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Cargando... Well of Shiuanpor C. J. Cherryh
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Inscríbete en LibraryThing para averiguar si este libro te gustará. Actualmente no hay Conversaciones sobre este libro. This was a strange one. While reading it I found it gripping, and full of activity and action. There was always something going on. The world building of a planet devastated by rising waters, earthquakes, and a broken moon was very well done. But.. (you knew that was coming)… after I finished it I felt that even with all the activity not much really happened, and I didn’t really get to know or care about any of the characters. This series has turned out to be a real page-turner. Every time I get to pick up the next one I'm excited to see where it's going. The typical Clarke's law science fantasy stuff is a pretty minor part of the appeal, it's mostly readable for the psychological depth. The two main characters have a really weird relationship and don't communicate very openly, plus the fact that they're constantly outnumbered means here is a lot of tension around their ability to manage the expectations and desires of the other people around them. Also Vanye's point of view is really compelling to read, he will spend half a chapter anguishing about how useless he is but based on his actual actions and the reactions of people around him you know everyone except him considers him a terrifying badass. sin reseñas | añadir una reseña
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The world of Shiuan was doomed. Rising waters and shattering earthquakes had sealed its fate. The only escape routes were the Gates. And just as this knowledge dawned on the desperate tribes and cities there appeared the woman Morgaine--whose mission was to seal Shiuan's Gates. No se han encontrado descripciones de biblioteca. |
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Google Books — Cargando... GénerosSistema Decimal Melvil (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999Clasificación de la Biblioteca del CongresoValoraciónPromedio:
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Morgaine and Vanye interact with the societies which have evolved since the incursion a millennia previously - the Barrowers, the Marshlanders and the people of Shiuan who are divided into rulers (who have the bloodline of the alien qual, who originally spread the use of Gates and who were responsible for the catastrophe those Gates brought about) and ordinary humans whom they view as cattle.
In this story, Vanye is more torn than ever between his oath to Morgaine and the need to rely on his cousin Roh - or the creature wearing his body - for survival when he falls prey to the ruling qual descendants. The other man insists he is still Roh in essence, and Vanye finds it impossible to kill him as Morgaine ordered. He earns her suspicion, although she comes to his rescue - but then, it seems she has other motives. Always he finds it difficult to deal with her brooding nature, and she is more contrary than ever at times in this novel, though he now understands that at least some of this is due to the burden of carrying Changeling, the artefact which is a sword in form but a portable Gate in nature.
As a change from the first volume, the opening and closing sections of the book are seen through a different viewpoint than Vanye's: a young Barrower woman, Jhirun. She has been somewhat of a Cassandra figure since childhood and is viewed by her people as fey. She dreads the thought of having to marry the brutal Fwar and become a drudge overburdened with children like her sister. While wandering far from the Barrow she discovers an unplundered tomb full of riches, but is then prey to misconceptions about the identity of the wounded warrior who follows her home and terrifies her people, precipitating her own drastic departure. She is an interesting character viewpoint and it is a pity that her viewpoint is not continued in the main story, where we usually see Jhirun as a cowed character at the mercy of Morgaine, only sometimes showing the courage which we know she possesses.
The story concerns the breakdown of society and a descent into lawlessness, with the strong coming out on top and the weak and innocent suffering or even being slaughtered. The situation was evolving that way before Morgaine arrived, but her actions - in particular the manner in which she rescues Vanye - precipitate the downfall of the first inland fortress and a bloodbath which she does nothing to prevent. She is callous and only mindful of her mission - and somewhat of Vanye's life and safety, but probably because she needs someone to watch her back. She isn't responsible for all the mayhem - Roh has already infected one of the sons of that fortress with his vision of the Gates as an escape which he can open, and it is that murderous man who presides over a lot of the destruction - but possibly Roh would not have meddled so if he had not had Morgaine in pursuit, since his hope of extending his very long life depends on Gates.
The story is quite grim in places, and Vanye certainly goes through the wringer physically and mentally. The ending of the main story is a bit rushed - I wondered what Morgaine had accomplished with her 'final' order to Vanye and how necessary that was - so for that and the lack of integration of Jhirun's viewpoint into the main story, I would rate this at 4 stars. ( )