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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A questionable ending for a great trilogy, February 8, 2005
I think Ms. Canavan could have done better with the ending, although this book definitely blew the first 2 out of the water. Some things just didn't make sense. How come Akkarin never used Sonea's blood ring? Why didn't Akkarin and Sonea use the power of the Arena to win the battle? Dorrien and Rothen said they would be close by to use their healing powers during the final battle, but they didn't show up. And Savara's role in the novel contributed nothing to the plot, it merely provided Cery a reason not to be jealous of Sonea's relationship. The loose ends were tied up too quickly and rather sloppily in the final pages, and made for a sad, anti-climactic end to a great trilogy. And for me, happy endings are what make a trilogy worth reading...more than once. *Don't read this part if you haven't read the book yet* Another unexplained loose end is when the hero dies, but then it's supposed to be okay because Sonea's pregnant? And Akkarin was way too smart a character to do something stupid like give Sonea too much power (he taught her black magic to begin with!), especially when the Arena is a few steps away. He didn't need to be a martyr and sacrifice himself so Sonea could kill the Ichani, when the Arena was at their fingertips and they could have used its power, and not died in the process. I wish I could rewrite the ending. As a side note, it is interesting to see how much Ms.Canavan's writing improves through these 3 novels. I might read her next novel.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A promising trilogy, December 14, 2004
Trudi Canavan culminates her stunning trilogy with `The High Lord', a book nearly twice as long as the opener and twice as impressive in writing style, plot and characterisation. The series has blasted Canavan onto the fantasy scene in a manner that is refreshingly exhilarating in its simple tenacity to adhere to well-oiled tenets that are the mark of a good fantasy novel. This is not to say that there is not room for future improvements, one striking example being Akkarin's and Sonea's own attempt to wander the wilderness which, quite frankly, is utterly pointless and a section in which I found that handy notion of speed-reading coming into effective play. So, the end of the trilogy and extremely fluent to boot. We find Sonea in Year Three (and it still calls for a vision of Hogwarth) learning Black Magic (or Higher Magic, depending on your need to justify it), killing a female Ichani and promptly getting exiled with Akkarin by the Guild. In the meantime Canavan keeps us in touch with the thief-lord Cery who's having his own swashbuckling affair with Savara whilst cleaning up after Akkarin. We finally expand on the plot as we learn of an attempt to invade Kyralia by the Ichani led by Kuriko who nurses a personal grudge against Akkardin and a fervent desire to avenge himself on a battle lost ages ago. A little thin, but never mind. Meanwhile the befuddled Rothen and the still undecided Dannyl leap around ineffectively after their star pupil and enigmatic ex-master in a vague attempt to prevent Akkarin's enormous `I told you so'. Battle after battle rages with the Guild on the losing end as Canavan culls her cast and the Ichani move through the ghost city like the Forsaken slowly being whittled down by less magical methods until the explosive finale at the Guild. It is post-scripted neatly with multiple loose ends tied off but allowing sufficient effort for the next generation. Canavan's opening trilogy has been delightful. At times it is lacking substance, notably the action outside of Imarddin seems directionless at times and the author retreats frequently to the strong prose and plot of the city and there is the occasional loss of reality (even in a fantasy novel you need reality of action) such as the undiscussed evacuation of the city which conveniently happens instantly. Nevertheless, it bodes well for Canavan's future penship. I'd like more novels set in this world as it does offer immense scope and the main characters have a bigger story to tell. Whether or not Canavan returns to this world I will certainly look for her next effort to hit the shelves.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Grand Action Packed Conclusion!, August 31, 2004
Trudi does it for me with this final book in the trilogy. There is tons of action, further character development (when you thought you knew everything) and so much going on you thought you couldn't keep track of it, but because it flows so well you do. Sonea is fully "there" as a character in this book. We get to know Akkarin, The High Lord, much better - where we just glimpsed him before. Akkarin actually turned out to be my favorite character. He is very complex, not unlike most humans. Cery, has a much larger role. I missed him in book 2. The story of Dannyl and Tayend, which was a little tedious in book 2 for me, is very enjoyable in The High Lord. All the way around I feel like Trudi did a fantastic job of keeping you guessing. If you want an author that will always surprise you Trudi Canavan is the one for you.....and me.
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