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Quarters #3
No Quarter
Gyhard and Vree have abandoned the Empire for the kingdom of Shkoder, hoping to enlist the bards' aid in finding Gyhard a body of his own. But there are those who have more insidious plans for them--those who will stop at nothing to exact revenge upon Gyhard no matter whose body he's in.
413 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1996
53 people are currently reading
761 people want to read
About the author
Tanya Huff
151 books2,448 followersTanya Sue Huff is a Canadian fantasy author. Her stories have been published since the late 1980s, including five fantasy series and one science fiction series. One of these, her Blood Books series, featuring detective Vicki Nelson, was adapted for television under the title Blood Ties.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
May 16, 2021
No Quarter is the third book in Huff's four volume high-fantasy series. It's once again set in the framework of a cross-country quest, and assassin Vree is once again sharing her body with the mind of another person, but this feels more tightly plotted and goes in a couple of new directions. This one is a direct sequel to the second book, Fifth Quarter. The Quarter world is very richly developed and described, and Huff's characters are always quirky and interesting, with considerable clever quips and dialog. It's a good, entertaining read.
May 26, 2025
This is the 3rd book in the quarters series. It started with Vree heading to Skoda and the bardic hall where she is hoping that they can help her. Characters from the first and second books make appearances. All ends okay
July 11, 2019
My favorite type of fantasy that I can just fall into with no effort. We've got a strong female protagonist in the form of Vree. She's trying to come to terms with life outside of the army. She's no longer a royal assassin and she's separated from her brother. This is not a life she ever imagined living. She even has to learn how to have friends. On top of all the emotional aspects, we have a good adventure story. Vree and Magda need to go find Kars without being stopped. Plus, there's battling between Vree and Bannon, two highly trained assassins. Bannon's having his own difficulties adjusting to life without his sister. He can't imagine his sister would ever choose to leave him. It must be Gyhard's fault. He can't understand that Vree has a life outside of him. That's brought home to him when Vree beats him in a one-on-one battle.
Not much romance in this book. Instead, I saw strong sibling relationships, as between Magda and Gerek. There were also some important mother to child relationships. There's a relationship building between Bannon and Vree. It's just hard to do anything about it when you're both in the same body.
Not much romance in this book. Instead, I saw strong sibling relationships, as between Magda and Gerek. There were also some important mother to child relationships. There's a relationship building between Bannon and Vree. It's just hard to do anything about it when you're both in the same body.
October 20, 2020
A solid and positive 3 stars. Once again, I loved the emotional journey. I love the world SO MUCH. It was wonderful to see characters from book one again. It had lovely character growth and was a perfectly poetic love story all around.
It was, however, almost exactly the same set-up as the first two books, which was a bit of a drag now that we're doing it for the third time. Someone has a mission to run across the country trying to catch someone else. Another group is trying to catch THOSE someone else. And a fourth lot are chasing the third group chasing the second group chasing the first group. Like. Pick another mode of plot tension for book four, I'm begging you.
Still. I like the resolution for the different threads of story. King Theron continues to be spectacular. I can't imagine where book four begins, since book three is delightfully complete. Once again, it managed to surprise me and I enjoyed not being able to fit the clues all together. It feels fresh when you can't guess how it will all get fixed, especially when you read a lot of one genre. Great job, Huff!
It was, however, almost exactly the same set-up as the first two books, which was a bit of a drag now that we're doing it for the third time. Someone has a mission to run across the country trying to catch someone else. Another group is trying to catch THOSE someone else. And a fourth lot are chasing the third group chasing the second group chasing the first group. Like. Pick another mode of plot tension for book four, I'm begging you.
Still. I like the resolution for the different threads of story. King Theron continues to be spectacular. I can't imagine where book four begins, since book three is delightfully complete. Once again, it managed to surprise me and I enjoyed not being able to fit the clues all together. It feels fresh when you can't guess how it will all get fixed, especially when you read a lot of one genre. Great job, Huff!
November 3, 2025
A born skill, fine tuned
Looking forward to what might happen after “& they all lived happily ever after”, I’m very satisfied with the previous 3 books in this series. The author is blessed with extraordinary skill, we are fortunate she’s shared it with us, and now we’d be complete imbeciles to do anything other than to wish her all sorts of health and strength.
Looking forward to what might happen after “& they all lived happily ever after”, I’m very satisfied with the previous 3 books in this series. The author is blessed with extraordinary skill, we are fortunate she’s shared it with us, and now we’d be complete imbeciles to do anything other than to wish her all sorts of health and strength.
August 28, 2022
This is clearly a sequel to the second book in the series which I hadn't read. So it took a while to figure out the characters and the backstory. I might have liked it better if I had read the previous one.
July 25, 2025
Good story
Not my favorite, but I enjoyed enough to finish it. I did skip part of it, which I had never done with her stories, so I gave 4 stars.
I know a lot of people will enjoy it all.
Not my favorite, but I enjoyed enough to finish it. I did skip part of it, which I had never done with her stories, so I gave 4 stars.
I know a lot of people will enjoy it all.
May 23, 2017
Less scattered than the prior book in the series, and a lot of fun.
November 4, 2018
Great book. Fantastic series.
Read
July 16, 2019Boring read, did not appear historically accurate.
May 9, 2020
It took a bit longer this time, but we eventually got to the wacky roadtrip. My theory that it's Huff's favorite trope remains solid.
December 8, 2020
A continuation of the last book to me this one was alot better then the 2nd book was.
February 9, 2022
Easy read, very entertaining
February 9, 2024
Ties book one and book two together perfectly. The ending was also great, very curious what book four is left to work with.
July 28, 2016
This is the third book in the series [Sing the Four Quarters, Fifth Quarter, No Quarter, The Quartered Sea]. If you haven't read Fifth Quarter I suggest that you forego reading any farther since the review will, of necessity, begin with spoilers for that book.
The book begins with Vree/Gyhard traveling to Shkoder to be studied by healers (attached peripherally to the Bardic Hall) in the hope that they will be able to find a way to transfer Gyhard's kigh to separate body without killing anyone in the process.
Bannon, who is now a bodyguard to the Imperial Prince, has accidentally revealed that Gyhard (soul/personality) is still alive, and in order to not be punished for treason, he has been sent into Shkoder to track down his sister and the second kigh she is now sharing a body with. But how does an assassin kill an assassin? And will his love for Vree overcome his sense of betrayal by her and his hatred for Gyhard?
Can the leader of the walking dead/undead be found and stopped? How long can Vree & Gyhard share the same body without either on of them going insane? And is it even possible to find Gyhard a living body without a living kigh to displace?
This book includes/mentions some characters from Sing the Four Quarters who older now, although they aren't central characters.
NB: again, I will give a caution that this series mentions same sex/bisexual partnerings (without details of their sexual relations) and I had the same momentary metal glitches in picturing characters in positions of authority as 'she' instead of 'he' or vice versa.
The book begins with Vree/Gyhard traveling to Shkoder to be studied by healers (attached peripherally to the Bardic Hall) in the hope that they will be able to find a way to transfer Gyhard's kigh to separate body without killing anyone in the process.
Bannon, who is now a bodyguard to the Imperial Prince, has accidentally revealed that Gyhard (soul/personality) is still alive, and in order to not be punished for treason, he has been sent into Shkoder to track down his sister and the second kigh she is now sharing a body with. But how does an assassin kill an assassin? And will his love for Vree overcome his sense of betrayal by her and his hatred for Gyhard?
Can the leader of the walking dead/undead be found and stopped? How long can Vree & Gyhard share the same body without either on of them going insane? And is it even possible to find Gyhard a living body without a living kigh to displace?
This book includes/mentions some characters from Sing the Four Quarters who older now, although they aren't central characters.
NB: again, I will give a caution that this series mentions same sex/bisexual partnerings (without details of their sexual relations) and I had the same momentary metal glitches in picturing characters in positions of authority as 'she' instead of 'he' or vice versa.
September 29, 2017
Rounded up from 3.5 Stars.
I really enjoy reading Tanya Huff's Quarters books. They're great fantasy fun, filled with engaging and diverse characters who go on adventures and end up saving countries and kingdoms. :) There are bards and assassins and nobles and the common man, someone for everyone. And there is romance woven into the adventures and scheming.
No Quarter is filled with all of those things. It's really very much of a continuation of book 2, Fifth Quarter, as opposed to just taking place in the same universe with the focus on different characters. We find out what happened to the twin assassins, Vree and Bannon, Karlene the bard, and Gyhard, the man who is looking for a body of his own. It's also the story of Magda and Garrett, children of the main characters of book 1, Sing the Four Quarters. We even spend some time with Prince Otavas (I may have that spelling wrong), another of the characters from #2. Their paths intertwine to give us a wonderful solution to the simple problem of a man without a body.
As I said to an author buddy of mine as I was reading, even though I enjoyed my read, I found myself wishing that maybe I had read these books when I was a teenager. I'm pretty sure all the sexual identity diversity and openness would have left a positive mark on an impressionable me. As it is now, at 60 years old, well, I sit and nod and think that these kids have the right idea. *LOL*
I'm looking forward to reading the 4th book, The Quartered Sea, at some point and seeing which of my friends from the first three books come along for the ride. :)
I really enjoy reading Tanya Huff's Quarters books. They're great fantasy fun, filled with engaging and diverse characters who go on adventures and end up saving countries and kingdoms. :) There are bards and assassins and nobles and the common man, someone for everyone. And there is romance woven into the adventures and scheming.
No Quarter is filled with all of those things. It's really very much of a continuation of book 2, Fifth Quarter, as opposed to just taking place in the same universe with the focus on different characters. We find out what happened to the twin assassins, Vree and Bannon, Karlene the bard, and Gyhard, the man who is looking for a body of his own. It's also the story of Magda and Garrett, children of the main characters of book 1, Sing the Four Quarters. We even spend some time with Prince Otavas (I may have that spelling wrong), another of the characters from #2. Their paths intertwine to give us a wonderful solution to the simple problem of a man without a body.
As I said to an author buddy of mine as I was reading, even though I enjoyed my read, I found myself wishing that maybe I had read these books when I was a teenager. I'm pretty sure all the sexual identity diversity and openness would have left a positive mark on an impressionable me. As it is now, at 60 years old, well, I sit and nod and think that these kids have the right idea. *LOL*
I'm looking forward to reading the 4th book, The Quartered Sea, at some point and seeing which of my friends from the first three books come along for the ride. :)
January 28, 2023
The third "Quarters" novel is a direct sequel to Fifth Quarter, picking up all the unfinished business left behind last time. I certainly wouldn't recommending starting here as we're in the middle of a mess of unlikely proportions.
The good news is it is about as good as the previous book. The action starts in Schkoder, and largely happens there, so it also ties into the first book much more solidly, and we see a lot more bardic magic this time. The second book could largely be read on its own, but this one would certainly benefit more from having read both of the first two, even though plot-wise it's just a follow on to the second book.
The plot is only a bit trimmed down from Fifth Quarter's fairly complicated one, with three major elements that all come together for the ending climax. The pacing also holds up, along with characters with complex motivations. Together, these two books make for a very solid reason to get into the series, and Tanya Huff's writing.
The good news is it is about as good as the previous book. The action starts in Schkoder, and largely happens there, so it also ties into the first book much more solidly, and we see a lot more bardic magic this time. The second book could largely be read on its own, but this one would certainly benefit more from having read both of the first two, even though plot-wise it's just a follow on to the second book.
The plot is only a bit trimmed down from Fifth Quarter's fairly complicated one, with three major elements that all come together for the ending climax. The pacing also holds up, along with characters with complex motivations. Together, these two books make for a very solid reason to get into the series, and Tanya Huff's writing.
May 12, 2011
The second and third installments in Huff's Quarter series take place nearly twenty years after Sing the Four Quarters and expands our view of that world. Fifth Quarter begins with a pair of sibling assassins in the army of the Havakeen Empire. When they're sent to take out a target, they walk into a situation that takes them away from everything they've known and changes their lives forever, a story that doesn't really find a resolution until the end of No Quarter. I've decided that Tanya Huff writes romance that men can enjoy (I say this because my husband introduced me to this series). Sure, her books are technically labeled fantasy, and there is plenty of fighting and magic, but messy love triangles and complicated family relationships are the heart of these stories. Oh, and zombies, don't forget the zombies.
January 6, 2014
After returning her brother Bannon's soul to his body, Vree grabs Gyhard's escaping soul and brings him into her body. Now she must discover a way to find him a usable body that doesn't involves someone dying. So a journey to Shkoder is undertaken with the hope of finding a bard who can help them.
I think this was the best of the series so far. I really liked how Vree and Gyhard's meshed as one and yet maintained their individuality while waiting to be separated. I liked Magda and Gerek and hope they both make an appearance in the final book, The Quartered Sea. I'm waiting for Bannon's HEA as well.
I think this was the best of the series so far. I really liked how Vree and Gyhard's meshed as one and yet maintained their individuality while waiting to be separated. I liked Magda and Gerek and hope they both make an appearance in the final book, The Quartered Sea. I'm waiting for Bannon's HEA as well.
November 2, 2014
Gyhard and Vree have abandoned the Empire for the kingdom of Shkoder, hoping to enlist the bards' aid in finding Gyhard a body of his own. But there are those who have more insidious plans for them--those who will stop at nothing to exact revenge upon Gyhard no matter whose body he's in.
AnnotationGyhard and Vree have abandoned the Empire for the kingdom of Shkoder, hoping to enlist the bards' aid in finding Gyhard a body of his own. But there are those who have more insidious plans for them--those who will stop at nothing to exact revenge upon Gyhard no matter whose body he's in. Original.
November 7, 2024
Unfinished business follows Vree and Gyhard to Shkoder when they seek bardic assistance for their unusual arrangement. That central dynamic is more successful here than in the previous book, where it was too rushed; there's space within the intimate interior view for clashing motives and repressed desires and storied histories, and it builds a convincing relationship arc. The larger plot is serviceable but less interesting: another cross-country chase (it occurs to me that all four Huff books I've read have had one) with a familiar conflict and reoccurring characters. Magda, with simple but engaging characterization, is the thread that best ties all three books together.
January 5, 2012
No Quarter pulls the first two books together and wraps up the Bannon and Vree drama. It's not bad - a quick read, and a more nuanced look at Shkoder (which is, incidentally, the single worst fantasy place name that I think I've ever encountered.) It's nice to get some closure, although I still don't really buy the central romance.
June 21, 2012
I liked this better than Fifth Quarter (which I liked well enough but not as much as Fourth Quarter). And I liked this one better because there is more action and a better understanding of how the fifth kigh works. I just really like the whole concept of the ability to Sing the elements.
August 10, 2016
I love that this book brought the first two back together and combined characters from both books. It wrapped some of the loose ends up nicely, but not too neatly, and not without a lot of mistakes along the way. Loved it!
April 14, 2016
There are only four books in written in this wold. I really liked them and have always wished there were more books. This is a nice conclusion to the original trilogy and book 4 always feels tacked on and more of a stand alone book.
March 11, 2007
Excellent series
December 29, 2016
Reread December 2016.
Read
July 30, 2007reread in 2007
September 23, 2015
first read as a new-release in 90s
first logged re-read 11/17/1999
reread 4/26/2015
first logged re-read 11/17/1999
reread 4/26/2015
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews