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.

The Twisted Citadel by Sara Douglass

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

In a time of magic and danger, three new heroes have stepped forward—Ishbel Brunelle, priestess of the Serpent Coil; Isaiah, the Tyrant of Isembaard; and Maximilian, the Lord of Elcho Falling. Yet despite their best efforts, the Dark God Kanubai has risen. And worse yet, war approaches—backed by the evil, insidious DarkGlass Mountain, hordes of insatiable Skraelings ravage the land.

While the trio struggles to keep its armies and alliances alive, the SunSoars have their own challenges, including the chance to rejoin the magical Star Dance at long last, and the appearance of the Lealfast, long-lost kin to the Icarii. The Lealfast and the Icarii may be friends . . . or deadly enemies. And as tensions rise between the two races, Axis SunSoar revives his elite Strike Force in a desperate bid to stop the darkness.

After reading The Serpent Bride by Sara Douglass, I knew that I was going to have to spend some time with more of her books. It just so happened that soon after I finished that book the sequel came out. The only bad thing about that is that since I have read it already I have a very long wait ahead of me for book three! In the meantime I will likely be reading some of her older stuff.

One of the things I was worried about in regards to this book was that it would suffer from second-book problems. Generally the second book in a trilogy is a bit dull because it goes back and develops everything that was started in the first book. There is not usually much action involved, which can lead to a dull read. People told me that Sara Douglass was not like this, and I readily agree with them at this point. This book was just as much a page-turner as the first one and I know for sure that I am hooked on her writing style. Trilogies that I have loved the first book have been destroyed for me because I find the second book so boring, so it was wonderful to dive into this book and not be disappointed.

In this book, lots of loose ends are tied up and yet there is still plenty to happen in the last book. We do see much more of the main characters that were introduced in the first book, but they are always busy, so it is not just character descriptions. A few new characters have come to the forefront as main characters, so it was refreshing to have new characters to read about, as well as the ones that I so enjoyed in the first book. Ishbel has grown on me, as well, she did not annoy me at all in this book, while with the first book I found her ways a bit annoying at times. She has really grown up for this book.

The Lealfast are introduced in this book. A couple of them were bit characters in the first book, but we did not really know what they were all about. In this book they make a strong appearance and really add an interesting dynamic to the book. I will be interested to see in what direction they carry the story for the third book. They play strongly into questions of identity, with half their blood being of the allied forces and the other half coming from the enemy. This split identity makes them very interesting characters. While we know a lot of the time what they are thinking, the main characters are not always aware of what is going on. It will be interesting to see in what direction Douglass takes the story.

There is a lot to look forward to with the third book. Some people think that the answers are obvious, but readers know that there is a lot that could happen within those pages. I am very excited to see what happens. I once again strongly recommend Sara Douglass!

I got this book from Harper Collins Canada. I am very grateful to them! Normally I link to the actual book on their site, but as of right now the URL is taking you to a blog instead of the book site... Not sure what is up with that!

The Serpent Bride by Sara Douglass

Rescued from unspeakable horror, Ishbel Brunelle has devoted her life to a Serpent cult that reads the future in the entrails of its human sacrifices. But the Serpent has larger plans for Ishbel than merely being archpriestess, plans that call for a dangerous royal marriage balancing on the edge between treachery and devotion, and an eerie, eldritch warning: Prepare for the Lord of Elcho Falling...

And there are other dangers. For while Tencendor is gone, even its fall cannot destroy the Icarii. As the Tyrant of Isembaard reaches for glory, both StarDrifter SunSoar and his son, Axis, are pulled into the deadly dance of intrigue and sorcery. The DarkGlass Mountain--once known as the Threshold--is waiting, and as the Dark God Kanubai rises from his prison in exile, no one will escape unscathed.

This book was wonderful! I picked it up on a whim one day and found myself falling in love with Sara Douglass' writing style. This book could look overwhelming because of the large size, but it is really very readable and if you have the time to devote to it, doesn't take very long to get through at all. You will want to know what happens next, and, if you are like me, will be disappointed when you get to the end because there is still so much left to be told of the story and I want to know what happens next! As I was reading I kept forgetting this was the first book in a trilogy because so much happens that you almost think that everything will be wrapped up by the end, but then it would sink in that there were two more books yet to come and it would take forever for me to see everything wrapped up. I am the worst with trilogies and series. I have too many on the go, I never seem to finish any of them, but I keep starting new ones!

In this book, there are characters for everyone. At times I thought there were just a bit too many for me to keep track of, especially considering how slowly I was reading this book, but in the end I knew who the central characters were and was able to keep all their stories straight. Douglass writes really good characters. Even when you hate them, you want to see what is going to happen to them next. Her characters all have pasts, which in many cases she covers during the course of the novel, so they become more than two-dimensional characters. You know why they act like they do, you know where they are coming from, and in some cases you know where they are going. Do they still annoying you at times? Of course, but that is the mark of a great writer when you get into the story enough to have opinions about the characters.

This is a novel about evil rising and a group of unlikely characters finding themselves pushed together to triumph over this evil. Or, at least try and triumph over this evil. It is a book where everything happens for a reason. Many of the characters in this book have been living their life waiting for this moment to shine, and we will see if they do in fact shine as the trilogy progresses. I am a bit worried about book two. Considering how far into the story book one went, I can see book two seriously suffering from the 'book two problems' and book three really being the book that everyone is waiting for.

Anyways, I wrote a review of this book when it was fresh in my head, but it somehow got erased, so now I have read a few books since and it is not as fresh anymore. Not to mention, I am a bit rusty on this review writing thing! (Still not on my computer, so pictures will be added later.)