Customer Reviews

Sinner. Sara Douglass (Wayfarer Redemption)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

After reading this latest installment in "The Wayfarer Redemption" I can say that I came away from the book without feeling frustrated. That wasn't the case with the previous three books. There is no nearly omnipotent hero and heroine, and due to a surprising twist near the end of the book it is no longer clear whether Axis and Azhure will be able to effortlessly "save the day." Much of the story does not involve the protagonists of the previous books, with the exception of Wolfstar, who always seems to be hanging around waiting for trouble, Stardrifter and Faraday. (Hooray!) That really made this book worthwhile for me, because after "Starman" ended I was left hanging around wondering about her. I hate cliffhangers...

There are several plotlines in "Sinner" (some of which were hinted at in the previous books) and at first they don't really seem to go together. As the book progresses though, it's apparent that all aspects of the story are equally important, and at the novel's conclusion everything ties together nicely. Every plotline concerns different characters, and they end sort of abruptly, so it keeps the reader wanting to turn the pages to find out what's going to happen. I finished the book in three hours, so yes, it's that addicting.

Characterizations are much better this time around. Drago, for example is a very complex and sympathetic character, even though he attempted to murder his brother Caelum in the previous book. It's very easy to see things from his point of view, and it helps the story along to be able to connect with characters on this level. They are more like people instead of fillers or gods, and the hero in this book is much more human and easier to relate to. (Did anyone else think Axis was a jerk, or is it just me?) Douglass' female characters are stronger and more intelligent than before, and if you're like me you will be cheering for Faraday and Zenith.

In conclusion, I suppose that if you didn't like the previous volumes due to Douglass' style, you probably won't like "Sinner." I confess that they left me sort of irritated, but I'm glad that I decided to go on faith and pick this one up. I felt that it was worth my time and my money.

Continuing on from the epic Axis Trilogy, Sinner is a novel that continues to deliver an amazing story. Rich in description, Sinner invites the reader into a world bound by prophecy where the characters are a curious mix of glorious heroes, fey creatures, dazzling gods and malevolent demons, where triumph is often overshadowed by tradegy and where the entire land of Tencendor is on the brink of destruction due to the actions of one man...or is it? Sara Douglass is Australia's finest fantasy writer, and with Sinner, the first in the Wayfarer Redemption Trilogy, she has created a story that will stay with you long after you have put down the novel.

When I first started to read this book it was very slow getting into it. It started out just like any other fantasy story, introducing the characters and whatnot but by the time I was about thirty pages in, I couldent put it down.

I am twelve years old and in grade seven, and for english class we have to fill out a monthly reading log. When my english teacher saw that I had read "Sinner" in three days, she didn't believe me. It just geos to show you that the book is uterly captivating and I couldn't put it down. So if you have the means I highly recommend picking a copy of "Sinner" up at your local bookstore!

I read and loved the first three books of the Wayfarer Redemption series. Admittedly, her writing is not that great as far as just the craft of it; some of the dialogue is awful, in fact. And there are all the, as one other reviewer pointed out in a review for another of her books, RanDom CapItaliZations. But the technical failings of her writing aside, the first three were quite enjoyable, and while I felt sorry for Faraday, I was pleased that it was not a universally happy ending, as too many authors tend towards. Everything has a price, and that was reflected nicely in the conclusion to Starman.

So when I found Sinner in a bookstore, I snatched it up, eager to re-enter Tencendor, which I had grown to love.

I was sorely disappointed.

Axis and Azhure (my favorite character) are basically gone. They make a half-dozen appearances, and in essence all they do is throw up their hands and get pissy. Useless. Caelum has grown into a whiny, unprepared, wavering "leader", while RiverStar is an absolute waste as a character, useful only in that she could conveniently be killed off to further the plot. Zenith is a nice exception to the SunSoar children; except that she gets possessed by the vengeful and twisted spirit of Azhure's mother, Niah. Which really doesn't make much sense, as in the first books we were shown this conception of Niah as caring, loving, etc. Now, she's basically a possessing demon.

Thus, the disappointments of the "characters". Let's move on to the "plot", shall we? It's been 40 years of peace and relative harmony. But without a bad guy to struggle against, there can be no plot, and since Gorgrael is gone, we need to find a new enemy. Enter the TimeKeeper Demons. Despair, hunger, pestilence, etc. Each somehow rigged to a certain time of day, which seems rather nonsensical to me. But we have these demons, and they are coming toward Tencendor. There's a nasty side-effect to this, though; in their coming, they are blotting out the Star Dance through the Star Gate. Which renders the Enchanters and Star Gods impotent. In the end, these demons come crashing through the Gate, and destroy it in the process.

Which, in essence, snuffs out the magic of Tencendor. There's still the power of the Mother, but without the power of the Stars, it's a bleak and pointless world. I read fantasy to be swept up by the magic of other worlds. The end of this book rendered this particular world magicless, depressing, and boring. What point in continuing?

Sara Douglass must have been using these books to write out some very dark things in her life; I cannot see any other reason to subject her loyal readers to this kind of drivel. The end of this book depressed me; it ended the view of Tencendor I had as a beautiful and magical place and made it a place of horror. I see no reason in slogging through the next two books, although I might wander into a bookstore and read the last twenty pages or so of the final book, just to see if she makes it even slightly all right again in the end. I believe in everything having a price; but not a price that blots out the whole world.

In essence, if you enjoyed Tencendor through the first three books, don't start this second half. Just let Tencendor stay how it was before this book.

I read the first series by this author (starting with "Battleaxe") and I thought it was really good. I thought that the departure from Anglo-centric racial (and sexual) stereotypes in a fantasy novel was refreshing (cf. Eddings et al). I eagerly plunged into the new series, but I was disappointed to find it lacked a good plot and I was bored by about halfway through this novel. I persevered with the remaining two, but I found the characters and events became increasingly ludicrous the more I read. I got the feeling that the author was sick of writing about the characters during this series. The magic system was also a little shaky; the characters' abilities were undefined which allowed the author to let them to escape from seemingly impossible situations by conveniently inventing new abilities. It made the story seem unplanned and the world that Douglass has spent so many pages describing, unbelievable. I recommend the first series, but don't bother with this one.

A good author gone DARK.....What Happened to cause such a dramatic change in styles of writing we may never know but this is NOT the Sarah Douglas I began reading.
Dark Fantasy & Horror fans may find some pleasure here but all other fans of her first books should BE AFRAID.. Its like stepping from 1 world into another that would frighten Even Stephen King, and that World is very dark indeed...Ripping babies from wombs and tearing to pieces is a BIT MUCH Sarah.........you lost me, and MANY others I'm sure!!!
Very Self Destructive Writing IMHO......WHY????
Thats the real Question!!!

A friend of mine gave me the first three books in Sara Douglass' Axis Series (The Wayfarer Redemption, Enchanter and Starman) and I 'inhaled' them. I could not wait for the second trilogy to be printed here in the states, so on my last trip to Montreal I picked up Sinner and Pilgrim (the books store didn't have Crusader). Wow. The first trilogy was excellent, but I am even more intrigued by the twists and turns of this second trilogy and the bad guys are such superlative bad guys!! Read any of these books if you get the chance.

It's great to see a book written by an Australia appear in Amazon (even though its out of print). Sara Douglass has written a brilliant series of books, of which this is one. I'm a big fan of Robert Jordan, (even though waiting for his next book is VERY annoying), David Eddings, Orson Scott Card and I think SD's book are as good if not better than all of the above. Great characters, superb plot, very, very hard to put down! If you've read one, you'll want to buy everything she's ever written.

I promised myself I wouldn't continue with this series after the first trilogy of books. As I said in previous reviews, the books had a great premise, but the writing was lackluster and the characters were ho-hum.

I picked up Sinner out of desperation on a boring vacation. It made for a quick read. I am giving this 4th installment the same 3 stars I have given all the books, although I think I liked this one slightly better than the previous three, despite my criticisms.

The writing is still lacking. Again, poor semantics and oddly written dialogue continue to jar the reader. It's obvious that Douglass is managing a much larger cast of characters than she can handle. Killing RiverStar off in the first part of the book was a flimsy plotting device that added no depth to the story.

This book reads like it was a complete and utter afterthought to the first 3 books. While they are connected, Douglass undermines the entire first three books to change the whole direction of the story.

I was glad to be done with Axis and Azhure. I liked them, but they were very boring characters and got rather irritating. The new crop of characters, Drago, Zenith, StarDrifter, Faraday, Zared, and Leagh, are much more appealing. This time I actually liked Faraday, rather than viewing her as a self-sacrificing bore. Douglass doesn't seem to put much thought into her characters' personalities, especially their flaws. She simply seems to assign a few flaws to largely stock characters and work them mechanically. It is difficult to really find a compassion and concern for these characters because of this. I am not particularly fond of Isfrael. What an insufferable boor. I can handle that if there is a reason for it, but it's never explained why he's such a major jerk.

It is annoying to see the hate levied on Drago. It doesn't make sense. Douglass's attempts to explain it are flimsy and tiresome. His "crime" against Caelum in book 3 was a strange plotting device (and a major reason I think this 4th book was an utter afterthought) that continues to be a problem in book 4 and I assume, ongoing.

As others mentioned, the darkness in this book takes a major leap. Some of the descriptions of suffering are simply disgusting. I don't understand what kind of mind can even think this stuff up. I agree that she goes way, way too far with some of the horrors she describes that occur to the Tencendorians as a result of the TimeKeepers desctructions. I feel almost violated at having to read some of it. It adds nothing, and only serves to disgust the reader and wonder what kind of person thinks this stuff up.

I am interested enough to keep going, so I will give this 3 stars. However, readers are encouraged to just skip a few pages when the disgusting descriptions start. They serve no purpose.

As in the first books, in Sinner most of the new heroes (and the few previous ones that reappear) are more or less good people who only want what's best for their lands, people, and themselves, but have a huge flaw or two that makes me want to kick them. Caelum had been described in StarMan as a compassionate, selfless person unlike any other Icarii (especially SunSoar), yet his unfair attitude toward his brother is a large part of his characterization, weakening it and keeping me from caring for him too much. As in the first books, more than one character cannot seem to control his/her lusts and resist seduction, though in this book the situations are much more understandable, and there is at least one character who does resist and is raped. This rape and its consequences are among the more unsettling parts of the book that may be too painful or gruesome for some readers.

Although I am still unsettled by how flawed these characters are, I am able to sympathize with more of them. I find myself interested in what will happen in their relationships to other characters, as well as when they will think using reason rather than emotions and prejudice (but then, this is that kind of world). When will Drago's family, in fact all of Tencendor, find out that he is not the person they think he is, that they actually removed that feared person when he was a baby and left someone different? When will Caelum find out the hurt he caused by hypocritically banning the term "Achar" because of the bad history it evokes, even though he himself still looks down on the full-blooded humans for things their ancestors did to the other races? Indeed, much of the conflict in this book comes from the fact that most of the characters cannot see certain other characters without a deep prejudice. These problems could mean the end of Tencendor.

After reading StarMan, my question was whether Axis truly saved Tencendor's soul (because I could not find any instance of the "forgiveness" that the prophecy mentioned was necessary to do so). After reading Sinner, it seems like he didn't, though the book did not mention the forgiveness loose end that I'm wondering about. Maybe it'll come up later in the trilogy.

For once I'm not sure what scene the cover art depicts. The black winged and haired woman should be Zenith, but I'm not sure about the man -- Caelum should have black hair as well.

A good book for anyone who liked the first books enough to be curious about the characters' children and what happens to the world Douglass created. This book is written better, with more solid plot and characters.

Who is the real Sinner?