Seeker's Mask

Kencyrath #3

by P.C. Hodgell

Jame has found and been reunited with her ten year older twin brother Tori. Now all she has to do is find a place for herself among the Kencyrs that are following her brother. This is not quite as easy as it sounds. For, if you remember, Jame has not grown up in the normal Kencyr lifestyle. When she is placed in the Women's Halls and is expected to change and become a normal quiet Kencyr lady, it is the Women's Halls that undergo the changes. For when you have Shadow Guild Assassins, ghosts, strange beings, and other characters from your past after you, it is rather difficult not to want a weapon, instead of a sewing needle, in your hand. Soon Jame and Jorin, her blind ounce, are on the run again, trying to stay one step ahead of the danger.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, High Fantasy, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Action, Adventure

480 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do not know what Hodgell puts in her cereal, but I want some! The third installment of the series focuses upon Jame, with one bizarre adventure per chapter, followed by a short interlude where we follow Tori, her brother. The world building is the forte of the series for sure, and Hodgell gives us a surreal experience in that regard. We also ready faced a city where the gods walk the streets, and the strange Perimal Darkling haunts the world at its edges. We have had Jame transported into netherlands/dreams/history where she faced all kinds of trials and tribulations. Just wait, however, for Hodgell is just getting started here!

The last installment ended with Jame finally hooking up with her brother Tori, the young ruler of the Kendar host, which came to this world 3000 years ago. Not knowing what to do with her, he sent her to an old riverland fortress to be properly schooled in female etiquette for Jame is a highborn after all. So, this starts with Jame being forced to wear a pencil skirt so tight one must hop down stairs and all kinds of other indignities. Well, her independence kicks in and she leaves, but into the winds of a 'weirding'. Now, weirdings happen from time to time, with a strange fog/mist that transports people and objects, including here an entire compound, with Jame inside!

Welcome to a land where the trees walk, fish speak, a massive snake-god lives in the Silver river (or maybe not), bizarre magic, people with strange abilities-- the list just goes on and on! Part of me really loved this-- Hodgell's imagination just blew me away! Another part struggled a bit as Seeker's Mask tore along at a relentless pace giving new surprises with every page; it took some serious concentration at time! Do not expect a 'typical' fantasy here, but do expect to be amazed with the wonderous world Hodgell created.

[Jeffrey Caston · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oof. I do not remember this one dragging in such a meandering way when I read the physical copy.

[Assaph Mehr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've recently decided to re-read this excellent epic fantasy cycle, and review as I go.

What to Expect

The story continues from where Dark of the Moon left off. Hodgell is continuing to explore the Kencyrath culture and world, this time focusing on the Women's World within it and the Riverland valley that they occupy.

This time, the story again focuses on Jame, while Tori (her twin, who took half the previous book) is relegated to brief interludes in the narrative. As often happens in epic fantasy, there is a slow beginning and accumulating clues, as the plot progresses towards realisation and mythic confrontations. As with the previous books, there are open questions leading to the sequels - the cycle is far from over.

What I liked

Hodgell's story-telling and world-building are top-notch, her story pacing is excellent, and she balances light and dark themes perfectly. We learn more about Jame's past, about the complex politics of her people, and about the supernatural powers that inhabit her world. I absolutely love the mythic feel of the supernatural world and competing powers, between the old-world native powers and the Kencyrath own.

What to be aware of

The story builds up on the previous volume. While referenced events are explained in short, it always helps to read in order. Do start with God Stalk.

The opening reflects Jame being trapped in the Women's World of her people. A lot of the story is told from other points of view, and reflects the frustration of Jame being muzzled. Some of this frustration naturally leaks to the reader, but it does get better after the first part, once Jame gets proactive again.

Torisen needs a swift kick up his back side (perhaps the reason he was relegated to the interludes), and one hopes the event in this volume provide it.

Summary

A highly recommended series. This is epic fantasy done right, with perfect balance of light and dark, and excellent, slowly-building pacing. If you love fantasy, I strongly suggest you add it to your TBR pile.
--
Assaph Mehr, author of Murder In Absentia: A story of Togas, Daggers, and Magic - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fortunately, the story passes rather quickly out of the Women's Halls of Gothregor, which averts comparisons to certain "young adult" stories. You know the ones: a misfit but talented child is shoved into a competitive yet insular environment, there to smash and defy and prove to Those Stupid Adults that something bigger and more dangerous is going on.

This has it, a little bit. Enough to needle. This is by design: Jame in some way embodies the destructive aspect of the Triune God and can't help being a bull in a china shop when put into delicate and intricate situations. And what is becoming apparent is that the "nemesis/destroyer" aspect recalls Hindu beliefs of being "demolition" more than "destruction". Kencyrath society has become rigid and strange, with rot hiding under many facades, and if there is anything deserving of a good kicking-down, this is it.

The story is laboring under the weight of the previous novels. It all appears additive, with Jame increasingly burdened by obligations and consequences and entanglements. Everything from Dark of the Moon and some of God Stalk ties in, and more is added.

The world of Rathillien, the adopted home of the Kencyrath, continues to surprise and delight, being a constant source of inventive ideas.

[Metaphorosis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, Metaphorosis reviews

Summary
Consigned to the Women's Halls to learn to be a Highborn lady, Jame has trouble fitting in and following instructions. Worst of all, she's under the guidance of Kallystine - her twin brother's contracted consort and representative of his most bitter enemies. The fact that invisible Shadow assassins are after her just makes it worse.

Review
I’m not a big fan of the more political aspects of Hodgell’s Kencyrath series, and that means this book has a slow beginning for me. Jame, a famously independent, hard-edged type, has, for poorly specified reasons, agreed to accept all sorts of limitations and try to fit into the Women’s World. It just doesn’t fit my conception of her, and while naturally she breaks out of all the restrictions, I had real trouble accepting that she’d suffer them in the first place.

The middle of the book is more successful – adventure and a sort of travelogue, though at times it felt somewhat random. Also, Jame, while feeling about about it (whining?), mistreats some of the few who support her – for no really good reason. Hodgell does delve shallowly into some old but intriguing Kencyrath feuds, and we get a driveby of the festering priests’ college, but neither aspect really resolves enough to be satisfying.

The end of the book is both the most promising and the most frustrating. Hodgell and Jame grapple with some fairly fundamental issues about how Rathillien and the Kencyrath are coming to some form of accommodation. However, the whole thing is so shrouded in oblique metaphor that it’s very difficult to make sense of, even when Jame herself clearly feels the same. It’s unfortunate, because it is or could be the most interesting part of the book.

The net result is a decent continuation of the series, but not as strong as the first two books.

[Laura (Kyahgirl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5; 4 stars; A-

Another fascinating adventure in Jame's chaotic and dangerous life. I keep getting the sense of regency England in some of the value systems in play within the Kencryath culture.
Tori's character is a mystery. On one hand, he is a strong, ethical leader, and on the other he is a complete idiot in how he deals with his sister and the realities of their shared history. Its hard not to dislike him.
Jame is a great female protagonist among many great female antagonists!

[Sol · Rating 3 out of 5]

On this episode of misotheist samurai cat-elves...

The first book took place over a year, the second over a couple months...this one clocks in at one week. At this rate, the next book will cover a single day, and by the 12th we'll be approaching planck time. Now, before the actual review, the most important point:

Best "Jame has no breasts" joke:

     Did Caldane know reflective magic? There was a bricked-up house in Tai-tastigon where the owner's first wife had wandered inside one mirror after another for twenty years, searching for the reflection of an open door...
     Then Jame looked again, harder. Since when had she been so tall, so... busty? All the mirrors were subtly distorted. Caldane did practice magic, but only to reshape his own portly image. Between these flattering glasses and those heroic statues in the reception halls below, perhaps he had well and truly convinced himself that illusion was truth.

Not quite as uproariously funny as the "unnecessary garment" joke in Dark of the Moon, not quite as fresh as the various jokes in God Stalk (the initiation she stripped down for was that book's best), but it does tie into the characterization of Caldane, who's one of the main antagonists, if not THE big bad. 6/10.

Dark of the Moon is a tough act to follow given its density and strength of purpose. This one ends up feeling more like a sidequest that's being stretched dangerously close to the breaking point. Normally a fantasy series has to go five or six books before characters start teleporting around offscreen for convenience's sake, but we've now reached that point at book three. There's a diegetic reason for it, a storm of teleportation mist, and it's not like this didn't happen once or twice in Dark, but it's an awfully convenient device. Characters and entire locations whirl across the continent at the speed of plot, wherever they're needed most. A dream-logic rules the story once Jame escapes from the women's quarters, and it may be too much of a good thing. I loved it when Jame and Torisen barely-explicably transported to their childhood homes, here similar concepts begin to lose their lustre through sheer repetition. And in the end, just not a lot happens in the grand scheme of things. Dark ended with the OG Jamethiel dying. That felt like a penultimate book development, that after that we can blitz to the end. The events of this one are not so momentous. It's not that nothing at all happens, but the plot development is pretty slight. Fun to read, but not as satisfying as the previous books.

The story is becoming heavier with continuity. God Stalk stood alone pretty well, Dark was mostly unrelated, but Seeker's Mask pulls in everyone from the previous book and even some randos from God Stalk, and of course there's a bunch of new characters introduced here, and the next book promises to introduce even more as Jame gets shuttled off to school. This can be a good or bad thing depending on your tastes. It's not quite suffocating yet, but I could easily see it getting to that point. Personally I enjoyed seeing the minor characters like the zombified woman, and Jame's first bound subject Graykin, get to have some spotlight.

Jame herself remains the focus, with Torisen having a minor role this time, and I still love her as a protagonist. She's a headstrong tomboy without being a complete asshole, with her own worries and vulnerabilities, and her tendency to spontaneously fuck things up everywhere she goes is hilarious. Her role as the destroyer in her people's trinity, making her a destructive antagonist to the social order, is a pretty fresh take on the chosen one concept. She's not quite the anti-Christ, but some of the Kencyrath see it that way. Also, for a series with a young female protagonist, there is shockingly close to zero romance going on. There was that one subplot with Dally in God Stalk but that was completely one-sided. Graykin doesn't seem a likely prospect, unless he's a turbo tsundere. There's been a couple of quasi-lesbian jokes in the first book but nothing serious there either. Who knows.

I was surprised how little Marc came up in this book. The dude was ride or die in the first two, but hardly gets mentioned here. He does come up a bit, but not nearly as much as I'd expect. I'm not even sure where he's supposed to be. Is he with the army? Is he even bound to Jame?



Cattila is a great addition to the cast. She's basically that nice granny from Spirited Away who lives in a cabin. She's got a cloud of flying foxes, bullies Caldane, is BFFs with an actual god, and doesn't afraid of anything. I hope she plays a biggish role in the later books.

As far as villains, a few old ones are pulled back in from God Stalk and dealt with, and a new one is introduced in Rawneth. She doesn't appear onscreen, but it's speculated pretty heavily that she had something to do with the assassination of the Knorth women, which was the domino that eventually lead to Ganth's exile and Jame and Torisen's births. So she's pretty important, arguably moreso than Caldane. We'll see if she ends up being the Zeniba to Cattila's Yubaba. Caldane himself is getting dangerously close to comic relief, though Graykin's torture was pretty fucking gruesome. Gerridon hardly comes up at all, besides Jame speculating that he might have elliptically had something to do with awakening the river-serpent via somehow corrupting Perimal with his own greed.

The book introduces a couple new subplots and keeps some of the ones in the previous books in a holding pattern. Most importantly, Rawneth deposed the rightful Randir lord and installed her own grandson, but failed to kill the rightful lord, who presumably survives to this day. The Bashtiri assassins mention that there's one open contract older than the Knorth women, which has claimed the lives of many assassins, which must be him. The rathorn from Dark is briefly spotted, and Loogan mentions vaguely that Men-dalis is having some troubles in Tai-tastigon. One of the later books is called The Sea of Time, which must have to do with the transforming desert Torisen and Jame experience.

This volume complicates the mythology by implying that God may not actually be real. Or at least that the Arrin-ken are faking it to a considerable degree. Jame perceives a difference in the two voices of God that Ishtier has spoken, attributing them to the as-yet unseen blind Arrin-ken and Immalai. Considering that the first time that happened was when the Kencyrath arrived on Rathillien, specifically to stop the priests from pulling a coup after Gerridon's betrayal, it paints a more controlling image of the Arrin-ken than before. Less wise lawkeepers, more shadowy conspiracy of immortal panthers. And if God isn't real, then where does the power of the Kencyr temples come from? And what about Perimal? The claim that Gerridon made a deal with Perimal has seemed pretty thin from what we've seen so far. It's more of a place than anything else, that doesn't have an actual will we can observe. Cattila more or less claims that the chain of being was created from Perimal, contrary to the initial story that it's a corrupting force from outside it. If that's true, then what's been happening is a collapse back to an initial state of undivided chaos. But if God isn't real, then who made the chain? Surely the Arrin-ken weren't behind that too? Or God is real, and the Arrin-ken are just running interference for him? What do they know?

The elemental gods of Rathillien get more focus, though it's not entirely clear if they're more "real" than the gods of Tai-tastigon. Based on the Earth Wife's fable of her origin, Jame speculates that the four of them are humans, who at the moments of their deaths absorbed the power of the dying old pantheon of Rathillien. They certainly seem to be a bigger deal than they first appeared to be in Dark. I liked how they tied the sentient wind introduced at the start of this book, the Tishooo, into the wind-god by the end, and even suggested that he reigns as an immortal god-king an a far-off kingdom, somehow. Cattila connects Perimal to the Merikit's primordial Chaos Serpent, which is supposedly the father of the other serpents underlying Rathillien, which are seemingly literally real, even outside of the Eliade-esque eternal return magic ritual space.



One great element of this series has been the maps. Each book has some different ones: God Stalk had the eastern half of the world, God Stalk had the western, and this one has a map of the riverlands, and one for each of the keeps visited in this book. They've got good variety between them, and they're not all just pure topographic maps and have some pictorial elements.




I'm a bit torn on whether to read the next book soon or keep to my more or less one a year pace. On the one hand, they're only getting more continuity heavy. On the other, this one soft-summarized a lot of stuff at the beginning, and maybe ~8 years will be enough for the series to straight up end by the time I catch up. I have a couple of Barlowe books left to finish my pledge, so that comes first, after that, who knows?

One thing I've been enjoying is how there's at least a half-dozen magic """""systems""""", and the only really consistent system is that there's an upside and a downside.
-The Kencyrath have their hereditary shanir powers, where you're just born with an ability or not, and can't learn new ones, or even train the one you have. At most you can learn to control them before they control you. Usually have some kind of inherent drawback, like uncontrollable berserker rages, blindness with blood-sight, or a social stigma for bloodbinding. Thematically, many of them are unified by involving either loss of control of the self, or forcible control of others.
-Tai-tastigon god magic, where people pray for favours from the "gods", which are really egregores made from human belief and leftover world creation power. The gods are dependent on their worshippers for power and life, but at the same time have their own will and agenda. Scratching each other's backs. Localized entirely within Tai-tastigon.
-Shadow magic, where you detach and remotely control it, or alter it to become an independent stand being. A detached shadow can paralyze or kill others, and as the soul itself, you can't die as long as it's detached. Not necessarily a good thing if you're captured and permanently separated.
-Darkling taint. Perimal's realm merges the animate and inanimate, and the living and the dead. At the edges, the living and the dead converge to the zombie-like "haunters". By having sex with the shadowy beings who live here, one can acquire a kind of immortality as a "changer", a shapeshifting vampire. Continual coupling is required to extend their lives, and the changer becomes more and more loose and shapeless.
-Builder buildings. The Builders made buildings with properties like variable-direction gravity, windows to other worlds, bigger on the inside, fast-travel tunnels, and walls that grow taller the closer one approaches. With their extinction their knowledge is lost.
-Master runes. By mentally summoning a rune, and speaking a word, vast power can be unleashed. The runes may force themselves out the mouth if imagined without care. Can only be learned from the Book Bound in Pale Leather, which cannot be copied from without going insane. The Book has some relation to the Ivory Knife, which kills with a touch, and the Snakeskin Cloak, which can heal. The Book and the Cloak have minds of their own, the knife seems to be just a knife.
-Cthonic Rathillien magic. Not deeply explored, seems to involve sacrifice of blood to the land itself, which has its own will. Eliade-esque ritual return is involved. Maybe related in some way to the Tai-tastigon gods? The Kencyr are not welcome. Kendar are cool tho

[Sbuchler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: High Fantasy

I loved this book! Tori has bundled Jame off to the “Women’s World” to learn how to be a proper Highborn lady, quiet and obedient. A task that isn’t easier for either her or them. The Matriarchs (who rule the women’s world) don’t trust her, but Jame is smart and guesses many of their secrets, much to their chagrin. That’s the set-up when outside forces (the Shadow Guild Assassins bent on finally fulfilling their contract to kill all the Knorth women) force Jame to flee again.

In my opinion, this book takes a much closer look at honor then the previous ones – the first duty of a woman (or a Kendar) is obedience, but it was obedience to her lord that made Jamethiel Dream Weaver betray their people and cause The Fall. The issue of where duty to one’s lord ends and personal honor begins (called Honor’s Paradox by the Kencyr) reoccurred again and again. Jame spends much of this book being disgruntled with herself – she tries for the path of honor, and for kindness, but she repeatedly fails and castigates herself for it and attempts redemption, with mixed success. As a reader, you can see how other characters wouldn’t like Jame very much – but her self-examination and her attempts to put things right felt very real, very human to me. I appreciated it very much – it’s not something you see frequently in a fantasy heroine.

On another exciting note, this book also reveals much more about the mythology of the universe – both the elements native to Rathillien (the Earth Wife, Burning Man, etc.) and the Kencyrath’s Tyr-ridan, of which Jame quite probably is part of. Much of the weird mystical stuff centers around Jame (of course) and culminates with her playing an unintentional part in a Merikit religious ceremony. (The Merikit are a people native to Rathillien, and rather hostile to the Kencyrath.) Tori arrives just as Jame emerges from the ceremony. Somehow, their interaction at this point sums up most of the book:

"Somehow, I'm not surprised." He surveyed the surrounding ruins. "Your friend Marc warned me that I would probably find the Riverland reduced to rubble and you in the midst of it, looking apologetic."
"Er ... sorry."

[Althea Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sequel to "God Stalk" and "Dark of the Moon," "Seeker's Mask" is definitely the best of the three - one can definitely see Hodgell really finding her stride, and moving ahead with both characterization and plot.
At the outset of this book, Jame has finally found her brother, Torisen, but unfortunately, he really doesn't know what to do with her. Having grown up partly in the sinister realm of Perimal Darkling and then as apprentice thief and tavern dancer, Jame is far from the typical meek and obedient highborn Kencyr lady. Regardless, Tori has her escorted to the women's quarters – and tries to forget about her. Unfortunately, not only does Jame not fit in socially, the women's quarters are also home to her brother's consort, noblewoman of an enemy house. But the jealous and bitter Kallistyne may be one of the more minor dangers awaiting Jame, as old blood feuds awaken. Soon Jame is on the run, in a danger-filled quest of self-discovery and family reconciliation, where, of course, the fate of worlds may hang in the balance.

[D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third installment of Hodgell's Kencyrath series sustains the high quality of the first two books. It juggles multiple storylines and characters deftly, and begins to unravel some of the unexplained backstory that is hinted at in the first two books.

Jame is still the main focus, as she tries (and fails) to fit into "proper society," she runs into all sorts of unexpected trouble. Tori is still consolidating his power, and struggling with his position and politics.

This is pretty dense reading -- you have to be able to juggle multiple storylines and chronologies to really appreciate it, but Hodgell's deft writing make it worth the time and effort.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the books in the series!

[kvon · Rating 5 out of 5]

More happened here than I remembered...quick glimpse of the cloistered ladies' world with their secrets (knot stitches being brought up in the latest book); Jame defining for herself what honor is; the prophecy (from the Arrin-ken?) of the one, three, and four; introduction of the native gods and the northern tribe; revisiting the randon school; the enmity of the Randir house and their involvement in assassination (why comes up in a later book, star-crossed lovers); revelation of Kindrie's heritage. Lots of travel by conventional and non- ways.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, complicated fantasy series with engaging characters and spectacular world building. One of my all time favorite novels.

[Mikko Saari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olipa mukava palata Jamen seikkailujen pariin vuoden tauon jälkeen. Onneksi P. C. Hodgell piti kirjojen välissä vielä pidemmän tauon ja kenties siksi kirja tuntuu viittailevan varsin runsaasti aikaisempiin juttuihin.

Jame, joka edellisen osan (Dark of the Moon) päätteeksi kohtasi kaksoisveljensä Torin vuosikausien tauon jälkeen, on joutunut taas eroon Torista. Koska aatelisnaisen osa on olla hiljaa, hillitä itsensä, totella ja kestää, Jame on suljettu Torin linnoituksen Gothregorin naisten puolelle, ulkopuolisena naisten maailman salaisuuksista, koulutettavaksi pikkutyttöjen joukkoon.

Jame, varkaiden killan koulima Tai-Tastigonin tuho ja hävitys, pikkutyttöjen keskellä, koulutettavaksi alistumaan? Hyvä vitsi. Jame ehtii saada aikaan monenlaista sekaannusta, kunnes Varjokillan näkymättömät salamurhaajat tulevat viimeistelemään vuosikymmeniä sitten kesken jääneen palkkamurhan — ja Jame nyt sattuu olemaan listalla.

Siitä alkaa melkoinen meno, joka vie Jamen lopulta pakenemaan pitkin Rathillienia. Ja tämä on vasta alkua… Tarina on rauhallisen alun jälkeen todella vauhdikasta pyöritystä. Outoja tapahtumia riittää, samoin Hodgellille ominaista huumoria. Kirjan maailma on edelleen todella rikas ja melenkiintoinen, kuten ovat ne varsin veriset salaisuudet, joita Jame onnistuu kirjan aikana paljastamaan.

Tästä on hyvä jatkaa seuraavaan osaan (To Ride a Rathorn). Onneksi vuosikausien odotus on palkittu ja viides osa, Bound in Blood, on sekin ehtinyt jo ilmestyä. Hodgell kirjoittaa hitaasti, mutta varmasti. Omaperäisen fantasiakirjallisuuden ystävien on yksinkertaisesti pakko lukea nämä kirjat. (19.12.2010)

[Juushika · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the travelogue elements of the previous book for their evocative and fantastical settings, but one wants a travelogue to arrive at a destination; instead this picks up with Jame leaving the restrictive Women's World and beginning an even longer journey. She visits a plethora of Kencyrath locations, and becomes entangled in a plot that, like the first book, places the Kencyrath and their faith within the society and gods of their adopted/borrowed land. These are all elements I appreciate when not reading the book; the actual reading experience is chaotic, fueled by a magical transporting mist which is awfully convenient and (literally) unmoors the setting and with an oblique, backloaded plot.

When I picked up this series it was with the intent of reading the first three and then probably stopping; indeed, I'm not sorry to stop here. It's an interesting series, with its long and rocky publication history, niche fandom, and high ambitions--I still like Jame's character growth and her people's history. But it's also also a hot mess of a series with a lot of tonal variation and repetition, and both the individual book and overarching series come off feeling ... unstructured: a rocky execution of interesting concepts.

[Bryan Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a continuation of the story of Jame and how she struggles to fit into the rest of the world after she was .... conditioned?, trained?, encouraged?.... eh whatever to be the key element to further the big bads control of everything.

The story felt kind of like a fever dream, with the heroine drifting from one unlikely encounter to another, always somehow managing to come out on top. In spite of the many perils none of them felt particularly dangerous to Jame because of the dreamlike quality of the entire story.

I was torn between two stars and three and settled on three because I was interested enough to finish it. However, I'm not convinced the series is worth continuing. I have a friend that says the author wrote each book in a different style. I don't know what style I'd call this other than Mary Sue Fever Dream and I'm not sure that is a real style. Apparently the first was a mystery, which I totally don't see and can't agree with, and the second was clearly a traditional mid-high fantasy with armies and magic and whatnot.

[Kristina Moses · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read about halfway through and then gave up. I kept losing track of who was talking/doing what because the author keeps changing the name she uses for the characters (for instance it might be their first name, their title, or their race all in one page). At one point I even forgot why Jame was going to the castle of her arch enemy. I was excited when another character asked her, thinking that would remind me, but no, the response was just "she told her". It's also worth mentioning that the synopsis of the book is only about the first quarter (Jame having to live in the women's quarters). Then she leaves on the long walk that I forgot the purpose of. Hopefully it gets better, but I have too many other things I want to read to waste time on a poorly written book.

[CJ Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

P. C. Hodgell writes complex, well-thought out novels, usually involving societies that are like no
others I've ever read about before. These worlds' societies usually show males and females as equals, or females struggling to be treated as equals. A rational feminism seems to be a foundation of her real life, from what I've seen of her at SF conventions in the Upper Midwest (Minnesota and Wisconsin primarily). So when I say I couldn't get into this novel, if she reads this review, I hope that she doesn't consider what I say as a criticism of her or her work. I just couldn't get into it.

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This third Kencyrath book was good, better then #2, not as good as #1. (#1 was so good, I'll be surprised if any of the rest of this series surpasses it.) This one had a lot more of Kencyrath history and culture. There were also some very interesting Rathillien stuff as well.

*** vague spoilers ahead ***

The ending felt very much like the ending of a Shakespeare comedy. All the relevant characters were brought together, girls became boys, wonderful-yet-unpleasant futures were determined, plot threads were tied up -- but loosely so they can be easily unravelled if necessary.

(Either that's a stunning bit of insight or it shows how ignorant of Shakespeare I am. :)

[b · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many moving parts. Kinda missing Tori’s lengthier sections from the previous, but this is still great. Hodgell is just crunchy enough in the plotting that I’m eager to read / paying close attention to follow. On to the next.

[Fietspomp · Rating 5 out of 5]

7 5 stars to ensure it gets more recognition.
Complex story with very long common thread
Read before #1/#2 didn't like the usages of names, house/first/last since I am not that into names

[Volpot · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. Good sequel

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a good book series. Looking forward to the next

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series hits it stride in this entry.

[Charmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

That took too long. thank goodness the story was over. Too many unpronouncable names and use of single consonant when constructing names.

[Estara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The absolute incompetence of Torisen in dealing with his sister is even more evident during this re-read, because he basically just shoves her into the Highborn compartment and doesn't even check that his own vassals support her in her dealing with the Women's World. But then again, he really is ridden by his father's mad ghost and none to secure in his own dealings with the other Highborn in the Kencyrath.

Jame does do her best, it's a bit surprising how much she allows to be done to her (but she really would like to belong) and then we get thrown into multiple backstory strands all converging on her, from Kallystine Caineron's manipulations out of envy and anger at Torisen's dealings with her (as well as the encouragement she gets from her father - that scene with her handmaid remains chilling), to the ages old feud that killed all the female Knorth folk even before her father went mad in the White Hills - and that hasn't ended yet (nor will it end in this book).

The scene with the hunt to survive that pack of almost invisible assassins throughout the Women's part of the keep at Gothregor was brilliant (as was the Merikit sacrifice and Jame getting chosen as the Earth Wife's favourite, etc.) - this series rewards reading together because otherwise you won't see all the interlocking threads (with some eventual solutions and some new problems arising) - but my favourite bit is probably Mount Alban cast adrift on the weirding and where it all stops and why and what happens there, etc.

I'm just happy Tori and Jame manage to find a lawful precedent for putting her in a different role, even if Torisen still can't manage to talk to her or look at her much (I know that the author has said before that Tori and Jame are supposed to be the OTP, but I'm sorry I can't see it from either side, there is too much other important stuff happening - I would like Tori and Kirien actually ^^).

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #3. After a 20-year hiatus (20 years! You're killing me, Pat) Hodgell has returned to Jame and her story. Sadly, this round finds Jame in the Women's World (like a school that the Highborn girls get sent to) where her brother dumps her so she can learn her proper place in the Kencyrath. Well, I was all settled in, just delighted to find out what Jame was going to do to these bubble-headed twits, but the answer was -- not nearly enough. Disappointing. Jame does grow and change in this novel and it's more character-oriented that plot-oriented than Hodgell's previous two novels. And I like that Jame is getting more internally complex. But it kept reading faster and faster, waiting for all the "bad guys" to get what they so richly deserve. It fell a bit flat, I think. Still, we get to meet a maledroit, a witch, wierdingstorms, and Bane is back!! Despite being decisively killed in book 2, Hodgell doesn't make this a cheat, and Bane is as nasty and wonderful as ever. No Marc, though. I missed him.

[Tiffany · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worse upon a second read 10 years later. I could barely follow what was happening--something about a floating building, brother and sister who refused to sleep out of sheer pigheadedness, sacrifices, river fish, a gang of people I couldn't keep straight and an ending that suddenly prepared for the next book.

Godstalk was one of the best reads in my life and I keep on wanting to reexperience that wonder, but books two and three in the series spanned from bad to catastrophic. I don't know how I'm going to get through the next book. I hope to god something happens. In this one, and when it does I can figure it out.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book finally starts to answer many of the questions about Jame and Tori that the first two books posed - especially questions about the society and social/political hierarchy of the Kencyrath. In typical fashion, though, the path the story takes is convoluted, and the world follows its own rules - and while that makes for great authenticity, the world and events are foreign enough that it leaves the reader sometimes having to fill in the gaps and struggle to connect the dots. Fortunately Jame usually connects the dots for us with her own sudden insight, but many times I wished I had a print copy instead of an ebook to flip back pages and see if I was missing something.

[Verity Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first time I read this, the parts about the Women's World seemed a lot longer and a lot more frustrating (partly because that was so NOT NOT NOT Jame's milieu). Also, the whole business of traveling up and down the river on the Weirding mist seemed very disjointed the first time around. This time, though, the whole plot seemed to fall into place, and I enjoyed the re-read very much.

[Chris Devine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to read this book three times but never finished. It is a mammoth read and just seems to ramble aimlessly along. Nothing line the first 2 (in Chronicles Of The Kencyrath omnibus)which I just could not put down. Sorry.