Liath, how I hate youFollow

She certainly DOES get over her fear of Hugh. She not only becomes very powerful in her own right, but she ends up quite God-like, or at least Angel-like.

This was a peculiar series for me. Having finished it, I still love every bit of the story, and yet I find myself fairly emotionally disengaged from all the characters. This is a series I have affection for entirely because of the plot, and not because I feel for any of the people much.

I think Kate Elliott is one of the best authors I've ever come across that recreates the CONDITIONS of Dark-Ages/Medieval life. (obviously it's not a direct analogue of Earth history, especially with all those socially, politically and militarily powerful women.)

But the smells, (the strong stenches), the sights, the clothes... the incredibly hierarchical society with all it's extreme court manners such as kneeling in the presence of one's superiors and not looking them in the eye... the cramped, communal living conditions, and above all the sense of scarcity of resources, especially manufactured implements. Also, there is a type of person that often turns up in the Dark-Ages/Medieval period that is pretty much absent from modern society that turns up in this book, that Kate Elliott evolves out of one of the main characters. All this "historical" detail I have very rarely seen equaled by an author.

I admire the story very much for this, as well as for the sprawling, ever-interesting plotline.

Edited, Aug 26th 2008 11:13am by Aripyanfar

You just have to rush your way through Burning Stone lol. I had the same annoyance with her in the beginning. The series is definitely worth finishing though. Once you finish those check out her new Crossroads series it's great :)

Ooo! Weird is good!