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Stormlord #3
Stormlord's Exile
Shale is finally free from his greatest enemy. But now, he is responsible for bringing life-giving rain to all the people of the Quartern. He must stretch his powers to the limit or his people will die-if they don't meet a nomad's blade first. And while Shale's own highlords and waterpriests plot against him, his Reduner brother plots his revenge.
Terelle is Shale's secret weapon, covertly boosting his powers with her own mystical abilities. But she is compelled by the strange magic of her people and will one day have to leave Shale's side. No one knows what waits for her across the desert, but her people gave the Quartern its first Stormlord and they may save Shale and his people once again-or lead them to their doom.
This is the final volume of the epic Stormlord series.
Terelle is Shale's secret weapon, covertly boosting his powers with her own mystical abilities. But she is compelled by the strange magic of her people and will one day have to leave Shale's side. No one knows what waits for her across the desert, but her people gave the Quartern its first Stormlord and they may save Shale and his people once again-or lead them to their doom.
This is the final volume of the epic Stormlord series.
683 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
64 people are currently reading
1239 people want to read
About the author
Glenda Larke
26 books377 followersGlenda was born in Western Australia, the daughter of a farmer. She was educated at government state schools and the University of Western Australia, where she obtained a degree in history and a diploma in education. Married to a Malaysian scientist, she has grown-up children, and now lives in Malaysia, where she is actively involved in rainforest conservation.
Author of The Isles of Glory trilogy (The Aware, Gilfeather, The Tainted); The Mirage Makers trilogy (Heart of the Mirage, The Shadow of Tyr, Song of the Shiver Barrens) and, writing as Glenda Noramly, a stand-alone book Havenstar.
Author of The Isles of Glory trilogy (The Aware, Gilfeather, The Tainted); The Mirage Makers trilogy (Heart of the Mirage, The Shadow of Tyr, Song of the Shiver Barrens) and, writing as Glenda Noramly, a stand-alone book Havenstar.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
December 29, 2019
“Once it was adventure, and dying didn’t seem to matter much. Now even the thought of it hurts because I have so much to live for.”
It might be that this is a seasonal book and does not work well in winter.
Or maybe, it’s just badly written.
OK, it is badly written and the naivety mixes with a bad case of writer’s désinvolture. Oh, French, how positively snobbish of me. Let’s try: carelessness, disregard for common sense and previous designs, unceremoniousness, and disinvolence. That would sum up the book beautifully.
There are authors who believe that books for the younger audience (or at least people who like YA) must have a touch of idealism and by idealism, they mean severe brain damage resulting in the inability to perform logical operations like reasoning and concluding on the basis of known facts. They very often keep this idiocy even as their protagonists mature because they have no idea how to achieve this arcane mastery called character development.
Enter Jasper Bloodstone, young man who went through hardships and atrocities in the previous two books but emerged unscathed by this and retains a pollyanna attitude which tells him that meeting his arch enemy in secret (in the enemy’s camp no less!) is a great and sound idea worthy of the leader of a nation. And the only person who can bring water in a land about as dry as my sense of humour.
Can you be more stupid?
When faced with a setup like that I cannot help but wonder why would any author want the reader to consider the main hero an imbecile. You cannot like a fool; he can either make you laugh (in a pitiable way) or irritate you. Tertium non datur!
And yet, after two books of trials and perturbations, this promising young man, who (one would think!) came such a long way, behaves in a way that sends the eyes rolling, heads shaking and teeth grinding. (At least mine, I will send the bill for the dentist later, thanks.) He is unable to rally support behind him, he is constantly outplayed by people whose existence depends on his whim and time after time he repeats the same mistakes because he is both: predictable and thus boring. And this goes until the end of the book, when a grand metamorphosis takes place promptly and neatly.
I would perhaps ignore that had the remainder of the plot was interesting and kept me hooked. In such an ingenious world this should not be too difficult.
And yet.
The repertoire of gimmicks is rather poor. There is a strawman of an evil religious leader that was perhaps added because the other two antagonists (of whom one is kept alive in seclusion because we all know it is a great idea that will never ever backfire) are about as substantial as a broth cooked on an old shoe (I will send my lunch bills later, thanks).
Terelle’s venture to the land beyond the Quartern should have been more interesting if only for the shock of reading about thecultural aqueous shock. But this escapade ends before it starts, somewhere in the borderlands and a Rapunzel with a twist episode is the pinnacle of this arc. While the author alluded and promised so much more, there was not even a glimpse of the Pinnacle or a solution to the Alabasters’ problems that started with a divine blasphemy (read: pollution and environmental extravaganza rooted in haughtiness).
The whole thing moves from one location to another abandoning the other plotlines for long times with no regard whatsoever for any structural balance (not only vis a vis the present instalment but also in the context of the two previous books!).
The feather that broke my back (I’ll send the chiropractor bill later, thanks) was the insanity around the romance between Jasper and Terelle who for reasons beyond me must be married even though none believes in a creed rendering the marriage something sacred (Jasper does not believe at all! why couldn't they be happy just loving each other without paying attention to absurd societal forms?). Then there is a third element wedged between them in an attempt to create tension but again, for no reason I can understand this insignificant other manoeuvred into a marriage of convenience suddenly cares where the spouse spends nights. Why?! She is not in love, she does not care about any other thing than her personal stature and well-being. The tantrums and assassination attempts are about as sensible as Venezuelan economy policy.
In the end, I was so tired and unhappy with this novel that I am forced to cancel my previous recommendation of the series. The idea is brilliant but poorly executed. Consider me a warningiver.
Also in the series:
1. The Last Stormlord ★★★★☆
2. Stormlord Rising ★★★☆☆
It might be that this is a seasonal book and does not work well in winter.
Or maybe, it’s just badly written.
OK, it is badly written and the naivety mixes with a bad case of writer’s désinvolture. Oh, French, how positively snobbish of me. Let’s try: carelessness, disregard for common sense and previous designs, unceremoniousness, and disinvolence. That would sum up the book beautifully.
There are authors who believe that books for the younger audience (or at least people who like YA) must have a touch of idealism and by idealism, they mean severe brain damage resulting in the inability to perform logical operations like reasoning and concluding on the basis of known facts. They very often keep this idiocy even as their protagonists mature because they have no idea how to achieve this arcane mastery called character development.
Enter Jasper Bloodstone, young man who went through hardships and atrocities in the previous two books but emerged unscathed by this and retains a pollyanna attitude which tells him that meeting his arch enemy in secret (in the enemy’s camp no less!) is a great and sound idea worthy of the leader of a nation. And the only person who can bring water in a land about as dry as my sense of humour.
Can you be more stupid?
When faced with a setup like that I cannot help but wonder why would any author want the reader to consider the main hero an imbecile. You cannot like a fool; he can either make you laugh (in a pitiable way) or irritate you. Tertium non datur!
And yet, after two books of trials and perturbations, this promising young man, who (one would think!) came such a long way, behaves in a way that sends the eyes rolling, heads shaking and teeth grinding. (At least mine, I will send the bill for the dentist later, thanks.) He is unable to rally support behind him, he is constantly outplayed by people whose existence depends on his whim and time after time he repeats the same mistakes because he is both: predictable and thus boring. And this goes until the end of the book, when a grand metamorphosis takes place promptly and neatly.
I would perhaps ignore that had the remainder of the plot was interesting and kept me hooked. In such an ingenious world this should not be too difficult.
And yet.
The repertoire of gimmicks is rather poor. There is a strawman of an evil religious leader that was perhaps added because the other two antagonists (of whom one is kept alive in seclusion because we all know it is a great idea that will never ever backfire) are about as substantial as a broth cooked on an old shoe (I will send my lunch bills later, thanks).
Terelle’s venture to the land beyond the Quartern should have been more interesting if only for the shock of reading about the
The whole thing moves from one location to another abandoning the other plotlines for long times with no regard whatsoever for any structural balance (not only vis a vis the present instalment but also in the context of the two previous books!).
The feather that broke my back (I’ll send the chiropractor bill later, thanks) was the insanity around the romance between Jasper and Terelle who for reasons beyond me must be married even though none believes in a creed rendering the marriage something sacred (Jasper does not believe at all! why couldn't they be happy just loving each other without paying attention to absurd societal forms?). Then there is a third element wedged between them in an attempt to create tension but again, for no reason I can understand this insignificant other manoeuvred into a marriage of convenience suddenly cares where the spouse spends nights. Why?! She is not in love, she does not care about any other thing than her personal stature and well-being. The tantrums and assassination attempts are about as sensible as Venezuelan economy policy.
In the end, I was so tired and unhappy with this novel that I am forced to cancel my previous recommendation of the series. The idea is brilliant but poorly executed. Consider me a warningiver.
Also in the series:
1. The Last Stormlord ★★★★☆
2. Stormlord Rising ★★★☆☆
March 18, 2018
This has been a great and really enjoyable series. I think I five starred the first two. This one is four but only because it lagged a bit in parts and caused me to do a bit of skimming. I can't five star a book that does that!
Nevertheless it was still a really good book and it tied up the trilogy perfectly. Some of the newer characters such as Rubric and Umber were just delightful and as for Kedri......well! That scene towards the end when he shows his capabilities was amazing. At that point I wished that the author was going to continue the series. I would love to see him growing up. He could even marry Amberlyn. Oh well, in my imagination he does.
Thank you Glenda Larke for a fascinating and very well written trilogy. Now I must go and see what else you have written.
Nevertheless it was still a really good book and it tied up the trilogy perfectly. Some of the newer characters such as Rubric and Umber were just delightful and as for Kedri......well! That scene towards the end when he shows his capabilities was amazing. At that point I wished that the author was going to continue the series. I would love to see him growing up. He could even marry Amberlyn. Oh well, in my imagination he does.
Thank you Glenda Larke for a fascinating and very well written trilogy. Now I must go and see what else you have written.
July 1, 2015
I loved this series!! The fact that I finished all THREE books in the series is a BIG deal. I've only finished a handful of series recently. Back when I was in university, I read a bunch of epic fantasy series, but now I don't have the time or the patience to read them. This series focuses on the characters, but I loved the world building as well - I want to ride a Pede over the red dunes! This last book met all my expectations and I tore through it at a fast pace and was totally satisfied by the ending. I think each book was better than the last one, but upon reflection they all deserved five stars! Bonus - Glenda Larke is a sweetheart and I plan to find her other books and read them as well.
July 16, 2019
4 stars. Very, very good, almost brilliant.
June 5, 2020
"'We do our best. That's all we can ever hope for. Our best, and it will never be perfect.'" ~ Kaneth to Ryka (639)
An excellent end to the Watergiver trilogy, comprised of The Last Stormlord (my review) and Stormlord Rising (my review). And a very unusual ending, that refreshingly puts making some sort of peace wherever possible above wreaking vengeance, and yet still has the characters make hard choices were needed.
Although all three books have a high page count, Larke's writing style is compelling and the pages quickly fly by. This trilogy is an immersive adventure in a desert land dying from lack of water, with lots of political intrigue, several distinct fully developed conflicting cultures and a different type of magic system (waterpainting).
It also has the first transgender character I've read in epic fantasy among a large cast of vividly rendered secondary characters with diverse relationships.
Overall, this was an incredible journey, and I really felt for most of the main characters (particularly Terelle and Jasper and Ryka and Kaneth). The two central villains are both morally grey. Definitely on the grimdark spectrum, although the violence is never gratuitous, but it ends on a hopeful note with scope for more adventures in the same world.
An excellent end to the Watergiver trilogy, comprised of The Last Stormlord (my review) and Stormlord Rising (my review). And a very unusual ending, that refreshingly puts making some sort of peace wherever possible above wreaking vengeance, and yet still has the characters make hard choices were needed.
Although all three books have a high page count, Larke's writing style is compelling and the pages quickly fly by. This trilogy is an immersive adventure in a desert land dying from lack of water, with lots of political intrigue, several distinct fully developed conflicting cultures and a different type of magic system (waterpainting).
It also has the first transgender character I've read in epic fantasy among a large cast of vividly rendered secondary characters with diverse relationships.
Overall, this was an incredible journey, and I really felt for most of the main characters (particularly Terelle and Jasper and Ryka and Kaneth). The two central villains are both morally grey. Definitely on the grimdark spectrum, although the violence is never gratuitous, but it ends on a hopeful note with scope for more adventures in the same world.
July 11, 2013
This book unfortunately did not meet standards already met by previous stories. There were a whole bunch of new sudden developments that seemed very left field, but that wasn't the issue. The issue was the fact that all of a sudden, in the last fifty or so pages, all the final battles are done, everything is resolved, and now we're good to go, happy ending. They traveled across not just the entire Quartern in the space of one paragraph to the next, but through an entire other country as well. Characters who had solidly maintained one side(The wrong side, but they were consistent), suddenly at the most convenient moment, were jumpin on the bandwagon to finish the book. It left the final sequences very lame and me as the reader with a very unfulfilled feeling. Of course, there was also the opposite issue to the sudden change in loyalties, in that one of the key characters changed sides for convenience about two to three times a book, and while I could see the main bad guy not doing anything about it because it would mean his random freedom from imprisonment, or leverage over the main character, or whatever, there was no reason, none, that she would have still been alive, or even barring that, in any kind of position to make decisions or have authority. 90% of the final book wouldn't have happened , had after the tenth time this person switched sides, someone said "Hey, why don't we take her water as a traitor, OR if you are too soft to do that, imprison her." Most of the time, books don't do that, leave a character alive simply as an easy tool to perpetuate story. You see if more often in a movie. The main character makes some retarded move five minutes in, that then starts the chain of events that lead to the movie. And you the audience are going who in their right mind would make that decision, ever? Oh right, so they could have a movie. This character was very much that. Put on the side when she wasn't needed to betray her current side, and brought out at precise moments to suddenly throw a monkey wrench, with no build up in the story to make it seem planned. So I am sad to say, I finished the series annoyed and disappointed. I had been thoroughly enjoying it up till about halfway through this book. Frustrating, because you can SEE how had things been written out in this way or that, it would have finished strong and just left you wanting more in the world. But, it doesn't. :(
September 7, 2011
And so on to the final part of the 'Watergivers/Stormlords' trilogy. At this point, I'm sufficiently invested in the characters and their world to care deeply about what happens to them. I have no expectations, going in, as to where the story will end up. The obvious possibility is a simple return to the status quo - Shale and Terelle will succeed in finding a new source of water-power (whether from the mysterious Khromatis or elsewhere) and everyone will settle down to rebuild the Scarpen cities with water supply assured.
But there are other potential outcomes too. It may be that the stormlord approach will fail utterly, and there will be a return to the time of random rain and everyone will have to adjust to a new, more flexible, way of life. But there is also the question of why there is a problem with rain in the Quartern at all, given that elsewhere water is plentiful. So it may be that some way will be found to change the climate entirely. This will still require a lot of adjustment, but it might be a better long-term solution. So the author could go in any one of a number of different directions, all with satisfying and emotionally resonant endings.
There are some implausibilities creeping into the plot, the convenient secrecy of the Alabasters, for instance. And Shale's propensity for rushing off to deal personally with whatever crisis is going on makes for an exciting ride, and is consistent with his personality and age (he's still a teenager, after all), but it isn't very sensible, given that he's the only stormlord left in existence. And I have to agree with the (several) characters who pointed out to him that going off to talk to his hostile brother in his own camp, and almost unaccompanied, is a seriously stupid thing to do.
And then there's Bice and his motley collection of sons. The bad guys have been a little too openly evil right from the start, but at least the likes of Taquar and Laisa have a certain charm. Bice, however, has none, and I find it difficult to accept a character who is so instantly aggressive and murderous. I like my villains to have at least a little personality. Besides, the obvious response to Terelle turning up out of the blue in Khromatis is to disbelieve her story entirely. She can't become Pinnacle unless she is accepted as the rightful heir, yet Bice never questions her ancestry.
Somehow this book seems a little more uneven than the previous two. Minor skirmishes early on become unexpectedly fraught, while other situations which should have been hazardous or difficult pass off unexpectedly easily, almost frivolously. The acquisition of new stormlords passes almost without comment, even though all indications are that the Khromatis will be highly unwilling to help out, and one of them, at least, is taken forcibly. Virtually nothing is said about whether their powers are even suitable (I recall just one casual comment), even though this is a crucial factor in the entire trilogy. Some aspects of the plot, and some minor characters, are dealt with in an almost perfunctory way. There were a number of places, too, where I lost track of who was speaking and had to reread carefully to work it out. This happens occasionally in every book, but it seemed a lot more frequent here than in the previous two. And there were quite a few small typos towards the end, as if the author was rushed.
I also felt there were some loose ends left dangling. I half expected Bice to make a reappearance, for instance, and I was surprised we never heard how Jade learned of what happened to her two sons. Much was made of keeping this from her, so I would have expected the point to be resolved. Nor did we ever find out how Khromatis coped with the loss of the rightful heir. Again, much was made earlier of the point that the position of Pinnacle was inherited and there could be no other option. And we never did find out exactly why the Quartern had so little rain when seemingly other parts of the world were generously supplied. I suppose it was just a climatic shift, but it would have been nice to know if this was natural or man-induced or magical, at the least.
But, niggles aside, the major plot points were resolved in suitably dramatic and satisfying ways (some twists I saw coming, but others were a complete surprise). The final confrontation with Ravard was particularly poignant, encompassing both tragedy and humanity. I didn't foresee Shale's final decision, but it made sense. The last chapter felt slightly rushed, though - not much more than a quick summary of where everyone ended up, almost as an afterthought.
Overall, this is a nice example of what fantasy should be. Larke's world-building is excellent, and while the level of detail is no more than in many other books, she is quite brilliant at keeping the reader fully immersed. She is a painter with words, using just a few brushstrokes here and there to sketch in the background in the most economical way. She uses a few simple tricks ('ye be going...' or 't'see...') to suggest the dialects of the White Quarter and the Gibber Quarter, and even the multitude of swearwords (sunfried, sandbrain, pedeshit...) constantly reinforce the hot, arid nature of the Quartern and its sheer differentness. It's great fun to visit Khromatis in this book, and encounter natural rain (and even snow!) from the perspective of the water-starved Quartern folk. The plot rattles along nicely, building slowly but inexorably to the major confrontations, which are not always resolved by brute force. In addition, the main characters are likeable, but with enough quirks to make them interesting, the magic system is both simple and powerful (and creates numerous entertaining and original ways of fighting and overcoming obstacles), and the plot derives almost entirely from the situation. Only the slightly over-the-top evilness of the bad guys detracts, and mostly there is enough depth to make them believable.
I always like a book that makes me think, and there's plenty here to ponder - the origins of religion, for instance, or the nature of prejudice (each of the regions has its own set - Scarpen folk are scathing about dark-skinned 'Gibber grubbers', but perfectly accepting of sexual preferences), or the necessity for killing, even in time of war, and whether you would ever sacrifice the life of your own child for the greater good. Then there is the matter of family loyalty and how far it should stretch. And perhaps the largest question of this book, set in a land of severe water shortages - how to distribute what resources you have, and whether it's better to build vulnerable cities or try to live more simply in harmony with the landscape. Cleverly, Larke never beats the reader over the head with her own views. Rather she allows her characters to put forward the alternate positions, so that, for example, when two infants are (separately) held as hostages, their fathers take different stands on whether to try to preserve the child's life, whatever the cost. All in all, this is very elegantly done.
I have to say that it's a long time since I've enjoyed a fantasy trilogy this much. Often they start well, but bog down in overly complicated plot developments, or the characters fail to develop believably, and more often than not they concentrate on the action scenes or the grand confrontation in book 3 to the detriment of everything else. Larke avoids these pitfalls, and adds a layer of subtlety, and a spare, clean writing style, which make every chapter a joy to read. I don't often give 5 star reviews, and by itself this book would perhaps just fall short, but the overall quality of the series deserves it.
But there are other potential outcomes too. It may be that the stormlord approach will fail utterly, and there will be a return to the time of random rain and everyone will have to adjust to a new, more flexible, way of life. But there is also the question of why there is a problem with rain in the Quartern at all, given that elsewhere water is plentiful. So it may be that some way will be found to change the climate entirely. This will still require a lot of adjustment, but it might be a better long-term solution. So the author could go in any one of a number of different directions, all with satisfying and emotionally resonant endings.
There are some implausibilities creeping into the plot, the convenient secrecy of the Alabasters, for instance. And Shale's propensity for rushing off to deal personally with whatever crisis is going on makes for an exciting ride, and is consistent with his personality and age (he's still a teenager, after all), but it isn't very sensible, given that he's the only stormlord left in existence. And I have to agree with the (several) characters who pointed out to him that going off to talk to his hostile brother in his own camp, and almost unaccompanied, is a seriously stupid thing to do.
And then there's Bice and his motley collection of sons. The bad guys have been a little too openly evil right from the start, but at least the likes of Taquar and Laisa have a certain charm. Bice, however, has none, and I find it difficult to accept a character who is so instantly aggressive and murderous. I like my villains to have at least a little personality. Besides, the obvious response to Terelle turning up out of the blue in Khromatis is to disbelieve her story entirely. She can't become Pinnacle unless she is accepted as the rightful heir, yet Bice never questions her ancestry.
Somehow this book seems a little more uneven than the previous two. Minor skirmishes early on become unexpectedly fraught, while other situations which should have been hazardous or difficult pass off unexpectedly easily, almost frivolously. The acquisition of new stormlords passes almost without comment, even though all indications are that the Khromatis will be highly unwilling to help out, and one of them, at least, is taken forcibly. Virtually nothing is said about whether their powers are even suitable (I recall just one casual comment), even though this is a crucial factor in the entire trilogy. Some aspects of the plot, and some minor characters, are dealt with in an almost perfunctory way. There were a number of places, too, where I lost track of who was speaking and had to reread carefully to work it out. This happens occasionally in every book, but it seemed a lot more frequent here than in the previous two. And there were quite a few small typos towards the end, as if the author was rushed.
I also felt there were some loose ends left dangling. I half expected Bice to make a reappearance, for instance, and I was surprised we never heard how Jade learned of what happened to her two sons. Much was made of keeping this from her, so I would have expected the point to be resolved. Nor did we ever find out how Khromatis coped with the loss of the rightful heir. Again, much was made earlier of the point that the position of Pinnacle was inherited and there could be no other option. And we never did find out exactly why the Quartern had so little rain when seemingly other parts of the world were generously supplied. I suppose it was just a climatic shift, but it would have been nice to know if this was natural or man-induced or magical, at the least.
But, niggles aside, the major plot points were resolved in suitably dramatic and satisfying ways (some twists I saw coming, but others were a complete surprise). The final confrontation with Ravard was particularly poignant, encompassing both tragedy and humanity. I didn't foresee Shale's final decision, but it made sense. The last chapter felt slightly rushed, though - not much more than a quick summary of where everyone ended up, almost as an afterthought.
Overall, this is a nice example of what fantasy should be. Larke's world-building is excellent, and while the level of detail is no more than in many other books, she is quite brilliant at keeping the reader fully immersed. She is a painter with words, using just a few brushstrokes here and there to sketch in the background in the most economical way. She uses a few simple tricks ('ye be going...' or 't'see...') to suggest the dialects of the White Quarter and the Gibber Quarter, and even the multitude of swearwords (sunfried, sandbrain, pedeshit...) constantly reinforce the hot, arid nature of the Quartern and its sheer differentness. It's great fun to visit Khromatis in this book, and encounter natural rain (and even snow!) from the perspective of the water-starved Quartern folk. The plot rattles along nicely, building slowly but inexorably to the major confrontations, which are not always resolved by brute force. In addition, the main characters are likeable, but with enough quirks to make them interesting, the magic system is both simple and powerful (and creates numerous entertaining and original ways of fighting and overcoming obstacles), and the plot derives almost entirely from the situation. Only the slightly over-the-top evilness of the bad guys detracts, and mostly there is enough depth to make them believable.
I always like a book that makes me think, and there's plenty here to ponder - the origins of religion, for instance, or the nature of prejudice (each of the regions has its own set - Scarpen folk are scathing about dark-skinned 'Gibber grubbers', but perfectly accepting of sexual preferences), or the necessity for killing, even in time of war, and whether you would ever sacrifice the life of your own child for the greater good. Then there is the matter of family loyalty and how far it should stretch. And perhaps the largest question of this book, set in a land of severe water shortages - how to distribute what resources you have, and whether it's better to build vulnerable cities or try to live more simply in harmony with the landscape. Cleverly, Larke never beats the reader over the head with her own views. Rather she allows her characters to put forward the alternate positions, so that, for example, when two infants are (separately) held as hostages, their fathers take different stands on whether to try to preserve the child's life, whatever the cost. All in all, this is very elegantly done.
I have to say that it's a long time since I've enjoyed a fantasy trilogy this much. Often they start well, but bog down in overly complicated plot developments, or the characters fail to develop believably, and more often than not they concentrate on the action scenes or the grand confrontation in book 3 to the detriment of everything else. Larke avoids these pitfalls, and adds a layer of subtlety, and a spare, clean writing style, which make every chapter a joy to read. I don't often give 5 star reviews, and by itself this book would perhaps just fall short, but the overall quality of the series deserves it.
July 18, 2020
Every now and then you read a book that plays out like a movie in your head. This series did just that for me. The first book got me out of a reading slump and reminded me why I loved reading, the second book was just as enjoyable. This one ends the trilogy and usually I'm reluctant to do so because I dont want to say goodbye to the characters. I will definitely be picking up another Glenda Larke book in the near future!
September 1, 2011
Glenda Larke's final book in the Watergiver's trilogy, Stormlord's Exile , is finally out. I've been looking forward to this one for a long time. It's 720 pages long, which is who knows how many on the kindle. If maps are important to you in a fantasy novel, you'll want to pick up a print copy. The kindle copy's map is very poor, like most maps in the e-reader versions. There's no synopsis at the beginning, so you'll definitely need to start at the beginning if you're interested in the trilogy. I personally think that the first book in the trilogy is the best, though all of them are great.
I'm a fan of fast pace endings, but I know that some people think that this leads to slow beginning and middle bits. I don't think this is the case with this book. There's so much that needs to be wrapped up in this installment that it seems like Larke has us tumbling through the geography. Some of the travelling sequences that plagued the second book are cut out of this one, probably for length purposes.
One of the best things about this series is how complete the world is. These people live in a dry land where the natural rainfall can't sustain the population. Not for long anyway. Magicians, called Rainlords and Stormlords, draw water from the ocean to water cisterns that irrigate the area through a vast system of pipes and reservoirs throughout the land. The way that the preciousness of water effects all the characters in the book is one of the things that makes the book so immersive, which extends to the language that the characters use. Sometimes this sort of language can be jarring, like the ubiquitous "Oh my gods!" but it's very well done in this one.
The themes of fatherhood in the book were very interesting, though I think that Larke leans a little too much on that theme as a way to get characters where they need to be for parts of the book. Waterpainting in the book also feels like a deus ex machina sometimes, but I guess the characters are in enough risk most of the time that it doesn't take away from the tension too much.
The ending is a bit fast, even faster than some of Brandon Sanderson's endings, but it does wrap up everything that needs to be done. No untied threads in this one.
I recommend picking up this series, it's gold all the way through to the end.
Check out my other reviews at my blog
I'm a fan of fast pace endings, but I know that some people think that this leads to slow beginning and middle bits. I don't think this is the case with this book. There's so much that needs to be wrapped up in this installment that it seems like Larke has us tumbling through the geography. Some of the travelling sequences that plagued the second book are cut out of this one, probably for length purposes.
One of the best things about this series is how complete the world is. These people live in a dry land where the natural rainfall can't sustain the population. Not for long anyway. Magicians, called Rainlords and Stormlords, draw water from the ocean to water cisterns that irrigate the area through a vast system of pipes and reservoirs throughout the land. The way that the preciousness of water effects all the characters in the book is one of the things that makes the book so immersive, which extends to the language that the characters use. Sometimes this sort of language can be jarring, like the ubiquitous "Oh my gods!" but it's very well done in this one.
The themes of fatherhood in the book were very interesting, though I think that Larke leans a little too much on that theme as a way to get characters where they need to be for parts of the book. Waterpainting in the book also feels like a deus ex machina sometimes, but I guess the characters are in enough risk most of the time that it doesn't take away from the tension too much.
The ending is a bit fast, even faster than some of Brandon Sanderson's endings, but it does wrap up everything that needs to be done. No untied threads in this one.
I recommend picking up this series, it's gold all the way through to the end.
Check out my other reviews at my blog
August 7, 2013
I am afraid that this review is going to be a bit unbalanced. The reason for this is relatively simple. The book itself was a bit unbalanced.
The weird thing that happened here, is that this book actually felt like a middle book, and not a conclusion. I honestly can not remember experiencing anything like it before. I mean I have read alot of series that felt like
lead ins to a bigger story, but I can not remember a second book being so much faster than the third. Book one was a very interesting setup for the series with lots of worldbuilding and character development. Typical of a first book which pretty much has to hook you into the story. Book two continued in the same vein but added an all out war, making that volume fast paced and exciting. Wow! What is next!
And so we come to book three which starts out with most of the main characters all traveling from here to there and back again. Nothing wrong with traveling mind you. Immersion in the worldbuilding is alot easier to achieve when you explore new (and old) landscapes through the eyes of the characters. However, the amount of traveling in this book was unexpected. I am used to this type of story building in a middle book, not in the first half of the series conclusion.
This leaves me to my second problem, a rushed ending that did not even begin to answer all my questions. I closed this book feeling like I had just watched the ending of season one with no guarantee that season two would be picked up by the network. I hate it when that happens.
Now I promised you an unbalanced review and I am going to deliver on that promise. I like this series. I like the magic, I love the characters, and I enjoyed the varied landscapes. The whole premise of no natural rainfall and the difficulties that would create simply fascinated me. I thought Glenda Larke's portrayal of the types of societies that might develop under those conditions to be masterful. Even better, she creates great characters to both love and despise, even as you understand exactly what makes them the hero or villain that they are. And that could very well be my problem. I wanted to experience more. Much more.
Read More Here:
Dragons, Heroes and Wizards
The weird thing that happened here, is that this book actually felt like a middle book, and not a conclusion. I honestly can not remember experiencing anything like it before. I mean I have read alot of series that felt like
lead ins to a bigger story, but I can not remember a second book being so much faster than the third. Book one was a very interesting setup for the series with lots of worldbuilding and character development. Typical of a first book which pretty much has to hook you into the story. Book two continued in the same vein but added an all out war, making that volume fast paced and exciting. Wow! What is next!
And so we come to book three which starts out with most of the main characters all traveling from here to there and back again. Nothing wrong with traveling mind you. Immersion in the worldbuilding is alot easier to achieve when you explore new (and old) landscapes through the eyes of the characters. However, the amount of traveling in this book was unexpected. I am used to this type of story building in a middle book, not in the first half of the series conclusion.
This leaves me to my second problem, a rushed ending that did not even begin to answer all my questions. I closed this book feeling like I had just watched the ending of season one with no guarantee that season two would be picked up by the network. I hate it when that happens.
Now I promised you an unbalanced review and I am going to deliver on that promise. I like this series. I like the magic, I love the characters, and I enjoyed the varied landscapes. The whole premise of no natural rainfall and the difficulties that would create simply fascinated me. I thought Glenda Larke's portrayal of the types of societies that might develop under those conditions to be masterful. Even better, she creates great characters to both love and despise, even as you understand exactly what makes them the hero or villain that they are. And that could very well be my problem. I wanted to experience more. Much more.
Read More Here:
Dragons, Heroes and Wizards
January 13, 2012
I'm going to miss the world that this series created. I had initially picked up this book because the premise of the first in this series caught my attention. Anything that deals with manipulating water gets a thumbs up from me. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. The world is particularly interesting as life relies on a handful of people who are water-gifted and can shift water. Also, this tale is not set in a Western medieval setting like a majority of fantasy books. Instead we are placed in a dry, torturous world where water is scarce and valued above all other things. There is also a distinct lack of horse-like creature in this world which is great. Their main method of transportation are pedes--which I picture as some centipede/millipede looking creature. I would like one.
I greatly enjoyed everything about this series. The fight scenes, though not elaborate or in depth, gave us some interesting fighting abilities of Rain/Stormlords. The entire ability for Rainlords/Stormlords to pull water from humans is quite terrifying when you take into consideration that the majority of the human body is water.
Most of all, I am going to miss the characters. I fell in love with Shale/Jasper and his determination to do what is right, sometimes at the expense of himself. Tyrelle is an excellent and strong female character who matches perfectly with Shale/Japser. The villains are memorable and are more of a grey-evil (except for Senya who is in a class of her own). I also absolutely LOVED Ryka.
One word of warning, if you are looking for a really complicated story where you never know what is going to happen next----this is not it. Yes, it has it moments but a lot of future events are predictable. As you get to know the characters it is easy to see the decisions that they are going to make. Nonetheless, it is an entertaining and enjoyable read.
I greatly enjoyed everything about this series. The fight scenes, though not elaborate or in depth, gave us some interesting fighting abilities of Rain/Stormlords. The entire ability for Rainlords/Stormlords to pull water from humans is quite terrifying when you take into consideration that the majority of the human body is water.
Most of all, I am going to miss the characters. I fell in love with Shale/Jasper and his determination to do what is right, sometimes at the expense of himself. Tyrelle is an excellent and strong female character who matches perfectly with Shale/Japser. The villains are memorable and are more of a grey-evil (except for Senya who is in a class of her own). I also absolutely LOVED Ryka.
One word of warning, if you are looking for a really complicated story where you never know what is going to happen next----this is not it. Yes, it has it moments but a lot of future events are predictable. As you get to know the characters it is easy to see the decisions that they are going to make. Nonetheless, it is an entertaining and enjoyable read.
October 14, 2012
The first book in this series was excellent. The second book was pretty good. This is the third in the series, and I am of decidedly mixed opinion. Ending a trilogy - especially a really strong series with compelling characters and intricate interweaving plots - is hard. I get that. And so, while I'm sympathetic to the challenge Larke has set up for herself, the fact that the conclusion is anti-climactic is still disappointing. She spends 1800 pages building up the final, epic, confrontation, and less than 2 resolving it. And the resolution is not one that will leave readers terribly satisfied.
I might be willing to forgive that, if it weren't for the fact that the first third of the book is wasted on a side quest that is both on the surface and at deeper levels totally useless, and the middle of the book introduces villains that are completely one dimensional (I'm evil because I'm a bad person, I have no compelling reason for my cruel and nasty behavior) which she has, to that point, mostly avoided. There is also an odd trans-gender bit that doesn't particularly contribute to the plot, nor make a political statement, it's just there for the sake of being there. It really felt like for the first 2/3rds of the book she was merely going through the motions and her heart wasn't in it. She woke back up for the last 1/3rd, but then was out of space, and had to wrap things up in the unsatisfying way I alluded to earlier.
I still feel like the series was a worthwhile read (unlike, say, the Hunger Games where the third book was so bad that it ruined the trilogy as a whole). This book isn't bad - it's just not as good as what I'd hoped given the quality of the first two in the series. That said, it does make the series a little harder to recommend.
I might be willing to forgive that, if it weren't for the fact that the first third of the book is wasted on a side quest that is both on the surface and at deeper levels totally useless, and the middle of the book introduces villains that are completely one dimensional (I'm evil because I'm a bad person, I have no compelling reason for my cruel and nasty behavior) which she has, to that point, mostly avoided. There is also an odd trans-gender bit that doesn't particularly contribute to the plot, nor make a political statement, it's just there for the sake of being there. It really felt like for the first 2/3rds of the book she was merely going through the motions and her heart wasn't in it. She woke back up for the last 1/3rd, but then was out of space, and had to wrap things up in the unsatisfying way I alluded to earlier.
I still feel like the series was a worthwhile read (unlike, say, the Hunger Games where the third book was so bad that it ruined the trilogy as a whole). This book isn't bad - it's just not as good as what I'd hoped given the quality of the first two in the series. That said, it does make the series a little harder to recommend.
September 3, 2011
Epic conclusion to the Watergiver series!
What I love about these epic fantasy series is the way they weave a hundred plots together and in the end manage to lead us to a satisfying conclusion. After three 500 pages plus volumes, I’m going to miss the characters and the world Glenda Larke has created! And let me tell you, it is a truly fascinating and unique world with cleverly wrought plots of love, politics and religion in an unforgivably harsh dry land.
I have to say that what I liked the most about this world was how it all was made to fit. Because of the lack of water issue, in the world you’ll find cisterns and the pipes leading to the main cities. But the cisterns have to be filled by their stormlords who have to make water vapor out of the sea then lead the rain to each cistern. Also the types of animals that can be found in the land, ones that don’t require a lot of water to survive, like the myriapedes and the zyggers. It all shows that Larke put great thought into her world and how it would all work together.
And the characters! You can’t help but to fall in love with the heroes and truly despise the archenemies. I swear every time Russet, Laisa, Senya or Lord Gold appeared I just wanted to hurl my book across the room in anger. That’s how much into this series I was! Reading about the lives of Shale and Terelle and their friends was a journey in itself. And now that it has ended I feel a bit sad but satisfied. There were a couple of cool characters that appeared in this book, and if there’s anything to complain about is that they didn’t make it into the series sooner.
What I love about these epic fantasy series is the way they weave a hundred plots together and in the end manage to lead us to a satisfying conclusion. After three 500 pages plus volumes, I’m going to miss the characters and the world Glenda Larke has created! And let me tell you, it is a truly fascinating and unique world with cleverly wrought plots of love, politics and religion in an unforgivably harsh dry land.
I have to say that what I liked the most about this world was how it all was made to fit. Because of the lack of water issue, in the world you’ll find cisterns and the pipes leading to the main cities. But the cisterns have to be filled by their stormlords who have to make water vapor out of the sea then lead the rain to each cistern. Also the types of animals that can be found in the land, ones that don’t require a lot of water to survive, like the myriapedes and the zyggers. It all shows that Larke put great thought into her world and how it would all work together.
And the characters! You can’t help but to fall in love with the heroes and truly despise the archenemies. I swear every time Russet, Laisa, Senya or Lord Gold appeared I just wanted to hurl my book across the room in anger. That’s how much into this series I was! Reading about the lives of Shale and Terelle and their friends was a journey in itself. And now that it has ended I feel a bit sad but satisfied. There were a couple of cool characters that appeared in this book, and if there’s anything to complain about is that they didn’t make it into the series sooner.
February 7, 2014
This is a great end to Shale's story. I love the world the author has created! Even though it is a light read, it is a lot of fun, and I would definitely recommend this series.
July 18, 2019
3.5 stars
September 11, 2015
You know you want to read my blog!
I feel like I should really title this "Ode to Fantasy Fiction." I think I'm a fairly eclectic reader, generally speaking. Maybe, with the common thread of something different, something not easy to figure out. I like to be surprised. I mean, it's fine to know that everything is going to work out in the end, but that's just common sense. I feel like this book is a really good example about what fantasy fiction can really bring to the table.
It's kind of...coincidental that I picked this book after finishing Unholy Night. In that review, I tried to focus more on matters of faith than religion. That's not going to be possible in this one. So, I'll repeat my disclaimers:
1) If you are hyper religious, and find any negative portrayal of religion bad or blasphemous, don't bother with this book or review. You'll probably just be unhappy.
2) If you are hyper non-religious, and don't see the point in discussing religion you may want to stop reading this review here. I'm going to go into the thoughts religion, which you may not enjoy.
See, one of my favorite things about the fantasy genre is it's ability to criticize society without pissing anyone off because the people/places/things they criticize aren't real. How can you get pissed they're criticizing a religion/politics that don't exist? This book does that and more.
OK, confession time: I don't really remember the first 2 books in the Watergivers trilogy. I vaguely remember them, broad strokes, but the details? Nope. Not really. But I've got enough to sketch out the world for you.
So, there is a massive desert that's divided into 4 parts. The "country" is called the Quartern and the 4 regions are the Red Quarter, the White Quarter, the Scarpen Quarter, and the Gibber Quarter. I swear I'm not telling you this to bore you, or bog you down, it's just easier to explain this way. I wouldn't do that to you. The Quatern is ruled by an elite class of people with magical abilities, called rainlords or stormlords depending on their abilities. Over time, this class has become...well, assholes. The Quartern survives by having these lords bring water from the sea in the form of rain and rationing it to the whole Quartern. The people are pretty much all poor, except for this elite group. Varying degrees or poor, but still basically poor. And there is little if any possibility of improvement. Now they've gotten so out of control they think they can/should cut off water to those "other" quarters.
So, our main character, Shale, was a street rat in the Gibber. Turns out the Quartern was running out of stormlords and Shale had enough power to bring water (with some help). Terrelle, our heroine, is another street rat from the Gibber. She has the power to waterpaint, and what she paints, happens. Over the first 2 books, a lot happens. The two are imprisoned and escape. Score victories and come across new and powerful enemies. Make friends, lose them, etc. The first 2 were obviously good, since I read the 3rd (even if it did take me an inordinate amount of time). They're fast paced and keep you turning pages.
OK, so, back to religion. It's clear the author isn't a fan of religion. Faith is another case entirely. Terrelle is actually desperate to put her faith in something, to believe, when she discovers the religion she's always worshipped, the religion of the Scarpen, was fake all the time. Provably fake, according to those in the White. All the religions are portrayed in a negative light. They're involved in politics to the detriment of the citizenry. They're harsh, uncaring, and make use their faith to persecute those they deem immoral, while allowing those who act immorally to remain free despite atrocities. They call their religion the one "true faith," and punish those they believe aren't pious enough. They turn away those who need them most, no matter how devout, and persecute anyone who is different. This is the kind of thing that happens IRL to end up with that disgusting group that tries to call itself a church (I won't even say their name).
Looking down on women, gays, transgender, even those who act in kindness. Even the kindest of the religions ends up hurting those who believe in it by bogging them down in the past that should no longer hold sway over them, keeping them basically enslaved. However, Larke can say all this, can take a harsh look at religions because, well, none of them exist. They're not even really obviously comparable to actual religions.
And I can't help but think she makes really good points. When religion goes from being a community of faithful who share a belief to a method of governance, it's dangerous. And when religion starts to damn people, to choose who is righteous and who is not, it's dangerous. There are instances in while religion keeps women oppressed, races/ethnicities oppressed, gays and transgender oppressed, other religions oppressed, and on and on in the book. It's not a pleasant commentary.
One of my favorite parts is when Shale exclaims "I just wish people could believe what they want and tolerate what other people believe."
Amen, brother, Amen.
But Larke's commentary goes on. She critiques entitlement/selfishness, to start. I'm talking about real entitlement, not the poor begging and pleading for some help. I'm talking people who have wealth and comfort and yet think they deserve more; believe they are better than others and should have whatever they want because of that. These characters will do anything, hurt anyone, just to get a little more. There are many such characters in this book. One's a straight up psychopath, though they obviously don't have that word in this world.
War isn't passed over either. Well, there's a lot of war and fighting to move the plot, so that's not a surprising claim. But Larke does such a great job at portraying it as the horror it is without making it gorey or depressing. Pointing out the sadness and how there's never a real victor - even if your cause wins, good people still died to win it. Maybe it's the lesser of evils, but it's still an evil (not literally, we've moved on from religion :P ). Some fantasy writers avoid this, consciously or not, by making the bad guys actually evil. Not just people with different philosophies and the desire to impose theirs on the world, but actual, objective evil. There's nothing wrong with that. I like those books too. But here, we have the ability to show it's not all black or white. There's a lot of gray. There's a lot of good people fighting for a bad cause. The clearest example of this is Shale's brother, who was kidnapped, enslaved, abused, victimized, and then made into a violent man with little/no compassion Shale struggles to reconcile his memories of his brother with the man he became. The man Shale has to war against. I think, in the end, the message is, does war ever really have a winner? Or just lesser losers?
One of the best things Larke does is create a transgender character, and to highlight his life and struggles. In the Quartern, homosexuality is not looked down upon, and neither is being transgender. But in a neighboring country, it is. It's a sin. Neither of these things is over emphasized. When it affects the plot, it's highlighted; when it doesn't, it's not. Just like the other characters.
It's not all seriousness though; the book isn't preachy. It's really not. The characters have depth and humor. The plot moves swiftly without missing anything. It's complex, but not confusing. There are even little fantasy gems where you recognize something they're discussing, but it's not the way you think about it. Like this moment where 2 soldiers are in a foreign land talking about strange animals called alpiners, aka horses, and how they, oddly, wear shoes. The soldiers are used to riding pedes, segmented, many legged creatures with mandibles and antennae. Sounds familiar, right? I love these kinds of ideas.
One caution. Though this is the final book of the trilogy, it doesn't quite feel finished. I mean, you get a conclusion to all that's happened over the 3 books. All the characters get what they deserve, there's a happy ending. There are no cliff hangers. It just feels like there might be room for follow up. Maybe the next generation. Or maybe the next century. I don't know if that was intentional or not, or even if I'm misreading it completely it just feels that way to me. Feel free to comment if you agree/disagree.
So, since I appear to be on a religion/faith trend, I think I'll just go with the flow and try out The Last Testament: A Memoir by God" next... :D
I feel like I should really title this "Ode to Fantasy Fiction." I think I'm a fairly eclectic reader, generally speaking. Maybe, with the common thread of something different, something not easy to figure out. I like to be surprised. I mean, it's fine to know that everything is going to work out in the end, but that's just common sense. I feel like this book is a really good example about what fantasy fiction can really bring to the table.
It's kind of...coincidental that I picked this book after finishing Unholy Night. In that review, I tried to focus more on matters of faith than religion. That's not going to be possible in this one. So, I'll repeat my disclaimers:
1) If you are hyper religious, and find any negative portrayal of religion bad or blasphemous, don't bother with this book or review. You'll probably just be unhappy.
2) If you are hyper non-religious, and don't see the point in discussing religion you may want to stop reading this review here. I'm going to go into the thoughts religion, which you may not enjoy.
See, one of my favorite things about the fantasy genre is it's ability to criticize society without pissing anyone off because the people/places/things they criticize aren't real. How can you get pissed they're criticizing a religion/politics that don't exist? This book does that and more.
OK, confession time: I don't really remember the first 2 books in the Watergivers trilogy. I vaguely remember them, broad strokes, but the details? Nope. Not really. But I've got enough to sketch out the world for you.
So, there is a massive desert that's divided into 4 parts. The "country" is called the Quartern and the 4 regions are the Red Quarter, the White Quarter, the Scarpen Quarter, and the Gibber Quarter. I swear I'm not telling you this to bore you, or bog you down, it's just easier to explain this way. I wouldn't do that to you. The Quatern is ruled by an elite class of people with magical abilities, called rainlords or stormlords depending on their abilities. Over time, this class has become...well, assholes. The Quartern survives by having these lords bring water from the sea in the form of rain and rationing it to the whole Quartern. The people are pretty much all poor, except for this elite group. Varying degrees or poor, but still basically poor. And there is little if any possibility of improvement. Now they've gotten so out of control they think they can/should cut off water to those "other" quarters.
So, our main character, Shale, was a street rat in the Gibber. Turns out the Quartern was running out of stormlords and Shale had enough power to bring water (with some help). Terrelle, our heroine, is another street rat from the Gibber. She has the power to waterpaint, and what she paints, happens. Over the first 2 books, a lot happens. The two are imprisoned and escape. Score victories and come across new and powerful enemies. Make friends, lose them, etc. The first 2 were obviously good, since I read the 3rd (even if it did take me an inordinate amount of time). They're fast paced and keep you turning pages.
OK, so, back to religion. It's clear the author isn't a fan of religion. Faith is another case entirely. Terrelle is actually desperate to put her faith in something, to believe, when she discovers the religion she's always worshipped, the religion of the Scarpen, was fake all the time. Provably fake, according to those in the White. All the religions are portrayed in a negative light. They're involved in politics to the detriment of the citizenry. They're harsh, uncaring, and make use their faith to persecute those they deem immoral, while allowing those who act immorally to remain free despite atrocities. They call their religion the one "true faith," and punish those they believe aren't pious enough. They turn away those who need them most, no matter how devout, and persecute anyone who is different. This is the kind of thing that happens IRL to end up with that disgusting group that tries to call itself a church (I won't even say their name).
Looking down on women, gays, transgender, even those who act in kindness. Even the kindest of the religions ends up hurting those who believe in it by bogging them down in the past that should no longer hold sway over them, keeping them basically enslaved. However, Larke can say all this, can take a harsh look at religions because, well, none of them exist. They're not even really obviously comparable to actual religions.
And I can't help but think she makes really good points. When religion goes from being a community of faithful who share a belief to a method of governance, it's dangerous. And when religion starts to damn people, to choose who is righteous and who is not, it's dangerous. There are instances in while religion keeps women oppressed, races/ethnicities oppressed, gays and transgender oppressed, other religions oppressed, and on and on in the book. It's not a pleasant commentary.
One of my favorite parts is when Shale exclaims "I just wish people could believe what they want and tolerate what other people believe."
Amen, brother, Amen.
But Larke's commentary goes on. She critiques entitlement/selfishness, to start. I'm talking about real entitlement, not the poor begging and pleading for some help. I'm talking people who have wealth and comfort and yet think they deserve more; believe they are better than others and should have whatever they want because of that. These characters will do anything, hurt anyone, just to get a little more. There are many such characters in this book. One's a straight up psychopath, though they obviously don't have that word in this world.
War isn't passed over either. Well, there's a lot of war and fighting to move the plot, so that's not a surprising claim. But Larke does such a great job at portraying it as the horror it is without making it gorey or depressing. Pointing out the sadness and how there's never a real victor - even if your cause wins, good people still died to win it. Maybe it's the lesser of evils, but it's still an evil (not literally, we've moved on from religion :P ). Some fantasy writers avoid this, consciously or not, by making the bad guys actually evil. Not just people with different philosophies and the desire to impose theirs on the world, but actual, objective evil. There's nothing wrong with that. I like those books too. But here, we have the ability to show it's not all black or white. There's a lot of gray. There's a lot of good people fighting for a bad cause. The clearest example of this is Shale's brother, who was kidnapped, enslaved, abused, victimized, and then made into a violent man with little/no compassion Shale struggles to reconcile his memories of his brother with the man he became. The man Shale has to war against. I think, in the end, the message is, does war ever really have a winner? Or just lesser losers?
One of the best things Larke does is create a transgender character, and to highlight his life and struggles. In the Quartern, homosexuality is not looked down upon, and neither is being transgender. But in a neighboring country, it is. It's a sin. Neither of these things is over emphasized. When it affects the plot, it's highlighted; when it doesn't, it's not. Just like the other characters.
It's not all seriousness though; the book isn't preachy. It's really not. The characters have depth and humor. The plot moves swiftly without missing anything. It's complex, but not confusing. There are even little fantasy gems where you recognize something they're discussing, but it's not the way you think about it. Like this moment where 2 soldiers are in a foreign land talking about strange animals called alpiners, aka horses, and how they, oddly, wear shoes. The soldiers are used to riding pedes, segmented, many legged creatures with mandibles and antennae. Sounds familiar, right? I love these kinds of ideas.
One caution. Though this is the final book of the trilogy, it doesn't quite feel finished. I mean, you get a conclusion to all that's happened over the 3 books. All the characters get what they deserve, there's a happy ending. There are no cliff hangers. It just feels like there might be room for follow up. Maybe the next generation. Or maybe the next century. I don't know if that was intentional or not, or even if I'm misreading it completely it just feels that way to me. Feel free to comment if you agree/disagree.
So, since I appear to be on a religion/faith trend, I think I'll just go with the flow and try out The Last Testament: A Memoir by God" next... :D
December 7, 2025
About as good as the second one. It's a perfectly serviceable, good but not great book. There are funny moments, heartwarming moments, cool moments, so on and so forth, plenty of good emotional beats and action moments and so on. But it's also very long, and somehow doesn't manage to use that pagespace as good as you might like.
Khromatis is kind of emblematic of this - when we first go there, it's amazing - for the past two books, we've been seeing the world from the perspective of the Quartern's citizens, who exist in a very water-scarce environment, and then we follow that perspective into a nation that has plentiful water and there's such profligate waste they can't take their eyes off of it. It's a very good analogy for developed and developing nations, and Larke executes it well.
But the Khromatian characters kind of take over the plot and take the story into a new place, and this is only a problem because the Khromatian characters are obviously not as well developed as the characters we've been following for over two books at this point. For the life of me, I could not tell you one distinguishing character trait of Umber's.
This wouldn't be a problem if the rest of the story was great, but it's mostly just 'functionally good'. There's nothing super-standout here, in fact, we see a fair number of anticlimaxes, or plots resolved too neatly. I remember being on my second-to-last night reading this, going 'boy there are only 55 pages left, how will she resolve all of this'. And it turns out - kind of clumsily!
It's good but not great, and that description basically sums up the whole series. The Khromatian characters fundamentally alter the book and feel clunkily added on, the writing itself is merely functionally good. It's certainly not bad, or even mediocre, but it's hard to see myself recommending this series to people when there's better stuff out there that fills a similar niche. 8/10. B-.
Khromatis is kind of emblematic of this - when we first go there, it's amazing - for the past two books, we've been seeing the world from the perspective of the Quartern's citizens, who exist in a very water-scarce environment, and then we follow that perspective into a nation that has plentiful water and there's such profligate waste they can't take their eyes off of it. It's a very good analogy for developed and developing nations, and Larke executes it well.
But the Khromatian characters kind of take over the plot and take the story into a new place, and this is only a problem because the Khromatian characters are obviously not as well developed as the characters we've been following for over two books at this point. For the life of me, I could not tell you one distinguishing character trait of Umber's.
This wouldn't be a problem if the rest of the story was great, but it's mostly just 'functionally good'. There's nothing super-standout here, in fact, we see a fair number of anticlimaxes, or plots resolved too neatly. I remember being on my second-to-last night reading this, going 'boy there are only 55 pages left, how will she resolve all of this'. And it turns out - kind of clumsily!
It's good but not great, and that description basically sums up the whole series. The Khromatian characters fundamentally alter the book and feel clunkily added on, the writing itself is merely functionally good. It's certainly not bad, or even mediocre, but it's hard to see myself recommending this series to people when there's better stuff out there that fills a similar niche. 8/10. B-.
April 10, 2020
One of the things Larke does best is fill her novels with lots of characters and settings, weaving them together into this seamless world that the book lover feels just has to exist somewhere because it feels so real. Having spent something like 1400 pages with this series, I feel so invested in this world and what happens with the main characters.
Having just imprisoned Taquar, Jasper is now providing rain for the Quatern and surrounding lands with the assistance of Terelle and her waterpainting ability. Terelle soon leaves for Khromatis to fulfill the waterpainting done of her by her great-grandfather Russett, and to ask some of their stormlords to help supply the Quatern. Ryka and Kaneth, reunited at last, are living in the dunes with their son Kedri, fighting against Ravard’s forces and trying to establish peace.
Jasper has grown and changed so much. He became a real leader in Stormlord Rising, and in Stormlord’s Exile as Cloudmaster, he’s even more confident and controlled. I liked that he (and Kaneth) viewed their men as men, not bodies that may not come back from battle. That kind of integrity and compassion made me respect him more, and lent credibility when he would weigh options and consider the consequences of his actions. The conflict between Jasper and Ravard (revealed to be his brother, Mica) was a nice touch. It would’ve been so easy to make Ravard a generically evil antagonist, but that familial tie-in with Shale/Jasper, and the clever characterization of Mica/Ravard as not 100% evil because of his love for Ryka, makes you pity him and root for his eventual redemption. Ravard has grown bitter after Ryka’s betrayal, and has become obsessed with defeating Kaneth and claiming Ryka and Kedri as his own once more. Jasper is particularly torn because he knows his brother is a different person, a ruthless leader among the Reduners who must be dealt with.
It was a travesty that they should come to this, he and Mica. They had loved one another, supported one another. They had cared.
Sunblast you, Mica, why could you listen? (Location 7134)
Terelle is traveling to Khromatis, which puts her in the position of introducing us to a new setting. The Alabasters assist to some degree, and we learn more about the conflict between the Basters and the Watergivers. Terelle also acquires some previously unknown family members, including two cousins who prove invaluable as the novel progresses. I loved Umber and wished he had been more prominent! We also learn that in Khromatis, there’s a system of etiquette and rules for waterpainters, which Terelle knew nothing about because Russett wasn’t exactly following them when he manipulated her. Turns out, Russett had some pretty remarkable ulterior motives for drawing her back to her homeland, motives that Terelle isn’t interested in because she wants to go back to the Quatern to be with Jasper.
The Kaneth/Ryka/Ravard plot line dragged a little bit, and nothing too remarkable happened. The Laisa/Senya/Taquar plot line wasn’t as prominent either, although Larke inserted a bit of very interesting character development with Laisa. She actually began to feel remorse about Nealrith, realized her daughter was totally bat crap crazy and a really, really awful person, and decided she didn’t want to be with Taquar anymore. She’s still a bad person, but she changes from self-serving, totally evil manipulative villain to selfish, jaded, bitter but wanting to live in peace from now on.
All that said, I had two problems with this series.
The major one is the Senya/Jasper situation. While I feel that the plot device was well-executed in this case, it’s still my most hated: someone good sleeps with someone evil, the girl gets pregnant and the baby is then used as a chess piece/leverage/raised as evil to eventually ruin everything. This happens in fantasy all the time (Melanie Rawn’s “The Dragon Prince” where the “hero” rapes the villain and Terra Harmony’s “Water” where the villain rapes the heroine), and it really bugs me. In this particular case, Shale was seduced by Senya in Stormlord Rising, so the entire debacle was consensual. HOWEVER, it was way out of character for Shale not to rein it in and kick Senya off him when he’s in love with Terelle and wants to marry her. He’s consistently pushed Senya away and based on the strong character we’d seen to that point, I would’ve been far more likely to believe he could control his bodily urges, rather than succumbing to them and submitting to her seduction. Senya has the baby and basically dumps her on Shale and the nurses, so Shale gets attached to little Amberlynn and loves her, and then they use the baby to manipulate him into doing things he doesn’t want to do. I just really loathe that whole plot device, though I will say that this is not as horrible as the rape-induced ones from the other examples.
My second problem was that water-painting became the go-to solution for problem-solving. Lots of ziggers trying to kill them? Terelle paints them all dead before the battle. Can’t get out of the city? Terelle paints them somewhere else so their survival is guaranteed. While I get that Terelle was a main character and this power is rare and therefore valuable, she also became a sort of one trick pony. She had spirit and personality, and some of those aspects were overshadowed by her ability and its implications for Jasper and her newfound family in Khromatis.
Larke’s Watergivers series is one of my favorite epic fantasy series to date. She’s skyrocketed to position as one of my favorite authors, right up there with Sanderson, McKinley, Rothfuss and Stiefvater. This series is highly recommended if you like more adult-themed, epic fantasy novels with interesting magic systems and very developed settings and characters.
Having just imprisoned Taquar, Jasper is now providing rain for the Quatern and surrounding lands with the assistance of Terelle and her waterpainting ability. Terelle soon leaves for Khromatis to fulfill the waterpainting done of her by her great-grandfather Russett, and to ask some of their stormlords to help supply the Quatern. Ryka and Kaneth, reunited at last, are living in the dunes with their son Kedri, fighting against Ravard’s forces and trying to establish peace.
Jasper has grown and changed so much. He became a real leader in Stormlord Rising, and in Stormlord’s Exile as Cloudmaster, he’s even more confident and controlled. I liked that he (and Kaneth) viewed their men as men, not bodies that may not come back from battle. That kind of integrity and compassion made me respect him more, and lent credibility when he would weigh options and consider the consequences of his actions. The conflict between Jasper and Ravard (revealed to be his brother, Mica) was a nice touch. It would’ve been so easy to make Ravard a generically evil antagonist, but that familial tie-in with Shale/Jasper, and the clever characterization of Mica/Ravard as not 100% evil because of his love for Ryka, makes you pity him and root for his eventual redemption. Ravard has grown bitter after Ryka’s betrayal, and has become obsessed with defeating Kaneth and claiming Ryka and Kedri as his own once more. Jasper is particularly torn because he knows his brother is a different person, a ruthless leader among the Reduners who must be dealt with.
It was a travesty that they should come to this, he and Mica. They had loved one another, supported one another. They had cared.
Sunblast you, Mica, why could you listen? (Location 7134)
Terelle is traveling to Khromatis, which puts her in the position of introducing us to a new setting. The Alabasters assist to some degree, and we learn more about the conflict between the Basters and the Watergivers. Terelle also acquires some previously unknown family members, including two cousins who prove invaluable as the novel progresses. I loved Umber and wished he had been more prominent! We also learn that in Khromatis, there’s a system of etiquette and rules for waterpainters, which Terelle knew nothing about because Russett wasn’t exactly following them when he manipulated her. Turns out, Russett had some pretty remarkable ulterior motives for drawing her back to her homeland, motives that Terelle isn’t interested in because she wants to go back to the Quatern to be with Jasper.
The Kaneth/Ryka/Ravard plot line dragged a little bit, and nothing too remarkable happened. The Laisa/Senya/Taquar plot line wasn’t as prominent either, although Larke inserted a bit of very interesting character development with Laisa. She actually began to feel remorse about Nealrith, realized her daughter was totally bat crap crazy and a really, really awful person, and decided she didn’t want to be with Taquar anymore. She’s still a bad person, but she changes from self-serving, totally evil manipulative villain to selfish, jaded, bitter but wanting to live in peace from now on.
All that said, I had two problems with this series.
The major one is the Senya/Jasper situation. While I feel that the plot device was well-executed in this case, it’s still my most hated: someone good sleeps with someone evil, the girl gets pregnant and the baby is then used as a chess piece/leverage/raised as evil to eventually ruin everything. This happens in fantasy all the time (Melanie Rawn’s “The Dragon Prince” where the “hero” rapes the villain and Terra Harmony’s “Water” where the villain rapes the heroine), and it really bugs me. In this particular case, Shale was seduced by Senya in Stormlord Rising, so the entire debacle was consensual. HOWEVER, it was way out of character for Shale not to rein it in and kick Senya off him when he’s in love with Terelle and wants to marry her. He’s consistently pushed Senya away and based on the strong character we’d seen to that point, I would’ve been far more likely to believe he could control his bodily urges, rather than succumbing to them and submitting to her seduction. Senya has the baby and basically dumps her on Shale and the nurses, so Shale gets attached to little Amberlynn and loves her, and then they use the baby to manipulate him into doing things he doesn’t want to do. I just really loathe that whole plot device, though I will say that this is not as horrible as the rape-induced ones from the other examples.
My second problem was that water-painting became the go-to solution for problem-solving. Lots of ziggers trying to kill them? Terelle paints them all dead before the battle. Can’t get out of the city? Terelle paints them somewhere else so their survival is guaranteed. While I get that Terelle was a main character and this power is rare and therefore valuable, she also became a sort of one trick pony. She had spirit and personality, and some of those aspects were overshadowed by her ability and its implications for Jasper and her newfound family in Khromatis.
Larke’s Watergivers series is one of my favorite epic fantasy series to date. She’s skyrocketed to position as one of my favorite authors, right up there with Sanderson, McKinley, Rothfuss and Stiefvater. This series is highly recommended if you like more adult-themed, epic fantasy novels with interesting magic systems and very developed settings and characters.
January 27, 2019
This series as a whole is clever and well-written, but the third book felt like there was a push to get everything over and done with. Most of the plot threads that had been building over the series are resolved quickly - several stormlords volunteer with no fanfare to alleviate the pressure, Senya is poisoned and killed over the course of a page, and Taquar is killed, all in the last chunk of the book. Most of the attention is focused on the Red Quarter and the relationship between Shale and his brother, but it feels like that focus came at the expense of the other sections of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2020
I finally got round to reading this one, after owning it for about 2 years! A rollicking, sometimes tragic ride to bring the story to a close. I was on the edge of my seat for much of it, but was able to also spend time just enjoying the more fantasy quest nature of parts of it, with new parts of the world to explore as well. The last quarter did in some ways feel a bit rushed, with so many ends to tie up and so much still to happen, however it was neatly done overall and the ending was satisfying. However, I definitely wish we could have seen more of where the characters went after.
March 31, 2025
Stormlord's Exile by Glenda Larke is the third book in the "Stormlord" trilogy. Many times in trilogies the first book is the best, and the second book will suffer from second-book syndrome. The third book will usually do a satisfactory job of tying loose ends and ending the trilogy. Not so with these books. The first book was very good, as was the second book. The third book, however, is the best book of the trilogy. It does a great job of tying up the various subplots and loose ends and brings the story to a grand conclusion. I will miss the land called "The Quartern".
October 22, 2017
Although the first book in the series took a while to hook me. This trilogy is worth a read for all those fantasy lovers. I like the way that although the story is given a closure, there's enough story points setup to allow another trilogy. I.e what Shale/Jasper does with the gibber. Ties with kromantia. Growth of the two babies that seem to have stronger than stormlord powers. Build of water painter arts in the quartern. Religion and lord gold..
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2018
As I said when I was about halfway through, the world-building and storyline are excellent but the characters seem lacklustre. I find that I don't really care what happens to them. I can't root for the good guys or even hate on the villains.
And I don't think that's due to not having read the first two novels in the series. I've read novels out of sequence before and been able to engage with characters.
And I don't think that's due to not having read the first two novels in the series. I've read novels out of sequence before and been able to engage with characters.
July 11, 2018
Absolutely fantastic! The plot is so rich it can satisfy even the most demanding readers. Characters are very believable. Sometimes I felt as if I was reading a historical novel, not a fantasy one. The only thing that could've been better was pacing of action scenes. When I was reading, sometimes I didn't realise I read a battle scene before I finished it. That's how smooth the writing is. Other than that everything was just superb ;-D
July 18, 2017
I feel this book finally makes the series worthwhile. Less predictable than the previous but also more keen on all fronts, this is an interesting installment. At the same time I'm a bit unhappy with how it all ends and I do feel that a massive case of deus ex machina is at play but this could be reading too much into it.
August 23, 2017
Almost everyone got the karma I wanted them to, so yay!
One complaint is that this series was too much like real life. The book is from povs, so if something is everyday to them they don't think about it, so I spent a lot of this series going wtf I'm confused.
And also, it means there are
title things that never get answered, which is like real life, but infuriating!
One complaint is that this series was too much like real life. The book is from povs, so if something is everyday to them they don't think about it, so I spent a lot of this series going wtf I'm confused.
And also, it means there are
title things that never get answered, which is like real life, but infuriating!
June 6, 2022
I read the whole series several years ago. I thought it was a new twist on a magical affinity with the element of water, but I enjoyed the way it had such a practical application. There were some very sad parts in this book but overall they were resolved well. Just not the way I wanted or expected.
December 24, 2023
https://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2023/1...
This was a solid end to this trilogy, and felt like a stronger story than the first two—better plotting and writing. New allies, old enemies, lots of action, a couple queer characters. The end felt a tiny bit rushed but I was honestly tired of battle scenes by then so found that refreshing. A-.
This was a solid end to this trilogy, and felt like a stronger story than the first two—better plotting and writing. New allies, old enemies, lots of action, a couple queer characters. The end felt a tiny bit rushed but I was honestly tired of battle scenes by then so found that refreshing. A-.
October 31, 2020
Love Glenda Larkes’s world building and the water shortage/manipulation of water concepts. I want to ride a pede! This was a great trilogy that I had mostly forgotten about since reading as a YA and it was great to delve back into for an immersive epic fantasy read.
July 17, 2018
Although the story lines got tied off a little too neatly, it was a fantastic read.
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