The Destroyer Goddess

The Destroyer Goddess
Sirkara #3 / In Fire Forged #2
Laura Resnick
fantasy
2 stars
478 pages

the conclusion to this trilogy. Sharifar, a sea goddess, gets her new consort. Tansen and Zarien end up killing Killoran. Lots of things happen. Josarian’s spirit had never gone to the afterlife and it became Dar’s new consort. I think this whole series could be summed up by this sentence in the book: …Dar demanded her due…worship her, praise her, comfort her and offer her their lives.

I did not like this, even though in the end everything prophesied came out ok. I would not recommend this series to anyone nor will I be seeking out anymore of Mz. Resnick’s books.

The White Dragon

The White Dragon
Sirkara #2 / In Fire Forged #1
Laura Resnick
fantasy
2 stars
491 pages

sequel to In Legend Born.

Nothing has improved in her writing that I could tell. Since Josarian is dead, another goddess, this time a sea goddess, gets involved in things and stirs the pot. The gods of this world are horrible. Uncaring, selfish, all the worst of fallen humanity but without its limitations. This story is definitely going for the epic feel, but I am just not feeling it. I certainly connect with the characters, even the villains. Characterization is great but I almost feel like I’m reading a B-movie novelization in regards to plot.

In Legend Born

In Legend Born
Sirkara #1
Laura Resnick
fantasy
2 stars
461 pages

first, Resnick is Mike Resnick’s [of Santiago fame] daughter. This story was ok. It had the token warrior, evil magic user, good magic user who prophesied, prophesied hero, hero’s family member who would betray him and the woman who nobody can resist. A country has been subjugated for 1000 years. Infighting and feuds keep them weak. A world spanning empire rules them. Suddenly the Hero fights for freedom. Everybody else wants freedom now too! Feuds, fights, hatreds and hundreds of years of superstition are gone in a matter of months.

I enjoyed reading this, but after reading the Malazan Book of the Fallen books, it was very underdeveloped and showed the authors lack of understanding on how politics and military strategy work, especially in a sword and shield era. The little blurbs on the back were nothing but hype, and I am reacting to those more than the story in this review. This was a good, generic, forgettable fantasy story.