Silverglass: Mistress of Ambiguities

Silverglass #4

by J.F. Rivkin, Jean Targete (Illustrator)

Her beloved city in dire straits after a bloody civil war, the spellcasting Lady Nyctasia is forced to seek alliance with a neighboring state. But the rumored marriage-treaty has loyal swordswoman Corson whetting her blade...matrimony being no proof against murder.

Between Nyc and the cloaked assassins stands only a tormented nobleman--whose enigmatic past bears close examination indeed...

Genres: Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, LGBT

203 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 1991

Reviews

[charlotte, · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rep: bi mcs, achillean mc

[Mehmet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well It ended in much the same light as it started, although the book added some male homosexuality rather then just Lesbians. Felt rather sad when I finished the last page as really did grow to love all the main characters. The series although slightly provoking, never pushed into fully controversial territory. Just seem to keep a steady pace. Never reaching fever pitch, which was disappointing. The covers although great, were not really reflective of the content, but I love my corny covers and will treasure this series. It was a mission to get the collection, but well worth the read. It may not of wowed me, but it will stay in the mind for a long time.

[Ruby Ridge · Rating 1 out of 5]

My God, what absolute garbage. Nothing happens, a sword and sorcery book with neither sword nor sorcery. The series started off with great characters and they have been wasted. The relationship between Nyc and Corson just fizzled as did Trask's relationship. In fact everything just fizzles.
I really cannot recommend that anyone wastes time on this series, in fact I cannot believe that I read all four - hours of my life I will never get back.

[grosbeak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a mopping-up book, in which various low-stakes incidents are interspersed with backstory flashbacks. The only real plot is the reappearance (with amnesia) of Nyctasia’s lost-to-magic-in-book-1 lover, and it doesn’t even resolve! Oh well, watching Nyc be hyper-competent as she rules her city-state and her fractious family is fun enough.

[John Sommer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed the first 2 books but the last 2 didn’t have enough action for my taste…. I did enjoy that they filled in some back story for some of the character’s and also gave the character Trask a special part.

[Lesley]

Rather trailed off, I thought.

[Bibliovoracious]

I just love all of these so much.

[Leila Anani · Rating 2 out of 5]

The concluding volume to the silverglass quartet is disappointing - You realise that actually very little has actually happened plotwise - in 4 books!!! And nothing is resolved either in terms of plot or character arcs. We never find out whether Ben is a changeling or the real thing, Corsan never marries Steifann and this never really goes anywhere with its LGB themes - Trask hooks up with Malkin, adding an openly gay relationship to the story and Corsan and Nyc are still close and of course the central characters - but there isn't any convincing romance. Worth a read but rather scraping te barrel of the fantasy genre.

[Derek · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's weird how deceptive the back cover text really is: everything listed, from the marriage-alliance to cloaked assassins to the tormented nobleman, is either a reference to the book's last twenty pages or a vast overstatement of the conflict. In reality the events are sort of a low burble of activity, not really building to a climax that never happens. It's all interpersonal relationships and a lot of talking. There's no feeling of tension, no sense that things might go awry or head towards the near vicinity of trouble or even social awkwardness.

Because there's not. Stories of competent statesmanship, polite disagreement, and conflicts averted do not exciting reading make.