I thought the first book in the trilogy was brilliant, the second good, and this third one above average.

The story opens in a similar vein to the previous novels, featuring nomads and villagers, but it soon shifts towards the world of priests and theology.

Paoul, the main character, is likable enough, as are several others, like his love interest Yseld. Their uncertain relationship is my favourite element in the story.

On the most part, though, I had difficulty liking the plot. We have a long and detailed section about the priests’ teachings, which is beyond boring. I ended up skipping over this lengthy part, as I did several paragraphs here and there that amount to nothing of interest, which do little to move the story forwards.

Another reviewer comments that the story loses the feel of being in the Stone Age once Paoul is deep among his studies, and that it feels more like science fiction or a fantasy novel. I agree with this assessment. It loses the authenticity of the first two books and the early chapters of this one.

All three novels in the trilogy feature too much static detail, such as lists and lengthy descriptions. Certain characters are over-described, too, which ironically makes them less vivid than if you give them one or two features when they’re introduced. It’s much more effective to filter in a character’s appearance, ideally through action, rather than bombarding the reader with seven or eight adjectives in a static description, which is harder to remember.

We also have numerous instances of ‘telling’ instead of ‘showing’. To state that ‘General Teshe was plainly stunned’ is blatant telling. Another character is described as ‘waiting nervously’. Why not show his nervousness? What did the general do that made it plain he was stunned? This sort of approach gives the reader dry information, not vivid images.

‘The Earth Goddess’ would’ve benefitted from more dialogue. The author is good at writing realistic dialogue, so it’s a shame he didn’t include more to break up those long sections of third-person narration.

The closing pages would certainly have benefitted from more dialogue and action. Without giving anything away, the ending is largely a summary, comprised of Paoul musing on what will happen and then hearing what has happened, followed by a bland account of what follows. None of this is dramatized, leaving the reader (this one, at least), bitterly disappointed with the conclusion.

Not only I am disappointed with the ending stylistically, the main characters’ outcomes are also dissatisfying. This would’ve been easier to accept if what happened was made exciting or frightening or suspenseful, creating gripping drama, but no. It left me feeling cheated. I can accept sad ending, happy endings, tragic endings, open endings, not getting the ending I want, etc., but not an ending that fades, leaving a bland impression and me thinking, 'Is that it?'

On the positive side, I wouldn't feel cheated if I didn't care about the characters, so the author did a good job in evoking my sympathies.

Like with Book Two in the trilogy, ‘The Earth Goddess’ has its good moments, but it also has a lot of missed potential. ( )

Well, that was rather unexpected.

The first two books in the Pagans trilogy, [b:The Stone Arrow|1590650|The Stone Arrow (The Pagans Trilogy, #1)|Richard Herley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1249259551s/1590650.jpg|1583656] and [b:The Flint Lord|1590649|The Flint Lord (The Pagans Trilogy, #2)|Richard Herley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1249259452s/1590649.jpg|1583655], are definitely two of a kind: action-oriented rather than introspective; cinematically violent; atmospheric yet fast-moving. I knocked each of them out in a day or two, and enjoyed them very much. In beginning The Earth Goddess, I expected more of the same, and would have been happy with it. What I got instead was something altogether different, surprising, and in the end rewarding. Where the second book in the trilogy is more or less a direct sequel to the first, this book quickly serves notice that that will not be the case here. The story wastes no time in breaking some major ties to the first two books, sweeping the reader to a different place, full of different people and a very different culture - seeing the agrarian vs. hunter/gatherer conflict of the first two books from the other side.

The book takes more apparent liberties with historical speculation than its predecessors. Set largely within the elite, secretive priesthood of the titular Earth Goddess, it was actually easy to forget that I was reading a novel set in a real, historical time and place. The priesthood's ethos is sometimes reminiscent of Buddhism, other times of some medieval monastic order, other times utterly unique, and surprisingly sophisticated, especially compared to the protagonists of the first two books.

All in all, this was a great wrap-up to The Pagans. The central theme of the series (i.e, the agricultural revolution and its far-reaching effects on human civilization) was well-served by the change in point of view, as well as the gentler (though still plenty violent), more character- and intrigue-driven feel of The Earth Goddess. A fine read in its own right, and a worthy close to this unique trilogy. ( )