Book Reviews
Tales From Watership Down, By Richard Adams, 262 pages
I read this because I needed a break after The Image Makers before beginning another series of books. Getting on with it, it was a fairly simple book, reading wise, I just read it for the story really since I had read Watership Down like a zillion years ago. It turned out to be pretty good... told the stories of El-ahrairah, the "prince with a thousand ememies" ... the "father" among rabbits. It also continued the story a bit of the rabbits of Watership Down's new warren... and backtracks a bit to tell stories of their adventures, since arriving there. It's a must read for anyone who has read Watership Down ... s'really cute %) and expands on some of the more interesting stories alluded to in the original novel.
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The Boat Of A Million Years, By Poul Anderson, 466 pages
This book is an interesting scifi novel that explores the lives of a few immortals. They cover centuries and millenia with their lives and teach us a story about what life might be like if one lived forever. The book starts in anchient history and proceeds to the far future in telling their tales. I guess the really monumental thing about this book would be it really pulls the reader into thinking about the existance of immortality, and how short our lives are compared to these people. It was very humbling %) I guess I read it at a point in my life when I needed such humbling, I was able to realize how short our lives are in the vast expanse of existance. I have my friend Mike Miller to thank for suggesting this book to me, thanks Mike!
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Another Fine Myth/Myth Conceptions, By Robert Asprin, 395 pages
These are the first two books in a series, that were now re-released as one book (as they are doing with the whole series I believe). The stories are fantasy-based, same characters in both who range from dragons, to demons, to green-haired assassins. It is also a comedy. Not only playing off the hilarity of modern fantasy novels, but drawing from our conceptions of what certain mythical creatures are and how they act. I really liked these books and despite trying to take my time reading them I found I finished in less than 3 days. Often I found myself laughing out loud at some of the references and remarks that the characters made, and I don't often do that. And the book had enough seriousness to hold the story together and get you to care about each character. I suppose it might take a certain sense of humor to enjoy however.. In all it was a lot of fun.
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Myth Directions/Hit Or Myth, By Robert Asprin, 329 pages
This is book 3 and 4 of Asprin's Myth series in one book. This book still follows the story of the magicians apprentice Skeeve, and a colorful cast of Demons (Dimensional Travelers). The first story brings Skeeve to a strange dimension where a game decides the ruling city of a land. Of course our young apprentice gets mixed up in it all... The second story is much more elaborate and I liked it more, Skeeve and his friends get involved with a reluctant king, a homicidal queen, and even the mob. Asprin's sense of humor again caused me to laugh out loud a few times, while his wonderfully original cast is witty and lovable. A great book.
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Griffin and Sabine, By Nick Bantock, 48 pages
I first discovered this book while taking an Illustration and Design class in high school. It's a series of post cards and letters between a male artist in England ad the exotic Sabine from a small tropical island, but by the end of the book you are forced to ask yourself if it was all that it seemed. The main draw of this book was not the story, but the format. The letters and postcards are actually "written" and you can take out the letters that are actually folded inside envelops within the pages of the book. As interesting as the correspondence between these two is, it's really a lot of fun to open the letters and read them. I really love this book, and commend it's originality.
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Regeneration, By Pat Barker, 252 pages
This story takes place in 1917 England, in Craiglockhart, a mental hospital outside of London. Based loosely on the lives of a few of the characters, it tells of Dr. William Rivers, who uses new methods to "cure" breakdown patience that arrive from the front lines of world war one, all while privately fighting past demons of his own. Each character has their own view on the war (what it means to them, why they should/ shouldn't return to action), and this book actively explores these reasons, as well as the fine line between pure cowardice and insanity. It explains what these men had to endure to reach their breaking point, in sometimes graphic detail. When I picked up this book i was very skeptical, as I don't much care for war- related stories, but this book was truly profound, I found myself very intrigued by all the characters, I highly recommend this book.
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Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil, by John Berendt, 388 pages
Written by a man from New York this true story takes place in Savannah, Georgia. The first half of the book deals with the author's entrance into the world of Savannah, a world of style, grace, and scandal. The beautiful homes and successful families only hide the more grisley side of the town from visitors. The cast of characters includes a vast variety, and it's amusing to see how they all view each other. The second half of the book deals with a murder in this beautiful place, for once money cannot buy the defendant out of his trouble and is forced to fight the court for years, through a series of mistrials, which are interestingly documented in this book. I really enjoyed this book, which is unusual since I rarely read non-fiction, and when I do it's usually historcal, not something this contemporary. The author did a good job at dwelling on people and subjects long enough for the reader to understand, but not so long that it gets boring. And even that aside, the real life glimpse of a city like Savannah was very interesting. I'd recommend this book to anyone.
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Ender's Game, By Orson Scott Card, 324 pages
I first read this book about four years ago (1999), maybe it wasn't what I expected, maybe I just wasn't ready for it, but whatever the reason, I didnt enjoy it nearly as much as I did this time. It tells the story of Andrew "Ender" Wiggins, a brilliant child who is chosen to be, with dozens of his peers, trained for military combat. The enemy? An alien race of insect-like creatures that attacked the human race decades before. Card is masterful when it comes to making the reader feel what the main character feels, and this book is no exception, Ender is so REAL, and even if you can't relate to who he is as a person, you can understand him. The story is amazing, it's sad, yet full of triumph, at the end you are not sure whether to smile or cry, but you don't want to put this book down.
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Speaker For The Dead, by Orson Scott Card, 382 pages
This, the second book in the Ender's Game series, takes place 3000 years after the first, where the miracle of fast space travel has allowed Ender to survive. The planet of Lusitania is now shared by humans and a race of intelligent beings known as "piggies." Research is done on these piggies, and as the story progresses, a very interesting portrate of what they are and intend emerges. Ender comes into the story as he is called to "speak" for a departed member of Lusitania, and his life takes a turn that may prove to bind him to the people of Lusitania and the piggies. Very good story, as always, Card manages to masterfully develop all his characters, and the story itself contains something of interest to science fiction and fantasy fans of all sorts.
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Xenocide by Orson Scott Card, 592 pages
This is the immediate sequel to Speaker for the Dead, it picks up with Valentine travelling to see Ender on Lusitania. Years have passed since "Speaker" and Ender has established himself as a respected member of the community. Lusitania is dealing with the coming of the fleet sent to destroy their world, as well as internal struggles between themselves and the peguininos, and the newly discovered colony of "Buggers." In another part of the universe, a father and daughter on the chinese planet colony called "Path" are charged with helping decide the fate of Lusitania. I enjoyed this book. Like always, Card made all the characters enjoyable enough so that when the story shifts to another portion you are not disappointed.
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Homecoming Series Book 1: The Memory Of Earth, by Orson Scott Card, 332 pages
This book begins the Homecoming series. We are introduced to a family on the planet Harmony in the city of Basilica. We quickly learn the habits of these people, that they are decendants from the planet earth which was destroyed millions of years before. They are watched and to an extent controlled by a mysterious being known as the "Oversoul" by the citizens of Basilica. Because of increasing upheaval on the planet of Harmony, the Oversoul instructs members of one family to venture out into the desert and create a new life, following the direction of the Oversoul. I love this series, and this quick-moving introduction book into the people, customs, stories and world of these books is wonderful.
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Homecoming Series Book 2: The Call Of Earth, by Orson Scott Card, 332 pages
A foreign invader takes over Bacilica as.the men who left Basilica come back to try and convince the rest of their family to join them in their quest to do the Oversoul's will. The citizens of Basilica live in fear of this new control of their city, and some of the key characters in this series take a vital role in working things out for at least temporary peace in the city as they embark. Out of all the books of the series I think I'd say this is my least favorite. While a few important things were discovered and explored, the newer introduced characters just didnt "work" for me in some places.
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Homecoming Series Book 3: The Ships Of Earth, by Orson Scott Card, 362 pages
Divisions in the group of 16 that left Basilica. Brothers resenting each other's place, sisters pitching fights of jealousy, and a father losing control of his children. The group grows as people have children, and after a long trek they build a private town for them to thrive in. They are happy until Nafai discovers the next step in their travels, to leave their home once again and travel to do the Oversoul's will. A very strong case is made in this novel for the absolute hatred between characters that leads to the eventually lead to worse problems later in the series. A great addition to this series.
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Homecoming Series Book 4: Earthfall, by Orson Scott Card, 370 pages
The time comes for the group to travel to earth in the spaceship they helped recreate. Tensions run high on the voyage. They arrive on Earth and encounter the native species. The entire book talks about the founding of the new colony, the interaction between the new creatures and each other. It was very interesting, and sometimes heartbreaking because of the divisions in the group. Great book.
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Homecoming Series Book 5: Earthborn, by Orson Scott Card, 430 pages
This last book of the series takse the bold step of skipping into the future 500 years. All but one of the characters are completely new, and so you are quickly introduced to a vast assortment of new people in the new world tha t we are led to believe has sprung up from the offspring of our original 16 characters. As Card often does he creates these characters out of nothing, and by the middle of the book you think you actually know them all. It was a wonderful conclusion to this series, it let you see the influences of all the characters in the previous books as they are almost deified by their ancestors. It's amusing to watch what people think of these original characters 500 years later, and even moreso to look back at our own past and how we think of famous historical figures. A wonderful book even standing alone.
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Homebody, By Orson Scott Card, 430 pages
As with most of Card's stand-alone books, this one starts out fairly slow. It shows the read a quite normal situation, the characters are regular people, which allows the reader to feel a sort of kinship with them. About 130 pages into the book, the plot takes a turn for the strange. Don Lark, a master craftsman who specializes in restoring old houses, purchases an old mansion in a quiet southern town. His plans to renovate are quickly influenced by several strange occurances. A trio of old women from next door warn him of the house's evils, a young woman is discovered to be living in the house, and some of his own personal demons come back to face him. I enjoyed this book, the second half I read almost in one sittings because I just couldn't tear myself away from it. Another great book by Card!
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Treasure Box, By Orson Scott Card, 372 pages
If someone had told me what this book was about prior to my reading it I probably never would have. I'm glad they didn't, I couldn't put it down, keep this in mind. It tells the strange tale of a millionaire former computer programmer who in his mid 30s realizes he is alone and his life unfulfilled. He finds the perfect woman at a dinner party and before they know much about each other are happily married. Everything goes well for about a year, until he goes to meet her family, from there the book takes a turn for the extraordinary. The last half of the book deals with witches, a 'beast', the discovery of a powerful succubus, and of course the never-ending battle between good and evil. Sounds cheesy right? No, Card has an amazing talent for making the main character endearing to the reader, so when you read this book you ARE this character and you feel what he is feeling, you can understand the emotions of this character and how he is simply a pawn in his formally normal life that has been transformed into a nightmare. Even the ending, though moderately abrupt, ties off loose ends and leaves the reader feeling satisfied. I loved this book, I put off doing things so I could finish it in just under three days, I'll definitely be reading it again sometime.
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Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep, by Philip K. Dick, 216 pages
This is the book that inspired the movie "Bladerunner." Unfortunately the last time I saw that movie was a number of years ago, and I don't remember it much. From what I do remember this is quite different, but the message is the same. The earth has undergone a massive world war, most animals are extinct, and the survivng humans are encouraged to leave earth and live on space colonies. On these colonies there are androids who do work for the humans, and androids are not allowed on earth... but sometimes they escape. Rick Deckard is a bounty hunter in charge of "retiring" a group of the latest model androids (almost indistiguishable from humans) that escaped from Mars. Along the way he meets a few interesting characters, one of which is Rachael Rosen, who he realizes he feels a physical attraction to. The journey this book follows is that of Rick Deckard, trying to separate what is real with what is not, what is human with what is manufactured, and struggling with the real moral differences. I really enjoyed this book, I only wish it had been longer.
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The Image Makers, By Bernard Dryer, 423 pages
I guess the only reason I read this book was 'cause it was on my bookshelf and I hadn't read it yet. I'm not quite sure where I got it or when, but it's at least 40 years old, and definately not the kind of book I'd usually read, according to the cover there was a movie made of it too. Anyway, it was a story mostly about an American doctor and a rich sub Arab (Berber) beauty, and it takes place in the 1950's, just a few years after the second world war. Their story of love, money,death, and politics takes the reader through a very interesting world that few of us have access too. I am not quite sure I liked it, but I can admire the interesting forwards and backwards in time in which it was written. The author would show a scene, then the character remembering, say, the past week's events, and then tell it through memories until it got back to that first scene. If you get what I mean.. It is potentially a very confusing way to write a book, but the author did a very good job of putting it together so that you barely notice. I guess if you are into more "real life" .. and/or a glimpse into the world of the beautiful and rich europeans/arabs of that time, with a bit of romance and self discovery then this is the book for you... as for me, I am wandering back to fantasy/scifi land.
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The Elenium - The Diamond Throne, The Ruby Knight, and The Sapphire Rose, by David Eddings, 434 pages, 372 pages, and 502 pages respectively
This trilogy, called "The Elenium", is in a genre of knights, kings, and magic fantasy that does not often appeal to me, and I have to admit it took me a while to get into the first book. Once I did however I uncovered an amazing world created by Eddings that truly captivated me. It's the story of a beautiful queen, who is caught in the middle of a grand political parade that threatens the existance of all in the world. A grand tale of knights, a radiantly beautiful queen, wicked trolls, scheming churchmen, magical crystals, and powerful magicians... if you are a fantasy fan you *must* check these books out, and if you are a generic scifi fan like myself, I can say that even I was skeptical at first. Thanks to my friend Josh for introducing me, and pursuading me to give a chance, these wonderful books!
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The Malloreon - Guardians Of The West, King Of Murgos, Demon Lord Of Karanda, Sorceress Of Darshiva, The Seeress Of Kell, By David Eddings, 438 pages, 403 pages, 404 pages, 371 pages, and 374pages respectively
This series, "The Malloreon" tells of the quest of King Belgarion and a close-knit group of friends and family. He is the Child of the Light and is destined to confront Zandramas, the Child of the Dark, to decide the fate of all the world. A fantasy tale complete with Kings, Queens, Theives, Sorcery and Evil, these books take you on an extrordinary journey. The story spans the whole world and vastly changes all the characters involved, including a few "divine" changes... I was really impressed with how well the characters were developed, when reading this book I was helplessly lost in their world, I felt like I knew these characters, a feeling that more than once stayed with me even after putting the book down for the night. I would recommend this series to any fantasy fan because to me, it seems to be one of those "staple" series' you just must read. Eddings is truly amazing!
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The Redemption Of Althalus, by David and Leigh Eddings, 792 pages
A friend of mine suggested I read this book after I had been pleased by many of David Eddings' other books. Unlike most of his books, this is only one volume, and Eddings' true talent for character development shines. At times I find myself a bit bored with the progression of battles and the strategy involved in books such as this one, but in this particular book I was very entertained during the portions having to do with battles. The characters meddle with time and space in innovative ways so that the plot is continually unpredictable. And the characters themselves are lovingly unforgettable. In all I'd definitely recommend this to any Eddings fan, as well as someone just wanting a taste of Eddings who isn't ready to tackle one the series'.
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Coldfire Trilogy Book 1: Black Sun Rising, By C.S. Friedman, 568 pages
I bought this book on the recommendation of a friend of mine who had previously never let me down in his excellent choise of books. This book had a very intersting story, I really did enjoy reading it, but it doesn't fall into the catagory of 'excellent'. At times the characters didn't feel real, and each time there was a deception it was painfully obvious, so much so that it was difficult to believe that these intelligent characters would fall for it. It was interesting how the narrative shifted between a few characters, but the balance of this narrative was strange. The story was quite original however, and the idea of the world they were on (a colony of people from earth that settled there) was very appealing to me. I guess in all it would be easy to stop with this book (as the first in the trilogy) but I really am interested as to where this story leads, I will continue reading this trilogy.
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Coldfire Trilogy Book 2: When True Night Falls, By C.S. Friedman, 617 pages
This book is the sequel to Black Sun Rising and continues the crusade to save the world from the evil taking over. The characters this time are across the ocean on a continent uncharted and basically unknown of by their home. Their adventure against the fae-borne evils in this book are exciting and clever. The last 100 pages or so really bring this book together and make the whole book worth reading, as it takes the reader on a rollar coaster of emotion, revelation, and excitement. Again I am impressed with Friedman's blend of science fiction with fantasy. I was much more impressed with this book than the predecessor, and I'm glad I kept reading this series.
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Neuromancer, by William Gibson, 271 pages
This cybernetic thriller is about a man named Case, who after stealing from his employers is stripped of his one way to make a living - his mind's connection to the Matrix. The story follows him in a quest to repair his nervious system leads him to meeting a whole colorful cast of characters, and an ingenious AI who has very interesting plans for the future... Although I found this book a little hard to get into at first, my diligence paid off as I was taken into this futuristic world, so skillfully created by Gibson.
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Dune, Frank Herbert, 537 pages
Dune is the story of the desert planet of Arrakis' people receiving their "Messiah" and using the power given through him to gain freedom from Imperial control of their planet. It's been made into two movies, and has won many notable awards, and I was very impressed. In a single book Herbert manages to encompass a complex ruling system, a religion, and story to create a very tangible world. By constantly focusing on the thoughts of various characters he is able to develop the characters quickly and give us a very clear idea of their intents. Very well written, I can see why there are so many sequels though, the story's has only just begun!
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Dune Messiah, By Frank Herbert, 331 pages
This book takes place a few years after the first, Dune. Paul "Muad'dib" Atreides (now the Emperor), has secured his hold as ruler of the known universe through his massive Jihad. The guilds outwardly obey his wishes, millions of religious pilgrims are flocking to Arrakis, the world of the Messiah. It is obvious from this book that Herbert expects the reader to be completely familiar with his world. Like the first book, his attention to character AND plot development is complete, even in so few pages. Basically this book is focused on a single plot (of many before it no doubt) which precedes Paul's final steps to becoming "immortal." An excellent book, this series is quickly turning into being one of the best I've ever read.
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Children Of Dune, by Frank Herbert, 408 pages
Like the Dune books before it, this does not disappoint. It takes place nine years after 'Messiah' ends, and tells of what has become of Muad'dib's children. New characters are introduced into the story, while old are explored further, as with the previous books, the character development is excellent, and the story amazing. Whole new levels of the consciousness when exposed to the spice of Arrakis are explored, and chapter after chapter Herbert dives into the intense mind games that Muad'dib's son confronts... this makes for a complex, yet enthrallingly interesting story. Very good.
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Brave New World, By Aldous Huxley, 270 pages
This book is of the genre that books like 1984 and Fahrenheit 451, and movies like "Gattaca" and "Brazil" ... it's the future, technology has taken over, and we have order but no freedom. In the world of BNW, people are not born, but manufactured for different social classes, each essential for a thriving society. They are conditioned to feel and behave in a certain manner, suited for their place in society and kept blissful through various entertainment, sexual promiscuity, and a manufactured drug called "soma." This book was amazingly written, the future so frighteningly believable (yet we hope humanitarians would never let scientists go quite this far!). The social commentary in the last portions is very interesting, explanations of how and why the society "civilization" was made and succeeds in this form was enthralling and scary. Wonderful book.
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Redwall, By Brian Jacques, 351 pages
This is the story of a battle between the peaceful creatures of Redwall Abbey and the feared hoard of Cluny The Scourge. Mice, moles and badgers make up the cast of heros introduced in this story to battle the fiece rats and weasles attacking their home. Basically a simple take of good prevailing over evil, and a likely hero bringing all sorts of former rivals together to fight for the good. I think I would have liked this book much more back when I was younger and less cynical. The ending was fairly predictable, and the climax disappointing, don't get me wrong, it was a nice, fast paced read, and fun... but again I think my tastes for literature have matured beyond this point. I have read Martin the Warrior (another book in the series), and at the time, when I was a sophmore in high school, I thought it was quite good, so I'd recommend this to younger readers I guess %)
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Book One: The Eye Of The World, By Robert Jordan, 814 pages
This begins our tale in the small, out of the way town of Emond's Field, three boys (Rand, Mat, and Perrin) and a young girl (Ewgene) are led from their home by a most worldy pair of travelers. This is the beginning of their exciting journey where our heros are forced with a whole world of magical creatures and people, good and evil. So naive to the everchanging world around them, their fight as ta'veren, or chosen ones, leads them to the eventual distruction of a long feared evil... or so we think.
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Book Two: The Great Hunt, By Robert Jordan, 705 pages
Darkfriedns are sent out once again to seek out and hinder young heros and claim their reign forseen in old prophecies. This time the group is separated again, but by their more adult duties... yet the ta'veren is at the center of the weaving of time and are able to pull together to try and retrieve the Horn Of Valere from the hands of the enemy. This new part of the saga pulls old as well as new characters into the cast, and again weaves a spellbinding story that makes these young people heros once again...
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Book Three: The Dragon Reborn, by Robert Jordan, 701 pages
In this third book of the Wheel of Time series there was a lot of moving of characters, it was very well written so that you are equally interested in all the characters movements. I find that in some books one set of characters is more interested than another and I always pull myself through reading the uninteresting stuff to get the the interesting stuff. Not so with Jordan, he really makes an effort to make the whole story flow very well. Unfortunately, with this book I find what flaw people have with Jordan, this book was about 700 pages long and very little happened. Or hardly anything very important anyway, he manages to take up a lot of space to write a small progression of the story. I personally don't really have a problem with this, not now anyway, but I'm afraid I'll learn to dislike it as the series progresses. Some people have said that he created this series so that he could write it for his entire life, he is very good at describing scenes, and developing characters, but it takes so long. Anyway, the plot is pretty much all the characters growing in their chosen tasks, and all end up chasing different people all to this city of Tear. The climax occurs toward the end when The Dragon Reborn takes a vital step toward world proclaimation of his status. So in all? I liked it, breezed through it in a little over a week, I'll probably be heading out for book number four in a couple weeks.
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Book Four: The Shadow Rising, By Robert Jordan, 1006 pages
This book takes place about a year after the first. Rand and the others are forced into deciding what path each of them is to follow... inevitably splitting them up again. This book really focuses on showing how each character has changed since leaving home, for better or worse, and also give us a much better picture of some of their enemies, the 9 remaining Forsaken. It also aroused a great number of new suspicions and mysteries that I am very interested in being explored in the next books...
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Book Five: The Fires Of Heaven, By Robert Jordan, 989 pages
This book still follows our cast as they get even more into their fight with the evil Forsaken.. we learn a lot more about these Forsaken in this book, their powers and limitations. Our Hero Rand, the Dragon rebord, also grows a lot in this book... the effects of being "partly" Lews Therin takes a toll most noticibly here. Mat also deals with past memories that are not his own, these memories recieved when he journeyed into Rhiuidean with Rand, and these are explored in a little more depth and we finally see their uses. The White Tower splits further and makes the mission of the young Accepteds Elayne and Nynaeve a bit more difficult. Perrin fans would be diasspointed to note that his story is not part of this book, besides casual references to his well-being by other characters. In all Jordan continues to do a good job keeping the reader's interest and revealing secrets that give much more depth to each character.
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Book Six: Lord Of Chaos, By Robert Jordan, 1011 pages
I was a bit disappointed when I found I could not get into this book as easily as all of the previous. I can see why people claim this series begins to drag a bit. Still, despite the slower pace of this book, I really did enjoy it. Again Jordan does and excellent job of portraying each character, and continually building his magnificently real world. Again, startling discoveries are made about the Dark One's and Aes Sedai's plans, as well as a lot of speculation as to whom is working for whom, and what their underlying motives are...
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Book Seven: A Crown Of Swords, By Robert Jordan, 880 pages
Again Jordan weaves a masterful tale in this 7th book of his Wheel Of Time series. Probably the most significant, or at least interesting, information in this book is the elaboration of information about the Seachan people. It's very interesting to learn these peoples' intentions, as well as seeing the characters' reactions to the new and exotic beats brought by them. An important discovery is made that the fate of the world depends on, and we are left with a bit of a cliffhanger as to the fate of one of the characters. Also a few more of the prominent Black Ajah are revealed. Very good book, and didn't seem to slow down like the previous book.
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Wheel Of Time: Book Eight - The Path Of Daggers, By Robert Jordan, 685 pages
The Wheel Of Time continues to turn in this 8th book in the series. As each book in this series reveals more of the story it becomes more complicated, and this is very clear here. It gets slow in certain parts because of how complicated it is, but Jordan does an excellent job of reminding the reader exactly what is happening without being overly redundant. The fate of Mat is unfortunately barely made reference to, much like book 6's absence of Perrin. But much is discovered about the Sea Folk's wishes (and 'bargains'), and much more is explored (and mode questions raised) about Rand's sanity. And again we are forced to notice how Rand has changed since leaving the relative safety of Emond's Field. Also, the paranoia that Rand and a few of the others over Darkfriends and traitors is strengthened through more betrayal, while at the same time the characters must trust a few people, a very delicate balance. This book is a wonderful addition to the series.
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Book Nine: Winter's Heart, By Robert Jordan, 780 pages
As with book eight, the complexity of the story continuing in this book causes it to move rather slowly. This book begins slowly and ends with 200 pages where it's difficult to tear yourself away. Along with catching up with Mat, it further describes the invasion of the Seachan, and more about their social hierarchy. Characters are reunited joyously and the last portion of this book leads you to understand more of the soul behind the renegade Asha'men, and several other large and small surprised and wonderous acomplishments, in the light.
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