Unexpectedly early climax for the series, but still enjoyable.
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The Gathering Storm (2003) was originally supposed to be the penultimate volume of the series, but the final book was split in half due to its size. As such, the reader may be taken aback that the major climax of the series comes two volumes before its conclusion. The purpose of this novel is to take all of the developments of the past two volumes (and some from before that) and tie them all together into a massive convergence of plotlines, characters and events. This works very well, and the purposes of secondary storylines and characters who previously didn't seem to be contributing much to the overriding narrative is made clearer, sometimes surprisingly so. Again, the Eika storyline (now revealed to be much more closely tied to the central narrative than previously thought) is very strong in this novel, although some of the key characters do get a little lost in the middle of the book (Sanglant in particular, who has major roles in the opening and closing chapters but is otherwise off-stage for a significant chunk of the novel). There's also some curious and slightly baffling plot decisions which at first glance don't seem to make much sense, particularly a number of coincidences and happenstances in Alain's storyline that verge on the ludicrous. That said, it's certainly a relief that the major events foreseen and talked about (at times interminably) for the last several volumes finally come to pass in an explosive and apocalyptic finale.
The Gathering Storm (***½) is a highly significant step forward in the series and Elliott handles the major sweeping events of the book quite well, although a number of weaknesses in the plotting detract from the enjoyment of the book. As the novel concludes the reader is left feeling slightly dazed and asking, "Now what?"
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I really loved this book
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This book definitely impressed me. Some of the previous books in the series I found were slightly tedious and longwinded. However, although this is large, all of its content is interesting and I was gripped from beginning to end. I had had my doubts on whether to continue reading the series, since it was so time consuming. I had been a bit disappointed with the way in which so much time was spent on unnecessary detail in previous books, although the plot itself was excellent. However the detail I see was neccessary to provide a vivid setting for the storyline. The Gathering Storm is a great read but you do need to have read the rest of the series to enjoy it. All of my doubts about The Crown Of Stars sextet have vanished and I can't wait for the final installment.
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breath taking read
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I was a little worried that this book couldn't live up to the standard of the previous four books, however there was nothing to worry about. Kate Elliott continues to vividly tell the stories of Liath, Sanglant, Alain, Stronghand, Hanna, Zacharias and Rosvita. The characters grow and develop as they continue their seperate journeys and I became totally immersed in the plot. New lands are created in this book and are colourfully described, no detail is left out. Although the characters are all in different countries and lands their lives are still entwined. They are fighting to survive in the new dark times that have descended around them. The story builds to climax at the end leaving the reader desperate to read the sixth and final novel. Unlike some of the other novels there were no slow moments in this one and it was impossible to leave at any point. I was concerned at the start of book that Kate Elliott had forgotten to include Liath and Alain (the main characters) as they do not appear until later in the story, but there parts are worth waiting for. The size of the book is a little daunting and perhaps isn't the easiest of bedtime reads being roughly the same size and weight of a brick! However this should not put you off as it is an awe inspiring read.
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