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The Sundering #1-2
The Sundering
This is a two-in-one volume with both of Jacqueline Carey's top sellers Banewreaker and Godslayer. (Inside jacket: with her successful Kushiel series, Jacqueline Carey proved herself a force to be reckoned with in the fantasy field. Now she returns with another extraordinary epic, a shattering tale of gods at ware and the mortals they use in their deadly game.) Once the Seven Shapers dwelled in accord. First-born among them was Haomane, Lord-of-Thought, and with his six sibling gods, they Shaped the world and it's children to their will. But Haomane was displeased with Satoris' Shaping, for he thought his younger brother too generous in his gifts to Men, who made war upon Hoamane's Children, the Ellylon. Though the First-Born asked his brother to withdraw his Gift, Satoris refused. So began the Shapers' War, which sundered the world and cast Satoris and his kindred to opposite ends of a vast ocean.
733 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2005
7 people are currently reading
613 people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline Carey
73 books8,411 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Jacqueline Carey (born 1964 in Highland Park, Illinois) is an author and novelist, primarily of fantasy fiction.
She attended Lake Forest College, receiving B.A.'s in psychology and English literature. During college, she spent 6 months working in a bookstore as part of a work exchange program. While there, she decided to write professionally. After returning she started her writing career while working at the art center of a local college. After ten years, she discovered success with the publication of her first book in 2001.
Currently, Carey lives in western Michigan and is a member of the oldest Mardi Gras krewe in the state.
Jacqueline Carey (born 1964 in Highland Park, Illinois) is an author and novelist, primarily of fantasy fiction.
She attended Lake Forest College, receiving B.A.'s in psychology and English literature. During college, she spent 6 months working in a bookstore as part of a work exchange program. While there, she decided to write professionally. After returning she started her writing career while working at the art center of a local college. After ten years, she discovered success with the publication of her first book in 2001.
Currently, Carey lives in western Michigan and is a member of the oldest Mardi Gras krewe in the state.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 7, 2013
The Sundering is and is not typical fare from Jacqueline Carey. It is not Terre d'Ange; it is not intrigue and sensual moments. It is what Carey hoped to achieve - a telling in the vein of epic fantasy from the "bad guys" perspective.
In doing so, The Sundering forces you to re-evaluate similar stories. She changes her writing style to great effect, and it helps to set the tone of the story. Her diction is superb (to the point that I had to reach for a dictionary for the first time in ages when reading a book), and she uses Tolkien's repetitive descriptions / speech patterns well. I found that she varies them just enough to make each one interesting without it being distracting.
Like the Kushiel series, the world she creates is lush and rich with familiar mythical and fantasy fiction tropes. The characters are also what drive this tragedy forward. They are incredibly complex, which I believe is always Carey's intent with her creations. In The Sundering, each character fits a certain stereotype of the fantasy genre, but they are all flawed. The characters do not fit neatly into their pre-labeled boxes of characteristics; often they reveal how different they are from the reader's and their adversaries' preconceived notions about them. They are so very human like some of George R. R. Martin's characters that you can't help yourself empathizing and then despising them with the turn of a page. Add to it that you rarely read a tragedy (a fantasy-tragedy even!), and Carey had me hook, line, and sinker.
In my opinion, tragedy narratives are so rare in this day and age, and I have missed reading such poignant tales of a protagonist's downfall. In The Sundering, the narrative is driven by heavy undertones of blatant discrimination and prejudicial tendencies (religious, racial, and gender especially) between the characters. There are so many examples it is hard to choose just one without making this review a longer critique. Such topics rarely are so strong an undercurrent in an epic tale, and because of this, I found The Sundering an engaging read.
All in all, I picked up The Sundering knowing I would get a well-written, engaging fantasy-tragedy (thanks to Reddit). I knew Carey was a solid writer with complex characters and decent world creation. Yet I didn't expect to enjoy The Sundering as much as I did or how it raised thoughtful questions that I am still analyzing. In conclusion, pick up Carey's The Sundering if you want a fantasy-tragedy in the Tolkien vein. With Carey's flair for complex characters tinged with thought-provoking themes, you won't be disappointed.
In doing so, The Sundering forces you to re-evaluate similar stories. She changes her writing style to great effect, and it helps to set the tone of the story. Her diction is superb (to the point that I had to reach for a dictionary for the first time in ages when reading a book), and she uses Tolkien's repetitive descriptions / speech patterns well. I found that she varies them just enough to make each one interesting without it being distracting.
Like the Kushiel series, the world she creates is lush and rich with familiar mythical and fantasy fiction tropes. The characters are also what drive this tragedy forward. They are incredibly complex, which I believe is always Carey's intent with her creations. In The Sundering, each character fits a certain stereotype of the fantasy genre, but they are all flawed. The characters do not fit neatly into their pre-labeled boxes of characteristics; often they reveal how different they are from the reader's and their adversaries' preconceived notions about them. They are so very human like some of George R. R. Martin's characters that you can't help yourself empathizing and then despising them with the turn of a page. Add to it that you rarely read a tragedy (a fantasy-tragedy even!), and Carey had me hook, line, and sinker.
In my opinion, tragedy narratives are so rare in this day and age, and I have missed reading such poignant tales of a protagonist's downfall. In The Sundering, the narrative is driven by heavy undertones of blatant discrimination and prejudicial tendencies (religious, racial, and gender especially) between the characters. There are so many examples it is hard to choose just one without making this review a longer critique. Such topics rarely are so strong an undercurrent in an epic tale, and because of this, I found The Sundering an engaging read.
All in all, I picked up The Sundering knowing I would get a well-written, engaging fantasy-tragedy (thanks to Reddit). I knew Carey was a solid writer with complex characters and decent world creation. Yet I didn't expect to enjoy The Sundering as much as I did or how it raised thoughtful questions that I am still analyzing. In conclusion, pick up Carey's The Sundering if you want a fantasy-tragedy in the Tolkien vein. With Carey's flair for complex characters tinged with thought-provoking themes, you won't be disappointed.
June 18, 2019
The Sundering by Jacqueline Carey
Unless you’re a Tolkien fan, I don’t recommend going into Jacqueline Carey’s duology The Sundering unless you’re aware that she’s going to take the tropes we all know and love so much, and twist them on their heads. I can see what she’s doing. I was prepared for it. This book is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, especially not if they’ve read and enjoyed her other works which are a totally different breed of novel (lush, textured, sensual).
The premise is simple: Take the tropes of The Lord of the Rings, and write a story told from the losing side; subvert readers’ expectations. This is not happy epic nor is it a comfortable read, especially for those accustomed to fantasy where the good and evil are easy to identify. By the time I was finished with both books, I was rooting for those who’d traditionally be considered evil, and yet by equal measure I *felt* for those who saw themselves in the right. And oh, did I feel sorry for them for being so ideologically possessed. I suppose there’s a lesson to be had here.
All the standard tropes are present, but instead of mindless monsters, our orcs/fjel are portrayed as possessing sensitivity (and they make art!). The elves are stuffy, obsessed with things staying the same. The humans are…well… Humans do what it is they always do. The glimpse we do get of dwarves breaks the mould in terms of them being ore-digging smiths. Rather they are nature-loving, tree-hugging pacifists. And yes, there are dragons (Carey *gets* dragons). Mix this all together with the quest of the Bearer, who must carry the Water of Life that quenches the marrow fire that protects the only weapon that can kill gods, as well as adding one meddlesome wizard and a sorceress who gets tangled in the affairs, and you’ve got your plot.
There’s more to this story than merely good vs. bad. The heart of the tale investigates the notion that viewpoint matters, and once you ascribe justifiable motivation to any cause, it lends weight to the outcome. In this case, the meta story would be the war between stasis and dynamic change. And it’s an open-ended story that echoes Tolkien’s Last Alliance of Elves and Men, which unashamedly sets up the stage for what could have been a follow-up.
My feelings on this duology are complex. Yes, I enjoyed it. I wouldn’t recommend it to all fantasy readers, as the style Carey aims for here is closer to Tolkien’s, so if you don’t like Tolkien, just don’t go here – you may find the narrative dry and the characters unlikeable. Especially in terms of modern conventions, this feels like older, classical fantasy told in third person verging on omniscient. (Which incidentally is difficult to get right, but Carey manages this well.) But I can see what she’s done here. And I applaud her for being subversive, and would even offer her a GrimDark badge of honour for this work.
Unless you’re a Tolkien fan, I don’t recommend going into Jacqueline Carey’s duology The Sundering unless you’re aware that she’s going to take the tropes we all know and love so much, and twist them on their heads. I can see what she’s doing. I was prepared for it. This book is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, especially not if they’ve read and enjoyed her other works which are a totally different breed of novel (lush, textured, sensual).
The premise is simple: Take the tropes of The Lord of the Rings, and write a story told from the losing side; subvert readers’ expectations. This is not happy epic nor is it a comfortable read, especially for those accustomed to fantasy where the good and evil are easy to identify. By the time I was finished with both books, I was rooting for those who’d traditionally be considered evil, and yet by equal measure I *felt* for those who saw themselves in the right. And oh, did I feel sorry for them for being so ideologically possessed. I suppose there’s a lesson to be had here.
All the standard tropes are present, but instead of mindless monsters, our orcs/fjel are portrayed as possessing sensitivity (and they make art!). The elves are stuffy, obsessed with things staying the same. The humans are…well… Humans do what it is they always do. The glimpse we do get of dwarves breaks the mould in terms of them being ore-digging smiths. Rather they are nature-loving, tree-hugging pacifists. And yes, there are dragons (Carey *gets* dragons). Mix this all together with the quest of the Bearer, who must carry the Water of Life that quenches the marrow fire that protects the only weapon that can kill gods, as well as adding one meddlesome wizard and a sorceress who gets tangled in the affairs, and you’ve got your plot.
There’s more to this story than merely good vs. bad. The heart of the tale investigates the notion that viewpoint matters, and once you ascribe justifiable motivation to any cause, it lends weight to the outcome. In this case, the meta story would be the war between stasis and dynamic change. And it’s an open-ended story that echoes Tolkien’s Last Alliance of Elves and Men, which unashamedly sets up the stage for what could have been a follow-up.
My feelings on this duology are complex. Yes, I enjoyed it. I wouldn’t recommend it to all fantasy readers, as the style Carey aims for here is closer to Tolkien’s, so if you don’t like Tolkien, just don’t go here – you may find the narrative dry and the characters unlikeable. Especially in terms of modern conventions, this feels like older, classical fantasy told in third person verging on omniscient. (Which incidentally is difficult to get right, but Carey manages this well.) But I can see what she’s done here. And I applaud her for being subversive, and would even offer her a GrimDark badge of honour for this work.
April 8, 2017
I think this book would have benefitted from me not doing the thing where I read multiple books at a time. That being said, a lot of nothing happens in about 80% of the novel, so the fact that I only connected with three characters is pretty surprising. Like seriously cried only one time in what should have been a really sad ending. And she had a wealth of time to make me care about people.
I really enjoyed the idea though, Carey does an awesome job of making you take the side of the bad guys. I'm actually surprised I haven't stumbled across more books that do this. I was torn between who I felt should win, so even though I didn't care about most of the characters, I did care about their fight.
Overall I liked it, but wish it had been more exciting, and that the characters had more depth.
I really enjoyed the idea though, Carey does an awesome job of making you take the side of the bad guys. I'm actually surprised I haven't stumbled across more books that do this. I was torn between who I felt should win, so even though I didn't care about most of the characters, I did care about their fight.
Overall I liked it, but wish it had been more exciting, and that the characters had more depth.
November 20, 2016
In The Sundering, Carey tells a story inspired by The Lord of the Rings, and tells it primary from the "bad guy" point of view. The book presents nicely layered characters and good battle sections. It is very much in the tradition of
The Lord of the Rings
even in the style, which is different slightly from Carey's Kushiel books. The draw back is that because of the bad guy focus the book seems to be a vacuum in terms of a center point. While Carey gives enough background to the characters so you can understand why they do what they do, it does not excuse what they do, and raises some very good questions about morality. Undoubtedly this is what Carey intends to do, but it makes a lack of intimacy between reader and the book, like the reader is one or two steps removed from the action. For what Carey was attempting to do, it is a very good try.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2021
When I first started this book (technically two since it's an omnibus) I didn't like it. In my progress update I noted it as Carey's homage to Tolkien. And it is. At first it lacked the descriptions I'm used to from Carey - sensual delights that she wove into her Kushiel's series. But thinking on it now, it only shows her scope as an author. The Kushiel's series requires sensual writing based on the subject. The Sundering is far more straightforward. Carey's strength is in her characterization, so of course the beginning had a huge info dump and was hard to get into. But - the story made me cry. A hero's journey, told from the villain's perspective, reminding us all that there is always another side to the story. All in all, well told with a memorable (if predictable) and and unforgettable characters.
July 5, 2023
Did not finish. That is so rare! Not as good as her other books. The first 80 pages were terribly repetitive. I bet the book could have been 1/3 the size. I skipped ahead to part II, and the beginning of the first chapter was probably better than reading the whole first book. Read the last few chapters of the book and decided it wasn't worth trying to go back over.
I liked the premise. I found the ending unsatisfactory, although I appreciate the point of a messy resolution (or lack of one).
I liked the premise. I found the ending unsatisfactory, although I appreciate the point of a messy resolution (or lack of one).
March 4, 2022
I'd been wanting to read this older book by Carey for a while. It took the first half to get going but was a moving love letter to Tolkien (I'm not the biggest Tolkien fan, but appreciate the sentiment)
October 6, 2017
Very good but I stopped reading when I realized where it would end
February 4, 2020
Epic fantasy tale. Thorough world building. Much enjoyed.
May 31, 2020
The Sundering by Jacqueline Carey is an epic high fantasy novel in which Tanaros, General of Darkhaven, kidnaps the Ellyon princess Cerelinde to prevent the fulfillment of a prophecy which foretells the destruction of Darkhaven’s divine lord, Satoris Third-born, who is an outcast among the gods. This book actually consists of two books previously published separately, Banewreaker and Godslayer, combined here because they are two halves of one story.
What if Sauron wasn’t the bad guy? Imagine Lord of the Rings, but from Sauron’s perspective: that’s this book in a nutshell, basically, and back in 2004 this was a really fresh take on the tired epic fantasy plot of “plucky good guys vs. evil dark lord”. Nowadays, in a post-Game of Thrones world, there are a lot more fantasy stories with complicated, grey and gray morality in which no one is pure evil or pure good, so The Sundering‘s concept isn’t as startling and thought-provoking as it used to be. And the shame of it is, I don’t think the other aspects of the book — namely, the characters, prose, and dialogue — are strong enough to make it still worth reading.
A big part of why I was bored with this book is that I already knew how it ended, because it can’t veer too wildly away from Lord of the Rings without undermining the whole point of the book. I was engaged by the beginning, especially the Silmarillion-esque prologue which lays out the mythology and explains why Satoris is not actually such a bad guy. But past that, my interest petered out since there were no twists that changed the inevitable conclusion of the story, and I found the characters too dignified and remote to relate to or get invested in. They were… legends, not people. This was a problem LotR also had, but it was mitigated there by the presence of the hobbits, who bring the story down to earth, are flawed but lovable and make you laugh. The Sundering’s characters weren’t uninteresting — they had internal conflict and strong motivations and Cerelinde, at least, grows and changes — but to be perfectly honest I did not care very much what happened to any of them. I’m surprised that this book has this characterization problem, since Jacqueline Carey has demonstrated a superb talent for it in her Kushiel books, which I like a lot.
While the content of the characters’ dialogue was usually interesting — especially those between Cerelinde and Satoris or Tanaros — the style of the dialogue was this forced archaic diction that seemed really stilted and fake. The whole book is written with an elegiac tone that is self-consciously dramatic. For example, she tends to break off paragraphs in order to deliver Big Dramatic News on a new line so it has even more punch. It’s an effective tool, but it’s overused here. A more annoying problem with the prose is the constant repetition of basic facts about the story, such as Satoris Can Only Be Defeated By The Godslayer and Tanaros Killed His Wife Because She Was Banging His Best Friend. Like, dude, I got it, you don’t have to remind me twice in every single chapter, I’m not a goldfish.
There’s one other thing I wanted to gripe about, and it’s that I think she does too good a job of portraying the “bad” side as maligned and misunderstood, so that by contrast the “good” side seems frustratingly delusional and intolerant. Instead of the two sides being equally morally ambiguous, it seems more like the perspective has just been flipped, and the bad guys are good and the good guys are bad. In the end it’s still a tale of black vs white, it’s just that black ends up winning this time. That said, the ending was pretty good. Few fantasy books have a genuinely tragic ending, so props to this book for actually doing it. (That’s not really a spoiler. It is clear from the beginning how it is going to end.)
Reading this book made me realize that I’m not a big fan of epic high fantasy, and not even a particular fan of Lord of the Rings. Don’t get me wrong: I read LotR back in sixth grade and I liked it a lot, but it’s not the sort of book I go back and re-read every year, you know? I find myself drawn more towards sword and sorcery books nowadays, with thrilling action (or scintillating politicking), down to do earth characters, and intimate conflicts that start small and don’t always end up affecting the fate of the entire planet. So, perhaps I was underwhelmed by The Sundering simply because it’s just not the style of book that I favor anymore. I really, really wish I had read this back in 2004, back when I was more into this type of book and was less critical and jaded.
I appear to be the only person who feels this way about the book; most of the other reviews I see online are positively glowing. So don’t take my opinion too seriously — this wasn’t my cup of tea, but if you are intrigued by the premise and you love high fantasy, this book is worth tracking down. 2 stars.
What if Sauron wasn’t the bad guy? Imagine Lord of the Rings, but from Sauron’s perspective: that’s this book in a nutshell, basically, and back in 2004 this was a really fresh take on the tired epic fantasy plot of “plucky good guys vs. evil dark lord”. Nowadays, in a post-Game of Thrones world, there are a lot more fantasy stories with complicated, grey and gray morality in which no one is pure evil or pure good, so The Sundering‘s concept isn’t as startling and thought-provoking as it used to be. And the shame of it is, I don’t think the other aspects of the book — namely, the characters, prose, and dialogue — are strong enough to make it still worth reading.
A big part of why I was bored with this book is that I already knew how it ended, because it can’t veer too wildly away from Lord of the Rings without undermining the whole point of the book. I was engaged by the beginning, especially the Silmarillion-esque prologue which lays out the mythology and explains why Satoris is not actually such a bad guy. But past that, my interest petered out since there were no twists that changed the inevitable conclusion of the story, and I found the characters too dignified and remote to relate to or get invested in. They were… legends, not people. This was a problem LotR also had, but it was mitigated there by the presence of the hobbits, who bring the story down to earth, are flawed but lovable and make you laugh. The Sundering’s characters weren’t uninteresting — they had internal conflict and strong motivations and Cerelinde, at least, grows and changes — but to be perfectly honest I did not care very much what happened to any of them. I’m surprised that this book has this characterization problem, since Jacqueline Carey has demonstrated a superb talent for it in her Kushiel books, which I like a lot.
While the content of the characters’ dialogue was usually interesting — especially those between Cerelinde and Satoris or Tanaros — the style of the dialogue was this forced archaic diction that seemed really stilted and fake. The whole book is written with an elegiac tone that is self-consciously dramatic. For example, she tends to break off paragraphs in order to deliver Big Dramatic News on a new line so it has even more punch. It’s an effective tool, but it’s overused here. A more annoying problem with the prose is the constant repetition of basic facts about the story, such as Satoris Can Only Be Defeated By The Godslayer and Tanaros Killed His Wife Because She Was Banging His Best Friend. Like, dude, I got it, you don’t have to remind me twice in every single chapter, I’m not a goldfish.
There’s one other thing I wanted to gripe about, and it’s that I think she does too good a job of portraying the “bad” side as maligned and misunderstood, so that by contrast the “good” side seems frustratingly delusional and intolerant. Instead of the two sides being equally morally ambiguous, it seems more like the perspective has just been flipped, and the bad guys are good and the good guys are bad. In the end it’s still a tale of black vs white, it’s just that black ends up winning this time. That said, the ending was pretty good. Few fantasy books have a genuinely tragic ending, so props to this book for actually doing it. (That’s not really a spoiler. It is clear from the beginning how it is going to end.)
Reading this book made me realize that I’m not a big fan of epic high fantasy, and not even a particular fan of Lord of the Rings. Don’t get me wrong: I read LotR back in sixth grade and I liked it a lot, but it’s not the sort of book I go back and re-read every year, you know? I find myself drawn more towards sword and sorcery books nowadays, with thrilling action (or scintillating politicking), down to do earth characters, and intimate conflicts that start small and don’t always end up affecting the fate of the entire planet. So, perhaps I was underwhelmed by The Sundering simply because it’s just not the style of book that I favor anymore. I really, really wish I had read this back in 2004, back when I was more into this type of book and was less critical and jaded.
I appear to be the only person who feels this way about the book; most of the other reviews I see online are positively glowing. So don’t take my opinion too seriously — this wasn’t my cup of tea, but if you are intrigued by the premise and you love high fantasy, this book is worth tracking down. 2 stars.
March 11, 2016
Def not my favorite by Carey, whom I generally love. This comprises both books in one, and while Banewreaker couldn't live up to my expectations, Godslayer was worse. I couldn't feel for most of the charaters, they were 2 dimensional. It's supposed to be an epic fantasy from the villains point of view, only I couldn't find it interesting enough to feel anything for the villains or want to be sympathetic to their plight. The one lord of the shadows was very interesting, and his halfings as well, there could have been something there. I did enjoy the rock people under the command of Teneros Blacksword even if I cared nothing for Blacksword as well. The rock people had something there, character and heart and you wanted to know so much more about them.
The 'good side' didn't have a real reason to be fighting, someone somwhere just said there was prophecy so they figured they would fulfill it. It isn't until later you find out that the elves just want to die, that they tire from their long life and inability to lust and be emotional. Even the dwarves have no good reason to join one way or the other, and there is no reason why they could have stayed neutral as well. The 'fellowship' that gathers to protect the 'hobbits' are annoying like nothing else, the 'hobbits' I want to shake violently for being so stupid, and... let's just say this was a very unpleasant reading experience.
And they go through all this so that none of it is what works to kill the 'evil god.' Oh no, Cerelinde the one they kidnap so they can't get married to fulfill prophecy winds up killing him so the fellowship was pointless. And if this was supposed to be a mock on epic fantasy, it epicly fails because the prophecy isn't fulfilled like it is in Lord of the... I mean in epic fantasy. Because a human and an elf do not marry and have kids.
I wished I had saved myself the trouble of reading. I know what she was trying to go for, I just think she failed miserably at it.
The 'good side' didn't have a real reason to be fighting, someone somwhere just said there was prophecy so they figured they would fulfill it. It isn't until later you find out that the elves just want to die, that they tire from their long life and inability to lust and be emotional. Even the dwarves have no good reason to join one way or the other, and there is no reason why they could have stayed neutral as well. The 'fellowship' that gathers to protect the 'hobbits' are annoying like nothing else, the 'hobbits' I want to shake violently for being so stupid, and... let's just say this was a very unpleasant reading experience.
And they go through all this so that none of it is what works to kill the 'evil god.' Oh no, Cerelinde the one they kidnap so they can't get married to fulfill prophecy winds up killing him so the fellowship was pointless. And if this was supposed to be a mock on epic fantasy, it epicly fails because the prophecy isn't fulfilled like it is in Lord of the... I mean in epic fantasy. Because a human and an elf do not marry and have kids.
I wished I had saved myself the trouble of reading. I know what she was trying to go for, I just think she failed miserably at it.
December 23, 2016
I only found this author a bit over a year ago and just adore her work.
This book was very different and not just from her other work, but in fantasy worlds
that I am used to.
I was rooting for the bad guys and feeling for some of the good guys too, so I was
very torn throughout the book.
I will say that I am glad that I read it and would recommend it to people that
like fantasy and maybe want a world that is a bit different than the norm.
This book was very different and not just from her other work, but in fantasy worlds
that I am used to.
I was rooting for the bad guys and feeling for some of the good guys too, so I was
very torn throughout the book.
I will say that I am glad that I read it and would recommend it to people that
like fantasy and maybe want a world that is a bit different than the norm.
September 1, 2010
This book - or compilation of two books - was such a pleasant surprise when I decided to pick it up! It came as part of introductory package to a book club I signed up for and I honestly had no idea what I had in my hands. The three sentence blurb that had on the online review was the only basis I had to guide me, and I'm not even sure why that managed to sway me. Regardless, though, I am very very glad I did.
I enjoy stories that build vivid, complex worlds and conveys them in a manner that doesn't feel like I'm reading a history book. I really enjoy stories that are smart and cleverly written. But stories with a fresh angle are by far the best. And Jacqueline Carey manages to pull together all these elements for a great tale.
The plot line is probably one you read before: A small band of heroes, made of humans and elves and wizards, come together on a perilous quest to fight the Dark Overlord and bring an end to his fiery existence in the name of the Light. Numerous gods pull the strings from background, each deity the patron of a race that populates the earth, lead by the Elven and Human gods - representing Light, Love, and Reason
I enjoy stories that build vivid, complex worlds and conveys them in a manner that doesn't feel like I'm reading a history book. I really enjoy stories that are smart and cleverly written. But stories with a fresh angle are by far the best. And Jacqueline Carey manages to pull together all these elements for a great tale.
The plot line is probably one you read before: A small band of heroes, made of humans and elves and wizards, come together on a perilous quest to fight the Dark Overlord and bring an end to his fiery existence in the name of the Light. Numerous gods pull the strings from background, each deity the patron of a race that populates the earth, lead by the Elven and Human gods - representing Light, Love, and Reason
March 4, 2011
I was interested in this book mainly because I liked the author's other series. I wasn't expecting it to be anything like that series and it wasn't. I still prefer the first one, but this one was good. It really drew my interest finding out that the story was being told mainly from the 'villain's' point of view.
But I came to expect that the prophecy that drives the plot was going to be played out in such a way that neither side was actually defeated. This was not so. Now, not everything played out the way the character's expected the prophecy to, but really only enough to show that prophecy can't be relied on fully. I was expecting the whole thing to be turned on it's ear though.
It just turned out to be a fantasy story told by the losing side. Which has merit on it's own, but I felt the book kept hinting at another ending in which both sides would reconcile and the 'good' side would see it wasn't as right as they believed themselves to be.
But I came to expect that the prophecy that drives the plot was going to be played out in such a way that neither side was actually defeated. This was not so. Now, not everything played out the way the character's expected the prophecy to, but really only enough to show that prophecy can't be relied on fully. I was expecting the whole thing to be turned on it's ear though.
It just turned out to be a fantasy story told by the losing side. Which has merit on it's own, but I felt the book kept hinting at another ending in which both sides would reconcile and the 'good' side would see it wasn't as right as they believed themselves to be.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2016
The Sundering is not Lord of the Rings. You should know this before opening the cover. People are either confused at how closely this series resembles Lotr or frustrated that it is not remotely true to the source material. The Sundering is not Lotr and does not try to be. It is in essence a love story written to Tolkien's universe. And can only be really appreciated by the small group of Tolkien fans who have spent as many hours with Middle-Earth as Jacqueline Carey clearly has: pondering its creation myths, its magic, and its morality.
The Sundering is its own story. The story begins I suppose with the long nights Jacqueline spent reading and re-reading the Silmarillion. It should really have a prologue with a condensed version of all of Tolkien's writings. But this is only where The Sundering starts. From there it unfolds a tale of beauty in loss, dignity in tragedy, and the types of choices that shape worlds.
The Sundering is its own story. The story begins I suppose with the long nights Jacqueline spent reading and re-reading the Silmarillion. It should really have a prologue with a condensed version of all of Tolkien's writings. But this is only where The Sundering starts. From there it unfolds a tale of beauty in loss, dignity in tragedy, and the types of choices that shape worlds.
February 13, 2016
actually, I've only read the first volume of this book.I have yet to read the 2nd, but so far it's really good.
ok.. I read the secn volume. It's ok, but it reminds me a bit of the Lord of The Rings books. Except in reverse. It's told from the dark side's point of view. You almost want them to win.. Anyway, there's a bearer of life water that has to extinguish a fire, a king sent to destroy the "evil" guy (though he's not really evil), a wizard with white hair, trolls, dwarfs, and beautiful immortals (kinda like elves..). See the similarities? I won't give out the end. So combining the two books I give it a 3 stars .
ok.. I read the secn volume. It's ok, but it reminds me a bit of the Lord of The Rings books. Except in reverse. It's told from the dark side's point of view. You almost want them to win.. Anyway, there's a bearer of life water that has to extinguish a fire, a king sent to destroy the "evil" guy (though he's not really evil), a wizard with white hair, trolls, dwarfs, and beautiful immortals (kinda like elves..). See the similarities? I won't give out the end. So combining the two books I give it a 3 stars .
April 26, 2007
Wow. What an incredible book. Yes, the author has a habit of using the same descriptions again and again, but the story is fabulous.
What do you get?
You get to see things for the "Other Side". We constantly read about the Heros point of view. What about our Supposed "Big Bad Guy"?
Five this book a shot. I loved every second of it.
What do you get?
You get to see things for the "Other Side". We constantly read about the Heros point of view. What about our Supposed "Big Bad Guy"?
Five this book a shot. I loved every second of it.
February 17, 2012
Loved it. Very well done! On one level it is sort of a LOTR told from the POV of Sauron, but it is much more rich than that, and beautifully executed. The main characters are solid and complex. Several scenes were just written so perfectly! They were riveting, nearly poetic. Highly recommended.
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