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Rifter #4-7
The Rifter Book Two: The Holy Road
Contains parts 4 to 7 of The Rifter series:
4. Witches' Blood
5. The Holy Road
6. Broken Fortress
7. Enemies and Shadows
4. Witches' Blood
5. The Holy Road
6. Broken Fortress
7. Enemies and Shadows
488 pages, Paperback
First published March 18, 2013
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118 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 7, 2013
The Holy Road is a compilation of four novellas in the Rifter series. The first half of the compilation is John's story, whereas the later half is Khalil's. This is where all the intricate pieces of the puzzle fall into place, and Ginn Hale reveals the bigger picture. Revelations galore! Things begin to make sense, not only to us but for Jahn and Khalil as well. We also get hints of events that will be revealed in the last compilation. I can't give anything less than five stars for The Holy Road!
April 7, 2023
Still just as good several rereads later!
September 22, 2016
better than the first tbh, and thank god my wish came true about wanting to have more female characters in it, god bless
July 22, 2023
Just like the first book, this one really takes its time. Ginn Hale's complex worldbuilding is accompanied by some pretty complicated plot things happening, and add in the timeline stuff and the language stuff and you'll be glad it's deliberately paced so you can track everything. John's narrative takes us deeper into his life in Rathal'Pesha and his relationship with Ravishan (whose role in John's life is finally explicitly revealed, although I don't think it was meant to be a surprise), while Khalil's gives us a sense of what the future holds.
May 29, 2018
ok I REALLY like this dang series!!
I think it’s all MUCH better read as one 1000 page classic fantasy standalone book (it puts me in mind of Feist's first Riftwar novel... for many reasons) I’ll put that out there first. It’s better as omnibus editions for sure, but the split between the novellas barely make sense this time. As I read, I can barely separate the events between novellas or even omnibuses, it all just flows together as one story and it’s hard to break it up! But I will try.
This is the part where I really, really became impressed with what Hale’s done in the plot. All the differences between the two timelines – John’s and Kahlil’s – are given clarity, slowly but surely, until the readers have a thorough grasp of what has ACTUALLY happened (I assume….. for now…….) And what IS revealed to us is kind of fantastic stuff. I loved how it was executed so, so much - the many layers and pieces of the puzzle set up between the splintering timelines and possibilities were so compelling, going back between Kahlil in Nurjima and John’s life in Rathal’pesha, knowing the broad strokes of what happened but not why. And it’s so satisfying when it all falls into place for us in each timeline, as everything comes together.
Like, WELL THAT SURE CHANGED, when I figured it out I was WELL AND TRULY SHAKEN. It’s one of those brilliant revelations in a novel where it makes you flick back through all the hints and look at all the scenes before in such a different light and UGH YES I LOVE THAT FEELING WHEN READING.
I love romances with the ‘I will love you in any timeline, no matter who you become’ trope AND IT’S USED SO WELL HERE. I also kinda liked that their sex life was covered, but we never got stuck into erotica territory – nothing wrong with erotica hoohoo but I think it was well balanced approach for this kind of story.
That said I was also hoping for more conflict to work through in their story, especially between Kahlil and Jath’ibaye. I like the ‘each other’s solace from a shitfuck world’ dynamic but I also felt they had a looooot more to work through in that timeline before settling into comfortable love. Maybe the third book will see this through though?
Other than the romance and the many, interesting, twisty versions we have of the characters, I think the way the plot itself has unfolded has been pretty great. The themes of rebellion, of standing up with oppressed and disenfranchised people for justice and survival are always great in fantasy – there’s genuine grief and horror in this world, that’s been slowly developed over the last few books. And the worldbuilding, done twice over practically, has been very interesting to read. An ecology grad student becomes the ruler of a nigh post-apocalyptic country!! It's actually really cool to read! lmao
One thing is – I found Kahlil’s exploration of what happened in those 27~ years through conversations with Ji and Jath’ibaye to be, honestly, exploration enough. I was hoping the plot would continue to barrel forward rather than going back to John’s pov, which it did in the last two chapters of this lol. Still! I’m open to being surprised!
I think it’s all MUCH better read as one 1000 page classic fantasy standalone book (it puts me in mind of Feist's first Riftwar novel... for many reasons) I’ll put that out there first. It’s better as omnibus editions for sure, but the split between the novellas barely make sense this time. As I read, I can barely separate the events between novellas or even omnibuses, it all just flows together as one story and it’s hard to break it up! But I will try.
This is the part where I really, really became impressed with what Hale’s done in the plot. All the differences between the two timelines – John’s and Kahlil’s – are given clarity, slowly but surely, until the readers have a thorough grasp of what has ACTUALLY happened (I assume….. for now…….) And what IS revealed to us is kind of fantastic stuff. I loved how it was executed so, so much - the many layers and pieces of the puzzle set up between the splintering timelines and possibilities were so compelling, going back between Kahlil in Nurjima and John’s life in Rathal’pesha, knowing the broad strokes of what happened but not why. And it’s so satisfying when it all falls into place for us in each timeline, as everything comes together.
Like, WELL THAT SURE CHANGED, when I figured it out I was WELL AND TRULY SHAKEN. It’s one of those brilliant revelations in a novel where it makes you flick back through all the hints and look at all the scenes before in such a different light and UGH YES I LOVE THAT FEELING WHEN READING.
I love romances with the ‘I will love you in any timeline, no matter who you become’ trope AND IT’S USED SO WELL HERE. I also kinda liked that their sex life was covered, but we never got stuck into erotica territory – nothing wrong with erotica hoohoo but I think it was well balanced approach for this kind of story.
That said I was also hoping for more conflict to work through in their story, especially between Kahlil and Jath’ibaye. I like the ‘each other’s solace from a shitfuck world’ dynamic but I also felt they had a looooot more to work through in that timeline before settling into comfortable love. Maybe the third book will see this through though?
Other than the romance and the many, interesting, twisty versions we have of the characters, I think the way the plot itself has unfolded has been pretty great. The themes of rebellion, of standing up with oppressed and disenfranchised people for justice and survival are always great in fantasy – there’s genuine grief and horror in this world, that’s been slowly developed over the last few books. And the worldbuilding, done twice over practically, has been very interesting to read. An ecology grad student becomes the ruler of a nigh post-apocalyptic country!! It's actually really cool to read! lmao
One thing is – I found Kahlil’s exploration of what happened in those 27~ years through conversations with Ji and Jath’ibaye to be, honestly, exploration enough. I was hoping the plot would continue to barrel forward rather than going back to John’s pov, which it did in the last two chapters of this lol. Still! I’m open to being surprised!
November 7, 2016
Spoilers Ahead
John Toffler, aka Jahn, continues trying to find a way back home for him and his friends Bill and Laurie, and his feelings for Ravishan continue to grow, but he makes some terrible discoveries which are going to change his view of himself forever. Basawar is a dangerous place, and soon he finds himself in a deadly position, where the whole world is about to be destroyed...
Wow! I'm loving these books. So much. As the story slowly unfolds, and the pieces of this giant puzzle smoothly fall into place, the characters gain depth and complexity, and thus become even more riveting. Both John with his dual nature () and Kyle with his his dual existence () are fascinating, and their relationship one of the more complex and purest I've ever read about. It breaks my heart to see John struggling to retain his humanity, and to see how Kyle is the only one who can make him smile and remind him how it feels to be a person. Because Kyle is the only one who treats John as a human being, though he's probably the only one who knows his real divine nature. Kyle worships John, both as a human in love, and as an ardent devotee in awe of his God. Such an intense relationship. Such a shattering love story.
The rest of the characters are equally fascinating, and the events taking make it impossible to drop the book. Even know that most of the story is laid out, so you can get the picture perfectly, there is this need to find out what happened in between, what killed Ravishan, the reason for Laurie's corruption, how and why Rathalpesha fell… Thankfully, I have the third book sitting by my elbow, just waiting for me to finish this review. So off to the third book…
John Toffler, aka Jahn, continues trying to find a way back home for him and his friends Bill and Laurie, and his feelings for Ravishan continue to grow, but he makes some terrible discoveries which are going to change his view of himself forever. Basawar is a dangerous place, and soon he finds himself in a deadly position, where the whole world is about to be destroyed...
Wow! I'm loving these books. So much. As the story slowly unfolds, and the pieces of this giant puzzle smoothly fall into place, the characters gain depth and complexity, and thus become even more riveting. Both John with his dual nature () and Kyle with his his dual existence () are fascinating, and their relationship one of the more complex and purest I've ever read about. It breaks my heart to see John struggling to retain his humanity, and to see how Kyle is the only one who can make him smile and remind him how it feels to be a person. Because Kyle is the only one who treats John as a human being, though he's probably the only one who knows his real divine nature. Kyle worships John, both as a human in love, and as an ardent devotee in awe of his God. Such an intense relationship. Such a shattering love story.
The rest of the characters are equally fascinating, and the events taking make it impossible to drop the book. Even know that most of the story is laid out, so you can get the picture perfectly, there is this need to find out what happened in between, what killed Ravishan, the reason for Laurie's corruption, how and why Rathalpesha fell… Thankfully, I have the third book sitting by my elbow, just waiting for me to finish this review. So off to the third book…
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2013
John has created a secure, if uneasy, life for himself in Basawar, but change is coming that will link John's present with Basawar's tumultuous future. These middle arcs have less worldbuilding and more plot than their predecessors, and Basawar feels more vibrant and alive as a result; the revelations of the plot aren't terribly complex, but they're satisfying. The Rifter has forethought without predictability, the sort of plotting which encourages theorizing without giving away all its secrets. The developing relationship between the protagonists is more transparent--despite the complexities of the characters and setting, the relationship has an underlying, nearly saccharine purity; the utter absence of sex scenes is glaring against the amount of detail everywhere else, and contributes to the sense that the central relationship lacks the depth and complexity of the world which surrounds it. But on the whole, the series continues to be a surprising success. It's overlong in places, strangely shallow in others, but always thoughtfully developed and engaging. I'll see it through to its end.
March 14, 2015
I'm still not quite connecting with this series as much as I want to and I feel some kind of distancing from it in general. But what really captured my attention in this volume (or in these volumes, since I'm reading the separate novellas), was Kyle/Kahlil handling and trying to reconcile his dual role and his dual history, which have finally come together in the narrative. It's handled well and is a really interesting element to the story.
November 24, 2015
I found the first half difficult to read - definitely a it's-not-you-it's-me thing, though. Just bleak and brutal and at times ugly. I wasn't sure I wanted to stick it out but I did and y'know what? It totally paid off in the second half. Everything finally started to come together for me. This is a series definitely worth reading.
May 11, 2014
Magnificamente perfetto :')
Bello. Bello oltre ogni parola e commento, non c'è una virgola fuori posto.. Ginn Hale io ti adoro con devozione!
Bello. Bello oltre ogni parola e commento, non c'è una virgola fuori posto.. Ginn Hale io ti adoro con devozione!
June 2, 2019
“But all our actions have consequences. The quality of our souls lies in how we face those consequences.”
Mi autocito: “Uno è nel futuro o uno è nel passato, resta da capire quale dei due è nel presente.”
Nessuno dei due stava nel presente.
♠ Ad un certo punto avevo capito che Khalil e Ravishan fossero la stessa persona ma in realtà, no. Cioè in realtà si, ma in realtà no. E ancora qualcosa mi sfugge. È una situazione alla Endgame dove il tuo passato è in realtà il tuo futuro e quindi quando John ha usato la chiave è arrivato in un altro passato modificando quel futuro e non quello da dove è venuto e quindi Khalil quando è arrivato a Nayeshi ha incontrato il John dell'altro futuro/passato e ha messo in moto tutto? Boh. A questo punto Chapeau.
Adesso comunque la situazione è molto più chiara (lol), adesso è più chiaro come mai Fikiri sia diventato il Khalil ma che lo sia anche il Kyle del futuro e ci stiamo anche avvicinando al momento in cui tutto finisce a fuoco e sangue.
♠ Passiamo al commento più serio e ragionato (lol), sento di dover ammettere che mi sento molto più emotivamente coinvolta dal rapporto tra Khalil e Jath’ibaye che da quello tra John e Ravishan. Si, sono le stesse persone ma no. Vuoi perché i due sono più maturi e i sentimenti più adulti riescono a colpirmi maggiormente, vuoi per l'angst e il desiderio. Sono una fan dei trope se fatti bene e questo è fatto più che bene. L'essere cosciente del fatto che i due si amano ancora, si vogliono nonostante tutto, nonostante i ricordi distorti e il dolore affrontato e le scelte fatte. Il continuo enfatizzare come siano destinati da sempre a stare insieme, e come si dicano la mia anima riconosce la tua e ti riconoscerà in ogni mondo, in ogni tempo, in ogni vita senza in realtà dirselo. UGH.
♠ Bisogna dire però che se insieme sono fantastici presi singolarmente è sicuramente John quello che muove la storia. Non conoscendo ancora con esattezza tutto il passato non possiamo sapere cosa l'ha reso così ma quello che vediamo fa male, prima scopre di essere il distruttore, poi si ritrova condannato alla pira, vede un suo amico morirgli tra le braccia sacrificandosi così che lui non soffra, ne perde un altro senza poter fare nulla e quando lo scopre non ha nemmeno il tempo di piangere. Tutto questo mentre vive tra le fila di un culto religioso che ricorda moltissimo l'inquisizione spagnola e si ritrova a dover assistere a donne accusate di stregoneria e bruciate al rogo, a uomini etichettati come pervertiti perché amano un altro uomo, è testimone della disparità di vita e di trattamento dei preti e la gente normale, al razzismo nudo e crudo verso le persone di una certa discendenza, a come l'ordine di Parfir predichi tante belle cose ma in realtà voglia solo mantenere il controllo sulla popolazione così che nessuno possa mai portargli via i privilegi.
♠ John vede tutto questo e si rende conto che gli stessi problemi che ha Nayeshi sono anche qui ma che ora è diverso perché qui può fare qualcosa per cambiare la situazione, per cercare di migliorarla. E lo fa, ci prova. Bellissimo il suo monologo interiore quando è in prigione e si chiede se una sua fuga valesse davvero l'uccisione di tutti gli altri prigionieri, ammette di aver paura di morire e di non voler morire e che sa di essere costretto a prendere delle decisioni orribile che porteranno alla morte di persone innocenti e si odia per questo. Questo è ciò che lo rende un personaggio straordinario, sa che deve farlo, sa che lo farà ma l'odio che prova per se stesso è immenso.
Ci stiamo avvicinando alla fine, mancano solo tre libri e ho paura. Qui vale tutto e la cosa peggiore è che se all'inizio avrei potuto velocizzare la lettura skippando qualche chilometrico passaggio descrittivo, tanto era la lentezza iniziale, qui non sarebbe più possibile perché succedono troppe cose e tra nomi e avvenimenti devi restare concentrata senza perderti nemmeno una virgola.
Comunque Khalil
Mi autocito: “Uno è nel futuro o uno è nel passato, resta da capire quale dei due è nel presente.”
Nessuno dei due stava nel presente.
♠ Ad un certo punto avevo capito che Khalil e Ravishan fossero la stessa persona ma in realtà, no. Cioè in realtà si, ma in realtà no. E ancora qualcosa mi sfugge. È una situazione alla Endgame dove il tuo passato è in realtà il tuo futuro e quindi quando John ha usato la chiave è arrivato in un altro passato modificando quel futuro e non quello da dove è venuto e quindi Khalil quando è arrivato a Nayeshi ha incontrato il John dell'altro futuro/passato e ha messo in moto tutto? Boh. A questo punto Chapeau.
Adesso comunque la situazione è molto più chiara (lol), adesso è più chiaro come mai Fikiri sia diventato il Khalil ma che lo sia anche il Kyle del futuro e ci stiamo anche avvicinando al momento in cui tutto finisce a fuoco e sangue.
♠ Passiamo al commento più serio e ragionato (lol), sento di dover ammettere che mi sento molto più emotivamente coinvolta dal rapporto tra Khalil e Jath’ibaye che da quello tra John e Ravishan. Si, sono le stesse persone ma no. Vuoi perché i due sono più maturi e i sentimenti più adulti riescono a colpirmi maggiormente, vuoi per l'angst e il desiderio. Sono una fan dei trope se fatti bene e questo è fatto più che bene. L'essere cosciente del fatto che i due si amano ancora, si vogliono nonostante tutto, nonostante i ricordi distorti e il dolore affrontato e le scelte fatte. Il continuo enfatizzare come siano destinati da sempre a stare insieme, e come si dicano la mia anima riconosce la tua e ti riconoscerà in ogni mondo, in ogni tempo, in ogni vita senza in realtà dirselo. UGH.
♠ Bisogna dire però che se insieme sono fantastici presi singolarmente è sicuramente John quello che muove la storia. Non conoscendo ancora con esattezza tutto il passato non possiamo sapere cosa l'ha reso così ma quello che vediamo fa male, prima scopre di essere il distruttore, poi si ritrova condannato alla pira, vede un suo amico morirgli tra le braccia sacrificandosi così che lui non soffra, ne perde un altro senza poter fare nulla e quando lo scopre non ha nemmeno il tempo di piangere. Tutto questo mentre vive tra le fila di un culto religioso che ricorda moltissimo l'inquisizione spagnola e si ritrova a dover assistere a donne accusate di stregoneria e bruciate al rogo, a uomini etichettati come pervertiti perché amano un altro uomo, è testimone della disparità di vita e di trattamento dei preti e la gente normale, al razzismo nudo e crudo verso le persone di una certa discendenza, a come l'ordine di Parfir predichi tante belle cose ma in realtà voglia solo mantenere il controllo sulla popolazione così che nessuno possa mai portargli via i privilegi.
♠ John vede tutto questo e si rende conto che gli stessi problemi che ha Nayeshi sono anche qui ma che ora è diverso perché qui può fare qualcosa per cambiare la situazione, per cercare di migliorarla. E lo fa, ci prova. Bellissimo il suo monologo interiore quando è in prigione e si chiede se una sua fuga valesse davvero l'uccisione di tutti gli altri prigionieri, ammette di aver paura di morire e di non voler morire e che sa di essere costretto a prendere delle decisioni orribile che porteranno alla morte di persone innocenti e si odia per questo. Questo è ciò che lo rende un personaggio straordinario, sa che deve farlo, sa che lo farà ma l'odio che prova per se stesso è immenso.
Ci stiamo avvicinando alla fine, mancano solo tre libri e ho paura. Qui vale tutto e la cosa peggiore è che se all'inizio avrei potuto velocizzare la lettura skippando qualche chilometrico passaggio descrittivo, tanto era la lentezza iniziale, qui non sarebbe più possibile perché succedono troppe cose e tra nomi e avvenimenti devi restare concentrata senza perderti nemmeno una virgola.
Comunque Khalil
March 11, 2025
A bit of an uneven reading experience with this one. The ebooks have little intros before each section recapping what happens, and I swear there was info in there that wasn't actually in the text. Could be an ebook-print discrepancy.
The story is still greatly enjoyable though - I'm very invested in John and Kyle. The beginning of this book is a bit confusing as you try to figure out how the heck
I really liked the politicking that was going on in this book - the whole thing with was very interesting, not to mention the scholar's club?? Hello??? That was neat.
Most of this book takes place in the future/present, with Jath'ibaye and Kahlil. My biggest gripe is that some things that happened in the past are just revealed in casual conversation, like I was expecting a whole book going over those events?? Oh well.
The ending is very 👀👀👀 but then it slides right back into the past which I am no longer INTERESTED in because I already KNOW what happens! Frustrating! Though perhaps I do not know all that I think I do...
The story is still greatly enjoyable though - I'm very invested in John and Kyle. The beginning of this book is a bit confusing as you try to figure out how the heck
I really liked the politicking that was going on in this book - the whole thing with was very interesting, not to mention the scholar's club?? Hello??? That was neat.
Most of this book takes place in the future/present, with Jath'ibaye and Kahlil. My biggest gripe is that some things that happened in the past are just revealed in casual conversation, like I was expecting a whole book going over those events?? Oh well.
The ending is very 👀👀👀 but then it slides right back into the past which I am no longer INTERESTED in because I already KNOW what happens! Frustrating! Though perhaps I do not know all that I think I do...
May 29, 2017
This was so incredible and I cannot wait to read the third one. If anyone was a little apprehensive to continue the series after reading the first book, please, just push though to this book. You will not be disappointed.
November 18, 2014
I ought to write my individual reviews for each book in the series but I figured that it’s more proper for me to consider each book as part of a whole saga (containing seven arcs) encompassing thirty years in the life of John, a human transported into another realm – a world where his housemate Kyle came from.
The epicness of this series is just beyond me! I enjoyed and loved every second of reading this ten-part series. What I appreciate most though is the fact that as much as possible, the author tried solving all the loopholes in it. What totally bugs me is the conclusion which I would be discussing a little later on.
So John along with his friends (a couple named Laurie and Bill) were accidentally transported into Basawar (think of a Narnia-like world minus the talking animals), the place where his odd housemate Kyle “apparently” came from. Kyle is the “Kahlil” who was destined / ordained to kill John who’s the incarnation of their god. He’s the human seen by the oracle who will be destroying all of Basawar.
The plot of the story thickens as John meets the young handsome priest Ravishan who is training to become the next Kahlil. Meeting Ravishan made their tumultuous entrance into Basawar more bearable but their world is about to get more complicated as John and his friends found themselves under the Bousim household where John was forced to accompany Firiki (The son of the lady in Bousim household) into the doors of Rathal’pesha to train as an ushiri (in contention of becoming a Kahlil). There, John meets Ravishan again and has shown potential to become a priest himself. Due to discrimination, he was relegated as some sort of a medic priest. As the story goes by, John was able to piece everything together coming to the conclusion that Ravishan and his housemate were one and the same, although John first meets Kyle as a Kahlil and this kahlil in training – Ravishan is the guy he fell in love with.
At times, the story tends to be a tad bit confusing because of the interchanging timeline in it especially during the second arc but as it went by, it’s just like reading some sort of backstory although at one point – the past and the present (see, Kyle followed the trio into Basawar) meets (ala Lake House meeting of some sort) and their reunion was truly one for the books.
I actually cried a little for John who is now known as J’aitbaya. I cried because he’s been living in Basawar for 30 years and was still nursing his broken heart from his separation from Ravishan. Although one and the same. Kyle still felt different from Ravishan. It’s like he’s simply a replacement of his young self. But all the same, John still love Ravishan and gave the same affection to Kyle.
Now the question bugging me at the end, is Kyle immortal now like John? After he passed on, he was possessed by the holy bones of the young Ravishan. Did he become immortal himself the way the oracles are immortals? I sure hope so because these two more than deserved to be together especially after what they have gone through.
To conclude this, I wished that more people would read this series because of its exceptional story that you’d regret missing. The humanity in it is truly heartfelt and the way John and Kyle have proven their love and devotion for each other was truly an amazing feat. It’s just so beautiful it almost hurts.
‘tis definitely one of my favorite series – another great feat to achieve by one of my new favorite authors – Ginn Hale who brought us the amazing Wicked Gentleman and the stunning Lord Of The White Hell. Indeed, Hail Ginn Hale!
The epicness of this series is just beyond me! I enjoyed and loved every second of reading this ten-part series. What I appreciate most though is the fact that as much as possible, the author tried solving all the loopholes in it. What totally bugs me is the conclusion which I would be discussing a little later on.
So John along with his friends (a couple named Laurie and Bill) were accidentally transported into Basawar (think of a Narnia-like world minus the talking animals), the place where his odd housemate Kyle “apparently” came from. Kyle is the “Kahlil” who was destined / ordained to kill John who’s the incarnation of their god. He’s the human seen by the oracle who will be destroying all of Basawar.
The plot of the story thickens as John meets the young handsome priest Ravishan who is training to become the next Kahlil. Meeting Ravishan made their tumultuous entrance into Basawar more bearable but their world is about to get more complicated as John and his friends found themselves under the Bousim household where John was forced to accompany Firiki (The son of the lady in Bousim household) into the doors of Rathal’pesha to train as an ushiri (in contention of becoming a Kahlil). There, John meets Ravishan again and has shown potential to become a priest himself. Due to discrimination, he was relegated as some sort of a medic priest. As the story goes by, John was able to piece everything together coming to the conclusion that Ravishan and his housemate were one and the same, although John first meets Kyle as a Kahlil and this kahlil in training – Ravishan is the guy he fell in love with.
At times, the story tends to be a tad bit confusing because of the interchanging timeline in it especially during the second arc but as it went by, it’s just like reading some sort of backstory although at one point – the past and the present (see, Kyle followed the trio into Basawar) meets (ala Lake House meeting of some sort) and their reunion was truly one for the books.
I actually cried a little for John who is now known as J’aitbaya. I cried because he’s been living in Basawar for 30 years and was still nursing his broken heart from his separation from Ravishan. Although one and the same. Kyle still felt different from Ravishan. It’s like he’s simply a replacement of his young self. But all the same, John still love Ravishan and gave the same affection to Kyle.
Now the question bugging me at the end, is Kyle immortal now like John? After he passed on, he was possessed by the holy bones of the young Ravishan. Did he become immortal himself the way the oracles are immortals? I sure hope so because these two more than deserved to be together especially after what they have gone through.
To conclude this, I wished that more people would read this series because of its exceptional story that you’d regret missing. The humanity in it is truly heartfelt and the way John and Kyle have proven their love and devotion for each other was truly an amazing feat. It’s just so beautiful it almost hurts.
‘tis definitely one of my favorite series – another great feat to achieve by one of my new favorite authors – Ginn Hale who brought us the amazing Wicked Gentleman and the stunning Lord Of The White Hell. Indeed, Hail Ginn Hale!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2015
Two caveats.
First, I'm a big Ginn Hale fan.
Second, I wish had had the chance to reread Book 1 of The Rifter saga, The Shattered Gates, before I read Book 2, as it took me a while to remember what had happened before and who the key players were.
Even so, this is one compelling book and it kept me reading and I found myself drawn into Hale's detailed and intricately drawn world of Basawar. Would John, Laurie, and Bill, survive in a world more violent and dangerous than their own? Will Bill and Laurie find true revenge in the "household of the exiled Lady Bousim?" And John, who has climbed the "Thousand Steps to monastery of Rathal'pesha," will he find what they most seek, a way home? Forbidden witchcraft and the possibility one of the three could somehow be the destroyer god, the Rifter, makes matters even more complicated.
If that's enough, add in the growing relationship between John and Ravishan--and that "such desire is punished with death."
This is an adventure with its heart, a love story, that of John and Ravishan. It is a tale of power and desire, and of religious warfare and rebellion. The second book in a trilogy can be tricky: can the writer sustain the story enough to keep the reader engaged with the characters and their world and their adventures, until Book 3. Will the reader stay engaged in what is essentially an alien world?
The answer here is yes, yes, and yes again. At times, I did find some of the nomenclature a tad confusing--but it is necessary and the glossary in the back helps. So, please, read this book and Books 1 and 3.
First, I'm a big Ginn Hale fan.
Second, I wish had had the chance to reread Book 1 of The Rifter saga, The Shattered Gates, before I read Book 2, as it took me a while to remember what had happened before and who the key players were.
Even so, this is one compelling book and it kept me reading and I found myself drawn into Hale's detailed and intricately drawn world of Basawar. Would John, Laurie, and Bill, survive in a world more violent and dangerous than their own? Will Bill and Laurie find true revenge in the "household of the exiled Lady Bousim?" And John, who has climbed the "Thousand Steps to monastery of Rathal'pesha," will he find what they most seek, a way home? Forbidden witchcraft and the possibility one of the three could somehow be the destroyer god, the Rifter, makes matters even more complicated.
If that's enough, add in the growing relationship between John and Ravishan--and that "such desire is punished with death."
This is an adventure with its heart, a love story, that of John and Ravishan. It is a tale of power and desire, and of religious warfare and rebellion. The second book in a trilogy can be tricky: can the writer sustain the story enough to keep the reader engaged with the characters and their world and their adventures, until Book 3. Will the reader stay engaged in what is essentially an alien world?
The answer here is yes, yes, and yes again. At times, I did find some of the nomenclature a tad confusing--but it is necessary and the glossary in the back helps. So, please, read this book and Books 1 and 3.
October 3, 2013
This one is massive. Like, obviously thicker than books 1 and 3. I kept wondering about that until I realised that book 2 is told half and half in John's and Kahlil's POVs, and the cut wouldn't have worked any other way.
I remember while reading the e-books that I only had the vaguest sense of what Basawar looks like. We get Rathal'pesha (which makes me think of those Buddhist temples in Asian countries, except Payshmura reminds me more of Catholicism liberally mixed with mysticism as a religion), Amura'taye, and mentions of the Eastern Lands. But mostly it's all about coldness and tahldi and mountains. I actually like Kahlil's story better because it's mostly set in Nurjima and it gives me something to work with: city, bikes, noblemen.
In book 2, we see more of Basawar and realise that it's not a backward sort of world as we have seen in Rathal'pesha. In fact, the kahlirashim from Vundomu make use of lifts and trains and other technological marvels which aren't really marvels to John, who came from Nayeshi, but is still surprising coming from someone who spent three years in the mountains.
Basically, this is the book I love best for the worlding.
I remember while reading the e-books that I only had the vaguest sense of what Basawar looks like. We get Rathal'pesha (which makes me think of those Buddhist temples in Asian countries, except Payshmura reminds me more of Catholicism liberally mixed with mysticism as a religion), Amura'taye, and mentions of the Eastern Lands. But mostly it's all about coldness and tahldi and mountains. I actually like Kahlil's story better because it's mostly set in Nurjima and it gives me something to work with: city, bikes, noblemen.
In book 2, we see more of Basawar and realise that it's not a backward sort of world as we have seen in Rathal'pesha. In fact, the kahlirashim from Vundomu make use of lifts and trains and other technological marvels which aren't really marvels to John, who came from Nayeshi, but is still surprising coming from someone who spent three years in the mountains.
Basically, this is the book I love best for the worlding.
February 25, 2015
This is the second book in a high fantasy epic that was originally published as a series of 10 ebooks. While I found the first book (or the first 3-4 ebooks) in parts a little confusing, the whole story comes to light in this one and everything starts to make sense. I really love the way one is slowly introduced to the world without understanding all of it at once just like the characters in it. The setting is quite unique with a truly fascinating magic system upon which the world's religion is built. It's also a m/m romance set in a world where being gay is punishable by death which adds a nice twist of secret love here and there. Yet, it's not a romance novel, but a true epic high fantasy one with a level of depth and twist and details that I found quite astonishing and easily rivals (or rather surpasses) books by much more popular mainstream fantasy authors. The story is thrilling and has wonderful elements of humor mixed in. Lots of diverse and interesting characters, both male and female and a truly terrifying cliffhanger at the end.
August 28, 2015
This book is definitely my favourite as everything is finally coming together - I understand everything now and how it was John who altered their history so Kyle remember both histories the one belonging to Kyle and the one belonging to Ravishan has died. Ginn Hale fills this novel with the beautiful and the bloody. Her world is so detailed and alive that the reader becomes totally lost in Basawar as though you are there with John in a world that is more butal than our own. My heart broke, this novel is full of layers and bits of puzzle pieces that you place to create the middle of this novel. This second Book of the trilogy was awe inspiring and totally captivating. this novel explores how far one will go to protect the one they love, and for Kyle and Jath'ibaye sacrifice everything for one another. This book has moved me and I always know that Ginn Hale will never disappoint this book does not deserve anything less that five stars.
May 30, 2013
I was not disappointed in book two, if anything Hale has deepened both the plot and the characters and I'm fully invested in finding out what happened to them. This was also slightly easier to read, as there is only one change in the POV this time around, and as a reader you get to spend more time with each timeline/character which made the book read much faster and feel a bit more coherent. Although I continue to enjoy learning about Basawar, I do wonder if the storyline will ever return to Earth or if circumstances have rendered that option impossible. I can't wait for the final installment in the Fall (and yes, there will only be three print books, I emailed the publisher to confirm as some wording on the website makes it seem like there might be four).
April 4, 2020
An amazing book! I really loved the first part of this trilogy and the second installment is perhaps even better. In this book you get to see a little more of the world and you get to understand the world a bit better. The characters are very interesting and you see how the different life choices that they have made have effected the world that they live in.
The only downside (not really) is that the book ends on a cliffhanger... and I have not received the last book yet. I can't wait for the last book... I want to read it now!
The only downside (not really) is that the book ends on a cliffhanger... and I have not received the last book yet. I can't wait for the last book... I want to read it now!
April 25, 2013
book number 2 in the 3 books paperback series...
can't put it down and don't know how to live until october to get the 3rd book...
can't put it down and don't know how to live until october to get the 3rd book...
February 22, 2016
Second book of three, in The Rifter. This on wanders a bit, but to places I don't mind going. I get the sense it will all coalesce in book 3.
April 23, 2015
I liked this one even better than the first part.
May 14, 2015
3.5/5
Still really enjoying the setting and overall story. Found the pacing to be abrupt toward the end, but I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the last installment.
Still really enjoying the setting and overall story. Found the pacing to be abrupt toward the end, but I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the last installment.
March 27, 2016
This is waaay better than the first one!!!
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