Traitors' Gate [Mass Market Paperback]

After being intrigued enough to read through both Shadow Gate and Spirit Gate, despite the irritating problems I had with both novels, I decided to see about reading Traitors' Gate (if only to be the annoying lukewarm reviewer for all three). Alas, but my track record has been shattered. Well... Sort of.

Traitors' Gate continues the conflict between the corrupted Guardians of the Hundred and nearly everyone else. Most of the forces against the villains have realized that they do actually have to fight and the book follows the currents of that trek all the way down to the last little eddy.

I am quite happy to report that quite a few of the threads that I felt didn't budge in the last book actually did get rolling at a much better pace than anything in the previous two books. It still doesn't quite get to that "can't put book down or clowns will eat me" pace (which would cost me sleep), but it does get trundling along at a decent clip. Considering the complexity of the plotlines and the plethora of characters to love or loathe, it could have easily bogged down to a crawl, epic battles and back stabbing not withstanding. In any case, it ties up quite a few of the the loose ends in this interesting tapestry of a tale and I felt that there were enough loose ends left over to keep me wondering about what came next without losing the sense of closure that the book had.

As seems to be the norm for this series, there were even more supporting characters introduced. I would start complaining at length, but there was enough characterization and enough context surrounding them (particularly Arras and his cohort) that their inclusion made sense. Indeed, most of the characters that were carried over from the previous novels had a new dimension added on to them. Since there are a very large number of characters, this is no mean feat.

Anji, the Qin captain, certainly springs to mind when speaking of character change, development and cycles. Particularly the cycle part. It was very interesting to see how his reactions to any perceived threats to the things he thought he possessed became more and more apparent as the story progressed. It also highlighted the way that what he perceived as "his" expanded. I thought it ironic that he is indeed exactly what he shows himself in the first book, a conquerer who hates losing, despite the family time with Mai. I also found it intriguing that he would selectively adapt to parts of the culture of the Hundred and get stuck on some of the customs, particularly his misunderstanding of Zubaidit from the temple of Ushara at the end. His mother is of a piece with him, except more ruthless.

Mai unexpectedly was one of the more layered characters through the trilogy, but it became most apparent in Traitors' Gate. It was made very obvious that nearly all of the Qin's success sat firmly on her successes and her reputation in the Hundred. This realization made me really start to wonder what would happen at the end of the book and beyond.She also acted as a wonderful contrast to Anji by seeking to adapt and fit in to life in the Hundred and actively not getting upset or shocked from the differences between her home and her new place, both as wife and outlander.

I also liked how Shai's part in this came to an end. I thought that his reward for deeds done was fitting and that the way he gained the courage to do so was very well done. I loved the later scenes with him and Tohon.

And then there's Joss and Marit. How I love them both, from Marit's determination and adaptability to Joss's dedication to doing the right thing and not worry about everyone else's opinion of him. They were very much one of the reasons I kept reading on despite my ambivalence with the other two books. I loved how their side of things ended.

The other things that kept me reading this series was the awesome setting. I loved the level of detailing that went into making the land and its cultures every bit as interesting (and occasionally more interesting) as the plot and the characters. It was almost as if it were a character itself in some ways, especially in this book.

Overall I thought that this book was a better read than the other two and I will be watching for more stories set in the Hundred from here on out.

This is a great conclusion to a great trilogy and stands as one the best fantasy series around. Period. Elliott's characters are complex and real. The plot moves along at just the right pace, that is if you like epic fantasy and this is a great epic.

Three long volumes is perfect for this type of series, and Traitors' Gate is an excellent book to end up on. Unlike her previous series that went on too long, the Crossroads story ends at just the right time. This was a wonderfully realized world, complex, coherent and fascinating. But beyond the grand themes, the people who inhabit the book face believable dilemmas in which they sometimes exceed themselves and sometimes fall short, making them all the more human. I treasure it. Kate Elliott has now firmly established herself in the top tier of fantasy and I eagerly await her next venture.

I've been a fan of Kate Elliott since Jaran and the Crown of Stars series. I enjoyed her latest series as well. This review is really a review of the series, and I put the review in the last novel to minimize spoilers.

The good includes:
- well-realized characters who behave rationally. I enjoyed Keshad's story and the other characters' reactions to him; it's a tribute to her character building that you could empathize with his story and with other people's dislike of him.
- solid world-building.
- risk-taking with the plot and the characters, including the murder of a major character early in the first novel.
- a complex, well-thought-through mythology. For example, she makes the story-telling hand gestures everyone uses feel natural to the reader, and I liked how Shai discovers their origin. It's a minor point but it shows the level of thought she put into creating the Hundred.
- characters who act consistently even though they seem to change. Anji's ruthlessness is clear all along, but it was easy to miss because we saw him in large part through Mai. The ending of the book surprised me but shouldn't have. And that's a tribute to her writing as well.
- a conclusion to a trilogy, which is not a given these days. She does leave some issues open for further books, but not so open that the ending doesn't feel definitive.
- and, gratuitously but enjoyably, a visit to Jaran! Sort of.

The bad includes an unsatisfying explanation for what motivated the bad guardians to be so bad. Elliott goes into this a little bit: it's clear from the first volume that the laws are not being applied fairly, that there are grievances that aren't being addressed, that the power structures were ineffective or corrupt, and that the society was ripe for revolution. What she didn't establish in a satisfying manner was why the Guardians were so horrible (cleansing, rape of children, etc.) or why they were able to successfully recruit an army that committed those atrocities. I was also frustrated by Elliott's pacing. She would often have a character say something really important, follow it up with a long-ish paragraph on what they were wearing, and then drop the plot point for a few chapters. The "plot point + description" pattern continues through the series, and makes for a stop-and-start read. To be fair, I think she has always written this way, but my preferences as a reader have changed over the last twenty years and I would enjoy a smoother flow to her writing.

On the whole, the good far outweighs the bad. This is a well-written fully-imagined fantasy series. I enjoyed this series and recommend it.

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