Customer Reviews

The Oracle's Queen

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

How long I've been waiting for this book. It feels like an eternity, and now it's over, and I'm sad. It's been quite awhile since I've felt like that over a fantasy novel.

Okay, were there some flaws? Yeah, sure, a little. Like most of Flewelling's readers, I'm truly rabid for more about Tamir and Ki's relationship. But I liked the way she handled it. As Tamir slowly severed the connection between herself and Brother, she became more and more female. The confusion and awkwardness in Ki's reaction to her was right on. It seems a bit rushed on the surface, but Flewelling built a strong bond between these two from the very beginning. They grew together, fought together, bled together, and their connection went beyond just male and female.

There was, of course, the predictability factor, most especially for those of us who'd previously read her Nighterunner series. But she still manages to put it quite a bit of tension, surprisingly. Even knowing what's going to happen, you can still see points where things come dangerously close to taking a turn for the disasterous. Anyone who hasn't read the Nightrunner series previously would probably suffer from uncertainty at some places in the book.

I've always enjoyed Flewelling's villains. The big baddie in this book was particurly fun, especially when you learned more about him. The "villains" are very human, and often difficult to hate. Many of them have good points as well as bad.
My first reaction to her dispatching of the main villain was that it was a cop out. But when I sat back and thought about it, I realized it was really quite fitting. What better way for a gloryhound to die than the least glorious way imaginable? It was karma in the purest sense.

No matter her flaws, Flewelling writes with such sincerity that you can't help but be drawn in. Her characters are so genuine and real; there's always at least one you can connect with on a deep level.
More importantly, she did something that many authors fail to pull off. She took a legend that was only mentioned in passing in her previous books, and turned it into a wonderful, fully fleshed-out story of its own. The only thing that could be more delightful would be more books about Tamir and Ki. Or at least ONE more.

Whatever she does next, I'm definitely looking forward to it.

I greatly admire the world that Lynn Flewelling created in the Tamir trilogy. This third book -- in which Tamir (a girl raised as a boy) becomes responsible for her kingdom, and battles her cousin to prove who the "real" ruler is -- will undoubtedly gratify those of us who have waited for closure to the story. (If you haven't read the first two books, don't even think of starting here.)

However, it may help you enjoyment to keep in mind that this story is "about" something else entirely. The first two were exploring identity and gender roles: what does it mean to be a son (much less a prince) instead of a daughter (or princess)? At what point is it right to sacrifice one life for another (i.e. killing Brother at birth)? Those were interesting questions, but The Oracle's Queen only deals with them in the way that Tamir responds to the issues.

Instead, this book is about relationships -- with oneself and the people one cares about. Tamir and Ki were close as boys, but suddenly, Tamir has... *other* body parts? Is it still the same person? Much of the book is about the relationships that Tamir creates, or re-creates, or tries to create. It's extremely well done (I suspect that Flewelling could make her grocery shopping list interesting), but it's definitely a different theme.

I very much enjoyed the fact that the author kept in mind that Tamir is 15, going on 16. She acts like a 15-year-old -- complete with moments when she pulls herself together and behaves as an adult.

Anyway, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. If you've read the previous two books, do not hesitate to buy this one.

I have waited nearly five years Ms. Flewelling to finish the Tamir Trilogy... and I must say, the wait was worth it. All in all, this was a novel that tied up loose threads, which I appreciate, but I would have loved to have seen more character interaction and plot development. Unlike the previous novels, this one covered a short span of time, only six months or so.

My observations:

- the resolution was completely expected - Tamir wins, of course!

- the relationship between Tamir and Ki developed too slowly at the beginning ("He used to be a boy!"), too fast in the end ("She's not a boy any longer!"), and left you feeling just a little bit cheated. Personally, I would have liked to have seen their marriage, and perhaps their first sexual encounter.

- the bad guys... weren't really all that bad. The only true big baddie got offed pretty early on. After that, Tamir's cousin was the bad guy, but he was so confused that it was more like beating up on a deluded person. It had to be done, but he was just an obsticle, not a roadblock.

I wish she could be convinced to go back and write a forth novel. I really want to know how Tamir and Ki's life changed in an everyday setting, the rebuilding of the palace, etc.

I love the first two books in the Tamir trilogy, and there were parts of Oracle that I also loved, but something wasn't there. It seemed that the focus of the novel too often strayed to side characters such as Nalia. While her story is interesting, I could certainly have done with less of her, Korin, and Niryn's views and more of Tamir and Ki. I kept forgiving these deviations while reading, but then the book was over and I thought to myself, "That's it?" However, I would say it was worth the read; just be prepared for a vague sense of disappointment in the end.

The entire Tamir Trilogy is a very refreshing fantasy series and The Oracle's Queen is a worthy ending. Not too long, the story convinces due to the depth with which the characters are developed. Flewelling avoids black-and-white or good-versus-bad storylines, but makes even the 'villains' behaviors and thoughts understandably human. Specifically, Tobin's transformation to Tamir convinces due to the fact that the characters around her and even she herself struggles with her new body and identity.

I first read Bone Doll's Twin several years ago and was very disappointed to find out that the next two books were not yet written. I forgot about it and then last year bought the last two and finally read them both in the last week.

I've been haunted (appropriate term I guess) by everything that happened to Tamir in this last novel for the last few days since I finished the book. She felt so real for me, probably because as a reader you feel as though you've grown up with Tobin and felt all the anguish she had to go through as a prince with such a sad and sorrowful family life. The confusion between her and Ki was so heartbreaking and it was very satisfying to finally be able to see Tamir rightful Queen at last.

(no real spoilers there by the way, since writings by Queen Tamir II appear very early in the book)

The themes were very emotional. These books seemed more like a woman's kind of read rather than a male's. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole series, and especially enjoyed the introduction of Mahti and his cleansing ways. The gay theme was MUCH more interesting in this series than the one in Left Hand of Darkness, which I found to be a rather forgettable novel I read in college.

"The Oracle's Queen" is a spellbinding final chapter to Lynn Flewelling's Tamir Trilogy. Queen Tamir - once the boy known as Prince Tobin - is thrust into an emotional roller-coaster few teenage girls face. She must accept the responsibility of uniting and leading her kingdom, but also must contend with her cousin, Prince Korin, and an alliance of nobles who do not recognize her as the true heir to the throne of Skala. She must confront the past and the true, dark secret of why she had spent most of her life as a boy.

Finally, Tamir's new female form comes with a new set of complications with regard to her relationship with her longtime best friend and squire Kirothius. Tamir and Ki were quite unsure about their personal relationship after the second book, "Hidden Warrior," and that confusion deepened in this final novel.

As was the case with Flewelling's previous Tamir books as well as her Nightrunner series, "Oracle's Queen" was full of characters with such believable personalities. The feelings and motivations of the heroes, villains and supporting cast are well developed. The world they inhabit also seems a living, breathing place: occasionally dark and violent and at other times quite bright.

There was the danger that the book might have been somewhat anti-climactic given the events of "Hidden Warrior" - but that wasn't the case. While the second book remains the standout of the trilogy for me, "The Oracle's Queen" was filled with both the action and emotional depth of the previous two books. Personally, I don't think it would hurt if Flewelling chose to explore this world again - but if not, she has written a most worthy conclusion.

This last book of the Tamir triad had perhaps the most difficult task: the change of Prince Tobin, a girl who was bewitched into looking like her dead twin brother at birth and did not know her true gender for most of her youth, into Queen Tamir must be made believable, to the other players as well as to the readers who have inevitably grown fond of Tobin's finely carved character. I think Flewelling succeeded remarkably well: Tamir really is a woman now, and not just a "boy in a dress". Perhaps even more difficult to depict was the change in the relation between Tobin/Tamir and Ki, from prince and utterly loyal squire into queen and passionate lover. This idea alone is unprecedented in fantasy novels (at least as they are printed out, though maybe not in the minds of some readers) and that alone makes the novel worth a couple of stars. Flewelling decided to leave the exact nature of their relation hanging in the air for most part of the book, probably a wise decision which, however, leaves the reader craving for more at the end. Otherwise, there is considerably less character development than in the two preceding novels. However, we learn that arch-villain and wizard Niryn was a lovable gardener's son once, dreaming of the whole realm of Skala being a rose bush that requires his cutting hand - a nice picture that warns of a view of society which can turn people with best intentions into evil dictators (though the front page mentions Flewelling's interest in Buddhism, this is rather a Taoist philosophy). At the end of the book, the pace increases, and the last 100 or so pages are devoted to the battle between Tamir and her rival cousin Korin. Still, as the two books before this novel, it isn't as quickly paced as Flewelling's earlier books "Luck in the Shadows" and "Stalking Darkness", and though by no means necessary I recommend these to be read before the Tamir Triad for a better feel of this richly detailed fantasy world.

Lynn Flewelling, The Oracle's Queen (Bantam, 2006)

At long last, the final novel in the Tamir Trilogy has surfaced. Flewelling fans rejoice. Was it worth the wait? Unquestionably.

The first two books took their time with setup, but The Oracle's Queen roars to life from page one. It is, basically, the narrative of a single campaign. All the prep work has been done in the previous two novels, so we can get right into the meat of things, and we do.

The book opens up hot on the heels of the ending of Hidden Warrior. Tamir and her supporters are back in Ero, surveying the destruction, trying to whip up some more warriors, and pondering how they're going to fend off anything like a concerted attack from either Plenimar or Korin. (And the book's only real drawback is that Plenimar gets such short shrift, for having been at war with Skala for years.) Korin is still up in Cirna brooding, also whipping up more support for an attack on Tamir. Meanwhile, Korin's newly wed, and Tamir and Ki are trying to figure out how to deal with the fact that Tamir is now a woman, with help from the usual suspects. We meet a few new faces, but the bulk of the book is about Tamir and Korin, and what will happen when the two of them inevitably clash over the title of rightful ruler of Skala.

We're all well familiar with middle-novel droop where trilogies are concerned. I'm more and more convinced that there's some sort of artificial high that comes with the final novel in a trilogy; it often seems as if the third book is predestined to be the best of the lot. Such is the case here, as usual. The Oracle's Queen puts an exclamation point on Flewelling's fine trilogy. Even if you weren't fond of the first two books (and I was), keep on. This one makes it worthwhile. ****

For the first time in years I made the time to finish a novel in less than a day, wether I wanted to or not. The few hours I managed to put the book down it simply gnawed upon my mind, forcing me back to its pages to apease the hunger. It was worth it.

Flewelling's last volume of this trilogy was nothing short of supurb! Her description was eloquent, easily painting pictures of the vivid, inspiring world of her novel, and the ease with which it sent us back into the world we've waited a year, at least, to return to--remarkable. In the end, I'm left with only one complaint, to which those others who've reviewed have shared my opinion: a better conclusion for Tamír and Ki's relationship.

Despite this, and as its only one minor flaw when looking at the whole, I still give the book the full rating it deserves. A story as rich and original--and well delivered--you would be hard pressed to find.