Bridge of Souls: The Quickening Book Three [Mass Market Paperback]

Fiona McIntosh (Author)

Book Description

Series: Quickening | Publication Date: December 26, 2006

General Wyl Thirsk of Morgravia has died many times . . .

But thanks to the miraculous gift bestowed upon him by the slain witch Myrren, Wyl lives on—though greatly altered and unrecognizable. Only by assuming Morgravia's throne will he be freed from the dark spell that has both cursed and sustained him.

But Wyl's time is running out. His beloved Queen Valentyna will soon be wed to his most hated enemy, the savage despot King Celimus—and despite the impending nuptials, war between their nations looms ominously, while the dire threat from the Mountain Kingdom grows stronger by the day. Trapped in a body that is not his own, Wyl must walk his most dangerous path yet—straight into the brutal clutches of his sadistic foe‚ in a last, desperate attempt to save his land, his love, his life . . . and his soul.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In McIntosh's enjoyable conclusion to her Quickening fantasy trilogy (after Myrren's Gift and Blood and Memory), Wyl Thirsk continues to bravely labor under the "gift" bestowed on him by the witch Myrren at her death, a spell that forces his spirit to inhabit the body of anyone who murders him. Wyl, though hobbled by occupying the body of his dear sister, Ylena, doggedly pursues his quest to kill Celimus, the despotic king of Morgravia, as well as to foil the marriage plans Celimus has for Queen Valentyna of Briavel. Meanwhile, Elysius, Myrren's father, has charged the boy Fynch, "so humble and yet so wise," with destroying the evil magician Rashlyn. Despite a few rough spots where common sense doesn't prevail, McIntosh has taken the notion of body snatching, given it a fresh twist and come up with a winner. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Vibrant and engaging . . . A fast-paced and enchanting page-turner.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review) )

“High fantasy at its best . . . .A fascinating conclusion to an engaging tale of sword and sorcery.” (Romance Reviews Today )

“BRIDGE OF SOULS concludes all the adventure, grisly deaths and megalomaniacal machinations in gleeful style.” (Interzone magazine )

“McIntosh has taken the notion of body snatching, given it a fresh twist and come up with a winner.” (Publishers Weekly )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Harper Voyager (December 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060747617
• ISBN-13: 978-0060747619
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #824,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but no classic, July 25, 2006

By 

Buzzcut (South Africa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bridge of Souls: The Quickening Book Three (Paperback)

It is amazing to me that a series as full of holes and inconsistancies as this one can still be not only enjoyable, but gripping. I didn't see the main premise of the story-line coming and was interested to know what would happen to the main character. That said, I feel the characters were rather black and white in either evil or goodness, characters' emotions were not explored in enough detail, the author did not make use of her own smoking guns and she seemed to consistantly forget that her characters had been told something the chapter before and set them up in the next chapter as if they had never been told. This is good but will never be a classic.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Ending, March 15, 2006

By 

Karl (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bridge of Souls: The Quickening Book Three (Paperback)

I waited with baited breath when I ordered this book. Now that I received it I devoured it in three days. What an exilerating ending to a great series. To finally gain retribution on the one who killed him was very satisfying. Great book and hope Fiona comes out with more.

If you like books like this one, might I suggest another I've recently come across. The Unsuspecting Mage by Brian S. Pratt. It's another fantasy adventure sure to please. I highly recommend it.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting finish!, October 10, 2006

By 

A. Lee (L.A., CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bridge of Souls: The Quickening Book Three (Paperback)

I loved the first book, was still fascinated by the second book, but by the start of the third book I thought I know what to expect. After all, Wyl Stark had the curse of Myrren's Gift, which caused him to switch bodies with whomever kills him. Crazy twists had already happened because of this. I assumed more would. But the ending had to be predictable, right? I mean, all he had to do was get killed by the evil King Celimus who was to marry Wyl's true love, Valentyna, and all would be right, yes? NOOOO! It turns out that the curse/Gift may not work if Wyl intentionally gets himself killed by someone (although what about that time...??? Well, I don't want to spoil the book, but it's not a huge plot-hole since they really didn't know everything about the Gift, so that may be wrong). The problem is that Wyl is certain that he could not stand to be Celimus, no matter if he does get his dream girl and a chance to live happily ever after. He knows he absorbs a bit of the personaility/life of the bodies he inhabits and the idea of being THAT close with Celimus just is too much for him. One wants to yell and scream at him, of course. But it does make the ending a bit more interesting!!! If he refuses to continue living if he becomes Celimus, then what? Well, you'll have to read and see! --I found my interest almost petering a bit by the third book, but I still thought it very much worth the read. I enjoyed the characters and didn't think they were that two-dimensional. I enjoyed the twists and turns of the body-swapping. I like all the threads being wrapped up, even if they were a bit too neatly done for true belief (some deus ex machina involved!). I have read hundreds of books and most are enjoyable but difficult to remember after a while, but despite a few flaws, this trilogy was still striking and an adventure to read.