Nothing is Unalloyed Book

ALannon wrote:

 > EvieDeevie wrote:
 >
  >> I'm looking for a scifi book and this casual search has slowly become
  >> a quest of epic proportions.
  >>
  >> This is all I remember:
  >> - the phrase "nothing is unalloyed" is repeated often in the book,
  >> maybe more than 10 times
  >> - the plot revolves around two warring nations that are only loosely
  >> sketched out, a 'good vs evil' sort of a thing
  >> - the main character, a woman, gets captured by a nobleman from the
  >> other side, and they have this odd romance that I think I remember was
  >> ultimately tragic, but involved all kinds of shadowy sinister goodness
  >>
  >> Please, if you know what the hell I'm talking about (book title,
  >> author name) tell me!
  >>
  >> I will consider a reward for the first person to help me on this.
 >
 >
 > Dollars-to-donuts that you're looking for _Cordelia's Honor_, by Bujold.
 > I dunno about the "unalloyed" thing, but the rest sounds pretty
 > similar. It's the first in a series, BTW.
 >
 > It may've been on one of the Baen CDs; I think Martin Bonham posted a
 > list of the titles on the CDs a while back, you might look for that. If
 > it was, you can (legally) DL the CD image and read it on your compuer/PDA.
 >
 > Andrew L.

Actually, "Cordelia's Honor" is an omnibus volume containing "Shards of Honor"
and "Barrayar".

I would guess the OP is remembering "Shards of Honor".

-Marc

--
Marc Reeve namarmc.TakeThisOut@oizurc.com
Some guy at a desk somewhere ^reverse^ for email<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
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In article <10q49efq2p96if6.DeleteThis@corp.supernews.com>,
ALannon <all_games.DeleteThis@htomail.com> wrote:

 > EvieDeevie wrote:
  > > I'm looking for a scifi book and this casual search has slowly become
  > > a quest of epic proportions.
  > >
  > > This is all I remember:
  > > - the phrase "nothing is unalloyed" is repeated often in the book,
  > > maybe more than 10 times
  > > - the plot revolves around two warring nations that are only loosely
  > > sketched out, a 'good vs evil' sort of a thing

Is this fantasy, space opera, or what? What's the approximate tech
level?

  > > - the main character, a woman, gets captured by a nobleman from the
  > > other side, and they have this odd romance that I think I remember was
  > > ultimately tragic, but involved all kinds of shadowy sinister goodness
  > >
  > > Please, if you know what the hell I'm talking about (book title,
  > > author name) tell me!
  > >
  > > I will consider a reward for the first person to help me on this.
 >
 > Dollars-to-donuts that you're looking for _Cordelia's Honor_, by Bujold.
 > I dunno about the "unalloyed" thing, but the rest sounds pretty
 > similar. It's the first in a series, BTW.
 >

The phrase does NOT appear in _Cordelia's Honor_ (I did a text
search; for that matter, the word "unalloyed" doesn't appear in
_Cordelia's Honor_ either).

The description sounds something like the vague memories I have of
a review for _In Conquest Born_ by C. S. Friedman.

--
Robert Woodward <robertaw.DeleteThis@drizzle.com>
<http://www.drizzle.com/~robertaw<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Nothing is Unalloyed Book 

In article <KtudnatBAbsGHD_cRVn-jw.TakeThisOut@got.net>,
Marc Reeve <marc.TakeThisOut@nospam.calm> wrote:

 > ALannon wrote:
 >
  > > EvieDeevie wrote:
  > >
   > >> I'm looking for a scifi book and this casual search has slowly become
   > >> a quest of epic proportions.
   > >>
   > >> This is all I remember:
   > >> - the phrase "nothing is unalloyed" is repeated often in the book,
   > >> maybe more than 10 times
   > >> - the plot revolves around two warring nations that are only loosely
   > >> sketched out, a 'good vs evil' sort of a thing
   > >> - the main character, a woman, gets captured by a nobleman from the
   > >> other side, and they have this odd romance that I think I remember was
   > >> ultimately tragic, but involved all kinds of shadowy sinister goodness
   > >>
   > >> Please, if you know what the hell I'm talking about (book title,
   > >> author name) tell me!
   > >>
   > >> I will consider a reward for the first person to help me on this.
  > >
  > >
  > > Dollars-to-donuts that you're looking for _Cordelia's Honor_, by Bujold.
  > > I dunno about the "unalloyed" thing, but the rest sounds pretty
  > > similar. It's the first in a series, BTW.
  > >
  > > It may've been on one of the Baen CDs; I think Martin Bonham posted a
  > > list of the titles on the CDs a while back, you might look for that. If
  > > it was, you can (legally) DL the CD image and read it on your compuer/PDA.
  > >
  > > Andrew L.
 >
 > Actually, "Cordelia's Honor" is an omnibus volume containing "Shards of
 > Honor"
 > and "Barrayar".
 >
 > I would guess the OP is remembering "Shards of Honor".
 >
 > -Marc

Except I'm pretty sure that the phrase "nothing is unalloyed" never
appears in it. The plot doesn't really fit either, beyond having a
female protagonist, captured by an enemy officer, who she falls for.

--
Quando omni flunkus moritati
Visit the Buffy Body Count at <http://homepage.mac.com/dsample/><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Nothing is Unalloyed Book 

In article <robertaw-F7396D.22213922112004 DeleteThis @individual.net>,
Robert A. Woodward <robertaw DeleteThis @drizzle.com> wrote:
 >
 >The description sounds something like the vague memories I have of
 >a review for _In Conquest Born_ by C. S. Friedman.

Then your memories are vague indeed. That's not it. (I've read it at
least five or six times over the years.)
--
--- Aahz <*> (Copyright 2004 by aahz DeleteThis @pobox.com)

Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6 <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://rule6.info/" target="_blank">http://rule6.info/</a>
Androgynous poly kinky vanilla queer het Pythonista

Shadows 2008: when you're tired of "Cthulhu for President"<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Nothing is Unalloyed Book 

In article <robertaw-F7396D.22213922112004.DeleteThis@individual.net>,
"Robert A. Woodward" <robertaw.DeleteThis@drizzle.com> wrote:

 > The description sounds something like the vague memories I have of
 > a review for _In Conquest Born_ by C. S. Friedman.

I read that book a few months ago, and can't recall that phrase in it.

--
Stop Mad Cowboy Disease: Impeach the son of a Bush.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Nothing is Unalloyed Book 

Justine Davis and Jayne Krentz wrote some rather wierd fantasy/romance stuff.
I've got one or two and will look.
Nan
Entrenched belief is never altered by the facts.....
 >> Stay informed about: Nothing is Unalloyed Book 

ALannon <all_games.DeleteThis@htomail.com> wrote in message news:<10q49efq2p96if6.DeleteThis@corp.supernews.com>...
 > EvieDeevie wrote:
  > > I'm looking for a scifi book and this casual search has slowly become
  > > a quest of epic proportions.
  > >
  > > This is all I remember:
  > > - the phrase "nothing is unalloyed" is repeated often in the book,
  > > maybe more than 10 times
  > > - the plot revolves around two warring nations that are only loosely
  > > sketched out, a 'good vs evil' sort of a thing
  > > - the main character, a woman, gets captured by a nobleman from the
  > > other side, and they have this odd romance that I think I remember was
  > > ultimately tragic, but involved all kinds of shadowy sinister goodness
  > >
  > > Please, if you know what the hell I'm talking about (book title,
  > > author name) tell me!
  > >
  > > I will consider a reward for the first person to help me on this.
 >
 > Dollars-to-donuts that you're looking for _Cordelia's Honor_, by Bujold.
 > I dunno about the "unalloyed" thing, but the rest sounds pretty
 > similar. It's the first in a series, BTW.
 >
 > It may've been on one of the Baen CDs; I think Martin Bonham posted a
 > list of the titles on the CDs a while back, you might look for that. If
 > it was, you can (legally) DL the CD image and read it on your compuer/PDA.
 >
 > Andrew L.


I checked out everything I could find by Bujold. Not in her stable
anywhere.

Here's the thing. The book I'm looking for... it was almost an
allegory, that's how vague everything was.

There was one side in the battle, and they lived in the mountains or
something, and they represented Darkness, and that was the side the
male protagonist was from.

The other side, more of a plains and meadows thing, they represented
Light, and htat was the side the female protagonist was from.

And there was a great big portion of the beginning of the book that
bemoaned the fact that these two vaguely-described nations and/or
factions had been at war for so long that generation upon generation
were raised simply to do battle. The female protagonist was some sort
of uber-fighter-chick for her side of things.

GOD, now I am really losing my mind, I HAVE to find this freakin'
book.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Nothing is Unalloyed Book 

naneklund RemoveThis @aol.com (Nan Eklund) wrote in message news:<20041123142521.06016.00000589 RemoveThis @mb-m21.aol.com>...
 > Justine Davis and Jayne Krentz wrote some rather wierd fantasy/romance stuff.
 > I've got one or two and will look.
 > Nan
 > Entrenched belief is never altered by the facts.....

This is a response to several of these cogent, intelligent posts...

1. Tech level = fantasy-ish horses, swords, possibly not yet guns, but
strange elements of scifi in there, maybe? God, it was maybe 10 or
more years ago that I read it, my memory's not great.

2. As much as the romance element is what stands out in my mind, and
as important as it may have been to the plot, this wasn't a sexy
romance book, poorly-written and flung onto the page to evoke simple
responses. I mean, as much as I might sometimes love that kind of
book, the novel I am looking for was allegorical, intense, strangely
mystical/metaphysical, and deeply Romantic in a non- "he swept her
into his muscular arms and kissed her unconscious" kind of a way.

3. It's not "In Conquest Born," "Shards of Honor," or "The Marriages
Between Zones Three, Four, and Five." Though that last one, by Doris
Lessing, looks really intriguing and I will probably spend a lot of
freakin' money trying to hunt it down.

-Eve
New York
Getting Desperate(r)<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Nothing is Unalloyed Book 

In article <e9f0ce2e.0411231452.54d8ada.DeleteThis@posting.google.com>,
EvieDeevie <eviedeevie.DeleteThis@yahoo.com> wrote:
 >
 >This is a response to several of these cogent, intelligent posts...
 >
 >1. Tech level = fantasy-ish horses, swords, possibly not yet guns, but
 >strange elements of scifi in there, maybe? God, it was maybe 10 or
 >more years ago that I read it, my memory's not great.
 >
 >2. As much as the romance element is what stands out in my mind, and
 >as important as it may have been to the plot, this wasn't a sexy
 >romance book, poorly-written and flung onto the page to evoke simple
 >responses. I mean, as much as I might sometimes love that kind of
 >book, the novel I am looking for was allegorical, intense, strangely
 >mystical/metaphysical, and deeply Romantic in a non- "he swept her
 >into his muscular arms and kissed her unconscious" kind of a way.
 >
 >3. It's not "In Conquest Born," "Shards of Honor," or "The Marriages
 >Between Zones Three, Four, and Five." Though that last one, by Doris
 >Lessing, looks really intriguing and I will probably spend a lot of
 >freakin' money trying to hunt it down.

Go ask in rec.arts.sf.written -- this is meat'n'potatoes for that crew.
--
--- Aahz <*> (Copyright 2004 by aahz.DeleteThis@pobox.com)

Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6 <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://rule6.info/" target="_blank">http://rule6.info/</a>
Androgynous poly kinky vanilla queer het Pythonista

Shadows 2008: when you're tired of "Cthulhu for President"<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Nothing is Unalloyed Book 

I spent years trying to find a vaguely remembered book about an alien who
landed in mid-Crusade England and got a crew of noble Englishmen who wanted to
get to France and thought a flying saucer was a great idea. They ended up lost
in space and conquering everything in sight because their technology was on the
primative side and sort of "tip the tank over" style. Which worked. And the
Baron or whatever was used to managing peasants and it all worked out
beautifully...
Poul Anderson - I finally located it - and it was darn good, too.
But someone will come up with your "nothing is unalloyed".
I'm going to try Catherine Asaro, too.
Nan

Entrenched belief is never altered by the facts.....
 >> Stay informed about: Nothing is Unalloyed Book 

In article <20041123195424.08086.00001138.RemoveThis@mb-m05.aol.com>,
naneklund.RemoveThis@aol.com (Nan Eklund) wrote:

 > I spent years trying to find a vaguely remembered book about an alien
 > who landed in mid-Crusade England and got a crew of noble Englishmen
 > who wanted to get to France and thought a flying saucer was a great
 > idea.

Actually, they attacked the spacecraft by storming, in full horse and
armor, up the entrance ramp right into the ship.

The name of the book is _The High Crusade_. And the ending is priceless.

--
Stop Mad Cowboy Disease: Impeach the son of a Bush.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Nothing is Unalloyed Book 

naneklund DeleteThis @aol.com (Nan Eklund) wrote in message news:<20041123195424.08086.00001138 DeleteThis @mb-m05.aol.com>...
 > I spent years trying to find a vaguely remembered book about an alien who
 > landed in mid-Crusade England and got a crew of noble Englishmen who wanted to
 > get to France and thought a flying saucer was a great idea. They ended up lost
 > in space and conquering everything in sight because their technology was on the
 > primative side and sort of "tip the tank over" style. Which worked. And the
 > Baron or whatever was used to managing peasants and it all worked out
 > beautifully...
 > Poul Anderson - I finally located it - and it was darn good, too.
 > But someone will come up with your "nothing is unalloyed".
 > I'm going to try Catherine Asaro, too.
 > Nan
 >
 > Entrenched belief is never altered by the facts.....


Wow. In some ways, I am comforted--your search was fruitful.

However--yikes. It took you YEARS?! I mean, I understand that a
search like this doesn't produce instant gratification, but.... I
want... gratification slightly more instant than "YEARS."

Thank you for continuing to look. I know this book has to be out
there somewhere, I just know it. And now I kinda want to read that
Poul Anderson book, too. Sounds awesome!<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Nothing is Unalloyed Book 

aahz.TakeThisOut@pobox.com (Mean Green Dancing Machine) wrote in message news:<co0h0q$lvc$1@panix2.panix.com>...
 > In article <e9f0ce2e.0411231452.54d8ada.TakeThisOut@posting.google.com>,
 > EvieDeevie <eviedeevie.TakeThisOut@yahoo.com> wrote:
  > >
  > >This is a response to several of these cogent, intelligent posts...
  > >
  > >1. Tech level = fantasy-ish horses, swords, possibly not yet guns, but
  > >strange elements of scifi in there, maybe? God, it was maybe 10 or
  > >more years ago that I read it, my memory's not great.
  > >
  > >2. As much as the romance element is what stands out in my mind, and
  > >as important as it may have been to the plot, this wasn't a sexy
  > >romance book, poorly-written and flung onto the page to evoke simple
  > >responses. I mean, as much as I might sometimes love that kind of
  > >book, the novel I am looking for was allegorical, intense, strangely
  > >mystical/metaphysical, and deeply Romantic in a non- "he swept her
  > >into his muscular arms and kissed her unconscious" kind of a way.
  > >
  > >3. It's not "In Conquest Born," "Shards of Honor," or "The Marriages
  > >Between Zones Three, Four, and Five." Though that last one, by Doris
  > >Lessing, looks really intriguing and I will probably spend a lot of
  > >freakin' money trying to hunt it down.
 >
 > Go ask in rec.arts.sf.written -- this is meat'n'potatoes for that crew.

I did. So far, no luck. I came to you guys because I freakin' LOVE
David Weber, and I figure others who do are likely smart and useful
types.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Nothing is Unalloyed Book