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Caithan Crusade #3
Sage of Sare
While the Tribunal scours the land, determined to exterminate all wizards in Caithe, Athaya's camp swells with refugees, and the only person who can keep them from starving is the sage of far-off Sare.
339 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 3, 2025
Positives:
➕️ Something that was only hinted at in the second book becomes a major plot point in this one—great worldbuilding.
➕️ Clean romance.
➕️ Explores the moral issue of quietism when a group of people are being oppressed.
➕️ Explores the moral debate on whether violence is the right solution to the violence of one's oppressors. Is it stooping down to their level, or is it the only right response to end their tyranny since violence is the only language they understand? Similar to the moral dilemma of R.F. Kuang's "Babel."
➕️ Also explores the moral and theological debate on whether God's gift of magic gives the Lorngeld the divine right to rule over those who do not possess the gift of magic (magic as defined in the Caithan universe, not in real life).
➕️ The ending is a great setup for the 4th and final book.
Negatives:
➖️ With the wizards' ability to scry a person's location, I don't fully understand why they couldn't do that during Athaya's captivity. Seems like Smith's magic system isn't fully developed.
➖️ The actions of a certain character around the protagonists are extremely suspicious and I just don't get how everyone was naïve enough not to suspect her of a hidden agenda. This would've been a great plot twist, but you the reader see it coming from a mile away and it's just frustrating that everyone was stupid enough not to see it.
Rating: 4.25⭐️
➕️ Something that was only hinted at in the second book becomes a major plot point in this one—great worldbuilding.
➕️ Clean romance.
➕️ Explores the moral issue of quietism when a group of people are being oppressed.
➕️ Explores the moral debate on whether violence is the right solution to the violence of one's oppressors. Is it stooping down to their level, or is it the only right response to end their tyranny since violence is the only language they understand? Similar to the moral dilemma of R.F. Kuang's "Babel."
➕️ Also explores the moral and theological debate on whether God's gift of magic gives the Lorngeld the divine right to rule over those who do not possess the gift of magic (magic as defined in the Caithan universe, not in real life).
➕️ The ending is a great setup for the 4th and final book.
Negatives:
➖️ With the wizards' ability to scry a person's location, I don't fully understand why they couldn't do that during Athaya's captivity. Seems like Smith's magic system isn't fully developed.
➖️ The actions of a certain character around the protagonists are extremely suspicious and I just don't get how everyone was naïve enough not to suspect her of a hidden agenda. This would've been a great plot twist, but you the reader see it coming from a mile away and it's just frustrating that everyone was stupid enough not to see it.
Rating: 4.25⭐️
May 21, 2020
[1997]. The third in a fantasy quartet—-I’d read the first two several years ago, so I went back and re-read the first two before starting this one. Athaya is held prisoner and going crazy—rescued in the nick of time, she discovers that her powers have only become stronger. She is struggling to teach wizards and keep her movement peaceful—and discovers that a potential strong ally is actually a greater foe (possibly) than her brother the King. Very absorbing and hard to put down.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews