Customer Reviews

Face of the Rising Sun (First Americans Saga)

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

 

 

This may not be great literature or anything, but it was fun. You see, after getting through Shadow of the Watching Star, you see, I found myself utterly burnt out on this series. Sarabande's world was just becoming SO utterly cold and vicious, and the plights of the heroes (when there even ARE 'heroes') were so incredibly depressing that I just wasn't liking it very much, even if it did have a certain bleak integrity. And then the image I'd mentally developed of the author was shattered when I learned she was a she--and I just couldn't go on. I'd had enough.

However, eventually I did take a crack at the latest book--Face of the Rising Sun--and, surprise surprise, I enjoyed it. I think--know, in fact--that a lot of this stems from the fact that there are no real 'villains' here, and hence no soul-crushingly grim situations to deal with. In fact, the characters listed in the front of the book are, with the exception of sundry animals, spirits, and hallucinations, the ONLY characters in the book. While there's still some pretty heavy drama (mostly concerning the coming-of-age of Xokantakeh's (big fat sp?) daughters), but I never had to force myself to keep going--it was compelling rather than off-putting. And Warakan is still one of Sarabande's best characters, in spite of his bafflingly irrational obsession with Mah-ree(sp?). I WAS somewhat angry over the senseless death of one of the characters, but since when has Sarabande ever let sentiment override reality? One must take the good with the not-so-good, I suppose. And there's considerably more here that's good than otherwise. If you've given up the series before now for the reasons that I had, take heart: it does get better. And I'll certainly have a go at the third story arc when time permits, though not without a certain trepidation--is this the start of a kinder, gentler William Sarabande, or is it just an aberration? My money's on the latter, unfortunately, but now that I'm newly invigorated, her prose might be good enough to make it enjoyable regardless.

I personally like the books that she writes with her husbands better. This book is not very compelling and is a hard one to get into. Too much detail and not enough story. It is as though she wants to impress you with her acient tales of the tribes rather than about each character. I would either pass or buy used. Not worth the money for new.

I was wondering what book comes after Face of the Rising Sun? it seems that Warakan must have got left somewhere in this book, does the next book even talk about what happened to Warakan?
The next book is Time Beyond Beginning?

Another of Sarabande's good books. Worth reading.

ok i honestly can say i havent read the book but i did read over half the series eight years ago when i was 12...and years later my friend anb i have found more books and r goin back re readin the older ones and will enjoy the news ones im sure. so actually i stumbled upon this searchin for a web page and im still searchin so if anyone can help me please and thank you and if by any slim chance mr. sarabande reads this me and laura love u, ur books, actually, and that was the purpose of his surf take care salaha ";-P immasala@aol.com