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Indigo #7
Revenant
A town without pity. Or humor. Or joy of any kind.
The villagers of Joyful Travail are as cold as their stone dwellings—not a smile is seen, a joke told...or a child's laugh heard. Property, wealth, and only those things that will further the avarice of the townspeople are all that matters—and anyone who sees that which could bring joy back to the world is deemed a halfwit...or worse. As the immortal wanderer Indigo and her wolf companion Grimya struggle against the sadness that seems to surround these dour folk, one fact becomes crystal clear.
There is happiness to be found in Joyful Travail...but will Indigo have to destroy all who live in the village to truly set them free?
The villagers of Joyful Travail are as cold as their stone dwellings—not a smile is seen, a joke told...or a child's laugh heard. Property, wealth, and only those things that will further the avarice of the townspeople are all that matters—and anyone who sees that which could bring joy back to the world is deemed a halfwit...or worse. As the immortal wanderer Indigo and her wolf companion Grimya struggle against the sadness that seems to surround these dour folk, one fact becomes crystal clear.
There is happiness to be found in Joyful Travail...but will Indigo have to destroy all who live in the village to truly set them free?
312 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1992
1 person is currently reading
263 people want to read
About the author
Louise Cooper
153 books230 followersLouise Cooper was born in Hertfordshire in 1952. She began writing stories when she was at school to entertain her friends. She hated school so much, in fact—spending most lessons clandestinely writing stories—that she persuaded her parents to let her abandon her education at the age of fifteen and has never regretted it.
She continued to write and her first full-length novel was published when she was only twenty years old. She moved to London in 1975 and worked in publishing before becoming a full-time writer in 1977. Since then she has become a prolific writer of fantasy, renowned for her bestselling Time Master trilogy. She has published more than eighty fantasy and supernatural novels, both for adults and children. She also wrote occasional short stories for anthologies, and has co-written a comedy play that was produced for her local school.
Louise Cooper lived in Cornwall with her husband, Cas Sandall, and their black cat, Simba. She gained a great deal of writing inspiration from the coast and scenery, and her other interests included music, folklore, cooking, gardening and "messing about on the beach." Just to make sure she keeps busy, she was also treasurer of her local Lifeboat station.
Louise passed away suddenly from a brain aneurysm on Tuesday, October 20, 2009. She was a wonderful and talented lady and will be greatly missed.
She continued to write and her first full-length novel was published when she was only twenty years old. She moved to London in 1975 and worked in publishing before becoming a full-time writer in 1977. Since then she has become a prolific writer of fantasy, renowned for her bestselling Time Master trilogy. She has published more than eighty fantasy and supernatural novels, both for adults and children. She also wrote occasional short stories for anthologies, and has co-written a comedy play that was produced for her local school.
Louise Cooper lived in Cornwall with her husband, Cas Sandall, and their black cat, Simba. She gained a great deal of writing inspiration from the coast and scenery, and her other interests included music, folklore, cooking, gardening and "messing about on the beach." Just to make sure she keeps busy, she was also treasurer of her local Lifeboat station.
Louise passed away suddenly from a brain aneurysm on Tuesday, October 20, 2009. She was a wonderful and talented lady and will be greatly missed.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 31, 2019
This seventh volume in the series takes up where Indigo and Grimya, the sentient talking wolf who has been her faithful companion on her long quest, have travelled to somewhere on the eastern continent (not marked on the map at the begining slightly frustratingly, but we know that it is not too far from the place where they spent many years in what I think was book 3) to give Indigo some time to recover after the traumas of the previous book. At the end of that story she threw away the talisman that had hitherto led her to where each demon that she must defeat was residing: the demons that she unleashed with her foolish and arrogant behaviour in book one. She has now decided that she will try to find her lost love Fenran instead of assuming that she must defeat all the demons first.
They are in a strange country where everything is extremely ordered and hierarchical. The rigid social order is defined by the wearing of coloured sashes. Committees are in charge of each town, and an area is set aside for foreigners such as Indigo. Everyone must have a utilitarian value: luckily, she has some herbal knowledge which leads to her being co-opted as a replacement physician in the community of Joyful Travail, the previous incumbent having died. A family in the foreign enclave become her hosts: parents and son and daughter. But even before her arrival a slightly creepy note has been struck because both Indigo and Grimya have been aware of whispering children's voices that have followed them on the road and now are heard at night, along with glimpses of ghostlike child figures. And it soon becomes apparent that no one, apart from the youngest child in the family, the son, can admit that they are aware of any of these presences.
In this story Indigo finally comes to terms with a longterm adversary. But first she must plunge into conflict with the townspeople, refusing to heed the wise council of Grimya despite the wolf's past demonstration that her instincts are usually better than Indigo's rationalisations and speculations. Quite a large part of the story and its central conflict all turns on Indigo's stubborness, which has been shown several times before. She can be quite an irritating character because of her persistent refusal to learn, though . Although I enjoyed the interaction with new characters such as The Benefactor, a mysterious man who has a deep connection with the souless and materialistic character of his people, an elderly woman who has managed to keep alive the inner joy that the rest have crushed out of themselves, and the young son of the family, plus my favourite character, Grimya, I have to deduct a star because of Indigo's persistent pig-headedness. But I suppose if she did the sensible thing for once it would be quite a short book! So a 4-star rating from me.
They are in a strange country where everything is extremely ordered and hierarchical. The rigid social order is defined by the wearing of coloured sashes. Committees are in charge of each town, and an area is set aside for foreigners such as Indigo. Everyone must have a utilitarian value: luckily, she has some herbal knowledge which leads to her being co-opted as a replacement physician in the community of Joyful Travail, the previous incumbent having died. A family in the foreign enclave become her hosts: parents and son and daughter. But even before her arrival a slightly creepy note has been struck because both Indigo and Grimya have been aware of whispering children's voices that have followed them on the road and now are heard at night, along with glimpses of ghostlike child figures. And it soon becomes apparent that no one, apart from the youngest child in the family, the son, can admit that they are aware of any of these presences.
In this story Indigo finally comes to terms with a longterm adversary. But first she must plunge into conflict with the townspeople, refusing to heed the wise council of Grimya despite the wolf's past demonstration that her instincts are usually better than Indigo's rationalisations and speculations. Quite a large part of the story and its central conflict all turns on Indigo's stubborness, which has been shown several times before. She can be quite an irritating character because of her persistent refusal to learn, though . Although I enjoyed the interaction with new characters such as The Benefactor, a mysterious man who has a deep connection with the souless and materialistic character of his people, an elderly woman who has managed to keep alive the inner joy that the rest have crushed out of themselves, and the young son of the family, plus my favourite character, Grimya, I have to deduct a star because of Indigo's persistent pig-headedness. But I suppose if she did the sensible thing for once it would be quite a short book! So a 4-star rating from me.
August 21, 2019
Relectura 2019
En su día fue el que menos me gustó de la saga y esta vez ha sido el que más (de momento). Aunque el comienzo hace que sospeches que Cooper está recreando un poblado de la China comunista, enseguida te das cuenta de que el tema es otro. Porque, al contrario de lo que sucedía en los primeros libros de la saga, Espectros no es solo una novela de aventuras, tiene una enseñanza y una moraleja. Aunque en ocasiones se haga demasiado evidente, no deja de ser interesante. Todos tenemos diversas facetas y no estamos completos sin todas ellas. Así de simple, pero es una idea que Índigo no está dispuesta a aceptar con facilidad...
Ni el demonio es un ser físico ni la lucha contra él se hace por medios convencionales. Índigo por fin se da cuenta de que no puede escapar a su destino y de que no estará completa hasta que acepte a esa parte de sí misma que quiere autodestruirse. Némesis, y esto es lo que aprendemos en Espectros, nunca ha sido un octavo demonio. Es esa vocecita que todos llevamos dentro y que nos dice que no valemos para nada y que no merece la pena luchar. Si dejamos que tome las riendas, mal. Pero, si la ignoramos, corremos el riesgo de no saber evaluar nuestras limitaciones y lanzarnos a los peligros. Como Índigo lleva haciendo 7 libros.
Sabiendo cómo concluye la saga, es curioso el desenlace de este libro. Voy a empezar "Anghara" con algo de miedo por si mi yo actual y el de 12 años que leyó esto en los noventa tienen una confrontación poco amistosa al ver el desenlace...
En su día fue el que menos me gustó de la saga y esta vez ha sido el que más (de momento). Aunque el comienzo hace que sospeches que Cooper está recreando un poblado de la China comunista, enseguida te das cuenta de que el tema es otro. Porque, al contrario de lo que sucedía en los primeros libros de la saga, Espectros no es solo una novela de aventuras, tiene una enseñanza y una moraleja. Aunque en ocasiones se haga demasiado evidente, no deja de ser interesante. Todos tenemos diversas facetas y no estamos completos sin todas ellas. Así de simple, pero es una idea que Índigo no está dispuesta a aceptar con facilidad...
Ni el demonio es un ser físico ni la lucha contra él se hace por medios convencionales. Índigo por fin se da cuenta de que no puede escapar a su destino y de que no estará completa hasta que acepte a esa parte de sí misma que quiere autodestruirse. Némesis, y esto es lo que aprendemos en Espectros, nunca ha sido un octavo demonio. Es esa vocecita que todos llevamos dentro y que nos dice que no valemos para nada y que no merece la pena luchar. Si dejamos que tome las riendas, mal. Pero, si la ignoramos, corremos el riesgo de no saber evaluar nuestras limitaciones y lanzarnos a los peligros. Como Índigo lleva haciendo 7 libros.
Sabiendo cómo concluye la saga, es curioso el desenlace de este libro. Voy a empezar "Anghara" con algo de miedo por si mi yo actual y el de 12 años que leyó esto en los noventa tienen una confrontación poco amistosa al ver el desenlace...
July 15, 2025
Indigo tuvo suficiente, y ahora solamente le importa encontrar a Fenran.
Después de todas las cosas que vivieron ella y Grimya, no puedo decir que la culpe.
Ya sin brújula Indigo y Grimya se guían por instinto (siempre tan presente en esta historia) y eso las lleva a un pueblo muy peculiar. No sólo sus habitantes son hostiles y desprecian a los extranjeros –que se detectan a simple vista, lo que junto a algunos nombres me hizo pensar que esta región podía ser algo del estilo de la China de hace un par de siglos atrás–, sino que además están completamente avocados a la practicidad.
Esto, sumado a que Indigo es considerada muy inferior (aunque irónicamente es hija de reyes), será lo que les dificulte en extremo el averiguar qué son esas voces fantasmales que vienen persiguiendo a las protagonistas.
Desde el último libro los demonios se volvieron mucho más abstractos y hay que pensar un poco lateralmente para descubrir qué va a ser el de turno. Dicho eso, creí que había deducido bien y me equivoqué:
Durante me estresé. Sigue llamándome la atención lo bien que la autora genera tensión en la historia aún sabiendo que ni Indigo ni Grimya pueden morir. Creo estar en minoría por lo que vi en otras opiniones, pero yo no siento que Indigo fuese testaruda en este libro sino fiel a su experiencia. Considerando todo lo que vivió, no puedo culparla por su desconfianza.
Pero hablando de bien escrito, hay una sección de este libro que me hizo pensar en
El desenlace en un momento me resultó repetitivo, pero luego ocurre algo que nuevamente lo cambia todo. Creí que
El final me resultó muy triste, pero al mismo tiempo me hizo querer empezar inmediatamente el último libro.
Ha dado inicio el desenlace de esta historia.
Después de todas las cosas que vivieron ella y Grimya, no puedo decir que la culpe.
Ya sin brújula Indigo y Grimya se guían por instinto (siempre tan presente en esta historia) y eso las lleva a un pueblo muy peculiar. No sólo sus habitantes son hostiles y desprecian a los extranjeros –que se detectan a simple vista, lo que junto a algunos nombres me hizo pensar que esta región podía ser algo del estilo de la China de hace un par de siglos atrás–, sino que además están completamente avocados a la practicidad.
Esto, sumado a que Indigo es considerada muy inferior (aunque irónicamente es hija de reyes), será lo que les dificulte en extremo el averiguar qué son esas voces fantasmales que vienen persiguiendo a las protagonistas.
Desde el último libro los demonios se volvieron mucho más abstractos y hay que pensar un poco lateralmente para descubrir qué va a ser el de turno. Dicho eso, creí que había deducido bien y me equivoqué:
Durante me estresé. Sigue llamándome la atención lo bien que la autora genera tensión en la historia aún sabiendo que ni Indigo ni Grimya pueden morir. Creo estar en minoría por lo que vi en otras opiniones, pero yo no siento que Indigo fuese testaruda en este libro sino fiel a su experiencia. Considerando todo lo que vivió, no puedo culparla por su desconfianza.
Pero hablando de bien escrito, hay una sección de este libro que me hizo pensar en
El desenlace en un momento me resultó repetitivo, pero luego ocurre algo que nuevamente lo cambia todo. Creí que
El final me resultó muy triste, pero al mismo tiempo me hizo querer empezar inmediatamente el último libro.
Ha dado inicio el desenlace de esta historia.
May 16, 2019
Leed si queréis la review del primero de la saga, pero casi mejor que os olvidéis de la saga, de la review y de la autora. Hay cosas mucho mejores dentro del género pululando por las librerías.
Read
August 2, 2020It's got a -really- -hot- pic of Indigo on the cover looking like a babe.:) ... Um, that's it.
September 5, 2020
Very dystopian, perhaps the most depressing book of the series.
January 11, 2021
Una de las primeras obras de alta fantasía que leí sin saber que era este subgenero. Me gustó muchísimo, recordemos que cuando se escribió no existía el internet de hoy día.
May 16, 2024
Me encantó este libro. Aunque Indigo es desesperante a ratos. Mimino fue un gran personaje y Grimya, la mejor.
August 19, 2021
The fact that I've read this set three times is rare for me and I enjoyed this and whole set each time.
The children and the odd world within a world added a new dimension. It also broke up the strain of the bland world they had to live in! Called Joyful Travail the people seemed to have focused on the Travail rather than the Joyful!
Her imaginative writing draws me in every time, leading to many extra late nights as I can't put them down!
The children and the odd world within a world added a new dimension. It also broke up the strain of the bland world they had to live in! Called Joyful Travail the people seemed to have focused on the Travail rather than the Joyful!
Her imaginative writing draws me in every time, leading to many extra late nights as I can't put them down!
January 27, 2008
By far one of the best books in the series, complete with a satisfying conclusion with hope for the future and final book. Because of the content of the book and the themes, it read more like a suspense / borderline horror novel than fantasy.
June 21, 2008
Now that Indigo is no longer systematically hunting the demons since giving away her lodestone, I was gratified by the way the author got her back in the swing of things. The demons are getting more abstract, and thus correspondingly more complex to write.
August 16, 2013
Every book had a dark undertone ... Overall feeling was of gloom throughout the series. Having started the first, I was compelled to finish it ... But this series put me off this type of fiction for yrs!
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July 25, 2011loved this series
August 31, 2012
Maybe 3.5
I was about to give it a 4 because I liked all the plot that went around Indigo, but her behavior just ruined it for me.
I was about to give it a 4 because I liked all the plot that went around Indigo, but her behavior just ruined it for me.
February 3, 2016
Lo que mejor tiene este libro es la muestra de como la ausencia de algo en el espiritu humano puede afectar a la forma en que hacemos las cosas.
September 30, 2015
just for the record
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews