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.

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

Completion Date: March 4, 2011

Reason for Reading: Reading Swap List from Ana

Tender Morsels took me three tries to get through. I read the first chapter twice and then didn't read any further. It's a book you sort of have to be in the mood for, and I never seemed to be in the right mood. When Heather told me she had read it and liked it, I decided to try one more time and see what happened. It was well worth it! It's an amazing book, but it can be hard to read at times. I am still glad that I did.

This is the second half of a buddy review with Heather from A Capricious Reader. To read the first part, head over to her blog!

Heather: Good point. I suppose I’m more of a realist, a “deal with it now, not later,” kind of person but you’re right, she did well in showing that escaping your troubles isn’t always the best thing, which it isn’t. And you’re right, there are many days I want to escape!

What did you think of the way Lanagan depicted men?

Kelly: Yes, but I just escape into a book or a movie... Or in my own dream world, go on a trip! Those are escape methods in this society.

hm, weirdly enough I never even thought about the men except when they did something really horrible, which I guess happened fairly often. Otherwise, they were just kind of there. There were a couple nice ones, but otherwise... Not a good story for men. She sort of gives the impression she doesn’t like them very much, but that might be reading too much into it. Whatever the case, they did pretty much every horrible act you can think of during the course of the book. A few of the things that happened are pretty graphic and I try not to think about too much...

Did you think she went too far, or do you think it all works out?

photo credit

Heather: I agree, the men were just...there. There was the one kind, decent man, but for the most part they were all dirty-minded, dirty-acting, greedy, juvenile characters. She does give the impression she doesn’t like them very much. For the story she as telling, with the fairytale techniques, I don’t think she went too far. It felt necessary to me.

I don’t think we can discuss Tender Morsels without mentioning the controversy with Bitch Magazine. What do you think of that snafoo and the allegations that Tender Morsels is validating characters who use rape as an act of vengeance?

Kelly: That’s a good question... I heard of the controversy a bit, but I wasn’t paying a lot of attention to the blogging world at that moment in time. I brushed up on the details a bit before answering this question and have been sitting here trying to get my thoughts in order. First of all, I think the fact that it was taken off the list because of one negative comment was a bit of an overreaction. The list is just a suggestion to get you started, so there is no obligation to read and love every book. You don’t even have to agree with the books being on there. It was just one opinion out of many.

While I don’t think that the book really does use rape as an act of vengeance, I can see how people can interpret it that way. I just didn’t feel that the book had to wax poetical on how bad everyone in the book felt about what had happened. They had their horrified moments and then the book moved on. It also didn’t show the offenders in the first place feeling badly for the initial rape and no one was up in arms about that. I just think that some things are shown so much that people have become almost used to it, but other things are not shown as much and so they have more of an affect. I think it was very empowering that something was actually done to people that otherwise would have gotten away with it. That does not mean I entirely agree with what it was, but I also don’t think the book should have been taken off the list. Does this even make sense? What do you think about it?

photo credit

Heather: I think I get what you’re saying. I also can see where people would see it as “rape as vengeance.” It really was, but I don’t see that as a good excuse to remove it from the list. Urdda, whether she meant to or not, got her mother’s revenge, in the same manner her mother was attacked. While I don’t in any way condone revenge, I can understand why some would want it. And I agree that is was empowering that something was actually done to the people who would have gotten away with it. How many times do we hear that a ‘bad so-and-so’ should have the same thing done to him? I hear it all the time! “Give them a taste of their own medicine” and what not. And people should be punished when they do something wrong; why not a taste of what they dished out? Might would curtail a little violence.... But anyway, I definitely do not think the book should have been taken off the list. On the bright side, it brought a lot of attention to the book it might not have otherwise got and it helped push me to read it!

So, any final thoughts?

Kelly: And by you really enjoying it, I finally got around to reading it! Well, that and Ana putting it on my reading swap list. I think we covered most things. I am really glad I read and enjoyed this book. Thanks for reviewing it with me!

Thanks, Ana, for bringing this book to my attention in the first place and then challenging me to finally read it!!

This book also counts for the Aussie Author Reading Challenge and the TwentyEleven Reading Challenge.

(Off-topic: I put pictures in my post yesterday and had fun, so I thought I might try and get a bit more creative... What do you think?)

A Look at Challenges - February 2011

Sci-Fi Experience:

Books Read:
1. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
2. Witness in Death by J.D. Robb
3. Judgment in Death by J.D. Robb
4. Serenity: Those Left Behind by Joss Whedon, Brett Matthews, and Will Conrad
5. Serenity: Float Out by Patton Oswalt, Patric Reynolds, and Joss Whedon

Status: COMPLETED!

Thoughts: I wish I had read more! I will likely read more science-fiction over the coming year, though.

The Great Reading Swap of 2011:

Books Read:

1. The Man in the Picture by Susan Hill

2. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

3. Witness in Death by J.D. Robb

4. Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

Status: 4 out of 24...

Thoughts: I honestly thought I was doing better on this than I am...

Manga Challenge:

Books Read:

1. Nightschool: The Weirn Books - Volume 1 by Svetlana Chmakova

2. Chobits Volume 5 by Clamp
3. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Volume 2) by Bryan Lee O'Malley

4. Chobits Volume 6 by Clamp

Status: 4/6

Thoughts: Well, at least with the slight reading I did in February I worked on this challenge!

Aussie Reading Challenge:

Books Read:

None

Status: 0/3

Thoughts: Yeah, need to read something for this. I have the books here and waiting!

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge:

Books Read:

1. The Sherlockian by Graham Moore

2. A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear

Status: 2/10

Thoughts: I am really surprised at this actually... I used to read a lot more historical fiction. I did read some historical fantasy, but decided to not count it...

Essay Reading Challenge:

Essays Read:

None

Status: 0/10

Thoughts: The library is thwarting me. I keep having ideas and then they don't have the book! I am getting annoyed, so I am ignoring this challenge for a bit until inspiration strikes.

Ireland Reading Challenge:

Books Read:

None

Status: 0/2

Thoughts: Expected to be reading a book for this challenge this month. Yay!

2011 Aussie Author Challenge

Since I signed up for the Ireland Reading Challenge this year, I thought I would do a bit more exploring of authors from other places. I decided on Australia and will be joining in for the 2011 Aussie Author Challenge.

The challenge runs from Jan 1, 2011 - Dec 31, 2011

Challenge Levels: TOURIST or TRUE BLUE!

TOURIST - Read and review 3 books by 3 different Aussie Authors
TRUE BLUE - Read and review 12 books by Australian authors (at least 9 different authors)

I think I am going to start with tourist, and then if that is successful I might try and read for the True Blue. I know I own 3 books, though, so I will start there.

Kate Morton: The Distant Hours; The House at Riverton

Kate Grenville: The Secret River; The Lieutenant

Geraldine Brooks: March

Books Read:

1. Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan - Completed March 4, 2011

2. The Infinity Gate by Sara Douglass - Completed July 28, 2011

3. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton - Completed October 29, 2011