The Witch Queen

by Jan Siegel

Book Overview

Jan Siegel has created one of the most compelling fantasy series in recent memory. What began with Prospero's Children and continued with The Dragon Charmer now comes to a dazzling conclusion with The Witch Queen . Magnetically gifted Fern Capel has at last come into her own with her magical powers--and just in time. . . . It is a fearsome world of witches, dragons, and goblins, where a gnarled tree bears fruit of human heads. Fern Capel believes...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345442598
• ISBN13: 9780345442598
• Release Date: September 2003
• Publisher: Del Rey Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Alternate title: Witch's Honour

Witch's Honour Jan Siegel (pseudonym for Amanda Hemingway) is also the author of "Prospero's Children" (1999), which was chosen by the San Francisco Chronicle and Library Journal as One of the Best Books of the Year, and "The Dragon Charmer" (2000), the two books that precede "The Witch Queen (also titled "Witch's Honour "- 2002) in this fantasy trilogy starring magically-gifted, Fern Capel. These three books need to be read in order if any sense is to be made of Fern's increasingly complicated love life and her growing power as a sorceress. The first novel in the trilogy, "Prospero's Children" started out as a YA coming-of-age fantasy, choc-a-block with evil villains (a witch, an idol, and an art gallery owner) and eccentric good guys (the Watcher, a female werewolf, a house goblin). Unfortunately, the second half degenerated into a standard Swords and Sorcery fantasy about Atlantis. It's almost as if the publisher said, "Okay, Jan, this is a great novel but we need another 100 pages, and why don't you throw in a Lost Continent. Lost Continents are very big this year." Nevertheless, read the Atlantis bit very carefully, because the following two novels constantly refer back to Fern's sojourn in this ancient, drowned world. If this author has a serious fault, it's her overuse of extended flashbacks. Her greatest strength is her darkly imaginative blend of worlds (excluding Atlantis): the World Tree (where Fern spends most of "The Dragon Charmer"), borrowed from Norse mythology and inhabited by nightmarish crones; a sinister London on the cusp of the new Millennium, reminiscent of Neil Gaiman's darker fantasies; and a goblin-haunted house on the moors. "The Witch Queen" pits Fern (also known as the witch, Morcadis) against the ghastly crone, Morgus (World Tree sojourner from novel two), but this time most of their battle takes place in London. Another old enemy, Asmordis has transmogrified into the President and CEO of the Dark Tower, located (sort of) in the City's center. For the most part, he inhabits Fern's vivid nightmares, but shows up in person to provide a surprise ending to this trilogy. Many readers will feel let-down by the ending, but I am assuming it will eventually lead to another book in this series that might have started out as a YA fantasy, but grew into something darker, filled with horror and ancient bile.

Good, but failed to fulfil potential

While The Witch Queen is certainly the weakest book in the Fern Capel series, don't let that put you off-it is still an excellent read. My only gripe was that it did drag somewhat, almost as though Siegel had tried to force tension into it-she certainly could have finished the conclusion more quickly and snipped some redundant characters/subplots. Why am I bothering to write a review, then, if it's just a repeat of what other readers have said? It's because I was disturbed by one reviewer's regarding the book as 'distasteful'; about 'fear of one's own adulthood'. What's more, they felt the message was to deny one's own power. I don't feel this at all. The Gift that Fern has is not like 'yer average comic-book power' that CAN be wielded with responsibility. It's an addictive power that can lead as surely to evil as to good, and the using it could ultimately alienate her from everyone she loves. Ultimately, it states that not all capability can or should be used, regardless of your intentions e.g. the One Ring, which ought to arrive with the advice label-"drop into nearest volcano". The fate of the other Gifted characters indicates that much. If there's any message, it's to be careful with what you're given. Not all powers that we acquire should necesarily be used to the full. There's no wish-fulfilment here, more a realistic summing up of the way in which Fern must approach what she has been given. And note that she does so in her own unique manner-she is a human, not a bosomy fantasy cipher. I read Prospero's Children when I was 16 and the remaining two books in the trilogy as they followed. They were a refreshing departure from other novels in that they provide a more responsible and dare I say it? realistic view of the gifts we receive in life.

Pretty good

Having just finished The Witch Queen, I have to say that while it was good--better than The Dragon Charmer--it wasn't nearly as good as Prospero's Children. In the final installment to the trilogy, Fernanda Capel is once again tormented by Morgus, who, having bathed herself in the River of the Underworld, is invincible to harm, and Azmordis, the Old Spirit. In this book, Fern's true power grows and shines, and with the help of her friends--who are more important than she would have thought--she once again proves that neither witch nor spirit can harm her, While the book was good, the writing beautiful, the ending was a disappointment. While it was suitable, I really would have prefered if Fern had chosen some other path, but whatever. Another disappointing aspect, though appropriate, but sad, is the possible return of her lost love, though it didn't turn out quite the way I had hoped. All in all, it was a satisfying read, and though I didn't particularly like the ending, I know most people will.

Superb fantasy

She once dreamed of ruling Logrez through her son, a product of having sex with her brother the great king Arthur but failed in her deadly scheme. Morgus hates mankind and intends to rule modern day England but she is not wise in the ways of the present. She plans to use the spirit of a modern day witch, separated from her body by Morgus, to learn how to get around in the twentieth century.Fern Capel, unwilling to be an apprentice to such a malevolent being, fights her and eventually thinks she kills her dangerous "guest". Unfortunately, Morgus is a survivor and after a time of recuperation is back intending to destroy Fern once and for all. When it comes to Fern's attention that she will have to fight her enemy once again, she gathers her allies for the coming battle, never dreaming what she will have to sacrifice for the ultimate victory.This is the third installment in the Fern Capel Saga and it is by far the most creative and fascinating to date. The antagonist is almost as interesting as the heroine as Morgus is a malevolent being so consumed by hatred that it is not at all easy to predict how she will attack only that her assault is pending. The heroine is a being of pure goodness so easy to predict but remains likable and engages the empathy of the audience early on. The climax is truly a shocker that solves the problems that plague Fern, but not quite in the way the audience will anticipate.Harriet Klausner

Ambitious, but I'm not sure that it met its own goals

Jan Siegel did wonders with Prospero's Children (it was one of the better fantasy novels that I've read in years). Dragon Charmer was not quite as interesting, but the writing was beautiful. In Witch Queen, the interest in the plot is there, the writing is gorgeous, but I'm not sure that I feel satisified with the book. As any who read this series know, it is a blend of Arthurian legend, Atlantis mythology, and Shakespeare's Tempest. In this final installment, it feels as if the roots have been left behind (Arthur, Atlantis, Tempest) only to return to them with a vengance. In some ways, I feel like this could have been a great series (5 stars) but was held back by the fact that Ms. Siegel was so consciously reinterpreting old tales. It almost feels as if her tale was forced to fit the framework.