Yet he cannot forget that long-ago day in the forest-or convince himself it was merely a frightened boy's fantasy. Now, years later, Ivan is an American graduate student, engaged to be married. But beneath the foliage a malevolent presence stirred and sent the ten-year-old Ivan scrambling for the safety of Cousin Marek's farm. Atop a pedestal encircled by fallen leaves, the beautiful princess Katerina lay still as death. The moment Ivan stumbled upon a clearing in the dense Carpathian forest, his life was forever changed. Now, in Enchantment, Card works his magic as never before, transforming the timeless story of Sleeping Beauty into an original fantasy brimming with romance and adventure.

Paul Hughes From the Publisher:Īs one of the most consistently exciting writers to emerge in the last twenty-five years, Orson Scott Card has been honored with numerous awards, immersing readers in dazzling worlds only he could create. But, as you might expect of a good dad, as uncool as he might be, Card still manages to tell a good bedtime story. Enchantment's heroes, 'Prince' Ivan and Princess Katerina, must deal with cross-cultural mores, ancient gods, treacherous kinsmen (and fianceés), and ultimately Baba Yaga herself.Ĭard has a knack for coming across like your nerdy dad at times, when he runs on too long or makes some particularly wince-inducing observation or reference ('Daaad, Bruce Cockburn is not cool!'). Mixing magic and modernity, the acclaimed Orson Scott Card ( Ender's Game) has woven threads of history, religion, and myth together into a convincing, time-hopping tale that is part love story, part adventure.

But, 'only a fool would want to live through the Russian version of any fairy tale.'Īlthough his fears turn out to be warranted, as he and his cursed princess contend with the diabolical witch Baba Yaga-easily Russia's best pre-Khrushchev villain-to save the princess's kingdom, Enchantment is ultimately a sweet story.

Early in the story, he muses that in a French or English retelling of the tale, the prince and princess would live happily ever after. Enchantment is the story of a Ukraine-born, American grad student who finds himself transported to the ninth century to play the prince in a Russian version of Sleeping Beauty.

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