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imyril's review
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
My word, this was even harder going the second time around (because of course it was, I knew where it was going). Golden Witchbreed remains a book I have a huge fondness for; Ancient Light never was - but it's a brave answer to that first book, if an incredibly bleak one.
arthurbdd's review
2.0
The second Orthe novel feels like a sequel which exists out of obligation, not passion. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2016/11/16/not-brilliant-but-not-orthe-ful/
klibanfan's review
3.0
Hmm, where to begin. The unstable narrator who is walking on a razor's edge. The annoying first person narrative. These comments may seem like nails in the coffin, but they're not. Its just that Golden Witchbreed gained traction far earlier than this book did.
Gentle is a more than competent writer. Especially in this book. My misgivings about the "I this" and "I that" tiresomeness aside. Just as in Golden Witchbreed, the author paints an engaging landscape and memorable characters (although alot of them are borrowed from Witchbreed). After the first 70 pages or so, it becomes worth reading. Lisle shifts from a tenuous protagonist to a more forward moving force.
During the last 50 pages it becomes obvious that things are not going to end well. Lisle's attempt to fill a void is doomed. I know that some people have found the ending to be unacceptable. I am not in this camp, but I feel that more time should have been spent on what the Artifacts of Orthe were. This might have made the last couple of pages seem less like a sudden sting.
This book is worth the time you will spend on it. I think that most people were expecting a clone of Golden Witchbreed. It is definitely is not that.
Gentle is a more than competent writer. Especially in this book. My misgivings about the "I this" and "I that" tiresomeness aside. Just as in Golden Witchbreed, the author paints an engaging landscape and memorable characters (although alot of them are borrowed from Witchbreed). After the first 70 pages or so, it becomes worth reading. Lisle shifts from a tenuous protagonist to a more forward moving force.
During the last 50 pages it becomes obvious that things are not going to end well. Lisle's attempt to fill a void is doomed. I know that some people have found the ending to be unacceptable. I am not in this camp, but I feel that more time should have been spent on what the Artifacts of Orthe were. This might have made the last couple of pages seem less like a sudden sting.
This book is worth the time you will spend on it. I think that most people were expecting a clone of Golden Witchbreed. It is definitely is not that.
jvan's review
3.0
Golden Witchbreed is so great. This book is...less so.
The first half is rather muddled and all over the place, and while the second half is much better it's also relentlessly grim. I admire the courage to destroy your creation as Gentle does here, but it's a tragic and unsatisfying end to all things Orthe.
The first half is rather muddled and all over the place, and while the second half is much better it's also relentlessly grim. I admire the courage to destroy your creation as Gentle does here, but it's a tragic and unsatisfying end to all things Orthe.
arkham's review
It just couldn't hold my attention and I kept being annoyed that I hadn't read the prequel first so I felt like I wasn't understanding quite what was going on.
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