Customer Reviews

The Twisted Citadel: DarkGlass Mountain: Book Two

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

 

 

Escator King Maximilian and his former Queen Ishbel battle their strong feelings for one another. However, both have doubts about reheating their romance as the first time it ended sadly and though they care for one another they both fear it will end badly again.

At the same time the rulers debate the merits of their on and off relationship, Escator's military chieftain Isaiah and the Icarii enchanter Axis SunSoar plot strategy to fight the powerful evil demonic god Kanubai. Since DarkGlass Mountain has absorbed Kanubai, the demon has become even more dangerous to the country and this malevolence is growing stronger. Both Isaiah and Axis know they must act promptly before it is too late; their fear is that it is already too late.

Although not as strong as the Axis Trilogy or the first DarkGkss Mountain entry (see THE SERPENT BRIDE), THE TWISTED CITADEL is predominantly a middle book quest fantasy. Still bone weary and mentally exhausted Maximilian makes the tale with his tired muses that being a hero and champion is not fun; he just wants to stay home for a change and ignore his responsibility of battling evil. The cast is solid regardless of species especially the human and Icarii team-up and the story line is fast-paced, but progress in spite of some vividly described encounters is limited as this second act mostly sets up the grand finish.

Harriet Klausner

I loved Sara Douglass's earlier novels, especially the six that comprise the Wayfarer Redemption series. The "Darkglass Mountain" series is a continuation of that saga, with a few of the characters returning. "The Twisted Citadel" and its predecessor, "The Serpent Bride," are certainly better than the "Troy Game" series (which started well, but I found quite tedious by Book 3), and the dreadful "Crucible" trilogy, which I couldn't finish.

To give Douglass her due, she is very good at creating a vivid fantasy world, peopled with interesting and often bizarre characters. Her plotting is intricate (I won't attempt to summarise it here) and generally holds the attention, though I confess I found "The Twisted Citadel" quite slow moving at times, and I had a sense of deja vu in respect of the plot, too: eg. Maximilian's distrust of Ishbel parallels Axis's attitude to Azhure in the first of the "Axis" books, although most likely this was deliberate. Douglass's flair for description is very much evident, and she certainly doesn't spare the reader during the darker moments of the novel.

What bothered me about "The Twisted Citadel" though was the quality of the prose, which is unfortunately a bit patchy. I am not sure whether the writing style has deteriorated, or whether it was always like that and I just notice it more than when I first started reading her novels. Whatever the case, there is a lot of redundant or overly expository dialogue, and the characters have an irritating habit of repeating the name of the person to whom they are speaking in almost *every* line, so you start to wonder whether they are all telemarketers in their spare time: I was half hoping Ishbel would eventually say to Maximilian, "I know my own name, thanks - you don't have to remind me of it every ten seconds." I also found parts of the narrative a bit repetitive, and could have been tightened up somewhat. The characterisation also needs a bit of work; the major protagonists - Ishbel, Maximilian, Isaiah, Axis etc - are portrayed in a way that renders them rather remote, and as a result while I was objectively interested in what would happen to them, I did not feel any real sense of attachment to them.

Nonetheless, it did keep me reading, and wanting to find out the ultimate conclusion in the third book. Overall, therefore, it's okay, and warrants a solid three stars. It's certainly essential to have read the prequel first - this book is not written in a way that someone new to the series could totally make sense of it as a stand alone novel. I'd also recommend that readers seek out the Wayfarer Redemption books first and read them chronologically, because the references in this and "Serpent's Bride" make much more sense if one has read the preceding series; in addition, some of the central plot points and themes of this novel hark back to an earlier stand-alone one, "Threshold."

I was hoping this new series would be on par with the "Wayfarer Redemption" series, but so far I must say I've been disappointed. The Twisted Citadel was extremely slow...so much so that I put it down several times and had to talk myself into picking it back up again! I mean, it wasn't a TOTAL waste of time or anything, but it certainly wasn't a page turner. I'm hopeful that the next book will show a dramatic increase in action and some plot twists or something!

I had a tough time putting the Twisted Citadel down. I felt that this second book of the DarkGlass Mountain Trilogy lived up to Sara Douglass's depth, without resorting to some of the despair and hopelessness we've seen from her in past books. Certainly, it isn't a cheerful book, but what middle book of trilogy is? The story is filled with twists and turns, plenty of intrigue, and a good dose of hope. I felt it was well worth the time spent reading, and I can't wait for the next book!

Excellent book for Fantasy fans. Creates a mystical world with wonderful characters. I love all her books in this series.

I first read Australian author Sara Douglass's Wayfarer Redemption series (or, in the original publication run, the Axis trilogy) in high school and quickly became a fan. I devoured each book as it hit shelves and even stayed loyal through the second half of the series (the last three books). Then the enchanted world Tencendor ended and Douglass moved on to other stories, other worlds. The next novel of her that I picked up was The Troy Game, which I absolutely hated. It was painful for me to read. So painful, in fact, that I couldn't finish the book and vowed after reading it to never touch another Douglass novel again.

That was about five years ago.

I was recently perusing the new releases at my local bookstore when I saw The Infinity Gate in hardcover. Recognizing Douglass' name, I thought I'd see what she was up to these days. After reading the dust jacket cover, I thought I'd pick up the first book in the series, The Serpent Bride, and see what it was about. Even though I was admittedly a little disappointed with it, I decided to try out the sequel, The Twisted Citadel, mostly because I didn't have anything else to read and it was sitting at the library.

And I'm so glad I took the chance. This book reminded me of why I originally became a Douglass fan. The characters are dynamic and emotional, the world is fascinating and original, and the way Douglass tells her story draws me in and leaves me on the edge of my seat, desperately wanting to know more about the characters.

In this exciting middle novel in the DarkGlass Mountain trilogy, Ishbel and Maxil struggle with their romance with the added complication of bad omens and a woman named Ravenna who is pregnant with Maxil's child. Meanwhile, tyrant Isaiah and battle-hardened Axis must deal with the evil forces that are overrunning the land and protect it as an even darker force is brewing.

So, why only four stars instead of five? The reliance on Axis, Stardrifter and other items from the Wayfarer Redemption series is far too heavy. While it is kind of interesting to see more of the character, the series would have been much stronger if the DarkGlass Mountain characters took the spotlight completely rather than sharing it with Axis characters.

This was the second book I have read by this author. And, like the first, Serpent Bride, this one was a "can't put down". She does a wonderful job flashing from scene to scene and connecting them all near the end. The chapters all end in a cliff hanger and I didn't want to stop reading. I couldn't believe the ending! But sadly I understand the author has ovarian cancer and their may not be another book. My prayers go out to her. Ms. Douglas knows has to spin a tale.

I have been a fan of Douglass since I stumbled across the Wayfarer Redemption. I have read all her books, and my favorites are the Wayfarer/Axis series. But this series has caught me in a way none of the previous ones did. Why? The world she has created, the story she is spinning. I've never felt she was a particularly strong writer; I wince repeatedly over redundancies and "babbling" (as another reviewer so aptly put it). But the story she tells forces me to overlook this.

I won't review the plot here, as others have done so. But I give this book five stars because of the ending. Douglass outdoes herself in the climax of this book, the pictures she paints so intense they still linger in my mind. I found myself re-reading the ending several times. I've read thousands of books, and I've never done that before.

This book took until page 300 to be interesting, but then I could not put it down and I cannot wait to read the trilogy finisher. I think the book was slow because I did not need the retelling of information from her other books. Also, the book is complicated and I have been used to easy reads. Thus, despite being a fan of werewolf and vampire novels, I strongly recommend this series.

This book was OK. There was a time when I was a fan of Sara Douglass. I guess that was when I was flying through her Axis Trilogy, and then the Wayfarer Redemption Trilogy three or four years back. Then a couple of years ago I stumbled across her book Threshold at my public library, and that lead me to read The Serpent Bride last year. Unfortunately each book of hers that I read seems to get worse and worse in quality. I was only able to finish the instant book being reviewed because I liked the underlying story of The Serpent Bride and I want to know how it will eventually end through its trilogy.

In preparing to write this review I became aware that there is one book related to "The Twisted Citadel" that I have not read: Beyond the Hanging Walls. And I doubt I will bother to read it. I only mention this because the irrelevancy of that book is probably just another example of what I find wrong with Douglass' writings as of late. She includes vast sections in her books that need not be reduced to writing. I typically call this babbling. What would have made this book (The Twisted Citadel) so much better for me would have been a fast paced story line with maybe five or six action scenes like the one Ishbell had at the end of the book. Of course, much of the prose would have to be edited out so that every word used in the book would have meaning and be critical for the reader to know in order to keep up with understanding the story.

I found myself enjoying the interaction between Maxel and Ishbell. But it was tough because it came across so much like a soap opera. I was fascinated with Inardle, but didn't care too much about her love life with Axis. I thought Ravenna took her belief in her vision about Ishbel to an extreme. And much of the book as it related to Ravenna should have been changed so her position was a believable one.

What value did Lister and Isaiah really add to this book? I don't think much. And the Lealfast as a people could have been integrated into the book in a much more meaningful way. I could actually invision the book without any of them except Inardle the way the book was written. This gets back to my point above whereby I think there is way too much babble in this book.

Of course, the biggest problem I had with the book was the treatment of The One. If he was so powerful, then why didn't he do more and be more involved in action throughout the book? The fact that he was kind of sitting the bench in this book leads me to believe the next book coming will be all about him. But Douglass is going to have a big task ahead of her making that book believable after having The One sit on the bench in the instant book being reviewed. 3 stars!