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Indigo #8
Aisling
A half century ago a young princess named Anghara opened the door of a dark tower and unwittingly released seven demons. To atone for the evil she'd loosed into the world, she forsook her mortality, took the name of Indigo, and set out on a harrowing quest to vanquish their power. Six demons she tamed. But one remained...
Seeking an end to her roaming, the woman called Indigo returns home to the Southern Isles, hoping against hope that Fenran, her long-lost love, still lives. But when a fateful shipwreck deprives her of her memory, her quest goes awry, and the last demon of the Tower of Regrets rises again to tempt her into evil. Only the aisling—the magical tune of an ancient, enchanted harp, has the power to free her from the ancient curse that binds her.
Seeking an end to her roaming, the woman called Indigo returns home to the Southern Isles, hoping against hope that Fenran, her long-lost love, still lives. But when a fateful shipwreck deprives her of her memory, her quest goes awry, and the last demon of the Tower of Regrets rises again to tempt her into evil. Only the aisling—the magical tune of an ancient, enchanted harp, has the power to free her from the ancient curse that binds her.
373 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1993
3 people are currently reading
249 people want to read
About the author
Louise Cooper
153 books230 followersLouise Cooper was born in Hertfordshire in 1952. She began writing stories when she was at school to entertain her friends. She hated school so much, in fact—spending most lessons clandestinely writing stories—that she persuaded her parents to let her abandon her education at the age of fifteen and has never regretted it.
She continued to write and her first full-length novel was published when she was only twenty years old. She moved to London in 1975 and worked in publishing before becoming a full-time writer in 1977. Since then she has become a prolific writer of fantasy, renowned for her bestselling Time Master trilogy. She has published more than eighty fantasy and supernatural novels, both for adults and children. She also wrote occasional short stories for anthologies, and has co-written a comedy play that was produced for her local school.
Louise Cooper lived in Cornwall with her husband, Cas Sandall, and their black cat, Simba. She gained a great deal of writing inspiration from the coast and scenery, and her other interests included music, folklore, cooking, gardening and "messing about on the beach." Just to make sure she keeps busy, she was also treasurer of her local Lifeboat station.
Louise passed away suddenly from a brain aneurysm on Tuesday, October 20, 2009. She was a wonderful and talented lady and will be greatly missed.
She continued to write and her first full-length novel was published when she was only twenty years old. She moved to London in 1975 and worked in publishing before becoming a full-time writer in 1977. Since then she has become a prolific writer of fantasy, renowned for her bestselling Time Master trilogy. She has published more than eighty fantasy and supernatural novels, both for adults and children. She also wrote occasional short stories for anthologies, and has co-written a comedy play that was produced for her local school.
Louise Cooper lived in Cornwall with her husband, Cas Sandall, and their black cat, Simba. She gained a great deal of writing inspiration from the coast and scenery, and her other interests included music, folklore, cooking, gardening and "messing about on the beach." Just to make sure she keeps busy, she was also treasurer of her local Lifeboat station.
Louise passed away suddenly from a brain aneurysm on Tuesday, October 20, 2009. She was a wonderful and talented lady and will be greatly missed.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 24, 2020
So at last the eight book trilogy reaches its final volume. After enjoying vols 4 - 7 (I found 1 - 3 weak and disappointing) I was expecting another interesting read. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case and there was a distinct sense of anti-climax.
Indigo and her sentient wolf friend Grimya are returning by ship to Indigo's island homeland where the tragedy which launched her long quest occurred. There is one more demon to defeat before she can be reunited with her beloved, Fenran. But things soon go amiss when the ship is caught in a storm and wrecked. Although they survive, the two friends are separated, Grimya is physically injured and Indigo suffers from amnesia. A sailor aboard the ship, who had nutured hopes that Indigo might come to love him and which she had been too soft-hearted to quell, then tells everyone that he and Indigo are betrothed. Luckily he is not such a sleaze as to take physical advantage, and he has a few qualms of conscience, but Indigo ends up depending on him and rejecting anything that might remind her of her true nature - including Grimya.
Grimya spends a lot of time with the true hero of this book, a witch woman from the forest, called Niahrin. It is she who drives the action and I liked her character and also that of the queen dowager, a tough older woman who has to sometimes use subterfuge to get round the pigheadedness of her son the king. Strange things are happening at the castle where they live, which seems haunted by hostile presences, and these presences are tied up with Indigo.
I wasn't expecting everything to be happy ever after with Indigo becoming queen, although she has more right to the throne than the existing family, being the sole survivor of the previous royal line, the present monarchy having been created by appointment when it seemed the first had died out due to a plague. (For some reason, never explained, everyone in the islands recalls the unleashing of the demons by Indigo's arrogant meddling, and the subsequent bloodbath as a deadly plague.) I wouldn't have minded if she had overcome the final demon, and perhaps been reunited with Fenran or not - a nice twist would have been that she had matured due to her experiences and found she had outgrown him. She and Grimya could have ridden off into the sunset and I would've been content.
But instead there is a really weird twist which doesn't make sense because the person it revolves around existed before Anghara/Indigo ever unleashed the demons in book 1. Not only that, but Indigo reverts to the really annoying person she used to be, especially in the first three volumes, where she never believes Grimya and does stupid things because of it - so I found it hard to accept the description of her as a mature individual who had learned from her quest - and in this book she does exactly the same thing again. Not only that, but she behaves like a lovestruck teen as if none of her previous growth had ever happened. And considering Grimya's previous injuries, I found it difficult to square the fact that she had been hobbling around with her feats of endurance towards the end of the story. So I would have liked a different plotline. I also see why a happy ending was reserved for Niahrin -I liked her too - but in my book that could have involved her and Grimya teaming up. Goodness knows Grimya deserved better!
For these reasons, making a weak ending to an enjoyable series, I can only award the book 3 stars.
Indigo and her sentient wolf friend Grimya are returning by ship to Indigo's island homeland where the tragedy which launched her long quest occurred. There is one more demon to defeat before she can be reunited with her beloved, Fenran. But things soon go amiss when the ship is caught in a storm and wrecked. Although they survive, the two friends are separated, Grimya is physically injured and Indigo suffers from amnesia. A sailor aboard the ship, who had nutured hopes that Indigo might come to love him and which she had been too soft-hearted to quell, then tells everyone that he and Indigo are betrothed. Luckily he is not such a sleaze as to take physical advantage, and he has a few qualms of conscience, but Indigo ends up depending on him and rejecting anything that might remind her of her true nature - including Grimya.
Grimya spends a lot of time with the true hero of this book, a witch woman from the forest, called Niahrin. It is she who drives the action and I liked her character and also that of the queen dowager, a tough older woman who has to sometimes use subterfuge to get round the pigheadedness of her son the king. Strange things are happening at the castle where they live, which seems haunted by hostile presences, and these presences are tied up with Indigo.
I wasn't expecting everything to be happy ever after with Indigo becoming queen, although she has more right to the throne than the existing family, being the sole survivor of the previous royal line, the present monarchy having been created by appointment when it seemed the first had died out due to a plague. (For some reason, never explained, everyone in the islands recalls the unleashing of the demons by Indigo's arrogant meddling, and the subsequent bloodbath as a deadly plague.) I wouldn't have minded if she had overcome the final demon, and perhaps been reunited with Fenran or not - a nice twist would have been that she had matured due to her experiences and found she had outgrown him. She and Grimya could have ridden off into the sunset and I would've been content.
But instead there is a really weird twist which doesn't make sense because the person it revolves around existed before Anghara/Indigo ever unleashed the demons in book 1. Not only that, but Indigo reverts to the really annoying person she used to be, especially in the first three volumes, where she never believes Grimya and does stupid things because of it - so I found it hard to accept the description of her as a mature individual who had learned from her quest - and in this book she does exactly the same thing again. Not only that, but she behaves like a lovestruck teen as if none of her previous growth had ever happened. And considering Grimya's previous injuries, I found it difficult to square the fact that she had been hobbling around with her feats of endurance towards the end of the story. So I would have liked a different plotline. I also see why a happy ending was reserved for Niahrin -I liked her too - but in my book that could have involved her and Grimya teaming up. Goodness knows Grimya deserved better!
For these reasons, making a weak ending to an enjoyable series, I can only award the book 3 stars.
May 9, 2011
Book 8, titled Aisling, concludes author Louse Cooper's fantasy series called the Indigo series. Throughout the books, readers come to know the main character Indigo and to identify with her struggles as she faces each of seven demons that she had inadvertently released from the Tower of Regrets. Meanwhile, Indigo's lover Fenran is trapped in a demon world, only to be released once all of the demons have been slain. So Indigo becomes the designated hero chosen by the Earth Mother's Emissary to have the blessing and curse of immortality until all of the demons are vanquished. But she does not take this journey alone, for the speaking wolf, Grimya, also chooses to have the gift and curse of immortality as she aids Indigo in her quest. Together, Indigo and Grimya defeated six of the seven demons - and that takes us to book 8 and the final demon.
There is so much potential here for Indigo to be a hero, get into an epic battle with the last demon, save Fenran, become Queen of the Southern Isles, and for the inclusion of love triumphant. But oddly enough, none of that happens here. The hero's role in this novel goes to an entirely new character in the series - a witch named Niahrin. While the addition of the kindly old witch was creative and she makes a good character, this ought to be Indigo's time to shine. Instead, Indigo has gotten caught up in a shipwreck and ends up with amnesia. A sailor named Vinar sees this opportunity and decieves Indigo into thinking that the two of them are betrothed. But once Indigo learns the truth of who she is - a surprising 300 pages into the novel - she isn't upset in the least at Vinar's trickery. Rather, everyone feels sorry for what the sailor has gone through in losing Indigo! And if all this doesn't seem wrong, there's the shocking and disappointing revelation that Fenran is the seventh demon.
So how is it possible that he's the seventh demon if we've been told throughout the novels that he's being held prisoner in a demon world, tormented until Indigo can save him? Well as the story goes, Fenran was trapped in his own mind, by his own demons...which doesn't really make much sense because the demons that Indigo released from the Tower of Regrets - the ones that she has to hunt down and kill - are demons within herself, but also demons that plague mankind.
So how can Fenran be the seventh demon? But beyond that, Fenran is the one who gives Indigo's quest meaning. This is what makes book 8 so utterly disappointing - no epic battle, and no freeing Fenran from some demonic hell. Instead, he gets a crossbow bolt through the heart after telling Indigo, "I love you."
All of this makes the book drag on and on, and then when you're expecting a miraculous turn-around, it seems to be far too little, too late. The ending is nearly as disappointing as if Indigo were to have come this far only to have failed her quest. The long bout of amnesia only serves to undermine the plot that the author has woven throughout the series, because Indigo has come too far to not know who she is or what she has to do. Her friendship with Grimya seems irreparably damaged, Fenran is dead, and the royalty of the Southern Isles is wary of her - all so that the author can let two newcomers (Vinar the sailor and Niahrin the witch) take the stage.
Tisk, tisk. It had SUCH potential!
There is so much potential here for Indigo to be a hero, get into an epic battle with the last demon, save Fenran, become Queen of the Southern Isles, and for the inclusion of love triumphant. But oddly enough, none of that happens here. The hero's role in this novel goes to an entirely new character in the series - a witch named Niahrin. While the addition of the kindly old witch was creative and she makes a good character, this ought to be Indigo's time to shine. Instead, Indigo has gotten caught up in a shipwreck and ends up with amnesia. A sailor named Vinar sees this opportunity and decieves Indigo into thinking that the two of them are betrothed. But once Indigo learns the truth of who she is - a surprising 300 pages into the novel - she isn't upset in the least at Vinar's trickery. Rather, everyone feels sorry for what the sailor has gone through in losing Indigo! And if all this doesn't seem wrong, there's the shocking and disappointing revelation that Fenran is the seventh demon.
So how is it possible that he's the seventh demon if we've been told throughout the novels that he's being held prisoner in a demon world, tormented until Indigo can save him? Well as the story goes, Fenran was trapped in his own mind, by his own demons...which doesn't really make much sense because the demons that Indigo released from the Tower of Regrets - the ones that she has to hunt down and kill - are demons within herself, but also demons that plague mankind.
So how can Fenran be the seventh demon? But beyond that, Fenran is the one who gives Indigo's quest meaning. This is what makes book 8 so utterly disappointing - no epic battle, and no freeing Fenran from some demonic hell. Instead, he gets a crossbow bolt through the heart after telling Indigo, "I love you."
All of this makes the book drag on and on, and then when you're expecting a miraculous turn-around, it seems to be far too little, too late. The ending is nearly as disappointing as if Indigo were to have come this far only to have failed her quest. The long bout of amnesia only serves to undermine the plot that the author has woven throughout the series, because Indigo has come too far to not know who she is or what she has to do. Her friendship with Grimya seems irreparably damaged, Fenran is dead, and the royalty of the Southern Isles is wary of her - all so that the author can let two newcomers (Vinar the sailor and Niahrin the witch) take the stage.
Tisk, tisk. It had SUCH potential!
July 22, 2025
Excelente. Así se termina una saga.
Fui retrasando llegar a este libro porque no quería que la serie se acabe. Realmente me gustó muchísimo y probablemente la relea en unos años. Me da pena que no sea más conocida actualmente.
Estuve enganchadísima con este último libro, fue el más incierto y por lejos el más sorprendente.
Voy a extrañar a Indigo y en especial a Grimya, que tanto me recordó en su amor e inteligencia a mi hermoso Willy. Lo tenía que decir.
Fui retrasando llegar a este libro porque no quería que la serie se acabe. Realmente me gustó muchísimo y probablemente la relea en unos años. Me da pena que no sea más conocida actualmente.
Estuve enganchadísima con este último libro, fue el más incierto y por lejos el más sorprendente.
Voy a extrañar a Indigo y en especial a Grimya, que tanto me recordó en su amor e inteligencia a mi hermoso Willy. Lo tenía que decir.
September 3, 2019
Relectura 2019
He visto muchas quejas por el final de la saga, pero en realidad solo podía terminar de dos maneras: la previsible o cualquier otra. La autora toma un camino que ha preparado con muy pocas pinceladas en los últimos libros (quién es el emisario de la tierra, por ejemplo) y nos sirve un plato complicado de digerir.
En este libro hay dos trampas: la amnesia de Índigo, para que la historia no termine en 30 páginas, y la introducción de un nuevo personaje: Niahrin, que carga con el peso de la trama y que puede o no ser la nieta de la misma Ymissa que educó a la princesa Anghara.
Otra cuestión es Vinar. Aunque nos lo intenten pintar de una forma positiva, no deja de ser un mentiroso manipulador. Que no lleve su engaño hasta el final no significa que sea buena persona, solo que tiene algo de moralidad en esa cabeza enorme.
Me quedo muy contento con el final, igual que la primera vez que lo leí. Tanto, que he escrito un tocho de mil palabras comentando el final y filosofando sobre él. Si os interesa: https://atroposcaroline.wordpress.com...
He visto muchas quejas por el final de la saga, pero en realidad solo podía terminar de dos maneras: la previsible o cualquier otra. La autora toma un camino que ha preparado con muy pocas pinceladas en los últimos libros (quién es el emisario de la tierra, por ejemplo) y nos sirve un plato complicado de digerir.
En este libro hay dos trampas: la amnesia de Índigo, para que la historia no termine en 30 páginas, y la introducción de un nuevo personaje: Niahrin, que carga con el peso de la trama y que puede o no ser la nieta de la misma Ymissa que educó a la princesa Anghara.
Otra cuestión es Vinar. Aunque nos lo intenten pintar de una forma positiva, no deja de ser un mentiroso manipulador. Que no lleve su engaño hasta el final no significa que sea buena persona, solo que tiene algo de moralidad en esa cabeza enorme.
Me quedo muy contento con el final, igual que la primera vez que lo leí. Tanto, que he escrito un tocho de mil palabras comentando el final y filosofando sobre él. Si os interesa: https://atroposcaroline.wordpress.com...
September 14, 2015
If there was one thing I didn't fancy much of the series as a whole, it was the whole Fenran issue and her single-mindedness about it, as well Indigo's general behavior when it came to him or just her having to face the demons.
But mostly, it was the Fenran issue. I figured if they were holding him as a prize for the last book it would be for a reason, and lo and behold, it was- because he was the last demon. Color me shocked. Not.
While I admit I wouldn't have been happy with a typical ending (Indigo saves the day, gets a happily ever after with Fenran as Queen), I wasn't at all happy with the ending we were given.
The amnesia thing was completely dumb (and slow, and dragged out); Vinar was an hypocritical, annoying idiot; and if I'd been Grimya I would've let Indigo to rot and gone off with the wolf pack, because I'd sure as hell be tired of her behavior towards me. Indigo always refuses to listen to her, rarely takes her advise, and when faced with giving her five minutes to explain or going with Fenran, she chooses Fenran: You waited fifty years, you can wait five minutes for your friend.
Never mind that she totally seemed to forget there was a last demon.
Never mind that the whole last demon ordeal was just lame.
Fenran suddenly being a sorry, greedy SOB that went mad made little sense to me (although I admit I enjoyed the contrast of Indigo's memories to what he really was, it just doesn't seem like a good ending for a book of this style - at least for my taste).
I enjoyed the witch, but it all happening with her on the last book was too fast for me to really care about her.
In brief, all in all, while I overall rather enjoyed the series, this last installment was disappointing, and if I'm not rating it a 1 it's only because Grimya is awesome.
So, here's the ending I'm rewriting for myself:
Grimya goes live happily ever after with the wolf pack, Vinar jumps off a cliff, the current royal family remains the current royal family, and Fenran and Indigo go into the Tower of Regrets never to be seen again (they can go mad and fight each other and their own demons forever and ever, locked in there, not bothering anyone else).
But mostly, it was the Fenran issue. I figured if they were holding him as a prize for the last book it would be for a reason, and lo and behold, it was- because he was the last demon. Color me shocked. Not.
While I admit I wouldn't have been happy with a typical ending (Indigo saves the day, gets a happily ever after with Fenran as Queen), I wasn't at all happy with the ending we were given.
The amnesia thing was completely dumb (and slow, and dragged out); Vinar was an hypocritical, annoying idiot; and if I'd been Grimya I would've let Indigo to rot and gone off with the wolf pack, because I'd sure as hell be tired of her behavior towards me. Indigo always refuses to listen to her, rarely takes her advise, and when faced with giving her five minutes to explain or going with Fenran, she chooses Fenran: You waited fifty years, you can wait five minutes for your friend.
Never mind that she totally seemed to forget there was a last demon.
Never mind that the whole last demon ordeal was just lame.
Fenran suddenly being a sorry, greedy SOB that went mad made little sense to me (although I admit I enjoyed the contrast of Indigo's memories to what he really was, it just doesn't seem like a good ending for a book of this style - at least for my taste).
I enjoyed the witch, but it all happening with her on the last book was too fast for me to really care about her.
In brief, all in all, while I overall rather enjoyed the series, this last installment was disappointing, and if I'm not rating it a 1 it's only because Grimya is awesome.
So, here's the ending I'm rewriting for myself:
Grimya goes live happily ever after with the wolf pack, Vinar jumps off a cliff, the current royal family remains the current royal family, and Fenran and Indigo go into the Tower of Regrets never to be seen again (they can go mad and fight each other and their own demons forever and ever, locked in there, not bothering anyone else).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2017
The ending in the Indigo series is one of the best series endings I have ever read. Totally took me by surprised. Quite nice. The whole series is wonderful.
February 15, 2019
I LOVED this series when I was in college.
after setting free 7 demons & causing everything she ever loved to be destroyed & her name forgotten, Indigo is cursed with immortality & penance; she must forever wander the world in a harrowing quest to bind/slay the loosed demons.
This is the last book of the series, & it's been out of print for decades. If you spy it in a used book store, snap it up -- you won't regret it, and the story will haunt you for a long, long time.
after setting free 7 demons & causing everything she ever loved to be destroyed & her name forgotten, Indigo is cursed with immortality & penance; she must forever wander the world in a harrowing quest to bind/slay the loosed demons.
This is the last book of the series, & it's been out of print for decades. If you spy it in a used book store, snap it up -- you won't regret it, and the story will haunt you for a long, long time.
June 19, 2024
Un final decepcionante en donde se descubre que, tras morir la familia real, Anghara obtiene de algún modo misterioso la inmortalidad y deja atrás a todos sus conocidos, incluido su prometido, para vagar por el mundo.
Índigo nunca fue un gran personaje pero aquí casi desaparece (por su amnesia) y el peso de la historia la llevan Grimya, una bruja (su nueva amiga) y Fenran, con grandes y poco justificados cambios que lo convierten en un personaje trágico.
Índigo nunca fue un gran personaje pero aquí casi desaparece (por su amnesia) y el peso de la historia la llevan Grimya, una bruja (su nueva amiga) y Fenran, con grandes y poco justificados cambios que lo convierten en un personaje trágico.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2022
Satisfying ending to a series that got increasingly abstract as the books went on. I don’t think the ending is as bizarre as other folks are making it out to be: some demons are physical, others are conceptual. More of an “ideas” book than one with a 100% coherent plot.
I’ve enjoyed the Indigo series as a sort of minimalist fantasy, and will likely give the series a re-read in the future.
I’ve enjoyed the Indigo series as a sort of minimalist fantasy, and will likely give the series a re-read in the future.
September 5, 2020
This was perhaps the most human book of the entire series. The end of the series did not disappoint. It made me contemplate the nature of humanity with all our flaws. All of the books were somewhat depressing, but this one ended well and completed the series satisfyingly.
May 16, 2019
Leed si queréis la review del primero de la saga, pero casi mejor que os olvidéis de la saga, de la review y de la autora. Hay cosas mucho mejores dentro del género pululando por las librerías.
January 11, 2021
Una de las primeras obras de alta fantasía que leí sin saber que era este subgenero. Me gustó muchísimo, recordemos que cuando se escribió no existía el internet de hoy día.
May 16, 2021
I have loved the end of the book. Great and unexpected
December 17, 2011
Una serie que fui leyendo poco a poco, y que acaba con este volumen. Me gusta porque aunque se trata de la clásica fantasía, y de la constante lucha entre el bien y el mal, la línea es más maleable de lo que en ocasiones nos gustaría.
Me gustó especialmente la evolución del personaje, su paso de niña caprichosa a persona consciente y responsable de sus actos.
February 26, 2016
The story of Indigo comes to a satisfying conclusion after an eight book series of her adventures fighting demons. Readers will enjoy this book by a wonderful writer who created memorable characters and vivid stories.
January 27, 2008
The main character gets amnesia! The ending of the 8 book series made me envious of her.
June 20, 2008
The final book in the Indigo series, I did not at all expect the last demon that she might face. It was a much better ending than I hoped for.
July 25, 2011
Loved this series... but was dissapointed by the end
August 28, 2016
I still think of this series. Read it when it came out, so that's saying a lot. The paperbacks are worn, having been moved from house to house, state to state, but they're important to me.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews