Child of Flame (Crown of Stars, Book 4)

Author - Kate Elliott ... [Goo?] [Posters]

This Paperback Book item from DAW was reviewed on 25-Oct-2008.

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1) Paperback Book Child of Flame (Crown of Stars, Book 4) by DAW. The strongest in the series so far.
Intriguing events take place and many things from previous books become more clear. As other reviewers have mentioned, it is more usual for books in the middle of the long series to be slower, but clearly it is not the case. This volume was a page turner, which surprised me given a slower pace and somewhat less gripping content of the first three volumes. Solid 4 out of 5.¤

2) Paperback Book Child of Flame (Crown of Stars, Book 4) by DAW. There is nothing worse than starting a series only to find halfway through it that you do not like it. It is even worse when you loved the first few books. I always find myself hoping that either the author had a temporary setback or that I am wrong in thinking the series is not living up to its promise. So, one can do one of two things: 1) give it up as a loss and try to purge the existence of the series from your mind (nothing worse than not knowing the conclusion!) or 2) grit your teeth and buy the next book. Sometimes my optimism rewards me with a satisfying conclusion to a series while other times, I kick myself for not listening to my misgivings. From my rating, you can conclude I am kicking myself.
Why didn´t I like it? The author started giving more of a dissertation on the whole religion system (which I only tolerated in the first place) and class system rather than moving the plot along. Oh, people are doing things... but mostly the doing involves thinking inanities or speaking banalities. Also, the author focuses a lot on what appeared to be secondary characters in the first few books, but who are given more importance at this juncture (inducing a lot of head-scratching by this reader). Of course, there may be some future reason for their development but I was so bored reading those sections because the characters were barely interesting. I think it´s time for me to give this series up as a loss.¤

3) Paperback Book Child of Flame (Crown of Stars, Book 4) by DAW. Elliott is a great storyteller. She shows the heart-wrenching tale as seen through the eyes of many types of characters, from peasants to kings to elves.¤

4) Paperback Book Child of Flame (Crown of Stars, Book 4) by DAW. Lost and alone in an unknown country, Alain struggles to survive as he is unwittingly drawn into an ancient conflict between humankind and their old enemy, the Cursed Ones. Separated from her husband and child, Liath must undergo her greatest test in a land of exile. Only here can she hope to discover the truth of her parentage and learn the extent of her remarkable powers. Mourning the loss of his wife, the [...] prince Sanglant seeks his father, King Henry, to warm him about the conspiracy of powerful sorcerers who wish to destroy the Aoi, the Lost Ones, once and for all - no matter how much destruction their magic will unleash. But King Henry´s gaze is fixed on the throne of Aosta and the imperial crown left vacant for two generations. As a Quman army, sweeping in from the eastern steppes, ravages the Wendish countryside, Henry marches south, ignoring the pleas of his beleaguered subjects. The great cataclysm, foretold in the stars, is approaching.

It has been quite a while since I read a series and thought "damn, it´s over!" at the end. The author has built a vast number of interesting characters but, despite the number, one is able to know and relate to each. Each of the characters has their own remarkable flaws and imperfections, and you actaully have opportunities to sympathize with each throughout the series (even the remarkably "evil" ones you think you would never agree with). Unlike the Robert Jordan WoT series which seems to go on and on and on without resolution, Elliot has squeezed a sweeping epic into a (mere) 7 books, and I found myself disappointed when I finished the last of the third book. Fortunately, there are enough open issues, unanswered questions and unresolved conflicts in the end that Elliot could forseeably write another series to "fill in the blanks". I, for one, sincerely hope to see more from this author in the very near future.¤

5) Paperback Book Child of Flame (Crown of Stars, Book 4) by DAW. Kate Elliot´s ability to intertwine several story lines makes this a good read. As with the other books in this series, she follows several interweaving story lines in different times to present a believable world. The only problems I have with this book are
1) One of the main characters in the book keeps doing stupid things. Certainly heroes (or heroines in this case) can be humanized, but I still prefer that they be intelligent, especially in classic fantasy. The choice between power and family is a great theme, however.
2) She stresses the lack of sophistication of medieval society. This is a somewhat biased vie. There where certainly uneducated folks, but at the same time it was not hard for many kings to field armies in the thousands.

Certainly a good read, I liked it a lot more then the Jaran series.¤

6) Paperback Book Child of Flame (Crown of Stars, Book 4) by DAW. The fourth volume in Kate Elliott´s Crown of Stars series, Child of Flame takes us far beyond the borders of Wendar and Varre...as Alain is drawn into the heart of an ancient conflict between humankind and their dread enemy, the Cursed Ones; Liath faces her most difficult trial in a land of exile; and Sanglant struggles to warn Henry about a dark conspiracy of sorcerers.

"High fantasy...entirely captivating."(Publishers Weekly, starred review)¤

Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 22-Nov-2008, 07564001479780756400149, 470-210-890-610-580-660-8

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