Customer Reviews

The Summer Palace (Annals of the Chosen, Vol. 3)

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

 

 

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.

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.

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

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, I've enjoyed his work. I find his writing style simple and enjoyable, and his characters affable and generally believable (seriously - read my other reviews). Until this book, that is.

The Annals of the Chosen is a rather tepid series. The concept is solid - I liked the idea of the checks and balances of The Chosen versus The Wizard Lord, and the way ler played such a role in world. But where this book (and series) fell apart, for me, is with the characters. There simply isn't a likeable or engaging one in the entire trilogy.

I'm not sure if Harriet dear actually read this book - one can never tell from her reviews, since they basically seem to be a review of the dust jacket - but "Sword" as about as simpering, inane and idiotic protagonist as I've ever read. The entire book seemed like one paragraph being written over and over again. "I need to kill the Wizard Lord, but I'm not sure why, and he's pretty good for Barokan, but he killed two of the Chosen, but ..." Seriously - by the the middle of the book I was hoping one of the uplanders ran him through with a spear and the book just ended.

By the end of the book, I wasn't sure why the Wizard Lord deserved to die, I didn't care whether he - or anyone else - did, and I didn't believe any of the characters motivations for doing anything.

The book had a rushed and hurried feeling; like it was being rushed out the door to meet a deadline (or collect a paycheck). Normally, a "sub par" book by a favorite author still garners a good review from me, but not this one. I loved The Obsidian Chronicles, but this book - and this series in general - earns a big pass from me.

If you need a break from reading complex, engaging and truly epic fantasy (like Steven Erikson's Malazan series, or George RR Martins Song of Ice and Fire), there are many better options than this series. I'd look to anything by Ray Feist, or the new series by newcomer Joe Abercrombie. All are better paced, with deeper characters and more flow.

Sorry Lawrence ... hope you come back strong.

I had read The Wizard Lord when it first came out and enjoyed it immensely. I have been a Watt-Evans fan for two decades, ever since I read "With a Single Spell" in high school. So I bought The Ninth Talisman when it first came out, but then never acquired the third one . . .

Recently I reread the first one and said to myself "why didn't I ever finish that series?" So I went and bought book 3 for my kindle. Now I know why I stopped . . The second book was too drawn out and the cliffhanger was too raw, and this third one was just plain boring. It felt like he didn't really have a story but had to finish the series somehow, so he did a halfhearted job.

It's really too bad because L.W.E. is usually very good at keeping a world and a concept fresh . . . Just look at all the myriad stories from the Ethshar world, I haven't read a bad one yet! And I disagree with the other reviewers' comment about the Dragon series, I thought all three were good books (though the first was definitely the best.)

Anyway, here's hoping that Mr. Watt-Evans can return to his usual high standard with his next flight of fancy :-)

I thought the first book in this series, The Wizard Lord, was Watt-Evans's best job of world creation since the 1980s. And it still works as a stand-alone novel. The follow-up, The Ninth Talisman, had its moments but because it had no resolution was ultimately disappointing. This book concludes the series and ties up the loose threads from book 2, but in disappointing fashion.

The book's main flaw is that for a very large part of it, protagonist Sword is alone with his own thoughts, wintering in a building designed for warm weather use only, on an incredibly cold plateau - with little food or fuel for warmth. The lack of interaction with other people makes it boring. The fact that Sword's situation isn't a heroic survival story but a stupid blunder made by someone who should have known better makes it annoying - to this reader, anyway.

The reason after all that Sword is alone is that no one does winter on the plateau. Not even its hardy native population. Certainly not lowlanders such as Sword himself. Sword's plan, if it may be called that, consists of his forcing himself on the native population, demanding that they train him in how to live up there, telling everybody why he wants to spend the winter there (so that he can kill a dictatorial ruler when the dictator returns the next summer), and blithely assuming no one will give him away. Sword's every choice is so bad that I found myself wanting him to fail.

I think I saw in the deterioration of this series the same features that marred his prior Dragon series. I'm guessing that Watt-Evans's interest in a created world quickly wanes after he has finished a satsifactory novel set in it. So although he may be contracted for a three-book series and have to go through the motions in deleivering the next two, his heart and his mind aren't in it. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's the simplest explanation I can think of for why The Wizard Lord and Dragon Weather are so superior to the other four books in those two series.

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. The hero is on the run, pursued by an all powerful wizard and his new police force. The bad guy may or may not be bad for the land the hero is supposed to protect, but the dead are his friends and he has to flee outside of the range of the magic of the land.

The place he has to flee to is almost impossible to survive in the winter, and he is headed into the heart of the cold season.

Evans manages to make the fight for survival interesting, and he develops the set up and the passage well. I was worried what he would do to fill up the book space, so to speak, and he manages to do that well.

He also manages to resolve the "bad guy" or "not so bad" guy issues well, reconcile some people, pull together a solid plot and make it an enjoyable read.

I'm not sure where the one guy got the thought that the book is all angst, that is a small sub-plot and not overused. The difficulties are real, the issues make sense, the development continues and the book wraps the series well.

All in all I was pleased with the read, even if I paid for a new copy when the book came out.

I'd recommend it as a Watt-Evans fan or to anyone who gets the book recommended by Amazon (if it fits your profile).

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...one spell can fix this...one spell". If only magic hadn't been neutralized by the new Wizard Lord in his efforts to quell all efforts to challenge his omnipotence!
Having not read the first 2 books in the series, I was hesitant to read the 3rd first. Once I realized the lay of the story, my initial hesitancy was put aside and I enjoyed the story with the twists and turns. The nine Chosen: The Leader, the Seer, the Swordsman, the Beauty, the Thief, the Scholar, the Archer, the Speaker, and the mysterious ninth member, Breaker, interact mostly logically and by the time we reach the end of the book, we are still left with questions.
That brings us to the topic of fantasy worlds.
How do writers create a `world' where every element is logical, and can stand up to critical thought? Watt-Evans is not a master of the craft, but his efforts are applaudable. The sheer amount of thought involved in a different realms is staggering, so it is hard to be critical of that element.
Best way to enjoy this book, read the first two and indulge yourself in the third. Great characterization, and an enjoyable cast.
Highly recommended.
Tim Lasiuta

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 Palace came out. So I waited impatiently, and ordered it as soon as possible.

Having just finished it, I can honestly say that it was worth the wait. Lawrence Watt-Evans masterfully interweaves the characters, reveals the mysteries of the Uplanders, and ends the story on a magnificent note. I defy any fan of sword and sorcery to not read this series. It will go down as one of the greats.

I have to admit, I loved the first book in the series. It is a shame that the ending did not live up to the beginning.

I have been a fan of Mr. Watt-Evans for almost 20 years. And when I first discovered the Chosen series, I was hooked. The first in the series was well written, and in his usual style, kept you guessing from beginning to end.

The second book was a bit of a dissapointment, since he left it in a cliffhanger, something Mr. Watt-Evans normally does not do. The third book follows immediately after the second, and it is frankly a dissapointment.

You start with Sword, right after the end of Book two. Half of the Chosen are dead or in prison, the rest are on the run. During 90% of this book, you have no idea the fate of the other Chosen. Sword spends it alone, wintering over in the unoccupied "Summer Palace". You find out a little more about the Uplanders, but not enough to make them interesting. In fact, their behavior often leaves you puzzled, as they seem to form and break friendships and alliances almost at a whim.

I would recommend this book to finish the series, but it is nowhere near as good as the first one. The publisher would have done better to edit the second and thrid books down a bit, and release them as a single book. This is an example of trying to pad out a third book, and leaving out to much. And because it effectively killed off the story, I doubt there will ever be another sequel.