Status
Available
Call number
Publication
DAW Books (New York, 1988). 1st edition, 1st printing. 414 pages. $3.95.
Description
The fourth and final book in the epic Morgaine science fiction saga Morgaine must meet her greatest challenge--Gault, who is both human and alien, and also seeks control of the world and its Gate. She will meet the true Gatemaster--a mysterious lord with power as great, or greater, than her own.
User reviews
LibraryThing member reading_fox
Best of the series. Longer as well but definetly equal to and in some respects better than Fires of Azeroth.
Having indured and survived and finally left Azeroth in peace Vayne and Morgaine arrive in their next world, finding once again that Qhal and humans can seldom live in harmony. Intriguingly
We pick up Chei's tale as he is left staked out for the wolves by a lord man hosting a Qhal mind - such as is common here, much to Vayne and Morgaine's horror. These Qhal have gate knowledge not just the jewels that Azeroth was using, but the power of active gates twisting the lands around them.
Although Morgaine has the urgency of her quest pressing upon her, She appears to almost have fallen in love with Vayne - not that her kind can, but there is deep affection there for the first time, a true companion on her journies. This has come on very stonf since it's only been a few weeks, experience time, since they met in Andor-Kursh. As such she listens to his views more than to her intstincts - causing Vayne huge doubts. Is his judgement best for them? As they are once again beset by possibly trustworthy company Morgaine again states her preference for active enemies rather than honest friends - against whom she will eventually have to turn.
And then they hear of Skarrin - of a race like Morgaine's beyond the Qhal and steeped in knowledge of the Gate s. Here is the reason for the politicing, betrayals, and power of the gates. The sternest test of Morgaine and Vayne is ahead of them, they need allies, but who to trust? and how far?
Great fun, gripping writing. Especially the developing closeness between Morgaine and Vayne and the doubts it puts on him. Suffers from the same problem as the earlier ones of talking about worlds but dealing with only a small fraction of a continent. You need to pay attention at the end - Morgaine and Skarrin discuss gate theory and while details are deliberately vague because Vayne didn't understand them, if you think about it it all makes sense - but a quick read is liable to leave you confused, it helps to remember this is and always was an SF / fantasy cross genre'd book.
Read the others first and savour this one when you get to it. It leaves you wanting more!
..........................................................................................................................
Having indured and survived and finally left Azeroth in peace Vayne and Morgaine arrive in their next world, finding once again that Qhal and humans can seldom live in harmony. Intriguingly
Show More
and in variance to the earlier novels, Vayne is not the sole point of view for the tale. A young Man called Chei gets some time. We pick up Chei's tale as he is left staked out for the wolves by a lord man hosting a Qhal mind - such as is common here, much to Vayne and Morgaine's horror. These Qhal have gate knowledge not just the jewels that Azeroth was using, but the power of active gates twisting the lands around them.
Although Morgaine has the urgency of her quest pressing upon her, She appears to almost have fallen in love with Vayne - not that her kind can, but there is deep affection there for the first time, a true companion on her journies. This has come on very stonf since it's only been a few weeks, experience time, since they met in Andor-Kursh. As such she listens to his views more than to her intstincts - causing Vayne huge doubts. Is his judgement best for them? As they are once again beset by possibly trustworthy company Morgaine again states her preference for active enemies rather than honest friends - against whom she will eventually have to turn.
And then they hear of Skarrin - of a race like Morgaine's beyond the Qhal and steeped in knowledge of the Gate s. Here is the reason for the politicing, betrayals, and power of the gates. The sternest test of Morgaine and Vayne is ahead of them, they need allies, but who to trust? and how far?
Great fun, gripping writing. Especially the developing closeness between Morgaine and Vayne and the doubts it puts on him. Suffers from the same problem as the earlier ones of talking about worlds but dealing with only a small fraction of a continent. You need to pay attention at the end - Morgaine and Skarrin discuss gate theory and while details are deliberately vague because Vayne didn't understand them, if you think about it it all makes sense - but a quick read is liable to leave you confused, it helps to remember this is and always was an SF / fantasy cross genre'd book.
Read the others first and savour this one when you get to it. It leaves you wanting more!
..........................................................................................................................
Show Less
LibraryThing member Pandababy
Exile's Gate is the fourth (and I think the last) in a series. I liked it that questions were answered, about the protagonists relationship, about the origins of Morgaine, about the true nature and origins of the world gates, etc.
It also had a feel of 'been there, done that' which, ironically, was
Those are my reasons for giving Exile's Gate three and half stars, instead of the usual four or more that Cherryh inspires. She still delivers unexpected plot twists, great world-building and interesting character development.
It also had a feel of 'been there, done that' which, ironically, was
Show More
addressed in the plot by one of the characters near the ending. Still, although the stakes were continually raised and character and plot development occurred apace, I was disappointed in the end, and irritated by two things: the feelings of sameness, and the cliff-hangar ending, which leaves me to create my own story for 'what happens to them', since Cherryh is evidently done with this series.Those are my reasons for giving Exile's Gate three and half stars, instead of the usual four or more that Cherryh inspires. She still delivers unexpected plot twists, great world-building and interesting character development.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Caragen87
This one was a let down compared to the first three. It was a longer continuation on the same theme-- and the repetition of the paranoia/loyalty by-play between Vanye & Morgaine is getting tired. Worse, we were not treated to any revelations of the Gates or the Qhal in what we thought would be the
Show More
Final Gate Book. Show Less
LibraryThing member johnylitnin
Morgaine must meet her greatest challenge--Gault, who is both human and alien, and also seeks control of the world and its Gate. She will meet the true Gatemaster--a mysterious lord with power as great, or greater, than her own.
LibraryThing member jaddington
A fitting end to a grand story. A story that I think could go on, and on and on. And I would read them. I love these characters. Really nothing more to say. You like the series or you don't.
LibraryThing member dreplogle
Loved this series as a teenager, and was so glad to find she had written a fourth novel. Of course, I would be totally open to her continuing the series.
LibraryThing member ritaer
Morgaine travels thru time/space gates to destroy them
LibraryThing member payday1999
I love this whole series of books. I read them when I was in Middle School and I still love them today. This is the last book in the series but we never got an ending to these books and after all these years I doubt we'll get another book in the Morgaine Saga.
Even though these books were never
Even though these books were never
Show More
given an ending, I would still recommend them to anybody to read. I love all her books in this series and I love the two main characters and the building relationship between the two of them. This book is very large, bigger than the others in the series, but Cherryh writes in a way that makes her books very easy to read. Show Less
LibraryThing member AnnieMod
9 years after the 3rd novel in the series, Cherryh returned to the world of Morgaine and Vanye (or should I say worlds). I did not wait as long - I read the previous one just 6 years ago - I had been trying to read all her novels in some semblance of order so it had to wait a bit.
It starts where
On the surface, it almost feels like more of the same but under the usual story of gates and horses, there is also a lot of backstory about ancient races, about Morgaine's parents (with her mother coming from the stars and some of the other clues in the series, it feels almost like this is supposed to be another Union story) and about how the worlds ended up the way they did. There are battles, both with swords and with other means, there is love and betrayal and and open ending - allowing for a lot more novels if Cherryh ever decides to write more.
And then there is Vanye - who is so besotted with Morgaine that half of the time he sounds like a teenager who does not know better (and worse, Morgaine finally lets herself admit some of her own feelings which leads to an almost disaster). This newly found connection is almost amusing to watch - even when it gets annoying in places. But it also adds a new dimension to their partnership - not because of the love story but because of how Morgaine reacts to it and what she does (and does not do). I'd have loved to see how that develops on the next worlds...
It is a good continuation of the series and it may even work as a standalone novel (although a lot of the rich tapestry of the past will get missed that way). I am not sure it was strictly necessary - the previous 3 novels worked as a trilogy and that one clarifies and adds more to the backstory but it does not really close the story. And yet, I am very glad that it exists.
It starts where
Show More
the previous one finished - with Morgaine and Vanye crossing into a new world. But before we see them, we see the world they are coming into - a brutal world where the Qhal keep the humans under their thumb (and the humans revolt occasionally). Part of the story is told from the perspective of the new characters in this novel (both Qhal and human), some of it is from Vanye. As usual, we don't get to hear Morgaine's perspective (which may be a good thing - or a lot of things will get a lot less mysterious) although I was hoping that we may actually get it here. On the surface, it almost feels like more of the same but under the usual story of gates and horses, there is also a lot of backstory about ancient races, about Morgaine's parents (with her mother coming from the stars and some of the other clues in the series, it feels almost like this is supposed to be another Union story) and about how the worlds ended up the way they did. There are battles, both with swords and with other means, there is love and betrayal and and open ending - allowing for a lot more novels if Cherryh ever decides to write more.
And then there is Vanye - who is so besotted with Morgaine that half of the time he sounds like a teenager who does not know better (and worse, Morgaine finally lets herself admit some of her own feelings which leads to an almost disaster). This newly found connection is almost amusing to watch - even when it gets annoying in places. But it also adds a new dimension to their partnership - not because of the love story but because of how Morgaine reacts to it and what she does (and does not do). I'd have loved to see how that develops on the next worlds...
It is a good continuation of the series and it may even work as a standalone novel (although a lot of the rich tapestry of the past will get missed that way). I am not sure it was strictly necessary - the previous 3 novels worked as a trilogy and that one clarifies and adds more to the backstory but it does not really close the story. And yet, I am very glad that it exists.
Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1988-01
Physical description
414 p.; 4.2 inches
ISBN
0886772540 / 9780886772543
UPC
071125001258