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Dubric Bryerly #3
Tal der Seelen
Einst jagte Dubric Byerly, der Kastellan von Faldorrah, die finstersten Magier des Reiches, bis diese als vernichtet galten. Doch nun weisen eingeritzte Symbole auf den Leichen verstümmelter Tiere darauf hin, dass einer dieser Magier zurück ist. Und bald schon besteht kein Zweifel mehr, dass auch Menschen hingerichtet werden. Ihre Geister verfolgen Dubric - das ist sein Fluch. Er weiß, dass er den Mörder aufhalten muss, wenn die Provinz nicht in Blut versinken soll. Um einen Magier zu töten, bedarf es jedoch einer Magiertöterin - und die letzte starb vor vielen Jahren...
512 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
3 people are currently reading
181 people want to read
About the author
Tamara Siler Jones
8 books59 followersTamara Jones started her academic career as a science geek, earned a degree in art, and, when she's not making quilts or herding cats, writes grisly thrillers. Despite the violent nature of her work, Tam's easygoing and friendly. Not sick or twisted at all. Honest.
Tamara is represented by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency.
Tamara is represented by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 9, 2011
Murder comes once again to the attention of Dubric Bryerly, castellan of Faldorrah Castle. The decapitated bodies of livestock have been found in the downtrodden village of Quarry Run, followed by the decapitated bodies of human beings. Dubric and his team scour the countryside searching for clues, each one seeming to point at a more sinister menace behind the string of disappearance and death, Dubric's old bane, the poisonous taint of a dark mage.
From dark secrets locked behind the walls of a local sanatorium to sinister influences poisoning his home and new love, Dubric must put together each new puzzle piece and solve the mystery before a treacherous evil rises again.
In a way, I'm rather disappointed with this, the third book in the Dubric Bryerly series. I'm not disappointed with the writing, which is as taut and enthralling as ever, nor am I disappointed with the story, which was the richest and most complex of the three books. No, I'm disappointed by the fact that upon reaching the end of the book, there seems to be no more follow-up novels in sight. Which is quite frustrating as the end of the book did in no way end the stories of the characters involved. Quite the reverse. I am left hanging, eager to continue following the lives and adventures of these characters and saddened by the knowledge that, for the foreseeable future and to the best of my knowledge, I won't be allowed to do so.
Don't let that discourage you from reading this book, though. Though murder is once again the main feature, it somewhat downplayed, the novel instead focusing more on the relationships, personal and political, of the people driving the story. It felt as though the book was preparing itself as a springboard for a whole new arc of stories, by laying down more of the history of Faldorrah, the Mage Wars, and the political machinations which have brought Dubric into the position he currently holds. I've sent out a call to Tamara Siler Jones not to leave us readers hanging and she's listened. In fact, she has plenty more tales of Bryerly and company to tell, but if she doesn't get more support from the reading public, publishers won't know to publish her. You can do your part and support her by buying as many of Siler's books as you can; send publishers a message that she's a talent which needs to be supported and heard.
From dark secrets locked behind the walls of a local sanatorium to sinister influences poisoning his home and new love, Dubric must put together each new puzzle piece and solve the mystery before a treacherous evil rises again.
In a way, I'm rather disappointed with this, the third book in the Dubric Bryerly series. I'm not disappointed with the writing, which is as taut and enthralling as ever, nor am I disappointed with the story, which was the richest and most complex of the three books. No, I'm disappointed by the fact that upon reaching the end of the book, there seems to be no more follow-up novels in sight. Which is quite frustrating as the end of the book did in no way end the stories of the characters involved. Quite the reverse. I am left hanging, eager to continue following the lives and adventures of these characters and saddened by the knowledge that, for the foreseeable future and to the best of my knowledge, I won't be allowed to do so.
Don't let that discourage you from reading this book, though. Though murder is once again the main feature, it somewhat downplayed, the novel instead focusing more on the relationships, personal and political, of the people driving the story. It felt as though the book was preparing itself as a springboard for a whole new arc of stories, by laying down more of the history of Faldorrah, the Mage Wars, and the political machinations which have brought Dubric into the position he currently holds. I've sent out a call to Tamara Siler Jones not to leave us readers hanging and she's listened. In fact, she has plenty more tales of Bryerly and company to tell, but if she doesn't get more support from the reading public, publishers won't know to publish her. You can do your part and support her by buying as many of Siler's books as you can; send publishers a message that she's a talent which needs to be supported and heard.
February 7, 2023
A fine wrap-up to an intriguing trilogy. I'm quite glad I stumbled upon its recommendation on Reddit. I enjoyed the more mature and rough protagonist, Dubric Bryerly.
There were a few bits in this story that left me frustrated because some actions of the characters felt out of place for the sake of the plot (looking at you Dubric and your stupid mirror). However, there were a lot of interesting twists and turns throughout this one. The magic system established in the world had a dark and horrendous take on it, which I found fascinating.
The first book, Ghosts in the Snow, is the weakest out of all of them. The second is the most fast-paced, and this third one is a good mix of mystery as well as fantastical, magic intensity. It was a good direction for the author to lean into the fantasy aspects/setting more as the trilogy progressed.
I honestly wish there were more books in the series!
There were a few bits in this story that left me frustrated because some actions of the characters felt out of place for the sake of the plot (looking at you Dubric and your stupid mirror). However, there were a lot of interesting twists and turns throughout this one. The magic system established in the world had a dark and horrendous take on it, which I found fascinating.
The first book, Ghosts in the Snow, is the weakest out of all of them. The second is the most fast-paced, and this third one is a good mix of mystery as well as fantastical, magic intensity. It was a good direction for the author to lean into the fantasy aspects/setting more as the trilogy progressed.
I honestly wish there were more books in the series!
February 13, 2022
Extrem spannend und gut geschrieben. Empfehlenswerr für jeden Krimi Fan sowie Fantasy Fans.
November 16, 2009
This is the best book in the trilogy, there were a lot of mysteries, more mages, flashbacks that put the puzzle pieces together, and the usual vivid imagery with the Tamara Siler Jones trademark.
Valley of the Soul didn't really focus on a single story, there were a lot of family issues here, I found this less gory than the previous book. I guess the dismantled body parts still fall under the gruesome category, but the absence of blood made it bearable. This is another story about seeking eternal life but done in a different way. The mystery was very effective, the clues lead to nowhere but I was glad there were no loose ends.
There were interesting developments in minor characters that I enjoyed reading about. I've come to like Lars a lot and he's good together with Jess. Their relationship is developing and all is good. I'm not going to spoil anything here but there were certain unlikely improvements.
It would have been better if more mages were present but they were only mentioned in passing and they were referred in history as vile creatures that must be killed immediately. I gave this a 5 because of the perfect balance, not too serious, the suspense and action was there, and of course, family values. Everyone's happy in the end, except for the bad guys of course.
On another note, I should've remarked this in my previous reviews but I don't want to sound feminist. In this world, the females rule and I love it, especially about what Oriana's dagger can do to men who touch it. I liked the concept of having a goddess instead of a god as a supreme being, and females could also be warriors too.
Valley of the Soul didn't really focus on a single story, there were a lot of family issues here, I found this less gory than the previous book. I guess the dismantled body parts still fall under the gruesome category, but the absence of blood made it bearable. This is another story about seeking eternal life but done in a different way. The mystery was very effective, the clues lead to nowhere but I was glad there were no loose ends.
There were interesting developments in minor characters that I enjoyed reading about. I've come to like Lars a lot and he's good together with Jess. Their relationship is developing and all is good. I'm not going to spoil anything here but there were certain unlikely improvements.
It would have been better if more mages were present but they were only mentioned in passing and they were referred in history as vile creatures that must be killed immediately. I gave this a 5 because of the perfect balance, not too serious, the suspense and action was there, and of course, family values. Everyone's happy in the end, except for the bad guys of course.
On another note, I should've remarked this in my previous reviews but I don't want to sound feminist. In this world, the females rule and I love it, especially about what Oriana's dagger can do to men who touch it. I liked the concept of having a goddess instead of a god as a supreme being, and females could also be warriors too.
March 6, 2009
The third book in this odd combination of procedural mystery and high fantasy is both more and less successful than its predecessors. It is somewhat less gruesome than the second book, which as far as I'm concerned is all for the good, and it answers some of the pending questions of the history and world-building, which are also positive points. Unfortunately, it opens up nearly as many questions as it answers, launches into something that feels distressingly like a never ending plot arc (especially since the fourth is, several years later, still being written. While I have a great deal of sympathy for anyone struggling with life and a recalcitrant story, it makes me reluctant to read on until I know if the overarching plot will ever be properly resolved), and spends a fair amount of its time being a family soap opera without resolving most of those plot threads either. In fact, unresolved is a good word for it; while the leading mystery and a few (related and unrelated) sub-mysteries are resolved, enough of the overall plot is left to dangle that I was not entirely satisfied by the end of the novel. I will certainly read more of Tamara Siler Jones' work, but I might wait until they seem to have reached a good pausing place before catching up.
March 14, 2011
This is the third book in a series featuring Dubric Bryerly. Valley of the Soul, like the two preceding books in the series, is some pretty hard-core fantasy with a damned gripping mystery thrown in to boot. This is some very grim and dark stuff too; and probably not for the faint of heart. Bad stuff tends to happen to good people.
I am very impressed with Tamara Siler Jones's skills as a writer too. She deftly weaves a gripping tale that you will stay up late at night to finish--an awesome blend of magic, mystery, and murder. You really should read the first two in the series before taking this one on though. I highly recommend this trilogy, and I hope to see more of Castellan Dubric Bryerly in the very near future.
I am very impressed with Tamara Siler Jones's skills as a writer too. She deftly weaves a gripping tale that you will stay up late at night to finish--an awesome blend of magic, mystery, and murder. You really should read the first two in the series before taking this one on though. I highly recommend this trilogy, and I hope to see more of Castellan Dubric Bryerly in the very near future.
September 29, 2008
This is the third book in this series, preceded by "Ghosts in the Snow" and "Threads of Malice". I have read all three. I originally bought the first book because I liked the font used for the title, but it turned out to be a whopping good mystery set in medieval times. The murders are incredibly gruesome, and so not for the faint-hearted, but the story and writing are wonderful.
January 10, 2013
SFPL didn't have the second book, but I don't think I'm missing much by not reading it. The violence is more realistic (although she may be taking it too far) but there are a lot of anachronistic attitudes, Basically, the same I thought about "Ghosts in the Snow"
May 28, 2010
A truly disturbing and good book.
July 24, 2008
An excellent murder mystery and fantasy novel, a bit gruesome in places.
July 29, 2008
Again, a wonderfully done book, vivid and frightening, as well as thought provoking. I wish she'd write another one, and I know I'm not alone in that.
January 30, 2015
i found this installment of the series to be neither as graphic nor horrifying as previous ones. Highly enjoyable story. Would love to hear more follow up on certain events in the book...
May 13, 2015
Dubric must find faldorrah's first magician killer.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews