R. Garcia y RobertsonRecensioni

Garcia y Robertson, R. The Virgin and the Dinosaur. The Virgin and the Dinosaur No. 1. Avon, 1996.
R. Garcia y Robertson gave up an academic career in history to write historical fantasies and science fiction. When Jurassic Park made a splash in the early 1990s, he must have said to himself, well, why not have a little fun with it. The result is a time travel adventure story that is a little bit of Jurassic Park and a little Indiana Jones. Jake is a veteran time travel guide, a good friend of Sitting Bull, and a guy who can fly an airship. Peg is a sexy young dinosaur expert who wants to see them in the flesh. It is hot Mesozoic Montana, so Jake has plenty of opportunity to see her in the flesh. But she is not afraid to tell him to control his testosterone and get on with finding some large saurian critters for her to watch. Adventure, romance, and corporate skullduggery ensue. The pacing is good and the tone is always a little tongue in cheek. Fun. 4 Stars.

I initially started reading this book over ten years ago when I was still in high school. At the time, I hadn't gotten very far into it when I had to return it to the library and soon lost the name of the book. Recently the storyline was on my mind quite a bit but I still could not remember the name of the book which is when I searched Google and was able to find it. Now that I'm older, I think this particular book is something that I can appreciate because I don't need a book to be purely about romance in order to old my interest though I still do very much enjoy books that are mostly about romance.

This book was a fascinating mix of magic, time travel, love, history, and adventure. It is about a young woman from California at the turn of 2000 named Robyn who finds herself jilted by a man named Collin who was leading a double life in Wales when she visited him as a surprise. She soon finds herself taken under the wing of the man's sister Joanna and her young daughter Joy. While out hiking one morning, Robyn comes across a young man named Edward dressed as a knight on horseback and she wonders if he's either from a local Ren Faire or has completely lost his mind from the way that he talks. She soon finds herself needing his help when black riders on horses appear seemingly out of nowhere. Then after coming to her rescue, he rides off and disappears, leaving Robyn wondering if she dreamed it all up.

When she learns that Edward is under a displacement spell, she wants to help him find his way home though the plan doesn't go as she had hoped and is thrown back into the 1460's around the time of the War of the Roses. At first she just wants to get back to her own time but over time, she makes friends in unlikely places, an Irish ladies' maid who is an interesting mix of servant and friend and tossed into a world where people can be killed for even a hint of witchcraft or treason.

Robyn soon finds her way in this strange world and with the help of those she has come to care for, she finds her way to Edward and trying to protect the Mad King Henry while also trying to help out the ancestors of Jo and Joy.

Will she succeed in helping those that she cares for and get back to her time or will she fail? You'll have to read the book to find out.

Aria, the mischievous foster-daughter of the Bone Witch, comes across a French knight wandering in her forest. They fall in love, but have no time to luxuriate in it. Numerous armies are massed against them, for the knight has stolen the Firebird's Egg, the curse and luck of Russia's rulers. Aria and Sir Roye go on a quest to dispose of the egg, but are separated almost immediately. They each have their own adventures, but are finally reunited and manage to throw the egg into a pit of fire.

It's not a good book. The author regularly jumps from one character's perspective to another's within the space of two sentences. Whenever he gets bored with a plot, he inserts a randomly chosen deus ex machina to sweep the characters off to the next bit. In the first few chapters, Robertson y Garcia writes detailed characterizations for Aria and Sir Roye. As the chapters go on, however, he loses interest in their particulars and focuses on their sex lives instead. There is a lot of sex, and it's written in a rather prurient way...it felt gratuitous and a bit exploitive.

Too techie for me

Terug in de tijd. Helemaal mijn ding!!

Ik had me erg verheugd op dit boek, maar het is me erg tegengevallen. De personages komen niet echt tot leven. Ik voelde geen klik tussen de heldin Robyn en ridder Edward. In feite vond ik Robyn zwaar irritant en onsympatiek. En het gegeven dat Robyn door terug te gaan in de tijd direct de taal sprak (plus alle mogelijke dialecten) van alle plekken waar ze kwam was me wat ál te gemakkelijk gevonden! De schrijver had zich wel verdiept in de geschiedenis; de historische gebeurtenissen en de gebruiken uit die tijd werden uitgebreid en - naar mij dunkt - correct beschreven (bijv. de kleding, de toernooiregels, het voedsel). Maar toch maakten die het verhaal voor mij niet levendiger. Dit was deel I van een serie, maar ik geloof niet dat ik nog aan deel II ga beginnen.

I loved the setting and a lot of the story, but ultimately the frequent references to the the heroine and other female characters as teens were too disturbing in the context of the sex scenes with a male character whose age was never given but who was clearly an adult, ruining my enjoyment of the other elements of this book.

I'd picked this up to try another fantasy writer, particularly one from Tor Publishing. There were things I liked a great deal about the book, such as the setting -- Markovy lies just beyond the Iron Wood, east of Europe. And has werewolves and other baddies. This meant that there was some grounding in our world (Sir Roye de Roye is from France, and has the knack of always choosing the losing side) and there were references to other European countries that I know and have visited in my own once-upon-a-time.

Aria and Sir Roye are on a quest to return the firebird's stolen egg.... etc, etc. I found that though there were charming scenes and moments, I was just a little weirded out by the continual reference of Aria (and other girls) as teenagers, sexually involved with adult men and women. It colored my view of the story. Lolita of the fantasy world, I guess. (Not that the scenes were out of place for the story or "time period" -- just my own discomfort thinking of Aria the age of my granddaughters, romping around with some adult.)

I did like the Russian/Ukrainian fairy tale aspects. The Bone Witch had a strong Baba Yaga vibe.½

SinBad battles slavers on a Barsoom-like world. Fun, but a bit of a deus ex machina ending.½

A lot of history, but then it was written by a university history teacher. I'm a terrible student though and really not into history lessons, so I skimmed and turned pages over the day to day life and living to get on with the good story stuff.

The second in a trilogy. Robyn Stafford is back in 1460 with her lover, Edward Earl of March. From April through December, from London to Yorkshire, her fortunes fall and rise, as the Duke of York, Edward's father, forces Parliament to name him mad King Henry's heir. Although she has a history of the period, Robyn resolutely refuses to look ahead, fearing what she might find and reluctant to shape her actions by what she knows will/must happen. The one time she does succumb to curiousity, she comes to regret it, so perhaps she is wise. It can be somewhat frustrating, however.

Reading this series must be a very different experience depending on whether one knows a fair amount about the period and the players, a few broad strokes only (as I do), or no more history than Robyn. I am enjoying it, but often wishing I knew rather more about the history than I do.

Third (and last?) in the series, after Lady Robyn. Robyn returns once again to the 15th century, this time accompanied by her ditzy and oversexed assistant Heidi. After various misadventures, including an interlude with Owen Tudor and being at the scene of a town overrun by enemy forces, Robyn is reunited with Edward in London. But she faces a choice--return to the present's safety and good health-care, or face an uncertain life in the past with a potentially unfaithful Edward.

A lot of movement but not much resolution. Doesn't much read like the end of a series. It also continues to be really annoying that she never bothered to look up who Edward really is and how the history came out.½

This was a book for a long Thanksgiving road trip, and I was so disgusted from it from the get-go that I almost didn't read it through.

This is a time-travel fantasy/romance. A modern Hollywood executive takes a walk in the Welsh countryside and comes across a knight on horseback and falls in love with him immediately. He saved her from a band of rogues, and then they part ways. She then has to find a way back through the glitch of time to find the knight again.

Unfortunately, this entire novel is based on the plot point that the heroine, Robyn, has no idea who Edward the Earl of March really is. I do because I read many books on the War of the Roses. But Robyn insists on being ignorant because she doesn't want to know what happens to him (well, duh, he's definitely dead). Enter the witches who can send her back in time! Oh, and she is very "modern" and kind of stupid, leading her to immediate accusations of witchcraft, and then into the bed of the same reincarnated boyfriend who just manipulated her in the future (YA RLY). The displacement spell enables her to immediately understand any and every language of the time period, and write and read it, too. I want some of that. Oh, and EVERYONE loves Robyn and is instantly loyal to her - except for the bad guys who just wants to torture her for kinks, but they like her in their own way. Mary Sue to the rescue!

If I can completely ignore the heroine, the book is good. The writing is excellent and provides wonderful details on everyday medieval life and actively fights against stereotypes. I loved that aspect of the book. I just wish I could hit Robyn upside the head. I mean, she gets the chance to go back to the future (ha!) and she buys some smart things like bug spray, painkillers, and a history book (which she refuses to read, but some other medieval bad-guy person does *facepalm*) and... and... TAMPONS.

There is a second book that I already own, but I don't think I can bear to read it. I'll just skim through and hope Robyn finally gets burned as a witch, though she'll probably just mope and meddle with history some more. Sigh.

Although it bogs down in a couple of places, I found Knight Errant a fun read. I disagree with blurbers that compare it in quality to Outlander, finding Knight Errant's main characters' motivations flimsy and the romantic attraction dull. But there are several interesting supporting characters and the interweaving of witchcraft is intriguing. Some funny lines and lots of history kept me going and will ensure that I pick up the sequel.

Third (and last?) in the series, after Lady Robyn. Robyn returns once again to the 15th century, this time accompanied by her ditzy and oversexed assistant Heidi. After various misadventures, including an interlude with Owen Tudor and being at the scene of a town overrun by enemy forces, Robyn is reunited with Edward in London. But she faces a choice--return to the present's safety and good health-care, or face an uncertain life in the past with a potentially unfaithful Edward.

A lot of movement but not much resolution. Doesn't much read like the end of a series. It also continues to be really annoying that she never bothered to look up who Edward really is and how the history came out.½

The second in a trilogy. Robyn Stafford is back in 1460 with her lover, Edward Earl of March. From April through December, from London to Yorkshire, her fortunes fall and rise, as the Duke of York, Edward's father, forces Parliament to name him mad King Henry's heir. Although she has a history of the period, Robyn resolutely refuses to look ahead, fearing what she might find and reluctant to shape her actions by what she knows will/must happen. The one time she does succumb to curiousity, she comes to regret it, so perhaps she is wise. It can be somewhat frustrating, however.

Reading this series must be a very different experience depending on whether one knows a fair amount about the period and the players, a few broad strokes only (as I do), or no more history than Robyn. I am enjoying it, but often wishing I knew rather more about the history than I do.

Interesting book similar to Diana Gabaldon's series Outlander.

Not as good as Knight Errant, but still fun.

A human negotiator is involved in a war between humans and various bioengineered human decendants.

This book ends so abruptly that I examined the end papers to make sure that I wasn't missing a one-page chapter. The author doesn't even tie up the loose ends in this volume, let alone the series which I had understood to be projected as a trilogy. I was seriously torn between one star and two.

I suppose that reading this book must be different for people who are familiar with the historical period and people who are not. Edward is presented as a bit more innocent and romantic than I imagine him as actually being, but I'm willing to accept it, he is pretty young. His personality actually gets a bit of retroactive revision in this volume. I kept reading the series because of the suspense of wondering whether the author was going to keep to the established history or finish with an alternative history. Well, it wasn't resolved in this book, and I am not certain that I care enough to read any more. The advice that Robyn receives to name her daughter Grace is a tip-off.

The books have been kind of fun, although not particularly good historical novels. I enjoy the juxtaposition of the two eras and Robyn's reactions. Making her a Miss Montana expert equestrian was a brilliant decision that makes her adventures more believable. The Middle Ages are a bit romantized, even if she doesn't find the era a bit smelly, I'd be longing for running water and flush toilets. Particularly incredible is Robyn's use of laptop computer to keep her diary. Even assuming that it didn't upset the locals, what fabulous batteries she must have! I also find it hard to believe that anyone who is as familiar with Shakespeare as Robyn is (she quotes Henry V's speech just before Agincourt from memory) knows so little about this era. She has apparently completely missed the Henry VI and Richard III plays. The witchcraft/religion angle is a bit problematic as well, although I'm willing to accept it for the sake of the story. It is the source of some wonderful scenes, but I'm having a little trouble with Robyn's sincere, simultaneous adoption of witchcraft and medieval Catholicism. I see the parallels, but it still seems a trifle awkward, especially since both are new to Robyn. If she had been a modern Goddess worshipper, or a really, really ecumenical Christian, it would seem a little more likely.

The writing is extremely varied: sometimes Garcia y Robertson manages extremely vivid characterizations and descriptions, and other times it is pretty lame. Each novel seems to get a little more torrid, which I don't find an improvement: there is a very formulaic quality to a lot of it.

Some people argue that romance is a product of western courtly love conventions, but I believe that it is part of the human condition. The problem is that there are different types of romance and I don't think that Garcia y Robertson has cobbled together the right bits, especially from Edward's point of view. Robyn is neither an Arthurian lily maid nor a scornful courtly love idol that she should inspire Edward to immediately determine on marriage to someone who would be so completely unacceptable by contemporary standards. (Actually, strictly speaking, the courtly love idol was married to someone else, but I think that requirement was often ignored.) I presume that the author hopes that people who know Edward's history will know that he did, as king, make a marriage that created a scandal, but even that was to a woman of an aristocratic background and one who refused to sleep with him.

There is of course, basic chemistry (which I believe is universal), and the solution in that era would have been concubinage, such as the relationship that Edward's great(s)-uncle John of Gaunt enjoyed with Katherine Swynford while he was married to his second wife. Edward never even suggests it, and especially considering Robyn's objections to being Queen and her freewheeling 21st centuries attitudes, it seems like a natural solution. It would be a little more plausible if Edward proposed the arrangement and Robyn was too jealous to accept it.

All in all, I think this is wearing a little thin.

It has spectacular infodumps about life in the middle ages but I didn't care about any of the major characters and in fact regularly wanted to slap them.½