Customer Reviews

Seeker's Mask

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you haven't read the first two books in this series (published together as Dark of the Gods) I cannot recommend that you read them enough, first for their own merits as exceptional fantasy works and because you really need the background to fully enjoy Seeker's Mask.

Seeker's Mask opens shortly after the end of Dark of the Moon. Jame's quest has ended. She is reunited with her long-lost brother Tori and has returned their father's sword and ring. Unfortunately before she and Tori have a chance to reconnect, she is bundled off to learn how to be a Highborn lady. Although this section of the book takes an opportunity to explore the Women's World with its own hidden powers and politics, it isn't long before Jame has shed her mask and is off on a quest with Jorin in tow, creating mayhem where ever she goes.

Like DoG, Tori is featured intermittently in his own sections, and little is resolved between brother and sister which I felt was a missed opportunity. Their relantionship, while complex and requiring a realistic resolution to their many misunderstandings, hardly advanced from the previous books. They remain seperated until the end of Seeker's Mask, and the next book hints that this trend will continue (and let the next book be here soon!)

Despite this quibble, this is an excellent book. Hodgell's plot will keep you turning through 400 + pages without fatigue and Jame the heroine never fails to retain our interest. She is the most complex heroine in fantasy today. Conflicted by honor and the demands of her religion and upbringing, she nevertheless takes charge of her actions. While striving to be true to herself, she also makes mistakes, sometimes pulling down entire cities in the process! Many characters are carried by events or react only to situations created by others but Jame is a catalyst for change in her own right, as perhaps a Tyr-Ridan should be. Her stuggles with the good and evil in her nature, the expectations of her society and what she expects of herself makes for a flawed but real person whom you can't help but connect with and want to succeed.

Written with a sense of style, and full of danger and intrigue, Hodgell never loses her, or Jame's sense of humor. Full of fresh concepts (arboreal drift comes immediately to mind) and offering plenty of future plot points, characters (new and dead), and a destiny for Jame that is only hinted at in oblique references, Seeker's Mask will make you look forward to Jame's continued adventures. Buy a copy - or two ! for yourself and get one for your fantasy loving friends as well.

When I first saw that this book was coming out, I was ecstatic. I first read the her first two books years ago and I have been waiting for this book ever since.

Hodgell has created a world that contains a perfect blend of exotic mysticism and gritty realism and then proceeds to breathes life even to even the smallest charecters.

In Jame, Hodgell has created one of the most memorable and uncoventional heroines in fantasy. She rarely knows what she's doing or has the slightest idea how she's going to meet her goals but she always seems highly competent and unpredictable. Not even she knows what she is going to do next. Jame is also unusual in that her main relationships are with family, friends, or enemies; she has no romantic interest in her life and does not feel the need for one. The only things that mars her fiery independence is her deep need to forge a relationship with her brother, Tori.

There is only one thing that mars my enjoyment of this book, the fact that de Lint's preface revealed that it had originally been published years ago with a very low distribution and I didn't know it.

I read God Stalk and Dark of the Moon when they were first published. I spent the next decade and a half actively looking for the sequel. Considering the long gap between the first two books and Seeker's Mask, the characterization of Jame remained amazingly consistent (I have read sequels in which this was violently untrue, where the characters seemed mere paper cut-outs of themselves).

However, the storyline in Seeker's Mask seemed rather confused. Characters are transported about willy-nilly, and some events seem to occur only in order to reveal information to the reader.

Perhaps this book serves a more intermediary function within the series as a whole. Important information is revealed. Jame's situation, which was somewhat stalemated at the end of Dark of the Moon, has broken loose. In the next book, she will have much greater scope for action.

Taken as a whole, this is one of the best fantasy series I have read and I eagerly await the next installment.

Great, complex high fantasy from an author people should read more of! Reminds me of CJ Cherryh (Especially the Fortress in the Eye of Time) in a way, in the sense of complex motivations, major interior dialogue, but more inventive and more humor. Very fast paced and complex - sometimes a bit too much so: you can't miss a word or you'll miss something. A short synopsis of the previous 2 books would have been nice, as it's (probably) been a while since the reader has read the first 2 (which are happily back in print in the omnibus edition Dark of the Gods). Also a short glossary would be good too - lots of place names, gods, etc which aren't explained and you have to skip or figure out by context (the list of dramatis personae is useful though). But overall a great sequel, and a great standalone novel too- here's hoping there isn't another FIFTEEN YEAR WAIT for the next one!

i read the second book and i find that it continue flawlessly into this book.I lov the way Jame had been potrayed and i can understand Torisen apprehension at finding Jame.But i think their relationship will grow better in the next book as i think that Jame,Torisen and Kindrie formed the three faced God.Each one of them represent a different aspect of their God.Toriesen and Jame shared a connection that strong enough that those bind to Torisen are bind to Jame and vice versa.I probably had read the book a couple of times since i had it.
I find that every line convey a certain richness and i had my favourite lines and scenes.But the best scene for me is when TOrisen disowned Kallystine not only for what she tried to do to him but to what had happened to Jame.Jame'presence had freed Torisen from Kallystine influence so i think the twins nwill slowly but surely rely on each other strengths.Torisen will learn to trust Jame and Jame will be the rock in Torisen life.I do think this is one of the best book that i have read.

It is not as fluid as the first two but still an excellent story.
Really intriguing characters and development. Great job, Patricia!

The whole Jame series is so good. I love them. They are so good because the plot is so original, there are so many books out there that should be sued for stealing plot lines. These books are such a refreshing read and amazingly enough, our main characters aren't omnipotent gods. While Jame has a great deal of power as a Shanir (aka, Kencyr Highborn with supernatural abilities) she is haunted by her abusive childhood and adolescence that she is only starting to remember. She makes terrible mistakes and is tempted to make selfish decisions.

Torisen, her brother is the Highlord of the Kencyrath, and also has great power. But unlike Jame Torisen tries to deny his heritage as one of the Shanir (once again, thanks to an abusive childhood). One of his abilities is farseeing, particularly in his sleep, and so he is an insomniac, haunted by the voice of their insane, dead father. The Lords he governs with on the High Council at best try to minipulate him, and at worst would love to see him dead.

It doesn't help anything that in the first book Jame made the Kencyr High Priest stationed in the city of Tai-Tastigon, Ishtier, hate her either.

And our other protagonist is Kindrie, a Shanir Priest with a awsome gift of healing, but has been locked out of his own soul by Ishtier and his allies which greatly limits his powers. He is also troubled and as result of his priestly upbringing in the luxurious Priest's College is completely unprepared for the journey with Jame that he embarks on, especially now that his healing powers are nearly nonexistent. Jame must also deal with responsibility for her semi-demonic half brother. Turned into an undead shadow being that was killed and then forced to keep on existing by a freak mistake, precipitated by Jame who had without knowing blood bound him through another one of her unknown Shanir abilities. This means that his sould is bound to her to death and maybe beyond, and now he must perforce consume other souls to remain in the world. Jame has to deal with the guilt of creating this thing and putting her half brother through such pain. Not to mention the fact that since she had blood bound him she was now resposible for him. Obviously Jame and Tori go through some awsome trials and yet do make mistakes. Everyone should read this book.

Seeker's Mask (1994) is the third fantasy novel in the Kencyrath series, following Dark of the Moon. In the previous volume, the Southern Host fought the Wasters. Jame stole a white horse and returned her father's sword and ring to Tori. Then Tori presented Jame to the Highborn lords and she slipped a little something into Caldane's drink. Alric went into the desert to locate the body of his son Peredon.

In this novel, Jamethiel is a Knorth Highborn and the daughter of the former Highlord of the Kencyr. She was raised in the Haunted Lands and fled to the lands of the Perimal Darkling when she was seven. Since time moves slower in those lands, Jame is now ten years younger than Tori, her twin brother.

Torison is twin brother of Jame and the current Highlord of the Kencyr. He led them to victory against the Wasters, but his political position is still shaky. Too many people want to control or replace Tori as the Highlord.

Kinzi was the last Knorth Matriarch and sister-kin of Adiraina. Three decades ago, she and most of the other Knorth women were killed in the Massacre. Someone had hired assassins from the Bashtiri Shadow Guild to wipe out all the Knorth women.

Aerulan was a Knorth Highborn and sister-kin of Brenwyr. She was also killed in the Massacre. Aerulan died while protecting Tieri, the Highlord's younger sister and the sole survivor of the Massacre.

Adiraina is a Highborn and the Ardeth Matriarch. She is blind, but still the leader of the Matriarch Council. She is also the cousin of Alric and the sister-kin of Kinzi.

Brenwyr is now the Brandan Matriarch. She is a bit of a maverick; for instance, she likes to ride in split skirts. This unladylike behavior offends the other Matriarchs. She was sister-kin to Aerulan and still misses her.

Alric is a Highborn and the Ardeth Lord. He is an ally of Tori and his former mentor. Alric still believes that Tori needs his protection and advice.

Kierien is a Highborn and the Jaran Lordan. The Jaran are generally scholars and hate losing time to rule the clan. Kierien lost a roll of the dice and become the Jaran heir. There will be some fireworks when the rest of the Lords learn that she is a female.

Graykin is Jame's half-breed servant. He is the illegitimate son of Caldane, the Caineron Lord. Growing up in Restormir, Graykin became a skilled sneak and now provides Jame with some significant information.

Kindrie Soul-Walker is a Highborn and a Shanir healer. He is the child of Tieri by an unknown Highborn.

Briar Iron-thorn is a Kendar cadet in the Randon school. She had been a Caineron yondri, but Tori accepted her allegiance as a Knorth Kendar. This really irritated Lord Caldane and his Kendar.

In this story, Tori sends Jame to the Highlord's Keep in Guthregor. The Matriarchs, however, take her away from his steward and install her within the Women's Halls. They put her into the hands of Kallystine -- Tori's temporary consort -- but the relationship is rather strained.

Since Tori had sent her without proper clothing, Jame is clothed from the wardrobe of the dead Aerulan. They also place her in the class for little girls to learn how to act and think like a Highborn Lady.

Jame is not happy as a Highborn Lady trainee. She particularly hates the mask that she is required to wear. She also doesn't believe that the basic tenets of a Highborn Lady are obedience, self-restraint, endurance, and silence. Or maybe she just cannot live such a life.

Then Jame sews her gloves together again. She swears and the teacher inquires as to her distress. In the ensuing discussion, Jame states the nature of Honor's Paradox and the instructress slaps her. Jame restrains herself and only slashes the sampler held before her.

Jame leaves the classroom and again trips on the staircase. Her dress is much too tight for long strides or even normal steps. Naturally, Jame reaches the bottom of the stairs without breaking anything, but she will have more bruises.

Jame hides out in the Ghost Walks. She greets Aerulan's death banner and, for the first time, notices that she has been wearing Aerulan's clothing. When Caineron guards come seeking her, she climbs up to the Highlord's study.

Then a casting of Bashtiri assassins comes to Guthregor. The twelve apprentices are there to be blooded. But the master assassin is after Jame.

When the Caineron finally catch her, Kallystine slaps her face with a razor ring, laying open her skin to the bone. Jame fights against her captors and her beserker rage. Finally, she sounds out a master rune and leaves while everyone else is reeling.

The Matriarch Council sends to the Priest's College for a healer -- Kindrie -- to repair the wound on Jame's face, but Jame hates priests. Brenwyr also lays a curse on her. Jame decides to depart Guthregor.

Jame has another reason to leave. Graykin is being tortured by his father. She travels to Restormir to rescue him.

This tale leads Jame to a meeting with Kindrie, whom she rescues from the priests. Then she picks up an escort of ten cadets under Briar Iron-thorn. She even encounters a migrating golden willow. Jame also shares dreams with Tori as they had done as children.

The story has a compelling urgency that enchants the reader. It also has a subtle humor that may well become addictive. The next volume is To Ride A Rathorn. Read and enjoy!

Highly recommended for Hodgell fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of weird magic, decadent societies, and a possible avatar of a god of destruction.

-Arthur W. Jordin

I waited YEARS for another book about Jamethial... This is excellent, rich, and as always, it brims with myth, darkness, and absolute chaos. P.C. Hodgell creates a rich tapestry that always makes a reader want more and more. I hope she continues writing this saga...as it is, it is not yet finished (which is frustrating)

Note: To really follow the tale, though, you need to read the first 2 books, "Godstalk" and "Dark of the Moon"---and after, do not forget "To ride a Rathorn" with follows this book (and is my personal favorite)

I had read the first two books years ago, and was thrilled to find that I could now get my hands on the third and fourth. I agree with much of what other reviewers have to say; that the book is woven through with weird and wonderful ideas, that the writing is often lyrical and that Jame is a fascinating and complex character.

But the process of reading the book was a frustrating one. I found myself at times skimming through paragraphs because the events or the decisions that characters made seemed so obscure. However, as I worked my way through the book I became more and more engaged, more fully aware of the relationships between characters and the issues that loom large for Jame and for Torisen.

It is a fine story, and I have more and more appreciation for its intricacies the farther I get into the tale. There are just times when I find it difficult to understand how two characters relate to each other, or how a moment of action plays out. I think it has to do with the fact that Hodgell does not hold the hand of the reader; she does not over-explain and give us a character's every thought (like Mercedes Lackey?). For example, it is not until this third book that she actually mentions that Jorin, the ounce, weighs 40 pounds. Until this point there is absolutely no reference for how large Jorin is or will grow, except for the fact that Jame can carry him. I had previously found myself wondering, "Tiger, or house cat?"