|
|
4.0 out of 5 stars
More Tightly Focused Than Previous Two Books, Jul 28 2000
After perusing sales rankings and reviews, it would appear that this series has not garnered the audience of some of its peers, such as Jordan's "Wheel of Time," Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire," Hobb's "Liveship Traders," Kerr's "Deverry and Westlands Cycle," Goodkind's "Sword of Truth," or even Feist's "Riftwar Saga." While popularity is not necessary evidence of worth, I suspect, as previous reviewers have noted, both for this work, as well as the preceding volumes, that the author's at times over-exuberant use of language in her writing has contributed as much as anything else to keeping a larger audience at a distance. This is unfortunate, as this ongoing tale, particularly as witnessed by the stirring and tautly rendered battle scenes in this book, has much to offer.Wurt's strengths are evocative characterizations, complex and multi-layered plotlines and magical realms, and, when not engaged in over-embellishment, vivid and energetic descriptive detail. Unfortunately it is true that the tale at times gets bogged down or muddied by a profuse use of language, and this becomes variously a strength as well as the series' greatest detriment. Nonetheless, I believe there is far more of value going on here than should be dismissed simply because of a difficulty with language. Perhaps it is because I have become inured to Wurt's tendency to overwork her prose, but it seemed as if in this book she had lightened the flourish of her pen. In any event, for those that have become engaged in the world of Athera, there is much that takes place in this volume, and in a more compressed fashion than in the previous two books. A major revelation occurs, and several of the main characters face trials that will permanently alter their lives. The events build to tension that should keep you reading, and the suspense is handled deftly, keeping the imaginary nerves taut. In many ways I feel this is the best book yet of the series. Highly recommended if you can work past the densely worded use of narrative.
|
