Customer Reviews

Cast in Fury (Chronicles of Elantra, Book 4)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I did enjoy this book and thought it was a very interesting read. However, there were some very important elements that I felt were lacking.

PROS:

1) The story was very interesting and I enjoyed learning more about the culture and origins of the Leontine race. I love the world this series is set in and always enjoy learning more about it.

2) Kaylin displays more maturity than previous novels. This impression may exist only because for once her childhood was barely, if ever, mentioned. It helps a lot. The fact that she had to be polite (and was able to be) for only short periods of time also helped.

3) Most of my favorite characters had at least some part in the story. It may have been a very very small part, but at least bringing them out gave me happy feelings as I remembered back to previous books when they appeared.

CONS:

1) This book doesn't have any of the internal conflict that the previous three had. I felt this was what made those books great and this one really lacked that. Kaylin was in the middle of a crisis again, but this crisis required her to fight against all external forces. She basically had to get others to go along with what she already wanted instead of having to come to terms with any of her past or own faults.

The first three books challenged the characters and this one just seemed like another save the world day. It didn't have the emotional tug as others (even though kids were once again involved). Without these internal conflicts & challenges the book just doesn't stand out as much as the others.

2) Not only did Kaylin not have any internal conflicts to resolve, but there didn't seem to be a single character who grew or developed. We learned a little bit more about some, but only easily found out facts such as their family or a little history.

It was nothing like we had with the Barrani or the Tha'alani in previous novels. In the previous novels the Castelords of both of these races were well developed and I got attached to both of them. There were also quite a few other Barrani I liked and felt were developed very well. In this latest book there wasn't anyone who stood out. The wives almost did but not nearly enough for me.

3) More Lord Nightshade please!! Ever since the first book Lord Nightshade has been my favorite character. Sadly it seems each book he gets more and more phased out. I keep expecting and hoping the mysteries and loose ends with him will be addressed at the very least. His only appearance here is a couple of lines of foreshadowing and helping out for a brief time. At the very end it almost seems like he's going to come back into importance but it didn't happen.

The only element of romance I really feel in this novel is with Lord Nightshade (Severn is too brotherly for me to feel romance). I don't need tons of romance, but I would like some. Even if it's not involving Lord Nightshade, though I'm sure he'd try to interfere, any romance would be welcome here. I think after four books Kaylin needs to reach the point where she's ready for romance.

In summary, I thought this book did a good job on building the world and culture for the series but did little for the characters. If someone skipped this book entirely I don't think it would be noticeable in the next novel. That hasn't been true in previous novels since there was so much character development before. It was still enjoyable, though, so there's no reason to skip it.

Michelle Sagara has a wonderful series going here and this is one of the best in the series. Marcus is the Leontine who is her sargent in the Hawks. I have often wondered about the Leontines. Each of her novels deals with one of the different races who dwell in Elantra. Her last novel showcased the Tha'alani, a race of telepaths. The one before that showcased the Barrani.

Marcus has been relieved from duty and arrested for murder by the Caste Court of the Leontines. He admits to the murder and doesn't want Kaylin to interfere. Kaylin has been raised by his wives in the Pridlea. She will do anything to save him. The wives are a wonderful addition to Elantra and I liked each one, with their deep devotion to Marcus and each other.

The Outcaste Dragon has returned and Kaylin is again involved with trying to stop him from destroying Elantra.

The Tha'alani are in trouble because they faced the Tidal Wave in the last book and the humans think they caused it. The court playwrite is ordered to write a play that will help the two races understand each other and Kaylin and Severn are ordered to help him.

With all these things going on Kaylin is at the center. She and Severn along with Sanabalis and Tiamaris are dragged into all of the action. As with all of the books there is much action and adventure. I loved it.

I used to be a big fan of this series - the first two books were really gripping - but now I'm reading it mostly out of curiousity: I want to see what happens next. This book didn't really answer that question.

As usual, Kaylin knew less than anyone else about anything at all, she had to be polite to various people against her better (?) nature, and the end of the world was nigh. This is becoming annoying - surely something in this cycle must change. Since the book largely features the Leontines, I thought for once Kaylin will know more than Severn. I mean, she practically grew up in a Leontine pride, while he has apparently only been through the Leontine quarters a few times as a Wolf. But no - as usual, she is completely oblivious to all cultural subtleties.

When her beloved Sargeant was replaced with a typically rigid bureaucrat, the emotion this is apparently supposed to evoke in the reader is an easy dislike of the stereotypical martinet and sympathy for Kaylin. All I could think was "Yes! Finally someone will force her to take all those classes she needs to be a real copper!" Unfortunately that doesn't quite happen, but I'm hopeful that by the start of the next book, she will be a bit more informed and a more mature and intelligent character. It's not likely, but I can hope can't I?

Beyond that pet peeve of mine, the plot line was thin (although the book wasn't), and the doomsday scenario was the weakest yet. Sadly, some of my favourite characters made only cameo appearances. The magic was the least interesting it has ever been, although I have a feeling that Sagara dropped quite a few hints for the eventual end/showdown (whenever that might come about). I shall keep reading this series in the hopes that the author will recapture the brilliance of the first book, and that she will soon bring this long series to a climax.

Whenever another of the Elantra books comes out, I'm there. I wish I never had to leave. I wish I could see all the cases that Kaylin and Severn investigate and all the politics of the Castes and the Court. If you are a fan, this book didn't disappoint. It got back to the idea of investigation, with the usual interesting spotlight on how cultural differences can muck things up. You can see Kaylin's growth through the series as well as the development of important and real relationships, not just an obvious romance. All my favorite characters are back, with different emphases this round. I hope there are going to be 20 more!

In this fourth book in the Chronicles of Elantra, we follow Kaylin as she's assigned to yet another job that she's not exactly the best person for, but due to her unique associations, she remains essential. The Tha'alani enclave is endangered because the rest of the populace fears them and rumors blame them for the tidal wave that hit the city (in the last book). Kaylin and Severn go to Court to aide a somewhat primadonna-type playwright in writing a play that will put the Tha'alani in a good light. Kaylin's relationship to the Tha'alani can help the playwright come up with a play that will do the job and also not totally offend the Tha'alani.

Concurrently, there is another problem that concerns Kaylin, and indeed, all the Hawks. Sergeant Marcus, the only Leontine in the Hawks and one who supported Kaylin in becoming a Hawk, is arrested for murder under the jurisdiction of the Caste Court. Kaylin, of course, needs to find out what happened and clear Marcus's name. Along the way, the origins of the Leontines is explored as well as their beliefs and society. And of course there is a hidden threat that lurks in the background.

Kaylin remains her uncompromising, non-conformist self, although she needs to watch her impulsive behavior as never before when an enemy is made acting Sergeant of the Hawks. Her ties to the Leontines through her being a member of Marcus' pridlea (pride/family), along with her healing and mid-wife skills, give her an entry into the community so she can look into the murder. The ultra-competent Severn still needs to kick her to keep her in line, and he also seems to know more about Leontine social customs than Kaylin. Plenty of harrowing and fascinating adventures ensue, with new characters and old.

I preferred the first two books to this effort, and wished desperately that Kaylin wasn't quite so uncompromising and unchanging. Having failed many of her training classes with no desire to rectify it, and steadfastly refusing to hear about many subjects she isn't interested in, tending to react rather than think and plan, and generally exhibiting the behavior of an undisciplined teen-ager can wear after four books, rather than endear. But it was still a fun read and a good addition to the series.

I liked this book. I am a big Fan of Michelle's starting from the Sundered Series. This book was better than the last but not as good as the first two in the series.

Cat and Leslie have written two very eloquent reviews which I agree with completely. I want more Nightshade! The story really picks up for me in the latter 1/3 when Kaylin goes to the fiefs. The climax was awesome. I know this is not a romance book, and I am not expecting any loev scenes, but I would love a little of the romantci tension between Kaylin-Nightshade-Severn that was present in the first two books.

The first half of the book was ho-hum. The plot line about Rennick writing the play about the the Thalaani was a bore. The origin of the Leontine race was interesting. The side characters, particular Arkon, Marcus,Sanablis,Tiamaris are wonderful.Severn is reduced to nothing more than someone who follows Kaylin, holds her hand on occasion and brings her food.

I agree we need some growth to Kaylin's character. Enough already about the impetousness, the interupting people, forgetting to eat, being tough on her uniform, etc. This has been rehashed ad infinitum and is now tedious. I am ready for some serious character growth, and I agree an adult relationship with a man (Severn or Nightshade) is appropriate by book 4.

Michelle- if you read these reviews, please, please ,please can you expand on the Nightshade/Kaylin relationship in the next book! A year is so long to wait.

Cast in Fury is the 4th book in this series and they just keep getting better. While I believe that it could be read alone, most of the sub-story would be lost since each book proceeds upon the previous ones.

Kaylin is a Hawk, one of the three branches of the Lords of Law. She is the youngest and least educated of all the Hawks, having failed all classes but the extremely practical. She is a private because there isn't a lower rank.

She is defined by her great love and protectiveness for children (any children), the words in an ancient language which appear as tatoos on her skin, the great power which the marks have given, a power she uses mostly for healing with a reluctance to use the power in any other way, and nack fot making unusual friends.

This is a world of many races called casts here. The Dragon Lords, who can change from human to dragon but are forbidden to do so by the Emperor, also a Dragon Lord. They along with the Barrani are immortal, though they can be killed. The Barrani are annoying to most other races because they are perfect, perfectly beautiful, perfectly graceful, perfectly arrogant and long lived.

The mortal races include the humans, the arian who have wings and can fly, the Tha'alani who are telepaths and the Leontine who are lion people. Kaylin has friends among all of them and doesn't find it remarkable, She is most close to the Leontine.

There are two main themes to the story. The first is that she and her partner Severn are assigned to assist the Imperial Playwrite to write a plan showing that the telepathic Tha'alani are human to the human population. At the end of Cast in Secret. the Tha'alani leave their quarter and march to the port to stand in the way of a giant tital wave. They were trying to save the city, but it appeasred to the human people that they called the tital wave. Kaylin is not the person who would be the first choice for Imperial Palace duty, except that she knows the Tha'alani.

The other major theme is the Leontine and their pridlea. Kaylin's sargent is Marcus, the first and only Leontine to serve the Empire in the Halls of Law. He has been arrested for murder. Kaylin is part of Marcus' "office pride" and is essentially an adopted daughter in his Pridlea. She can't believe that he murdered anyone, has only 5 days to prove it and Marcus is not cooporating. Cast in Fury contains a lot of fascinating detail about the Leontine as does her other books about the other races.

There is more though. From the beginning of Cast in Shaddows to the end of Cast in Fury there is only a few months in time. Someone is waking up the old ones who have been gone for a long time and change is coming. There have been battles in each of the books, but they appear to only foreshaddows. And Kaylin will play an important role because she was Chosen.

Kaylin is an interesting character. She grows in each of the books. She has great power, doesn't understand it, doesn't want to understand it or use it and pretty much wishes it would go away most of the time. Except when she needs it to heal. She has powerful friends, ties to the Barrani High Court and to Lord Nightshade, the outcast Barrani Fifelord, she's the last student of the DragonLord Mage Lord Sanabis and she's come to the attention, too often of the Emperor himself.

I want to read the next one. I want to know what happened during those 6 months between the time she lift Nightshade and before she showed up at the Hawks. I want to know what is Lord Nightshade's plan, because it's obvious he has one and it's devious. Unfortunately, I expect that we will have to wait until 2009 before the next one comes out...

This book is about the Leontines, their culture, history, how they fit into Kaylin's life and how she interacts with them -- and of course the usual end-of-the-world scenario where Kaylin typically saves the day. That's it. There's no plot resolution of any kind. No character development, no budding romance, pretty much nothing of interest except the Leontines. To be honest, I was bitterly disappointed by this. Yes, Ms. Sagara's expansion on her world building was great, her take on the Leontines was original and interesting...but that's it? That's all??? This is the fourth book in the series!! I guess I was just expecting there to be MORE.

Problems with this book:

1.) Kaylin, as a character, does not seem to grow in any discernable way.
a.) Yes, she (shockingly) manages to keep her mouth shut a few times so as not to be summarily ejected from the Hawks, but ONLY a few times. She still opens her mouth at inopportune moments and lets slip important info because she can't keep her mouth shut. She still has no brain-to-mouth filter and still believes tact and diplomacy don't apply to HER, but are things that OTHER people do.

b.) She still remains ignorant and is content to exist that way and does not bestir herself to remedy her ignorance unless her life, or another's, is in immediate peril. You would think from the previous novels where her lack of knowledge has almost caused her to die, and others with her, that she would be motivated to learn more about her world. Kaylin has practically been raised by Marcus Kassan's wives, has been adopted into his Pridelea, and yet never once in all that time did she think to ask anything about Leontine history? Cultural practices???? Leontine Laws?? Honestly, this is getting a little tiring. She didn't think to ask about the Barrani, the Tha'alani, and now the Leontines...it just makes me want to slap her upside the head and yell "pick up a book already!! do some research for once and just maybe you wouldn't find yourself in these dicey situations!!"

2.) Ms. Sagara has a tendency to ignore her wonderful secondary characters. Tain and Teela make almost no appearance in this book. Neither does the Lord of the High Court, or the Lord of the West Marches. Nightshade only has two small (but admittedly important) scenes that don't occur until the last quarter of the book. Andellen and the Hawklord make a nominal appearance. I understand that this book is meant to deal with the Leontines, but I don't think that excuses excluding other great characters that we've seen.

3.) There is no romance of any kind. Admittedly I would prefer to see Kaylin end up with Nightshade (not Severn because he's too bland and definitely too much like a brother), but really any love interest would be good at this point since its the fourth novel and there's no romantic tension. Also, we still have no idea about her mysterious "erenne" status with Nightshade, what it means and what it entails.

4.) We still don't know much about Kaylin and her magic. In this novel she "sees" Words as they are being spoken, but that's not a big revelation since she "saw" the word hanging around the dead dragon's neck in the last novel. I get it. Its all about the ancient Words. She has them written on her body, she sees them when no one else does, she can even speak them. She "tells" people their story as part of her magic. But how and why remains an unanswered mystery. Incidentally, I found it beyond incredible that Kaylin mid-way through the plot suddenly realizes that she knows the True Name of the Outcaste Dragon, has in fact known all this time, and then does nothing with this knowledge.


This is not a bad book, don't get me wrong, it just does not really advance the series plotwise. In fact there seems to be no end in sight. The heroine remains essentially the same (possessing no tact, ignorant of things it seems EVERYONE else knows, and generally is obnoxious). It appears, at least in my opinion, that the series is stagnating, focusing too much on each individual race and not enough on the characters themselves. Its becoming just a little too formulaic. Its always about one race, their history and culture, and how Kaylin thinks/interacts with them. There's always a doomsday scenario. There's always a child's life in danger that Kaylin desperately tries to save..etc...If the formula holds true then the next book will be about the Aerians with another endangered child and another everyone-is-going-to-die-horribly situation. I sincerely hope this is not the case. That there will be some deviations from this formula in the next book, hopefully, a conclusion that will wrap up all the loose ends. I will buy the next book simply because, having read all four books, I must know how this series ends. I just hope the plot moves along a little bit faster.

Not my favorite of the books, but I really like this world and still read it in one sitting. I really like Kaylin as a character, but I want to find out whats going one between her and Lord Nightshade!

I like this series - just wondering how the author is going to do a conclusion.