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A review by a_chickletz
Crown of Shadows by C.S. Friedman
2.0
This is it, the final book. I read them all. I will admit, of all of them, this was the first book I wanted to give up on.
I have no idea what the hell was happening in this book half the time. I don't think I ever will.
Apparently the huge reveal is that the fae and mankind from many years ago created (mankind unknowingly created, mind you) a sentient being that can create it's own kind called Iszu which are half human half fae. Some Iszu have appeared throughout mankind and conversed with the characters in the book. Others have decided to go off the deep-end and become monsters... hence, the crazy that has happened in the books from day one.
Gerald Tarrant is one interesting character. At times, he reminds me of a psychotic Victor Frankenstien (more or less the Hammer Horror version) and spends his time in this book trying to watch his strange experiments and observations of mankind and the fae go wack. Other times he is spending the book in 'Hell' because he apparently did one good-deed and the gods who turned him into a vampire decided to punish him for it. Guess who has to go into Hell and drag him out of hell? Damien. Yep. He's bitching and griping about it.
Damien and Gerald's friendship has developed over the book. How some readers have taken it, it's some strange love and hate (though stronger on the 'love' when it comes to Damien). I can't tell if he wanted to fuck Gerard or just be super close friends with him.
The ending was a little weird because Gerard apparently (after loosing his powers while Damien takes him back to the living) made some sorcery deal that allowed him a new, mortal body of a younger man and if he was to tell anyone or speak his old name to any-one, it would make the new contract void and he would die or... as he put it, return to the original state of his body. (His head gets cut off in the of the book by his descendant. Yes, that is another plot point that was sorta touched on in book two, but came out of nowhere in this one.)
All in all, for a three star trilogy, I give this final installment two stars. It's not as good as the previous two, but then again, they were never really that good of books to begin with.
I have no idea what the hell was happening in this book half the time. I don't think I ever will.
Apparently the huge reveal is that the fae and mankind from many years ago created (mankind unknowingly created, mind you) a sentient being that can create it's own kind called Iszu which are half human half fae. Some Iszu have appeared throughout mankind and conversed with the characters in the book. Others have decided to go off the deep-end and become monsters... hence, the crazy that has happened in the books from day one.
Gerald Tarrant is one interesting character. At times, he reminds me of a psychotic Victor Frankenstien (more or less the Hammer Horror version) and spends his time in this book trying to watch his strange experiments and observations of mankind and the fae go wack. Other times he is spending the book in 'Hell' because he apparently did one good-deed and the gods who turned him into a vampire decided to punish him for it. Guess who has to go into Hell and drag him out of hell? Damien. Yep. He's bitching and griping about it.
Damien and Gerald's friendship has developed over the book. How some readers have taken it, it's some strange love and hate (though stronger on the 'love' when it comes to Damien). I can't tell if he wanted to fuck Gerard or just be super close friends with him.
The ending was a little weird because Gerard apparently (after loosing his powers while Damien takes him back to the living) made some sorcery deal that allowed him a new, mortal body of a younger man and if he was to tell anyone or speak his old name to any-one, it would make the new contract void and he would die or... as he put it, return to the original state of his body. (His head gets cut off in the of the book by his descendant. Yes, that is another plot point that was sorta touched on in book two, but came out of nowhere in this one.)
All in all, for a three star trilogy, I give this final installment two stars. It's not as good as the previous two, but then again, they were never really that good of books to begin with.