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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
50 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Scintillating sequel,
This review is from: Hidden Truth (Truth, Book 2) (Paperback)
Dawn Cook follows up her strong "First Truth" with a solid sequel, which picks up most of the threads from the first but leaves plenty of space for further adventures. The sequel syndrome hasn't hit "Hidden Truth," and fans of Cook's first book won't be disappointed.The evil Keeper Bailic has the First Truth book, but he can't open it. Believing that the piper Strell is the person who can, he tries to teach Strell magic -- not knowing that Alissa is really the blossoming Keeper. While Bailic frustrates himself with Strell, Alissa is learning magic from the raku-Master Talo-Toecan (also known as "Useless"), except that she seems to be far ahead of where she should be -- with more powers than she should have. And there's a friend of Useless's named Lodesh, who is charming, weird, interested in Alissa, and totally mysterious. Alissa has to perform the magical tasks for Strell, so that he seems to be gaining skill -- at the same time, she learns that she may never get to be with him. Soon Bailic's plans become very, very clear -- he wants to raise an army of the dead, from the city of Ese' Nawoer, which is filled with thousands of guilt-wracked ghosts. But to do that, he has to use the First Truth. And in order to stop him, Alissa will have to learn about what she can do -- and what she might become. Dawn Cook's fantasies avoid most of the fantasy cliches by not trying to avoid them. She has a small, well-developed cast, a simple cultural backdrop, interesting magic, and a very interesting cast. The villain is given an actual reason to do what he does, and the heroes have to be patient and think. And while this is a satisfactory conclusion to the first book, there are enough loose threads -- the vanished or feral Masters, for example -- that there is plenty left to explore if Cook chooses to. Probably the biggest problem with this story is the pacing -- like "First Truth," it drips steadily for about two hundred and fifty pages, then speeds up to a delicious climax. And the medieval setting seems a little out of sync with all the talk about genetics and neural nets. Her writing is detailed but not obsessively so, and some scenes -- such as the ghosts' attack, or when the book is first opened -- are shatteringly vivid. Alissa is still likably stubborn, but has to grow up a great deal more in this book; she's come a long way from the rather petulant farm girl. Strell is a sweetie, sensitive or tough as the occasion demands, and his sort-of-romance with Alissa is wonderfully done. Talo-Toecan is pleasantly snappish and crabby, but very protective of Alissa, and Lodesh is delightfully charming and occasionally irritating. Though it lacks in a few areas, Dawn Cook's second novel is overall a pleasant and intriguing fantasy adventure. Thoroughly enjoyable.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
MORE than worth your time and money.,
By
This review is from: Hidden Truth (Truth, Book 2) (Paperback)
Even though the fallen Keeper Bailic had the book titled "First Truth" he could not open it. It was warded well and only the person it "claimed" could open it for the knowledge within. Bailic believed Strell to be the latent Keeper and blackmailed Strell to learn magic from him. Once the musician knew enough magic and opened the book, Strell and Alissa would be expendable. Secretly Alissa was under the tutelage of the last surviving Master. She had no idea how special she was and the Master feared that he could not bring her magical abilities to full maturity alone. If he failed though, she would die. Near the Hold was the abandoned city of Ese'Nawoer where thousands of guilty souls waited to serve the one who would waken the city. If Bailic had his way, he would claim those souls and order them to spread madness among the lands, causing the farmers and the plainsmen to go to war. ***** Author Dawn Cook pleases her readers again with this novel, the sequel to "FIRST TRUTH". I actually found myself holding my breath during a couple of tense moments as I read. The novel is even better than the first, which I did not even believe possible. I am VERY PROUD to tell everyone about this wonderful author and can hardly wait for her next release!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Much better than the first,
By
This review is from: Hidden Truth (Truth, Book 2) (Paperback)
Hidden Truth, the second book in Cook's Truth quartet, continues the story of Alissa, Strell, and the book First Truth. It is much more action-filled than the previous book in the series, and as such is much more satisfying. While the first book in the series felt almost like a prologue until the very end, plenty happens in this book to justify the long set up.
In Hidden Truth things move beyond character and setting and into the actual plot that Cook only hinted at in the first book of this series. The world is developed further, new characters are introduced, and plot twists keep things very interesting. The only thing that wasn't different from the first book was the characterization. Though there was further development of Alissa towards the end of the book, and there was a new major character introduced, for the most part, the characterization did not change from what was developed in book one. This is not a bad thing, as the characterization in book one was strong, but it would have been nice to see some further development of Strell and Useless and Bailic. The main weakness of Hidden Truth was the explanations. There were several plot devices that worked very well, but that would have been better if they had been explained further. There were some that were confusing, and others that were explained well enough that they weren't confusing, but the reader isn't left feeling as though he or she completely understands what is being talked about either. Many of the references are deliberately vague, to conceal plot twists later in the story, but some are never explained later in the book, and that is disappointing. That is, however, really the only big weakness in Hidden Truth. Cook's writing flows easily and is neither too wordy nor too sparse. She does a wonderful job building a world, crafting small details that make it seem real. Though some of the details are odd, they do give the world a very genuine feel and they make the characters seem more realistic. Hidden Truth is a highly satisfying book, one that could almost stand on its own if it weren't for the extensive background information provided in the first book in this series. The ending is satisfying, if a bit sappy at the very end. The twists and turns continue up to the last few pages, but that doesn't stop Cook from tying up all the loose ends so admirably one might wonder what there is left to do in the other two books. The ending of Hidden Truth truly felt like the ending to the story. Anyone who enjoyed First Truth will enjoy Hidden Truth a lot, and those who picked it up without reading the first book will likely want to go back to fill in the details. Lovers of the fantasy genre and those new to it will all likely enjoy this book very much.
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