Last of the Wilds [Paperback]

Trudi Canavan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 26, 2006

In the aftermath of their defeat of the Pentadrian army, the White are unsure of their next move. The five gods are largely silent, although Auraya has been forbidden to fly. Leiard ahs disappeared, and Auraya fears she has seen the last of him.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A wonderfully and meticulously detailed world, and an edge-of-the-seat plot, this book is a must for lovers of good fantasy Jennifer Fallon Canavan is a natural storyteller Emerald City --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

About the Author

Trudi Canavan lives in Melbourne, Australia. Her first published story received an Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Short Story in 1999. She has since published the bestselling Black Magician Trilogy and is now a bestselling author in the UK, Australia and the US.

Product Details

• Paperback: 640 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd (April 26, 2006)
• ISBN-10: 0732278708
• ISBN-13: 978-0732278700
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,899,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Much better!, June 4, 2006

By 

guitarchick24 (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Last of the Wilds: Age of the Five, Book 2 (Mass Market Paperback)

After reading this book, I thought, finally! This is Trudi Canavan as I remember her from her first trilogy.

"Last of the Wilds" is a middle book, but in many ways is stronger than its predecessor, "Priestess of the White." In this book, the storylines for all the main character groups (the White, especially Auraya, the Pentadrians, the Wilds, the Elai and the Siyee) get more interesting. There is depth to each of the individual plots and the author sets up a complex and intriguing political scene for the third book.

One of Canavan's strengths is her ability to show all sides of the story, much like another favorite author of mine, Hilari Bell. By this I mean, the "bad guys" aren't necessarily bad, and the "good guys" may have questionable motives and actions too.

Whereas "Priestess" felt very linear (all Pentadrians are evil, all Circlians are good and just being vicitmized by the bad Pentadrians), "Last of the Wilds" delves deeper into the motives and thoughts behind the character groups' behavior. Both sides feel that they are "correct" and are trying to spread their influence, either through war, alliances, or whatever. I actually liked the Pentadrians in this book, because the author showed why and what they were trying to do. Meanwhile, I found myself not feeling kindly toward the Whites, because they seemed to lack compassion and fairness.

Then you've got the other major group, the Wilds, which are literally a wild card in the book. Emerahl runs off to find other people like her - with an unclear goal in mind, but it is fascinating to speculate what the author might do with this group in the third book. With their knowledge of what used to be, they might upset the balance and cause a completely different society to emerge. They already do upset the balance when Auraya discovers something shocking about one of them - forcing her to make a hard and surprising decision that makes you anxious to read the conclusion in the third book.

Overall, a MUCH BETTER book than the first one and well worth the time to read. I am definitely looking forward to the last book in the trilogy.

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars If you just want something to read..., May 2, 2006

By 

Ediacara (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last of the Wilds: Age of the Five, Book 2 (Mass Market Paperback)

This book's not bad - much like the first, it's very slow, not a lot of action, but with the bones of a good story. However, there is one glaring error that i can't believe made it through the editing process. At one point the author introduces a pair of conjoined twins who have since seperated themselves using magic... but one of the twins is male, and the other female. Oops! Conjoined twins are imperfectly seperated IDENTICAL twins.

Nitpicking aside, the characters are a bit bland, but the ideas behind them are interesting. It's an undemanding, gentle read. I think that Trudi Canavan has the potential to be a really good author, but so far this series lacks the conflict, the pacing and the excitement to achieve that potential.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two good books in a row, May 8, 2006

By 

moria2 (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Last of the Wilds: Age of the Five, Book 2 (Mass Market Paperback)

"Last of the Wilds" is the second book of Trudi Canavan's second trilogy, the first being The Black Magician Trilogy. Although all of the living characters are still present in this book, the focus shifts from the Dreamweavers and the White to some of the other characters and characters sets. The Siyee are once again used as a culture bridge. Added to the mix are the Siyee's water bound cousin's the Elai (met briefly by Auraya in the first book). The Wilds, or unpredictable sorcerers, are of much interest. These long-lived or immortal characters (like Mirar and Emerahl), remember the history of the five Circlian Gods. Additionally, focus shifts to give the reader a better view of the foes from "Priestess of the White," the Pentadrians. We get a better look into the religion of the Pentadrians, their social structure, their mysterious five gods who rarely show themselves, and their continuing plans to spread their religion. I recommend this book. Be warned that it is Canavan's heftiest book yet, 555 pages and might not appeal to some readers because of this. I hope the conclusion of the series doesn't disapoint like the final epilogue of Black Magician.