Customer Reviews

Gate of Ivory (Daw science fiction)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I agree that Doris Egan is a wonderful writer. I loved her IVORY series.

I learned from her website that she is now writing under the name 'Jane Emerson'. Under that name she has written CITY OF DIAMONDS. She also has a story in the book SIRENS AND OTHER DEMON LOVERS.

Under any name, long may she write!

This is the first book of a trilogy, but can stand on its own. It is well-written, plus it has a good plot and characters you want to root for. I definitely recommend it. Those who already know and love Doris Egan's books might be interested to know that she wrote another book under the name "Jane Emerson."

Stranded on a "backwards" planet, the heroine ends up in a no-exit job with a magician. Our no-nonsense heroine of course doesn't believe in magic but is soon "illusioned". Adaptation is the theme of this story, as the heroine learns the perils and the pearls of Ivory. I love it I love it I love it. In this utterly unAusten world, the heroine reminds me of Emma.

I love this trilogy! I've never seen these books anywhere but the most out of the way bookstores, and I just have to wonder - what's wrong with people that they don't love this author? A wonderful first book in a group of stand-alone books with wonderful characters, an original detailed world and just great stories.

We enjoyed this book a lot and would like to find more books like this one.
Highly recommend.

I recently learned that Doris Egan is Jane Emerson of City of Diamonds fame. Why did she write under different names? I don't know. But I check from time to time to see if she has written a followup to City of Diamonds and stumbled on this information and immediately ordered the Ivory series.

I was pleasantly surprised, for a while. The book is very readable, which I consider to be very important. More important than "what the book is about" in most cases. I was immediately interested in the heroine and the people she was interacting with.

But as the book went on, it began to meander quite a bit, with some major events that were barely explained. Also, the heroine's love-interest is very lightly developed and I found it hard to imagine them together.

Overall, a fun ride - but not a great book. I'd recommend it for light read.

The setting and characters are richly drawn and are most attractive. Both the heroes and villians are complex, real people. The author could have made this a book about girl-finds-magic-powers-and-falls-in-love but she made it far more. The plot moves quickly. This is my favorite of the three books in the series. I wish she would write more.