Customer Reviews

The Gate of Gods: Book Three of The Fall of Ile-Rien (Fall of the Ile-Rien)

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

 

 

This is a very satisfying conclusion to Martha Well's Fall of Ile Rien series. It is a strong on action, but also continues developing the relationships, the world, and the cultures of all those involved. It also manages to tie elements together into a satifying bow without feeling pat -- including elements from earlier Ile Rien novels. Tremaine Valiarde is now one of my favorite fictional female characters, with some of the same elements that make Harriet Vane (of Dorothy Sayers) enjoyable to meet and root for. My only regret is that the series is complete -- I'll look forward to Well's next work.

I have read all of Martha Wells' books and have enjoyed each of them a great deal. Her world building is always rich and original, her prose is sharp, her plots well paced and engaging, and her characters likeable...and that is a lot to like (far more than most fantasies I've read). There was a bit to much deus ex machina in the series (well...literally this time)...and as some reviewers said not a great deal of insight into the characters motivations...and after reading all of her books there is a...familiarity about the characters despite the very different backgrounds...but make no mistake, this is GOOD fantasy, and if it's not high literature, so be it...I'll still be eagerly awaiting her next work.

While I enjoyed the first two books in this series, I would have to say that this volume was a disappointment to me. The mystery behind the Gardier aggression, the fate of Arisilde and the future of Tremaine's and Ilias relationship is resolved in this novel, but despite that I ended the book feeling dissatisfied.

The pace of this book seemed more uneven and slower than the previous two novels, and at the end of it, while the war is finished, and Tremaine is no longer suicidal, I didn't feel like I had a real insight to Tremaine's character aside from some nasty episodes in her past that made her feel that society wasn't "worth it". On reflection this is a series I should have bought in paperback given my feeling of let down at the end, but it had some unique moments, especially in book 2 on "the Ravenna".

In "The Gate of Gods," the third in the "Fall of Ile Rien" series, moody Tremaine Valiarde (perhaps the first bipolar SF heroine) and her squabbling companions continue to plumb the mysteries of the circles, discovered by the mysterious havoc-wreaking Gardier, that enable them to cross among worlds. With sword and sorcery, plus the equivalent of 1920s-era tech, as well as pluck and more than a little luck, the not so merry men (and women) finally figure out how the things work (readers may not be so lucky, as the rules seem to be in a constant state of flux), scoot between worlds (often just in time), discover more about the nature of the Syprian "gods," and are finally able to write "mission accomplished" to their adventures. Fans of the late-1960s TV midi-series "The Prisoner," which starred Patrick McGoohan, may smile with recognition as Tremaine's crew finally meets number 1. (Or not.) Anyhow, it's a delicious scene.

Well written and fun to read, the author dares to present a heroine who is truly "mad, bad, and dangerous to know." Or, as the old song puts it: Tremaine always is a headache but she never is a bore.

Notes and Asides: This is the end of the trilogy but not, I suspect, the ends of tales of Ile Rien. Start with volume 1, please or you will be majorly confused. I did, and I was still minorly confused. (Now let me think, Gerard is the sorcerer, Giliad is the . . . )

I love Martha Wells as a writer. I'm not entirely sure why I love her so much; she just has a very absorbing and colorful way of writing a scene, I suppose. You get caught up and carried along and it's a great ride.

My comment is on this book in particular, but it's also on the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy as a whole because it's really just one long book cut into three pieces. This is not the kind of trilogy where you can start with any book. You *will* wind up being confused, believe me!

I suggest reading -- as I did -- "The Element of Fire" before launching into the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy. Maybe "Death of the Necromancer" too. It's not absolutely mandatory in order to understand the series, but it does help. Without reading "The Element of Fire" you really don't understand the world of Ile-Rien in its glory days, so to speak. When the "Fall" trilogy opens, Ile-Rien has already been buffeted by war with the Gardier for several years. It's harder to see what the country means to all of the main characters and what they stand to lose without seeing what the country used to be before the war.

Ile-Rien is a fully realized world. The way Martha Wells depicts it, it seems as real a place as Paris or Vienna. What makes the world of Ile-Rien different is that magic is a reality there. It's a principle of life no different than scientific principles like gravity. Wells deftly paints a picture of what a society like that would look like. She also shows how Ile-Rien changes from the two centuries from "The Element of Fire" which takes place in an 18th century-like setting, to the time when "The Wizard Hunters" open, which is about the equivalent of our 1940s. Think WWII.

Ile-Rien changes both technologically and magically. Things like cars and electric lights are common in Vienne, the capital city, but there is also a sharp decline in the appearance of the fay, the fairy creatures that dominated so much of the first book, "The Element of Fire". This makes sense because the introduction of steel train tracks and other markers of industrialization have made it nearly impossible for the fay to be in Ile-Rien. As in the myths of our own fairies, the fay can't abide being near iron.

I would suggest this trilogy to any lover of fantasy because the Ile-Rien books are unusual. Fantasy is so often set in medieval circumstances; Wells dares to be different.

I do, though, have two major criticisms. First of all, after roughly 1,200 pages of story, the plot is wrapped up (a little too neatly) in less than a hundred pages. As I got closer and closer to the end of "The Gate of Gods", I found myself frustrated and afraid that the author wasn't going to answer the "big question" at all -- namely, who are the Gardier really and why did they decide to declare war on Ile-Rien? The attack, from the view of the Rienish, seems completely unprovoked. There is also the question of how the Gardier went from the peaceful society they had a mere generation ago to the warlike, totalitarian people who attack Ile-Rien.

Well, Martha Wells does give an answer to these questions. Is it a satisfying answer? That's not easy for me to say. By the time she finally got to the explanation for the war, I was just relieved that there *was* an explanation, period. This fear was somewhat justified because I don't think it was ever made completely clear why the villain in "The Element of Fire" did what he did. At least, it wasn't clear to me.

On the whole, I think the solution to the Gardier mystery could have been a lot more elegant. After the strength of the rest of the trilogy, it was something of a letdown. It felt a bit tacked on.

I also think that the explanation of the spell circles could have been described more clearly.

There are spell circles that both the heroes and villains of the trilogy either make or discover. They use them to travel between three different worlds. But, especially in this final book, Wells gets into a very complicated system of stationary circles, mobile circles, point-to-point circles, and so on. About a third of the way through this book, it really starts to all go over your head because it's like trying to conceptualize a long math problem without the numbers and symbols being written down on paper. In other words, it's hard to visualize. It was for me, anyway. I'm sure Wells' logic on the circles is sound. I take it on faith; I'm certainly not going to go over the text with a fine-toothed comb and check her accuracy.

The main character, Tremaine, is somewhat problematic. That is, she is a very complicated character and the entire story really revolves around her. It's not only that she's important, it's that everyone else always treats her like she's important. (They may not be entirely justified in treating her that way, but they do.) I, personally, liked Tremaine. That is to say, I didn't actually always *like* her, but I always found her interesting and I liked that about the character. But, I can easily see how other readers would be turned off by her character and anyone who falls into that camp isn't going to like these books.

I do give Wells a lot of credit for Tremaine because I think her very existence as the main character in an intelligent fantasy series answers the question that Joanna Russ and other feminist SF critics have posed, which is, can a female character really be the heroine? Is it possible to create a new and authentic narrative of SF/fantasy heroism that isn't just dressing up a woman in a guy's clothing?

Wells proves that it's more than possible.

Having said that, Tremaine (and, to a large extent, Ilias and Gilead as well) did get on my nerves with her hypocrisy.

There were clear villains in the trilogy, like Ixion the wizard and Balin, the captured Gardier spy. Ixion, especially, was obviously just pure evil. But there were other characters who I think were unfairly set up just to be "straw-man" obstacles to Tremaine and Ilias' relationship. Ander, Cletia, Pasima and Visolela were supposed to be these irritating, unreasonable people, but I didn't find them so at all. There were times when their respective goals and ideas were are odds with the main trio of heroes -- Tremaine, Ilias and Gilead -- but I think they were mainly frustrated because they didn't take the time to really listen or understand where these people were coming from. The three of them hated to be unfairly judged and taken for granted by others but they were very comfortable doing those very things themselves and that grated. No one ever called them out on their double standard. But then, in a war, there probably wouldn't be the time.

All in all, a trilogy that stands up to the best fantasy series out there, in my opinion. I wish my people could be exposed to it.

Lastly, I want to say that Martha Wells is one smart cookie for putting the entire text of "The Element of Fire" on her website. Once you get a taste of her writing and the world of Ile-Rien, you will be hooked. Sure, I got the first book for free, but then I went out and purchased all three of the "Fall" books. I imagine that 2009 won't come and go without me buying and reading the other books she's written as well.

Another strong book from one of the best fantasy writers working today. Her prose just hums along, and the world she's created here, as in other novels, is highly unique and possesses its own, singular feel. The action is well paced and while the plot does become a bit confused near the climax (as one reviewer put it, "all those circles!") this is a thoroughly enjoyable read that pulls you along and leaves you highly satisfied at the end.

Her characterization is for the most part outstanding, even the small clues and cues she gives regarding less-central characters. Yes, the character of Tremaine has been a bit of a mystery from the start and the emergence of the fact that she has a core of cold steel a la her father does raise some questions, but the book reads so well and unfolds so naturally they didn't occur to me until after I'd put it down. Despite a few (very) minor imperfections, all told this is top-notch fantasy and I'd highly recommend it to anyone. At the least, however, start with the first of this latest trilogy, The Wizard Hunters. If you can, go farther back. After reading Gate I tracked down the first book set in Il-Rien, The Element of Fire, (FYI it's on Well's website for printing free of charge) and my appreciation for how she has spun this series of stand-alone yet related stories grew.

I've enjoyed all of Martha Wells novels, including the Fall of Ile-Rien series - although in some ways I've found this series the most disappointing of all of them. Some of the characters in the Fall can be found in the far more satisfying and intense "Death of a Necromancer"; the main protagonist in the Fall is in fact Nicholas Valiarde's daughter, Tremaine.

And Tremaine is my problem. Throughout this series, she is frequently upset, feeling that she serves no useful purpose in the war against the Gardier - she's not a sorceress, she's not a warrior, she does not have political clout - and her unease about her role is the same unease this reader feels.

In this, the final book of the series, where I might have had an ultimate revelation of what drives Tremaine, of why she feels she can insinuate herself with impunity at the highest levels of society and in the army/sorceror's league as the Rienish plot and struggle against their enemy - I am left with nothing but her snarling a great deal as she demands to go off on mission after mission through magical circles that bind the worlds. And yes, all her companions are aware that she's ruthless, like her father, as though it's an inherited trait, and not one borne out of circumstance.

I would have enjoyed this book much better if Tremaine had been a secondary character - and the main character had a more compelling reason to act and do as she did.

The Kingdom of Ile Rien has fallen to the mysterious and powerful sorcerers known as the Gardier who came through an inter-dimensional portal to conquer the planet by trapping sorcerers in crystal balls to use as weapons against the populace. The same tactic worked on the planet where the Gardier conquered the Syprians who don't allow people with magic to live. Gilead the Chosen One of their god has killed many evil wizards. Tremaine a resident of Ile Rien followed a Gardier ship back to Sypria where she enlisted the aid of Gilead and his brother llias.

They travel back to Il Rien where they enlist the help of the wizard Ariside who is trapped in one of the crystals. He gives them a spell that takes them back to Ilias' home world where they communicate with their God who sends them into a portal to a place where the power of the Gardier can be destroyed. They travel there knowing it might mean their deaths. Back at home, Tremaine's lethally dangerous father is using his considerable talents to stop the Gardier from continuing the siege of Lodun where dozen's of sorcerers and thousands of people are trapped by a magic shield

Tremaine, a scientist in a world that uses magic in its everyday affairs, learns to love a man who lives on a world where magic is an abomination. Her vulnerability and her strength lie in her ability to adapt to any situation. With her group of fellow resistance fighters she learns how to use the world gate spells to hop from one world to another and one place to another to try to achieve her goals. There is plenty of action in this exciting finale to the Fall of Ile Rien trilogy but what make this fantasy so special are the fully developed characters. Readers will understand what motivates them to take perilous risks and hope they succeed in their endeavors.

Harriet Klausner