Amazon.com: The Summer Palace (Annals of the Chosen, Vol. 3): Lawrence Watt-Evans: Books

From Publishers Weekly
The final segment of the Annals of the Chosen trilogy (after 2007's The Ninth Talisman) successfully mixes intrigue and adventure with ruminations on the nature of power and heroes. The Council of Immortals made the Chosen responsible for removing the ruling Wizard Lord if he should ever stray from just governance of Barokan, but the current Wizard Lord, Artil im Salthir, has killed or run off most of the Chosen, leaving Sword, the Chosen Swordsman, alone to plot his revenge. After a lonely winter hiding out in the Wizard Lord's Summer Palace, investigating the big flightless birds called ara and their natural ability to inhibit magic, Sword prepares to strike, with help from the local spirits and an unlikely alliance with one of the Wizard Lord's own henchmen. Readers who appreciate thoughtfully drawn characters and settings will enjoy this story of justice and revenge in an ever-evolving world. (June)
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Review

Praise for The Ninth Talisman:

“If you like swords, sorcery, and interplay between characters, this is the book for you. The rush towards confrontation was exhilarating. I look forward to the third installment.”--SFRevu.com

“Fans of Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance saga will find this series much to their taste.”--Publishers Weekly

“The deliberately archetypal Chosen are not without individual character, thanks to Watt-Evans' dry wit, and the Wizard Lord isn't a standard magical potentate. But he is treading a classic path for his ilk by introducing technology that may conflict with magic--how deeply is the Chosen's current and probably future concern in the gifted, prolific Watt-Evans' promising new series.”--Booklist

“Veteran SF and fantasy author Watt-Evans (The Obsidian Chronicles) displays his command of the fantasy genre in this fast-paced, fluidly told sequel to The Wizard Lord.”--Library Journal

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Product Details

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Tor Books (June 10, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0765310287
ISBN-13: 978-0765310286
Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #573,976 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
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Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
ara feathers, ara hide, ara bone, local ler, dead ara, rogue wizards, greatest swordsman, ninth member

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Clan of the Golden Spear, Gnaw Gnaw, Dark Lord, Mad Oak, Chosen Swordsman, Host People, Council of Immortals, Winter Palace, Bent Ear, Bone Garden, Erren Zal Tuyo, Leader of the Chosen, Old Boss, Talisman of Trust, Talisman of Treachery, King Azal, Great Talismans, Morning Calm, Queen Zrisha, White Eye, Talisman of Glory, Chosen Traitor, Wizard Lord, Summer Palace

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	58% buy the item featured on this page: The Summer Palace (Annals of the Chosen, Vol. 3) 3.8 out of 5 stars (9) $19.72
	13% buy The Vondish Ambassador 5.0 out of 5 stars (6) $12.55
	11% buy The Ninth Talisman (Annals of the Chosen, Vol. 2) 3.5 out of 5 stars (6) $7.99
	9% buy The Spriggan Mirror (Ethshar) 4.0 out of 5 stars (9) $6.99

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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews

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

Average Customer Review

3.8 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Series, Tepid Conclusion, July 27, 2008

By	Kevin M. Wagner "Sci Fi Guy" (scifiguys.com) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I really liked this series. I thought the first two volumes were very good. I thought this one was a bit weaker. It wasn't terrible or unreadable, but it was fairly slow in pacing and more contemplative than action packed. The bulk of the book has Sword basically hiding out until he can make an attempt on the Wizard Lord. The actual conclusion is fairly swift and has a neat little twist. While I was glad to read the final novel and to get closure on the storyline, I doubt I would read it again. Too little happens and too few of the characters that we got to know are in the book for much time at all. With that said, I still think Watt-Evans is a strong author and I would highly recommend his work especially the Ethshar series and the Obsidian Chronicles.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Death of a Dark Lord, July 12, 2009

By	Arthur W. Jordin (Smyrna, GA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

The Summer Palace (2008) is the third fantasy novel in the Annals of the Chosen trilogy, following The Ninth Talisman. In the previous volume, Boss and Lore were imprisoned by the Wizard Lord. Azir and Babble were killed at the Wizard Lord's command just as several wizards had been slain.

Sword had killed the soldiers who attacked the Chosen and then fled. Bow, Snatcher and Beauty had also escaped. But the current Wizard Lord was still alive.

In this novel, Erren Zal Tuyo kam Darig seveth Tirimsir abek Du is Sword, the Chosen swordsman. He has decided to wait for the Wizard Lord in the Summer Palace, which is outside the realm of Barokan and thus outside of the magic of that land.

Artil im Saltir -- the former Red Wizard -- is now a Dark Lord. He still has his soldiers looking for the Chosen survivors.

Farash nith Kerra is the Old Boss. He had betrayed the Chosen to the Dark Lord of Galbek Hills. Now he is the chief advisor of the new Dark Lord.

In this story, Sword returns to Winterhome. Disguised as a Hostman, he finds a way up the cliff to the Plateau. He gets himself accepted by the Uplanders who live there during the clement months and becomes part of the Golden Spear tribe. He dwells among them and learns their ways.

When the Uplanders leave the Plateau to winter in Winterhome, Sword stays in the Summer Palace. He finds a few useful items in the palace, but little food. Eventually, he learns that lir exist of the Plateau, but are only active during the winter while the ara birds are absent.

With help from the Upland lir, Sword prepares a secret entrance to the Summer Palace. When spring returns, he awaits the coming of the Wizard Lord. As the only Chosen available, Sword is determined to kill this Dark Lord.

This tale concludes the trilogy. Sword learns much about the Uplands and discovers the secret of the Ninth Talisman. The ending of this storyline is satisfactory, but leaves one wishing for more.

Highly recommended for Watt-Evans fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of exotic cultures, unusual magic, and a bit of romance.

-Arthur W. Jordin

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Should have been 2 books instead of 3, December 22, 2008

By	Ian Duckles "iduckles" - See all my reviews

Having finished the series, I must say I was generally disappointed by it. The first book was quite strong and got me very interested in the world Watt-Evans had created and the characters he populated it with. However, the second and third books have really dimmed my interest. The main problem as I see it is that there really isn't enough material in the last two books to justify publishing them separately. Each of them is filled with needless repetitions to the point where the last two volumes of this series should have been edited down and released as one three hundred page novel. Yes, I do think about half of the last two books amounted to unnecessary and extraneous material. As an example, there were at least two places on this book, in addition to the prologue, in which the entire series up to that point was summarized.
In addition, the characters are remarkably slow and dim-witted. I figured out every single plot twist and problematic plan pages in advance of the characters in the story. Essentially reading this book amounted to me wading through pages of repetitious ruminations waiting for the characters to figure out what should have been obvious from page one. All in all, much as I like the work of Watt-Evans, I cannot recommend the series. Book one is a good read; a self-contained and interesting story. I would recommend you read that and skip the rest. If you are particularly bored you might try to get the books from the library, but frankly I am not sure they are worth even that limited time commitment.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid, but not quite Ethshar good
Watt-Evans brings the story off on an even keel, and manages to make a complete story of it. The key parts are no secret. Read more

Published 7 months ago by S. Marsh

2.0 out of 5 stars The Worst Watt-Evans I've Ever Read
Okay ... I'm a big Lawrence Watt-Evans fan, so this one is hard for me. Ever since I picked up The Misenchanted Sword while summering at my grandparent's cottage many years ago,... Read more

Published 9 months ago by elvindeath

4.0 out of 5 stars A Midsummer Nights reading...

With the third installment of the Annals of the Chosen, Lawrence Watt-Evans has given us a novel that makes you want to scream out "Use your Magic... Read more

Published 11 months ago by Tim Lasiuta

5.0 out of 5 stars A Thrilling Conclusion
When I finished reading The Ninth Talisman(Summer of 2007), I was enamored with the desire to learn the truth, but was shocked to learn I had a year to wait until The Summer... Read more

Published 13 months ago by Massacist

4.0 out of 5 stars intriguing fantasy
The Red Wizard continues his campaign to kill all other magical practitioners including his peers and the Chosen, those humans specifically selected by the Council of Wizards to... Read more

Published 13 months ago by Harriet Klausner

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent conclusion to the series
I'm a big fan of Lawrence Watt-Evans's work, and the Annals of the Chosen hasn't disappointed. The third and final volume was a great conclusion to a very enjoyable series,... Read more

Published 13 months ago by Liss

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