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ajcousins's review against another edition
So different from her Murderbot books, but very, very good. A twisty politics/religion/magic plot with a fascinating heroine. Wheel of the Infinite is immensely thoughtful about the unintended consequences of our actions, repentance and forgiveness, while also killing it with suspense/action. I'm definitely about to binge all of Martha Wells's fantasy backlist. :)
dbw's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
frogggirl2's review against another edition
4.0
A stand-alone fantasy novel with an interesting plot, a fully developed world/magic system as well as a POC, female adult POV which is pretty rare in fantasy. Very cool. I'm going to seek put more books by this author.
cpeel's review against another edition
4.0
If you like fantasy and the irreverence of Murderbot in that selfsame series, you'll also love this magical romp by Martha Wells. It features a strong female outcast protagonist, a new and interesting take on magic, witty character dialog, and a bit of romance thrown in for good measure.
late_stranger's review against another edition
4.0
Solid 4.5
After a solid two months out of the library, during which I read the first... forty or so pages? I properly dug into this book and ended up staying up til 2:30am reading the last 150 pages or so after work. It was something I don't think I've ever encountered before - the apocryphal "just a good story". It's a one off, and I'm actually pretty sad that I can't keep following the characters, but it was just a fantastically plotted & paced fantasy mystery situation, with fantastic world building that never felt dull or exposition-y. It also made FABULOUS use of all its minor characters - none of them got forgotten or left by the wayside and their little traits all came back around in some way to be useful or relevant to the situation at hand. Altogether a masterful work that just didn't emotionally hit that 5 star pitch for me. However, I would love to read more from this author at some point.
After a solid two months out of the library, during which I read the first... forty or so pages? I properly dug into this book and ended up staying up til 2:30am reading the last 150 pages or so after work. It was something I don't think I've ever encountered before - the apocryphal "just a good story". It's a one off, and I'm actually pretty sad that I can't keep following the characters, but it was just a fantastically plotted & paced fantasy mystery situation, with fantastic world building that never felt dull or exposition-y. It also made FABULOUS use of all its minor characters - none of them got forgotten or left by the wayside and their little traits all came back around in some way to be useful or relevant to the situation at hand. Altogether a masterful work that just didn't emotionally hit that 5 star pitch for me. However, I would love to read more from this author at some point.
archergal's review against another edition
4.0
Well, this was a nice surprise! Although I'm not sure WHY I was surprised. I know that Martha Wells writes well. But this book was intriguingly unusual to me. The setting was a bit exotic. I kept thinking of Angkor Wat in her descriptions of the city. The protagonist was a strong female character. She had a love interest, but she rescued him about as often as he rescued her.
The bit about the world basically being something that was recreated in a small scale but which affected the large scale was pretty interesting to me.
The ending did get tied up a little quickly, I thought, but it was fine, mostly.
Interesting characters, intriguing ideas, unusual setting, competent woman. Yup, that's what I like.
The bit about the world basically being something that was recreated in a small scale but which affected the large scale was pretty interesting to me.
The ending did get tied up a little quickly, I thought, but it was fine, mostly.
Interesting characters, intriguing ideas, unusual setting, competent woman. Yup, that's what I like.
coolcurrybooks's review against another edition
4.0
Wheel of the Infinite is a stand alone fantasy novel. Every year the Wheel of the Infinite is created. The Wheel of the Infinite is one with the world – it represents the world but it also is the world. A change to the Wheel will change the world. And this year, a black storm of destruction has appeared on the surface of the Wheel, and nothing the priests do can remove it. To find the answer before the final ceremony must take place and the changes made permanent, the exiled priestess Maskelle is summoned back to the city of her birth.
Soon into the book, Maskelle meets Rian, a barbarian swordsman, and the story switches between their POVs. In a lot of ways, The Wheel of the Infinite is a mystery story. While the book may alternate POVs, Maskelle is undeniably the main character. If this were a straight up mystery novel, Rian would be the Watson to her Holmes. The two of them get together fairly quickly, and there’s pretty much no angst to their romance.
As I’ve come to expect from Wells, the setting is vivid and imaginative. There’s a distinctly non-European cast to it, and something about it reminds me of Southeast Asia. There’s carved stone buildings, canals, and towering, mountain like temples.
Something I really liked about The Wheel of the Infinite was the heroine, Maskelle. She’s older than your typical fantasy heroines, at least in her forties. She’s got a history, and not all of it’s good. She’s powerful, strong willed and intelligent.
While Maskelle was the most stand out character for me, I appreciated the others as well. I wonder about Rian’s life in his home country, which doesn’t sound pleasant. I also loved the humor provided by the presence of a group of entertainers that Maskelle’s traveling with.
If you are interested in The Wheel of the Infinite, the first chapter is available for free on the author’s website. I found it a solid, well written fantasy novel that I would recommend, particularly if you’re looking for a powerful and older female lead.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
Soon into the book, Maskelle meets Rian, a barbarian swordsman, and the story switches between their POVs. In a lot of ways, The Wheel of the Infinite is a mystery story. While the book may alternate POVs, Maskelle is undeniably the main character. If this were a straight up mystery novel, Rian would be the Watson to her Holmes. The two of them get together fairly quickly, and there’s pretty much no angst to their romance.
As I’ve come to expect from Wells, the setting is vivid and imaginative. There’s a distinctly non-European cast to it, and something about it reminds me of Southeast Asia. There’s carved stone buildings, canals, and towering, mountain like temples.
Something I really liked about The Wheel of the Infinite was the heroine, Maskelle. She’s older than your typical fantasy heroines, at least in her forties. She’s got a history, and not all of it’s good. She’s powerful, strong willed and intelligent.
While Maskelle was the most stand out character for me, I appreciated the others as well. I wonder about Rian’s life in his home country, which doesn’t sound pleasant. I also loved the humor provided by the presence of a group of entertainers that Maskelle’s traveling with.
If you are interested in The Wheel of the Infinite, the first chapter is available for free on the author’s website. I found it a solid, well written fantasy novel that I would recommend, particularly if you’re looking for a powerful and older female lead.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
nathuffman97's review against another edition
4.0
After reading and loving all of Martha Wells' Murderbot books, I've been slowly working my way through her back catalogue, and so far it seems she can't go wrong. This book has an interesting world, cool characters, exciting plot, unique elements, good romance-- what more can you ask for?
There are so many unique elements here and the characters are all great. Lots of interesting side characters as well as cool main characters who are strong but whose power comes with strings. Very neat and well done. I also really appreciate that Wells doesn't feel the need to drag everything out into a five-book series where each book is 1000 pages long. There's a lot of worldbuilding that she manages to fit onto the page even though the book is pretty action packed. The backstories of the characters are conveyed succinctly and she doesn't waste time on too much exposition. Right from the beginning we jump straight into the story and kind of figure the rest out as we go. It's very well done and makes for a smooth reading experience. A+, would recommend. Not brilliant, but very very solid.
There are so many unique elements here and the characters are all great. Lots of interesting side characters as well as cool main characters who are strong but whose power comes with strings. Very neat and well done. I also really appreciate that Wells doesn't feel the need to drag everything out into a five-book series where each book is 1000 pages long. There's a lot of worldbuilding that she manages to fit onto the page even though the book is pretty action packed. The backstories of the characters are conveyed succinctly and she doesn't waste time on too much exposition. Right from the beginning we jump straight into the story and kind of figure the rest out as we go. It's very well done and makes for a smooth reading experience. A+, would recommend. Not brilliant, but very very solid.
teirhan's review against another edition
4.0
I had this recommended to me in a Reddit thread when I talked about how much I enjoyed Curse of Chalion. It has a lovely dynamic between the two main characters and the story was engaging. I've wanted to read this book since I finished Martha Wells' The Fall of Ile-Rien but never got around to reading it, but I'm glad I did.
There are a few minor complaints which keep it from being a five star book. The book felt like it dragged a bit in the first third, with a lot of place-setting instead of getting the characters into the city of Duvalpore and into the main plot line. It can be difficult to build a world in the course of a single novel, and a lot of this place-setting was probably necessary to have the later plot developments make sense, but it still felt like it dragged.
I did enjoy learning about Maskelle and Rian and I also enjoyed that their pasts weren't some big mystery revealed in fits and starts. Sometimes that's nice, but in a single novel you don't really have space for it! Maskelle, especially, is more than seven years removed from the trauma of her past life: long enough to, I hope, have come to terms with some of it and begun healing. Her willingness to speak about it to Rian is plausible and a good character beat.
The ending was a little over-sped and vague. I wish the sequence of events was described a little more clearly. There is some ambiguity as to why things happen which felt out-of-place, bu maybe that's the point since it touches on, essentially, an ineffable and inhuman spirit.
Overall, a lot of fun. If you want a character driven, self-contained novel which is a fairly speedy read, this is a great place to start.
There are a few minor complaints which keep it from being a five star book. The book felt like it dragged a bit in the first third, with a lot of place-setting instead of getting the characters into the city of Duvalpore and into the main plot line. It can be difficult to build a world in the course of a single novel, and a lot of this place-setting was probably necessary to have the later plot developments make sense, but it still felt like it dragged.
I did enjoy learning about Maskelle and Rian and I also enjoyed that their pasts weren't some big mystery revealed in fits and starts. Sometimes that's nice, but in a single novel you don't really have space for it! Maskelle, especially, is more than seven years removed from the trauma of her past life: long enough to, I hope, have come to terms with some of it and begun healing. Her willingness to speak about it to Rian is plausible and a good character beat.
The ending was a little over-sped and vague. I wish the sequence of events was described a little more clearly. There is some ambiguity as to why things happen which felt out-of-place, bu maybe that's the point since it touches on, essentially, an ineffable and inhuman spirit.
Overall, a lot of fun. If you want a character driven, self-contained novel which is a fairly speedy read, this is a great place to start.