11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
magnificent romantic fantasy, September 28, 2005
This review is from: Song Of Unmaking (Paperback)
Euan Rohe, a Caletanni barbarian almost brought the Empire and the Emperor to its knees during the Great Dance. Valeria, a rider of the wild stallions who are gods made flesh, finished the Dance with her own and seven other stallions and for a time war was averted. Valeria returns to the mountain for more training while Euan escapes to his homeland and allies himself with Gothard, the baseborn son of the Emperor who wants to Unmake his father's empire.
War is coming and the Emperor, his warriors and his mages are at the border waiting for the right time to strike out at their enemy. Gothard has a stone that has the power to Unmake, once he knows how to use it. Valeria and her lover Kerrick, with their stallion gods travel to the battleground to stop Gothard before he starts using the stone's power to crush the Emperor's forces. Partners in love and battle Kerrick and Valeria perform a Dance unlike any dance the stallions performed, one that will determine the fate of the Empire.
This is the second book in this magnificent romantic fantasy series (See THE MOUNTAIN'S CALL) and it is full of more action, romance and drama than its prequel. The love Kerrick and Valeria feel for each other is tested by secrets he keeps from his lover and the wounds that refuse to heal, both magical and physical, inflicted on him by his half-brother. The battle scenes are magnificent, the characters are realistic and the storyline is pure magic; readers will eagerly await the next book in this tantalizing series.
Harriet Klausner
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you like horses and fantasy this book is for you!, December 22, 2005
This review is from: Song Of Unmaking (Paperback)
Caitlin Brennan is one of those authors who captures your attention with witty unpredictable plot. This was one of those books that you just can't put down, but first you have to read "The Mountains Call", the first book of the series. It is a book with romance, fantasy, horses, and best of all action. The pace of this book was perfect; there were no moments of boredom! That I can guarantee! Enjoy! And if you like it keep and eye out for her next book of the series!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing sequel, July 1, 2006
This review is from: Song Of Unmaking (Paperback)
This book has taken me a LOOOOOOOONG time to get through. I keep getting distracted by other books. I didn't have the same problem with "The Mountain's Call" which further solidifies my belief that this book falls far short of its predecessor. The bar set by "The Mountain's Call" has not been reached by its sequel, which is unfortunate.
There are just too many predictable things going on. Valeria is of course the focus, and her magic is never really in question, but of course she makes some stupid decisions that drive the mediocre plot. Of course she's disregarded by the other Riders. Of course Kerrec completely breaks down. Of course she meets up with Euan. Kerrec is becoming irritatingly predictable. The horse-gods are playing havoc with Valeria without bothering to even try to convince the other acolytes (er, the Riders) of their will, and through it all, that little spell that was never really explained, the Unmaking, threatens from the sidelines.
There's something about the stubbornness of the Riders that really gets on my nerves, because they seem so rigid and undefined. They have basically no personality. It's hard to care for any of the characters anymore, when Valeria is so obviously much more powerful than anyone, yet no one likes her, Kerrec is falling apart at the seams, Gothard is so... stereotypical in his evilness (it's like the author is bashing me over the head with why I should despise him; he has NO redeeming qualities at all, and almost seems Evil For the Sake of Being Evil, except he's more of Evil For the Sake of Vengeance Because Everyone's A Meany-head.) and the Imperial Heir is curiously abandoning her royal post in the early goings. So where's the Emperor in all this, one wonders.
I don't know, the characters just really got on my nerves, and Gothard especially... just because he seems too cliche for my tastes. Euan is the only character who got much exploration, in my opinion, and he was already a fascinating one as it was. For as refreshing as this whole novel series started out (about halfway through the first book) it's rather become a disappointment to me. I hope the third book, "Shattered Dance," can revive my faith. As it stands now, this series is a little too cliched for my tastes.
Perhaps, though, my biggest complaint about this whole series is that the magic itself isn't very well defined. I keep finding myself saying "What does this magic do? What does the author mean when she says 'The Door of Time'? Why do the stallions need riders in The Dance, if the magic is within the stallions themselves? What kind of magic is this? Where does it originate from? Is it greater than Gothard's stone-magic? Why should the Empire give a damn about the Mountain and its magic? What are the rules of this magic, and why are the rules being broken so easily and at will? Why is Valeria so special that only she and no other can control all the stallions?" If the author can take some time to explore the purpose and rules of this magic, maybe it'll help, but I'm floundering, trying to figure out why I should care what happens to the Mountain. At this point, I'm with Gothard: Unmake the world, and start all over again.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
