The Infinity Gate (DarkGlass Mountain Trilogy, Book 3) by Sara Douglass

The Infinity Gate (DarkGlass Mountain Trilogy, Book 3) by Sara Douglass

Completion Date: July 28, 2011

Reason for Reading: Complete the trilogy.

Tencendor is no more. The land is gone. But a few SunSoars still remain, and a new foe walks the world.

Ishbel Brunelle, priestess of the Serpent Coil, and Maximilian, the Lord of Elcho Falling, have raised the magic of Elcho Falling, and found new allies against the darkness in the mysterious Lealfast. And more crucially still, Axis SunSoar, former god and current hero, has rediscovered the magical Star Dance and revived his legendary Strike Force to push back the evil hordes commanded by the DarkGlass Mountain.

But their enemy grows stronger through blood and betrayal, the Lealfast have their own agenda, and when unexpected treachery threatens, Axis SunSoar must face a darkness greater than any he has ever known.

Dear Ms. Douglass,

I have had this book languishing on my shelves for a while and then it seems to have taken me forever to review it. I still find it hard to believe that such a talented author is no longer with us. I simply have to remember that I came to your books late and have your entire backlist left to explore. The fact that I read you at all is because of the joys of review copies. I had heard of your books before, but just never got around to picking any of them up. There are too many books in this world and not enough time... Then the first book in this trilogy came out and I knew it was time to finally give your books a chance. I am so happy that I did because I have loved this trilogy and was sad to see it come to an end. It wasn't even a problem that technically this is a trilogy connected to one of your earlier trilogies. You wrote in such a way that I never felt like I was missing anything, but I still look forward to back-tracking and filling in the details.

The Infinity Gate was a bitter-sweet reading experience. When I really enjoy a trilogy I am always sad to get to the end and admit that it is over. I was so excited about the last book, but then when it arrived I kept putting it off until just the right moment. I finally sat down with it over the summer and once again was gripped by the fantastic writing and interesting story. The thing is that I am really struggling to write this review. It is always so hard to review sequels because I hate revealing to much of the story. Anything I say I will either ruin this book or the two books that come before it. I know that people read reviews at their own risk, but sometimes you can't help glancing at it while you scroll down to the bottom to see the overall opinion.

So what can I say? If someone is looking for a fantasy with a strong female cast, this is a good choice. Ishbel in particular is no damsel in distress. But on the other hand there are strong male characters that could lead to literary crushes like Axis, a carry-over from your earlier series, and Maximilian. There is a lot of action, though, which doesn't appeal to everyone. If you like action, though, another good trilogy to check out. And, even if you don't like the action so much in your books, there is a lot of other things going on. There is a story that develops in amongst everything else. There is also some romance for romance fans. The main romance is between Ishbel and Maximilian, but other characters have their moments. There is also magic, which is always fun. The battle between good and evil, which is common in fantasy novels. A very interesting world with different races and species created that are believable. There is also religion. Frankly, you have written a trilogy that has many different things that would appeal to many different readers. And, all three books were great. I love it when an author can write a second book in a trilogy that doesn't bore the heck out of me.

It really is sad that you will have no more books, but I believe you went out on the top of your game and I hope that many more generations of fantasy fans get the chance to read your wonderful books. You were also gifted with fantastic covers that will look gorgeous on any shelf. Thanks for delighting readers and leaving many books behind to be enjoyed. I know that you will never be forgotten.

Sincerely,

A Dedicated Fan

Thanks to Harper Collins Canada for sending me a copy of this book! This book counts for the Aussie Author Challenge.