but not the Bow. 3) Some may find the author's physics to be a challenge with regards to gravity on the Root. While consistent (with some effort on my part) it is a little fuzzy.
Now why do I still give 4 1/2 stars (actually 5 because I consider 41/2 to be closer to 5 than 4) for this work: 1) The above mentioned scene for Achmed is the only inconsistency of his character and Rhapsody's Namer character in the in tire trilogy. 2) Rhapsody while having, the Bow makes no significant use of it (i.e., it does not save her or anyone else's life ... etc.) in the story. 3) While the journey on the Root is of vital importance to the story, the physics of the Root plays only a very small part to the story.
Also there will be times that story seems to drag, but what she is doing is building her characters (this is an epic, NOT an adventure thrill, though there is plenty of action). I found myself flying through pages, hungry for more.
So the conclusion is I REALLY LIKE this author (even though I am primarily a hard science fiction reader) and am very glad my daughter did not have time to read the book, so lent it to me. I believe this author (along with the hype) has greatness and may ascend to god status (as in Larry Nivin ...etc.). Therefore this author's work deserves to be read. Bon appetit if you chose to under take this adventure.
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Dennis Krafft
5.0 out of 5 stars super
Reviewed in Germany on January 5, 2020
Verified Purchase
super mein lieblingsbuch. für menschen die sich auf gefühle und ein paar wenige charactere und deren entwicklung konztentrieren können und dies mögen, ein muss. :)
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MissTam5
5.0 out of 5 stars Combination Epic Fantasy and Bodice-Ripper
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2012
Verified Purchase
I have read all six of the books in this series. I absolutely LOVE them. They are every geeky, female, fantasy lover's dream. It abounds with female perspective, heart warming relationships and hot guys as well as truly amazing fantasy story lines. It is also every male reader's dream due to the extreme hotness of the main character and the very detailed sexual content!

The story is quite complicated so it benefits from repeated readings. The main part of the story is so riveting that it is worth trying to get your mind around it. The main character, Rhapsody, is a strong yet very feminine woman who manages to kick ass and look pretty while she's doing it. We follow her as she journeys to a strange world where her talents as a Namer and keeper of Lore will help her to find her place in Time. These talents will aid her as she and her companions seek to heal the world as they find it and to hunt down an evil force which has followed them through time. The other major players are fascinating in their alien oddness and yet they engender so much sympathy (despite their obvious flaws) that you cannot help but root for them. One of the marks of an excellent story, in my opinion, is that the characters are not stark black and white. There are definitely "good guys" and "bad guys" but do not assume you know who they are right away. Also, other than the F'dor which is the perfectly evil source of all of the badness in the story, the characters on both sides have very realistic struggles and flaws.

This book begins the saga with a sweet love story that seems to be forgotten in the next chapter. Never fear! Those characters will reoccur in later books with wonderful and satisfying results. We meet Achmed and Grunther in this book who, along with Rhapsody, will be our mainstays throughout the series. Each character has talents/powers which will serve them well through many harrowing adventures. You may get stuck, as I did, during the "traveling along the root" segment. I think that section is long in order to give us the feeling of how long it took from their perspective. The story does seem to drag there a bit, but HANG IN THERE. In my opinion, the story never lags again for the entirety of the six books. Keep your eye on the character called "Meridian". He seems very confusing and disjointed from the story for an extremely long time, but the payoff comes eventually and it is a great one!

Only one caution: There is some seriously racy content here. This is not "young reader" material despite how the blurb on the back cover may sound. There is plenty of coarse (mostly sexual) language and several incidents of very graphic sexual descriptions. It is done in a much more classy style than the basic, cookie cutter bodice-ripper novel, but if you are offended by such things, you are warned.

If you enjoy this book, you will want to continue this fascinating story in the following books  Prophecy: Child of Earth , Destiny: Child of the Sky , Requiem for the Sun (Symphony of Ages) , Elegy for a Lost Star (Symphony of Ages) , and  The Assassin King (Symphony of Ages) . While this looks like two trilogies, it is actually all one saga. Enjoy!
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AnetteF
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 23, 2009
Verified Purchase
Somewhere about midnight, I went onto the computer to read the reviews here hoping to get an idea of what would happen next so I could go to sleep and finish this book the following day. Didn't work. It only made me even more desperate to read on and God only knows what time I finished in the early hours. It was well worth it.

Don't be put off by the somewhat vague official review. If you like fantasy a la Tolkien, Jordan, Feist, Croggan, Williams etc. chances are you'll like this book.

The young woman Rhapsody, through a chain of events, finds herself ripped from her own land, ending up on the other side of the world and years into the future. She and her two travelling companions are soon at the centre of events that change the political map of their new home. Dangerous forces are about and it soon becomes obvious that past, present and future are never far from each other.

As the story progresses, Rhapsody comes more and more into the full use of the magical aspect of her craft as Lirin singer. Although the reader can guess some events to come early on, I didn't feel that it was what I would call predictability, exactly. It seemed to add to the build-up of the story.

If there is one negative thing about this book, it is that it definitely feels like the finish is not the end. Not exactly shocked-eye cliff-hanger but nevertheless a nuisance when you haven't got the next book yet and amazon have run out. As I wanted a new copy, I rang around various shops and one of them managed to locate one the other end of the country, so it is on its way. The series certainly deserves a re-print.

My star ratings are the result of the following breakdown:
How difficult was it to put the book down: extremely difficult = five stars
Would I buy the hardcover of this one: definitely = five stars
Am I likely to read it again: definitely= five stars
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars wow
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2024
Verified Purchase
Great book!
I grew attached to the characters. I’m excited for the sequel! She built a deep word with good history.
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Elyse
5.0 out of 5 stars Amaaaazing Read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 24, 2016
Verified Purchase
I love Haydon's novels and have since I read this one over 10 years ago, great book.
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