Illusion (Volsky's Parallel Universe #1) 
For two hundred years the Exalted classes have used their dazzling magical abilities to rule Vonahr. Now, their powers grown slack from disuse and their attention turned to decadent pleasures, they ignore the misery of the lower classes until the red tide of revolution sweeps across the land. Thrust into the center of the conflict is the beautiful Eliste vo Derrivalle, spirited daughter of a provincial landowner, who must now scramble for bread in the teeming streets of the capital. With the key to her magical abilities an elusive secret, she must suddenly find a way to survive in a world gone mad ... with liberty.
Illusion is a work of fantasy on the grandest scale - a seamless web of passion, danger, heroism, and romance that will hold you spellbound from the first page to the last.
Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown. Or... Illusion, by Paula Volsky, and it's a turgid, overwritten 'epic' that feels like a rehash of every cliched French Rev novel ever. I got to the point where the Camille Desmoulins!expy character gave a speech against expy!Marie Antoinette, and it was relayed, not in dialogue, but as a two-page summary. If Ayn Rand died of eating macaroons, and turned into a zombie, I think it would be this book. HARD PASS.
This is a fantasy novel, with clear roots in the French Revolution, even though it is set in a different world, with advanced machines featuring in the story, and magical ability.The dress, attitudes and history capture the French Revolution, so that the difference in names and world did not change that. I found it a wonderful novel, and felt more enlightened about the French Revolution, and the way that people felt, because of it. A love interest, conflict and action packed scenes make this

Originally published here.This cover. This cover remains one of my favorite covers ever! I had never heard of Paula Volsky before or read much historical fantasy at all when a copy of ILLUSION arrived at my house. I was fifteen and my Aunt Claudia sent it to me for my birthday. She's a great reader, my aunt, and she has flawless taste. When they were kids, she and my dad would ride their bikes to the library and each check out a stack of Nancy Drews and Hardy Boys, go home, read them, switch,
I like fantasy best when it has a solid underpinning of real history, and "Illusion" can be described as the French Revolution with magic. The story follows Eliste, an aristocratic beauty who serves as lady-in-waiting to the queen, and gets caught up in the storm of revolution as a corrupt aristocracy is toppled. The king and queen are openly modeled on Louix XVI and Marie Antoinette; the fanatical revolutionary villain is a good double for Robespierre; and the terrifying machine into which the
Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Amazon || PinterestHow do I even begin to sing the praises of this marvelous book? ILLUSION - the title and cover might make you think that you're embarking on some farcical, fanciful, Dungeons & Dragons-like fantasy adventure filled with cheese and nonsense. You would be wrong. ILLUSION is a rich tapestry of lyrical prose, inventive world-building, and social commentary you can cut your teeth on. It is - and I am not speaking in hyperbole - one of the
This is the second time I've read this book. The first time was about 15 years ago.Based on the French Revolution, the story is set in a fantasy world, but more specifically in a city called Sherreen. Eliste, a toffee nosed Exalted, travels to the city to be presented at court and become maid to the queen. We see exactly who Eliste is and how she thinks. We live inside her head for a number of months. It all makes perfect sense and we could almost believe things are just how they should be.
Paula Volsky
Mass Market Paperback | Pages: 674 pages Rating: 3.98 | 1455 Users | 116 Reviews

Describe Books During Illusion (Volsky's Parallel Universe #1)
Original Title: | Illusion |
ISBN: | 0553560220 (ISBN13: 9780553560220) |
Edition Language: | English |
Series: | Volsky's Parallel Universe #1 |
Chronicle In Favor Of Books Illusion (Volsky's Parallel Universe #1)
One of fantasy's brightest new stars makes her Bantam debut with a colorful, sweeping high fantasy epic set against the fires of revolution. In the land of Vonahr, the Exalted have ruled by virtue of their legendary magical abilities for centuries, heedless of the misery of the lower classes. Now revolution is in the air. . . .For two hundred years the Exalted classes have used their dazzling magical abilities to rule Vonahr. Now, their powers grown slack from disuse and their attention turned to decadent pleasures, they ignore the misery of the lower classes until the red tide of revolution sweeps across the land. Thrust into the center of the conflict is the beautiful Eliste vo Derrivalle, spirited daughter of a provincial landowner, who must now scramble for bread in the teeming streets of the capital. With the key to her magical abilities an elusive secret, she must suddenly find a way to survive in a world gone mad ... with liberty.
Illusion is a work of fantasy on the grandest scale - a seamless web of passion, danger, heroism, and romance that will hold you spellbound from the first page to the last.
Identify Out Of Books Illusion (Volsky's Parallel Universe #1)
Title | : | Illusion (Volsky's Parallel Universe #1) |
Author | : | Paula Volsky |
Book Format | : | Mass Market Paperback |
Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 674 pages |
Published | : | 1993 by Bantam (first published 1991) |
Categories | : | Fantasy. Fiction. Historical. Historical Fiction. Historical Fantasy. Science Fiction Fantasy |
Rating Out Of Books Illusion (Volsky's Parallel Universe #1)
Ratings: 3.98 From 1455 Users | 116 ReviewsDiscuss Out Of Books Illusion (Volsky's Parallel Universe #1)
I first read this in the mid-1990s, and I've been periodically re-reading it ever since. This was a wonderful story that melded the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, magic, and a classic romance between a haughty aristocrat and a smarter-than-anyone-wanted-to-believe field worker. The narrative zips along, the characters are nicely-drawn, and the dialogue is witty and sharp. I only wish that the romance had been a bit more -- well -- romantic. The fantasy, though, was outstanding, andForget it, Jake. It's Chinatown. Or... Illusion, by Paula Volsky, and it's a turgid, overwritten 'epic' that feels like a rehash of every cliched French Rev novel ever. I got to the point where the Camille Desmoulins!expy character gave a speech against expy!Marie Antoinette, and it was relayed, not in dialogue, but as a two-page summary. If Ayn Rand died of eating macaroons, and turned into a zombie, I think it would be this book. HARD PASS.
This is a fantasy novel, with clear roots in the French Revolution, even though it is set in a different world, with advanced machines featuring in the story, and magical ability.The dress, attitudes and history capture the French Revolution, so that the difference in names and world did not change that. I found it a wonderful novel, and felt more enlightened about the French Revolution, and the way that people felt, because of it. A love interest, conflict and action packed scenes make this

Originally published here.This cover. This cover remains one of my favorite covers ever! I had never heard of Paula Volsky before or read much historical fantasy at all when a copy of ILLUSION arrived at my house. I was fifteen and my Aunt Claudia sent it to me for my birthday. She's a great reader, my aunt, and she has flawless taste. When they were kids, she and my dad would ride their bikes to the library and each check out a stack of Nancy Drews and Hardy Boys, go home, read them, switch,
I like fantasy best when it has a solid underpinning of real history, and "Illusion" can be described as the French Revolution with magic. The story follows Eliste, an aristocratic beauty who serves as lady-in-waiting to the queen, and gets caught up in the storm of revolution as a corrupt aristocracy is toppled. The king and queen are openly modeled on Louix XVI and Marie Antoinette; the fanatical revolutionary villain is a good double for Robespierre; and the terrifying machine into which the
Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Amazon || PinterestHow do I even begin to sing the praises of this marvelous book? ILLUSION - the title and cover might make you think that you're embarking on some farcical, fanciful, Dungeons & Dragons-like fantasy adventure filled with cheese and nonsense. You would be wrong. ILLUSION is a rich tapestry of lyrical prose, inventive world-building, and social commentary you can cut your teeth on. It is - and I am not speaking in hyperbole - one of the
This is the second time I've read this book. The first time was about 15 years ago.Based on the French Revolution, the story is set in a fantasy world, but more specifically in a city called Sherreen. Eliste, a toffee nosed Exalted, travels to the city to be presented at court and become maid to the queen. We see exactly who Eliste is and how she thinks. We live inside her head for a number of months. It all makes perfect sense and we could almost believe things are just how they should be.
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