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Duel of Sorcery #2
Moonscatter
The woman warrior, Serroi, struggles to overcome the deadly power of the wizard Ser Noris, who seeks to take control of the lands beyond the Sorcerers Isles
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1983
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136 people want to read
About the author
Jo Clayton
71 books66 followersJo Clayton, whose parents named her after Jo in Little Women, was born and raised in Modesto, California. She and her three sisters shared a room and took turns telling each other bedtime stories. One of her sisters noted that Jo's stories were the best, and often contained science fiction and fantasy elements.
Clayton graduated from the University of California in 1963, Summa Cum Laude, and started teaching near Los Angeles.
In 1969, after a religious experience, she moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, joining the teaching order Sisters of Mount Carmel as a novice. She left three years later, before taking final orders.
During her time in New Orleans, Clayton sold sketches and paintings in Pioneer Square to supplement her income.
After being robbed several times, Clayton moved to Portland, Oregon in 1983. She remained there for the rest of her life.
Clayton was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 1996. Jo continued to write during her year and a half in the hospital. She finished Drum Calls, the second book of the Drums of Chaos series, and was halfway through the third and final book when she lost her struggle with multiple myeloma in February, 1998.
Literary executor Katherine Kerr made arrangements with established author Kevin Andrew Murphy to finish the third book of the Drums of Chaos series. It is now completed.
Clayton graduated from the University of California in 1963, Summa Cum Laude, and started teaching near Los Angeles.
In 1969, after a religious experience, she moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, joining the teaching order Sisters of Mount Carmel as a novice. She left three years later, before taking final orders.
During her time in New Orleans, Clayton sold sketches and paintings in Pioneer Square to supplement her income.
After being robbed several times, Clayton moved to Portland, Oregon in 1983. She remained there for the rest of her life.
Clayton was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 1996. Jo continued to write during her year and a half in the hospital. She finished Drum Calls, the second book of the Drums of Chaos series, and was halfway through the third and final book when she lost her struggle with multiple myeloma in February, 1998.
Literary executor Katherine Kerr made arrangements with established author Kevin Andrew Murphy to finish the third book of the Drums of Chaos series. It is now completed.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 7, 2022
I'm giving this a 4 out of courtesy for an author and story I love, but it's probably closer to a 3 in enjoyment, although this has been on my shelf and re-read lovingly for years.
It's Clayton's great writing and world-building and characters still. Serroi remains compelling, Ser Nor darkly menacing yet just nuanced enough to be fascinating, Hern grows in interest and complexity, the world is wonderful.
But the tense jumps don't work at all, and it's annoying that the editing is so poor that it doesn't clean up the bits that are clearly mistakes.
In the first book, Clayton alternates chapters between Serroi's childhood and the present, with occasional flashbacks, and it flows beautifully. I can't fathom why in this one she alternates between Serroi and a lesser character, but switches tenses to indicate that Serroi and Hern are moving in woo-woo space. If there were chapter or even line breaks it would help, but there are also a dismaying amount of times where it's clearly a goof, when the present tense pops out in one sentence of a paragraph in which the rest is past.
That is poor editing, but it was still Clayton's choice to play with tenses to create a difference in mood and pacing, and it doesn't work well.
But the rest is so good that I'll leave it at a 4.
It's Clayton's great writing and world-building and characters still. Serroi remains compelling, Ser Nor darkly menacing yet just nuanced enough to be fascinating, Hern grows in interest and complexity, the world is wonderful.
But the tense jumps don't work at all, and it's annoying that the editing is so poor that it doesn't clean up the bits that are clearly mistakes.
In the first book, Clayton alternates chapters between Serroi's childhood and the present, with occasional flashbacks, and it flows beautifully. I can't fathom why in this one she alternates between Serroi and a lesser character, but switches tenses to indicate that Serroi and Hern are moving in woo-woo space. If there were chapter or even line breaks it would help, but there are also a dismaying amount of times where it's clearly a goof, when the present tense pops out in one sentence of a paragraph in which the rest is past.
That is poor editing, but it was still Clayton's choice to play with tenses to create a difference in mood and pacing, and it doesn't work well.
But the rest is so good that I'll leave it at a 4.
January 30, 2019
The structure of the second book is very different as we follow the adventures of several groups. The setting becomes much clearer and plot more tightly focused. Again, the world building has moments of real beauty and lovely lyrical writing. In contrast, political machinations are very dark with violence and misogyny, religious fervour and bleak poverty.
September 30, 2019
Very good 2nd book of the trilogy and as always, Clayton writes beautifully. After establishing the main characters/sides in the first book, this book sets up their roles in the coming battle, as most of them travel on separate quests and compelling journeys.
November 24, 2020
I started book 1 and just couldn't get into it so I deleted both 1& 2
June 9, 2010
The second in the Duel of Sorcery trilogy.
I have to say, I liked the first one better. Where the first book set up a parallel structure with Serroi's childhood and her present, this volume alternates between Serroi and a young village girl, Tuli.
Serroi's now on a quest with the headman she rescued, Hern. Her old rescuer/master/tormentor, the wizard Ser Noris, seems to be bent on destroying the world, and her hope to to find the wise but unpredictable hermit Coyote to try to save the world. However, with all the meandering about, getting chased by villains, and issues between Hern and Serroi, as well as Serroi suddenly and mysteriously gaining more powers that she had guessed she had, it felt very unfocused. I had a tendency to forget what this whole journey was even about.
I liked Tuli's sections better. The village girl has always been a little bit hoydenish, but now that she is getting older, she's growing away from her brother, and also realizing that as a woman, she may not fit into the accepted roles too well. To make things worse, a masculine-centered cult is taking over the old goddess-based religion, and society is becoming more restrictive in general, but for women particularly. Luckily, this society has always had the meie, a group of women who live independently... Tuli may be able to get away, to their Biserica (training school).
I know this sounds a bit cliched, but I enjoyed it, and found Tuli to be a believable, engaging character.
However, the two plot threads never meet up at all... It's that middle-book-of-trilogy issue, but I don't think this worked all that well as a complete novel...
I have to say, I liked the first one better. Where the first book set up a parallel structure with Serroi's childhood and her present, this volume alternates between Serroi and a young village girl, Tuli.
Serroi's now on a quest with the headman she rescued, Hern. Her old rescuer/master/tormentor, the wizard Ser Noris, seems to be bent on destroying the world, and her hope to to find the wise but unpredictable hermit Coyote to try to save the world. However, with all the meandering about, getting chased by villains, and issues between Hern and Serroi, as well as Serroi suddenly and mysteriously gaining more powers that she had guessed she had, it felt very unfocused. I had a tendency to forget what this whole journey was even about.
I liked Tuli's sections better. The village girl has always been a little bit hoydenish, but now that she is getting older, she's growing away from her brother, and also realizing that as a woman, she may not fit into the accepted roles too well. To make things worse, a masculine-centered cult is taking over the old goddess-based religion, and society is becoming more restrictive in general, but for women particularly. Luckily, this society has always had the meie, a group of women who live independently... Tuli may be able to get away, to their Biserica (training school).
I know this sounds a bit cliched, but I enjoyed it, and found Tuli to be a believable, engaging character.
However, the two plot threads never meet up at all... It's that middle-book-of-trilogy issue, but I don't think this worked all that well as a complete novel...
December 6, 2017
Second in a series, this book was very hard to get into. Though I liked the use of novel words to describe a world, this combined with the speech patterns of the people made it hard to feel the flow of the book.
And, unfortunately, this book was mostly a transition between the first and third book. It mostly detailed two separate paths of basically unrelated groups. Which was interesting, but I kept waiting for then to somehow interrelate.
And, unfortunately, this book was mostly a transition between the first and third book. It mostly detailed two separate paths of basically unrelated groups. Which was interesting, but I kept waiting for then to somehow interrelate.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews