Customer Reviews

Luck of the Wheels

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

 

 

The fourth of the books about Ki and Vandien - previously met in the Windsinger's Trilogy (Harpy's Flight, The Windsingers, The Limbreth Gate), which is now obviously a quartet.
If you have never read any of them and you like lots of fighting, plenty of blood, minimal plot, unbeatable musclebound heroes, and a story about as deep as a puddle, then don't bother with these. However - if you enjoy fantasy which is fresh and well-drawn, is packed full of interesting characters, creates a world that you will want to visit and explore, and has an outstanding and complex pair of heroes in Ki and Vandien - you will love Lindholm's work. Vandien is a fun-loving and surpisingly honorable rogue with an eye for a pretty girl and a penchant for getting himself into and out of trouble. He meets and ends up travelling with Ki, who appears to have no discernible sense of humour, doesn't trust anyone, can hold her own in any fight, and carries a secret even she isn't aware of.
If you love the books as much as I do you will be greatly disappointed that there are no further Ki & Vandien adventures. Lindholm now writes as Robin Hobb and her books under this name are so popular I doubt we'll end up with a Windsinger's Quintet.
For those who have shared the couple's previous adventures, this is a worthy addition to them - and we learn a great deal more about Vandien's fighting skills, sense of honour, and love for Ki. There is also a certain amount of softening in Ki's character - not only does she actually show that she cares for Vandien, but she has also developed a sense of humour! This addition to the series is, as in the other books, packed with plenty of humour, lots of action, and great characters - many of whom could star in their own trilogy or quartet. I loved it and found it a worthy addition to the others - but I would still like to know what happened to the Windsingers!

Book four of this series finds Ki and Vandien far to the South, trying to make a living as teamsters in unknown territory. Breaking their own rules, they take on passengers and find out more about this region than they wanted. If you liked the first tales of this egalitarian couple that started in the outstanding Harpy's Flight, you should enjoy this adventure. Characters are complex, alien races abound, conspiracies and oddities are everywhere, and Ki and Vaiden's relationship continues to change and grow. I only hope that the author, now writing as Robin Hobb, will one day return to the world of Ki and Vandien.

This is the fourth and final book in the Windsingers quartet (after Harpy's Flight, The Windsingers and The Limbreth Gate).

In this volume, Ki and Vandien, having trouble finding employment in the South, accept an unusual cargo: they must bring Gotheris, the teenage son of a local villager, to his uncle in the city of Villena where he is to become a healer.

What should have aroused their suspicions was that everyone seemed happy to get rid of "Goat". He'll turn out a strange and tortured boy indeed. That combined with all the rest (the despotic local Duke's Brurjan patrols, the rebellion, the runaway girl Willow) will turn what seemed like an easy stroll into quite an adventure. The money was just too good to be true!

I found the first half of Luck of the Wheel rather slow, with just the team plodding through the countryside and Goat and Willow being difficult, and I was wondering where the story would be going to. Eventually, the pace picked up and the last third proved genuinely gripping. I now realize I grew quite fond of Ki and Vandien and I'm pretty sad to leave them behind.

After fleeing the enmity of the Windsingers, Ki and Vandien agree to transport a despised and feared adolescent boy to live with a relative. Along the way, they become enmeshed in a conspiracy against a local tyrant. Luck of the Wheels is a very good adventure story. As in all of Lindholms' books which I've read, the reader is drawn into the characters' experience intensely, and we can't turn away from terror, anger, or even hate. Ki and Vandien continue to grow in their loving and tempestuous relationship.Readers of the Windsinger trilogy will definitely want to read this book as well. I was a bit disappointed that Ki and Vandien did not go on to challenge the Windsingers. I was also disappointed somewhat by the emphasis of the book. Lindholm paints a fascinating world, full of strange beings. For example, this book introduces us to the telepathic Jore. I wanted to know more about them. I wasn't all that interested in the fencing and swordplay, which there is plenty of in fantasy. Nevertheless, I am glad that this book is due to be re released in 2002, and I hope Lindholm someday will return to write more about Ki and Vandien.

Once again, the book was not very entertaining. I love the author but found myself more than a little bored.