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Glasswright #5
The Glasswrights' Master
Glasswright artisan Rani Trader, after securing safe passage through the kingdom of Sarmonia for King Halaravilli and his heir, reevalutates the sacrifices she has made to become a Glasswrights' master in order to realize her true path in life. Original.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 2004
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342 people want to read
About the author
Mindy Klasky
111 books541 followersMindy Klasky learned to read when her parents shoved a book in her hands and told her that she could travel anywhere in the world through stories. She never forgot that advice.
Mindy's travels took her through multiple careers, including copyright lawyer and law librarian. Mindy now writes full time. Her books fall in a number of genres -- including romantic comedies, paranormal romance, and traditional fantasy.
In her spare time, Mindy knits, quilts, and tries to tame the endless to-be-read shelf in her home library. Her husband and two cats do their best to fill the left-over minutes in her days.
Mindy's travels took her through multiple careers, including copyright lawyer and law librarian. Mindy now writes full time. Her books fall in a number of genres -- including romantic comedies, paranormal romance, and traditional fantasy.
In her spare time, Mindy knits, quilts, and tries to tame the endless to-be-read shelf in her home library. Her husband and two cats do their best to fill the left-over minutes in her days.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 30, 2009
I had read the rest of the series, and so reading the final book seemed to be a must. I find the series, on the whole, to be overtly depressing. There is a need, in most fantasy novels, to put the main character, and in turn, those around him or her, through trials, mostly because the reward at the end is a fantastic one – rather like the television show ‘Survivor’. Before I had read this series, the character who had suffered the MOST with the least return on that pain had been Vanyel in ‘The Last Herald Mage’, but the understanding there was that (a) he was gay and in a major public eye, and so the author seemed to need to make him pay for this and (b) he was to be an Epic Hero, and Epic Heroes tend to have very crap lives, because they will live beyond their time.
Well, move over, Vanyel—we have a new winner in the pain lottery and guess what? Rani doesn’t even get the cute lover and forever friend in the way of a Companion that comes to her in her afterlife—all she gets is the semi insane king who had the hots for her since he met her as a batty teenager and the knowledge that she is master in a craft where every other master that there is really hates her guts and blames her for the destruction of their onetime prosperous guild. She has no real friends, as they’ve been killed off or driven nuts, or just plain realized that she is a crap magnet… she has no career, really—the universe WILL deal with her due to the money and power behind her, but she is still deemed a jinx… and she herself lives with the screaming ghosts of the past.
Wow, some hero… oh wait, she isn’t even THAT as hundreds of children were put into slavery due to her inability to give the help she promised.. masters and apprentices were maimed, killed, and destroyed due to her, oh and yeah… three people she loved went nuts. Woo hoo, sign me up to be a hero in this author’s universe…. NOT.
Well, move over, Vanyel—we have a new winner in the pain lottery and guess what? Rani doesn’t even get the cute lover and forever friend in the way of a Companion that comes to her in her afterlife—all she gets is the semi insane king who had the hots for her since he met her as a batty teenager and the knowledge that she is master in a craft where every other master that there is really hates her guts and blames her for the destruction of their onetime prosperous guild. She has no real friends, as they’ve been killed off or driven nuts, or just plain realized that she is a crap magnet… she has no career, really—the universe WILL deal with her due to the money and power behind her, but she is still deemed a jinx… and she herself lives with the screaming ghosts of the past.
Wow, some hero… oh wait, she isn’t even THAT as hundreds of children were put into slavery due to her inability to give the help she promised.. masters and apprentices were maimed, killed, and destroyed due to her, oh and yeah… three people she loved went nuts. Woo hoo, sign me up to be a hero in this author’s universe…. NOT.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2008
I was hoping the series would end on a high note, but this book didn't really work for me. A new, unlikeable character got a lot of attention at the expense of ongoing storylines. Once again, the whole glasswright thing was mostly shoved into the background.
And about the series as a whole, I kept finding it really hard to connect with Rani. She made a lot of harsh decisions, and then she'd sit around feeling guilty while others dealt with the actual repercussions. Her unwillingness to really commit to a relationship didn't make much sense, it felt like the main point was to keep her free until the end of the books.
The series dealt with a lot of interesting ideas and characters, but overall I'd say it didn't have enough of a clear focus.
And about the series as a whole, I kept finding it really hard to connect with Rani. She made a lot of harsh decisions, and then she'd sit around feeling guilty while others dealt with the actual repercussions. Her unwillingness to really commit to a relationship didn't make much sense, it felt like the main point was to keep her free until the end of the books.
The series dealt with a lot of interesting ideas and characters, but overall I'd say it didn't have enough of a clear focus.
May 17, 2015
Decent ending to a very lacking series. The whole Royal Pilgrim storyline did not end the way I expected and I thought the conclusion of that plot line was mediocre at best. I'm really disappointed with the way Mair's character arc concluded. I think that she could have still been grieving and angry and killed Crestman without her going insane and hurting herself in the process. I feel like we missed out on too much of Crestman's life to understand why he was so hell bent on actually following along with the Fellowship's plans. It seems ludicrous to me that he would blindly follow along with someone who didn't give him the full story -- even going so far as to kill children -- without knowing exactly what happened in the spiderguild. It seemed ooc for him to even want to kill Lar. It was pretty obvious that Rani and Hal were going to get together or else why kill Mareka and all his heirs beforehand. But I am okay with it, tbh.
Overall: 3/5 stars because it is over and everyone I wanted to get together and/or die has done so.
Overall: 3/5 stars because it is over and everyone I wanted to get together and/or die has done so.
January 30, 2018
An excellent ending to the series, well done without seeming rushed or shorting any of the threads that needed tying up.
August 30, 2021
i love this series but this book is the clown falling down a flight of stairs and honking on every step of endings
November 29, 2010
The Glasswrights' Master is the final book in the Glasswrights series by Mindy L. Klasky. I've read the four previous books and enjoyed them on various levels. Some were better than others, of course. My favorite in the series is probably the third book, with its unique land and culture and the solidity of its plot. All five book deal with the story of Ranita Glasswright, with her starting as an apprentice in the guild before it is destroyed. Rani attempts to continue her studies throughout the books, and attempts to rebuild the guild itself, to return it to its former glory in her homeland. Throughout the books, she has many people who aid her, and relationships grow and change over the course of her story, some for the better, others . . . not so much.
And that is what is most compelling about the series overall: the way that relationships change as the years pass and Rani and those she knows are faced with trials and decisions that will not only shape them, but their kingdom and world as well. Not all of those that meet Rani and start out as her friends end up on her side in the end; and not all of those that stand against her are her foes in the end. People react according to their own wants and needs, and those wants and needs change as the world changes around them.
Another interesting part of the series is that each book is set in a different kingdom in this world, centered around Morenia and its king, Hal. But in each of the last four books, we travel to a new kingdom, unique and different in its own way from all of the others. These differences kept the series interesting, as we learn about a new part of the world and how the people in that world live. We don't get an indepth view of each kingdom, but we get enough of its flavor to be interested and keep reading.
In this fifth book, we travel to the southern kingdom of Sarmonia, when Hal, Rani, and the king's closest advisors and friends retreat there when the kingdom of Morenia is attacked by the Briantans and the Liantines simultaneously, the attacks orchestrated by the Fellowship of Jair, a secret organization that has slowly been sowing seeds of dissension in every kingdom as they seek to gain power over all of the lands. In the beginning, Rani, Hal, and others were part of the group, hoping that its goals were noble and working toward those goals themselves. It became clear to the reader by the third book that the Fellowship wasn't as noble or magnanimous as it seemed, or at least that it had been corrupted by those seeking power not for the good of others, but for themselves.
In Sarmonia, Hal hopes to gain the kingdom's aid in reclaiming his lost throne, while protecting his newborn son and heir. But the Fellowship is close on his heels. The final confrontation between Hal and the Fellowship, between Rani and Crestman, plays out in the forests of Sarmonia . . . and around an herb-witch named Kella, shifting back to Morenia and the capital of Moren only in the last few chapters.
The final resolution is in one aspect unexpected . . . and on another level, expected. Astute readers will have "guessed" the outcome of the Royal Pilgrim plotline after reading the fourth book. How that comes about couldn't have been predicted though. In the longrun, all of the various plotlines are brought to a satisfactory resolution, and we leave the survivors in satisfactory places, where we've wanted them to be for awhile anyways. There were some unexpected plot turns in this novel, as there have been in most of the novels. Mindy L. Klasky is certainly willing to have horrible things happen to her characters--horrible, but realistic things. I had no major stumbling blocks in this fifth book (unlike the one I had at the very end of the fourth), and felt the plot was solid. A minor quibble is mostly a pet peeve of mine regarding the mini-insanity of King Hal, with the triple rhymes that plagued him. I couldn't stand them, exulted when they vanished (mostly) in book 2, but cringed when they returned in various degrees in the later books. They return here, in full force. But that was an extremely minor peeve of my own, easily read over.
Overall, the series and Rani's story was interesting. I'm glad I hunted down the books and read them, especially since these are not urban fantasy and not really epic fantasy either. The magic in the series is subtle, when it's there at all, so the fantasy is more about the world itself. I enjoyed the books. The third is still my favorite, but this fifth novel comes in a close second.
And that is what is most compelling about the series overall: the way that relationships change as the years pass and Rani and those she knows are faced with trials and decisions that will not only shape them, but their kingdom and world as well. Not all of those that meet Rani and start out as her friends end up on her side in the end; and not all of those that stand against her are her foes in the end. People react according to their own wants and needs, and those wants and needs change as the world changes around them.
Another interesting part of the series is that each book is set in a different kingdom in this world, centered around Morenia and its king, Hal. But in each of the last four books, we travel to a new kingdom, unique and different in its own way from all of the others. These differences kept the series interesting, as we learn about a new part of the world and how the people in that world live. We don't get an indepth view of each kingdom, but we get enough of its flavor to be interested and keep reading.
In this fifth book, we travel to the southern kingdom of Sarmonia, when Hal, Rani, and the king's closest advisors and friends retreat there when the kingdom of Morenia is attacked by the Briantans and the Liantines simultaneously, the attacks orchestrated by the Fellowship of Jair, a secret organization that has slowly been sowing seeds of dissension in every kingdom as they seek to gain power over all of the lands. In the beginning, Rani, Hal, and others were part of the group, hoping that its goals were noble and working toward those goals themselves. It became clear to the reader by the third book that the Fellowship wasn't as noble or magnanimous as it seemed, or at least that it had been corrupted by those seeking power not for the good of others, but for themselves.
In Sarmonia, Hal hopes to gain the kingdom's aid in reclaiming his lost throne, while protecting his newborn son and heir. But the Fellowship is close on his heels. The final confrontation between Hal and the Fellowship, between Rani and Crestman, plays out in the forests of Sarmonia . . . and around an herb-witch named Kella, shifting back to Morenia and the capital of Moren only in the last few chapters.
The final resolution is in one aspect unexpected . . . and on another level, expected. Astute readers will have "guessed" the outcome of the Royal Pilgrim plotline after reading the fourth book. How that comes about couldn't have been predicted though. In the longrun, all of the various plotlines are brought to a satisfactory resolution, and we leave the survivors in satisfactory places, where we've wanted them to be for awhile anyways. There were some unexpected plot turns in this novel, as there have been in most of the novels. Mindy L. Klasky is certainly willing to have horrible things happen to her characters--horrible, but realistic things. I had no major stumbling blocks in this fifth book (unlike the one I had at the very end of the fourth), and felt the plot was solid. A minor quibble is mostly a pet peeve of mine regarding the mini-insanity of King Hal, with the triple rhymes that plagued him. I couldn't stand them, exulted when they vanished (mostly) in book 2, but cringed when they returned in various degrees in the later books. They return here, in full force. But that was an extremely minor peeve of my own, easily read over.
Overall, the series and Rani's story was interesting. I'm glad I hunted down the books and read them, especially since these are not urban fantasy and not really epic fantasy either. The magic in the series is subtle, when it's there at all, so the fantasy is more about the world itself. I enjoyed the books. The third is still my favorite, but this fifth novel comes in a close second.
July 7, 2013
The Glasswrights' Master is the final book in the Glasswrights series by Mindy L. Klasky. I've read the four previous books and enjoyed them on various levels. Some were better than others, of course. My favorite in the series is probably the third book, with its unique land and culture and the solidity of its plot. All five book deal with the story of Ranita Glasswright, with her starting as an apprentice in the guild before it is destroyed. Rani attempts to continue her studies throughout the books, and attempts to rebuild the guild itself, to return it to its former glory in her homeland. Throughout the books, she has many people who aid her, and relationships grow and change over the course of her story, some for the better, others . . . not so much.
Glasswrights' Mater review at SFReader.com
Glasswrights' Mater review at SFReader.com
October 10, 2012
I kept reading this series because I was looking at it as a whole - expecting the end of the series to have pay off that made the I-really-want-to-slap-her'ness of books 2-4 worth it.
Well, it didn't. Actually, it made it worse. Talk about horrilbe life and second fiddle and being "loved" because you are the go-to-fix-it girl for a weak king.
I'd had so much hope for these series during book one - the worldbuilding was interesting and I really had thought we were going to take a fantasy walk down the Henry V path. Not so much.
Lots of depression and sadness, no true pay off for it.
Well, it didn't. Actually, it made it worse. Talk about horrilbe life and second fiddle and being "loved" because you are the go-to-fix-it girl for a weak king.
I'd had so much hope for these series during book one - the worldbuilding was interesting and I really had thought we were going to take a fantasy walk down the Henry V path. Not so much.
Lots of depression and sadness, no true pay off for it.
August 28, 2009
I was disappointed in this series. I thought it worth a try since I liked a different series the author wrote (well...sort of liked). And I'm a sucker for all things fantasy. I literally felt (Ha! Literally!) like I was trudging through the story, wishing it would end soon. The 5th book was the best, but I don't think it was worth reading 4 books to get to it. There are MUCH better fantasy series out there. I'd skip this one and go straight to them.
February 2, 2012
Fine ending to the series. The first one was by far the best. And to be honest, I wish Rani would have gotten over Hal and continued doing her own thing...but true love perseveres, I suppose. So yay, happy ending.
June 18, 2008
I have a signed cover flat of this.
December 19, 2011
A satisfying ending to a terrific series. I'm a Mindy Klasky fan forever.
September 15, 2012
Last of a series, bleh, and it was okay. Decent enough read I suppose. =)
January 24, 2017
Read them all
If you like Game of Thrones but find it too long, complicated and wordy, read this series. It's like a combination of historical fiction, fantasy and folklore.
If you like Game of Thrones but find it too long, complicated and wordy, read this series. It's like a combination of historical fiction, fantasy and folklore.
April 23, 2016
bottom five endings ever
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews