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The Fall of Ile-Rien #2
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Niezwykły styl narracji Marthy Wells zwrócił już wcześniej na siebie uwagę recenzentów amerykańskich jak również innych autorów fantasy. Pierwszy tom nowej epickiej trylogii nominowanej do Nagrody Nebula autorki "Śmierci nekromanty" oraz "Koła nieskończoności" oszałamia surową, ale zapierającą dech wizją świata magii zagrożonego zagładą.
Kraina Ile-Rein, pomimo bohaterskiej walki z przeważającymi siłami wroga, upadła pod naporem Gardier - pozbawionej twarzy armii magów, która za wszelką cenę dąży do podboju całej cywilizacji. Chcąc ocalić resztki swojego kraju, była dramatopisarka Tremaine Valiarde podejmuje długą podróż, by powstrzymać tajemniczy Gardier. Ratuje od zniszczenia wspaniały okręt (Królowa Rawenna), po czym wraz z grupą czarodziejów i wojowników płynie przez magiczne morza. Po drodze napotyka wiele niebezpieczeństw i dokonuje licznych odkryć, gdyż tajemnica, która pozwoli pokonać wrogów - i uratować świat od bezgranicznej nienawiści Gardier - leży daleko poza granicami świata. Tylko wątłe nici przyjaźni i honoru pozwolą grupie przetrwać próbę. Gardier to jednak nie jedyne zło w tym pełnym zamętu świecie. Pradawna groza czai się w pysznych komnatach i na mrocznych pokładach "Królowej Rawenny" - siła i tajemnicza, że nawet coraz większa moc magicznej kuli może nie uratować Ile-Rien od nieodwracalnej klęski.
Kraina Ile-Rein, pomimo bohaterskiej walki z przeważającymi siłami wroga, upadła pod naporem Gardier - pozbawionej twarzy armii magów, która za wszelką cenę dąży do podboju całej cywilizacji. Chcąc ocalić resztki swojego kraju, była dramatopisarka Tremaine Valiarde podejmuje długą podróż, by powstrzymać tajemniczy Gardier. Ratuje od zniszczenia wspaniały okręt (Królowa Rawenna), po czym wraz z grupą czarodziejów i wojowników płynie przez magiczne morza. Po drodze napotyka wiele niebezpieczeństw i dokonuje licznych odkryć, gdyż tajemnica, która pozwoli pokonać wrogów - i uratować świat od bezgranicznej nienawiści Gardier - leży daleko poza granicami świata. Tylko wątłe nici przyjaźni i honoru pozwolą grupie przetrwać próbę. Gardier to jednak nie jedyne zło w tym pełnym zamętu świecie. Pradawna groza czai się w pysznych komnatach i na mrocznych pokładach "Królowej Rawenny" - siła i tajemnicza, że nawet coraz większa moc magicznej kuli może nie uratować Ile-Rien od nieodwracalnej klęski.
512 pages, Paperback
First published June 29, 2004
233 people are currently reading
1577 people want to read
About the author
Martha Wells
109 books24.9k followersMartha Wells has been an SF/F writer since her first fantasy novel was published in 1993, and her work includes The Books of the Raksura series, the Ile-Rien series, The Murderbot Diaries series, and other fantasy novels, most recently Witch King (Tordotcom, 2023). She has also written media tie-in fiction for Star Wars, Stargate: Atlantis, and Magic: the Gathering, as well as short fiction, YA novels, and non-fiction. She has won Nebula Awards, Hugo Awards, Locus Awards, and a Dragon Award, and her work has appeared on the Philip K. Dick Award ballot, the British Science Fiction Association Award ballot, the USA Today Bestseller List, the Sunday Times Bestseller List, and the New York Times Bestseller List. She is a member of the Texas Literary Hall of Fame, and her books have been published in twenty-five languages.
She is also a consulting producer on The Murderbot Diaries series for Apple TV+.
She is also a consulting producer on The Murderbot Diaries series for Apple TV+.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews
February 5, 2023
The second book of the action/adventure fantasy series describing the defeat of the Ile-Rien kingdom by airborne attacks from a mysterious enemy known as the Gardier.
For those readers who only discovered Martha Wells through her Murderbot SF series, I strongly encourage them to check out her earlier novels: her obvious talent for original worldbuilding, interesting lead characters and tongue-in-cheek delivery was obvious right from the start, with probably only Lois McMaster Bujold coming close in terms of skill and themes.
Ile-Rien was one of her favourite destinations, with a couple of stand-alone novels describing the more medieval, early industrial periods in the history of the kingdom, leading to this modern technology series, where we have telephones, radio, newspapers, various guns and powerful ships alongside magic practitioners.
This advanced quasi-imperial civilization is attacked from the air by newcomers who use different spells to destroy or cancel Rienish magicks and weaponry, leaving the land exposed to a sort of blitzkrieg carried from zeppelins.
The other strength of the Gardier invaders is their extensive use of spy networks, allowing precise targetting of key sites and people.
At the end of the first volume, a small group of Rienish scientists develop a new technology to open gateways / portals between worlds, who then discover that the Gardier come from a different world, and that they use a third world [Cyneth] as a relay station.
This group of Rienish scientists are fronted by a curious woman who appears to have a split personality: half timid and suicidal, half ruthless James Bond impersonator. Tremaine Valiarde is worth the price of admission all on her own, but she is well supported by her friends and allies in her quest to subvert the war plans of the Gardier.
If the first book was build around a commando-like mission against a secret Gardier island in the realm of the wizard-hunters, the second one deals mostly with the voyage of the last huge ocean liner of the Ile-Rien fleet. ‘The Queen Ravenna’ is a luxury ship, converted as a refugee transport, modelled on the well known QE2 liner. Equipped with a mobile gate-opener and with newly developed magical protections, the Ravenna is the last hope for the survivors of the defeat of Rienish forces at the end of book one.
Aboard the ship, beside Tremaine, her wizard uncle Gerard and the apprentice Florian, all familiar from the first episode, is a contingent of Syprians – recruited as allies through an impulsive marriage between Tremayne and Ilias, one of the wizard hunters she met on the Gardier island. This is cause for a lot of funny and endearing moments, as the cultural clash between the mysoginistic Ile-Rien and the Cyneth matriarchate puts the budding romance between Tremayne and Ilias through the wringer.
Still, there is a war going on, and this remains an action oriented fantasy, with numerous battles between ship and zeppelins, with another commando attack against a Gardier base and even with a behind the lines mission on the Gardier homeworld.
Much is revealed about the way the Gardier use crystals to enslave the souls of sorcerers and make them do their bidding, also about the curious, dystopian nature of the Gardier society where each citizen is assigned into a useful class and has to obey the rules.
Much is still left to discover and to do in the last book of the series, with the greatest mystery yet unsolved that could provide the Rienish-Syprian alliance with the tools to counteract the Gardier offensive. Namely: the origins and the method to control the portal-opening spheres between worlds. This, and the role of the rogue sorcerer Ixion, a sort of powerful Joker card that is kept in reserve for now.
>>><<<>>><<<
I was so caught up in the action that I didn’t pay any attention to taking notes or to bookmark style and dialogue. The series is the genuine page-turner, and I believe I will need a re-read in order to discuss the finer points of social interactions and all the ways Tremaine manages to be both funny and hard-boiled. The good stuff is definitely included in the text, but I was too busy to find out what kind of trouble is waiting around the next corridor of the huge ship.
I’m also hoping for a big payout in the romance department. Tremaine deserves it, mostly because she has shown me she can be a bad girl when the situation requires it.
For those readers who only discovered Martha Wells through her Murderbot SF series, I strongly encourage them to check out her earlier novels: her obvious talent for original worldbuilding, interesting lead characters and tongue-in-cheek delivery was obvious right from the start, with probably only Lois McMaster Bujold coming close in terms of skill and themes.
Ile-Rien was one of her favourite destinations, with a couple of stand-alone novels describing the more medieval, early industrial periods in the history of the kingdom, leading to this modern technology series, where we have telephones, radio, newspapers, various guns and powerful ships alongside magic practitioners.
This advanced quasi-imperial civilization is attacked from the air by newcomers who use different spells to destroy or cancel Rienish magicks and weaponry, leaving the land exposed to a sort of blitzkrieg carried from zeppelins.
The other strength of the Gardier invaders is their extensive use of spy networks, allowing precise targetting of key sites and people.
At the end of the first volume, a small group of Rienish scientists develop a new technology to open gateways / portals between worlds, who then discover that the Gardier come from a different world, and that they use a third world [Cyneth] as a relay station.
This group of Rienish scientists are fronted by a curious woman who appears to have a split personality: half timid and suicidal, half ruthless James Bond impersonator. Tremaine Valiarde is worth the price of admission all on her own, but she is well supported by her friends and allies in her quest to subvert the war plans of the Gardier.
If the first book was build around a commando-like mission against a secret Gardier island in the realm of the wizard-hunters, the second one deals mostly with the voyage of the last huge ocean liner of the Ile-Rien fleet. ‘The Queen Ravenna’ is a luxury ship, converted as a refugee transport, modelled on the well known QE2 liner. Equipped with a mobile gate-opener and with newly developed magical protections, the Ravenna is the last hope for the survivors of the defeat of Rienish forces at the end of book one.
Aboard the ship, beside Tremaine, her wizard uncle Gerard and the apprentice Florian, all familiar from the first episode, is a contingent of Syprians – recruited as allies through an impulsive marriage between Tremayne and Ilias, one of the wizard hunters she met on the Gardier island. This is cause for a lot of funny and endearing moments, as the cultural clash between the mysoginistic Ile-Rien and the Cyneth matriarchate puts the budding romance between Tremayne and Ilias through the wringer.
Still, there is a war going on, and this remains an action oriented fantasy, with numerous battles between ship and zeppelins, with another commando attack against a Gardier base and even with a behind the lines mission on the Gardier homeworld.
Much is revealed about the way the Gardier use crystals to enslave the souls of sorcerers and make them do their bidding, also about the curious, dystopian nature of the Gardier society where each citizen is assigned into a useful class and has to obey the rules.
Much is still left to discover and to do in the last book of the series, with the greatest mystery yet unsolved that could provide the Rienish-Syprian alliance with the tools to counteract the Gardier offensive. Namely: the origins and the method to control the portal-opening spheres between worlds. This, and the role of the rogue sorcerer Ixion, a sort of powerful Joker card that is kept in reserve for now.
>>><<<>>><<<
I was so caught up in the action that I didn’t pay any attention to taking notes or to bookmark style and dialogue. The series is the genuine page-turner, and I believe I will need a re-read in order to discuss the finer points of social interactions and all the ways Tremaine manages to be both funny and hard-boiled. The good stuff is definitely included in the text, but I was too busy to find out what kind of trouble is waiting around the next corridor of the huge ship.
I’m also hoping for a big payout in the romance department. Tremaine deserves it, mostly because she has shown me she can be a bad girl when the situation requires it.
June 19, 2015
With new magical resources, the good guys start thinking they may have some minor chance of not being totally doomed.
Absolutely read volume one first as the action is in full swing here.
Additional stories about some of the characters are available free at http://www.marthawells.com/housesdead...
Edit ---------
Although I highly recommend this series, don't expect to borrow my copies.
So sad.
Absolutely read volume one first as the action is in full swing here.
Additional stories about some of the characters are available free at http://www.marthawells.com/housesdead...
Edit ---------
Although I highly recommend this series, don't expect to borrow my copies.
So sad.
May 4, 2021
4.5 stars rounded up because I deeply enjoyed the ride and a couple sudden resolutions in the closing chapters don’t offset the gratification of a good read (it was 03:26 AM, just for full disclosure. Yes, that good).
I particularly like that the story fits in the mould of “canon” epic fantasy while featuring a cast of well-rounded and faceted characters. I’ve great expectations for the final installment of this series.
I can’t believe the tale so far can be ascribed as an early work, it speaks volumes for the talent of this incredible fantasists, whose creativity and writing grace never fails to immerse the reader in her worlds.
It was strange to be the peacemaker. All in all, she thought being the troublemaker was a more advantageous position, and less stressful.
I particularly like that the story fits in the mould of “canon” epic fantasy while featuring a cast of well-rounded and faceted characters. I’ve great expectations for the final installment of this series.
I can’t believe the tale so far can be ascribed as an early work, it speaks volumes for the talent of this incredible fantasists, whose creativity and writing grace never fails to immerse the reader in her worlds.
It was strange to be the peacemaker. All in all, she thought being the troublemaker was a more advantageous position, and less stressful.
December 14, 2020
This series has all the elements of a perfect steampunk fantasy adventure. There’s a strong-willed female protagonist with a dry, self-deprecating sense of humour, a clockwork sphere full of wizardry, and of course, air ships. Not to mention a cast of endearing side characters and lots of developing friendships and alliances. Martha Well’s world building and characterization powers are in full swing, even though this is one of her earlier series. It’s just as captivating as watching a Studio Ghibli movie.
Detailed world building might slow down the action at times, but it was totally worth it for me.
This is the second book of a three part series. There’s also two books from a prequel series, which you don’t need to read to understand the events in this series.
Detailed world building might slow down the action at times, but it was totally worth it for me.
This is the second book of a three part series. There’s also two books from a prequel series, which you don’t need to read to understand the events in this series.
September 11, 2019
On the one hand, I can see the occasional flaws here and there, in characterization or plotting or what-not, and I still think this is some of Martha Wells's weaker work. On the other hand, I still love the characters, and the plot is gripping enough that I just race through the book without putting it down -- which is rare.
Basically, even a weak Martha Wells novel is worth three of a lesser author's.
Basically, even a weak Martha Wells novel is worth three of a lesser author's.
April 21, 2023
4.5 Un tome 2 très réussi! Bien moins de longueurs que dans le premier, le plot général avance tranquillement mais on ne s'ennui pas et surtout que-du-plai-siiiir de retrouver et suivre Tremaine <3 Je lirais le dernier tome c'est certain!
August 6, 2018
A steampunk cruise ship (hastily retrofitted as a troop transport) has been teleported to a parallel fantasy world. And it is good.
Need I say more?
Yes. There are ZEPPELINS.
Also, hordes of bad-guy nincompoops from which to steal said zeppelins.
Also, annoying relatives you can just yell at, with no negative consequences. If you’re into that sort of thing.
Also, politicians you can bully into doing what you want.
Also, I’m pretty sure the author originally wrote Ilias and Gilead as dogs, but made them humans because they needed to talk sometimes:
- Their main job is to sniff out the hiding bad guys
- Ilias is usually described as “fluffy”
- They are fiercely loyal and self-sacrificing
- They obey you and never give unsolicited advice
- During down time, you’ll probably find them wrestling on the floor.
- They mainly communicate through facial expressions
- They believe all technology is wizardry (read: “they are afraid of vacuum cleaners”)
Maybe the author is making the case that men would be better husbands if they were more like dogs, and I must admit, it’s hard to argue with her.
There are some flaws; I get the impression that this is some of the author’s earlier writing, but Wells makes up for it with a good story.
I must voice an objection to the scene where Tremaine bullies a religious minority she doesn’t like. She suspects a family on board has a wizard the officers don’t know about. She confronts the family in the cafeteria, very brusquely, flanked by her thuggish (albeit handsome) lackeys. When the alarmed father, quite reasonably, asks to see some credentials, she blows him off. This escalates into an altercation that almost results in the deaths of two of the man’s family.
When the father tries to press charges against Tremaine, Colonel Avery also blows him off, because he doesn’t like that ethnic minority, either.
The brusqueness and anger management issues are quite consistent with Tremaine’s character and mental health, but I feel this scene should have been followed with some karmic justice to show that the author, at least, is aware that persecuting minorities is not OK.
Need I say more?
Yes. There are ZEPPELINS.
Also, hordes of bad-guy nincompoops from which to steal said zeppelins.
Also, annoying relatives you can just yell at, with no negative consequences. If you’re into that sort of thing.
Also, politicians you can bully into doing what you want.
Also, I’m pretty sure the author originally wrote Ilias and Gilead as dogs, but made them humans because they needed to talk sometimes:
- Their main job is to sniff out the hiding bad guys
- Ilias is usually described as “fluffy”
- They are fiercely loyal and self-sacrificing
- They obey you and never give unsolicited advice
- During down time, you’ll probably find them wrestling on the floor.
- They mainly communicate through facial expressions
- They believe all technology is wizardry (read: “they are afraid of vacuum cleaners”)
Maybe the author is making the case that men would be better husbands if they were more like dogs, and I must admit, it’s hard to argue with her.
There are some flaws; I get the impression that this is some of the author’s earlier writing, but Wells makes up for it with a good story.
I must voice an objection to the scene where Tremaine bullies a religious minority she doesn’t like. She suspects a family on board has a wizard the officers don’t know about. She confronts the family in the cafeteria, very brusquely, flanked by her thuggish (albeit handsome) lackeys. When the alarmed father, quite reasonably, asks to see some credentials, she blows him off. This escalates into an altercation that almost results in the deaths of two of the man’s family.
When the father tries to press charges against Tremaine, Colonel Avery also blows him off, because he doesn’t like that ethnic minority, either.
The brusqueness and anger management issues are quite consistent with Tremaine’s character and mental health, but I feel this scene should have been followed with some karmic justice to show that the author, at least, is aware that persecuting minorities is not OK.
December 30, 2017
I love everyone one this gigantic ship, except for those two, you know who you are. And the main romantic relationship is utter perfection. Stuff it, the whole lot is utter perfection. Ensemble cast, language barriers, technology barriers, cultural barriers, mysteries and resourcefulness and bravery under pressure, and villains and allies that could really do with a punch to the face, it's got everything. And in between it all there are parts that make me laugh out loud with delight. Arii would like this series if she hasn't read it already, it's very hope-punk. And Veera you will appreciate the romance as much as I do. BRB off to read book 3 and hopefully avoid any hubris as a result of this glowing review.
Read
August 8, 2017Martha Wells' Ile-Rien novels are like heist caper + court politics, and they're lovely!
April 6, 2018
GUESS HOW DISTRESSED I AM AT THE LOSS OF THE POET.
NOPE, IT'S MORE THAN THAT!!
Also, Anders, you can just STEP OFF, buddy.
NOPE, IT'S MORE THAN THAT!!
Also, Anders, you can just STEP OFF, buddy.
January 27, 2025
Having been rather unimpressed by the first book, I'm not entirely sure why I continued the series, but I'm happy to report - hey, it ain't that bad!
It does start out a bit slow, and Wells quickly runs into her usual problem of introducing too many characters and fleshing out too few of them. Half the book is spent trying to figure out who is talking and giving up as even Google can't help with that. I learned more about one character after they had died than I had before, making it an awkward acquaintance (and painful too, as the little before had made them appealing and their death a surprising tragedy that haunted me for a while).
So, having started the book more out of a dumb sense of duty than any real interest (and because I wanted something light and nice that I don't have to care that much about), and finding the first part in line for another 3-star review, imagine my surprise that by the end of it I had actually begun to enjoy it.
A hint at the possibility did come earlier, as the characters settled down to an enjoyably intriguing journey in the confines of their ship, promising conflicts and challenges in an isolated setting, something that just has a special appeal to me.
But it's not just that - by leaving behind the rigidly predictable structure of the first book and instead diving into an open-ended adventure across the sea, it proved to be just what the series needed. Also leaving behind the final shackles of Ile-Rien, something Wells was obviously in a hurry to do, additionally liberates the new series from having to include a place that it's not really interested in anymore.
And by the time we got to a thrilling night-time action scene through a mysteriously misty medical facility, I was reminded of just how good Wells can be writing these nail-biting and sneaky action scenes working as thrilling forays into the unknown.
I even came to appreciate Tremaine, the morbid lead of the series, whose somewhat weightless presence in the first book proved a disappointment for the first female primary lead I've seen Wells have, and who began the second book by doubling down on her childish sense of being untouchable by the rules of society and law, one of those characters who does absurd and dumb things and yet receives no punishment because everybody just accepts it for some unmentioned reason; I found she only came into herself by the end, proving both the determination and even ruthlessness (in a chilling moment of theft) that everybody kept saying she had but was hard to see under all the childish acting out.
I even came to wonder whether the childishness was just an irritated response to a sexist society reacting patriarchally to everything she did, turning her potential dominance into impotent childishness. (Though the matriarchy of the new world still isn't that great either - they might respect women more, but almost every new decision-maker introduced is still a man, severely limiting the promise of the society when, just like I said about the first book, it doesn't really matter if you can own your home if you (& the people like you) cannot make any decisions about the land and city it's in)
But either way, I am now approaching the third book with considerably more interest. Sure, the second book still suffered under the requirements of writing a trilogy when you don't really have that good an idea for a trilogy, and while the finale gave us insight into new aspects of the world Wells has created, it also felt like a small set-piece that suddenly turned big when she understood there was no better finale to tie into the central story of, y’know, sailing over the sea to somewhere (maybe not the most thought out premise).
I just hope the next book is more like the second half of this and less like the rest of the series.
It does start out a bit slow, and Wells quickly runs into her usual problem of introducing too many characters and fleshing out too few of them. Half the book is spent trying to figure out who is talking and giving up as even Google can't help with that. I learned more about one character after they had died than I had before, making it an awkward acquaintance (and painful too, as the little before had made them appealing and their death a surprising tragedy that haunted me for a while).
So, having started the book more out of a dumb sense of duty than any real interest (and because I wanted something light and nice that I don't have to care that much about), and finding the first part in line for another 3-star review, imagine my surprise that by the end of it I had actually begun to enjoy it.
A hint at the possibility did come earlier, as the characters settled down to an enjoyably intriguing journey in the confines of their ship, promising conflicts and challenges in an isolated setting, something that just has a special appeal to me.
But it's not just that - by leaving behind the rigidly predictable structure of the first book and instead diving into an open-ended adventure across the sea, it proved to be just what the series needed. Also leaving behind the final shackles of Ile-Rien, something Wells was obviously in a hurry to do, additionally liberates the new series from having to include a place that it's not really interested in anymore.
And by the time we got to a thrilling night-time action scene through a mysteriously misty medical facility, I was reminded of just how good Wells can be writing these nail-biting and sneaky action scenes working as thrilling forays into the unknown.
I even came to appreciate Tremaine, the morbid lead of the series, whose somewhat weightless presence in the first book proved a disappointment for the first female primary lead I've seen Wells have, and who began the second book by doubling down on her childish sense of being untouchable by the rules of society and law, one of those characters who does absurd and dumb things and yet receives no punishment because everybody just accepts it for some unmentioned reason; I found she only came into herself by the end, proving both the determination and even ruthlessness (in a chilling moment of theft) that everybody kept saying she had but was hard to see under all the childish acting out.
I even came to wonder whether the childishness was just an irritated response to a sexist society reacting patriarchally to everything she did, turning her potential dominance into impotent childishness. (Though the matriarchy of the new world still isn't that great either - they might respect women more, but almost every new decision-maker introduced is still a man, severely limiting the promise of the society when, just like I said about the first book, it doesn't really matter if you can own your home if you (& the people like you) cannot make any decisions about the land and city it's in)
But either way, I am now approaching the third book with considerably more interest. Sure, the second book still suffered under the requirements of writing a trilogy when you don't really have that good an idea for a trilogy, and while the finale gave us insight into new aspects of the world Wells has created, it also felt like a small set-piece that suddenly turned big when she understood there was no better finale to tie into the central story of, y’know, sailing over the sea to somewhere (maybe not the most thought out premise).
I just hope the next book is more like the second half of this and less like the rest of the series.
January 20, 2020
While I enjoyed The Ships of Air , I felt that the story dragged a bit in the middle. Perhaps this is just the curse of the part 2 of 3. The characters are intriguing, but their relational development seemed a bit on hold.
Overall, though, the book has made me excited to move on to volume three.
Overall, though, the book has made me excited to move on to volume three.
May 10, 2021
Non-stop action and I love the slow building of the relationship of all of the characters. They have been through so much together..in what amounts to about a week that all their actions and feelings for each other make so much sense. I still don't know if I like Termaine or not and it's great, because she feels like a real person. Good and bad..she is who she is and Iam enjoying the ride.
April 12, 2020
Christ it to took me long enough. I did not realize how difficult reading during a plague would be. Pepys always made it seem so easy.
Anyway, i am pleased by this series and will continue.
Anyway, i am pleased by this series and will continue.
June 5, 2023
*3,5⭐️
May 27, 2017
This book should be called "The Shipping Ship" because that is what I spent the whole book doing.
January 16, 2017
The Ships of Air is the second book in the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy, which starts with The Wizard Hunters. I suggest reading them in order, but I actually enjoyed The Ships of Air more than the first installment.
Ile-Rien has been overrun by the Gardier, the mysterious enemies who’ve been attacking them from another world. Everyone who can has evacuated, and the front of the war has moved on to a neighboring country. Our protagonists are aboard the Queen Ravenna, a luxury liner which has been converted for the war effort and given the ability to travel between worlds with the aid of a sorcerer. The goal is to avoid the Gardier patrols and get the refugees to safety. But the ship itself is not entirely safe, for a malevolent and shadowy force stalks it.
I’m hard pressed to say why I liked The Ships of Air better than The Wizard Hunters. One explanation may be that I’m simply in a better mental place now. However, I think I was a lot more attached to the central characters here. Tremaine in particular grew on me. She has that fierceness that I find so appealing, and she can be rather ruthless as well. Plus she can be hilarious at times, and I love it when other characters are taken aback by her. I think Gerald actually did a facepalm at one point – it was delightful. While I wouldn’t call The Ships of Air a comedic book, there were moments when I laughed. There’s a marriage subplot that for once might be one of the highlights of the book and which lends itself to some unexpected humor.
I felt like the setting was a lot stronger in this book as well. I really liked the luxurious setting of the Queen Ravenna and how it contrasted with the current circumstances. Apparently it is based on an actual ship, the Queen Mary, which I really need to look up. The subplot on the alliance between the Syprians and the Riens was something else I really enjoyed, particularly the culture clash between the two groups. There’s some new (and characteristically inventive) settings off the boat too. We get a bit more of a glimpse into the Gardier, and it’s fascinating. I can’t wait to find out more in book three.
By the last hundred pages, I wasn’t able to put The Ships of Air down. Martha Wells was already one of my favorite fantasy authors, and this book has cemented her in that position.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
Ile-Rien has been overrun by the Gardier, the mysterious enemies who’ve been attacking them from another world. Everyone who can has evacuated, and the front of the war has moved on to a neighboring country. Our protagonists are aboard the Queen Ravenna, a luxury liner which has been converted for the war effort and given the ability to travel between worlds with the aid of a sorcerer. The goal is to avoid the Gardier patrols and get the refugees to safety. But the ship itself is not entirely safe, for a malevolent and shadowy force stalks it.
I’m hard pressed to say why I liked The Ships of Air better than The Wizard Hunters. One explanation may be that I’m simply in a better mental place now. However, I think I was a lot more attached to the central characters here. Tremaine in particular grew on me. She has that fierceness that I find so appealing, and she can be rather ruthless as well. Plus she can be hilarious at times, and I love it when other characters are taken aback by her. I think Gerald actually did a facepalm at one point – it was delightful. While I wouldn’t call The Ships of Air a comedic book, there were moments when I laughed. There’s a marriage subplot that for once might be one of the highlights of the book and which lends itself to some unexpected humor.
I felt like the setting was a lot stronger in this book as well. I really liked the luxurious setting of the Queen Ravenna and how it contrasted with the current circumstances. Apparently it is based on an actual ship, the Queen Mary, which I really need to look up. The subplot on the alliance between the Syprians and the Riens was something else I really enjoyed, particularly the culture clash between the two groups. There’s some new (and characteristically inventive) settings off the boat too. We get a bit more of a glimpse into the Gardier, and it’s fascinating. I can’t wait to find out more in book three.
By the last hundred pages, I wasn’t able to put The Ships of Air down. Martha Wells was already one of my favorite fantasy authors, and this book has cemented her in that position.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
June 16, 2012
Premise: Sequel to The Wizard Hunters, Some spoilers for Book One follow. Tremaine, Ilias and their friends from both worlds try to cement the temporary alliance between their peoples. The great passenger liner Queen Ravenna is brought between the worlds to assist in an attack on the Gardier base, only to become a floating home for the combined group of Syprian delegates and refugees from Ile-Rien. New loyalties are created and tested, and hidden dangers on the ship threaten the fragile alliance.
This is a strong follow-up to the first volume. More of everything I liked, but new dimensions to some of the characters: Tremaine growing into her new roles, Giliead struggling to make his kin believe that their new allies' magic is beneficial, not evil, when he doesn't completely trust it himself. Another strong, surprising plot twist that makes perfect sense in hindsight.
I enjoyed the slightly wider focus which allowed more characters to shine, including sorceress-in-training Florian, who was fantastic in Book One, but gets a bit wider use here. I was briefly confused by a sudden focus on a new character, in another land, and I thought it was a rather odd choice of scene to show. It did bother me quite a bit at first because it threw off the flow of the story, even though it all came together in the end.
I also really liked that all the romance, and potential romance, is dealt with in an adult way. It is important, but it doesn't overshadow the plot either for the reader or for the characters. The war is more important than dealing with either flirtation or emotional reactions. There's even a politically motivated marriage which neatly short-circuits the sexual tension and makes the story not 'will they get together', but 'will they really love each other'. I liked that a lot.
The characters in this series are constantly running up against the boundaries of what they can do with their magic, and trying to reconcile the logic of three very different systems doesn't make it easy on them.
On to Book Three!
This is a strong follow-up to the first volume. More of everything I liked, but new dimensions to some of the characters: Tremaine growing into her new roles, Giliead struggling to make his kin believe that their new allies' magic is beneficial, not evil, when he doesn't completely trust it himself. Another strong, surprising plot twist that makes perfect sense in hindsight.
I enjoyed the slightly wider focus which allowed more characters to shine, including sorceress-in-training Florian, who was fantastic in Book One, but gets a bit wider use here. I was briefly confused by a sudden focus on a new character, in another land, and I thought it was a rather odd choice of scene to show. It did bother me quite a bit at first because it threw off the flow of the story, even though it all came together in the end.
I also really liked that all the romance, and potential romance, is dealt with in an adult way. It is important, but it doesn't overshadow the plot either for the reader or for the characters. The war is more important than dealing with either flirtation or emotional reactions. There's even a politically motivated marriage which neatly short-circuits the sexual tension and makes the story not 'will they get together', but 'will they really love each other'. I liked that a lot.
The characters in this series are constantly running up against the boundaries of what they can do with their magic, and trying to reconcile the logic of three very different systems doesn't make it easy on them.
On to Book Three!
March 15, 2018
Loved this even though I’m not a fan of action/adventure-driven plots, nor wizards, nor anything on a ship ever (this mostly takes place on a huge cruise ship being used for wartime a la the Queen Mary.) Why, you ask?
The characters.
Best friends Iias and Gilead are the best bromance I’ve read in close to forever. This is not m/m, they are purely friends - but what friends! Over 100 tiny mentions scatttered throughout the text, you relax into this friendship - it’s warming to read about.
I’m also warming up to Tremaine, possibly the most businesslike war leader and killer I’ve ever read as a heroine. Sometimes it almost goes a bit far, but mostly she makes me realize how saccharine most women’s roles are in adventure fiction - yes, even when written by woman authors. This point is hammered in repeatedly, especially when she has to deal with men who question her authority (they tire and annoy her) and when a child character enters the plot and she doesn’t revert to being all protective and nurture-y but continues on as she always was.
There is a minor but satisfying romance subplot. Which invariably makes me happy.
I liked this better than book one, not that book one was bad. Romping onto three straight away!
The characters.
Best friends Iias and Gilead are the best bromance I’ve read in close to forever. This is not m/m, they are purely friends - but what friends! Over 100 tiny mentions scatttered throughout the text, you relax into this friendship - it’s warming to read about.
I’m also warming up to Tremaine, possibly the most businesslike war leader and killer I’ve ever read as a heroine. Sometimes it almost goes a bit far, but mostly she makes me realize how saccharine most women’s roles are in adventure fiction - yes, even when written by woman authors. This point is hammered in repeatedly, especially when she has to deal with men who question her authority (they tire and annoy her) and when a child character enters the plot and she doesn’t revert to being all protective and nurture-y but continues on as she always was.
There is a minor but satisfying romance subplot. Which invariably makes me happy.
I liked this better than book one, not that book one was bad. Romping onto three straight away!
October 13, 2010
I read through this book, and knew for certain I would not finish the series. I don't know what happened in the author's life between Wizard Hunters and this book, but it must have been a pivotal event, b/c this book seems like it went way off the plot's track and into some situation that only the author understands.
By which I mean the main character changed so wildly, I no longer related to any damn thing she did nor did I understand why the character had become altered.
But by the end of the book, my attitude was "I have no further interest in identifying w/ this character."
That's just me, and I'm certainly no professional critic, but people's character's-when they do change-do so w/ a lot more stimulus than what I saw in the book. People don't change out of thin air, and I speak from experience when I make that statement.
Even people who WANT to become different have a hard time making it a reality; that's why they need the intense stimulus for doing so.
By which I mean the main character changed so wildly, I no longer related to any damn thing she did nor did I understand why the character had become altered.
But by the end of the book, my attitude was "I have no further interest in identifying w/ this character."
That's just me, and I'm certainly no professional critic, but people's character's-when they do change-do so w/ a lot more stimulus than what I saw in the book. People don't change out of thin air, and I speak from experience when I make that statement.
Even people who WANT to become different have a hard time making it a reality; that's why they need the intense stimulus for doing so.
January 9, 2022
I think, if anything, this book may deserve a lower rating than The Wizard Hunters, which is saying something. I was so sure (somehow) that this was the last of the series, and I'm a completionist, so I listened to it. But then it wasn't the last of the series.
Is it a terrible book? No. But is it mostly uninteresting? I'm so pained to say that yes, it is. This writing (and these characters) feel so incredibly juvenile (Tremaine especially), which is such a disappointment coming from this author, whom I have loved.
Does anything happen in this book? I'd be hard-pressed to tell you what. (Though the reappearance, at last, of characters I know and love - and was not expecting to meet again - was a moment of brightness.)
Is it a terrible book? No. But is it mostly uninteresting? I'm so pained to say that yes, it is. This writing (and these characters) feel so incredibly juvenile (Tremaine especially), which is such a disappointment coming from this author, whom I have loved.
Does anything happen in this book? I'd be hard-pressed to tell you what. (Though the reappearance, at last, of characters I know and love - and was not expecting to meet again - was a moment of brightness.)
July 10, 2021
The 1st book was interesting so I picked up The Ships of The Air (book 2) and The Gate of the Gods (book 3).
Tremaine still talks of suicide (why? I have no idea) and every important decision she makes is followed by a comment doubting herself. She's always pissed off about something.
She suffers fools lightly.
Giliead and Ilias are never more than 20ft from each other and are in a state of disgust towards others and everyone around them....especially each other.
Every character in this book , and the 1st one, "glare at each other" or give someone a look.
This phrase is used repeatedly.
I doubt I'll start the 3rd book because all the people in this story are miserable.
Tremaine still talks of suicide (why? I have no idea) and every important decision she makes is followed by a comment doubting herself. She's always pissed off about something.
She suffers fools lightly.
Giliead and Ilias are never more than 20ft from each other and are in a state of disgust towards others and everyone around them....especially each other.
Every character in this book , and the 1st one, "glare at each other" or give someone a look.
This phrase is used repeatedly.
I doubt I'll start the 3rd book because all the people in this story are miserable.
January 13, 2018
The Ships of Air picks right up where The Wizard Hunters leaves off. It might seem to bog down for a wile if you don't care much for character development, but then dives right back into the action with more narrative strands than I've yet encountered in a Martha Wells book.
A little slower paced with a lot more tension than I normally enjoy, this is still a damn good book in it's own right and amazing for a second installment of a trilogy.
A little slower paced with a lot more tension than I normally enjoy, this is still a damn good book in it's own right and amazing for a second installment of a trilogy.
May 27, 2025
Re-read for the umpteenth time 5/27/2025
Excellent second book--lots of meaningful action, leading to a big surprise. A good set-up for book 3 (The Gate of Gods)
Excellent second book--lots of meaningful action, leading to a big surprise. A good set-up for book 3 (The Gate of Gods)
October 25, 2015
I'm really enjoying this intellectually fierce heroine.
deals
November 30, 201530 November 2015: $3.99 on Kindle
February 20, 2018
this series is so much fun.
i'm not thrilled with how they've written off her suicidal impulses as being magically induced though.
i'm not thrilled with how they've written off her suicidal impulses as being magically induced though.
September 24, 2022
Clearly I have rated this book four stars and I read it in one day. I still have some things that make me uncomfortable, but I am ready to see how I feel after book 3. The idea of souls being trapped and enslaved is not given enough attention. There is almost no attempt to communicate with these souls that is revealed to the narrative, and these ensouled objects are treated often like props, and put away when no one needs them in a drawer. How do these souls experience their circumstances? The narrative specifically chooses to wonder and never ask, though it would be simple to do so, but also treats the enslavement as utterly abhorrent. It feels bad.
Also, did this book tell me that all of book 1 and book 2 happened in six days? What? The characters go without any food or water or sleep in every chapter, and there is no consistent daylight pattern for plot reasons, so this seems absurd and poorly established. People can't function at this extreme without any food OR SLEEP for days and days - apparently nearly a week. I do not know why it was important to the narrative to constantly mention no one has slept or eaten yet everyone operates at top potential, unless they need to briefly and cutely sleep on someone's shoulder. I do not know if the author has literally any experience going backpacking, but the insistence that no one ever needed to eat or sleep when they are operating beyond their capabilities in life or death situations.......I don't buy it. I don't know why it was included.
Again, I rated it four stars so I should talk about what I liked and what kept me reading, but I'm going to remain bothered by the blase treatment of possessing multiple objects with human souls forced into them. The narrative only remembers this when it needs to, and doesn't treat these objects with respect nor does it try to communicate with what we have been informed are literally people trapped. One time the narrative briefly wonders if it is horrible, and vaguely gestures at maybe getting these people out, but we don't TALK to these "people" and just think at them. Why did I not get to hear about the woman in the crystal? Why did no one even *consider* destroying the sphere to release the soul inside? Why has NO ONE even THOUGHT about the spheres that "died of loneliness" before the narrative even started? Who were they?????
Maybe book 3 can add some perspective. The story is engaging, the characters and the cultures distinct and believable. I'm also fascinated by Ixion: what a fantastic, unconventional villain. He's horrifying enough to be the Big Bad in personal narratives, but in the context of world wars he is a pawn and almost helpless. I love his sociopathically detached affection for his victims - to him, they have a connection, and he doesn't care much that the connection is the pain and loss he has inflicted on them: they know who he is and what he can do and to him this is almost friendship.
I was devastated to lose the poet. What a delicious character he'd been. His curiosity and bravery will be missed.
Also, did this book tell me that all of book 1 and book 2 happened in six days? What? The characters go without any food or water or sleep in every chapter, and there is no consistent daylight pattern for plot reasons, so this seems absurd and poorly established. People can't function at this extreme without any food OR SLEEP for days and days - apparently nearly a week. I do not know why it was important to the narrative to constantly mention no one has slept or eaten yet everyone operates at top potential, unless they need to briefly and cutely sleep on someone's shoulder. I do not know if the author has literally any experience going backpacking, but the insistence that no one ever needed to eat or sleep when they are operating beyond their capabilities in life or death situations.......I don't buy it. I don't know why it was included.
Again, I rated it four stars so I should talk about what I liked and what kept me reading, but I'm going to remain bothered by the blase treatment of possessing multiple objects with human souls forced into them. The narrative only remembers this when it needs to, and doesn't treat these objects with respect nor does it try to communicate with what we have been informed are literally people trapped. One time the narrative briefly wonders if it is horrible, and vaguely gestures at maybe getting these people out, but we don't TALK to these "people" and just think at them. Why did I not get to hear about the woman in the crystal? Why did no one even *consider* destroying the sphere to release the soul inside? Why has NO ONE even THOUGHT about the spheres that "died of loneliness" before the narrative even started? Who were they?????
Maybe book 3 can add some perspective. The story is engaging, the characters and the cultures distinct and believable. I'm also fascinated by Ixion: what a fantastic, unconventional villain. He's horrifying enough to be the Big Bad in personal narratives, but in the context of world wars he is a pawn and almost helpless. I love his sociopathically detached affection for his victims - to him, they have a connection, and he doesn't care much that the connection is the pain and loss he has inflicted on them: they know who he is and what he can do and to him this is almost friendship.
I was devastated to lose the poet. What a delicious character he'd been. His curiosity and bravery will be missed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2024
Martha Wells is awesome at packing a heck of a lot of story into small packages. So you can imagine how much she can pack into a 600+ page epic fantasy.
A lot. It's a lot. Soooo so much.
Despite the length, this sucker is basically non-stop action and adventure and teamy goodness.
1st - Martha Wells is a woman after my own heart - very little patience for lovey dovey romance, huge fan of found family, and a soft spot for small casual affections instead of epic declarations (which have their place, but I personally think its the little stuff that keeps you going). And aside from the sudden and awkward necessity for the wedding itself, and minus the whole "middle of a war" stresses that they are all shouldering, Ilias and Tremaine basically are living my perfect marriage - they went directly from friendship to Old Married Couple.
2nd - the Ravenna. Oh man, the Ravenna. Beautiful ship meant for luxury cruises that ends up carrying the shell shocked refugees of two different worlds. She is as much a character in the novel as Tremaine and Gerard and Illias and Giliead and all the rest.
3rd - Tremaine, Gerard, Ilias, Giliead... the most unwilling heros ever who keep on keeping on in the face so much darkness, AND who still manage to find a little bit of fun and banter along the way. If you can't win, at least you can seriously f up the enemy's day.
Honestly, if I went on this review would end up a novella on its own. So I will keep it at this:
One cruise ship, at least four? air ships, three worlds, three assholes with magic, one ginormous mountain range, so many firey women I can't remember them all (a few of which are also assholes), one heart break, at least two epic plot twists, and one really... really really exhausting week.
Read at your own risk.
A lot. It's a lot. Soooo so much.
Despite the length, this sucker is basically non-stop action and adventure and teamy goodness.
1st - Martha Wells is a woman after my own heart - very little patience for lovey dovey romance, huge fan of found family, and a soft spot for small casual affections instead of epic declarations (which have their place, but I personally think its the little stuff that keeps you going). And aside from the sudden and awkward necessity for the wedding itself, and minus the whole "middle of a war" stresses that they are all shouldering, Ilias and Tremaine basically are living my perfect marriage - they went directly from friendship to Old Married Couple.
2nd - the Ravenna. Oh man, the Ravenna. Beautiful ship meant for luxury cruises that ends up carrying the shell shocked refugees of two different worlds. She is as much a character in the novel as Tremaine and Gerard and Illias and Giliead and all the rest.
3rd - Tremaine, Gerard, Ilias, Giliead... the most unwilling heros ever who keep on keeping on in the face so much darkness, AND who still manage to find a little bit of fun and banter along the way. If you can't win, at least you can seriously f up the enemy's day.
Honestly, if I went on this review would end up a novella on its own. So I will keep it at this:
One cruise ship, at least four? air ships, three worlds, three assholes with magic, one ginormous mountain range, so many firey women I can't remember them all (a few of which are also assholes), one heart break, at least two epic plot twists, and one really... really really exhausting week.
Read at your own risk.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2025
Read as part of my ongoing shelf audit. Verdict still pending but I'm leaning towards not keeping this series, as I don't currently feel it's one I'll reread.
I'm not completely sure why I'm struggling to connect with this series. Martha Wells' writing is great and the worldbuilding and story are both interesting, but it feels sort of... distant and slow? I think some of the issue is that Tremaine, the main character and primary third-person limited POV, is fairly emotionally detached and for a good chunk of the book, reacting or trying to react to problems rather than taking action. As with The Wizard Hunters, once she and the other characters get the chance to be more proactive in the last third or so, things pick up significantly.
It also feels as if these books, like Tremaine herself, are struggling to step out of the shadow of Nicholas Valiarde and Arisilde Damas.
I'm not sold on the romance arc mostly because, again, Tremaine is so emotionally distant from it. That's clearly a deliberate aspect of her characterization but it just... keeps me at arm's length and makes it hard to be invested.
While I remain hopeful that I will enjoy the conclusion of this series, I'm frustrated that it's been a bit of a slog so far.
I'm not completely sure why I'm struggling to connect with this series. Martha Wells' writing is great and the worldbuilding and story are both interesting, but it feels sort of... distant and slow? I think some of the issue is that Tremaine, the main character and primary third-person limited POV, is fairly emotionally detached and for a good chunk of the book, reacting or trying to react to problems rather than taking action. As with The Wizard Hunters, once she and the other characters get the chance to be more proactive in the last third or so, things pick up significantly.
It also feels as if these books, like Tremaine herself, are struggling to step out of the shadow of Nicholas Valiarde and Arisilde Damas.
I'm not sold on the romance arc mostly because, again, Tremaine is so emotionally distant from it. That's clearly a deliberate aspect of her characterization but it just... keeps me at arm's length and makes it hard to be invested.
While I remain hopeful that I will enjoy the conclusion of this series, I'm frustrated that it's been a bit of a slog so far.
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