Customer Reviews

The Hounds of God - Volume Three in the Hound and the Falcon Trilogy

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In the third and final book of Tarr's trilogy, The Hounds of God [c. 1223], Alfred, priest and elf, runs afoul of the Paulines and their Inquisitors. He continues to question his place in the world and his religion as he becomes even less human. Look for the cameo by [not yet Saint] Francis of Assissi. My complaint about the previous book holds true to this one as well: rushed, unfinished, and not precisely ill-thought-out. I suppose I've never found the main love interest very convincing, but that could be simply personal taste and not any lack of characterization on Tarr's part. Also, by this time, I was completely tired of all repetition in the text and in the characters [how many times must one gape, or fall to their knees in exhaustion?]. There's also something about describing psychic powers in action that's become cliche', and I think one has to be an incredibly good writer to pull it off without sounding silly. I was ready for it all to end, though when it came it was more touching than I expected. Entertaining, if a little tiresome at times.

The Hounds of God is about how Alfred of Saint Ruans, his adopted brother Nikephoros and his friend Jehan try to find and save Alfred's wife, adopted sister and newborn twins while keeping themselves safe from the sorcerer who kidnapped them. It is a very exciting book that you'll find hard to put down. You may need a little time to get in to it, but I think that most people would enjoy it. This book is almost nothing like the first two in the trilogy, but the story is incomplete without it. I think this is the best book in the series.