Reviewed from Librarything Advanced Reader's Copy
Power and how it corrupts is the them of Gee's third volume in the Salt trilogy. The town is now under the control of a ruler who calls himself the Limping Man. He is a very powerful "speaker" (as Hari, Pearl and their children) and fears anyone who has the same power. So he makes people worship him by exerting his mind control over them.

The story opens with a distraught mother who is running back to her little hovel in the burrows to save her daughter. She manages to hide Hana and swallow frogsweed which kills her before the guards can take her away to be burned with the other "witches". Hana escapes and finds Ben, the son of Lo and Hawk, a bird that she can communicate with. Together Ban and Hana must find the secret of the Limping Man's power and stop him before he takes over the world.

Like the first two volumes, The Limping Man is written in sparse prose and allegorizes power. The Limping Man is a frail creature, weak, vain and afraid like most dictators and bullies. Hana and Ben are flawed characters- hardened by their own experiences of hardship and loss, but still able to find the reserves of courage to confront the Limping Man.

I would highly recommend this series to any kid (or adult) who enjoys well-written fantasy. I am even contemplating them as a read aloud for my ten year old- the story is beautifully written and would be a pleasure to read, and there are many themes that would be interesting to discuss with my kids. ( )

I read book one of this series several years ago. I was able to catch on to this installment as the author offered a paragraph summary of the trials that went on in the first two books, connecting these characters and their special skills to characters whose heroics were featured in earlier installments of the series. The Limping Man reminded me of King Leck from Graceling in his ability to manipulate people and bend their actions to his will. It is up to the two main characters to find a way to break the hold of The Limping Man before life and independent thought is destroyed. ( )

This is book 3 from the Salt series by Maurice Gee. Hana's mother takes poison so she won't have to be alive when she is burned to death for being a witch, but she is still burned in front of the Limping Man's followers. Hana escapes from the Limping Man, who, in spite of being barely able to walk, is able to control people's brains and use this power to create armies to destroy everyone who can mind speak, which all Dwellers can do. Hana meets Danatok, who sends her to warn the Dwellers. Ben, who is related to characters from Salt and Gool, helps Hana try to stop the Limping Man.
Although I loved the series, I think the three generations of characters each dealing with a different problem might confuse some readers. I'll definitely recommend it to my stronger fantasy lovers however. ( )

The Limping Man is a satisfying end to the compelling and strange Salt trilogy. Fans of adventure and fantasy will enjoy this series and book. ( )

This was a great and easy read for me. I enjoyed the twist this book had at the end, didn't expect that one at all. I only had the chance to read Salt before I received this book. I wish I could have read Gool before beginning this book. I missed out on what happened with some of the characters. I am glad to add this book to my library.