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Mistress of the Pearl
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Plot Summary of Mistress of the Pearl
"

Tor, Mar 2004, 27.95, 588 pp.
ISBN: 0312872372

Though they have pretty much conquered the planet Kundala after a century plus of resistance, the victorious aliens V'ornn remain in combat with the locals. The natives believe their messiah, the “Dar Sala-at” will save them. The Kundalan belief that their legendary savior will help them overthrow the V'ornn invaders has lifted the spirits of the natives and helped them resist the intruders.

The impossible occurs when a Kundala female named Riane appears with her own soul and that of the dead Annon, a priest of the V'ornn. The Kundalans believe that Riane is their messiah who will vanquish the conquerors, but to do so they must obtain the mystical Pearl that only the true Dar Sala-at can yield its power.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Mistress of the Pearl
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10%




Tone of book - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy world/fantasy past
Political power play Yes
Political plotlets - overthrowing govt/kingdom
Tech./$$$/Info hunt Yes
Stealing/recovering/destroying - magical artifact
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Cultural problems, alien culture Yes
Culture clash- - one culture tries to impose its culture on another group
Intense exploration of society's culture? Yes

Main Character
Identity: - Female
Profession/status: - champion of justice
Age: - 20's-30's
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - an entire race
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - an average amount
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters

Setting
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - humans in a futuristic society
Planet outside solar system? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
scientific jargon? (SF only) - some scientific explanation
How much dialogue? - significantly more dialog than descript
Most similar books to Mistress of the Pearl
Broken Crescent by S. Andrew Swann
Earth Logic by Laurie J. Marks
Stealing the Elf-King's Roses by Diane Duane
Wolfskin by Juliet Marillier
Elvenborn by Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey


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