Shatterglass (The Circle Opens, Book 4) [Hardcover]

Tamora Pierce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2004 | Age Level: 11 and up | Grade Level: 6 and up

The fourth and final book in The Circle Opens quartet. Tris finds Tharios oppressive and disturbing. The townsfolk are obsessed with protocol - to the extent that they have an entire underclass who seem to be invisible, never seen, never spoken of. When a series of brutal murders disturb the fragile peace of the city, she is shocked by the city-fathers' attitude - surely they need to do more than tidy these crimes away? Her only help is Keth, a reluctant mage-student who shares her lightning-magic after being near-paralysed by a lightning strike. His skill at glassblowing has been all but destroyed and he bitterly resents this magic he cannot understand or control. But when one of his dearest friends is murdered, he and Tris realize that his power may the one thing that can entrap the killer...

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up-In this concluding volume of the second quartet of novels about four young mages with unusual powers, it is Trisana Chandler's turn to take on her first student. Tris's visit to Tharios, a medieval city of castes, brings her into contact with a glassblower named Kethlun Warder. Keth has been struck by lightning, which has awakened his latent magical gifts and remains a part of his powers. He creates a living glass dragon and globes that show images of the victims of a serial killer. The Ghost has been murdering members of the city's entertainer caste and leaving their bodies displayed in various public areas. Along with a police mage, Tris and Keth follow the images, which results in a face-to-face confrontation with the killer. Like Pierce's Cold Fire (2002), this is a successful combination of fantasy and mystery, though this book is a more traditional mystery with the killer's identity not revealed until the conclusion. Keth's status as an adult and his existing knowledge of his craft make the relationship between him and Tris interesting, and their often-sarcastic repartee adds humor to a serious plot. The mage's guardianship of a girl who has been orphaned by the Ghost, and her responsible use of magic, shows how she has matured since Tris's Book (1998, both Scholastic). This fast-moving, action-filled story can stand alone, and is sure to be a hit with Pierce's many fans.
Beth L. Meister, Yeshiva of Central Queens, Flushing, NY
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-9. Visiting Thalios, 14-year-old student mage Tris is fascinated by the city's beautiful architecture and its glass-blowing arts. She meets Kethlun Warder, a journeyman glass-blower mage with rare, uncontrolled powers of lightning magic and the ability to create glass balls that reveal brutal murders. As a weather mage in training, Tris becomes Keth's teacher, and the two, working with investigator mage Dema, pool their powers to stop the crimes. In lively prose laced with wry humor, Pierce creates realistic, dimensional characters--Tris is spunky, independent, and thoroughly likable--and places them in exotic, imaginatively detailed locales. Kethlun and Dema's stories add depth to the plot, and there's plenty of suspense, as well as a social commentary simmering beneath the surface of the story (the human rights of the lower classes are being ignored by the city in an effort to maintain its beautiful facade). Like previous books in the Circle Opens Quartet, this one is an engaging blend of mystery, magic, and timeless social themes. It will stand well on its own, and it's also sure to satisfy Pierce's many fans. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Hardcover: 357 pages
• Publisher: Perfection Learning (March 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 075696590X
• ISBN-13: 978-0756965907
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,360,669 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tamora Pierce is a bestselling author of fantasy books for teenagers. Her books, known for their teenaged girl warriors and wizards, have received critical acclaim and a strong fanbase.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tamora Pierce was drawn to books from a young age. Raised in rural Pennsylvania, the child of a "long, proud line of hillbillies," her family never had much. "We were poor, but I didn't know it then. We had a garden where my folks grew fruit and vegetables and our water came from a well," she explains. But one thing they did have was plenty of books. So Tamora read.

A self-proclaimed "geek," she devoured fantasy and science fiction novels, and by the age of 12 was mimicking her literary idols and writing her own action-packed stories. It was thanks to her father that Tamora began writing. "He heard me telling myself stories as I did dishes, and he suggested that I try to write some of them down," Pierce says.

But Tamora's novels had one major difference: unlike the books she was reading, her stories featured teenaged girl warriors. "I couldn't understand this lapse of attention on the part of the writers I loved, so until I could talk them into correcting this small problem, I wrote about those girls, the fearless, bold, athletic creatures that I was not, but wanted so badly to be."

Seventeen years later, after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, a brief career in teen social work and some time spent writing for radio, Tamora Pierce held true to her childhood crusade, and published Alanna: The First Adventure, the first in a quartet about a valiant, young, female warrior. Pierce's heroine struck a chord with readers across the country and quickly earned her a loyal following.

Pierce is now a #1 New York Times bestselling author and has written twenty-five books, including her newest, BEKA COOPER #2: Bloodhound. "It's a pretty good life, if I do say so myself. Struggling along as a kid and even through my twenties, it's the kind of life I dreamed of but never believed I would get. Yet here I am, after a lot of work, a lot of worry, a lot of care for details, and a massive chunk of luck, the kind that brought me such strong friends and readers. Pretty good for a hillbilly, yes? And I never take it for granted," she says.

Pierce lives in upstate New York with her husband Tim and their three cats and two birds.


PRAISE

"[Tamora Pierce's heroines] faithfully reiterate an ideal of feminine power that relies on brains, not beauty; of feminine attractiveness that relies on competence, not helplessness; and of feminine alliances that grow stronger, not weaker, in the face of conflicts." -The New York Times

BEKA COOPER #1: TERRIER

"With its rollicking adventures [and] appealing characters . . . Terrier will be in strong demand by Pierce's fans. It will keep readers on the edge of their seats." -School Library Journal, Starred

YOUNG WARRIORS
"Memorable characters and well-drawn settings. . . . This timely and appealing anthology will surely help swell the ranks of teenage fantasy readers." -School Library Journal

TRICKSTER'S QUEEN
"The plot sweeps readers along in a whirlwind of court intrigue, deception, murder, and romance. The humor is wicked, and the plot twists will keep the pages turning to the supremely satisfying end. Teens will be inspired by Aly's determination, her resourcefulness, and her heart." -School Library Journal

TRICKSTER'S CHOICE
"Aly arrives fully formed, a snarky, talented uber-heroine. Cameos of old favorites complement a rich cast of new characters. Aly's difficulty with the complexity of colonialism adds surprising, welcome depth." -Kirkus Reviews

LADY KNIGHT
"Unrelentingly realistic in its depiction of the horrors of war, this novel draws the reader into a complete and believable fantasy world. Pierce provides exquisite details of the weaponry, topography, and culture of her world, and her control of a voluminous cast of characters is masterful." -Voice of Youth Advocates

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tammy does it again!, February 19, 2003

By 

Nancy E. "Nancy" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shatterglass (Hardcover)

Next to the street rat Briar, Trisana "Tris" Chandler has always been my favorite member of the circle. There's something about this fiery redheaded weather witch that just fascinates me. In this book Tamora Piece takes one of my favorite mages and gives her a great book to star in. Like every other book in the circle opens trilogy, Shatterglass deals with the members of the circle finding a mage student, and a crime. Street Magic had gangs. Cold Fire had an arsonist. Magic Steps has the mob. Shatterglass takes it a step father and introduces a serial killer.

Tris is staying in Tharios so her mage teacher, Niko Goldeye can take place in a conference on wind scrying. Tris enjoys Tharios and the glassmakers that live there but she hates the mistreatment of the prathmuni, the lowest class who deals with death and garbage. One day she stumbles upon a glass mage named Keth who, from an experience involving being stuck by lightning, has had his glass magic contaminated by lightning magic. Because of this he can no longer fulfill his job as a journeymen glassmaker. Tris realizes that he is a mage right away but Keth won't believe it, at first. Suddenly, as one of the few lightning mages, Tris finds herself as Keth, a grown man's, new teacher.

Meanwhile a series is murders is taking place in Tharios. The city's entertainers, the yakedasi, are being killed and then displayed in public places. This greatly hurts the Tharian culture which places so much on purity. Tris and Keth accidentally realize that with Keth's lighting and glass ability, he can really help find the killer. Unfortunately in order for him to do this he not only needs to get his new found magic under control, but get rid of his fear of lighting. Can Tris and Keth find the killer before he kills someone close to them?

I absolutely loved this book! Once again Tamora Pierce does not disappoint. Tris and Keth's story is suspenseful and a tab shade darker than the other books in the series. The setting of Tharios is very new and different. It's such a city that considers themselves to be democratic, but only if your int he higher classes does your opinion count for anything. I would highly recommend this book. In fact, the Circle Opens quartet is my favorite series by Tamora Piece so far. It's a shame that we'll have to wait a couple more years until we receive another Circle book. Until then, I can't wait until her new Tortall book, Trickster's Choice, comes out this fall! I hope you enjoyed this book as much as I did!

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A satisfying conclusion to the quartet, March 27, 2003

By 

Sarah Lewis (booklete dot com) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shatterglass (Hardcover)

Shatterglass, the conclusion to Tamora Pierce's "The Circle Opens" quartet, follows in the footsteps of the other three books in the series. I felt some inclination to skim over a bit of the early plot development because I knew that the book would fit the established pattern; that Tris would discover an untrained mage who desperately needs help to establish control over his magic.

That said, I DIDN'T skim any of this book because I enjoy Ms. Pierce's writing so much. It is engaging and even when she chooses a potentially predictable plot, she infuses it with something all her own. I found myself reading this book all the time, even when I had other things-enjoyable things!-to do.

The character development in this book, particularly of Tris and Keth, is excellent, with compelling motivation presented in a way that involves the reader. Some of the more minor characters are not so multifaceted, but it is appropriate in a young adult novel of this length.

Like the other books in the quartet, this book delves right into murder and mayhem. I would direct most younger readers to start reading "The Song of the Lioness" quartet and move on to these later, because there are some darker parts in this series.

This particular book is set in a very interesting culture. The language and the setting seem to have their roots in ancient Greece, but with some interesting emphases. The class system is in full effect here. Tris and Keth, both foreigners, cannot understand the culture's obsession with spiritual and physical cleanliness, and consider most of it folly, but the author does a good job of presenting the other side of the story as well.

The main reason I didn't give this book five stars is that, at the end, I felt that there were still some significant mysteries to be cleared up. That is not to say that I have to have everything neatly tied up at the end of a book (indeed, that usually makes the book seem fake), but there were some fundamental questions that are never answered. (For instance, WHY does Keth's magic predict crimes? The question is brought up but never seriously addressed. Perhaps it's a subject for another book? Well, for the sake of the fans, I hope so.)

Despite this one complaint, I found the book fast moving, intriguing, and generally enjoyable. I'll be recommending this and Tamora Pierce's other novels to the patrons I work with, and of course continuing to read everything new she releases. Hope you enjoy the book as much as I did!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast-Paced, But Not Perfect, March 6, 2003

By 

Margaret (MN, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shatterglass (Hardcover)

Shatterglass, the fourth book of the Circle Opens Quartet, follows the trend of the previous three by lacking a firm connection between substanative literature and magic. In Shatterglass, Pierce takes on difficult characters and situations, writing at length about the times when we cannot do anything, and descisions between human compassion and justice.

However, the parts of the book that are not character development are lacking. The teaching of magic is stretched a little thin, and the rare parts where magic is used in a large way fail to enchant the reader as well as the first quartet did. One aspect of the magic that should have been interesting is Tris learning new powers to scry on the wind, yet not only did this not add to the plot, it did little to captivate the reader. Perhaps this was only introduced so that the 2005 novel The Circle Reforged or the 2007 novel about Tris at Lightsbridge can have it in their plots.

For a fantasy novel to be successful, the plot and character development must work together with the magical elements. On the rare occasion when this happens, the genre is better than any other at portraying humans. Although Pierce has fallen short with Shatterglass, I was still drawn into the novel and read it in half a day. Altogether, it is not a brilliant book, but it is an enjoyable one.