Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
Barcelona Timun Mas Folio [1997]
Description
After the four worlds Alfred has at last foundnbsp;nbsp;his people on Chelstra, the realm of sea. But hisnbsp;nbsp;travels have taught him to be cautious... andnbsp;nbsp;Alfred soon realizes his caution is justified, evennbsp;nbsp;among his own kind. The one person Alfred can trustnbsp;nbsp;is, strangely, Haplo the Patryn. But Haplo's lordnbsp;nbsp;has decreed all Sartan to be the enemy, and Haplonbsp;nbsp;dares not go against his lord. Now the companionsnbsp;nbsp;have arrived in a land where humans, elves, andnbsp;nbsp;dwarves have learned to live in peace. Unaware of annbsp;nbsp;even greater threat to all the realms, it isnbsp;nbsp;Sartan and Patryn who will disrupt this alliance of thenbsp;nbsp;lesser races in their struggle to gain control ofnbsp;nbsp;all four worlds. Only Alfred and Haplo realizenbsp;nbsp;that they have a much older -- and more powerful --nbsp;nbsp;enemy than each other...… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member reading_fox
Haplo without his dog (his Lord Xar was not impressed with his conduct in the last book) travels the last of the Sundered worlds - Water. This is perhaps the most inventive of the four, and introduces the true antagonists, neither Patryn or Sartan, but Fizban's (fortunately not present) nemesis
Haplo also discovers the remainder of the true Sartan. They are very different from Alfred who is also present. And a prime candidate for the snakes to fan the flame sof fear between the races. The Mensch have up until now being living in peace and harmony together. As the travelling sun in the center of the world moves on the Mensch need to migrate to the Sartan's landmass. Haplo no longer seeks discord at every turn, having met the snakes he's much more concerned with thwarting them than his Lord's wishes. And Alfred has his dog! Alfred has his own problems quickly falling foul of the Sartan leader's fear of Patryn.
Haplo's more divided conscience is more interesting than in previous novels, and Alfred's part will also be of note. I'm always less convinced by manifestations of pure evil, but the snakes are at least clever about it, wishing to survive on fear rather than just slaughter. It's not clear why the seawater has anti-magic properties, nor why the Sartan were so surprised by this.
A fair continuation of the series.
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true evil in the hearts of all intelligent beings. Driven by Fear and hence it's associated emotions of hatred, chaos etc. the beings are invidious and seek to corrupt all counsels and guidance of the wise.Haplo also discovers the remainder of the true Sartan. They are very different from Alfred who is also present. And a prime candidate for the snakes to fan the flame sof fear between the races. The Mensch have up until now being living in peace and harmony together. As the travelling sun in the center of the world moves on the Mensch need to migrate to the Sartan's landmass. Haplo no longer seeks discord at every turn, having met the snakes he's much more concerned with thwarting them than his Lord's wishes. And Alfred has his dog! Alfred has his own problems quickly falling foul of the Sartan leader's fear of Patryn.
Haplo's more divided conscience is more interesting than in previous novels, and Alfred's part will also be of note. I'm always less convinced by manifestations of pure evil, but the snakes are at least clever about it, wishing to survive on fear rather than just slaughter. It's not clear why the seawater has anti-magic properties, nor why the Sartan were so surprised by this.
A fair continuation of the series.
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LibraryThing member meersan
Tattooed demigod travels to an underwater world inhabited by naive mortals and scary slime serpents.
LibraryThing member weedge507
The Serpent Mage was almost as slow as the first book but it gave me insight on everything i didn't understand from the first three books.
LibraryThing member aethercowboy
In the fourth volume of the Death Gate Cycle, a fantasy series I would have never discovered on my own, we meet our protagonists: Haplo and Alfred, bitter enemies of different races; Haplo, the Patryn, was forced to escape a death prison known as the Labyrinth, created by the Sartan, of which,
They find themselves on the water-world of Chelestra, separated by quite some distance. Alfred also finds that Haplo's inseparable dog has somehow ended up with him, and that the Sartan existing on this world are those that originally caused the Sundering in the first place. Haplo, meanwhile, finds himself caught up in a battle between the mensch (the term used to describe the humans, elves, and dwarves) and the deadly and powerful dragon-snakes. Additionally, the water of this world seems to nullify all Patryn and Sartan magic.
Haplo accompanies the three princesses (though one is really a boy in disguise, serving as a placeholder for the princess, whom he adores) to the lair of the dragon-snakes and discovers that they hold fealty to him and the Patryns. Accepting such hospitality as they give him, but always being wary of deception, he helps the mensch to return to their world and get the people ready for the migration to their next land, currently occupied by the inhospitable Sartan.
The worlds presented in these books are more or less fully realized, with enough back matter to make your head spin. The series itself isn't an example of a fantasy series that will knock your socks off and redefine the genre, but it does provide memorable characters and an intriguing plot that will definitely have you wanting more.
While Weis and Hickman may not be the next Tolkien or Lieber or Moorcock, they're probably just a tad better than most of those other authors who write Dungeons and Dragons series (theirs is Dragonlance).
The Death Gate Cycle will probably appeal to you if you find yourself reading D&D-based fiction (though it itself is not D&D-based), or if you like fantasy that isn't quite epic and isn't quite sword and sorcery, but at the same time, isn't at all recasted romance sitting in the wrong aisle at your bookstore.
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Alfred is a member. Haplo, harboring a grudge against all that is Sartan slowly comes to see Alfred as an equal as their paths continually intertwine.They find themselves on the water-world of Chelestra, separated by quite some distance. Alfred also finds that Haplo's inseparable dog has somehow ended up with him, and that the Sartan existing on this world are those that originally caused the Sundering in the first place. Haplo, meanwhile, finds himself caught up in a battle between the mensch (the term used to describe the humans, elves, and dwarves) and the deadly and powerful dragon-snakes. Additionally, the water of this world seems to nullify all Patryn and Sartan magic.
Haplo accompanies the three princesses (though one is really a boy in disguise, serving as a placeholder for the princess, whom he adores) to the lair of the dragon-snakes and discovers that they hold fealty to him and the Patryns. Accepting such hospitality as they give him, but always being wary of deception, he helps the mensch to return to their world and get the people ready for the migration to their next land, currently occupied by the inhospitable Sartan.
The worlds presented in these books are more or less fully realized, with enough back matter to make your head spin. The series itself isn't an example of a fantasy series that will knock your socks off and redefine the genre, but it does provide memorable characters and an intriguing plot that will definitely have you wanting more.
While Weis and Hickman may not be the next Tolkien or Lieber or Moorcock, they're probably just a tad better than most of those other authors who write Dungeons and Dragons series (theirs is Dragonlance).
The Death Gate Cycle will probably appeal to you if you find yourself reading D&D-based fiction (though it itself is not D&D-based), or if you like fantasy that isn't quite epic and isn't quite sword and sorcery, but at the same time, isn't at all recasted romance sitting in the wrong aisle at your bookstore.
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LibraryThing member SonicQuack
After a somewhat lacklustre third entry, Weis and Hickman play to their strengths in 'Serpent Mage'. All the requisites of high fantasy are included, with elves, dwarves and magic vs. science. These factors are cleverly blended with the strong Death Gate scenario, brimming with originality and
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ideas. The setting does not overshadow the plot, with less premable and backstory than previous entries - Haplo's journey is central to the action and mayhem. Good characterisation and clever use of narrative styles create an engaging story, utilising the Death Gate scenario to almost reinvent an old angle. At times the story seems a little forced, with some trite dialogue and clumsy foreboding, however overall Serpent Mage is a worthwhile and inventive read. Show Less
LibraryThing member coffeesucker
Might be my favorite of the series.
LibraryThing member TheCrow2
In the fourth book of the Deathgate series Alfred, Haplo (and Dog) travels to the fourth elemental plane, Chelestra the water-world. Besides the exciting plot and great characters we happen to know a lot more about one of the most original fantasy world. Looking forward the next book...
LibraryThing member julie.bonjour
I enjoyed this book more then any of the previous ones. Finally there were characters I found interesting and cared about, finally Alfred and Haplo see some character development (Haplo's did start in previous books, to be fair), finally some plot development! As fun as it was to discover the
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different worlds, I was getting impatient for hints of what the last 3 books were going to be about. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1992-04
Physical description
21 cm
ISBN
8441302758 / 9788441302754