1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great fantasy trilogy ends, June 3, 2010
This review is from: Beyond the Wall of Time, Book 3 (The Broken Man) (Mass Market Paperback)
'Beyond the Wall of Time' is the 3rd book in "The Broken Man" trilogy by Russell Kirkpatrick. It could be legitimately considered the 6th book in a double trilogy, if you combined the "Fire of Heaven" and "The Broken Man" trilogies as connected sets.
This book continues to follow the story of our three main protagonists; Stella...Queen of Faltha, wife of Leith (King of Faltha) and at one point in the distant past was the unwilling consort to the Destroyer, Noetos...fisherman of Fossa and unbeknown to most, the heir to the Dukedom of Roudhos, and finally Lenares...Cosmographer (a sere, who sees everything in terms of numbers and uses this talent to get a 'feel' for the future). Of course there are many other party member with major parts to play in this wonderful fantasy.
*No specific SPOILERS, but read at your own risk*
After months of travels, our diverse (and often separated) travelers finally arrive at Fortress Andratan where the much anticipated showdown is about to occur. The journey has been one that has been anything but easy; they've encountered many obstacles during their trek, including arduous geographic challenges, unfriendly people and frequent storms of nature that seem not quite natural. Add to this the character flaws and hidden agendas and you get an unpredictable tale of high adventure and intrigue.
*end SPOILER*
One concern...
Anyone who is familiar with my other reviews on fantasy, may be aware of how important the 'believability' factor is for me in this genre; believability, of course, within the context for fantasy. And although it didn't quite reach that point, the believability factor seemed to be definitely stretched. Let me explain...
For all I loved this series, I found myself wondering sometimes at the 'continuation' of some of the happenings of this tale. Just when something seems to have reached a conclusion (not necessarily at the end, but many times in side tales throughout this final book), something else pops up to extend the event...there was always one more thing that unexpectedly happens to what appears, for all intents and purposes, 'a done deal'. It was like the author just couldn't leave well-enough alone. This concern is a little difficult to explain adequately without giving away important details of the story, but unfortunately this technique took a little bit of the glow off this final book for me.
The epilogue; a little sentimental, a little sappy, but a just outcome for those that survived this ordeal...and I can live with that.
Conclusion:
Overall, a double trilogy of the highest order. A great fantasy story, superbly written and told. With a cast of unique characters that have a host of human flaws and shortcomings, i.e. real people traits. This book...4 1/2 Stars. The series...5 Stars.
Ray Nicholson
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good ending, but the cracks start to reveal the academic under the author, January 12, 2010
This review is from: Beyond the Wall of Time, Book 3 (The Broken Man) (Mass Market Paperback)
Beyond the Wall of Time concludes the broken man trilogy.
Despite knowing its a cliche Husk, cackles with laughter as he is finally revealed as the definite bad-guy.
A large (too large) portion of this book is devoted to introspection and mildly annoying debates about love and whether the undying man is evil or not.
The last chapters are fine, and the ending seems fitting. However, the characters seem out of balance. Husk whom is the first character introduced in the entire series is used as a puppet for the gods which reducing him as a character and one wonders why he was given the page time interludes to only be later taken over by a different antaganist.
Many of the main characters disappear for large periods of page time, as Stella and Undying man discuss their relationship issues, only to appear when they are needed. In particular Torve fades into the background despite being one of the more interesting protaganists.
The mythology of the world, is a cobbled mix of Thomas Covanent, and B. Scott Bakers, the Darkness that comes before series and manages to hold its own even if lacking a little originality.
Overall, a worthwhile read, that makes me proud of New Zealand writers
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2 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
AMAZON needs to check its sources..., June 1, 2009
This review is from: Beyond the Wall of Time, Book 3 (The Broken Man) (Mass Market Paperback)
I am curious how AMAZON.com plans on shipping this book to me in 10 - 12 days (free or otherwise) considering its not even scheduled to be printed and released until Dec '09 (six months from now).
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