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Traveler's Gate #1–3 omnibus
The Traveler's Gate Trilogy
***This volume contains the novels House of Blades, The Crimson Vault, and City of Light, all of which are available separately.***
Simon can only watch, helpless, as his family is killed and his village destroyed by enemy Travelers--men and women who can summon mystical powers from otherworldly Territories. To top it off, one of Simon's friends is revealed as a savior prophesied to destroy evil and save the realm.
Prophecy has nothing to say about Simon.
He has no special powers, no magical weapons, and no guarantee that he'll survive. But he sets off, alone and unarmed, to earn the power he needs to oppose the Travelers and topple their ruthless Overlord. It may not be his destiny, but Simon is determined to save the day anyway.
Because who cares about prophecy, really?
Simon can only watch, helpless, as his family is killed and his village destroyed by enemy Travelers--men and women who can summon mystical powers from otherworldly Territories. To top it off, one of Simon's friends is revealed as a savior prophesied to destroy evil and save the realm.
Prophecy has nothing to say about Simon.
He has no special powers, no magical weapons, and no guarantee that he'll survive. But he sets off, alone and unarmed, to earn the power he needs to oppose the Travelers and topple their ruthless Overlord. It may not be his destiny, but Simon is determined to save the day anyway.
Because who cares about prophecy, really?
Kindle Edition
First published June 8, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
April 8, 2021
Rating: 2.9/5
Review: Rating: 2.9/5
Review: A rather confusing world with multiple territories gifted inherent qualities that Travelers purvey. Each Territory has an Incarnation subsumed by a blood tree in order to control an outbreak of destruction.
Simon is a patterned trope of the "weak gutsy kid that rises through determination". Leah is a princess (but don't call her that) whom must find her way in the real world by living in a dirty village. There are some characters that weigh the story line down as their believability pushes the boundaries of acceptance. Indirial and Kai (yes fuking someone named Kai) are well-built characters. The dolls are creative and entertaining story line insertions.
The story line drifts a bit with what seems like a rather large plot hole. The Territories vie for power over the others which makes no sense as there is no end-game prize worth the trouble.
There are Blood Trees that must have sacrifices in order to contain the Incarnations that would otherwise rampage everywhere. I think each territory has an incarnation but definitely all have a blood tree....maybe. An incarnation is supposedly the embodiment of nature in some form or another yet the definition does not marry with the icon unless you are that tree/flower in-carnation (ha, ha).
Parts of this series, especially the last, seemed compressed, rushed and truncated. This process follows a sudden shift to a formulaic story line.
So there you go. Confusing as fuk yet still entertaining what with the great character development and all. Not near as good as the Cradle series.
Review: Rating: 2.9/5
Review: A rather confusing world with multiple territories gifted inherent qualities that Travelers purvey. Each Territory has an Incarnation subsumed by a blood tree in order to control an outbreak of destruction.
Simon is a patterned trope of the "weak gutsy kid that rises through determination". Leah is a princess (but don't call her that) whom must find her way in the real world by living in a dirty village. There are some characters that weigh the story line down as their believability pushes the boundaries of acceptance. Indirial and Kai (yes fuking someone named Kai) are well-built characters. The dolls are creative and entertaining story line insertions.
The story line drifts a bit with what seems like a rather large plot hole. The Territories vie for power over the others which makes no sense as there is no end-game prize worth the trouble.
There are Blood Trees that must have sacrifices in order to contain the Incarnations that would otherwise rampage everywhere. I think each territory has an incarnation but definitely all have a blood tree....maybe. An incarnation is supposedly the embodiment of nature in some form or another yet the definition does not marry with the icon unless you are that tree/flower in-carnation (ha, ha).
Parts of this series, especially the last, seemed compressed, rushed and truncated. This process follows a sudden shift to a formulaic story line.
So there you go. Confusing as fuk yet still entertaining what with the great character development and all. Not near as good as the Cradle series.
October 9, 2018
I didn't finish this series.
I usually don't leave things unfinished but I had to give up. There are so many words to read in this world and this was asking too much and providing too little. I read it on Kindle and I stopped somewhat early into the third book.
Things I liked:
The World Building. "Territories" as the source of magical powers and each of the 10 worlds being suited to different personalities and styles of magic.
Familiars. I enjoy worlds that allow backstory and insight to come from non-human characters.
Complicated Characters. None of the characters is all likeable or relateable. In some cases they feel rushed and simplistic but I appreciate that they aren't complete cartoons.
Things I didn't like but endeavored to get past:
Multiple Character Narrative. Every chapter or so the narrative would shift in Third Person Subjective from one of each of the three designated main characters. Although, it is clear Simon is the main character as his backstory is the only one fully explained. Later, other characters get chapters told from their view. This is not my favorite way to cover lots of ground in a book but it can be done well and this wasn't terribly done here.
Blow-By-Blow Battle Narrative. Especially with the presence of a character described as having "shaggy white bangs" and oversized swords bordering on the cumbersome-to-useless, these parts are very reminiscent of a person describing a Final Fantasy fight sequence. I tried not to mind but over time I realized each story would be significantly shorter without them. Space that maybe could have been used to develop character or motivation...or something.
The Thing that made me walk away:
The Dolls.
I've seen a few other reviewers mention the dolls, or refer to "the creepy dolls" but my problem is not with the dolls themselves but how they are treated in the narrative.
I mentioned earlier that I like Familiars and The Dolls function as Simon's advisers from his Territory. Other advisers from the same Territory take the form of a talking book, a gemstone pendant, and a yarn-like creature that brought to mind Sackboy from Little Big Planet. The Dolls are described as traditional Western female dolls with dresses and stylable hair and one is depicted in the main character's hand on the cover art. They each have names and distinct personalities and appear to be gendered as female. It is also made clear in the narrative that Simon is seen as odd for carrying around a doll and he is somewhat self-conscious about doing so.
They are passed to Simon as advisers when he "wins" the sword of his teacher, Kai (the aforementioned white bang-ed Final Fantasy-eque character). After that, Simon typically carries one into battle and they impart other worldly knowledge about their Territory as well as giving Simon life saving advice in his battles.
Now, Kai misses the dolls. Because he is supposed to be a sympathetic character, Simon feels bad and lets Kai, play with and handle the dolls. This is despite Simon, and later it is clear Kai, being able to hear that The Dolls do not want Kai to touch them.
The Dolls scream. They holler. They plea with Simon to not let Kai touch them. But Simon ignores them and in some cases, because some dolls have disagreeable personalities, Simon seems to treat it as a fitting punishment.
Now Kai is shown to be fawning over The Dolls. He combs their hair. He straightens their dresses. He whispers to them. He is displaying what is supposed to be taken as caring behavior. More caring than what Simon shows in comparison as he often leaves them on the ground.
But they don't want him to. They clearly say no. And they are ignored.
The last straw was when Kai wants to take one to the bath with him and the door slams shut cutting off The Doll's cries to Simon to stop him.
This is when I realized either the author doesn't realize what they're doing here, or they're doing it as a joke and the reader is still supposed to support these characters. It's a terrible narrative and one that I could not overlook above all my other misgivings.
This is fantasy. These are not "just dolls" in this world. The Dolls have a greater wealth of knowledge than both of the human characters and display an equal range of emotions. The author creates these n0n-human characters with thoughts, emotions and motivations and then lets other "good" characters do whatever they want to them, especially violating their space and personhood, (for lack of a better term) in a supposedly light-hearted way that does not occur to any other main characters in the book. It was unsettling and tone-deaf in a way I was not prepared to tolerate further.
It made me sad enough to write this review.
I usually don't leave things unfinished but I had to give up. There are so many words to read in this world and this was asking too much and providing too little. I read it on Kindle and I stopped somewhat early into the third book.
Things I liked:
The World Building. "Territories" as the source of magical powers and each of the 10 worlds being suited to different personalities and styles of magic.
Familiars. I enjoy worlds that allow backstory and insight to come from non-human characters.
Complicated Characters. None of the characters is all likeable or relateable. In some cases they feel rushed and simplistic but I appreciate that they aren't complete cartoons.
Things I didn't like but endeavored to get past:
Multiple Character Narrative. Every chapter or so the narrative would shift in Third Person Subjective from one of each of the three designated main characters. Although, it is clear Simon is the main character as his backstory is the only one fully explained. Later, other characters get chapters told from their view. This is not my favorite way to cover lots of ground in a book but it can be done well and this wasn't terribly done here.
Blow-By-Blow Battle Narrative. Especially with the presence of a character described as having "shaggy white bangs" and oversized swords bordering on the cumbersome-to-useless, these parts are very reminiscent of a person describing a Final Fantasy fight sequence. I tried not to mind but over time I realized each story would be significantly shorter without them. Space that maybe could have been used to develop character or motivation...or something.
The Thing that made me walk away:
The Dolls.
I've seen a few other reviewers mention the dolls, or refer to "the creepy dolls" but my problem is not with the dolls themselves but how they are treated in the narrative.
I mentioned earlier that I like Familiars and The Dolls function as Simon's advisers from his Territory. Other advisers from the same Territory take the form of a talking book, a gemstone pendant, and a yarn-like creature that brought to mind Sackboy from Little Big Planet. The Dolls are described as traditional Western female dolls with dresses and stylable hair and one is depicted in the main character's hand on the cover art. They each have names and distinct personalities and appear to be gendered as female. It is also made clear in the narrative that Simon is seen as odd for carrying around a doll and he is somewhat self-conscious about doing so.
They are passed to Simon as advisers when he "wins" the sword of his teacher, Kai (the aforementioned white bang-ed Final Fantasy-eque character). After that, Simon typically carries one into battle and they impart other worldly knowledge about their Territory as well as giving Simon life saving advice in his battles.
Now, Kai misses the dolls. Because he is supposed to be a sympathetic character, Simon feels bad and lets Kai, play with and handle the dolls. This is despite Simon, and later it is clear Kai, being able to hear that The Dolls do not want Kai to touch them.
The Dolls scream. They holler. They plea with Simon to not let Kai touch them. But Simon ignores them and in some cases, because some dolls have disagreeable personalities, Simon seems to treat it as a fitting punishment.
Now Kai is shown to be fawning over The Dolls. He combs their hair. He straightens their dresses. He whispers to them. He is displaying what is supposed to be taken as caring behavior. More caring than what Simon shows in comparison as he often leaves them on the ground.
But they don't want him to. They clearly say no. And they are ignored.
The last straw was when Kai wants to take one to the bath with him and the door slams shut cutting off The Doll's cries to Simon to stop him.
This is when I realized either the author doesn't realize what they're doing here, or they're doing it as a joke and the reader is still supposed to support these characters. It's a terrible narrative and one that I could not overlook above all my other misgivings.
This is fantasy. These are not "just dolls" in this world. The Dolls have a greater wealth of knowledge than both of the human characters and display an equal range of emotions. The author creates these n0n-human characters with thoughts, emotions and motivations and then lets other "good" characters do whatever they want to them, especially violating their space and personhood, (for lack of a better term) in a supposedly light-hearted way that does not occur to any other main characters in the book. It was unsettling and tone-deaf in a way I was not prepared to tolerate further.
It made me sad enough to write this review.
July 13, 2017
I had a hard time resonating with this series. The world is original, but somehow the characters felt flat for me. Like they had only 1 dimension.
This might be a confusing review, but I will try to explain my feelings while reading these books. Hopefully it will explain why I could not give it 5 stars.
There was a lot of fighting, but I felt like the reason for it was not explained and felt artificial, especially in the first 2 books.
Then the main character kept winning what would be impossible fights by somehow pushing himself beyond his abilities or by miraculous interventions in the last moment. Felt like rules are being bent so he can win.
Also not sure how to explain this, but while there was a lot of contemplation about feelings and relationships, sometimes it felt like there is too much of it about one single thing, and in the same time without a clear direction or result.
I kept reading because I was interested in the story and I could see what the author was doing, but it felt like I was holding an uncut and unpolished gem - the potential was there, but I could not quite shine through.
This might be a confusing review, but I will try to explain my feelings while reading these books. Hopefully it will explain why I could not give it 5 stars.
There was a lot of fighting, but I felt like the reason for it was not explained and felt artificial, especially in the first 2 books.
Then the main character kept winning what would be impossible fights by somehow pushing himself beyond his abilities or by miraculous interventions in the last moment. Felt like rules are being bent so he can win.
Also not sure how to explain this, but while there was a lot of contemplation about feelings and relationships, sometimes it felt like there is too much of it about one single thing, and in the same time without a clear direction or result.
I kept reading because I was interested in the story and I could see what the author was doing, but it felt like I was holding an uncut and unpolished gem - the potential was there, but I could not quite shine through.
December 6, 2017
Great story and solid characters
I have read the series twice, 3 years apart. I have had the same fun both times. The magic system, so to speak, is exciting since it leaves room for possible expansions, different histories, new characters, etc.
The thing that strikes me most is the resemblance of Simon and Bleach anime series character Ichigo. Huge sword, gradually increasing strength, the mask... Even Kai reminds me of Bleach in his eccentricities. But this is just it, a resemblance. I think there are some references to WoW (Garrosh) too. I found these salutes pretty enjoyable, nice play!
All in all, it is a solid story recommended for those epic fans who thirst for an entirely different but yet solidly built worlds.
I have read the series twice, 3 years apart. I have had the same fun both times. The magic system, so to speak, is exciting since it leaves room for possible expansions, different histories, new characters, etc.
The thing that strikes me most is the resemblance of Simon and Bleach anime series character Ichigo. Huge sword, gradually increasing strength, the mask... Even Kai reminds me of Bleach in his eccentricities. But this is just it, a resemblance. I think there are some references to WoW (Garrosh) too. I found these salutes pretty enjoyable, nice play!
All in all, it is a solid story recommended for those epic fans who thirst for an entirely different but yet solidly built worlds.
August 1, 2022
"The Traveler's Gate Trilogy" by Will Wight.
1) 'House of Blades' (Traveler's Gate #1): 3.25/5.
2) 'The Crimson Vault' (Traveler's Gate #2): 4.0/5.
3) 'City of Light' (Traveler's Gate #3): 4.25/5.
Overall Rating for the Trilogy: 7.75/10.
For a detailed review, check out my reviews of the individual books in the trilogy. Moving on to the collections of the short stories set in this world.
1) 'House of Blades' (Traveler's Gate #1): 3.25/5.
2) 'The Crimson Vault' (Traveler's Gate #2): 4.0/5.
3) 'City of Light' (Traveler's Gate #3): 4.25/5.
Overall Rating for the Trilogy: 7.75/10.
For a detailed review, check out my reviews of the individual books in the trilogy. Moving on to the collections of the short stories set in this world.
January 8, 2023
I reviewed each book of this trilogy as I finished them and posted those reviews on the individual books, rather than just writing one review for the entire series. However, the series as a whole deserves some love as well. To that end, I've included the individual reviews below. Please note that while I have tried to avoid spoilers in the second and third book reviews, it is possible that they contain information that could be considered a spoiler if you read them before reading the previous books.
House of Blades (5/5)
As a child, Simon is traveling with his parents when he is forced to witness to two Travelers murder his father and destroy his mother's mind. He is saved by another Traveler, who intervenes before they can kill Simon and kills both of the attacking Travelers.
Years later, the village in which Simon has been eking out an existence, caring for his mother with the small amount of money he is able to earn and the occasional handouts from others in the village. Suddenly, his village is attacked. The Overlord has declared that the year's Sacrifice will come from the village, but the soldiers and Traveler sent to gather the nine individuals who will serve as sacrifice do not do so peacefully. Killing indiscriminately, the village is nearly destroyed. Of those taken for sacrifice is Leah, one of Simon's only friends in the village.
Determined to save her, Simon returns to the site of his father's murder in search of the Traveler who had saved him. After several days, he finds Kai instead. Kai brings him into Vallin Hall and begins to help train him as a Traveler. Will Simon gain the skills he needs to save Leah? And what about Alin, who discovers he is also a Traveler, and he is apparently a prophesized Traveler? Will Alin's ego help him or hurt him?
I really enjoyed his introduction into this world. Both the character development and the world-building were good. From the beginning of the book, I was drawn into the story and found myself cheering for Simon. In addition, though I initially found myself glad that Simon would have a second Traveler on his side through Alin, Wight did a wonderful job of writing Alin's character development such that he could easily go different ways. I look forward to reading/listening to the next book to see how that goes. Finally, after that revelation at the end, I definitely want to see what's going to happen between Simon and Alin, and whether or not Simon will reveal the knowledge he gained about Leah when he was rescuing her.
I also had the opportunity to listen to part of the audiobook, newly re-recorded by the wonderful Travis Baldree. I started listening to the audiobook about halfway through, as it was just released yesterday. I look forward to listening to the other two books as Travis Baldree is one of my favorite narrators.
The Crimson Vault (5/5)
Opening up just a few weeks after the end of House of Blades, there are tensions brewing, and war between Enosh and Damasca is on the horizon.
On the side of Damasca, Leah has always been loyal. But just how far will that loyalty go when she finds herself pitted against her own brother?
Alin is bound by the prophecy to the Grandmasters of Enosh, and though he has been confident in his position, questions begin to form around his fate as he learns more about the freedom the Grandmasters are seeking.
Simon wants to stay out of the war, but he may not have a choice, as he finds himself being pulled in different directions by the expectations of Alin and those other Valinhall Travelers. When Simon and Alin try to save the people of Myria, they end up releasing something far more dangerous - the incarnation of Valinhall, who intends to kill the King of Damasca, as well as anyone else he considers unworthy.
Where the House of Blades was largely a story of Alin and Simon learning about Travelers, and the two of them becoming Travelers themselves, The Crimson Vault tells the story of Valinhall and its history, along with the stories of Kai, the Nye, and the Wanderer. The story still switches POVs between the different characters to tell the separate parts of the story as they work to come together.
Wight continues to develop the characters in this book, and I liked Simon's growth. He is still questioning himself and his ability to some extent, but he does see a significant amount of growth. Alin, on the other hand, kind of goes the other way; he started confident and ends up questioning a lot more. I didn't really like his character in House of Blades as I felt he came off as an arrogant and over-confident individual. I can't say that I like him any more or less after this book, but I do understand him a bit more. And there were several times when I wanted to shake some sense into him because of the stupidity in which he was engaging. Of all the characters, though, I enjoyed learning more about Kai the most. He was such an enigmatic character in Blades, so it was great to get more of his history. As much as I want to talk about him, I also don't want to ruin your experience of learning about him as you read the story.
Finally, this book really opens up the political machinations that are occurring, and how much those movements are influencing the greater world. Unlike many books with wars where we only see one side - that of the protagonist - because of the characters and their various allegiances, we get to see the beliefs and motivations of both sides of the brewing war, which centers around the yearly sacrifices. Wight does a great job of setting things up so that neither side is fully right or fully wrong.
As for whether or not I will continue the series and read City of Light, if you can read the ending of this book and NOT want to continue on, then you are a stronger person than I am. I can't do that. I have to know what's going to happen. I will also be continuing to listen to the series, because it's narrated by Travis Baldree, and that's really all that needs to be said about that.
City of Light (5/5)
In the finale of the trilogy, Wight has tensions running high. All the Hanging Trees have been destroyed, releasing all the incarnations. Knowing the destruction they can wreak on the world, Simon, Leah, and Indrial have been hunting the Incarnations for the last several months.
Alin is losing his battle against the madness of Incarnation as he rules over his city with an iron fist, determined to turn it into the perfection of Elysia.
Then things suddenly get worse when all the Incarnations go missing.
I really enjoyed the finale of this trilogy. Wight's writing improved in each book, making each book better than the previous one. Throughout this book, Simon remained my favorite character and Valinhall remained my favorite territory. I also enjoyed Leah's character, largely because she is a strong female with agency of her own who isn't relegated to a romantic relationship and shoved off to the side. That was a breath of fresh air compared to many other fantasy series, and I hope to read more series that treat their female characters in a similar manner. Unfortunately for Alin, the other major character of the series, I never did like him. He began as an arrogant little a**hole who thought he was awesome because he was in a prophecy and never really grew out of that. Yes, he did have some character growth as a result of being an Incarnation, but even with all the moralities he still managed to keep screwing up, and that just annoyed me. Still, as a character to hate, he is a great one. So if that was Wight's goal, it was well executed. LOL.
As for the action, there is quite a bit going on in this book, and I kind of wish Wight had chosen to take another book to spread it out a bit more and give more time and attention to some of the things. I don't want to get into specifics because I might end up in spoiler territory, and the book as it is isn't terrible, I just think it could have been better with more time/space to work through some things. I do think part of that is down to Wight's growth as a writer because this aspect of his writing improved greatly in his Cradle series (and through his Cradle series). It makes me wonder what changes, if any, he would make to this series if he were to revisit and revise it.
As with the first two books, I listened to the great Travis Baldree narrate this audiobook. If you've listened to the first two, I don't need to tell you how awesome he is as a narrator - you already know. If you haven't listened to any of this series yet, you should. Baldree does an absolutely fabulous job with the narration. It is definitely worth the listen.
House of Blades (5/5)
As a child, Simon is traveling with his parents when he is forced to witness to two Travelers murder his father and destroy his mother's mind. He is saved by another Traveler, who intervenes before they can kill Simon and kills both of the attacking Travelers.
Years later, the village in which Simon has been eking out an existence, caring for his mother with the small amount of money he is able to earn and the occasional handouts from others in the village. Suddenly, his village is attacked. The Overlord has declared that the year's Sacrifice will come from the village, but the soldiers and Traveler sent to gather the nine individuals who will serve as sacrifice do not do so peacefully. Killing indiscriminately, the village is nearly destroyed. Of those taken for sacrifice is Leah, one of Simon's only friends in the village.
Determined to save her, Simon returns to the site of his father's murder in search of the Traveler who had saved him. After several days, he finds Kai instead. Kai brings him into Vallin Hall and begins to help train him as a Traveler. Will Simon gain the skills he needs to save Leah? And what about Alin, who discovers he is also a Traveler, and he is apparently a prophesized Traveler? Will Alin's ego help him or hurt him?
I really enjoyed his introduction into this world. Both the character development and the world-building were good. From the beginning of the book, I was drawn into the story and found myself cheering for Simon. In addition, though I initially found myself glad that Simon would have a second Traveler on his side through Alin, Wight did a wonderful job of writing Alin's character development such that he could easily go different ways. I look forward to reading/listening to the next book to see how that goes. Finally, after that revelation at the end, I definitely want to see what's going to happen between Simon and Alin, and whether or not Simon will reveal the knowledge he gained about Leah when he was rescuing her.
I also had the opportunity to listen to part of the audiobook, newly re-recorded by the wonderful Travis Baldree. I started listening to the audiobook about halfway through, as it was just released yesterday. I look forward to listening to the other two books as Travis Baldree is one of my favorite narrators.
The Crimson Vault (5/5)
Opening up just a few weeks after the end of House of Blades, there are tensions brewing, and war between Enosh and Damasca is on the horizon.
On the side of Damasca, Leah has always been loyal. But just how far will that loyalty go when she finds herself pitted against her own brother?
Alin is bound by the prophecy to the Grandmasters of Enosh, and though he has been confident in his position, questions begin to form around his fate as he learns more about the freedom the Grandmasters are seeking.
Simon wants to stay out of the war, but he may not have a choice, as he finds himself being pulled in different directions by the expectations of Alin and those other Valinhall Travelers. When Simon and Alin try to save the people of Myria, they end up releasing something far more dangerous - the incarnation of Valinhall, who intends to kill the King of Damasca, as well as anyone else he considers unworthy.
Where the House of Blades was largely a story of Alin and Simon learning about Travelers, and the two of them becoming Travelers themselves, The Crimson Vault tells the story of Valinhall and its history, along with the stories of Kai, the Nye, and the Wanderer. The story still switches POVs between the different characters to tell the separate parts of the story as they work to come together.
Wight continues to develop the characters in this book, and I liked Simon's growth. He is still questioning himself and his ability to some extent, but he does see a significant amount of growth. Alin, on the other hand, kind of goes the other way; he started confident and ends up questioning a lot more. I didn't really like his character in House of Blades as I felt he came off as an arrogant and over-confident individual. I can't say that I like him any more or less after this book, but I do understand him a bit more. And there were several times when I wanted to shake some sense into him because of the stupidity in which he was engaging. Of all the characters, though, I enjoyed learning more about Kai the most. He was such an enigmatic character in Blades, so it was great to get more of his history. As much as I want to talk about him, I also don't want to ruin your experience of learning about him as you read the story.
Finally, this book really opens up the political machinations that are occurring, and how much those movements are influencing the greater world. Unlike many books with wars where we only see one side - that of the protagonist - because of the characters and their various allegiances, we get to see the beliefs and motivations of both sides of the brewing war, which centers around the yearly sacrifices. Wight does a great job of setting things up so that neither side is fully right or fully wrong.
As for whether or not I will continue the series and read City of Light, if you can read the ending of this book and NOT want to continue on, then you are a stronger person than I am. I can't do that. I have to know what's going to happen. I will also be continuing to listen to the series, because it's narrated by Travis Baldree, and that's really all that needs to be said about that.
City of Light (5/5)
In the finale of the trilogy, Wight has tensions running high. All the Hanging Trees have been destroyed, releasing all the incarnations. Knowing the destruction they can wreak on the world, Simon, Leah, and Indrial have been hunting the Incarnations for the last several months.
Alin is losing his battle against the madness of Incarnation as he rules over his city with an iron fist, determined to turn it into the perfection of Elysia.
Then things suddenly get worse when all the Incarnations go missing.
I really enjoyed the finale of this trilogy. Wight's writing improved in each book, making each book better than the previous one. Throughout this book, Simon remained my favorite character and Valinhall remained my favorite territory. I also enjoyed Leah's character, largely because she is a strong female with agency of her own who isn't relegated to a romantic relationship and shoved off to the side. That was a breath of fresh air compared to many other fantasy series, and I hope to read more series that treat their female characters in a similar manner. Unfortunately for Alin, the other major character of the series, I never did like him. He began as an arrogant little a**hole who thought he was awesome because he was in a prophecy and never really grew out of that. Yes, he did have some character growth as a result of being an Incarnation, but even with all the moralities he still managed to keep screwing up, and that just annoyed me. Still, as a character to hate, he is a great one. So if that was Wight's goal, it was well executed. LOL.
As for the action, there is quite a bit going on in this book, and I kind of wish Wight had chosen to take another book to spread it out a bit more and give more time and attention to some of the things. I don't want to get into specifics because I might end up in spoiler territory, and the book as it is isn't terrible, I just think it could have been better with more time/space to work through some things. I do think part of that is down to Wight's growth as a writer because this aspect of his writing improved greatly in his Cradle series (and through his Cradle series). It makes me wonder what changes, if any, he would make to this series if he were to revisit and revise it.
As with the first two books, I listened to the great Travis Baldree narrate this audiobook. If you've listened to the first two, I don't need to tell you how awesome he is as a narrator - you already know. If you haven't listened to any of this series yet, you should. Baldree does an absolutely fabulous job with the narration. It is definitely worth the listen.
May 14, 2021
This series is difficult to rate. I loved the world building, the fight-scenes and the coming of age part. It's original and well written. I also disagree with the reviewers stating the story is confusing, it's clear enough after you finish the prologue and the first chapters.
On the other hand, the characters are onedimensional. At the end of the series, I still had a difficult time understanding their motives. The main male character seems to be completely driven by revenge and loyalty. Its like the story is written to be a movie or tv series, in which the motives usually become apparent from watching the behaviour of the characters. But a writer had this unique opportunity to take the reader into the mind of the protagonist. Doesn't happen in this book.
That having been said.... It was almost addictive, maybe because I kept hoping for more insight into the characters. I couldn't stop reading.
On the other hand, the characters are onedimensional. At the end of the series, I still had a difficult time understanding their motives. The main male character seems to be completely driven by revenge and loyalty. Its like the story is written to be a movie or tv series, in which the motives usually become apparent from watching the behaviour of the characters. But a writer had this unique opportunity to take the reader into the mind of the protagonist. Doesn't happen in this book.
That having been said.... It was almost addictive, maybe because I kept hoping for more insight into the characters. I couldn't stop reading.
October 20, 2018
Great story!
I can’t wait for more stores about the travelers gate. Especially Simon, Inderial and Valinhall which I found to be very interesting and at times funny. I wish there could be more about another character... we will see. This was the first series I’ve read by Will Wight and I’m happy to know I’ve got several other books I can read now by the author. I thought when I finished the Arcane series that I would not find another book I liked even close but I’m so glad I was wrong.
I can’t wait for more stores about the travelers gate. Especially Simon, Inderial and Valinhall which I found to be very interesting and at times funny. I wish there could be more about another character... we will see. This was the first series I’ve read by Will Wight and I’m happy to know I’ve got several other books I can read now by the author. I thought when I finished the Arcane series that I would not find another book I liked even close but I’m so glad I was wrong.
December 28, 2016
Interesting concept but after being attacked by Travelers wielding enormous power, two kids set off to become Travelers themselves and learn these powers easily in a matter of weeks. It's like they needed a Team America montage. I prefer my fantasy books with a little more reality. His other Unsouled Series I tried out was not much better, like a fantasy ripoff of the very well written Divergent series.
August 17, 2019
Shallow and frustrating
Pros: -interesting world and magic system
-fights
Cons: -one dimensional characters and act unbeleivable
- scenes feel disconnected and only serve to get you into the next action scene
-characters make ridiculous choices to move the plot along even if it goes against there motivation
-thick plot armor and desu ex machina everywhere
Not recommended
Pros: -interesting world and magic system
-fights
Cons: -one dimensional characters and act unbeleivable
- scenes feel disconnected and only serve to get you into the next action scene
-characters make ridiculous choices to move the plot along even if it goes against there motivation
-thick plot armor and desu ex machina everywhere
Not recommended
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August 17, 2021Fun seriesa
I felt things got off to an interesting, if slightly slow start, but that is only in comparison because edit ramps up and keeps on escalating to the end. Stories of ordinary people who step up to extraordinary circumstances inspire and entertain me.
I felt things got off to an interesting, if slightly slow start, but that is only in comparison because edit ramps up and keeps on escalating to the end. Stories of ordinary people who step up to extraordinary circumstances inspire and entertain me.
June 6, 2017
Great book!
Love Will Wight's writing. He is fast becoming a favorite author. Love that he keeps it clean. This is an epic tale.
Love Will Wight's writing. He is fast becoming a favorite author. Love that he keeps it clean. This is an epic tale.
March 8, 2024
All of the fighting, none (or little) of the charm as his other series
August 4, 2021
Travelers Gate is a Boys on the Run / Chosen One story from the perspective of one of the side characters. Basically, the central plot is like Wheel of Time, but if Perrin was the MC instead of Rand. Also, since it is Will Wight, it is full of a crazy all over magic system that is never fully explained, but is always awesome.
As context, I read this after Cradle, so here are some things I liked and some things that I have seen Will improve on as a writer.
+ It pulls some interesting twists on the chosen one themes that I really liked, but would be spoilers to explain.
+ In general, the sword magic was really fun and I loved watching the main character have to fight for more abilities. Really cool.
+ It is really hard to know who the "good guys" are. There are two man kingdoms/nations in the book and they are not Gondor vs Mordor. Both have some good intentions and selfish intentions.
+ Like Cradle, the pacing is amazing and just keeps chugging.
- One theme of the books is that the MC does not know exactly what he wants. While I liked the idea of it, in execution the MC was a tad wishy-washy and it was harder to root for him as I did not know what we were rooting for.
- In general the plot was a little less tight than Cradle, and other stories in general. And as the series got farther in there were more branching storylines that were sometimes less exciting and took away from Simon fighting rooms.
- Because there was no clear good guy, the plot does a lot of back and forth about who they are fighting, and has a tendency to slaughter an army then a couple pages later be slaughtering to protect the army. In execution this made it harder to root for some fights.
Altogether, I really enjoyed the series. If you are looking for something else like Cradle, or a different take on the chosen one, I highly recommend this series which the caveats I explained above.
As context, I read this after Cradle, so here are some things I liked and some things that I have seen Will improve on as a writer.
+ It pulls some interesting twists on the chosen one themes that I really liked, but would be spoilers to explain.
+ In general, the sword magic was really fun and I loved watching the main character have to fight for more abilities. Really cool.
+ It is really hard to know who the "good guys" are. There are two man kingdoms/nations in the book and they are not Gondor vs Mordor. Both have some good intentions and selfish intentions.
+ Like Cradle, the pacing is amazing and just keeps chugging.
- One theme of the books is that the MC does not know exactly what he wants. While I liked the idea of it, in execution the MC was a tad wishy-washy and it was harder to root for him as I did not know what we were rooting for.
- In general the plot was a little less tight than Cradle, and other stories in general. And as the series got farther in there were more branching storylines that were sometimes less exciting and took away from Simon fighting rooms.
- Because there was no clear good guy, the plot does a lot of back and forth about who they are fighting, and has a tendency to slaughter an army then a couple pages later be slaughtering to protect the army. In execution this made it harder to root for some fights.
Altogether, I really enjoyed the series. If you are looking for something else like Cradle, or a different take on the chosen one, I highly recommend this series which the caveats I explained above.
July 20, 2018
Will Wight delivers a well-written fantasy series that is a steal at $10 and even better with Kindle unlimited.
To be honest I would be willing to pay $10 for each book. The quality of his work is that equal to or greater than some well-known authors. Reading the Cradle series prior to this showed me that this author knows how to World build and create magic systems within his fantasy's that are entertaining and have a realistic feel to them. In The Traveler's Trilogy they are advantages and consequences within each of the territories that represent the magical systems within his story. There is plenty of action, adventure, challenges and tragedy as well as some humorous moments that sneak up on you sometimes.
there is a bit of a learning curve within the first book but it's fairly easy and straightforward so as not to overwhelm the reader. The trilogy is solid all the way through what's a good foundation middle and end. Do not expect a romantic subplot to be within the series but there are multiple points of views from protagonist and some antagonist at times. Mostly though they are two main point of view characters with others given significant time depending upon which book you're reading. It does not feel like head hopping and reads fairly smoothly most of the time. There is some pacing issues in the third book but it is understandable given the nature of the story.
This fantasy can be read by young teens and above. There is quite a bit of violence emotional moments that may not be suitable for younger readers. It is funny how well the author can manipulate the reader's emotions to make them care about extremely silly aspects and take them 100% serious.
there is a set of short stories at the end of the trilogy that takes place for the most part before the trilogy safer one story that takes place between books 4 and 5.
To be honest I would be willing to pay $10 for each book. The quality of his work is that equal to or greater than some well-known authors. Reading the Cradle series prior to this showed me that this author knows how to World build and create magic systems within his fantasy's that are entertaining and have a realistic feel to them. In The Traveler's Trilogy they are advantages and consequences within each of the territories that represent the magical systems within his story. There is plenty of action, adventure, challenges and tragedy as well as some humorous moments that sneak up on you sometimes.
there is a bit of a learning curve within the first book but it's fairly easy and straightforward so as not to overwhelm the reader. The trilogy is solid all the way through what's a good foundation middle and end. Do not expect a romantic subplot to be within the series but there are multiple points of views from protagonist and some antagonist at times. Mostly though they are two main point of view characters with others given significant time depending upon which book you're reading. It does not feel like head hopping and reads fairly smoothly most of the time. There is some pacing issues in the third book but it is understandable given the nature of the story.
This fantasy can be read by young teens and above. There is quite a bit of violence emotional moments that may not be suitable for younger readers. It is funny how well the author can manipulate the reader's emotions to make them care about extremely silly aspects and take them 100% serious.
there is a set of short stories at the end of the trilogy that takes place for the most part before the trilogy safer one story that takes place between books 4 and 5.
September 17, 2019
Will Wight's characters have a way of surprising the reader in the most delightful ways. Seeing them grow, change, and make decisions that shake the world is addiction, and nearly every surprise is earned in the story.
While the characters are not as well-defined as in the Cradle series, Traveler's Gate is almost as fun and the world is just as engaging. One of my favorite parts of the trilogy was the collection of short stories at the end. Without those stories, I would have remembered the conflict, the House of Blades, and the City of Light. With them, I don't think I will ever forget this world.
I hope to return to the world of the Travelers someday.
While the characters are not as well-defined as in the Cradle series, Traveler's Gate is almost as fun and the world is just as engaging. One of my favorite parts of the trilogy was the collection of short stories at the end. Without those stories, I would have remembered the conflict, the House of Blades, and the City of Light. With them, I don't think I will ever forget this world.
I hope to return to the world of the Travelers someday.
December 22, 2021
One of my favorite series hands down. The world is built well, the versatility in abilities is great and the character development is fine. Will balances minutia with intrigue well in his worlds. If you want something like the Malazan series this isn't it. The light nature of the story keeps the reading quick, and fun. Also for anyone who hasn't read Will's work, he writes incredible fight scenes.
June 23, 2019
Enjoyable & Unexpected
The story was quite different from what I had thought might be the plot. To see a character who seems powerless and has a friend who is considered prophetically powerful makes you think it'll be lopsided who is interesting but the author wove a great tale where villain, hero, and friend gets blurred and you keep guessing.
The story was quite different from what I had thought might be the plot. To see a character who seems powerless and has a friend who is considered prophetically powerful makes you think it'll be lopsided who is interesting but the author wove a great tale where villain, hero, and friend gets blurred and you keep guessing.
June 8, 2021
Amazon gave this to me, for free. I've never read fantasy, before, but I was in-between horror novels so I gave it a shot. I didn't know what to expect, but I thoroughly enjoyed the settings (especially Valinhall) as well as the characters and the history. I'd like to see more novels done with the Simon character, but for now, I'll give The Traveler's Gate Chronicles a read.
December 4, 2021
Good for what it was, I read this after reading what was currently available in Wight's Cradle series which I liked better. These books did not feel as polished, hard to say why. I think that things here felt like they were meant to be taken more seriously but they still followed the progression narrative--but without the clear progression fantasy feel of the Cradle books.
December 21, 2021
I very much enjoyed this. It feels much more traditionally fantasy than Cradle does, but I enjoyed the world and the magic system immensely. As ever, Will had entertaining and interesting characters, and balanced humor and action with skill. If you're suffering from Cradle withdrawals, it's a worthy fix.
February 24, 2019
Crazy fun
OK, so I’m no fantasy expert, in fact this is really the most I have ever read of this genre, but I know that I throughly enjoyed the universe created in this trilogy and the characters inhabiting it. Sometimes funny, tragic and often ironic, for me it was crazy fun.
OK, so I’m no fantasy expert, in fact this is really the most I have ever read of this genre, but I know that I throughly enjoyed the universe created in this trilogy and the characters inhabiting it. Sometimes funny, tragic and often ironic, for me it was crazy fun.
June 8, 2020
I believe that this is one of the best series I've ever read. It had me hooked in from the moment I opened it and with the plethora of titles around the world, this is the series that I come back to regularly to re-immerse myself into because I think the world and story are so amazing.
December 12, 2017
The only complaint I have about this saga is that I've finished it. I loved it. An extremely imaginative and exciting story about normal people turned abnormal, and abnormal people suddenly normalized. The heros become villains and back without being awkward or forced. This story has all of my favorite things, imaginative settings and details that you can visualise, as well as a dark and somehow light humor that exists alongside some disturbing and (frankly) terrifying imagery.
I loved it. An extremely imaginative and exciting story about normal people turned abnormal, and abnormal people suddenly normalized. The heros become villains and back without being awkward or forced. This story has all of my favorite things, imaginative settings and details that you can visualise, as well as a dark and somehow light humor that exists alongside some disturbing and (frankly) terrifying imagery. Another thing I loved about this story is the characters depth and growth. Extremely wonderful and kinda nauseating to read, I would recommend this saga to anyone and everyone. I will certainly be looking for more by this author. Congratulations, Will Wight, this is a work I am seriously jealous of and cannot wait to immerse myself in again and again.
I loved it. An extremely imaginative and exciting story about normal people turned abnormal, and abnormal people suddenly normalized. The heros become villains and back without being awkward or forced. This story has all of my favorite things, imaginative settings and details that you can visualise, as well as a dark and somehow light humor that exists alongside some disturbing and (frankly) terrifying imagery. Another thing I loved about this story is the characters depth and growth. Extremely wonderful and kinda nauseating to read, I would recommend this saga to anyone and everyone. I will certainly be looking for more by this author. Congratulations, Will Wight, this is a work I am seriously jealous of and cannot wait to immerse myself in again and again.
July 10, 2022
The Traveler's Gate Trilogy
By - Will Wight
1362 pages
This series is set in a world that has magical territories. Each territory has it’s own unique attributes and followers. The people who are tuned in to their specific territories are called Travelers. Basically one territory has been suppressing the power of all the others for a few centuries, and that magical binding collapses and all hell breaks loose. Simon is the main character among others who are fighting to bring balance back to the world.
I liked the imaginative ways that the magics of the territories manifest. There is always a cost to what you do, an equal reaction to action taken. The world building was pretty good too. An entertaining read.
By - Will Wight
1362 pages
This series is set in a world that has magical territories. Each territory has it’s own unique attributes and followers. The people who are tuned in to their specific territories are called Travelers. Basically one territory has been suppressing the power of all the others for a few centuries, and that magical binding collapses and all hell breaks loose. Simon is the main character among others who are fighting to bring balance back to the world.
I liked the imaginative ways that the magics of the territories manifest. There is always a cost to what you do, an equal reaction to action taken. The world building was pretty good too. An entertaining read.
July 20, 2022
I really enjoyed this series, though I did put it down and pick it back up about 3 times. The book has its own perpetual energy that drives it forward. There are a few times of "well, that's done", in particular some of the fights that should have been more epic seemed to just end. This is a minor thing, in my opinion, the books already have a lot of length to them.
My one gripe with the series is that some the Territories seemed to only exist as tools for others (looking at you Ornheim and Tartarus). There are 11 total, but the majority play bit roles. I haven't read the short stories included in the Trilogy book, and I hope they give the other Territories more personality.
My one gripe with the series is that some the Territories seemed to only exist as tools for others (looking at you Ornheim and Tartarus). There are 11 total, but the majority play bit roles. I haven't read the short stories included in the Trilogy book, and I hope they give the other Territories more personality.
December 30, 2022
I would rate this a 3 out of five.
This series does provide unusal original worlbuilding and the concept of power corrupting when overused is something i like to read and the overall plot makes sence. For the most atleast.
I just did not like the characters that much. While the character tropes are nothing unusal (there is mc who goes from zero to hero, a fortold powerful savior, a princess undercover, a fallen crazy swordmaster etc.)
All mixed up in a 2 front classic dark grey vs slightly less dark gray fight.
The problem for me is as with other books by will wight, tha character act unlogical stupid and out of character alot.
This series does provide unusal original worlbuilding and the concept of power corrupting when overused is something i like to read and the overall plot makes sence. For the most atleast.
I just did not like the characters that much. While the character tropes are nothing unusal (there is mc who goes from zero to hero, a fortold powerful savior, a princess undercover, a fallen crazy swordmaster etc.)
All mixed up in a 2 front classic dark grey vs slightly less dark gray fight.
The problem for me is as with other books by will wight, tha character act unlogical stupid and out of character alot.
September 4, 2018
Fun read
This is the complete Trilogy, plus the associated short stories that were published after the trilogy was complete. I have to say, I almost like the short stories better, they represent a depth and breadth of creativity that is a bit lacking in the novels themselves. That being said, it is a very enjoyable read, satisfying in the way that only flawed heroes and heroines can be. I have read all of this author's work, some of them several times, and it's like comfort food for me. You won't be disappointed if you like fantasy!
This is the complete Trilogy, plus the associated short stories that were published after the trilogy was complete. I have to say, I almost like the short stories better, they represent a depth and breadth of creativity that is a bit lacking in the novels themselves. That being said, it is a very enjoyable read, satisfying in the way that only flawed heroes and heroines can be. I have read all of this author's work, some of them several times, and it's like comfort food for me. You won't be disappointed if you like fantasy!
October 31, 2020
Well written
Interesting at the start, and an excellent development of the story. However I found myself becoming more and more angry at the book as the series continued. One horrible situation led right into the next with no real resolution, just a pit of endless violence with an ever meandering plot. I still don’t know hardly anything about the universes the story takes place in, which is incredible considering the amount of time spent traveling though it slicing people apart. Not my cup of tea.
Interesting at the start, and an excellent development of the story. However I found myself becoming more and more angry at the book as the series continued. One horrible situation led right into the next with no real resolution, just a pit of endless violence with an ever meandering plot. I still don’t know hardly anything about the universes the story takes place in, which is incredible considering the amount of time spent traveling though it slicing people apart. Not my cup of tea.
July 12, 2022
This trilogy is another brilliant read from Will Wight. Actually, I may have liked it even more than his "Cradle" series, because the plot is tight and the pacing superb. Wight's gift is in creating really dynamic cosmologies: not just the world we see the characters move around in daily, but a broader universe of gods and natural laws sometimes vastly, sometimes subtly different than those of reality. That talent is on full display here, alongside a cast of profoundly human, touchingly real characters (Leah was my favorite). I strongly recommend it!
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