I finished Enchantment by Orson Scott Card during my layover in Charlotte today and I loved it through and through. I have only read a few of his books but it's by far his best work. In fact, this is one of the best novels I've ever read, and that includes all the classics that I read in high school and college.
A very creative retelling of the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty, this novel is very well researched and very well written. The character development is intense, though gradual and very skillfully arranged so that it's believable and compelling. The plot is enthralling and the pace perfect (not too slow, not too fast, everything happens in due time).
There were no logical oversights, no loose ends, and though (since it's a retelling of a common fairy tale) you more or less know that the good guys win, the details of how and why are brilliantly executed.
Audience-wise it's definitely adult-focused: true to fairy tale form, there is a limited amount of (but graphically depicted) violence, and similarly Card makes no bones about being very frank about the human anatomy and human sexuality. However the language in the narration of the story is readily accessible to young adults, and it can easily be argued that Card's frankness is neither calloused nor is his discussion/depiction of violence and sex in any way gratuitous or titillation, but rather skillfully used and tactfully handled.
Finally, while the novel is a really good read with a wonderful blend of action, romance, and the wonder of fantasy, it also offers up many, many deep lines of thought on the nature and order of our universe and our limited understanding of it; the similarities and differences in Christianity and Judaism; and the roles of men and women, husband and wife, through the ages.
It's an excellent novel that I highly recommend to everyone.
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