Customer Reviews

Crusader

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

The Wayfarer Redemption has gone from pure brilliance to utter disappointment with this final installment of the series by Sara Douglass. As a life-long reader and lover of fantasy I have never been so appalled by the conclusion of a fantasy series - especially one that started out so good. I thought hard about whether or not to even write this review, fearing that my negativity might turn off many readers to Sara Douglass' other work. However, I was so stunned by the poor quality of Crusader that I decided that I must let other readers know how I feel.

I found the original Wayfarer Redemption trilogy, books one, two and three of this now six book series, to be absolutely brilliant. The scope of the world, the depth of the characters, the original use of magic and the epic story lines make it one of my favorite fantasy worlds. However, what started out as an amazing series quickly turned sour when Sara Douglass tacked on another three books - Sinner, Pilgrim, and finally Crusader. While it is said that the Wayfarer Redemption was always meant to be a six book series, there is a huge difference in quality between the first and second trilogy.

Everything that was accomplished, fought and struggled for in the original trilogy is quickly and utterly destroyed in this second trilogy and thus makes the original trilogy pointless and trivial. Everything, literally, is wiped out. Tencendor and everything in it - gone. Washed away like the first trilogy was nothing important. This is extremely frustrating for all the readers who spent so much time reading the first trilogy and struggling with the characters as they finally defeat Gorgrael and create peace for Tencendor. Then suddenly the demons come and, poof, all gone.

Crusader is, by far, the worst of the series. The writing becomes erratic and the plot lines start to exceed being fantastical and venture into the realm of ridiculousness. The use of magic in Crusader loses its rules and boundaries and suddenly characters, especially DragonStar, are able to do whatever they want. In all fantasy, magic must have rules and limitations in order to make it meaningful and not omnipotent. The Star Dance used to be the very original and creative way that magic was cast. In Crusader, there are no longer rules. Characters have magic when they need it and it just does whatever is needed to bail them out. DragonStar can practically do anything with his Acharite magic and in many instances it is truly ridiculous. Magic always (pardon the pun) magically appears just at the right time, even though the characters have no prior knowledge or training on how to use it. It simply works - all the time - and all the characters know just how to use it.

One of the low points in Crusader was the sudden and random relationship between Zenith and WolfStar. Out of nowhere, Zenith realizes she is in love with WolfStar and then begins a relationship with him. All this despite the fact that WolfStar raped her and she claims to be truly in love with StarDrifter. This extremely frustrating love triangle never receives any sort of resolution. All three are suddenly eaten alive at the same time. The end. Even worse, Axis barely grieves about this and then its just forgotten.

I don't wish to give away too much for those who actually make it to the end of Crusader without giving up, but believe me when I say the end is terribly disappointing. All the random magic and ridiculous elements come together to culminate in an ending that left me wondering what had happened. I had to reread the last several chapters and I still don't really understand what is supposed to have happened. So much of Crusader turns bizarre that nothing past the middle of the book really makes sense anymore. Poorly constructed connections with the original trilogy mesh with unresolved plot lines and mix together with ridiculous occurrences and last minute magic casting to form a conclusion that is so random it is hard to fathom.

So much of Crusader is bizarre and ridiculous. I really had a hard time believing it was written by the same author. If you are reading this after having finished Crusader, I'm sorry that you also had to endure such a train wreck ending. If you are reading this and haven't started the second trilogy, don't. The first trilogy stands on its own and is better if you never read the second trilogy. I wish I hadn't.

The "Wayfarer Redemption" series ends, appropriately enough, in a gush of sentiment, forced pathos, melodrama, and a good healthy gooey dollop of cheese. What more can you expect, after the last few books? Still, I do have to admit that the final battle between Good and Evil gives new meaning to the word "anticlimactic." I don't want to give anything away, but usually the Good Guys are supposed to fight for the outcome where the earth ISN'T destroyed. Once you give ground there, it's a somewhat slippery slope, you know?

Another problem here is the ever-multiplying number of locations Douglass creates, made worse now by the fact that most of them aren't real. There's Sanctuary, but then they leave it. There's a Field of Flowers, AND a Garden, and I have no idea of the significance of either. Is the Field Heaven, or just a waiting room for the Garden? Are they the same thing? How come the Field is both an afterlife, and occasionally completely empty when DragonStar goes there?

And then there's Zenith. Oh, Zenith. Honey. In my last review I told you to fish or cut bait re: your dilemma with StarDrifter. I most certainly did not tell you to jump overboard and go trolling for sharks. WolfStar? Really? The problem with this setup is that Douglass doesn't even try to make it convincing. She needs Zenith to be in a certain situation, so she just plops her there, with no motivation whatsoever. It's contrived, and it feels contrived, and it cheapens what should have been one of the book's more poignant tragedies.

I was, perhaps, a little too generous in my assessment of "Pilgrim." I cut it some slack on the grounds of its sheer entertainment value. Well, no danger of that here. Someone needs to tell Douglass that sensationalist, bloodthirsty, gruesome, graphic violence does not qualify as entertainment (this was one of the many, many problems with "Hades' Daughter," as well). Beyond that, the implausible plot and character developments pretty much ruined this story for me. It's too bad that this half of the series had to end this way. Looking back, while I would still recommend the first three books of the series, the second trilogy is just not worth the effort overall.

I read this book, just like another reviewer, a few years ago while because I ordered the paperback from Australia, now however I want to buy this again in hardcover because I really like the story. Guess that says a lot about me (I'm a collector) and about how I feel about the story (It's great!).

They other reviewers said the story turned weird and was difficult to understand, I disagree...

Yes it took an unexpected turn, but this is merely "high" fantasy...strange but beautufull things happened and If u have an open mind you will love this...however this isnt "realistic" (for as far as that is possible) fantasy, so if u are after that U might pass this book.

On a final note, I live in Holland and I'm Dutch...English isnt my first language nor did I study it in school, I however read this book in English and it was not difficult to understand even for someone like me, I dont know why the other reviewers would say it is...maybe they couldnt grasp the scope of the fantasy aspect of it, or maybe they couldnt stretch their own imagination around the story that is told here...yes its weird its fantastical...but it does make sense and it is most of all FUN!

I read and LOVED the first three books in the Wayfarer Redemption. They were satisfying, had great characters, and had a cohesive plot. The second trilogy of this series was disappointing. I enjoyed Sinner and to a lesser extent Pilgrim and Crusader but the final ending was very disappointing. It left a lot of unanswered questions about the overall plot of the book. I think Sara Douglass could have done better. I really enjoy her writing and her fantasy but I didn't like the finality of the fate of Tencendor. The heaven/hell theme was way overdone. She also failed to explain some major issues and left three characters hanging at the end for some unknown reason. I almost wish she would continue the series just so I could get the closure I was expecting but am not sure if I will read it for fear of another let down.

I have given the 5 previous books in this series 3 stars, but I can't bring myself to do that with this one. I am tempted to give it 1 star, but I did read it, and I did like some things about it.

What a major letdown this book was!! WOW!! I'm really, really bummed at such a lackluster and silly conclusion. I have ever been annoyed at the lack of good characterization, but things went from bad to worse here.

Zenith started out so well. I thought perhaps Douglass was finally getting the knack for some better characters. Here is this strong, vibrant ichaari woman who has the fortitude to love and help her hated brother, reclaim her own body from an invading soul, etc., but then for most of this book Zenith does nothing but obsess about her feelings for StarDrifter and ultimately winds up in WolfStar's arms. And StarDrifter is equally out of character here. He also loses any depth and appeal that he had originally been given. Way to blow it, Douglass, and totally ruin 2 of the best characters in the entire series.

The demons become ridiculous parodies of demons. Again, Qeteb using the F word was absolutely dumb. That line (about the "bunnies") was arguably the most awkward and unbelievable line in the 6 book series. CHEESY!!! It has to be tough to alternate between cheesy and silly and dark and macabre so much. How on earth (indeed, why on earth) did Douglass do this?!

The field of flowers became annoying, as did the constant shuffling back and forth between it. Katie, while sweet, I guess was supposed to be a 'savior metaphor' of some kind, but there really wasn't adequate need for her 'sacrifice.' All that needed to happen was for DragonStar to save Faraday and save the day. Why does Faraday need a little girl to get her throat slit in order for peace of mind? That makes NO sense.

The final battles where stupid. I am fine that they weren't traditional battles as such. But they were so unbelievable given what Douglass has spent several thousands of pages spelling out. So utterly unbelievable. I feel like Douglass just had to finish and meet a deadline and typed this out one night and didn't even bother to re-read it afterwards.

I think overall one of my biggest criticisms of this book and other books in this series is this: Douglass never lets the reader think for his/herself. She spends so much time telling us exactly what characters are feeling or thinking...sometimes hammering on it over and over and over again (as with Zenith and Faraday especially), that it loses any and all meaning for the reader. I wish Douglass had let me wonder a little about Faraday's insecurities or Zenith's fears. I wish she'd spent more effort telling me about their actions and giving clues, rather than the characters going on and on all the time. I mean, how many times do we have to hear Faraday talk about her fears of love? We get it!! Let us watch Faraday heal, instead of Faraday always telling us about it.

The ending was boring. Yawn. I'm just glad I'm done. I will NEVER read these books again, and will not recommend them to anyone. They were fun in the way that a good soap opera is fun...a guilty pleasure, a lot of fluff, a lot of unbelievable circumstances and behaviors, simple stock characters, and fast paced.

The ties that binded this mythology together begin to unravel. As I enjoyed the first three, it is a sad thing to have to say, but the characters leave much to be desired, the story is splintered, and the brutality is often unnecessarily gruesome.
Loose threads remain -- who are the people of the forest? Where did the enchantress come from? And was it really necessary to tie this vision to an 'old earth' which did nothing for developing the story?

Wow. The second half of the series is for blindly devoted fans who are incapable disappointment. I loved the first 3 books. I read Starman probably 10 times in one year because it is that good. I finally read the second half this week, and I am really truly disappointed. While the Axis trilogy has some problems (loose ends, fairly hokey conclusion) that I thought would be cleared up in the second half, I regret my decision to read these books. I wish I had never known that the second half existed.
Not only does the second trilogy completely trivialize the first, but I think that was Douglass' intention. Was she so annoyed by fans lamenting the fates of Drago and Faraday that she vomited out the second half, rather than writing it? While she does raise very interesting points and questions about life and philosophy and religion, she utterly destroys her mythology that she created and she doesn't seem to care that she's destroyed it. I feel she put no effort into her characters or plot, and simply wanted to finish the series for the sake of finishing it. With the exception of Zenith and Drago in Sinner, I felt no sympathy or empathy with any of the characters. Overall, very disappointing.
I love Douglass' work, particularly the first three books of the Wayfarer Redemption, but for fans of the series, I recommend to skip this trilogy, and for Douglass, please rewrite these books. Maybe you were burnt out while writing the second half, but I know you can do better.
Also, please proofread. I am not a grammar freak, but even I was cringing. How were you allowed to publish this with that many errors?

Well, where to start... The book starts out, okay....but then quickly becomes ridiculous. The end is well, weird, it feels like she didn't know how to end the series so said, "I'll just send them all to heaven." then worked for three books to give us an Adam and Eve/Atlantis type ending. Yes, seriously, that's how it ended. Enjoy if you can.

A few years lapsed since I finished Pilgrim and I eagerly awaited Crusader to see what would happen with DragonStar, Faraday and the others.

As expected, DragonSTar defeats Qeteb, Faraday learns to love him and everyone lives happily ever-after in the post-apocalyptic Garden. I made it through this book in only a few days, HOPING that some major action would happen. ... It didn't.

This was a very metaphysical book and most of the battles tend to be emotional and psychological rather than physical (not always bad, but it was anticlimatic and disappointing here). Characters seem to be able to flit back and forth between the Field of Flowers and the "real world". Some things overall just were a little too convenient for the characters. The right person or power or animal or artifact always showed up at the right time. The battles between "witches" and the demons were a little strange and the final showdown between Qeteb and DragonStar ... well, I had ro reread it to find out exactly what happened.

What I thought was originally going to happen was that Faraday would have a son by DragonStar who would rule over Tencendor (re the Silver Pelt in Enchanter "Gave her [Azhure] the heir that should have been yours by right." Or that Isfrael would redeem himself and become the hero. Neither happened. Especially since there is no longer a Tencendor. So everything that Axis, Azhure, Faraday, Belial and others worked for is gone.

I'm glad to have the closure of the series, but ultimately it wasn't what I expected.

I was very dissatified with this book. When I finished it, I wanted to throw it against the wall. I think the author took "love conquers all" to extremes.

Some of the things I was unhappy about were:

How Zenith started out so strong and turned into an idiot
The Zenith/StarDrifter relationship
The Zenith/WolfStar relationship
Faraday's determination to be a victim - I wanted to shake her
The Faraday/Isfrael relationship
Isfrael's change and what happened to him
The whole ending

It was just such a let down.

I liked Faraday in the first trilogy and I always thought she had gotten the dirty end of the stick. The fact that she finally got her happy ending is the only reason I gave it two stars.

Since its the last book of this trilogy, people will have to read it. Just be warned not to expect much.