Review
of Wolf's-own, Book Three: Koan
by Cole Riann @ The Armchair Reader
Original URL
~~~~
Rating:
Me Like (4.5 stars)
**Review contains spoilers for the first two books**
REVIEW
It is a bit difficult
to review this book. As one half of the second part of the
series, it really is like a beginning, but without all the
needed character and world building required in the very
beginning. I think if I had reviewed the first book, Ghost,
on it’s own then it may have gotten this same rating. I
certainly really like them, but it’s hard to get the
whole picture. I suppose that’s really what can be said about
this story — it’s all the same characters and a similar
situation in some ways, but it’s also very different in others,
and even though there is an overall arc between all four books,
the questions are still there and there is much left to still be
resolved. Though I’m looking forward to it!
Koan
starts out soon after the end of Weregild. The whole
group (Fen, Malick, Samin, Shig, Joori, and Morin) have moved to
Tambalon, a country across a sea from Ada. There is some reason
that Malick is taking them there, other than to get away from
the overwhelming change they left behind them, but he isn’t
talking. Soon, he is being hounded by numerous Temshiel
and maijin of the capital city, the birthplace of the gods and a
place that still sits side by side with an older magic, from the
time before the six gods. It seems that the cloak of Untouchable
Fen was shrouded in hasn’t left him after all, and the fateful
choices they made in Ada have seen their path even further to a
new destination, and possibly an even more dangerous and dire
one. The problem is that Fen is almost completely catatonic.
With everything he’s been through, he’s still the Ghost that
Asai made him and he’s finding it impossible to shed that role.
Seeing ghosts himself, and burrowing ever father into madness,
he’s almost given away complete control of his own fate, which
all of the factions of Tambalon are all to happy to decide for
him.
As the next to last
book of a fantasy series, Koan does follow some natural
laws. In order to make it to the end, Fen is going to have to
take up his own counsel and will and fight, but he can’t do that
with so many people telling him what to do, even if what they
want is what is best for him. Besides, Fen can’t tell much of
what is going on anyway, most of the time he doesn’t trust his
own perceptions of the world around him. And then one more
terrible thing, a huge loss to him. Malick’s character is
interesting in this book. After his choices in Weregild,
choosing to put Fen above himself in every way, his feelings for
Fen sometimes blind him. Still, Malick seems to be able to make
it through anything, all with a smirk on his face, so his
actions and his fate in this book really brings all of the other
character’s feelings for him in focus. Also, with this breaking
up of the main group of characters and allies other characters
get to take on more responsibility which allows their characters
to step forward a bit. We see poor Samin with the weight of the
world on his shoulders but I never lose faith that he’ll fail in
any way. Shig, without Yori to temper her, has had to muddle
through her grief and the loss of her connection to spirit
alone. She can no longer remain the aloof one that sometimes
contributes wisdom through sight, but learn to trust herself and
show that she does have contributions to make. I really started
to like and understand Shig in this book, in a way I hadn’t
before.
There are lots of new
characters, of course, mostly Temshiel and maijin, and
some banpair. I liked getting to see a larger group of
these, to see how different they are and how they all worship,
interact, and take direction from their different gods. The
majority of the characters in this series keep their own
intentions and counsel, however, so it will be interesting to
see where they all fall in the end.
I’m definitely loving
this series, and I can’t wait to find out what happens in
Incendiary!
Buy
Links
BACK
|