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Tremontaine #2.13
Dissolution
Swordplay, scandal, and sex—welcome to the world of Tremontaine, a glittering new entry in Ellen Kushner’s classic Riverside series.
This is the final episode in the second season of Tremontaine, a 13-episode serial from Serial Box Publishing. This episode written by Ellen Kushner.
As Kaab prepares to leave the City, Diane faces the Council regarding her petition to become Duchess in her own right. Rafe, meanwhile, seeks one final goodbye. Having solved a mystery, Tess enacts vengeance the Riverside way.
Welcome to Tremontaine, where ambition, love affairs, and rivalries dance with deadly results. A Duchess whose beauty is matched only by her cunning; a handsome young scholar with more passion than sense; a foreigner in a playground of swordplay and secrets; and a mathematical genius whose discoveries herald revolution when games of politics begin, no one is safe. Keep your wit as sharp as your steel in this world where politics is everything, and outcasts are the tastemakers.
- GenresFantasy
55 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 18, 2017
64 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Kushner
139 books607 followersEllen Kushner weaves together multiple careers as a writer, radio host, teacher, performer and public speaker.
A graduate of Barnard College, she also attended Bryn Mawr College, and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. She began her career in publishing as a fiction editor in New York City, but left to write her first novel Swordspoint, which has become a cult classic, hailed as the progenitor of the “mannerpunk” (or “Fantasy of Manners”) school of urban fantasy. Swordspoint was followed by Thomas the Rhymer (World Fantasy Award and the Mythopoeic Award), and two more novels in her “Riverside” series. In 2015, Thomas the Rhymer was published in the UK as part of the Gollancz “Fantasy Masterworks” line.
In addition, her short fiction appears regularly in numerous anthologies. Her stories have been translated into a wide variety of languages, including Japanese, French, Dutch, German, Spanish, Latvian and Finnish.
Upon moving to Boston, she became a radio host for WGBH-FM. In 1996, she created Sound & Spirit, PRI’s award-winning national public radio series. With Ellen as host and writer, the program aired nationally until 2010; many of the original shows can now be heard archived online.
As a live stage performer, her solo spoken word works include Esther: the Feast of Masks, and The Golden Dreydl: a Klezmer ‘Nutcracker’ for Chanukah (with Shirim Klezmer Orchestra). In 2008, Vital Theatre commissioned her to script a full-scale theatrical version. The Klezmer Nutcracker played to sold-out audiences in New York City, with Kushner in the role of the magical Tante Miriam.
In 2012, Kushner entered the world of audiobooks, narrating and co-producing “illuminated” versions of all three of the “Riverside” novels with SueMedia Productions for Neil Gaiman Presents at Audible.com—and winning a 2013 Audie Award for Swordspoint.
Other recent projects include the urban fantasy anthology Welcome to Bordertown (co-edited with Holly Black), and The Witches of Lublin, a musical audio drama written with Elizabeth Schwartz and Yale Strom (which one Gabriel, Gracie and Wilbur Awards in 2012). In 2015 she contributed to and oversaw the creation of the online Riverside series prequel Tremontaine for Serial Box with collaborators Joel Derfner, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Malinda Lo, Racheline Maltese and Patty Bryant.
A dauntless traveler, Ellen Kushner has been a guest of honor at conventions all over the world. She regularly teaches writing at the prestigious Clarion Workshop and the Hollins University Graduate Program in Children’s Literature.
Ellen Kushner is a co-founder and past president of the Interstitial Arts Foundation, an organization supporting work that falls between genre categories. She lives in New York City with author and educator Delia Sherman, a lot of books, airplane and theater ticket stubs, and no cats whatsoever.
A graduate of Barnard College, she also attended Bryn Mawr College, and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. She began her career in publishing as a fiction editor in New York City, but left to write her first novel Swordspoint, which has become a cult classic, hailed as the progenitor of the “mannerpunk” (or “Fantasy of Manners”) school of urban fantasy. Swordspoint was followed by Thomas the Rhymer (World Fantasy Award and the Mythopoeic Award), and two more novels in her “Riverside” series. In 2015, Thomas the Rhymer was published in the UK as part of the Gollancz “Fantasy Masterworks” line.
In addition, her short fiction appears regularly in numerous anthologies. Her stories have been translated into a wide variety of languages, including Japanese, French, Dutch, German, Spanish, Latvian and Finnish.
Upon moving to Boston, she became a radio host for WGBH-FM. In 1996, she created Sound & Spirit, PRI’s award-winning national public radio series. With Ellen as host and writer, the program aired nationally until 2010; many of the original shows can now be heard archived online.
As a live stage performer, her solo spoken word works include Esther: the Feast of Masks, and The Golden Dreydl: a Klezmer ‘Nutcracker’ for Chanukah (with Shirim Klezmer Orchestra). In 2008, Vital Theatre commissioned her to script a full-scale theatrical version. The Klezmer Nutcracker played to sold-out audiences in New York City, with Kushner in the role of the magical Tante Miriam.
In 2012, Kushner entered the world of audiobooks, narrating and co-producing “illuminated” versions of all three of the “Riverside” novels with SueMedia Productions for Neil Gaiman Presents at Audible.com—and winning a 2013 Audie Award for Swordspoint.
Other recent projects include the urban fantasy anthology Welcome to Bordertown (co-edited with Holly Black), and The Witches of Lublin, a musical audio drama written with Elizabeth Schwartz and Yale Strom (which one Gabriel, Gracie and Wilbur Awards in 2012). In 2015 she contributed to and oversaw the creation of the online Riverside series prequel Tremontaine for Serial Box with collaborators Joel Derfner, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Malinda Lo, Racheline Maltese and Patty Bryant.
A dauntless traveler, Ellen Kushner has been a guest of honor at conventions all over the world. She regularly teaches writing at the prestigious Clarion Workshop and the Hollins University Graduate Program in Children’s Literature.
Ellen Kushner is a co-founder and past president of the Interstitial Arts Foundation, an organization supporting work that falls between genre categories. She lives in New York City with author and educator Delia Sherman, a lot of books, airplane and theater ticket stubs, and no cats whatsoever.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 10, 2017
Last episode for this 'season' - and yes, it looks like there'll be another season.
Although we climax at the long-awaited vote in which we discover if Diane de Tremontaine will become Duchess 'in her own right,'many of the other plot threads which looked like they were about to be resolved and tied up neatly suddenly unravel at the last moment... leaving plenty of room for more story to-come!
Although we climax at the long-awaited vote in which we discover if Diane de Tremontaine will become Duchess 'in her own right,'many of the other plot threads which looked like they were about to be resolved and tied up neatly suddenly unravel at the last moment... leaving plenty of room for more story to-come!
December 31, 2017
So this is goodbye to Tremontaine. While the third season is underway, I am unlikely to end up reading it. It is a bit of a pity: the world and the story are interesting, and the last few chapters have set up a potentially more interesting third season. But for me, the rewards of reading aren't enough here. The diverse and imaginative world is certainly worth attention, but I keep wishing the writers would do something more interesting with it than they do. For instance, in this chapter, there's a plot twist that clearly should make an impression on the reader. But that depends on finding the location of Riverside and the notion of being from Riverside to be meaningful to the reader, and I can't say it has grown to mean anything to me. I feel disconnected from the place and from most of the characters (except Micah and Kaab, somewhat, but only at times).
I'm sure it will find readers who like it better than I do; for me, I'm off to read other things.
(I received this courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
I'm sure it will find readers who like it better than I do; for me, I'm off to read other things.
(I received this courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
January 26, 2017
This concludes Tremontaine, season 2! I really like the weekly release of each chapter, and I'll probably continue with the series if there's a season 3.
In general, Tremontaine is not as good as Swordspoint or The Privilege of the Sword, but I do like all the characters, and this season had a lot of !!! moments. Also, I just really enjoy this world where queerness is not even remarked upon.
In general, Tremontaine is not as good as Swordspoint or The Privilege of the Sword, but I do like all the characters, and this season had a lot of !!! moments. Also, I just really enjoy this world where queerness is not even remarked upon.
April 3, 2018
POV – 3rd person, multi character, often omni-present
Would I read it again – Yes!
Genre – LGBT, Fantasy, Serial, Historical, Coming-of-Age, Queer
Content Warning – mild violence, sexual situations, adultery/cheating, prostitution
Orientations – MM, MF, FF
** COPY RECEIVED THROUGH NETGALLEY **
I love the world building of this series, and the talented writers who bring it all together, but I was left heartbroken by the events of Season One and I'm hopeful that Season Two will at least offer some relief from that. I'm coming straight into this, just an hour after finishing Season One, so it's all fresh in my mind. There are still the infrequent issues of editing mistakes, changes of tense that don't always make sense, as were in Season One, but the recurring issue of font change has been eliminated, which is a relief.
Because of the format Netgalley sent, or perhaps because of how Kindle interprets them, the formatting for the first half of this series of ARC's was terrible. The documents had either one or two lines then a line of gapping, repeated throughout and it wasn't only hard on the eyes, but made it more difficult to follow in terms of flow. The second half were much better formatted.
~
Episode 13: Dissolution, by Ellen Kushner
★★★★★
Pages: 55
Well, whoever said that all was fair in love and war was mistaken. Because they've been to Riverside or suffered having to watch Rafe grieve for a man who isn't dead! Curse you, Kushner!
Yes, the revenge against Florian was so simple, so perfectly done, but I'm sad that he and Shade are no longer a unit, that they likely won't be in Season 3, unless – which I would love to see! – Florian gets in with Rafe, which could be interesting. I'm also intrigued as to what Vincent has in mind, and why he didn't just go back to Reza, like he should have.
The whole storyline for Ixkaab was sad, but a little predictable, since she's never been a very skilled player at Diane's games. Diane, who is still ruling the roost, for some Godforsaken reason!
Guarantee, I'll be buying the entire Season 3 paperback as soon as I get paid at the end of the month! I can't wait any longer to find out what happens to my lovely Rafe.
Favourite Quote
“Rafe stood that way for a long time, until the ship and its passenger were out of sight. Then he blinked and let the water flood his eyes, because it didn't matter whether he could see clearly anymore.”
Would I read it again – Yes!
Genre – LGBT, Fantasy, Serial, Historical, Coming-of-Age, Queer
Content Warning – mild violence, sexual situations, adultery/cheating, prostitution
Orientations – MM, MF, FF
** COPY RECEIVED THROUGH NETGALLEY **
I love the world building of this series, and the talented writers who bring it all together, but I was left heartbroken by the events of Season One and I'm hopeful that Season Two will at least offer some relief from that. I'm coming straight into this, just an hour after finishing Season One, so it's all fresh in my mind. There are still the infrequent issues of editing mistakes, changes of tense that don't always make sense, as were in Season One, but the recurring issue of font change has been eliminated, which is a relief.
Because of the format Netgalley sent, or perhaps because of how Kindle interprets them, the formatting for the first half of this series of ARC's was terrible. The documents had either one or two lines then a line of gapping, repeated throughout and it wasn't only hard on the eyes, but made it more difficult to follow in terms of flow. The second half were much better formatted.
~
Episode 13: Dissolution, by Ellen Kushner
★★★★★
Pages: 55
Well, whoever said that all was fair in love and war was mistaken. Because they've been to Riverside or suffered having to watch Rafe grieve for a man who isn't dead! Curse you, Kushner!
Yes, the revenge against Florian was so simple, so perfectly done, but I'm sad that he and Shade are no longer a unit, that they likely won't be in Season 3, unless – which I would love to see! – Florian gets in with Rafe, which could be interesting. I'm also intrigued as to what Vincent has in mind, and why he didn't just go back to Reza, like he should have.
The whole storyline for Ixkaab was sad, but a little predictable, since she's never been a very skilled player at Diane's games. Diane, who is still ruling the roost, for some Godforsaken reason!
Guarantee, I'll be buying the entire Season 3 paperback as soon as I get paid at the end of the month! I can't wait any longer to find out what happens to my lovely Rafe.
Favourite Quote
“Rafe stood that way for a long time, until the ship and its passenger were out of sight. Then he blinked and let the water flood his eyes, because it didn't matter whether he could see clearly anymore.”
July 21, 2017
Really loved this second season.
Lots of developments. Characters growing and transforming, changing allegiances, coming together, splitting apart, and all kinds of drama and comedy.
What I find most interesting about this whole series, I think, is how much I want Diane (who's kind of the antagonist, in a sense) to succeed at all that she's doing. Like, there's a pleasure in watching her weave and unweave relationships and society to get what she wants. She's a terrible person, sure, but she's fascinating and even delightful, in a ruthless way.
Tess kind of bothers me a lot, and I've never found her very interesting. The rest of the cast, though, I'm fully into. Love them all. Care about them all. And what's maybe most interesting about the series is that the stakes--even when they're high--never reach beyond character interactions. So it's mostly competing motivations and goals with no clear good or bad side. Or, Tremontaine is certainly not a good person, but I often find myself cheering for her.
Kaab has always been the POV I care most about, am most invested in, so it's been a frustrating season, in some ways, since I don't much care for Tess. But it's also been a fascinating season for her, mostly full of sad twists of fate. But I find the ending very satisfying and am excited for next season.
The same could be said about Diane's plotline. She's had a frustrating time, except she's managed to turn it all to her own ends, and I can't wait to see what she does next season, with this inflated power. How Micah and Rafe play into it.
Really, despite the plethora of characters and personalities, this series has always to me, been the story of Kaab and Diane, so I'm excited to see how they clash and coalesce with their new titles.
Lots of developments. Characters growing and transforming, changing allegiances, coming together, splitting apart, and all kinds of drama and comedy.
What I find most interesting about this whole series, I think, is how much I want Diane (who's kind of the antagonist, in a sense) to succeed at all that she's doing. Like, there's a pleasure in watching her weave and unweave relationships and society to get what she wants. She's a terrible person, sure, but she's fascinating and even delightful, in a ruthless way.
Tess kind of bothers me a lot, and I've never found her very interesting. The rest of the cast, though, I'm fully into. Love them all. Care about them all. And what's maybe most interesting about the series is that the stakes--even when they're high--never reach beyond character interactions. So it's mostly competing motivations and goals with no clear good or bad side. Or, Tremontaine is certainly not a good person, but I often find myself cheering for her.
Kaab has always been the POV I care most about, am most invested in, so it's been a frustrating season, in some ways, since I don't much care for Tess. But it's also been a fascinating season for her, mostly full of sad twists of fate. But I find the ending very satisfying and am excited for next season.
The same could be said about Diane's plotline. She's had a frustrating time, except she's managed to turn it all to her own ends, and I can't wait to see what she does next season, with this inflated power. How Micah and Rafe play into it.
Really, despite the plethora of characters and personalities, this series has always to me, been the story of Kaab and Diane, so I'm excited to see how they clash and coalesce with their new titles.
July 13, 2017
I am filled with so many feelings after this re-listen! season 3 is sure to be thrilling
December 4, 2022
Thought this one had a weird ending. Since it's like the authors realized that if Kaab makes the boat, then goes home, it would end the Tremontaine series, found it predictable that she goes to get Rafe and he's able to have a teary eyed good bye look at the Duke.
Everything about the Duchess is predictable and just getting old. Especially since Kaab knows her secret, so easily could bring her down, yet gets dummy downed all the time and is kept on a leash.
Realize Rafe just cares about himself, doesn't console Kaab for the sacrifice she made so he can see the Duke off, part of his deal with the Duchess and doesn't understand her crying. Then hooks up with Florian, yet his fathers business lost money due too his and Shade's thieving of his warehouses.
Glad Tess and Kaab are no longer together, glad Micah appears in this one and hope she gets a bigger role with living with the Duchess. The third season should be interesting with all the plot twists, shifting allegiances, break ups and hope Kaab gets unleashed.
Everything about the Duchess is predictable and just getting old. Especially since Kaab knows her secret, so easily could bring her down, yet gets dummy downed all the time and is kept on a leash.
Realize Rafe just cares about himself, doesn't console Kaab for the sacrifice she made so he can see the Duke off, part of his deal with the Duchess and doesn't understand her crying. Then hooks up with Florian, yet his fathers business lost money due too his and Shade's thieving of his warehouses.
Glad Tess and Kaab are no longer together, glad Micah appears in this one and hope she gets a bigger role with living with the Duchess. The third season should be interesting with all the plot twists, shifting allegiances, break ups and hope Kaab gets unleashed.
January 1, 2017
Dissolution (Tremontaine #2.13)
by Ellen Kushner (Goodreads Author), Alaya Dawn Johnson (Goodreads Author), Paul Witcover, Racheline Maltese (Goodreads Author), Tessa Gratton (Goodreads Author), Mary Anne Mohanraj (Goodreads Author), Joel Derfner (Goodreads Author)
The final chapter.
Duchess Tremontaine has become the heir apparent, and is able to establish her own line of inheritance and found away to escape being tied to the Dragon. She also knows where William can be safe and care for.
Kaab has awoken to a new world, she is back with her family. She knows she must return to her former life, with Arthur gone she knows that it was an illusion that she would fit in Riverside.
Rafe has all he dreamed of, and the moment to say goodbye to William. It is a resolution may not be the romantic end to his story but a resolution.
This was a great series with dynamic and heart rendering stories of personal struggle and personal triumph. A great book to look at the meaning behind the story, and the motivation of the character.
by Ellen Kushner (Goodreads Author), Alaya Dawn Johnson (Goodreads Author), Paul Witcover, Racheline Maltese (Goodreads Author), Tessa Gratton (Goodreads Author), Mary Anne Mohanraj (Goodreads Author), Joel Derfner (Goodreads Author)
The final chapter.
Duchess Tremontaine has become the heir apparent, and is able to establish her own line of inheritance and found away to escape being tied to the Dragon. She also knows where William can be safe and care for.
Kaab has awoken to a new world, she is back with her family. She knows she must return to her former life, with Arthur gone she knows that it was an illusion that she would fit in Riverside.
Rafe has all he dreamed of, and the moment to say goodbye to William. It is a resolution may not be the romantic end to his story but a resolution.
This was a great series with dynamic and heart rendering stories of personal struggle and personal triumph. A great book to look at the meaning behind the story, and the motivation of the character.
January 18, 2017
Season finale, but not the end
Another season of Tremontaine comes to an end, leaving fans with nothing to do but await the start of season 3 in fall 2017. Dissolution brings things to a moment's pause, but not nearly an end. It's a rare story that I'm left wanting more without feeling like the author is deliberately dragging things out, trying to turn a book's worth of story into several books. Tremontaine is that story.
Another season of Tremontaine comes to an end, leaving fans with nothing to do but await the start of season 3 in fall 2017. Dissolution brings things to a moment's pause, but not nearly an end. It's a rare story that I'm left wanting more without feeling like the author is deliberately dragging things out, trying to turn a book's worth of story into several books. Tremontaine is that story.
February 4, 2017
This serials is just joyous. I love Diane's machinations even as I dislike her the woman knows how to play the game.
Characters I love and yet still want to slap the two seasons have been wonderful to follow and to invest in. I shall miss my weekly shot of Tremontaine.
Things are set for a third season and I can't wait to see what else there is in store for us.
Characters I love and yet still want to slap the two seasons have been wonderful to follow and to invest in. I shall miss my weekly shot of Tremontaine.
Things are set for a third season and I can't wait to see what else there is in store for us.
January 18, 2017
Very satisfying conclusion to Season 2. I'm delighted to see that there will be a Season 3!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews