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The Wayfarer Redemption #1
The Wayfarer Redemption
A thousand years ago the Acharites drove the Forbidden from their land. Now, strange sightings along Achar's northern border foreshadow their return. The barbaric tribes of the Ravensbund are pouring south with the tales of fearsome beings who feed on the terror of their prey. Winter has come early, and with it the promise of war. Axis, bastard son of the dead Princess Rivkah, is sent to the battlefront at Gorkenfort with his elite Axe-Wielders. Once there, he must hand over command to his hated half-brother, Borneheld. But travelling north, Axis falls in love with Faraday - Borneheld's betrothed, and meets two priests who challenge the very essence of his beliefs.
The Sentinels walk the land, the TreeFriend has been found, and the people of the Plough, the Wing and the Horn must set aside their differences and unite under one leader against the evil rising in the north . .
The Sentinels walk the land, the TreeFriend has been found, and the people of the Plough, the Wing and the Horn must set aside their differences and unite under one leader against the evil rising in the north . .
629 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 5, 1995
About the author
Sara Douglass
66 books996 followersDouglass was born in Penola, South Australia. She attended Annesley College, in Wayville, a suburb of Adelaide. She studied for her BA while working as a Registered Nurse, and later completed her PhD in early modern English History. She became a lecturer in medieval history at La Trobe University, Bendigo. While there she completed her first novel, BattleAxe, which launched her as a popular fantasy author in Australia, and later as an international success.
Until the mid-2000s, Douglass hosted a bulletin board on her website, with the aim of encouraging creative thinking and constructive criticism of others' work. She maintained an online blog about the restoration project of her house and garden entitled Notes from Nonsuch in Tasmania.
In 2008, Douglass was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She underwent treatment, but in late 2010 the cancer returned. She died on 27 September 2011, aged 54.
She also wrote under her real name Sara Warneke.
Until the mid-2000s, Douglass hosted a bulletin board on her website, with the aim of encouraging creative thinking and constructive criticism of others' work. She maintained an online blog about the restoration project of her house and garden entitled Notes from Nonsuch in Tasmania.
In 2008, Douglass was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She underwent treatment, but in late 2010 the cancer returned. She died on 27 September 2011, aged 54.
She also wrote under her real name Sara Warneke.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 514 reviews
September 26, 2017
Omg! I have found a new favorite book!!
I can't begin to explain how much this book means to me. It was just so freaking wonderful! There are so many different things to love: people, The Forbidden, which are not what I thought at all, nature, fighting. Just everything. Well, obviously I didn't like the evilness and some of the killings. And holy crow, Axis is so strong to not have killed an evil person. It would have taken everything I had not to but there are reasons. Important reasons!
I loved Faraday, Yr, Jack . . . Oh just forget it, there are too many!
I can't believe I have owned these books for so long and just now starting to read them. And this is the joy of reading, you can find what YOU love, get lost in a world and to hell with what anyone else thinks 😊 But, I'm also afraid of what is to come!
Happy Reading!
Mel ❤️
I can't begin to explain how much this book means to me. It was just so freaking wonderful! There are so many different things to love: people, The Forbidden, which are not what I thought at all, nature, fighting. Just everything. Well, obviously I didn't like the evilness and some of the killings. And holy crow, Axis is so strong to not have killed an evil person. It would have taken everything I had not to but there are reasons. Important reasons!
I loved Faraday, Yr, Jack . . . Oh just forget it, there are too many!
I can't believe I have owned these books for so long and just now starting to read them. And this is the joy of reading, you can find what YOU love, get lost in a world and to hell with what anyone else thinks 😊 But, I'm also afraid of what is to come!
Happy Reading!
Mel ❤️
December 14, 2016
5 beautiful soul touching stars★★★★★
Reread for the third time with my favourite ladies; Mary& Celeste and it just keeps getting better & better, seriously each time I read it I love it a tiny bit more everytime. When I die I want this series buried with my corpse. Please & Thank you.
Okay so this book is actually so hard for me to rate/review, it was the first fantasy novel I ever read. I can remember going into my mums room when I was around 14 years old and seeing it sitting on her counter, i asked what it was about and my mum turned into a total fangirl while explaining the plot (she has read this series over 10 times). I can remember never seeing my mum so excited over a book, she lent me her original copy with some 'rules' I can remember the rules vividly as everytime I lend her a book now I give her the rules she created lol. The rules were; do not bend the corner of the pages, use a book mark instead. DO NOT BEND THE SPINE & lastly do not lose it.
I treated my mums copy of Battleaxe like it was my baby, and to this day I still own it because I never gave it back. *evil laugh*. I know for a fact my opinion on this book is highly influenced by my mum. If you knew me in real life you would know I'm a total mummy's girl, I love my mum more then anything, and I still call her mummy and mumma. She is the most precious person I've ever met and I literally cry everytime I see/think of her because I adore her, she's my idol. I know she will cry when she reads this review but hey I do my best to be made of rainbows mum ;).
That's enough about my badass mum. Okay so this book is classic fantasy at its best, I absolutely adore classic fantasy and this is my favourite classic. It definitely has so many flaws (slow pacing, cliche, a tad annoying. I feel these things don't ruin the book because the last 30% is intense and the rest of the series is a lot faster, full of action and has a huge twist at the end) but I honestly couldn't care less about the flaws, this book is my child. And I'll fight you in a cage until the death if you don't like it.. So eat shit book haters.
It is about a world called Achar, on Archar there are four races;
Acharites - humans or groundwalkers. They worship the plough & are brainwashed from birth to hate the forbidden races.
The forbidden races are;
The Avar - 'the people of the horn' the dark skinned people of the forest, they worship the trees and are powerful banes capable of forest magic although they do not believe in violence and are the most peaceful of all the races.
The Icarii - 'the people of the wing' they are the beautiful winged people. Some Icarii are born as enchanters and can use the music of the Stardance to create music and magic. They are the equivalent of angels.
The Charonites - the people of the underworld, one of the original races born from the enchantress. They guide the souls of the dead to the afterlife.
The story takes place 1000 years after the war of the axe and the plough with the races (all magical beings are now exiled and killed on sight). We follow our main characters Axis, Faraday & Azhure. So basically the story is about a prophecy (yes cliche as hell but fuck it, I love it). The prophecy says two children will be born.. Gorgrael our bad guy and the Starman our good guy, both of these beings are the most powerful to have ever been born not only can they use the Stardance but they can also hear the Deathdance (black magic). Both of these beings come from the same father so basically book one is about discovering whose who in the prophecy but not all questions are answered. Gorgrael has an army of skrealings (wraiths) & Skraebolds both this creature are made from mist and they feed on fear & death. Shit gets crazy and lots of people die. Only one man can stop Gorgrael.. Haha I wonder who it is ;).
the characters-
Axis; I have so many issues with Axis but that's because I've read all his books. I can't decide if I love or hate him. He is such a stubborn, strong headed asshole but then again he is the kindest man alive. I just can't get past his arrogance, he is actually such a dick and so moody to everyone.
Faraday; my sweet baby Faraday.. I can't say much about this character because her role is huge in all six books. So I'll just say that I absolutely adore Faraday, it's horrible what she goes through my heart hurts for her and the upcoming events.
Azhure; the queen of my heart and whole existence.. where do I start with this character ?! She's my favourite character of the whole series, to be honest the only reason I'm reading these books again is for Azhure. She is absolutely incredible and it's safe to say she turns into an absolute bad ass as the books progress.
Belial; a background character.. I fucking love him, he makes axis bearable for me. I absolutely adore him and wish he had his own POV. He is definitely my favourite male character of this series and one of most remembered characters ever, he is so loyal and honourable he is a dreamboat.
Raum; another background character I love to death. One of the Avar banes and he is awesome.
Some of Sara Douglass's quotes melt my heart (seriously like I cried my face off), she's such a fantastic author. She died a few years back and it is so horribly sad to lose someone so talented.
So yes it's cliche but awesome and interesting this book has some of my all time favourite book quotes and some of my favourite book moments, it is also one of the reasons I love the moon so much. So I'm sorry for my over emotional word vomit review, it's just hard to find words to describe something so dear to myself.
Who would I recommend this series to? Anyone who loves classic fantasy, I bet you will adore it and fall in love with everything about it just like I did.
Everyone go read it NOW :)
'"Sing well and fly high, and may nothing and no-one tear your feet from the path of the Star Dance again."'
Reread for the third time with my favourite ladies; Mary& Celeste and it just keeps getting better & better, seriously each time I read it I love it a tiny bit more everytime. When I die I want this series buried with my corpse. Please & Thank you.
'The circular pool contained no water; instead, to all intents and purposes, it contained the universe. The real one, not the faint shadow that lights the night sky. Stars reeled and danced, Suns chased each other across galaxies, moons dipped and swayed through planetary systems, luminous comets threaded their mysterious paths through the cosmos. The sounds of vast interstellar winds roared out into the chamber and a luminous deep blue light pulsed through the Star Gate. It's depths stretched into infinity.'
Okay so this book is actually so hard for me to rate/review, it was the first fantasy novel I ever read. I can remember going into my mums room when I was around 14 years old and seeing it sitting on her counter, i asked what it was about and my mum turned into a total fangirl while explaining the plot (she has read this series over 10 times). I can remember never seeing my mum so excited over a book, she lent me her original copy with some 'rules' I can remember the rules vividly as everytime I lend her a book now I give her the rules she created lol. The rules were; do not bend the corner of the pages, use a book mark instead. DO NOT BEND THE SPINE & lastly do not lose it.
I treated my mums copy of Battleaxe like it was my baby, and to this day I still own it because I never gave it back. *evil laugh*. I know for a fact my opinion on this book is highly influenced by my mum. If you knew me in real life you would know I'm a total mummy's girl, I love my mum more then anything, and I still call her mummy and mumma. She is the most precious person I've ever met and I literally cry everytime I see/think of her because I adore her, she's my idol. I know she will cry when she reads this review but hey I do my best to be made of rainbows mum ;).
That's enough about my badass mum. Okay so this book is classic fantasy at its best, I absolutely adore classic fantasy and this is my favourite classic. It definitely has so many flaws (slow pacing, cliche, a tad annoying. I feel these things don't ruin the book because the last 30% is intense and the rest of the series is a lot faster, full of action and has a huge twist at the end) but I honestly couldn't care less about the flaws, this book is my child. And I'll fight you in a cage until the death if you don't like it.. So eat shit book haters.
It is about a world called Achar, on Archar there are four races;
Acharites - humans or groundwalkers. They worship the plough & are brainwashed from birth to hate the forbidden races.
The forbidden races are;
The Avar - 'the people of the horn' the dark skinned people of the forest, they worship the trees and are powerful banes capable of forest magic although they do not believe in violence and are the most peaceful of all the races.
The Icarii - 'the people of the wing' they are the beautiful winged people. Some Icarii are born as enchanters and can use the music of the Stardance to create music and magic. They are the equivalent of angels.
The Charonites - the people of the underworld, one of the original races born from the enchantress. They guide the souls of the dead to the afterlife.
The story takes place 1000 years after the war of the axe and the plough with the races (all magical beings are now exiled and killed on sight). We follow our main characters Axis, Faraday & Azhure. So basically the story is about a prophecy (yes cliche as hell but fuck it, I love it). The prophecy says two children will be born.. Gorgrael our bad guy and the Starman our good guy, both of these beings are the most powerful to have ever been born not only can they use the Stardance but they can also hear the Deathdance (black magic). Both of these beings come from the same father so basically book one is about discovering whose who in the prophecy but not all questions are answered. Gorgrael has an army of skrealings (wraiths) & Skraebolds both this creature are made from mist and they feed on fear & death. Shit gets crazy and lots of people die. Only one man can stop Gorgrael.. Haha I wonder who it is ;).
the characters-
Axis; I have so many issues with Axis but that's because I've read all his books. I can't decide if I love or hate him. He is such a stubborn, strong headed asshole but then again he is the kindest man alive. I just can't get past his arrogance, he is actually such a dick and so moody to everyone.
Faraday; my sweet baby Faraday.. I can't say much about this character because her role is huge in all six books. So I'll just say that I absolutely adore Faraday, it's horrible what she goes through my heart hurts for her and the upcoming events.
Azhure; the queen of my heart and whole existence.. where do I start with this character ?! She's my favourite character of the whole series, to be honest the only reason I'm reading these books again is for Azhure. She is absolutely incredible and it's safe to say she turns into an absolute bad ass as the books progress.
Belial; a background character.. I fucking love him, he makes axis bearable for me. I absolutely adore him and wish he had his own POV. He is definitely my favourite male character of this series and one of most remembered characters ever, he is so loyal and honourable he is a dreamboat.
Raum; another background character I love to death. One of the Avar banes and he is awesome.
Some of Sara Douglass's quotes melt my heart (seriously like I cried my face off), she's such a fantastic author. She died a few years back and it is so horribly sad to lose someone so talented.
So yes it's cliche but awesome and interesting this book has some of my all time favourite book quotes and some of my favourite book moments, it is also one of the reasons I love the moon so much. So I'm sorry for my over emotional word vomit review, it's just hard to find words to describe something so dear to myself.
Who would I recommend this series to? Anyone who loves classic fantasy, I bet you will adore it and fall in love with everything about it just like I did.
Everyone go read it NOW :)
September 10, 2017
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads
It'd been approximately ten years since I last read THE WAYFARER REDEMPTION by Sara Douglass, and while I had not personally experienced the what-was-I-thinking-this-book-is-crap? phenomenon that so many readers have encountered during rereads of "favorite" books from eons past, I'd heard an awful lot about it . . .
Still, I wasn't worried--my superior taste had consistently kept me from disappointment thus far, so why would this reread be any different?
Pfft.
This book was crap.
My only possible defense is that I read Terry Goodkind's SWORD OF TRUTH series around the same time and it was significantly worse.
But even I don't buy that.
"What was wrong with it?" you ask.
Well . . . After half a dozen chapters, my overall impression was that of a cheesy '80s fantasy movie like Legend or Willow .
Don't get me wrong, I like cheesy '80s fantasy movies as much as the next person. In fact, I like both LEGEND and WILLOW.
BUT.
It's infinitely easier to forgive a several decades-old movie for being cornball, especially when you're watching (and laughing at) it with a bunch of friends then it is to forgive a book that's making your eyes roll back into your head.
All the genre clichés were present: lengthening and intensifying of the harshest seasons, incontrovertible hatred between half brothers, one legitimate, one not, a hero who suffers gut-churning guilt over a tragedy beyond his control, a bright-eyed, inherently good but extremely naive heroine (torn between the brothers), a monstrous evil threatening ALL of them . . . *grimaces*
At times, it almost felt like a parody of fantasy. If an IDIOT'S GUIDE TO FANTASY existed, it'd look like this book, or better yet, a Write a Fantasy by Numbers tutorial:
Part I:
1. Create three disparate races:
Humans who fear the other two more magical races (b/c puny humans) and adopt a rigid, fundamentalist religion to compensate for their weaknesses.
A forest people with an earth-like magic who worship nature and hunt and gather. Peacefully. B/c abhor violence.
An ethereal winged-people who practice more refined magic and are extremely arrogant.
2. Create a prophecy foretelling DOOM should these races interbreed.
3. Interbreed.
Part II:
1. Force a beautiful young princess to marry a rich old man she doesn't love.
2. Have Old Man leave Beautiful Princess at home alone for a year (b/c reasons).
3. Have Old Man return home from his year-long absence to discover Beautiful Princess swollen with child.
If this sort of thing had been limited to the world-building and/or the plot, but had well-developed characters, I might have been able to handle it.
But it wasn't.
Without exception, the characters were woefully exaggerated in their behavior.
Like when the king receives bad news that he must pass along to his council:
*repeats in a baritone* Through his bowellllllls . . .
Which was quickly followed with:
Then when he finally gets around to revealing that his sister's tomb had been desecrated during an attack, his nephew (and heir) reacts like this:
And of course all of this draws attention to other (illegitimate) nephew:
At which point this guy had had enough:
*snickers*
See? It would have made a truly excellent '80s fantasy movie.
Especially with the addition of sort-of-brother #3, the aforementioned monstrous evil (he has face tusks and lizard skin and drools), who might not be such a bad guy if he weren't so terribly lonely:
*heart does not swell in sympathy*
Ye gods.
There were also incalculable eye roll-inducers like Axis' penchant for yelling, "Let's ride!" any time he and his axemen went anywhere, and his faithful #2 named Belial . . .
Yes . . . B/c SATAN was always so happy in a subordinate role . . . *rolls eyes*
But somewhere between the 30 - 40% mark, my senses became dulled and it got easier to bear. As hyperbolic as it was, it was still somewhat entertaining, PLUS there was the added benefit of seeing how my biggest objection from my original read had in reality stared me in the face unapologetically the entire time.
Still there are too many other (better) fantasy series out there for me to in good conscience recommend this one. Unless, you're entertained by all that is excessive, in which case . . . step right up . . . *bows like three ring circus master*
It'd been approximately ten years since I last read THE WAYFARER REDEMPTION by Sara Douglass, and while I had not personally experienced the what-was-I-thinking-this-book-is-crap? phenomenon that so many readers have encountered during rereads of "favorite" books from eons past, I'd heard an awful lot about it . . .
Still, I wasn't worried--my superior taste had consistently kept me from disappointment thus far, so why would this reread be any different?
Pfft.
This book was crap.
My only possible defense is that I read Terry Goodkind's SWORD OF TRUTH series around the same time and it was significantly worse.
But even I don't buy that.
"What was wrong with it?" you ask.
Well . . . After half a dozen chapters, my overall impression was that of a cheesy '80s fantasy movie like Legend or Willow .
Don't get me wrong, I like cheesy '80s fantasy movies as much as the next person. In fact, I like both LEGEND and WILLOW.
BUT.
It's infinitely easier to forgive a several decades-old movie for being cornball, especially when you're watching (and laughing at) it with a bunch of friends then it is to forgive a book that's making your eyes roll back into your head.
All the genre clichés were present: lengthening and intensifying of the harshest seasons, incontrovertible hatred between half brothers, one legitimate, one not, a hero who suffers gut-churning guilt over a tragedy beyond his control, a bright-eyed, inherently good but extremely naive heroine (torn between the brothers), a monstrous evil threatening ALL of them . . . *grimaces*
At times, it almost felt like a parody of fantasy. If an IDIOT'S GUIDE TO FANTASY existed, it'd look like this book, or better yet, a Write a Fantasy by Numbers tutorial:
Part I:
1. Create three disparate races:
Humans who fear the other two more magical races (b/c puny humans) and adopt a rigid, fundamentalist religion to compensate for their weaknesses.
A forest people with an earth-like magic who worship nature and hunt and gather. Peacefully. B/c abhor violence.
An ethereal winged-people who practice more refined magic and are extremely arrogant.
2. Create a prophecy foretelling DOOM should these races interbreed.
3. Interbreed.
Part II:
1. Force a beautiful young princess to marry a rich old man she doesn't love.
2. Have Old Man leave Beautiful Princess at home alone for a year (b/c reasons).
3. Have Old Man return home from his year-long absence to discover Beautiful Princess swollen with child.
If this sort of thing had been limited to the world-building and/or the plot, but had well-developed characters, I might have been able to handle it.
But it wasn't.
Without exception, the characters were woefully exaggerated in their behavior.
Like when the king receives bad news that he must pass along to his council:
“There is worse,” Priam whispered, and Axis felt a finger of ice trace through his bowels.
*repeats in a baritone* Through his bowellllllls . . .
Which was quickly followed with:
“But that’s not all.” Priam’s voice dropped to a whisper and his face blanched to a sickly yellow.
Then when he finally gets around to revealing that his sister's tomb had been desecrated during an attack, his nephew (and heir) reacts like this:
“They stole my mother!” he screamed, his eyes wild, his hand still half-raised.
And of course all of this draws attention to other (illegitimate) nephew:
“At least Rivkah loved and respected my father enough not to betray him,” Axis said quietly, his eyes blazing fiercely as they locked with Borneheld’s. “Would that your father had received such love and respect from our mother.”
At which point this guy had had enough:
“By Artor!” snarled Roland, stepping between the two men, his massive flesh quivering with anger. “Is it not enough that we face this peril from the northern wastes? How can we face outside dangers when we tear ourselves to pieces within?”
He turned to Borneheld and abruptly slapped him across the face, sending droplets of blood scattering across the floor. “Is this how a WarLord acts in the heat of battle? What will you do when your foes taunt you across the battlefield, if this is how you react in the King’s Privy Council?”
*snickers*
See? It would have made a truly excellent '80s fantasy movie.
Especially with the addition of sort-of-brother #3, the aforementioned monstrous evil (he has face tusks and lizard skin and drools), who might not be such a bad guy if he weren't so terribly lonely:
“Timozel, will you be my friend?” it simpered.
*heart does not swell in sympathy*
Ye gods.
There were also incalculable eye roll-inducers like Axis' penchant for yelling, "Let's ride!" any time he and his axemen went anywhere, and his faithful #2 named Belial . . .
Yes . . . B/c SATAN was always so happy in a subordinate role . . . *rolls eyes*
But somewhere between the 30 - 40% mark, my senses became dulled and it got easier to bear. As hyperbolic as it was, it was still somewhat entertaining, PLUS there was the added benefit of seeing how my biggest objection from my original read had in reality stared me in the face unapologetically the entire time.
Still there are too many other (better) fantasy series out there for me to in good conscience recommend this one. Unless, you're entertained by all that is excessive, in which case . . . step right up . . . *bows like three ring circus master*
February 19, 2017
So I'm a little bit torn on how harshly I should judge this book. I realize it's early fantasy, and so I understand it's not going to compare to some of the newer fantasy books I've read. But at the same time, masterpieces like Lord of the Rings were written and published before this... So...
I wanted to rate this a 3 stars, but the further I got into it, the more I realized I would be lying if I rated it anything above a 2 stars.
My main issue is that I was bored for at least 80% of this book, and so I can't in all good conscience rate it higher.
This story has all the usual fantasy elements. War torn lands. Magical races. Prophecy. Chosen One.
That in itself is not a criticism. These elements are all very expected when I pick up a high fantasy novel. But there was nothing new here.
Nothing surprised me. No new twists. There were one or two interesting revelations, but no "Oh my god!" moments. When there are a laundry list of expected tropes and themes all crammed together into a novel, I need there to also be a few stand out features that compel me to care.
The writing style was also incredibly rudimentary. Some of the dialogue was... weird to say the least. Take this example:
"I don't care if we listen to the words of a pox-ridden whore whose brain is riddled with the diseases of her trade!"
Yea that's not an awkward thing to scream out in a perfectly serious situation...
I'm very confused by the author's choice to write in third person omniscient perspective for the entirety of this novel. More than once, situations were set up in one character's mind and immediately addressed in another character's mind. It went sort of like this:
Character 1: -does a risky thing-
Character 2: "Ah yes that was precisely the only acceptable thing that could've happened in this situation."
It felt cheesy, and like the author desperately wanted me to believe her characterization by confirming it with her other characters. And it needed to be laid out plainly, just to be sure we didn't miss it.
There were only two characters I genuinely connected with. Otherwise this book is teeming with pompous assholes. I like morally gray characters, but these people don't seem redeemable. It's just the first installment, so I'll try to withhold judgment, but I didn't enjoy reading about most of them.
Overall, this wasn't my kind of story. It was too bland, and it took me TWO MONTHS to finally slog through it.
Buddy read this with the boos, Sarah and Celeste! Thank you guys for patiently waiting for me to finish a whole month after you both did!
I wanted to rate this a 3 stars, but the further I got into it, the more I realized I would be lying if I rated it anything above a 2 stars.
My main issue is that I was bored for at least 80% of this book, and so I can't in all good conscience rate it higher.
This story has all the usual fantasy elements. War torn lands. Magical races. Prophecy. Chosen One.
That in itself is not a criticism. These elements are all very expected when I pick up a high fantasy novel. But there was nothing new here.
Nothing surprised me. No new twists. There were one or two interesting revelations, but no "Oh my god!" moments. When there are a laundry list of expected tropes and themes all crammed together into a novel, I need there to also be a few stand out features that compel me to care.
The writing style was also incredibly rudimentary. Some of the dialogue was... weird to say the least. Take this example:
"I don't care if we listen to the words of a pox-ridden whore whose brain is riddled with the diseases of her trade!"
Yea that's not an awkward thing to scream out in a perfectly serious situation...
I'm very confused by the author's choice to write in third person omniscient perspective for the entirety of this novel. More than once, situations were set up in one character's mind and immediately addressed in another character's mind. It went sort of like this:
Character 1: -does a risky thing-
Character 2: "Ah yes that was precisely the only acceptable thing that could've happened in this situation."
It felt cheesy, and like the author desperately wanted me to believe her characterization by confirming it with her other characters. And it needed to be laid out plainly, just to be sure we didn't miss it.
There were only two characters I genuinely connected with. Otherwise this book is teeming with pompous assholes. I like morally gray characters, but these people don't seem redeemable. It's just the first installment, so I'll try to withhold judgment, but I didn't enjoy reading about most of them.
Overall, this wasn't my kind of story. It was too bland, and it took me TWO MONTHS to finally slog through it.
Buddy read this with the boos, Sarah and Celeste! Thank you guys for patiently waiting for me to finish a whole month after you both did!
February 10, 2009
Within the first 150 pages, this book contains:
- An absurdly terrible prophetic "poem" about non-specific evil that must be defeated by a band of plucky heroes going on a quest.
- An obnoxious heroine who inexplicably has 20th century values in her generically medieval world, who is also amazingly beautiful in that way that only fantasy heroines in terrible books are.
- A douchey hero with an absurd name (to go along with the other absurd names in the book that sound like they were made up by a 4th grader).
- A guy we're supposed to hate despite the fact that we are given no actual reason to do so other than that the aforementioned unappealing hero and heroine seem to. Their hatred also appears to be for no reason other than that they read the book beforehand or something.
- Juvenile prose with a wandering POV that changes from one sentence to the next in various instances. Generally, this seems to be because the author was apparently too inept to handle writing a scene with multiple people thinking and feeling at the same time without just jumping into each character's head in turn to tell us directly what was going on with them.
This is an AMAZINGLY terrible book. It's as though the author took a list of crappy, generic fantasy tropes and used them as a guideline.
How was it published? Your guess is as good as mine.
- An absurdly terrible prophetic "poem" about non-specific evil that must be defeated by a band of plucky heroes going on a quest.
- An obnoxious heroine who inexplicably has 20th century values in her generically medieval world, who is also amazingly beautiful in that way that only fantasy heroines in terrible books are.
- A douchey hero with an absurd name (to go along with the other absurd names in the book that sound like they were made up by a 4th grader).
- A guy we're supposed to hate despite the fact that we are given no actual reason to do so other than that the aforementioned unappealing hero and heroine seem to. Their hatred also appears to be for no reason other than that they read the book beforehand or something.
- Juvenile prose with a wandering POV that changes from one sentence to the next in various instances. Generally, this seems to be because the author was apparently too inept to handle writing a scene with multiple people thinking and feeling at the same time without just jumping into each character's head in turn to tell us directly what was going on with them.
This is an AMAZINGLY terrible book. It's as though the author took a list of crappy, generic fantasy tropes and used them as a guideline.
How was it published? Your guess is as good as mine.
January 3, 2017
Full review now posted!
To the best of my knowledge, this was my first foray into Australian fantasy. And for the most part, it was an enjoyable journey. The land of Achar is facing a supernatural invasion, and Axis, the BattleAxe of the realm, sets out to fight the incursion. But Axis’s history is not what he has been taught his whole life to believe, and there is more to him than he thinks. As he slowly uncovers his past and the powers latent within him, he is joined by two priests, a pig herder, a white cat, and a lovely young woman named Faraday, who just so happens to be engaged to Axis’s greatest enemy; his half-brother, Borneheld. Layer by layer, the Prophecy of the Destroyer is revealed, and Axis’s life will never be the same.
It didn’t take me long to warm up to Axis, because I have a thing for surly guys who are actually really great people deep down. Faraday, on the other hand, took a while for me to embrace. She seemed in turns both too whiny and too accepting of any powers that manifested through her. But grow on me she did! My favorite minor characters were Azhure, a human who had lived through hell but was stronger for it; and StarDrifter and FreeFall, Icarii royalty who were absolutely gorgeous with their incredible wings.
The Icarii, a winged race, and the Avar, a race of forest dwellers, were interesting additions to Douglass’s world. They had been slaughtered by humans (Acharites) in the distant past, and the humans had deforested as much of the land as possible. In fact, the religion of the land was the Way of the Plough, and it portrayed trees and forests as almost demonic. The Seneschal, or the ruling religious body, were truly awful. The emphasis on deforestation (and the implied evil of the action) reminded me of Ferngully. The true power of this planet was not found in Artor and his way of the Plough, but in the Mother, a nature deity whose powers manifested themselves through trees and lakes. The nature religion of the Avar, Icarii, and those Acharites who were converted reminded me vaguely of Wicca.
The story was interesting, and the setting and characters were interesting. My main problem with the book was the writing itself. One of my biggest pet peeves is the repetition of names in dialogue, and Douglass fell into that. They know who they are; you don’t have to keep reminding them that you know their name! I got bogged down a bit at times, as well, by an inability to find a character’s actions believable (I’m looking at you, Borneheld, you beast); by either overabundance or lack of description, depending on the chapter; or by a constant reiteration of information that had been conveyed multiple times. But beyond that, it was just a fun look back at the fantasy genre of 20 years ago. I can absolutely see the nostalgic value of the books if they were one of your first forays into fantasy, as they were for my lovely friend Sarah. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series, it will just be at some point in the distant future.
Another buddy read with these loveliest of ladies: Marquess Mary and Lady Luna.
To the best of my knowledge, this was my first foray into Australian fantasy. And for the most part, it was an enjoyable journey. The land of Achar is facing a supernatural invasion, and Axis, the BattleAxe of the realm, sets out to fight the incursion. But Axis’s history is not what he has been taught his whole life to believe, and there is more to him than he thinks. As he slowly uncovers his past and the powers latent within him, he is joined by two priests, a pig herder, a white cat, and a lovely young woman named Faraday, who just so happens to be engaged to Axis’s greatest enemy; his half-brother, Borneheld. Layer by layer, the Prophecy of the Destroyer is revealed, and Axis’s life will never be the same.
It didn’t take me long to warm up to Axis, because I have a thing for surly guys who are actually really great people deep down. Faraday, on the other hand, took a while for me to embrace. She seemed in turns both too whiny and too accepting of any powers that manifested through her. But grow on me she did! My favorite minor characters were Azhure, a human who had lived through hell but was stronger for it; and StarDrifter and FreeFall, Icarii royalty who were absolutely gorgeous with their incredible wings.
The Icarii, a winged race, and the Avar, a race of forest dwellers, were interesting additions to Douglass’s world. They had been slaughtered by humans (Acharites) in the distant past, and the humans had deforested as much of the land as possible. In fact, the religion of the land was the Way of the Plough, and it portrayed trees and forests as almost demonic. The Seneschal, or the ruling religious body, were truly awful. The emphasis on deforestation (and the implied evil of the action) reminded me of Ferngully. The true power of this planet was not found in Artor and his way of the Plough, but in the Mother, a nature deity whose powers manifested themselves through trees and lakes. The nature religion of the Avar, Icarii, and those Acharites who were converted reminded me vaguely of Wicca.
The story was interesting, and the setting and characters were interesting. My main problem with the book was the writing itself. One of my biggest pet peeves is the repetition of names in dialogue, and Douglass fell into that. They know who they are; you don’t have to keep reminding them that you know their name! I got bogged down a bit at times, as well, by an inability to find a character’s actions believable (I’m looking at you, Borneheld, you beast); by either overabundance or lack of description, depending on the chapter; or by a constant reiteration of information that had been conveyed multiple times. But beyond that, it was just a fun look back at the fantasy genre of 20 years ago. I can absolutely see the nostalgic value of the books if they were one of your first forays into fantasy, as they were for my lovely friend Sarah. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series, it will just be at some point in the distant future.
Another buddy read with these loveliest of ladies: Marquess Mary and Lady Luna.
November 30, 2019
I started reading this series in the 90s when it first came out. I got through the first two books, waited for the third to come out, then life came along and kept me really busy with a job change and a cross country move. I had long since forgotten about these books until I ran across them the other day. So, I decided why not go finish this series 23 years later.
I clearly needed to reread this book, which I just finished. The writing definitely reminds me of 90s fantasy. A bit dramatic with the dialogue and overplayed hero’s and villains. It is a bit refreshing, actually. I was also struck by the similarity to Game of Thrones. A bit of research showed that this was written prior to George R R Martin’s series. An influence? There is even a character named Jayme.
This series emerged during Robert Jordan’s heyday, and the really huge fantasy novels were in vogue. (They still are-look at Sanderson).
In any case, I will have a good deal of time on my hands as I am hitting a hallmark of old age- shoulder surgery. My Kindle will easily turn pages for me, and as snow and ice pile on in this Minnesota winter, there is no time like the present for me to finish this series I began all of those years ago.
4.5 stars
I clearly needed to reread this book, which I just finished. The writing definitely reminds me of 90s fantasy. A bit dramatic with the dialogue and overplayed hero’s and villains. It is a bit refreshing, actually. I was also struck by the similarity to Game of Thrones. A bit of research showed that this was written prior to George R R Martin’s series. An influence? There is even a character named Jayme.
This series emerged during Robert Jordan’s heyday, and the really huge fantasy novels were in vogue. (They still are-look at Sanderson).
In any case, I will have a good deal of time on my hands as I am hitting a hallmark of old age- shoulder surgery. My Kindle will easily turn pages for me, and as snow and ice pile on in this Minnesota winter, there is no time like the present for me to finish this series I began all of those years ago.
4.5 stars
February 21, 2015
Where do I begin in reviewing arguably one of my all time favourite fantasy books? Perhaps the best way to do it is to provide some context. I first read Battleaxe when I was 14 in 1996. I distinctly remember walking into the bookstore and browsing over the shelves in search of something to read. After initially finding nothing of interest I went to leave, feeling disappointed and frustrated. As I turned my eyes fell upon a copy of Battleaxe that was tucked neatly on the shelves below my eye level. The cover wasn't eye-catching, but the premise sounded fascinating. On a whim I decided to give it a go, and I haven't looked back since.
Sara Douglass was the author who cemented my love of fantasy. I devoured each of her releases as they came, year after year. I adored the magical and unique worlds she took me too in those books, and the fact the she was an Australian author reinforced my love for her work. I used to keep up to date on her news via her website, where she dispensed wisdom and advice to all those who came seeking guidance. I even had the pleasure of meeting her once at an event, where her warmth and keen intellect shone through. Suffice to say I was devastated when I heard the news that she was sick with cancer. Like in all things Sara approached this setback with determination and humour, and she kept writing and posting on her website about her garden or cats until she got really sick. A few months later I heard the news that she had passed away, and I cried. I was not a close friend or family member, and I had only met her once. But I felt like I knew her, and I was heartbroken. Sara had that gift. She touched everyone who read her books, and we all felt her passing like the loss of a dear friend.
This 20th Anniversary edition of Battleaxe holds a special place in my heart for a number of reasons. Firstly, it celebrates the impact that Sara has had on fantasy and speculative fiction in this country. Sara was one of the first fantasy authors to write a bestseller in this country, and her books continued to be bestsellers year after year. A rare feat for any writer, let alone a fantasy fiction writer. Secondly it acknowledges the influence Sara has had over the industry here in Australia. Many of us (writers, publishers and fans alike) still look to her as the role model for Australian fantasy, and her books still continue to have influence despite her passing a number of years ago. We all owe her a debt that can be never repaid. To think it all started with just a small plastic axe she discovered in her garden one day. I only wish she could still see the happiness she brought into this world.
And Battleaxe itself? Many people might argue that it has become dated, but I would disagree. Battleaxe still to this very day retains its wonderful magic that I first experienced back in 1996. It is a powerful tale of fate, love, betrayal, religion and redemption. Sara was a trailblazer, and in Battleaxe she unleashed a wonderful ensemble of themes, characters and ideas. Axis, Rivkah, Borneheld, and Faraday all still entice and frustrate at the same time, and Sara was one of the first writers I read where powerful and strong women were the norm. The world of Battleaxe is still unique and richly layered, and the lives and magic of the Icarii and the Skraelings are simply stunning. I can't think of another book of the top of my head where such unique magical races have been depicted. Battleaxe is also still an immersive, meaty and thoughtful book. Arguably an allegory of the medieval world, Sara (a medieval historian before she turned to writing) brilliantly unpacks the role of the religion and the harm it brings to people and the natural world throughout the text. And boy, her gift with language still remains unchallenged. Reading Battleaxe is like slurping at a wonderfully flavoured soup on a cold and rainy night. Sara had a way with words that was simply beautiful to read, and in Battleaxe this is highlighted to full effect. The action sequences, twists and turns, and plot are all still top notch and cracking, and I still rate the assault on the Gorkenfort by the Skraelings as one of the best I have ever read. And don't get me started on the betrayals! The story still retains its impact twenty years later. As writer and friend Karen Brooks writes in the introduction to this edition, Battleaxe is a searing insight into humanity and history through the lens of fantasy fiction.
I love this book, but I am always sad when I finish it, knowing that I will never read a new release by Sara again. But I always go back and reread it year after year, no matter what. That is the power of Sara Douglass, and of Battleaxe. It is a magical and superb tale filled with love, violence, and betrayal. It was her first book, but it is also arguably one of her best. It is a must read for all fantasy fans, and it warms my heart to see a new generation will now get an opportunity to experience what I did many years ago with this rerelease.
5 out of 5 stars.
smashdragons.blogspot.com.au
Sara Douglass was the author who cemented my love of fantasy. I devoured each of her releases as they came, year after year. I adored the magical and unique worlds she took me too in those books, and the fact the she was an Australian author reinforced my love for her work. I used to keep up to date on her news via her website, where she dispensed wisdom and advice to all those who came seeking guidance. I even had the pleasure of meeting her once at an event, where her warmth and keen intellect shone through. Suffice to say I was devastated when I heard the news that she was sick with cancer. Like in all things Sara approached this setback with determination and humour, and she kept writing and posting on her website about her garden or cats until she got really sick. A few months later I heard the news that she had passed away, and I cried. I was not a close friend or family member, and I had only met her once. But I felt like I knew her, and I was heartbroken. Sara had that gift. She touched everyone who read her books, and we all felt her passing like the loss of a dear friend.
This 20th Anniversary edition of Battleaxe holds a special place in my heart for a number of reasons. Firstly, it celebrates the impact that Sara has had on fantasy and speculative fiction in this country. Sara was one of the first fantasy authors to write a bestseller in this country, and her books continued to be bestsellers year after year. A rare feat for any writer, let alone a fantasy fiction writer. Secondly it acknowledges the influence Sara has had over the industry here in Australia. Many of us (writers, publishers and fans alike) still look to her as the role model for Australian fantasy, and her books still continue to have influence despite her passing a number of years ago. We all owe her a debt that can be never repaid. To think it all started with just a small plastic axe she discovered in her garden one day. I only wish she could still see the happiness she brought into this world.
And Battleaxe itself? Many people might argue that it has become dated, but I would disagree. Battleaxe still to this very day retains its wonderful magic that I first experienced back in 1996. It is a powerful tale of fate, love, betrayal, religion and redemption. Sara was a trailblazer, and in Battleaxe she unleashed a wonderful ensemble of themes, characters and ideas. Axis, Rivkah, Borneheld, and Faraday all still entice and frustrate at the same time, and Sara was one of the first writers I read where powerful and strong women were the norm. The world of Battleaxe is still unique and richly layered, and the lives and magic of the Icarii and the Skraelings are simply stunning. I can't think of another book of the top of my head where such unique magical races have been depicted. Battleaxe is also still an immersive, meaty and thoughtful book. Arguably an allegory of the medieval world, Sara (a medieval historian before she turned to writing) brilliantly unpacks the role of the religion and the harm it brings to people and the natural world throughout the text. And boy, her gift with language still remains unchallenged. Reading Battleaxe is like slurping at a wonderfully flavoured soup on a cold and rainy night. Sara had a way with words that was simply beautiful to read, and in Battleaxe this is highlighted to full effect. The action sequences, twists and turns, and plot are all still top notch and cracking, and I still rate the assault on the Gorkenfort by the Skraelings as one of the best I have ever read. And don't get me started on the betrayals! The story still retains its impact twenty years later. As writer and friend Karen Brooks writes in the introduction to this edition, Battleaxe is a searing insight into humanity and history through the lens of fantasy fiction.
I love this book, but I am always sad when I finish it, knowing that I will never read a new release by Sara again. But I always go back and reread it year after year, no matter what. That is the power of Sara Douglass, and of Battleaxe. It is a magical and superb tale filled with love, violence, and betrayal. It was her first book, but it is also arguably one of her best. It is a must read for all fantasy fans, and it warms my heart to see a new generation will now get an opportunity to experience what I did many years ago with this rerelease.
5 out of 5 stars.
smashdragons.blogspot.com.au
February 10, 2010
A thousand years ago the people of Achar drove the Forbidden from their land in the War of the Axe. They pulled down huge swathes of woodland in their fear and now live by the Way of the Plough under the benign guidance of their deity Artor.
Troubling rumours are brewing from the north. Winter has come - and stayed. Icy wraiths are appearing from the mist and killing soldiers at the border stronghold before vanishing. They are believed to be the Forbidden, massing in order to invade Achar and kill the Acharites.
We meet Borneheld and Axis - Borneheld is heir to the throne of Achar, son of Searlas and Rivkah; Axis is his illegitimate half-brother, also son of Rivkah from when she took a lover and disgraced herself. Borneheld is the War Leader of Achar; Axis is the leader of the Axe-Wielders, the BattleAxe of the title.
Borneheld is sent the the border with reinforcements to try and hold back the Forbidden, while Axis is commanded by Jayme - the Seneschal of the Brotherhood (a sort of head priest figure, and Axis' foster father) - to seek out more information about the Forbidden in a bid to defeat them.
Axis is also commanded to take with him Faraday, Borneheld's betrothed, a very beautiful and innocent young woman whom Axis falls in love with. On the course of the journey Axis finds out more about the nature of the Forbidden and the Sentinels - and learns of the Prophecy. This Prophecy is about to change the course of his life forever.
Well, that is a basic description of the events that fill this novel, but don't do justice to the sheer amount of information that Douglass manages to fit in. She creates four completely different races, with a shared history; she sets up a family dispute that threatens to destroy the land and leave it open to Gorgrael, the foe; she puts in a Prophecy and many mystical doings.
With this in mind, the pace is explosive. I whipped through this six hundred page book in a matter of a couple of days, which (even given the fact I am currently trapped in my house by snow) is fast. The writing is simple and easy to follow; the concepts presented are smooth and Douglass builds up a decent fantasy world.
It is just a shame the writing is so damn bad, and the book is rife with cliches. Honestly, as I was reading through the novel I second guessed just about everything that happened, from Rivkah's 'surprise' resurrection, and Faraday turning out to be more than she seemed. Oh, and when Timozel is mentioned as resenting Axis within the first paragraph of introducing him, what's the betting he goes on and betrays Axis.... What's that? No bet, you say? When you know how a novel will pan out, it doesn't give you a great inclination to continue reading.
This book is in need of a heavy edit. For instance, within the first ten pages or so we encounter the word 'perplexion'. Unless I'm completely wrong, Douglass is making up words here - and a decent edit should have picked this up. A decent edit would have also turfed out some of the erroneous information Douglass info-dumped into the novel.
And, oh boy, is Douglass fond of her info-dumping! Every time she needs to introduce a new race, or the history of a race, or the religion of the country she over-uses the naive wide-eyed character that is having everything explained to them. This happens over and over and over and over....... again. It is a lazy method, and some of what Douglass brings into the story is just unnecessary for the story - it seems she is so proud of the notes she produced when world-building that she can't bear to leave anything out.
An edit would also have prevented some of the "oh, come on!" moments. For instance, at the end of chapter 51 we hear about the Charonites for the first time (on page 567 in my edition). In chapter 53 one of the characters suddenly says they need to seek the assistance of the Charonites. It makes me roll my eyes and jars me right out of a story when an author is as lazy as this. All it would have taken was a brief mention of this long-lost race during one of the many info-dumps we have to endure and it would have been much smoother!
I also have to mention Douglass' cutesy names for her Icarii characters, and also a method she uses throughout the book as a naming convention. We have characters such as StarDrifter and GoldFeather (yes, note the capital letter sat halfway through that word) and places such as the WildDog Plains (again, note the capital letter). Axis is the BattleAxe. I hate it! Every time I read one of these names I roll my eyes, which, although common in fantasy (Douglass is far from the only offender) it is the first time I've seen traditions of writing so cavalierly discarded.
Alongside this is the way that Douglass names the months: here, we have Raven-Month, Hungry-Month, Rose-Month etc etc. It makes the characters sound backward and childish when they say them.
And I'm not sure I am supposed to laugh at some of the sections I chortled at.... Everytime Axis and his Axe-Wielders leave a place, they go through the following ritual:
"Axe-Wielders, are you ready?" "We follow your voice and are ready, BattleAxe!" "Then let us ride!"
Douglass probably thought that this would sound stirring and majestic, but it just made me giggle a bit - especially when they perform the ritual on those occasions when they are supposed to be *silently* approaching an enemy in order to surprise them!
There are many more ways that I can be scathing - the characters are self-consciously made out to be good when they (surprise, surprise!) turn out to be evil later on; the military men immediately take on board the Prophecy as complete truth without any scepticism; a lot of the time Douglass forgets the saying 'show, don't tell' - but it's just too easy to mock.
What is sad is that Douglass obviously has a fantastic imagination, because the Way of the Plough, and the nature of the Forbidden are good ideas and could have been amazing in the hands of someone who could, y'know, actually write!
This is the first in a trilogy - on the one hand I don't want to read any more of the books because it is so much cliched nonsense; on the other hand I am compelled to find out what happens next! So I award it three stars - the two dimensional characters and bad writing on one side; compared with the fantastic pacing and imagination on display makes this a distinctly average fantasy novel.
Troubling rumours are brewing from the north. Winter has come - and stayed. Icy wraiths are appearing from the mist and killing soldiers at the border stronghold before vanishing. They are believed to be the Forbidden, massing in order to invade Achar and kill the Acharites.
We meet Borneheld and Axis - Borneheld is heir to the throne of Achar, son of Searlas and Rivkah; Axis is his illegitimate half-brother, also son of Rivkah from when she took a lover and disgraced herself. Borneheld is the War Leader of Achar; Axis is the leader of the Axe-Wielders, the BattleAxe of the title.
Borneheld is sent the the border with reinforcements to try and hold back the Forbidden, while Axis is commanded by Jayme - the Seneschal of the Brotherhood (a sort of head priest figure, and Axis' foster father) - to seek out more information about the Forbidden in a bid to defeat them.
Axis is also commanded to take with him Faraday, Borneheld's betrothed, a very beautiful and innocent young woman whom Axis falls in love with. On the course of the journey Axis finds out more about the nature of the Forbidden and the Sentinels - and learns of the Prophecy. This Prophecy is about to change the course of his life forever.
Well, that is a basic description of the events that fill this novel, but don't do justice to the sheer amount of information that Douglass manages to fit in. She creates four completely different races, with a shared history; she sets up a family dispute that threatens to destroy the land and leave it open to Gorgrael, the foe; she puts in a Prophecy and many mystical doings.
With this in mind, the pace is explosive. I whipped through this six hundred page book in a matter of a couple of days, which (even given the fact I am currently trapped in my house by snow) is fast. The writing is simple and easy to follow; the concepts presented are smooth and Douglass builds up a decent fantasy world.
It is just a shame the writing is so damn bad, and the book is rife with cliches. Honestly, as I was reading through the novel I second guessed just about everything that happened, from Rivkah's 'surprise' resurrection, and Faraday turning out to be more than she seemed. Oh, and when Timozel is mentioned as resenting Axis within the first paragraph of introducing him, what's the betting he goes on and betrays Axis.... What's that? No bet, you say? When you know how a novel will pan out, it doesn't give you a great inclination to continue reading.
This book is in need of a heavy edit. For instance, within the first ten pages or so we encounter the word 'perplexion'. Unless I'm completely wrong, Douglass is making up words here - and a decent edit should have picked this up. A decent edit would have also turfed out some of the erroneous information Douglass info-dumped into the novel.
And, oh boy, is Douglass fond of her info-dumping! Every time she needs to introduce a new race, or the history of a race, or the religion of the country she over-uses the naive wide-eyed character that is having everything explained to them. This happens over and over and over and over....... again. It is a lazy method, and some of what Douglass brings into the story is just unnecessary for the story - it seems she is so proud of the notes she produced when world-building that she can't bear to leave anything out.
An edit would also have prevented some of the "oh, come on!" moments. For instance, at the end of chapter 51 we hear about the Charonites for the first time (on page 567 in my edition). In chapter 53 one of the characters suddenly says they need to seek the assistance of the Charonites. It makes me roll my eyes and jars me right out of a story when an author is as lazy as this. All it would have taken was a brief mention of this long-lost race during one of the many info-dumps we have to endure and it would have been much smoother!
I also have to mention Douglass' cutesy names for her Icarii characters, and also a method she uses throughout the book as a naming convention. We have characters such as StarDrifter and GoldFeather (yes, note the capital letter sat halfway through that word) and places such as the WildDog Plains (again, note the capital letter). Axis is the BattleAxe. I hate it! Every time I read one of these names I roll my eyes, which, although common in fantasy (Douglass is far from the only offender) it is the first time I've seen traditions of writing so cavalierly discarded.
Alongside this is the way that Douglass names the months: here, we have Raven-Month, Hungry-Month, Rose-Month etc etc. It makes the characters sound backward and childish when they say them.
And I'm not sure I am supposed to laugh at some of the sections I chortled at.... Everytime Axis and his Axe-Wielders leave a place, they go through the following ritual:
"Axe-Wielders, are you ready?" "We follow your voice and are ready, BattleAxe!" "Then let us ride!"
Douglass probably thought that this would sound stirring and majestic, but it just made me giggle a bit - especially when they perform the ritual on those occasions when they are supposed to be *silently* approaching an enemy in order to surprise them!
There are many more ways that I can be scathing - the characters are self-consciously made out to be good when they (surprise, surprise!) turn out to be evil later on; the military men immediately take on board the Prophecy as complete truth without any scepticism; a lot of the time Douglass forgets the saying 'show, don't tell' - but it's just too easy to mock.
What is sad is that Douglass obviously has a fantastic imagination, because the Way of the Plough, and the nature of the Forbidden are good ideas and could have been amazing in the hands of someone who could, y'know, actually write!
This is the first in a trilogy - on the one hand I don't want to read any more of the books because it is so much cliched nonsense; on the other hand I am compelled to find out what happens next! So I award it three stars - the two dimensional characters and bad writing on one side; compared with the fantastic pacing and imagination on display makes this a distinctly average fantasy novel.
March 1, 2021
[2/28/21]: Re-read this as a buddy read with my book BFF, Sarah. Honestly, this series is a comfort read for me so I enjoyed it as much as I did in highschool. Comfort reads ftw in 2021 tbh. I have been super busy the last several months launching my own business so I haven't been the best buddy reader but I did complete the book and we did txt about the book a little over txt so win win over here.
Re-read # (I have read this one so much through the years) (8/11/17):
Still awesome. Still want to get my own copy again. This was one of the books lost in one of my many moves. I do wonder where all these lost books are? I hope whoever has mine, enjoys them. :P
It was cute to look back at bb!Krystle's spirituality influences. I have seen through this re-read how much my spirituality has evolved. I still like that aspect, but I have changed.
I read this one about 11 years ago for the first time.
Where did the time go?
This was one of my last reads before school starts, before I study tons and focus on reading through all my own-unreads.
It was nice to have this book be an old favorite to relax with. :)
Old review:
Okay, this book is what got me into the fantasy genre, of the medieval sort.
There is suspense, wars and battles, romance, and magic.
Azhure is awesome, and I have a big crush on her.
Also this book is inspiring to me spiritually. Yes, I know it's fiction, but the paganism in this novel is beautiful and makes me happy.
Re-read # (I have read this one so much through the years) (8/11/17):
Still awesome. Still want to get my own copy again. This was one of the books lost in one of my many moves. I do wonder where all these lost books are? I hope whoever has mine, enjoys them. :P
It was cute to look back at bb!Krystle's spirituality influences. I have seen through this re-read how much my spirituality has evolved. I still like that aspect, but I have changed.
I read this one about 11 years ago for the first time.
Where did the time go?
This was one of my last reads before school starts, before I study tons and focus on reading through all my own-unreads.
It was nice to have this book be an old favorite to relax with. :)
Old review:
Okay, this book is what got me into the fantasy genre, of the medieval sort.
There is suspense, wars and battles, romance, and magic.
Azhure is awesome, and I have a big crush on her.
Also this book is inspiring to me spiritually. Yes, I know it's fiction, but the paganism in this novel is beautiful and makes me happy.
September 19, 2008
The cover of this book touts author Sara Douglass as Australia's best fantasy writer. That may be true, but then I weep for the other Australian fantasy writers. This book is weird, but in an embarrassing, not good way - with characters named things like "StarDrifter" and "WolfStar" (capitalization and spacing true to the book!). When it isn't formulaic and derivative, it's just plain psycho, with a dash of overwrought sex scenes thrown in for good measure. Since I was given the first book in this series as a gift, you can't hold it against me that I went and read it. I am deeply embarrassed and ashamed to admit that I continued to read the next three books of the six book series. Blame it on my obsessive-compulsive, completist nature. I gave it two stars instead of one simply because of my own weakness in not being able to stop at the first book.
My rating is for the whole series.
My rating is for the whole series.
September 4, 2019
Sara Douglass is one of those fantasy authors whose books I haphazardly read B.G. (before Goodreads), throughout my teens, as I encountered them in the stacks of my local library’s fantasy section. It was good times! As with my ur-fantasy experiences of David Eddings and L.E. Modesitt, Jr., these books almost certainly don’t hold up. Yet when I came across not 1, not 3, but all 6 books of this series at my local used bookstore and got them all with store credit … well, it was a no-brainer. This summer brought with it a hankering for classic fantasy of the highest calibre of epic cheese, and The Wayfarer Redemption and its five sequels showed up to satisfy that craving like lemonade on a hot summer day. So yes, I am going to read all 6 books in the near future, and yes, I’m going to have fun with these reviews. If that sounds good, read on!
I’d summarize this book, but honestly, if you have read any fantasy from this era you can probably guess the tropes. We’ve got prophecy! We’ve got a Chosen One bonded to the Big Bad by blood! We’ve got mistaken identities and people assumed dead! We’ve got snivelling noblemen cowards! We’ve got hideous monster creatures! We’ve got a noble forest-dwelling people connected to the land and a beautiful winged people connected to the stars and humans hate both of these groups (fantasy discrimination for the win)! We’ve got obnoxious ambiguously-powered exposition characters called Sentinels who make sure characters meet their dates with destiny and mumble vague, ominous warnings about disobeying Prophecy if anyone thinks about disobeying Prophecy.
But why would you do that? All the cool kids are going along with the Prophecy! You want to be cool, don’t you?
Look, when I was 15, I was so steeped in fantasy that I had started writing my own novel. I had the map. I didn’t quite have the prophecy poem that Douglass has going on here, but I definitely had a lot of destiny-mongering. I had gods and monsters and sibling betrayal and a title that quoted Shakespeare. I was going places! And I don’t think I’m overly praising myself when I say that the quality of my novel (I did finish a full draft by the time I was 17, just for the record) approached that of The Wayfarer Redemption. My prose was almost certainly better. I’m not saying it was publishable—this is ten years later, when the tropes have already been played out. But you need this little tidbit to fully understand my positionality here: this book doesn’t make me nostalgic just for what I read in my adolescence but for what I wrote.
On a related note: one reason The Wayfarer Redemption is such a joy to read is its unwavering earnestness. The subversion of clichés in fantasy has, itself, approached cliché. There is a cynicism to a great deal of modern fantasy when it lampshades its past, and while it can be fun when done well, there’s also something to be said just for … going with it. That’s exactly what Douglass does here. She doubles down on high fantasy tropes, and it is glorious.
Let’s take a look at the setting, then some characters, and then finish up with some reflection on the plot (such as it is).
First off, the majority of the book takes place in the human domain of Achar. Humanity worships Artor, god of the plow, through the organization called the Seneschal. The Seneschal loves plowing so much that it ordered humanity to cut down all the forests it could find, to the point where apparently Achar is totally deforested. Which raises the obvious question … where is all your wood coming from? Do you import it? This is never addressed, nor are the environmental ramifications of eliminating an entire ecosystem.
The characterization in this book is bonkers at times. I could write a whole separate essay analyzing this. We’ve got characters who are introduced and set up as major players, like Brother Jayme, only for them to be jettisoned a third of the way through the book. Do they come back in later books? I don’t remember! But Douglass’ use of narrative perspective is certainly very generous throughout. Moreover, nearly all character change appears to be driven by authorial forces. Most of the characters are quite static in their personalities and how they approach problems. A few, like Timozel, change because that’s what the plot requires. Even characters who are initially reticent about embracing their new roles, like Faraday, acquiesce after they’ve been reminded they are slaves to the Prophecy (you have to say that in an ominous voice though or it doesn’t work). The background characters are so stock their watermarks are still on them. At one point when Faraday ends up taking refuge in some peasants’ house, the “Goodman” and his “Goodwife” practically fall over themselves to help her out, all the while creepily admiring her clean hands and beautiful white skin, like she’s some kind of goddess. Apparently the serfs are really happy with their position in life in Achar….
Then we have Axis and Borneheld. One is protagonist and hero by fiat. Douglass attempts to make him flawed and moody, tortured by the idea that he could have so much more power to save lives yet reluctant to embrace his identity as StarMan and the corollary that he has to take on Gorgrael. But his personality is a bit like a soggy cracker: the more you poke it the more it crumbles into your soup, and it still tastes fine, but does anyone honestly like cracker crumbs floating around in their soup? In contrast, Borneheld starts off as a somewhat vain and very flawed minor antagonist who looks like he’s going to be a thorn in the side of Axis along the way to bigger and badder bosses. Yet as the story develops, Borneheld morphs into a screechy shrew of a man portrayed as craven, cretinous, and entirely undeserving of respect. I’m ambivalent here: I do love the way that Douglass illustrates how Axis gains the respect of his soldiers through his actions while Borneheld sabotages himself at every turn … yet I feel like Douglass overplays that hand.
Basically, if I had to pick one word to describe The Wayfarer Redemption, it wouldn’t be subtle.
The plot of the book borrows a lot from standard quest structures. Axis’ ultimate objective is to get to Gorkentown (no, I don’t have anything stuck in my throat, that’s the name of the place), but when he finishes the tutorial level in Carlon, the mentor NPC dishes out a mandatory side-quest first: deliver Faraday et al somewhere, and pick up some expository NPCs along the way. So Axis eventually shows up at Gorkentown for the real boss battle, only for Douglass to reveal that the real Big Bad won’t be showing up until you buy the DLC. But if you explore all the conversation trees, complete the side-quests, and read the codex entries, you’ll get some fan service along the way.
So if you want 650 pages of grade A ’90s fantasy cheese, you cannot do any better than The Wayfarer Redemption. But let me close on a bit of a serious critique/praise: this book is actually pretty dark. Setting aside the now-clichés, etc., the storyline here is properly gritty in a way that maybe isn’t apparent from my tongue-in-cheek tone here. There is child abuse, arranged/forced marriage, a lot of graphic violence—this could be made into a Starz TV show and would work quite well. The underlying story of the divisions among 3 species, the latent magic of the Mother and the Star Gate and whatnot, the inherent tragedy of Axis and Gorgrael’s conceptions and births … Douglass knows what she is doing when it comes to plotting and worldbuilding. Don’t let the trope-laden fantasy cladding fool you into thinking that this is just marshmallow puffs all the way down; this is the full breakfast right here.
Does it hold up? I honestly don’t know how to answer that question. What does it even mean for a book like this to be “good”? It’s not great literature, genre considered or otherwise. I enjoyed reading it, but I can’t separate that enjoyment from the intense payload of nostalgia that comes with it. I don’t think someone coming at this with a fresh perspective is going to see it the same as I do. Likewise, I think my reaction is probably different from someone who first read these books as they came out as opposed to haphazardly a decade later (I honestly don’t remember which books in this series I’ve read).
All I can say is that I’m going to have fun re-reading and reviewing all of these books. Because from what I do remember, the ride is going to get wilder still.
I’d summarize this book, but honestly, if you have read any fantasy from this era you can probably guess the tropes. We’ve got prophecy! We’ve got a Chosen One bonded to the Big Bad by blood! We’ve got mistaken identities and people assumed dead! We’ve got snivelling noblemen cowards! We’ve got hideous monster creatures! We’ve got a noble forest-dwelling people connected to the land and a beautiful winged people connected to the stars and humans hate both of these groups (fantasy discrimination for the win)! We’ve got obnoxious ambiguously-powered exposition characters called Sentinels who make sure characters meet their dates with destiny and mumble vague, ominous warnings about disobeying Prophecy if anyone thinks about disobeying Prophecy.
But why would you do that? All the cool kids are going along with the Prophecy! You want to be cool, don’t you?
Look, when I was 15, I was so steeped in fantasy that I had started writing my own novel. I had the map. I didn’t quite have the prophecy poem that Douglass has going on here, but I definitely had a lot of destiny-mongering. I had gods and monsters and sibling betrayal and a title that quoted Shakespeare. I was going places! And I don’t think I’m overly praising myself when I say that the quality of my novel (I did finish a full draft by the time I was 17, just for the record) approached that of The Wayfarer Redemption. My prose was almost certainly better. I’m not saying it was publishable—this is ten years later, when the tropes have already been played out. But you need this little tidbit to fully understand my positionality here: this book doesn’t make me nostalgic just for what I read in my adolescence but for what I wrote.
On a related note: one reason The Wayfarer Redemption is such a joy to read is its unwavering earnestness. The subversion of clichés in fantasy has, itself, approached cliché. There is a cynicism to a great deal of modern fantasy when it lampshades its past, and while it can be fun when done well, there’s also something to be said just for … going with it. That’s exactly what Douglass does here. She doubles down on high fantasy tropes, and it is glorious.
Let’s take a look at the setting, then some characters, and then finish up with some reflection on the plot (such as it is).
First off, the majority of the book takes place in the human domain of Achar. Humanity worships Artor, god of the plow, through the organization called the Seneschal. The Seneschal loves plowing so much that it ordered humanity to cut down all the forests it could find, to the point where apparently Achar is totally deforested. Which raises the obvious question … where is all your wood coming from? Do you import it? This is never addressed, nor are the environmental ramifications of eliminating an entire ecosystem.
The characterization in this book is bonkers at times. I could write a whole separate essay analyzing this. We’ve got characters who are introduced and set up as major players, like Brother Jayme, only for them to be jettisoned a third of the way through the book. Do they come back in later books? I don’t remember! But Douglass’ use of narrative perspective is certainly very generous throughout. Moreover, nearly all character change appears to be driven by authorial forces. Most of the characters are quite static in their personalities and how they approach problems. A few, like Timozel, change because that’s what the plot requires. Even characters who are initially reticent about embracing their new roles, like Faraday, acquiesce after they’ve been reminded they are slaves to the Prophecy (you have to say that in an ominous voice though or it doesn’t work). The background characters are so stock their watermarks are still on them. At one point when Faraday ends up taking refuge in some peasants’ house, the “Goodman” and his “Goodwife” practically fall over themselves to help her out, all the while creepily admiring her clean hands and beautiful white skin, like she’s some kind of goddess. Apparently the serfs are really happy with their position in life in Achar….
Then we have Axis and Borneheld. One is protagonist and hero by fiat. Douglass attempts to make him flawed and moody, tortured by the idea that he could have so much more power to save lives yet reluctant to embrace his identity as StarMan and the corollary that he has to take on Gorgrael. But his personality is a bit like a soggy cracker: the more you poke it the more it crumbles into your soup, and it still tastes fine, but does anyone honestly like cracker crumbs floating around in their soup? In contrast, Borneheld starts off as a somewhat vain and very flawed minor antagonist who looks like he’s going to be a thorn in the side of Axis along the way to bigger and badder bosses. Yet as the story develops, Borneheld morphs into a screechy shrew of a man portrayed as craven, cretinous, and entirely undeserving of respect. I’m ambivalent here: I do love the way that Douglass illustrates how Axis gains the respect of his soldiers through his actions while Borneheld sabotages himself at every turn … yet I feel like Douglass overplays that hand.
Basically, if I had to pick one word to describe The Wayfarer Redemption, it wouldn’t be subtle.
The plot of the book borrows a lot from standard quest structures. Axis’ ultimate objective is to get to Gorkentown (no, I don’t have anything stuck in my throat, that’s the name of the place), but when he finishes the tutorial level in Carlon, the mentor NPC dishes out a mandatory side-quest first: deliver Faraday et al somewhere, and pick up some expository NPCs along the way. So Axis eventually shows up at Gorkentown for the real boss battle, only for Douglass to reveal that the real Big Bad won’t be showing up until you buy the DLC. But if you explore all the conversation trees, complete the side-quests, and read the codex entries, you’ll get some fan service along the way.
So if you want 650 pages of grade A ’90s fantasy cheese, you cannot do any better than The Wayfarer Redemption. But let me close on a bit of a serious critique/praise: this book is actually pretty dark. Setting aside the now-clichés, etc., the storyline here is properly gritty in a way that maybe isn’t apparent from my tongue-in-cheek tone here. There is child abuse, arranged/forced marriage, a lot of graphic violence—this could be made into a Starz TV show and would work quite well. The underlying story of the divisions among 3 species, the latent magic of the Mother and the Star Gate and whatnot, the inherent tragedy of Axis and Gorgrael’s conceptions and births … Douglass knows what she is doing when it comes to plotting and worldbuilding. Don’t let the trope-laden fantasy cladding fool you into thinking that this is just marshmallow puffs all the way down; this is the full breakfast right here.
Does it hold up? I honestly don’t know how to answer that question. What does it even mean for a book like this to be “good”? It’s not great literature, genre considered or otherwise. I enjoyed reading it, but I can’t separate that enjoyment from the intense payload of nostalgia that comes with it. I don’t think someone coming at this with a fresh perspective is going to see it the same as I do. Likewise, I think my reaction is probably different from someone who first read these books as they came out as opposed to haphazardly a decade later (I honestly don’t remember which books in this series I’ve read).
All I can say is that I’m going to have fun re-reading and reviewing all of these books. Because from what I do remember, the ride is going to get wilder still.
June 15, 2009
A friend of mine gave me this series as a Xmas gift a few years back and I was HOOKED. One of the best series I have EVER read. I honestly could not put it down and since then I have desperately latched onto every single book Sara Douglass has written. They are all fantastic but this series is the best. Good versus evil at it's best. The character development is simply wonderful yet it reads like a fast paced thriller. What I also appreciate about this author but particularly in this series, is that things are never what they seem. If you are a disillusionist reader like myself that can always predict the plot or the bad guy THIS SERIES is FOR YOU. The number of plot twists kept me guesssing throughout and Sara Douglass makes you even feel for the bad guys. Her Wayfarer world blends the old and the new and is simply fantasy at it's best!! If you like the good versus the bad, demons, angels, warriors, battles and a little but of sex rolled in you are good to go!
March 20, 2009
this book is an adventure from start to finish. Axis the main character is a character in itself. in the begining it talks about the fued between him, his half brother and the rest of the kingdom. it also talks about the destroyer and how he came to be and from where in his mysterious birthing. this book is action packed and very explicit in the language and visual effects. readers under 14 shouldnt read this.
April 28, 2010
This is another that was much beloved of many people and highly recommended. It just wasn't my "cup of tea". I didn't find it interesting and the writing didn't draw me in. I just didn't care for it.
January 10, 2020
I was in the mood to start a large epic fantasy series and this one is checking most of the boxes.
It opens a six-book series (initially published as two separate trilogies) and features a human struggle to put aside its age-old enmity for two other races and join in battle against a deadly invasion of wraiths. A prophecy unearthed in a monastery challenges the humans’ beliefs of just who the enemy really is and their need to pursue an ancient battle against the “Forbidden”. These two hated races were long ago driven into exile but both, according to the prophecy, must ally with the humans to defeat the invading wraiths.
The novel is fairly typical of epic fantasy being published in the mid-1990’s, focusing on two main characters but with a wide array of supporting roles. Central to the plot is a mysterious prophecy, certainly a common trope of the genre at that time (that's not the only one) but here it works well as a framework for the plot. What begins as a fairly simple plot evolves over the course of this one volume with the help of some surprise world building. As we meet other characters, particularly of the “Forbidden” races, we come to realize how much history lies behind the current story.
Looking forward to continuing the series and discovering much more about the characters and what is shaping up to be a complex fantasy world.
It opens a six-book series (initially published as two separate trilogies) and features a human struggle to put aside its age-old enmity for two other races and join in battle against a deadly invasion of wraiths. A prophecy unearthed in a monastery challenges the humans’ beliefs of just who the enemy really is and their need to pursue an ancient battle against the “Forbidden”. These two hated races were long ago driven into exile but both, according to the prophecy, must ally with the humans to defeat the invading wraiths.
The novel is fairly typical of epic fantasy being published in the mid-1990’s, focusing on two main characters but with a wide array of supporting roles. Central to the plot is a mysterious prophecy, certainly a common trope of the genre at that time (that's not the only one) but here it works well as a framework for the plot. What begins as a fairly simple plot evolves over the course of this one volume with the help of some surprise world building. As we meet other characters, particularly of the “Forbidden” races, we come to realize how much history lies behind the current story.
Looking forward to continuing the series and discovering much more about the characters and what is shaping up to be a complex fantasy world.
November 1, 2013
Dear Mrs. Douglass,
My first encounter with you was through your highly depressing and more than a little annoying Hades' Daughter a few months ago. While I found the book enjoyable to a degree, it did annoy me regarding its portrayal of 'good' girls vs evil ones, aka the whiny limp string noodle of a heroine and the evil, sexy, and powerful villain, and the apparent lust filled characters you filled it full of that were more than a little possessive.
Plus there was that really awkward sharpening my knife villain sequences that made me facepalm more than a few times.
(of which I'm very grateful didn't occur in this novel)
So I must admit I did start Wayfarer with some trepidation. I wasn't pleased with a lot of your choices, but I thought at the very least, considering this was recommended to me by my BFF, would be somewhat entertaining on the same level or higher that HD was.
Sigh.
There were a lot of things I found wrong with this novel. The writing, the prophecy names/categories, your presentation of the elvish characters (who were passive to a degree that pissed me off), the romance, the 'manipulation' of the god-like characters. Even your mythology made me a little angry.
But. I have to admit the thing that broke any respect I had for you or this novel was the fact that the main heroine's purpose was solely to marry the man she hated to save everyone.
The main heroine's job was to get married so no one would get jealous over her.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
I mean I'm not a big feminist by any means. Sure I believe in equality and I hate sexism, but I am not an active part of that community. But this disgusting plot point and obvious let's-keep-the-lovers-apart part of the story disturbed me to a degree I didn't know I could feel.
Yes, I did finish your book. Because my friend recommended it and because I love her, and I hoped to god it would get better. Which surprising it did. The last 50 some pages were somewhat interesting.
But you can bet I won't be reading any more of your work. I'm sick and tired of heroines who are so beautiful the world moons over them and who's main problem comes from their jealous admirers. This is not women taking power. This is treating women like a sex symbol, a prize to be won.
And you can bet I won't be standing for it.
Also what the heck is this scene about?
When the Mother joined her in the water She brought with Her fragrant soap. Slowly She washed Faraday, Her fingers soothing and gentle as they traced over Faraday's body. Faraday closed her eyes and leaned back into the Mother's arms in the water, letting both water and the Mother's hands support her as she floated.
"Mother," she whispered, unable to believe the sensations that the Mother's hands caused her, "that feels so good!"
The Mother smiled and lifted Her hands to massage the girl's scalp, soaping her hair and rubbing Her fingers softly yet firmly across the girl's temples. "You have known only the awkward touch of your husband, Daughter. I have the hands of love."
So did the mother goddess of this novel just have a sexual experience with one of her devotees or what?
Seriously, the eff. 2/5
My first encounter with you was through your highly depressing and more than a little annoying Hades' Daughter a few months ago. While I found the book enjoyable to a degree, it did annoy me regarding its portrayal of 'good' girls vs evil ones, aka the whiny limp string noodle of a heroine and the evil, sexy, and powerful villain, and the apparent lust filled characters you filled it full of that were more than a little possessive.
Plus there was that really awkward sharpening my knife villain sequences that made me facepalm more than a few times.
(of which I'm very grateful didn't occur in this novel)
So I must admit I did start Wayfarer with some trepidation. I wasn't pleased with a lot of your choices, but I thought at the very least, considering this was recommended to me by my BFF, would be somewhat entertaining on the same level or higher that HD was.
Sigh.
There were a lot of things I found wrong with this novel. The writing, the prophecy names/categories, your presentation of the elvish characters (who were passive to a degree that pissed me off), the romance, the 'manipulation' of the god-like characters. Even your mythology made me a little angry.
But. I have to admit the thing that broke any respect I had for you or this novel was the fact that the main heroine's purpose was solely to marry the man she hated to save everyone.
The main heroine's job was to get married so no one would get jealous over her.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
I mean I'm not a big feminist by any means. Sure I believe in equality and I hate sexism, but I am not an active part of that community. But this disgusting plot point and obvious let's-keep-the-lovers-apart part of the story disturbed me to a degree I didn't know I could feel.
Yes, I did finish your book. Because my friend recommended it and because I love her, and I hoped to god it would get better. Which surprising it did. The last 50 some pages were somewhat interesting.
But you can bet I won't be reading any more of your work. I'm sick and tired of heroines who are so beautiful the world moons over them and who's main problem comes from their jealous admirers. This is not women taking power. This is treating women like a sex symbol, a prize to be won.
And you can bet I won't be standing for it.
Also what the heck is this scene about?
When the Mother joined her in the water She brought with Her fragrant soap. Slowly She washed Faraday, Her fingers soothing and gentle as they traced over Faraday's body. Faraday closed her eyes and leaned back into the Mother's arms in the water, letting both water and the Mother's hands support her as she floated.
"Mother," she whispered, unable to believe the sensations that the Mother's hands caused her, "that feels so good!"
The Mother smiled and lifted Her hands to massage the girl's scalp, soaping her hair and rubbing Her fingers softly yet firmly across the girl's temples. "You have known only the awkward touch of your husband, Daughter. I have the hands of love."
So did the mother goddess of this novel just have a sexual experience with one of her devotees or what?
Seriously, the eff. 2/5
December 27, 2018
I still loved Battleaxe as much as the first day I read it. Is it cliched fantasy literature? Of course! There are ridiculously attractive people making stupid mistakes, with evil brothers who have to fight each other, a prophecy, and some star-crossed lovers. It's not groundbreaking. But it's so much fun to read!
Sara Douglass' descriptions are gloriously sumptuous. She's built a world the feels real, with its own religion, folklore, and populations with their own history and culture. Magic in her universe makes sense. It's not just there as a plot device but interweaves with every aspect of the fantasy setting.
I was worried that I wouldn't like Battleaxe as much as the first time, but I shouldn't have been concerned. I still loved every trashy, fantastic second of it. I wish Douglass had gotten more recognition outside of Australia than she did.
Sara Douglass' descriptions are gloriously sumptuous. She's built a world the feels real, with its own religion, folklore, and populations with their own history and culture. Magic in her universe makes sense. It's not just there as a plot device but interweaves with every aspect of the fantasy setting.
“There is a winter ahead such as I think we cannot imagine, but remember that spring always follows.”
I was worried that I wouldn't like Battleaxe as much as the first time, but I shouldn't have been concerned. I still loved every trashy, fantastic second of it. I wish Douglass had gotten more recognition outside of Australia than she did.
January 29, 2009
The Wayfarer Redemption by Sara Douglass is one of the better fantasy books I've read. This is an epic tale in every sense of the word. The characters are complex and well-thought out, while the plot builds in layers revealing a complex tapestry of plots and sub plots that will leave the reader racing through its pages to find out what will happen next.
Often enough you cannot accurately judge a book by its cover, but in the case of The Wayfarer Redemption, I found myself constantly stopping in the middle of a sentence to take in the beautiful cover to help remind myself that nothing was taken for granted in the creation of this book. The maps are well done, the glossary helps to fill in the blanks. But the best part of this story is the characters.
What makes this story work for me is the multi-layered storytelling and multiple plotlines. On one hand you have this ancient prophecy predicting the climactic battle between The Starman and The Destroyer looming over everything. Meanwhile, you have these wonderful characters Axis, Faraday, Borneheld, Timozel, Yr, Jack and company who are caught up in the whirlwind storm brought about by this prophecy. There's political intrigue, shifting alliances, armies of darkness, mystical races, interfamily warfare, forbidden love--you name it this story has it all. I would love to see this book made into a film.
Some people might lambast this book for not being as prosaic as some of the more popular fantasy books. Others might attack it for not having the immediate appeal of being your cookie-cutter fantasy tale. In my opinion, The Wayfarer Redemption, although a modern invention, has storyteller charm and is rich in its depiction of its various cultures and world.
I am very impressed to know that this book is not a failed attempt to rehash the plot of The Lord of the Rings. This book features no hobbit-like folk, goblins, or any of that sort of overused fantasy fare. Yet, I can't help but notice that it shares the some of the same fine qualities that makes The Lord of the Rings such a successful book. I am amazed by the sheer depth of this story and am quite eager to see if Ms. Douglass can maintain such high quality writing over the course of the series.
To put it simply, this book took my breath away. Anyone who enjoys reading well-written engaging fantasy fiction ought to give this series a try!
Often enough you cannot accurately judge a book by its cover, but in the case of The Wayfarer Redemption, I found myself constantly stopping in the middle of a sentence to take in the beautiful cover to help remind myself that nothing was taken for granted in the creation of this book. The maps are well done, the glossary helps to fill in the blanks. But the best part of this story is the characters.
What makes this story work for me is the multi-layered storytelling and multiple plotlines. On one hand you have this ancient prophecy predicting the climactic battle between The Starman and The Destroyer looming over everything. Meanwhile, you have these wonderful characters Axis, Faraday, Borneheld, Timozel, Yr, Jack and company who are caught up in the whirlwind storm brought about by this prophecy. There's political intrigue, shifting alliances, armies of darkness, mystical races, interfamily warfare, forbidden love--you name it this story has it all. I would love to see this book made into a film.
Some people might lambast this book for not being as prosaic as some of the more popular fantasy books. Others might attack it for not having the immediate appeal of being your cookie-cutter fantasy tale. In my opinion, The Wayfarer Redemption, although a modern invention, has storyteller charm and is rich in its depiction of its various cultures and world.
I am very impressed to know that this book is not a failed attempt to rehash the plot of The Lord of the Rings. This book features no hobbit-like folk, goblins, or any of that sort of overused fantasy fare. Yet, I can't help but notice that it shares the some of the same fine qualities that makes The Lord of the Rings such a successful book. I am amazed by the sheer depth of this story and am quite eager to see if Ms. Douglass can maintain such high quality writing over the course of the series.
To put it simply, this book took my breath away. Anyone who enjoys reading well-written engaging fantasy fiction ought to give this series a try!
March 3, 2021
Much like my previous experience with Douglass (Hades’ Daughter), this is the pinnacle of cheesy, soapy fantasy—Mary Sues & Gary Stus, uber-dramatic problems, cliché settings & backstories, highly strung emotions, blatant good vs evil. And...and...
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. :D Know why? Because it’s entertaining. It’s exactly what it’s meant to be.
This was written in the height of what I consider the Classic 90s fantasy era, which I’d date circa late-‘80s to mid-2000s. This is the era of Roberson, Rawn, Douglass, Jordan, Weis & Hickman; it’s also the heyday of DAW doorstopper series & Spectra paperbacks with their colorful, fantasy-screaming covers by Whelan, Royo, & Gilbert. This was the era where you could go to B.Dalton & head straight for that glorious Wall o’ Fantasy/SciFi, then lose yourself for an hour in browsing the mass-market treasures therein.
This was an era where fantasy was cool—not despite the fact that geeks read it, but because geeks read it. The genre was proud of its roots, proud of being the unrepentant offspring of Tolkien + Dungeons & Dragons.
Nowadays...I don’t see the same sparkle.
Why? Who knows. I do think some of the blame lies with George RR Martin. Nowadays fantasy seems to be obsessed with seeing how ‘grey’ they can make their antiheroes, with how likably horrid they can make their antagonists, or how much they can blur the line between those categories. But I also think some blame lies with the flowering of the YA market, which has pushed much of “adult” sword & sorcery aside in favor of teen fantasy that churns out vaguely medieval settings to showcase their boring love triangles, boring teenage monarchs (generally displaced), & boring covers with dripping crowns. Fantasy is no longer a geek haven. Fantasy has to show that it’s Hip.
Frankly, I miss the way it used to be. ;__;
...Anyhoo. Despite this book’s flaws (& there are several, make no mistake), I thoroughly enjoyed it for what it was, & also what it represents to me: the warm glow of literary nostalgia. 🧡
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. :D Know why? Because it’s entertaining. It’s exactly what it’s meant to be.
This was written in the height of what I consider the Classic 90s fantasy era, which I’d date circa late-‘80s to mid-2000s. This is the era of Roberson, Rawn, Douglass, Jordan, Weis & Hickman; it’s also the heyday of DAW doorstopper series & Spectra paperbacks with their colorful, fantasy-screaming covers by Whelan, Royo, & Gilbert. This was the era where you could go to B.Dalton & head straight for that glorious Wall o’ Fantasy/SciFi, then lose yourself for an hour in browsing the mass-market treasures therein.
This was an era where fantasy was cool—not despite the fact that geeks read it, but because geeks read it. The genre was proud of its roots, proud of being the unrepentant offspring of Tolkien + Dungeons & Dragons.
Nowadays...I don’t see the same sparkle.
Why? Who knows. I do think some of the blame lies with George RR Martin. Nowadays fantasy seems to be obsessed with seeing how ‘grey’ they can make their antiheroes, with how likably horrid they can make their antagonists, or how much they can blur the line between those categories. But I also think some blame lies with the flowering of the YA market, which has pushed much of “adult” sword & sorcery aside in favor of teen fantasy that churns out vaguely medieval settings to showcase their boring love triangles, boring teenage monarchs (generally displaced), & boring covers with dripping crowns. Fantasy is no longer a geek haven. Fantasy has to show that it’s Hip.
Frankly, I miss the way it used to be. ;__;
...Anyhoo. Despite this book’s flaws (& there are several, make no mistake), I thoroughly enjoyed it for what it was, & also what it represents to me: the warm glow of literary nostalgia. 🧡
March 26, 2008
I have this rule. I give a book 100 pages to get interesting. If it doesn't, I put that shit down like a dog with rabies and pick up something else. I gave The Wayfarer Redemption 100 pages, and it never got beyond standard fantasy drivel--there's a princess? marrying a prince? but she doesn't love him, she loves the Noble Male Knight Lead Character she can never be with? GASP. There's fantasy monsters threatening the kingdom? SHOCK. Noble Male Knight Lead Character is the only one who can stop them? HOLY CRAP IT'S ALL SO FRESH. So anyways now I'm reading Wolves of the Calla: The Dark Tower V and everything is groovy.
October 6, 2016
Ok...so this starts out really slow but once the action gets started...I am hooked.
I loved Battleaxe and Faraday...and couldnt wait to get the next book in the series...UNTIL...I started to read the reviews for the next two books in this series.
I just have to say...Thank God I didnt waste close to 10.00 to buy the next book. I freakin hate when a character is protrayed as great at first but turns into a raging asshole who puts a woman through hell.
Sorry...Im not wasting my time on the rest of this series and I want to thank reviewers who take the time to help me not waste my time.
I loved Battleaxe and Faraday...and couldnt wait to get the next book in the series...UNTIL...I started to read the reviews for the next two books in this series.
I just have to say...Thank God I didnt waste close to 10.00 to buy the next book. I freakin hate when a character is protrayed as great at first but turns into a raging asshole who puts a woman through hell.
Sorry...Im not wasting my time on the rest of this series and I want to thank reviewers who take the time to help me not waste my time.
May 26, 2016
Too simplistic, awkward writing at times, unbelievable situations. I had such high hopes for this book based on the premise and the introduction. Sadly it just didn't live up to those expectations. I wanted to like it and hung in there through a lot of the stilted dialogue and the Mary Sue-like behavior of Faraday. In the end, I just couldn't do it anymore. Not one of my favorite books. Probably will abandon the series right here.
April 17, 2011
I love fantasy & science fiction. They are my favourite genres.
But there's a lot more great stuff out there than these books.
I found her world enthralling and the pace of the novel great, but the characters! Oh Sara Douglass, why must you make them ALL so awful that I cannot sympathise or care about a single one??
I had actually read reviews before I picked up the novel, so I approached the reading of this book with a new mindset - and one I have to say I wasn't particularly enthused to have to use. Instead of being invested in the characters, and experiencing their lives with them; riding their highs and lows, I read it in a completely removed fashion.
I read it as an observer, with a keen interest in the events of the history of this world; not with any attachment to the characters. It didn't make for a particularly enjoyable read that way, but I did find the choices and characterisation, while irritating, not as exceptionally annoying as they would have been had I jumped into the story head first. I heeded the warning of another reviewer who said just don't get too attached to the people - they'll either become douches or die.
I could rant on and on about why the characters are terrible, but it's all been said here before.
I will say I have no problem with flawed heroes/heroines, but I believe that character development should be exactly that - the development of character. The learning from mistakes, turning away from selfishness, and growth. (While that sounds cliché, if you are a good writer you will have no trouble making this engaging.) Not descent into a far worse person than they were at the start of the first novel.
In a way I hated this for the same reason I hate Tarantino - for their lack of respect for their characters and their use of them to act out whatever sick fantasy / situation they are dealing with in their own lives. It's so transparent.
And speaking of transparent, your own motivations could not be more so, Ms Douglass, when you write about the Evil Organised Religions who make all else suffer and purport lies, while the nature loving hippy nations of tree huggers and astrologists wield the TRUE power, so on and so forth. Talk about an agenda and issues, to go with her women / men problems.
I have 2 problems here. 1. SO UNORIGINAL. Seriously?? Like we haven't heard all that before.
2. Suspending my disbelief to immerse myself in the book and the world it's written in ends when I can see what the author is pushing. That goes for ANY idea, whether it be pushing that blue is the best colour ever or some sort of political religious motivation as it is here. It happened for me in Eldest, the second Eragon book. Also, The Last Templar. I find myself pulling back out into the real world in disgust, and skim reading the rest of the book just so I find out what actually happened for my own peace of mind, not because i am actually invested in the story.
In the end, this has two stars instead of one because in spite of all the things I couldn't stand - the characters, the stupid names (Azhure???? could you get any more pretentious? BattleAxe? and so on) the stupid rituals, the adding to the arsenal of powers for the female characters, the appropriation of existing fantasy ideas, the disturbing undercurrents and transparent agendas... - I still couldn't put the book down. I was actually NOT enjoying myself reading it, yet I had to know how it ended. I wanted to know about these momentous events of (their) history. So I guess, all is not lost. I will have to read some more Sara Douglass to see if any of these issues improve in her later work.
But there's a lot more great stuff out there than these books.
I found her world enthralling and the pace of the novel great, but the characters! Oh Sara Douglass, why must you make them ALL so awful that I cannot sympathise or care about a single one??
I had actually read reviews before I picked up the novel, so I approached the reading of this book with a new mindset - and one I have to say I wasn't particularly enthused to have to use. Instead of being invested in the characters, and experiencing their lives with them; riding their highs and lows, I read it in a completely removed fashion.
I read it as an observer, with a keen interest in the events of the history of this world; not with any attachment to the characters. It didn't make for a particularly enjoyable read that way, but I did find the choices and characterisation, while irritating, not as exceptionally annoying as they would have been had I jumped into the story head first. I heeded the warning of another reviewer who said just don't get too attached to the people - they'll either become douches or die.
I could rant on and on about why the characters are terrible, but it's all been said here before.
I will say I have no problem with flawed heroes/heroines, but I believe that character development should be exactly that - the development of character. The learning from mistakes, turning away from selfishness, and growth. (While that sounds cliché, if you are a good writer you will have no trouble making this engaging.) Not descent into a far worse person than they were at the start of the first novel.
In a way I hated this for the same reason I hate Tarantino - for their lack of respect for their characters and their use of them to act out whatever sick fantasy / situation they are dealing with in their own lives. It's so transparent.
And speaking of transparent, your own motivations could not be more so, Ms Douglass, when you write about the Evil Organised Religions who make all else suffer and purport lies, while the nature loving hippy nations of tree huggers and astrologists wield the TRUE power, so on and so forth. Talk about an agenda and issues, to go with her women / men problems.
I have 2 problems here. 1. SO UNORIGINAL. Seriously?? Like we haven't heard all that before.
2. Suspending my disbelief to immerse myself in the book and the world it's written in ends when I can see what the author is pushing. That goes for ANY idea, whether it be pushing that blue is the best colour ever or some sort of political religious motivation as it is here. It happened for me in Eldest, the second Eragon book. Also, The Last Templar. I find myself pulling back out into the real world in disgust, and skim reading the rest of the book just so I find out what actually happened for my own peace of mind, not because i am actually invested in the story.
In the end, this has two stars instead of one because in spite of all the things I couldn't stand - the characters, the stupid names (Azhure???? could you get any more pretentious? BattleAxe? and so on) the stupid rituals, the adding to the arsenal of powers for the female characters, the appropriation of existing fantasy ideas, the disturbing undercurrents and transparent agendas... - I still couldn't put the book down. I was actually NOT enjoying myself reading it, yet I had to know how it ended. I wanted to know about these momentous events of (their) history. So I guess, all is not lost. I will have to read some more Sara Douglass to see if any of these issues improve in her later work.
October 21, 2017
For me this book could even have been more palatable, had it only foussed on male characters. I found it sort of traumatic to read about the female characters who seemed to have no purpose or desire apart from finding some man to make fools of them and to bear "his" children ("receive his seed" the book really nicely calls it a couple of times).
Faraday is a teenager who falls in instalove with the Battleaxe, Axis when she sees him across the room but her parents marry her off to Bornehelm who we are supposed to think is horrible compared to Axis. Now Bornhelm is an unrelatable, violent, socially inept warrior and I would certainly object to having him for a husband but as the book progresses it becomes evident that Axis is much the same. He treats Faraday like shit with not even basic courtesy. He has the emotional intelligence of a pieve of possum poo- an entitled and jealous possum poo at that.
For no real reason Faraday maintains her humungous love for Axis as does "the prophecy" which is a sort of semi-deific force. The big bad is going to rise up (there has been a violent birth scene to foreshadow this) and his half brother will be the big hero who an save everyone. Everything hinges on this good guy not being killed off early on (the prophecy though awfully prescriptive in some ways refuses to ensure this and save us reading over 600 pages of sexist drivel). Faraday's great epic heroic role in all this? Mattying Bornehelm against her every inclination and letting him have sex with her a lot to put him in a good mood so he doesn't kill Axis. In keeping with this, all the women on the book are stunningly beautiful and chiefly known for the man they shag or the babies they pop out. The exceptions to this are Yr who is the stereotypical "tart with a heart" but very two-dimensional and some chick whose name I have forgotten who shows up about page 400 or later and actually manages to do a few things like kill her abuser be shamed and judged for this, turn the tide of a battle and of course be perved on a lot (I can already see a future boring romance for her foreshadowed though I hope she does not lose her pseudo-feminist edge. I on't be reading on to find out though).
I wanted to play a drinking game in this book where every time a woman "bared her breasts" in unnecessary detail (we know how babies are fed, need it be spelled out?) or got naked for some dubious reason I get a drink as well as every time a male in the book perves on a female. I found some of Faraday's behaviour inexplicable and I found Axis as unlikeable as Boredhelm or whatever his name was.
I had some sympathy for Bornheld in that his mother abandoned him mid-breastfeed to make love with a random enchanter ho happened to be passing by, bore the enchanter another baby and then appeared to forget her first son for the rest of the book. Early on we learn he is in deep emotional pain because his mother has "died", when we, the readers rediscover her she seems to have no compassion or curiosity to desire to see her eldest son for all that she gets drippy about her second the "Starman". The daughter of course is a very attractive non-event.
My son seemed of an opinion that Sara Douglass was one of the great names on fantasy. I was just depressed because here is a genre in which you can do literally ANYTHING and we get misogynists with wings and supposedly sex appeal and prophecies that rely on the sexual labour of (beautiful of course) women.
Also as is common with books over 600 pages there were a lot of boring bits and dwelling too long on things.
Faraday is a teenager who falls in instalove with the Battleaxe, Axis when she sees him across the room but her parents marry her off to Bornehelm who we are supposed to think is horrible compared to Axis. Now Bornhelm is an unrelatable, violent, socially inept warrior and I would certainly object to having him for a husband but as the book progresses it becomes evident that Axis is much the same. He treats Faraday like shit with not even basic courtesy. He has the emotional intelligence of a pieve of possum poo- an entitled and jealous possum poo at that.
For no real reason Faraday maintains her humungous love for Axis as does "the prophecy" which is a sort of semi-deific force. The big bad is going to rise up (there has been a violent birth scene to foreshadow this) and his half brother will be the big hero who an save everyone. Everything hinges on this good guy not being killed off early on (the prophecy though awfully prescriptive in some ways refuses to ensure this and save us reading over 600 pages of sexist drivel). Faraday's great epic heroic role in all this? Mattying Bornehelm against her every inclination and letting him have sex with her a lot to put him in a good mood so he doesn't kill Axis. In keeping with this, all the women on the book are stunningly beautiful and chiefly known for the man they shag or the babies they pop out. The exceptions to this are Yr who is the stereotypical "tart with a heart" but very two-dimensional and some chick whose name I have forgotten who shows up about page 400 or later and actually manages to do a few things like kill her abuser be shamed and judged for this, turn the tide of a battle and of course be perved on a lot (I can already see a future boring romance for her foreshadowed though I hope she does not lose her pseudo-feminist edge. I on't be reading on to find out though).
I wanted to play a drinking game in this book where every time a woman "bared her breasts" in unnecessary detail (we know how babies are fed, need it be spelled out?) or got naked for some dubious reason I get a drink as well as every time a male in the book perves on a female. I found some of Faraday's behaviour inexplicable and I found Axis as unlikeable as Boredhelm or whatever his name was.
I had some sympathy for Bornheld in that his mother abandoned him mid-breastfeed to make love with a random enchanter ho happened to be passing by, bore the enchanter another baby and then appeared to forget her first son for the rest of the book. Early on we learn he is in deep emotional pain because his mother has "died", when we, the readers rediscover her she seems to have no compassion or curiosity to desire to see her eldest son for all that she gets drippy about her second the "Starman". The daughter of course is a very attractive non-event.
My son seemed of an opinion that Sara Douglass was one of the great names on fantasy. I was just depressed because here is a genre in which you can do literally ANYTHING and we get misogynists with wings and supposedly sex appeal and prophecies that rely on the sexual labour of (beautiful of course) women.
Also as is common with books over 600 pages there were a lot of boring bits and dwelling too long on things.
March 7, 2009
This is a book by Sara Douglass, who is apparently Australian. It's set in a fantasy world, technology about 1200's. It's about this guy, named Axis, who is the military commander for a religious organization. Of course, the religious organization is trying to keep control over the world by pushing others out, while a big, bad meanie is trying to eat it. The writing is pretty good, the storyline is a bit hack, but the writer keeps you guessing, especially when considering the relationships between people. Sometimes you can see through everything right away, but this one keeps you guessing. The dust jacket says that it's a bit better than Robert Jordon. Apparently, whoever wrote that has never read Jordon. Because that man was an incredibly original genious. I mean, really. This doesn't even compare. But the writing is good, the characters have some depth, the plot is not as original as one would hope but ok.
March 2, 2022
Old-time fantasy. Hokey in parts. Dramatic, overplayed characters and storylines. Ridiculous names for characters : Axis, the Battle-Axe AKA Starman, TreeFriend, you get the idea. And yet, I loved it all.
The book was published in the early 90's when expansive fantasy was all the rage. Think Robert Jordan and The Wheel of Time:. The story centers around three races of people torn apart thousands of years ago who now must unite and battle evil. You have your hero, some strong female characters and a society facing total destruction.
I will definitely continue the series. Not for everyone, but if you have a curiosity or a love for early fantasy, I say give it a go.
The book was published in the early 90's when expansive fantasy was all the rage. Think Robert Jordan and The Wheel of Time:. The story centers around three races of people torn apart thousands of years ago who now must unite and battle evil. You have your hero, some strong female characters and a society facing total destruction.
I will definitely continue the series. Not for everyone, but if you have a curiosity or a love for early fantasy, I say give it a go.
December 15, 2011
I tend to stir clear of prophesy based stories. And yet there are times when I put on a pot of coffee, deciding to sit down for a spell and read an epic fantasy (epic = 600+ pages + series).
I wasn't disappointed with "The Wayfarer Redemption."
What blows my mind away, are all the one star ratings on Amazon. People will give Eragon five stars, but nit pick and quibble over brief passages on Sara's writing style.
I must be the world's most forgiving reader. Either that or I just great stories. Enough where I'll allow authors the freedom to be less than perfect.
I wasn't disappointed with "The Wayfarer Redemption."
What blows my mind away, are all the one star ratings on Amazon. People will give Eragon five stars, but nit pick and quibble over brief passages on Sara's writing style.
I must be the world's most forgiving reader. Either that or I just great stories. Enough where I'll allow authors the freedom to be less than perfect.
August 24, 2012
I am a sucker for corny epic fantasy books. Thus this book was right up my alley.
This book is filled with big muscly guys running around fighting, an innocent girl trapped in the middle of a war, and a mysterious prophecy.
Sure some of the parts had me laughing literally out loud, but hey everyone needs a good laugh or two. I wouldn't say it was so bad that I'd never read the rest of the series, but it definately was a fantasy book designed for people who just want an enjoyable, fast-paced read. That is typical of fantasy books.
This book is filled with big muscly guys running around fighting, an innocent girl trapped in the middle of a war, and a mysterious prophecy.
Sure some of the parts had me laughing literally out loud, but hey everyone needs a good laugh or two. I wouldn't say it was so bad that I'd never read the rest of the series, but it definately was a fantasy book designed for people who just want an enjoyable, fast-paced read. That is typical of fantasy books.
February 3, 2021
If you do not love extremely elaborate fantasy stories, full of enchanted worlds and many characters, you will not like this. I was expecting it to be not very good, but it was recommended to me and I felt like I should at least give it a try. It is a big commitment--615 pages, and this is only the first book. I don't know that I am invested enough to read the other books. Still, it was something new to me, and I was entertained by many parts.
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