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The Gate of Gods by Martha Wells
Jul. 11th, 2008 12:55 amI can’t help but think Wells wrote herself (and her characters) into a bit of a corner with this last book in the trilogy. With so many problems and so many routes to solve them cut off, all that was really left to try was something completely out of left field with a deus ex machina thrown in for good luck. Which is what we get. And, surprisingly, it works.
Like a lot of the series, it really only works because of Tremaine. As has been pointed out in the comments of my other posts, Tremaine doesn’t fit any of the typical modes. She’s not a warrior, she has no magic of her own, she has no prophecy to fulfill, or any of that. She’s not even a scholar or politician. She’s a slightly (ok, more than slightly) odd woman with a background that should have produced a dashing adventurer, but instead produced a mostly normal woman with a lot of determination and an odd way of thinking. Everyone around her is straight out of another fantasy novel, but she isn’t.
The romance between Tremaine and Ilias is something of a hoot. If I weren’t so used to a few certain manga, I wouldn’t believe how two people could be so dense when everyone else discussed it regularly. The resolution felt a bit sudden, but it worked.
Anyway, this series was a little random and repetitive in places, but I recommend it. For Tremaine, if nothing else appeals.
Like a lot of the series, it really only works because of Tremaine. As has been pointed out in the comments of my other posts, Tremaine doesn’t fit any of the typical modes. She’s not a warrior, she has no magic of her own, she has no prophecy to fulfill, or any of that. She’s not even a scholar or politician. She’s a slightly (ok, more than slightly) odd woman with a background that should have produced a dashing adventurer, but instead produced a mostly normal woman with a lot of determination and an odd way of thinking. Everyone around her is straight out of another fantasy novel, but she isn’t.
The romance between Tremaine and Ilias is something of a hoot. If I weren’t so used to a few certain manga, I wouldn’t believe how two people could be so dense when everyone else discussed it regularly. The resolution felt a bit sudden, but it worked.
Anyway, this series was a little random and repetitive in places, but I recommend it. For Tremaine, if nothing else appeals.