Shortly after becoming engaged, Ivan returns to his native land to work on his doctoral thesis. Unable to forget that clearing in the woods, Ivan returns to determine if what he saw was merely a young boy s fantasy. Finding the clearing just as he left it, he does not run away this time. Ivan awakens the sleeping maiden with a kiss and is transported into a kingdom that vanished over a thousand years ago. This is a love story unlike any I ve ever read before.
Card touchingly describes the love that grows between two strangers from vastly different worlds.
Deftly transferring between 9 th century Russia and the 1990 s, Card tells the classic tale of witches, enchantment, knights and princesses. Card meticulously researched Russian folk tales to give the story an authentic Russian flavor. The original Sleeping Beauty tale had a happy ending, but Card keeps you guessing about the outcome of his version until the very end. Card s first novel, Ender s Game , featured a very inventive, engaging plot but scant character development. However, it still established Card as a major force in the science fiction and fantasy genres.