Customer Reviews

Soarer's Choice (Corean Chronicles, Book 6)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Soarer's Choice is an acceptable but not great finale to the Corean Chronicles. Modesitt weaves an interesting tale of political intrigues with his characters but doesn't do a particularly satisfying job of tying that to the world he's created, meaning plot development and resolution leaves something to be desired. I take a star off for the overall plot and a half star for shunting one of his lead protagonists to a secondary role, but I'll round it up to 4 stars as the intrigues were interesting enough the first read through to keep me up past my bedtime.

The basic problem of writing a prequel is that the reader already knows the ending, which means if you're not careful as a writer you end up spending the majority of your plot on things that either don't matter or just seem contrived to get you to the beginning of the next book. (Think the Star Wars prequels: you suffer 8 hours of hell to finally get to the great last 30 minutes, and even then parts of it feel contrived.) Modesitt's actually been both very good (the first few Recluce books) and very bad (the Cyador novels) at walking this line.

Soarer's Choice falls somewhere in between. In this case, the prequel's problem is that at the start of the book we know that something was done to the life-sucking, planet-invading alectors by the ancients, but we're not sure about who, how, when, and what resulted, just that those questions have to be answered by the end of the book. (The why at least is nicely answered over the last couple of books.) The resolution of all these questions would have made a very meaty, intriguing plot.

Instead, we get a political drama surrounding the commander of the alector military forces, Dainyl, and a less-satisfying series of military battles with his native counterpart, Mykel. While Dainyl's ultimate moves are predictable for a Modesitt protagonist - when those above you don't get the problem (in this case keeping the alectors from killing the planet off for selfish personal gain), fix it yourself! - it's still one of Modesitt's better one-man-against-the-world stories in a while and worth the read. On the other hand, Mykel gets shunted off to a series of military battles that may be important to setting up the world of the sequels but have almost nothing to do with the impending ancient vs. alector struggle we know is coming. As a result, his plot line seems largely irrelevant. With character development stunted, even with vastly reduced stage time every time he shows up it feels like he's taking away from the main plot, not adding to it. The two plotlines barely interact, a shame given the effort Modesitt made in developing Mykel in the first two books.

The bigger problem, though, is that while we get answers to the what resulted and when questions we really don't get much of an answer to who and how. Dainyl's struggles end up being a very interesting story that is largely marginal to the bigger overall plot resolution, and Mykel's struggles add almost nothing. This would have been a far better book had both characters been a couple of the main answers to who, the plot focused on how, and Modesitt doing his normal great job with the moral questions that raises for both. Instead, the plot more or less just finishes and we're set up for the original three books.

Still, the Dainyl story is a good read and this is more worth buying than most fantasy books. With a different plot line, though, this could have been one of Modesitt's best, and that's a bit of a let down.

Modesitt continues this univers with a terrifig conclusion setting up the original three books. It is amazing how he develops th echaracters, melds the various plots and time lines and always keeps you wanting more.

The sixth book in a series I found this to be a satisfying ending. There were still some unanswered questions but, I enjoyed the book and the series as a whole.

Soarer's Choice completes the trilogy of "Choice" books, set in the Corean world of Corus. The two protagonists are Dainyl, an enlightened member of the allegorically-vampiric race of "ubermen" who inhabit the planet only to test whether it would make a good launching point for their dying civilization; and Mykel, an enlightened human, who has powers akin to the supermen from elsewhere but tries to keep them concealed.

This book would be almost meaningless without having read the prior two. Indeed, reading the first three Corean Chronicles books is probably best.

Specific to Soarer's Choice, I found this one of Modesitt's best efforts. One thing he usually does in his writing that was blissfully absent here was a sense of building and foreboding and plodding plots until the last or second-to-last chapter, where in a cathartic menagerie of plot revelation, there is a tremendous battle that ends all the conflict in the story. Every single Recluse novel is like that; and most of these Corean books as well. However, here, that wasn't the case at all. Interesting, useful plot movement and exciting, dangerous encounters proliferate the book. So I loved the pacing.

As to the series in general being concluded here, I echo another reviewer who complained about the lack of continuity between the two protagonists, who had interaction in both prior books but are both singled out in this one. It was very strange. I can only guess why Modesitt would build this relationship between these two characters who seem bound by fate together, and then leave them silently separate for the final book of the series. Disappointing.

On another note, however, personally I like the lack of "sexual charge" in his books. Contrary to other reviewers, I think Modesitt knows how to write a man-woman relationship fine. What he doesn't know how to do - or choose to do - is write a scene from the O.C., where 18 years olds are having promiscuous immediate sex with graphic detail. If that's your cup of tea, go read Terry Goodkind pornography (otherwise known as the Sword of Truth series). Modesitt focuses on more monogomous and mature relationships that will ring more true probably with people who have been married 10-20 years than raging hormone high schoolers.

In sum, though, I thought this book had good pacing, with the occassional preaching about the gray areas of justice in medival marketplace economies slowing it down; I thought the plot was great, the end poignant if abrupt, and this one is worth reading the first two for (also decent books).

As he did in his Recluce universe, Modesitt has written a prequel to his earlier Corean Chronicles Trilogy ("Legacies," "Darknesses," "Scepters"). This novel concludes that prequel trilogy, following "Cadmian's Choice" and "Alector's Choice." And it suffers from two problems: the Prequel Problem and Modesitt's apparent limitations as a writer.

The Prequel Problem in unavoidable. Readers of the earlier books know from the earlier trilogy what is going to happen: the Ifrits will get wiped out, leaving mysterious ruins and dangerous artifacts. After all, it's the world of the first trilogy. An author writing any prequel has to work hard to make that prequel interesting. It's hard to create surprises. Modesitt tries to muster a surprise here, but he telegraphs what will happen.

The other, and more irritating problem, is what seems to be a limitation on Modesitt's own creativity. The Ifrits - the bad guys - advance over the bodies of their superiors. As an idea, it's derivative all the way back to E. E. "Doc" Smith's Lensmen series, although Modesitt's corpses discretely vanish into ashes or dust. More annoyingly, it's the same idea he used in the "bad guy" Recluce books, where the Cyadorans and the White Order wizards murder their way to the top. Basically, the plot line is that a good bad guy nukes his way to the top of the political order. Ho hum. Read that before, and more than once.

It's also annoying to have Mykel, the human protagonist, shuffled off to Iron Stem. What promised new plots and new ideas in the first two books of this trilogy was the interaction between the Ifrit Dainyl and the human Mykel. But that interaction is missing in "Soarer's Choice;" they might as well be in different books. The failure to bring the two protagonists together magnifies the sense of repetition of plot lines. Also annoying is Modesitt's continuing inability to right a sexually charged scene, or even a credible man-woman relationship.

Which is a shame, because Modesitt builds interesting plot lines, characters that behave consistently, and fairly plausible universes. True, in the entire Corean Chronicles the allegory gets tiresome: powerful race is forced to move from world to world as it consumes a critical resource.

But despite all of its flaws, Modesitt writes better and his novels are more interesting than three-quarters of what passes for fantasy and science fiction today. In books like "The Eternity Artifact" he has proven he can write much better books. But I'll give this three stars for a tidy finish. Recommended to those who can't figure out on their own how it all comes outt.

As Modesitte does we get to see things from the other side. He tell us how we got there. Never saw this coming.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed the first three of the series (I guess you would have to call them books 4, 5, and 6 if you were to think of them chronologically) I was very disappointed at the end of this trilogy. I really can only blame myself considering that I knew what must happen because it was all explained in "Darkness" (book 6 chronologically) but I was holding out hope that the author wouldn't do the expected and render all of the plots and subplots of all of the books up to this one completely irrelevant.

It's like reading a book on one of the native American nations, getting in to the characters of the tribes, the politics, the wars, and then at the end of the last book the author tells us "... and then the European's come and wipe them all out to the last man."

My point, this is supposed to be a sci-fi/fantasy story not a history book.

For those of you who did not read the other books, perhaps you could still enjoy even the ending ... just don't read "Darkness" or it's all over.

I have read almost all of LE Modesitt's work and enjoyed them all. He is able to bring his characters to life and then grow and develop them into better people.
This book delves into how the choices made by the Alector Dannil affect his life and the lives around him. This novel also brings the Corean Chronicals full circle.
I do hope that Mr Modesitt has considered revisiting this world.

Soarer's Choice (2007) is the sixth fantasy novel of the Corean Chronicles and the third in the prequel trilogy, following Cadmian's Choice. In the previous volume, Submarshall Dainyl took the Table at Hyalt offline, although he received a cut from an Ancient weapon and barely made it through the tubes to an Ancient site before collapsing. When he returned to Elcien, the aura over his shoulder was stained green.

Majer Mykel also managed to take the Table at Tempre offline, but was almost killed in the resulting explosion. His undercaptain placed him in the care of Chatelaine Rachyla for treatment of his injuries. When he has recovered enough to rejoin his battalion, Mykel passed the Ancient dagger on to Rachyla.

In this novel, Dainyl distributes the announcement of his appointment as Marshall of Myrmidons and repositions his Myrmidon companies to keep them from being suborned by Brekylt. He appoints Undercaptain Zernylta as assistant Operations Officer. Then he briefs Duarch Khelaryt on his actions and provides a more concise report to High Alectors Chembryt, Alseryl and Ruvryn. The next day, Dainyl translates to Alustre and offers Aleyna the position of Submarshall in Elcien.

In Hyalt, Majer Mykel inspects the nearly completed Cadmian compound and compliments Captain Rhystan on his accomplishments. He inspects the Regional Alector compound and notes the empty clothing in the room with the Table. He sets up a patrol schedule for the local Cadmians and then prepares the third Battalion for an upcoming move.

In this story, Dainyl learns that Majer Hersiod has gotten himself and half his Battalion killed in Iron Stem. He cuts orders sending Majer Mykel and the Third Battalion there, with Mykel commanding all Cadmian forces in the Iron Valley area. Mykel takes his Battalion to Tempre shortly after receiving the orders, but the River Vedra is running too high to for barge traffic, so the Third Battalion stays in the Tempre compound for the next few days.

When The Third Battalion finally reaches the Iron Valley, Mykel finds the town and surrounding countryside to be confused and hostile. The miners are angry over the harsh conditions imposed by Majer Hersiod. The town and outlying settlers are also angry at the way they have been treated. Even the Reillies are angry at the Cadmians.

This story exposes Dainyl to additional interactions with the Soarers. They warn him once again that he must change or die. He discusses it with his wife and explores the Ancient weblines, but is uncertain about making the final commitment.

Mykel, however, has followed the Soarer advice as far as he can. Since he isn't as powerful as Dainyl, he is still vulnerable to the alector Talents. He remains a Cadmian mostly to protect his own men, but he is ready to follow the Ancients in anything they require.

This trilogy is an obvious analogy to the ecological problems of our world. Alectors and their technologies derive their power directly from the planetary lifeforce, whereas we only take power indirectly from planetary resources. However, the total available power on Terra is gradually being drained. These stories seem to be saying that the only solution is to reduce the population as well as the per capita usage of energy.

This is the last volume in this trilogy. There may be other books in the series, but nothing has been announced as yet.

Highly recommended for Modesitt fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of military conflict, political intrigue and personal magic.

-Arthur W. Jordin

I loved the series. I hate it when they end, I would love to see it just keep going, generation after generation. Modesitte engages you into the action and keeps you there. Love his books.