Customer Reviews

The Quartered Sea

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the first book I have ever read by Ms Huff and I willingly admit I was truly charmed.

Her writing is good enough (despite some minor plot inconsistencies and typos: what are the editors at daw books paid for, I wonder?) and the story is interesting if not particularly original.

In this book Ms Huff shows off with two main skills:
the first is the ability of building up a breathtaking tension such as it will not allow you to put the book down until you have finished it;
the second is her characterization: Benedict, the main character, is a frustrating, self indulgent, self pitying, annoying, bothering, immature brat you soon care for. He made me scream with vexation because of his weaknesses: Ms huff brings to life a man you simply want to give a good smack first and go to bed with after.
The other characters are well rounded, finely depicted with special mention for the main villain, a woman I simply wanted to throttle painfully and slowly to death.

Two flaws:
the ending is too succint and brutal: after building so much tension in the heart of your reader you MUST allow him/her to untie these knots with a satisfying, extended ending. this does not happen and i found myself staring at the last page hungering for some release.
Ms Huff, as nearly all of her she-fellow-writers is bold enough to write about same sex relationships and she does it with pleasant and commendable open mindedness.
Still she seems to be convinced that a gay character (and Benedict IS gay, after all) can feel at least sexual attraction not just for one but for every woman. Surely enough these are fantasy worlds, so the author is entitled to write what she likes about sexual habits, but in my experience most gay men are unable to feel physically for a woman (let alone ANY woman) whereas they MAY feel attracted to her mind.
True bisexuality is in my experience very seldom to be found.

This notwithstanding the liaison between Benedict and Bannon (a lovely character) is moving and touching and Benedict's proneness for physical contact with kigh (the elementals bards command) is teasing.

Because of the shocking brutality of many pages I strongly recommend no youngster be allowed to read this book

A wonderful look at another side of Shkoder and the other side of the world. Written with finesse and understanding, Huff continues weaving the pattern of Shkoder and keeping the bards strong.

Young Benedikt is a bard, but he is a handicapped one. He can only Sing one Quarter, water, and that makes him an outcast, separated from the camaraderie of the other bards by his disability. So when his queen asks for a bard to travel on a dangerous voyage to search for the Dark Sailor of legend, Benedikt surprises himself and everyone else by volunteering. When disaster befalls the ship, Benedikt is the only survivor, and is taken captive by an odd race of people.

As he recovers from his ordeal, Benedikt begins to learn the language of the strangers, and figures out that he is being played as pawn between two siblings who are embroiled in a political war for dominance. As the war escalates, and the brother and sister reveal that there are no lengths to which they will not go to win over the other one, Benedikt's very life is in danger. He realizes there is no hope for rescue, because no one knows he has survived. So Benedikt must do what he can to save himself.

Utilizing the only power within his reach, the power to Sing water, the maimed and tortured young man does the only thing he can, he learns a new Song, the most powerful water Song of all, and manages to triumph over all odds.

Tanya Huffs Quarters series is a fascinating creation of a brilliantly talented author. The Quartered Sea may be the best yet. A fantasy which stands alone as the coming of age of a young man who believes himself hopelessly handicapped, but who finally finds his place and triumphs against overwhelming odds, The Quartered Sea is also an excellent fulfillment of the promise of the other Quarters books. This book is an experience not to be missed, whether or not you've read the previous ones.

Rickey R. Mallory

I think this is the best of her "Quarters" series. Benedikt is a bard who has an inferiority complex because he can only sing one quarter, water - never mind that he is the best who sings water that ever lived. He goes on an expedition to discover new lands, and disaster strikes in the form of a storm. He is stranded in a strange country, and soon finds himself embroiled in a political battle and in danger of his life. Tanya Huff is as good as ever. She puts you in the middle of the story and in the heart of the characters, and you feel and suffer along with the hero.

This book was good. I liked it better than no quarter, anyway. My favourite part was that Benedikt kept thinking "What would Bannon do?". That made me laugh, and keep saying to myself "What would Bannon do?". Fans of the Quarters books will like this one too, take my word for it. Now, for a sequel, maybe the answer to the question "What *would* Bannon do?"...!

I liked this book, but mostly because Bannon has been my favorite Tanya Huff character ever since I read Fifth Quarter. This story is about a young bard named Benedikt who can only Sing water. He starts as a whiney, immature, self-pittying brat. By the end of the story he has matured and gained confidence in himself. Benedikt is an okay character, but after reading the Quartered Sea, I can't help wondering when Ms. Huff is going to write a book where Bannon is the main character rather than a secondary one.

I wasn't expecting this book to be released, so when I saw it on the shelf I was psyched! Having read the previous three books in the series I just hoped that TQS could live up to my expectations. I read this book in one sitting. Ms. Huff has outdone herself again!! The great thing about this book was that even if you hadn't read the others, TQS can easily stand on its own. TQS now has a permanent spot on my shelf and after reading it, it will have a place on yours.

An absolutely wonderful story! I really love this world. Tayna Huff's characters, unlike many others, have both good and bad points, and develope throughout the story. This is true for all the books in this series. I would recommend reading them in order as some of the characters apears in several books.
Another thing I really like with this series is the way sexuality is presented. Huff creates a world in withch this is rather fluid. In the series some of the characters have preferenses for one gender, but for the most part they swing both ways. As does Benedict. He is shown having sexual and romantic interests towards both men and women. In Shkodor and it's sounding countries, gender is generally of little meaning. Petyan is sligthly different, but sexuality here to, is fluid.
If you're like me and just want some standard good fantasy, but is tired of all the heteronormative and patriarchal worlds in the fantasy genre out there, then this is the series for you.

This book is excellent. I have not read any of her books, but I will now. The story had me crying all the way thru. Benedickt is soooo like an average person with our insecurities and doubts that he is very believable.

Tanya Huff has really outdone herself this time! The characters are well drawn and the plot moves at an easy and exciting pace; not too convulated at the expense of the characters. Benedickt rather tormented teenage angst really got to me... I was so moved at the prose that described his maturing. *sniff*