Amph Sara Douglass's books

That did end up pretty badly.

 

I finished the Troy Game series last night. And Nat, I agree with you completely there. The series started with some good ideas and a lot of potential, but the execution of it was mediocre at best, and the last book and a half were just bad. Very poorly done. The Brutus/Coel Charles/Louis flip was set up and executed very poorly, and that was the beginning of the end, IMO - the series never recovered from that point and instead just kept going downhill

Lots of potential... but failed to deliver.

 

Yeah, exactly.

Which is why I don't recommend it

 

Sad, really.

 

I guess she's gotten back into writing sooner than I thought she would. I randomly checked her out today, and it looks like the third Darkglass Mountain book is out. I'm getting it from the library - I do want to know what happens.

 

I always feel slightly bad when I think of her books, because I read and really enjoyed the first two of the Wayfarer trilogy (Wayfarer Redemption and Enchanter, I think?). But I was unsatisfied with the third, and I was fifty pages from the end when I put it down because I got so disgusted with what's-his-face. That was years ago, probably when it was still relatively new, and I haven't touched it since--nor have I read any of her other books, because she's metaphorically left a bad taste in my mouth, despite how awesome I found the first two books.

Although from the sounds of it, I'm not missing much...

 

Axis is the name you're looking for, and I don't blame you. And I don't think I'll continue reading her books after this trilogy (if she write more - she mentioned that she wanted to retire from writing, but this was several years ago, so things may have changed). I used to love her (she was one of my first forays into adult fantasy), but over the past several years, my enjoyment has lessened considerably.

 

Should have upped this thread when I got the book. Surprisingly this was her strongest finish to a series yet, with only one slight turn-around from where it looked like she was going. And the nice twist on a certain race's backstory was actually done well.

 

Yes, yes, that is indeed what's-his-face ...argh, I don't even remember what it was about him that irritated me so much! I should start making lists again of "why so-and-so irritates me." Well, at least I'm not alone in disliking him or wariness of her.

 

I've glanced at the Wayfarer books, thinking that they looked interesting... then reminded myself of the disaster of the "sounds interesting" Troy Game and reminded myself not to do anything crazy like buy more of her books.

 

Dingo - you held out on me! I'm glad you like it, though.

Tiggermyk - Pompous, overbearing, know-it-all, treated the women who loved him VERY badly . . .

RJ - I told you so I hate not recommending The Wayfarer Redemption, because it's well-written, but . . . the main character is irritating and though the first trilogy is fairly good (that might be too generous, but I can't seem to let go of my previous good feelings about it), the series as a whole goes the way of the Troy Game series.

 

Sad to hear that Douglass passed away this week

RIP

 

I saw this when you bumped the thread and didn't have time to give it a proper reply.

This is quite sad. Not unexpected, but sad. I read a whole ago that her cancer was terminal.

I just reread this whole thread, and some of the things I said made me laugh/groan. Sara Douglass's The Wayfarer Redemption (Battleaxe) was really my first foray into adult fantasy. I still remember the day I got it. I remember how much I loved it, and how much I loved Sara Douglass; for a long time, she was my favorite author.

And then I didn't like the way The Troy Game ended up, and then I didn't like what she was doing to Tencendor, and I fell out of love with her. I got her last trilogy and Threshold and Beyond the Hanging Wall from the library again because I wanted to finish them, but I had them all sitting in my room last summer and the summer before, and they were no longer high enough on the to-read list for me to actually read them--which makes me sad, because once upon a time, I spent about $60 ordering her Crucible trilogy from Australia because it wasn't out in the States fast enough, and I can't even tell you how many times I read Threshold. My relationship with her books took a major 180.

Someday, I will get around to finishing those last few books, though. And I'll be sad then, like I'm sad now, that this is it. I'm sad she's gone because she seems like a lovely person, and she was taken too young. And because of what she did for me. The love of high fantasy her books encouraged never left me. Obviously