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The Agora Trilogy #3
The Canticle of Whispers
In The Canticle of Whispers, the final volume of the Agora trilogy, Mark and Lily lead the revolution to unseat the powerful elite while confronting the dark and twisted nature of their destinies.
Over the course of their travels, Mark and Lily have seen the dark side of capitalist society and the terrifying side of utopian community. Now they journey deep underground to a world populated by people terrified of physical touch but capable of creating mesmerizing song. Here they discover the seat of Agora's power and try to right the wrongs of their forefathers--but can they succeed without sacrificing themselves? In this gripping conclusion to a trilogy that is at once timely and prophetic, David Whitley pushes his characters and his world to the brink in order to find redemption from the past.
Over the course of their travels, Mark and Lily have seen the dark side of capitalist society and the terrifying side of utopian community. Now they journey deep underground to a world populated by people terrified of physical touch but capable of creating mesmerizing song. Here they discover the seat of Agora's power and try to right the wrongs of their forefathers--but can they succeed without sacrificing themselves? In this gripping conclusion to a trilogy that is at once timely and prophetic, David Whitley pushes his characters and his world to the brink in order to find redemption from the past.
- GenresFantasyYoung Adult
387 pages, Hardcover
First published December 17, 2012
4 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 24, 2013
There are plenty of books out there that do not need recommendations because they will sell anyway. But some books fly under the radar for whatever reason, and do require recommendations. Consider this my recommendation not only for the Canticle of Whispers, but for the Agora Trilogy as a whole.
This is a trilogy which began with an intriguing and original fantasy world set in the city of Agora, a city where anything can be traded, from goods and services to memories and emotions. The first book, the Midnight Charter, primarily follows Mark and Lily, two children fighting to survive in this ruthless environment. The trilogy continued with Children of the Lost, which introduced the land of Giseth, where nothing is traded and inhabitants work towards the good of society. More importantly, Children of the Lost started to more prominently flesh out an overarching plot.
The Canticle of Whispers brings in a third distinct area to the plot, namely the underground land of Naru, where people find physical touch to be revolting, but can create mesmorising song and trade knowledge with each other. This newest land contains the information that will reveal the destiny of Mark and Lily, and more importantly will explain how it is that the distinct lands of Agora, Giseth and Naru are all tied together.
This series gets just about everything right for me, and that starts with the characters. Mark and Lily are well developed characters that complement each other well. Snutworth is a clever and ruthless villain that the reader will never want to underestimate. But beyond these three there is also a capable and varied cast of supporting characters, all of which are given their moments to shine.
But whilst the settings and characters to stand out, they are not the reasons why I recommend this trilogy so absolutely. You see, fantasy novels in general tend to be heavy on imagination and escapism, but personally I find that they rarely truly surprise me. They can enthral and intrigue, and indeed they often do, but it is rare that I am actually surprised by a fantasy novel. And that is one of the many reasons that the Canticle of Whispers stands out for me; it genuinely surprised me, not only in its plot twists (several of which sent chills down my spine), but in its scale, imagination, and in the delicate and expert way that Whitley ties this plot together.
The reality is that whilst I thoroughly enjoyed the Midnight Charter and Children of the Lost, I thought I had the measure of this trilogy. I didn't know the answers to the big questions posed by the story, but I thought they were in arms reach. I was wrong. Canticle of Whispers displays a depth to this plot that I simply didn't see coming, and in doing so elevates this series to a triumphant level. Whilst the Midnight Charter may have taken its time fleshing out a vivid and complex setting for this series, the Canticle of Whispers takes the reader on a fast paced and thrilling ride through a superb plot that grips right until the last page.
Perhaps even more extraordinary is the fact that the Agora Trilogy gets stronger as it progresses; the Canticle of Whispers genuinely is the best book of the three. Even many of the best known fantasy series cannot boast that, and the fact that this is series is Whitley’s debut makes the achievement even more pronounced. Many series struggle to sustain a plot all the way to its conclusion. In the Agora trilogy Whitley deftly keeps his cards close to his chest, turning each one with a sense of timing that would be worthy of high praise had it come from an experienced author, but from a debut author it is all the more incredible.
The bottom line is this. The Canticle of Whispers is one of the best fantasy books that I have ever read, and brings to a close a trilogy that ranks firmly as one of my favourites. It explores themes of charity, greed, freedom, fate and political scheming in a masterful plot that is nothing short of triumphant. But most people won’t even consider it as a series to read, because it is not prominent and has not been subject to any significant marketing. And so I find myself writing this review to help that process along. Consider this a recommendation. If you like the idea of a fantasy novel that doesn’t seek to dazzle with magic, but instead weaves a genuinely thoughtful and ambitious plot in a fantasy world, give this trilogy a try. It’s a leap of faith worth taking.
This is a trilogy which began with an intriguing and original fantasy world set in the city of Agora, a city where anything can be traded, from goods and services to memories and emotions. The first book, the Midnight Charter, primarily follows Mark and Lily, two children fighting to survive in this ruthless environment. The trilogy continued with Children of the Lost, which introduced the land of Giseth, where nothing is traded and inhabitants work towards the good of society. More importantly, Children of the Lost started to more prominently flesh out an overarching plot.
The Canticle of Whispers brings in a third distinct area to the plot, namely the underground land of Naru, where people find physical touch to be revolting, but can create mesmorising song and trade knowledge with each other. This newest land contains the information that will reveal the destiny of Mark and Lily, and more importantly will explain how it is that the distinct lands of Agora, Giseth and Naru are all tied together.
This series gets just about everything right for me, and that starts with the characters. Mark and Lily are well developed characters that complement each other well. Snutworth is a clever and ruthless villain that the reader will never want to underestimate. But beyond these three there is also a capable and varied cast of supporting characters, all of which are given their moments to shine.
But whilst the settings and characters to stand out, they are not the reasons why I recommend this trilogy so absolutely. You see, fantasy novels in general tend to be heavy on imagination and escapism, but personally I find that they rarely truly surprise me. They can enthral and intrigue, and indeed they often do, but it is rare that I am actually surprised by a fantasy novel. And that is one of the many reasons that the Canticle of Whispers stands out for me; it genuinely surprised me, not only in its plot twists (several of which sent chills down my spine), but in its scale, imagination, and in the delicate and expert way that Whitley ties this plot together.
The reality is that whilst I thoroughly enjoyed the Midnight Charter and Children of the Lost, I thought I had the measure of this trilogy. I didn't know the answers to the big questions posed by the story, but I thought they were in arms reach. I was wrong. Canticle of Whispers displays a depth to this plot that I simply didn't see coming, and in doing so elevates this series to a triumphant level. Whilst the Midnight Charter may have taken its time fleshing out a vivid and complex setting for this series, the Canticle of Whispers takes the reader on a fast paced and thrilling ride through a superb plot that grips right until the last page.
Perhaps even more extraordinary is the fact that the Agora Trilogy gets stronger as it progresses; the Canticle of Whispers genuinely is the best book of the three. Even many of the best known fantasy series cannot boast that, and the fact that this is series is Whitley’s debut makes the achievement even more pronounced. Many series struggle to sustain a plot all the way to its conclusion. In the Agora trilogy Whitley deftly keeps his cards close to his chest, turning each one with a sense of timing that would be worthy of high praise had it come from an experienced author, but from a debut author it is all the more incredible.
The bottom line is this. The Canticle of Whispers is one of the best fantasy books that I have ever read, and brings to a close a trilogy that ranks firmly as one of my favourites. It explores themes of charity, greed, freedom, fate and political scheming in a masterful plot that is nothing short of triumphant. But most people won’t even consider it as a series to read, because it is not prominent and has not been subject to any significant marketing. And so I find myself writing this review to help that process along. Consider this a recommendation. If you like the idea of a fantasy novel that doesn’t seek to dazzle with magic, but instead weaves a genuinely thoughtful and ambitious plot in a fantasy world, give this trilogy a try. It’s a leap of faith worth taking.
March 14, 2013
This whole trilogy is extraordinarily rich and imaginative. The critique of a capitalism gone mad is chilling in that it looms as a possibility for our own world if we don't let other human sensitivities become stronger than they are right now. The understanding of crowd psychology & the social dynamics is very sound. The main characters are both very well-drawn as are the accompanying cast of characters. The way some characters emerge as important people for ill but mostly for good is surprising and a strength of the series. I won't spoil the ending but the secret will be a surprise. For blog posts about some of these issues from the perspective of a monk who loves novels such as these, see "Imaginary Visions of True Peace" athttp://bit.ly/Tqbeqw
June 13, 2013
In this final book of the Agora trilogy, Mark and Lily are put to the test to see if they can set things right and change their destinies. They have traveled far and wide and faced horrible situations, but in this final book, they are pushed further than ever. Will they have to sacrifice their own lives to set things right or will they be able to change the world and live to see the changes?
Price: $17.99
Suitability: Grades 6-8
Recommendation: Recommend
Genre: Fantasy
Would you purchase this book? Yes Why? I have the first two in the trilogy
Dewey Classification: FAN FIC WHI
Price: $17.99
Suitability: Grades 6-8
Recommendation: Recommend
Genre: Fantasy
Would you purchase this book? Yes Why? I have the first two in the trilogy
Dewey Classification: FAN FIC WHI
October 9, 2014
A bit disappointing, I found the previous book (2nd in the trilogy) much deeper and interesting. This one is a bit dull and expected.
March 21, 2019
I rather enjoyed this book. I feel that there could be more to this story in another trilogy of the old world. Easy read and very captivating.
March 15, 2022
A great ending to a great series. Even if you don't read the series consecutively, this book still makes sense. Would recommend this book to all fiction lovers.
November 30, 2013
A very good book! It was more predictable than the others, but still held lots of surprises. It had a pretty good ending, with most things resolved, but it still leaves me kind of wishing that it wasn't a trilogy. What else happens? Perhaps he'll continue the series as the author of Eragon did, or perhaps I'll have to come up with my own conclusions. This was a very captivating story. I recommend this trilogy to all--age 12 & up.
July 28, 2014
Even though I couldnt really remember what happened in the previous books, such a good read!definitely recommend reading this series for it's original plot, brought this series to a brilliant end
September 9, 2013
I don't usually write reviews.... I guess isn't exactly a review though.... I like Laud! :D
July 7, 2015
Perfect way to end the series.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews