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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A fine third installment..., July 25, 2008
In the first two books of The Long Price Quartet, Daniel Abraham focused on the wealthy, slightly decadent world of the Khaiem Cities, whose ability to bind the andat (natural forces) with magic gave them immunity from military danger; the warlike, technology-using Galts to the west were only a shadowy threat. In book three the threat becomes real as General Gice of the Galts sets out on a crusade to save the world by destroying the andat forever. Since the andat are treacherous and potentially dangerous, even to their controllers, the reader can sympathize with Gice's aim. But the tension becomes great as Gice's attack threatens the world, realm, and family of Otah Machi, Khai of one of the most powerful cities, and the continuing hero of the series.
Abraham's ability to create sympathetic, believable characters on both sides of the conflict is one of the strengths of this book. Another is the fast moving plot. In less than 400 pages Abraham can tell more story than many other fantasy authors can in 600. War, family tensions, long-held resentments, the power of love and forgiveness, are just a few of the themes played out in this story. There's also a bit more examination of the magical process that binds the andat and the way in which the nature of the "poet" who does the binding determines the results. The novel is a page turner, with a conclusion that is surprising, satisfying, and yet leaves more conflict to be resolved in the fourth and final book of the quartet. This is a very good fantasy series that deserves success. I'll be waiting for number four!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A real pageturner, August 18, 2008
The strength of the first 2 books of the series was in the setting and the characters. Abraham's writing has a philosophical bend to it; he uses the novels to study human societies and individuals. I thoroughly enjoyed summer and winter, but it was a slow read, with only a dash of suspense to help one turn the pages. Not so for this book. I stayed up till 5AM last night finishing it. All the elements that made the first two books so enjoyable are still there: the alien, yet familiar setting of the world of the poets and their andaat, the family minidramas, the little touches with the hand poses and the food. However, this time the story grabs and doesn't let go. The ending was brilliant. I am still mulling over the questions posed by the resolution, the meaning of it all. We have here humanist sentiment coming to grips with the brutality that comes from ambition and the need to survive. I can't wait for book 4.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The series gets better with each novel, November 4, 2008
Daniel Abraham has improved with every volume of his debut series The Long Price Quartet. In A Shadow in Summer, he introduced a unique setting and compelling characters; in A Betrayal in Winter, he increased the complexity and maturity of the story; and now, in An Autumn War, he heightens the drama and adds earth-shattering plot twists worthy of George R. R. Martin. In my opinion, Abraham writes the best kind of genre fiction: confident, original, and sophisticated yet comprehensible.
The Autumn War is about Otah, a former poet-in-training and outcast who reluctantly became lord of the Khaiem city of Machi after his family died. Because he disapproves of Khaiem tradition, he struggles to maintain his authority with his citizens. Now he also has to face an external threat: The Galtic Empire has long coveted the riches of the Khaiem and finally has a ploy to negate the Khaiem's sole advantage: the andat. Otah has to defeat the finest military in the world or risk annihilation and enslavement.
The Autumn War is also about Balasar, a Galtic general who sees the andat as the ultimate danger and strives to eradicate it. By introducing Balasar, Abraham forces us to see the Khaiem from a different perspective. Nowadays, it is common for writers to include both heroes and villains as viewpoint characters; however, here, Otah and Balasar are neither hero nor villain--they are just at opposite ends of an argument that will shatter the world by the time it is resolved.
Overall, The Autumn War is about consequences: the consequences of relying on the andat or technology; the consequences of staying with a child or leaving him; the consequences of remaining loyal to a lord or betraying him; the consequences of trying to be a good man and failing. It is a stunning, dramatic novel from an author who is quickly established himself as one of the elite writers in fantasy.
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