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A review by redheadreading
The Silver Mage by Katharine Kerr
3.0
I feel a sense of achievement for having finished this series that I started so very long ago! It’s been an interesting journey and I will confess that this final arc has not been my favourite. I think the series really peaked for me around the Fire Dragon, I really enjoyed the conclusion of that narrative arc with all of its pathos and inevitable tragedy. This final run of books were interesting, but I do feel like some threads were put into play that haven’t necessarily had the biggest pay-off.
One thing I do really love about this series is the interweaving Celtic knotwork that ties it all together. When they’re utilised well, the flashbacks to previous lives can be so illuminating and effective. This book takes us back the furthest and provides a lot of explanation for the origins of the conflicts that are playing out all this time later. I found that really interesting to see and it definitely provided context for events that happened much earlier in this series.
Whilst there are lots of things that I did enjoy about this, I will confess it also feels a little anticlimactic at points. The big crescendo that felt like it was building in regards to the clash with Alshandra’s forces seemed to just fizzle out a bit, plus the entire presence of the Drwgrn in the text never really seemed to go anywhere. It just contrasts quite starkly with the way other aspects of this get very neatly wrapped up with an implication of how they will play out for generations.
Also one recurring feature of the series that really felt like it got hammered home this time is pairing off every single person with their ‘destined' partner. I’m still annoyed that our only portrayals of queer sexuality in this entire 15 book series was literally tied to the pinnacle of darkness and expressed through sexual assault and rape (it’s been like 10 books and I’m not over it). Rori can be in a love triangle with a dragon and a mountain folk but god forbid any souls are reborn in a manner that could inspire a queer romance?? Also feels very weird for characters who are about to be reborn to already know who they’re going to end up with and which soul will be reborn as their child... I’m potentially overthinking this but it just sat very oddly with me!
On the whole, this has been a very interesting reading experience and there are a lot of characters in this series that I really love. I do feel like certain arcs have been a lot stronger than others and I’m left with some mixed feelings, but I will definitely be giving Sword of Fire a go at some point!
One thing I do really love about this series is the interweaving Celtic knotwork that ties it all together. When they’re utilised well, the flashbacks to previous lives can be so illuminating and effective. This book takes us back the furthest and provides a lot of explanation for the origins of the conflicts that are playing out all this time later. I found that really interesting to see and it definitely provided context for events that happened much earlier in this series.
Whilst there are lots of things that I did enjoy about this, I will confess it also feels a little anticlimactic at points. The big crescendo that felt like it was building in regards to the clash with Alshandra’s forces seemed to just fizzle out a bit, plus the entire presence of the Drwgrn in the text never really seemed to go anywhere. It just contrasts quite starkly with the way other aspects of this get very neatly wrapped up with an implication of how they will play out for generations.
Also one recurring feature of the series that really felt like it got hammered home this time is pairing off every single person with their ‘destined' partner. I’m still annoyed that our only portrayals of queer sexuality in this entire 15 book series was literally tied to the pinnacle of darkness and expressed through sexual assault and rape (it’s been like 10 books and I’m not over it). Rori can be in a love triangle with a dragon and a mountain folk but god forbid any souls are reborn in a manner that could inspire a queer romance?? Also feels very weird for characters who are about to be reborn to already know who they’re going to end up with and which soul will be reborn as their child... I’m potentially overthinking this but it just sat very oddly with me!
On the whole, this has been a very interesting reading experience and there are a lot of characters in this series that I really love. I do feel like certain arcs have been a lot stronger than others and I’m left with some mixed feelings, but I will definitely be giving Sword of Fire a go at some point!