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Ivory #3
Guilt-Edged Ivory
Quiet, scholarly Theodora of Pyrene is lured to the exotic and treacherous Ivory where she and Ran, the leader of a powerful family of sorcerers, must prove they are innocent of killing a member of an aristocratic family.
316 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1992
116 people want to read
About the author
Doris Egan
7 books43 followersDoris Egan (1955—) is an American screenwriter, producer, and writer. She has worked on Smallville, Dark Angel, and House as well as many other television programs.
Also publishes as Jane Emerson.
Also publishes as Jane Emerson.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 8, 2013
This is the last of the Ivory books, and I wish there were more. Overall I’d give the series 3.5 stars, and recommend it to those who like 80’s soft sci-fi. It’s well written, with a nicely understated romance.
It totters between sci-fi and fantasy: it’s about a space-faring society, but the action all takes place on the planet Ivory, which has a low-tech culture beginning to adapt to high tech, and also happens to have a few people who can do magic, the source of which is poorly understood. There is some magic in the first book but very little in the next two.
In this third book, Theodora’s sorcerer husband is suspected of assassinating an aristocrat’s son during a society party, and Ran is concerned for his reputation. Not that he’s opposed to assassination, which is a common occurrence on Ivory, but he doesn’t want to be held responsible for such shoddy work. The story turns into a murder mystery, which Theodora and Ran try to solve, although I thought their motivations were a little weak.
There’s a side plot concerning Ran and Theodora’s plans to start a family, with some interesting thoughts on the differences in their upbringings: Ran was raised in an aristocratic family in a patriarchal cutthroat society, while Theodora spent her childhood in a creche on a high-tech planet which has eschewed family ties.
It totters between sci-fi and fantasy: it’s about a space-faring society, but the action all takes place on the planet Ivory, which has a low-tech culture beginning to adapt to high tech, and also happens to have a few people who can do magic, the source of which is poorly understood. There is some magic in the first book but very little in the next two.
In this third book, Theodora’s sorcerer husband is suspected of assassinating an aristocrat’s son during a society party, and Ran is concerned for his reputation. Not that he’s opposed to assassination, which is a common occurrence on Ivory, but he doesn’t want to be held responsible for such shoddy work. The story turns into a murder mystery, which Theodora and Ran try to solve, although I thought their motivations were a little weak.
There’s a side plot concerning Ran and Theodora’s plans to start a family, with some interesting thoughts on the differences in their upbringings: Ran was raised in an aristocratic family in a patriarchal cutthroat society, while Theodora spent her childhood in a creche on a high-tech planet which has eschewed family ties.
February 16, 2019
A thoughtful ending to another entertaining book, and to an interesting series.
Necessary addendum: Theo's account of her visit to the gynecologist made me laugh so hard I had to find a tissue to wipe the tears from my eyes. That part by itself was a solid 5 stars.
Necessary addendum: Theo's account of her visit to the gynecologist made me laugh so hard I had to find a tissue to wipe the tears from my eyes. That part by itself was a solid 5 stars.
March 12, 2021
[I read old fantasy and sci-fi novels written by women authors in search of forgotten gems. See more at forfemfan.com]
Theodora and Ran are back to their normal life on Ivory, with "normal" being a maelstrom of deadly political intrigue and personal yet aristocratic-level drama. When these two forces come together, Ran again looks guilty of a crime he didn't commit. He and Theo search for the real culprit to clear their family name, but will Theo allow herself to be drawn too far into this dangerous game?
As mentioned, I'm on a quest to close out any unfinished yet liked series. Doris Egan's Ivory series meets these criteria and then some. The first book in the series— The Gate of Ivory —remains one of my absolute favorite ForFemFan finds. If you haven't read it, I suggest you stop now, order a copy, and come back later.
(Aside from the fact that Theo and Ran are both alive and together on Ivory—things I'd consider givens—I don't think I spoil anything. The Gate of Ivory is just that good of a book.)
Okay, so we're back in Ivory's capital, and Ran is again a suspect in a crime he didn't commit: the murder of the son of, essentially, a royal family.
The victim's family hires Ran to investigate the murder precisely because they suspect he was the hired assassin. By inviting Ran into their circle, they're essentially telling Ran's hypothetical employer that they're willing to talk.
Ran takes the job to try to clear his name; if he can find the killer, people will no longer suspect him. Mostly. If he can't find the killer, though, there's no serious concern. The authorities won't come after him; the other houses won't scorn him. Perhaps a few people will speculate about Ran's involvement, but it's far from damning.
This is good; another book dedicated to Ran on the run from the law might have felt like treading over familiar ground.
This is bad, though, because the plot stakes are low. At any point, Ran, Theo, and the gang can walk away from the investigation, no questions asked, without any concerns.
This is also bad because the book essentially becomes a whodunit.
I have nothing against whodunits; they can be a lot of fun. But whodunits rely on independent characters. The investigator can't get truly chummy with the suspect or the witness. And the relationship between the suspect and the witness probably will be covered without special care. In short, each character has to shine, but they tend to shine individually.
The special sauce of Doris Egan's writing is the relationships between her characters. It's the subtle things and how these subtle things build that crescendoes into undeniable brilliance. And that's pretty much absent.
We still have Ran and Theo, but their relationship can feel a little strained, and there's less to discover there. We've already had two books exploring their relationship.
Kylla is around, and while her relationship with Theo is still delightful, it's not particularly highlighted. And, again, they're already very well acquainted with each other.
An old friend shows up and is somewhat involved, and he's one of my favorite parts of the book because there's more nuance there. There's even one new character that feels like he has the potential to be as grand as the characters of previous novels, but the plot necessitates some distance between him and Theo.
Between the low-stakes plot and Theo's lack of good relationships with new characters, it just feels like something is missing.
I think Egan tried to counter this by throwing Theo into the investigation full-tilt. She's in mortal danger (because, of course, someone doesn't want them to find the culprit) over something she could walk away from, and yet she charges headfirst into more danger without much thought. It's not so over the top to be obnoxious, but it is a little out of character for Theo and thus feels a little inauthentic.
Oddly, I did like the b-story of Theo's fertility. She's worried about whether or not she and Ran can reproduce, given their very different backgrounds. What's more, she's worried that any pregnancy might end in disaster. And yet, if she cannot bear a Cormallon child, Ran will be forced to take another wife who can. She's in a tight spot.
This is a much more human storyline that relies on relationships and characterization. It's maybe not a storyline that I usually would gravitate to, but I can feel what makes Doris Egan's writing special within it. Which only made the other sections feel a little less full.
All of that said, it's not like Guilt-Edged Ivory is a bad book or anything. I cruised through it, never once second-guessing why I was reading it. Written by anyone else, my review would have been along the lines of "an above-average sff novel with a likable (if perhaps thick-headed) protagonist perfect for when you want something light." But with the memory of what I loved about the rest of the series still in my head, when I look back on Guilt-Edged Ivory, I can see what's missing.
No regrets, I absolutely would do-over. And it’s still far better than most books I read for ForFemFan. But by my metrics, this is by far the weakest novel of the Ivory series.
Theodora and Ran are back to their normal life on Ivory, with "normal" being a maelstrom of deadly political intrigue and personal yet aristocratic-level drama. When these two forces come together, Ran again looks guilty of a crime he didn't commit. He and Theo search for the real culprit to clear their family name, but will Theo allow herself to be drawn too far into this dangerous game?
As mentioned, I'm on a quest to close out any unfinished yet liked series. Doris Egan's Ivory series meets these criteria and then some. The first book in the series— The Gate of Ivory —remains one of my absolute favorite ForFemFan finds. If you haven't read it, I suggest you stop now, order a copy, and come back later.
(Aside from the fact that Theo and Ran are both alive and together on Ivory—things I'd consider givens—I don't think I spoil anything. The Gate of Ivory is just that good of a book.)
Okay, so we're back in Ivory's capital, and Ran is again a suspect in a crime he didn't commit: the murder of the son of, essentially, a royal family.
The victim's family hires Ran to investigate the murder precisely because they suspect he was the hired assassin. By inviting Ran into their circle, they're essentially telling Ran's hypothetical employer that they're willing to talk.
Ran takes the job to try to clear his name; if he can find the killer, people will no longer suspect him. Mostly. If he can't find the killer, though, there's no serious concern. The authorities won't come after him; the other houses won't scorn him. Perhaps a few people will speculate about Ran's involvement, but it's far from damning.
This is good; another book dedicated to Ran on the run from the law might have felt like treading over familiar ground.
This is bad, though, because the plot stakes are low. At any point, Ran, Theo, and the gang can walk away from the investigation, no questions asked, without any concerns.
This is also bad because the book essentially becomes a whodunit.
I have nothing against whodunits; they can be a lot of fun. But whodunits rely on independent characters. The investigator can't get truly chummy with the suspect or the witness. And the relationship between the suspect and the witness probably will be covered without special care. In short, each character has to shine, but they tend to shine individually.
The special sauce of Doris Egan's writing is the relationships between her characters. It's the subtle things and how these subtle things build that crescendoes into undeniable brilliance. And that's pretty much absent.
We still have Ran and Theo, but their relationship can feel a little strained, and there's less to discover there. We've already had two books exploring their relationship.
Kylla is around, and while her relationship with Theo is still delightful, it's not particularly highlighted. And, again, they're already very well acquainted with each other.
An old friend shows up and is somewhat involved, and he's one of my favorite parts of the book because there's more nuance there. There's even one new character that feels like he has the potential to be as grand as the characters of previous novels, but the plot necessitates some distance between him and Theo.
Between the low-stakes plot and Theo's lack of good relationships with new characters, it just feels like something is missing.
I think Egan tried to counter this by throwing Theo into the investigation full-tilt. She's in mortal danger (because, of course, someone doesn't want them to find the culprit) over something she could walk away from, and yet she charges headfirst into more danger without much thought. It's not so over the top to be obnoxious, but it is a little out of character for Theo and thus feels a little inauthentic.
Oddly, I did like the b-story of Theo's fertility. She's worried about whether or not she and Ran can reproduce, given their very different backgrounds. What's more, she's worried that any pregnancy might end in disaster. And yet, if she cannot bear a Cormallon child, Ran will be forced to take another wife who can. She's in a tight spot.
This is a much more human storyline that relies on relationships and characterization. It's maybe not a storyline that I usually would gravitate to, but I can feel what makes Doris Egan's writing special within it. Which only made the other sections feel a little less full.
All of that said, it's not like Guilt-Edged Ivory is a bad book or anything. I cruised through it, never once second-guessing why I was reading it. Written by anyone else, my review would have been along the lines of "an above-average sff novel with a likable (if perhaps thick-headed) protagonist perfect for when you want something light." But with the memory of what I loved about the rest of the series still in my head, when I look back on Guilt-Edged Ivory, I can see what's missing.
No regrets, I absolutely would do-over. And it’s still far better than most books I read for ForFemFan. But by my metrics, this is by far the weakest novel of the Ivory series.
June 2, 2024
More of a 4.5 but I couldn't round it up to a perfect 5/5 unfortunately though it was very close. This book had much better pacing than the second, but not as good as the first. It starts off very strong with an interesting case of a murder mystery where Ran is prime suspect number one.
One character who is incriminated later I didn't suspect for a long while, as soon as doubt is cast upon them I knew how the story would end. Not disappointing per se, but I'd hoped for more. Likewise the ending was a little slow and softer than I'd anticipated. Still good though.
All those beefs aside, I really enjoyed this series. It takes you on wild rides where half way through a book you stop and think "how did we get here from where we began?!" but it always wraps itself up. Theo is a fun perspective; the outsider trying to fit in with a completely different culture. Ran is funny if sometimes infuriating. Pretty much everyone feels so 'real' with how they think, speak and reason. The characters don't just 'enter stage right' and then leave once their job is done. Overall a fun read. Definitely recommend.
One character who is incriminated later I didn't suspect for a long while, as soon as doubt is cast upon them I knew how the story would end. Not disappointing per se, but I'd hoped for more. Likewise the ending was a little slow and softer than I'd anticipated. Still good though.
All those beefs aside, I really enjoyed this series. It takes you on wild rides where half way through a book you stop and think "how did we get here from where we began?!" but it always wraps itself up. Theo is a fun perspective; the outsider trying to fit in with a completely different culture. Ran is funny if sometimes infuriating. Pretty much everyone feels so 'real' with how they think, speak and reason. The characters don't just 'enter stage right' and then leave once their job is done. Overall a fun read. Definitely recommend.
June 24, 2021
https://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2021/0...
In the final volume of the Ivory series, our protagonists are married, dealing with the pressure to have kids, and also solving a murder mystery! The mystery itself is pretty satisfying; I guessed some but not all of it. But of course once again the plot isn’t even really the point! This whole series is somehow a sci fi magical stream of consciousness slice of life story! I wish there was more because I just enjoyed these characters and their relationships and the narrative voice so much. A/A-.
In the final volume of the Ivory series, our protagonists are married, dealing with the pressure to have kids, and also solving a murder mystery! The mystery itself is pretty satisfying; I guessed some but not all of it. But of course once again the plot isn’t even really the point! This whole series is somehow a sci fi magical stream of consciousness slice of life story! I wish there was more because I just enjoyed these characters and their relationships and the narrative voice so much. A/A-.
July 3, 2018
I liked the characters and the "mystery", but this story lacked some momentum. I believe this is the last in the series, and it doesn't quite tie up all the loose ends, but it was ok. I think it's interesting that I would consider the first book a fantasy/sci-fi mystery, the second was more of a heist story and the third was a fantasy whodunnit.
April 26, 2020
The mystery is intriguing, and I continue to love this world. I only wish there were about eleventy-one more novels in the series, instead of this being the last one!
The fertility subplot didn't appeal to me, although the gynecological visit was hilarious.
The fertility subplot didn't appeal to me, although the gynecological visit was hilarious.
September 29, 2020
3.5* The humor and good relationships were still there but I didn't care for the reproduction aspect.
May 26, 2021
Three and a half stars
September 30, 2014
When a murder happens in the middle of a boating party, eyes are cast mistrustfully at Ran. But when he's hired to figure out who's the murderer, of course there's always going to be unforeseeable problems. Add on to all of that, there's also a wedding that needs to be stopped, a baby that needs to happen, and more.
I liked that we got a glimpse into the major houses, as that had been mentioned earlier but never really shown in depth.
I think the whole murder mystery thing was a bit lack-luster because I never really found a reason to care. It didn't directly impact either Ran or Theodora, so eh.
The pregnancy issue was a little more of interest, but it was hardly mentioned.
The interactions between Ran and Stereth were always interesting, but never fully fleshed out.
This is a bit of a forgettable book. It doesn't have any real impact, for me. It's good to read because I like the characters and the world already. But it's not something I would have to reread or recommend.
2.5 rounded up.
I liked that we got a glimpse into the major houses, as that had been mentioned earlier but never really shown in depth.
I think the whole murder mystery thing was a bit lack-luster because I never really found a reason to care. It didn't directly impact either Ran or Theodora, so eh.
The pregnancy issue was a little more of interest, but it was hardly mentioned.
The interactions between Ran and Stereth were always interesting, but never fully fleshed out.
This is a bit of a forgettable book. It doesn't have any real impact, for me. It's good to read because I like the characters and the world already. But it's not something I would have to reread or recommend.
2.5 rounded up.
January 28, 2015
První díl trilogie o Ivory je jedna z mých nejoblíbenějších knih. Třetí díl není přeložený do češtiny a když jsem ho četla poprvé, musela jsem hledat ve slovníku prakticky neustále, než jsem se dostala na konec, trvalo to tři měsíce a mám pocit, že mé tehdejší hodnocení vycházelo z radosti, že jsem vůbec byla schopná se dokodrcat až k závěru. V současnosti už čtu v angličtině běžně a proto jsem se odhodlala k jakési "revizi". Trochu jsem se bála, protože poměrně často pokračování skvělé knihy zklame všechna očekávání.
Pro milovníky detektivek - je to spíš dobrodružný román s detektivní zápletkou, ale i tak jsem se skvěle bavila. Theodořina touha znát konec příběhu je lepší motivace, než má spousta literárních "opravdových" detektivů. Svět Ivory je barvitý, zajímavý, kouzelný a přitom uvěřitelný. Kombinace sci-fi s nádechem fantasy a příběhu s tajemstvím skvěle funguje a jediné, co mě mrzí je, že série nemá další pokračování.
Pro milovníky detektivek - je to spíš dobrodružný román s detektivní zápletkou, ale i tak jsem se skvěle bavila. Theodořina touha znát konec příběhu je lepší motivace, než má spousta literárních "opravdových" detektivů. Svět Ivory je barvitý, zajímavý, kouzelný a přitom uvěřitelný. Kombinace sci-fi s nádechem fantasy a příběhu s tajemstvím skvěle funguje a jediné, co mě mrzí je, že série nemá další pokračování.
February 20, 2013
This one was funnier (several out loud chuckles made my coworkers look at me oddly while at lunch) than the first two and had a bittersweet ending. I don't believe the author wrote another book in this setting so I'll never know...oh well, I enjoyed the story.
On the whole I really liked this trilogy - sort of a futuristic fantasy with extraplanetary travel and tourism, technological advances but magic and superstition ride right alongside the tech. Sort of an inverted steampunk vibe. Our hero is from a planet that is technologically advanced and has moved away from the insular family ideal but ends up alone and penniless on a planet that accepts and uses technology right along with their own magic and superstition. Each book was pretty short with interesting adventures. Definitely recommended to fantasy and science fiction fans alike.
On the whole I really liked this trilogy - sort of a futuristic fantasy with extraplanetary travel and tourism, technological advances but magic and superstition ride right alongside the tech. Sort of an inverted steampunk vibe. Our hero is from a planet that is technologically advanced and has moved away from the insular family ideal but ends up alone and penniless on a planet that accepts and uses technology right along with their own magic and superstition. Each book was pretty short with interesting adventures. Definitely recommended to fantasy and science fiction fans alike.
August 8, 2024
Reread; I own the paperback omnibus, but I'm actually reading a dubious scanned version on my phone. I'm glad to have the opportunity to revisit this series. Still enjoyable, though the viewpoint character took way too long to figure out whodunit. The cultural stuff is a good part of what I like about these books.
July 21, 2013
The last of the trilogy and I wish there were more. All three were light, fun reads with lots of witty, insightful writing. One comment made by Ran when he said Theo was really getting good at sex and she takes offence was pretty funny when he doesn't understand why a compliment (he thinks) that she had improved was taken as a insult (she thinks).
May 1, 2008
The third book in the Theodora-and-Ran trilogy, I didn't like it as much as the first two, but still enjoyed it very much. (I honestly can't remember much of the plot now - is that bad?)
September 16, 2010
Not the faintest idea why I found this to be more readable than the first two, but I did. An enjoyable little jaunt.
October 6, 2012
I see there's a three in one edition out there...BUY IT. Great series.
November 23, 2012
As with the first two in the series, this trilogy is just light fluff and adventure. No D&Ms (Deep&Meaningfuls), just hang on for a fun ride :)
March 2, 2014
Ms. Egan is very competent in concluding all storylines. It is refreshing to finish a book and not have any unanswered questions.
December 29, 2015
I still really like this trilogy, but this isn't as great as the first two...but still funny and a light easy read.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews