Status
Available
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Series
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Collection
Publication
Tom Doherty Associates
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. Literature. HTML: In the Enduring Flame Trilogy, Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory have given audiences a new view of the complex and fascinating world they originally created for the Obsidian Trilogy. Jumping ahead one thousand years in time, Lackey and Mallory have told the compelling story of Harrier Gillain, the first Knight-Mage in a thousand years; Tiercel Rolfort, the first High Mage in hundreds of years; and Shaiara, the young leader of a desert tribe who takes both boys under her wing but has a special affection for Harrier. These three young people are their world's main defense against the evil called up by the rogue Wild Mage Bisochim. Bisochim's conviction that he was restoring the balance was shattered the moment Ahairan took her first breath. Now, in The Phoenix Transformed, Bisochim joins forces with Harrier and Tiercel, and the three mages search desperately for a way to destroy Ahairan as she sends her magical forces against them and the desert nomads under their protection..… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member hailelib
The conclusion to The Enduring Flame Trilogy. Tiercel and Harrier find themselves in more trouble than ever as they try to protect the people of the Isvai. But the dragon Ancaladar has inexplicably vanished leaving Tiercel able to do only the simplest spells and Harrier is still learning how to be
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a Knight-Mage. This book definitely requires that one have read the preceding volumes of the Trilogy. While I enjoyed the story and the magical laws of the world Lackey and Mallory have created its main appeal will be to those who can't get enough of long and complicated fantasy quests. Show Less
LibraryThing member SnarkyWriter
Full disclosure: I am a Mercedes Lackey fanatic. She could write a user manual for an original Nintendo system and I'd read it. And probably love it.
That said, I loved this book. The pacing was spot-on, leading inexorably to the climactic final battle, which ended in a way I totally did not see
However, while I can see now that the pacing is perfect, in the middle of it sometimes it dragged. By page 500 I was starting to wonder if we even needed this book. Couldn't we have summarized all this? Perhaps, if plot's all we're going for. But Lackey is about more than plot; she crafts her characters with a purposeful, delicate hand. In order to get the characters to the point that they could do what they needed to do during the climactic battle, they had to go through all the stuff they went through in this book. And in order to understand them, we had to see them do it.
**SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT**
You have been warned.
I did find myself a bit annoyed by Alacandar's disappearance. Other than making everything entirely more difficult than it would have been otherwise, there didn't seem to be any purpose to it. Even the explanation that he'd fallen through a door that was supposed to allow dragons and Bonded to live forever--therefore making Bisochim into even more of an idiot than he had been anyway--didn't satisfy me. It was too convenient. As was his reappearance--right when the climactic battle is underway. Of course.
Other than that, the book was wonderful. I love Harrier's character and dialogue; I often stopped to read bits of it out loud to W.E. so we could giggle over it together.
At some point, I need to read back through both trilogies involved in this story so I can get a larger view of everything that's happened. The wait time between books has been so long that I'll forget exactly what happened, but the books are so long I don't want to reread two of them before reading the brand new 3rd one. Bleh.
I know I've raved about Lackey a lot in this review, but that's only because I don't know any of Mallory's solo work. If any of the stuff I've loved is one of his touches, I apologize for ascribing it to Lackey.
That said, I loved this book. The pacing was spot-on, leading inexorably to the climactic final battle, which ended in a way I totally did not see
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coming, which always impresses me. (It's hard to do that anymore. I've read so many books I generally have the ending figured out by the middlish of the book. For example, I'm reading Storm Front by Jim Butcher right now and I'm pretty sure I know who killed those two people, if not why. If it turns out I'm wrong, I'll be very happy.)However, while I can see now that the pacing is perfect, in the middle of it sometimes it dragged. By page 500 I was starting to wonder if we even needed this book. Couldn't we have summarized all this? Perhaps, if plot's all we're going for. But Lackey is about more than plot; she crafts her characters with a purposeful, delicate hand. In order to get the characters to the point that they could do what they needed to do during the climactic battle, they had to go through all the stuff they went through in this book. And in order to understand them, we had to see them do it.
**SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT**
You have been warned.
I did find myself a bit annoyed by Alacandar's disappearance. Other than making everything entirely more difficult than it would have been otherwise, there didn't seem to be any purpose to it. Even the explanation that he'd fallen through a door that was supposed to allow dragons and Bonded to live forever--therefore making Bisochim into even more of an idiot than he had been anyway--didn't satisfy me. It was too convenient. As was his reappearance--right when the climactic battle is underway. Of course.
Other than that, the book was wonderful. I love Harrier's character and dialogue; I often stopped to read bits of it out loud to W.E. so we could giggle over it together.
At some point, I need to read back through both trilogies involved in this story so I can get a larger view of everything that's happened. The wait time between books has been so long that I'll forget exactly what happened, but the books are so long I don't want to reread two of them before reading the brand new 3rd one. Bleh.
I know I've raved about Lackey a lot in this review, but that's only because I don't know any of Mallory's solo work. If any of the stuff I've loved is one of his touches, I apologize for ascribing it to Lackey.
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LibraryThing member SunnySD
In which lots and lots of people die, zombies attack, Harrier comes into his own, Ancaladar finally reappears, and the day is saved in the nick of time.
Endless trekking back and forth across the desert complete with soul-searching, misery, bugs, death and unexpected relatives.
I was very grateful
Endless trekking back and forth across the desert complete with soul-searching, misery, bugs, death and unexpected relatives.
I was very grateful
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for the occasional insertion of Liatha's humor, because there certainly wasn't much else to cheer about. Well-written and enjoyable, but it's heavy reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member marcocanov
Hoping for a good ending that never came. The obsidian trilogy is very good. I had high hopes for this series as it is set in the same world but it fell short. This whole book drags a race across the a huge desert and back. Thats it. A lot of them die. It was hot.
LibraryThing member JeremyPreacher
Argh, good wins again, thus restoring the "balance." That aside, this series is solid, if grim, and neatly creates a paradigm shift for the inevitable next trilogy to explore.
LibraryThing member Spurts
Uh ... loved first trilogy and first two books of this one. This third just wandered around endlessly. Literally, characters wandering around endlessly for 99% of book.
Local notes
Enduring Flame, 3
DDC/MDS
| Fic SF Lackey |