Nachdem ich die ersten beiden Bände der "Merle"-Trilogie noch als Hörbuch gehört habe, habe ich mir den letzten Band als Hardcover-Ausgabe gegönnt, um zu erfahren, wie es mit Merle, Junipa und Co. weitergeht. Schade, dass dies bereits der letzte Band ist, denn ich würde am liebsten noch viel mehr über Merle erfahren.Kai Meyer konnte mich mit seinem Schreibstil wieder einmal begeistern. Der Autor beschreibt sämtliche Ortschaften sehr detailliert, sodass ich mir nahezu alles bildlich vorstellen konnte. Die Schauplätze sind wieder einmal sehr gelungen. Die Flucht aus der Hölle gelingt und es geht direkt nach Ägypten weiter. Sicherlich ist dieses Land dabei nicht nur historisch sehr interessant. Dazu entwickeln sich die Charaktere gut weiter, sodass ich sie immer mehr ins Herz schließen konnte. Interessant ist dabei auch, wie der Autor die Charaktere darstellt, denn obwohl es eine klare Trennung zwischen Gut und Böse gibt, erkennt man immer wieder, dass auch gute Charaktere ihre schlechten Eigenschaften haben und selbst die Bösewichte ihre guten Seiten präsentieren.Bei der Charakterentwicklung ist vor allem Merle sehr interessant, die in der Geschichte immer erwachsener wird, Verantwortung übernimmt und zwischendurch auch nach ihrem eigenen Kopf entscheidet und sich über andere Entscheidungen hinwegsetzt. Dazu wird sie auch mutiger, schätzt Situationen immer besser ein und lernt in gewisser Art und Weise auch, dass nicht alles immer so ist, wie es zunächst scheint. Vieles klärt sich auf und der Leser bekommt endlich seine Antworten, allerdings sind diese dann doch stellenweise recht schockierend und auch etwas traurig, denn mit einigen Entwicklungen und Verlusten hätte ich nicht so ganz gerechnet. Obwohl ich die Aufklärung der Entwicklung und die Beweggründe sehr interessant und stimmig fand, muss ich aber auch sagen, dass man sich dafür zuwenig Zeit genommen hat. Es flog zu schnell an mir vorbei und ich hätte mir gewünscht, dass sich der Autor ein bisschen mehr Zeit für sämtliche Antworten gelassen hätte. Allerdings geht es in diesem Band auch recht rau zu und ist meiner Meinung nach deswegen längst kein Kinderbuch mehr, da vieles recht offen beschrieben und kaum etwas beschönigt wird. So kann man sich zwar alles richtig gut vorstellen, aber für die jüngeren Leser ist dies an einigen Stellen eher ungeeignet.Das Cover ist so eine Sache: Auf der einen Seite gefällt es mir gut, auf der anderen Seite hätte ich ein Cover mit mehr Details schöner gefunden. Die Kurzbeschreibung gefällt mir dagegen sehr, da sie Spannung verspricht, aber dabei nicht zu viel verrät.Insgesamt ist "Das Gläserne Wort" ein guter Abschluss der "Merle"-Trilogie und hatte alles, was ich mir zuvor erhofft habe: Magische Momente, Spannung, Überraschungen und gute Charaktere, die mich bis zur letzten Seite begeistern konnte. Ich werde Merle vermissen!
What I Liked. All of the individual story lines make sense now. And I do mean all of them. What this tale ended up being, once you cut through all of the weird world building, was a mystery. A who-done-it and why puzzle full of misdirection and interesting twists. On the whole, I loved the continuing creativity and I enjoyed how it all wrapped up in ways I did not expect. Despite being YA, there was not a sappy, feel good ending either. It was bittersweet, partially tragic but true to the story.What I Didn't Like. I never did feel comfortable in this world. It was just too all over the place. I understand that an alternate reality is going to develop differently from ours and I accept that. However the mix of technology and ancient history wasn't one I could wrap my head around. Sabers and rifles, ancient gods and biblical references, steam factories and magical flying sunbarks, submarines and oar driven galleys, magic working alchemists and laboratory scientists. I also had a bit of a motivation problem. Not involving the grand scheme of things, because that is all explained in this conclusion. My problem lay in the motivation of the protagonists; the choices they made and the ones they didn't make but let others make for them. Alot of the time is was like they were just along for the ride because they had nothing better to do.Conclusion. In terms of plot and pacing, this was a great book. In terms of creativity alone it was priceless. Unfortunately, the worldbuilding nagged at me though out. I just could not accept the mix of really ancient with fairly modern. Of course, I am not exactly the target audience. Maybe a teen would be more focused on the story itself to the exclusion of the odd mix of magic and technology and less inclined to feel the need to develop any kind of bond with the characters. And I can't rule out the possibility that some things were lost in the translation.For more detail please read full review @ Dragons, Heroes and Wizards.
What do You think about The Glass Word (2008)?
This definitely reminds me of His Dark Materials, but even better. I could not put it down. The descriptions, the fantasies, the characters just drew me in. Meyer has some great, original ideas. The great conclusion to a great series.Indeed, the back of the book promised a great battle at the end, and even though it was expected, it was also shocking. Oh my God I can't believe (SPOILER ALERT) Serafin freakin' died! It put me in tears. I love the whit and whimsy of these ideas, especially with Winter and Summer looking for each other, and the fact that the sphinxes are behind all of this, wanting to conquer all the worlds, and using Summer for their machines. I could rant about this book forever. It was definitely dark in parts, but uplifting in others. The ending was bittersweet. I love the whole mirror theme. Excellent writing. You have earned my respect, Kai Meyer.
—Mayra
Reviewed by Carrie Spellman for TeensReadToo.comNOTE: This is the third book in a trilogy, just in case you were unaware, and if you can make sense of this story without having read the first two... You're either amazing or scary. Merle, Vermithrax, Junipa, and, of course, the Flowing Queen, have just barely escaped Hell and Lord Light with their lives. Although none of them is, or will ever be, quite the same. Thanks to the stone light, Vermithrax has turned from regular stone to a nearly impenetrable obsidian, and Junipa's heart is no longer human. Merle is not sure who she can trust, and that includes herself. The Flowing Queen, while not absent, is considerably more silent now. But these personal issues are only the beginning of their problems. Winter has made his escape as well. He is on a manic hunt for Summer, his only true love. And a blizzard of snow and ice both follows and precedes him. The deserts of Egypt are covered, and all their inhabitants, including our heroes, are in danger of freezing to death. Well, maybe not Vermithrax. Unless they can locate the Iron Eye, the fortress of the sphinxes. At the Iron Eye their current "mission" will finally be complete. For better or worse. No one is clear on what specifically needs to be done. (Except maybe the Flowing Queen, but she doesn't seem to want to share.) What is clear is that it will take every one of them, and each of their unique abilities, and even some unexpected help, for them to save the world they know. Survival is a completely different concern. From the very beginning this book overflows with information, and there is no pause. You, as the reader, are almost as exhausted as the characters! There is no time for back history, so you might want to brush up on it before you start this book. The characters you have come to love, or hate, are all back. Even some that you thought were gone for good. More then a few of them have surprises for you. You just may find yourself changing your opinion of some of them. This book is literally so fast and furious that my mind is still reeling from it! I promised you a view of the trilogy as a whole, and I give it five stars. It's absorbing and intricate and frenetic. But, I'm changing my pop culture reference. I see it more like Lord of the Rings. You could experience it in pieces, and it's pretty good. But the impact as a whole is so much greater. Take a day, or a weekend, if you can, and read them all at once. You won't be disappointed.
—Jennifer Wardrip
Wow. So, Meyer wasn't kidding around with that "Dark Reflections" business. There's dark. There's definitely dark. And ye gods are there reflections. "Mirror" hardly looks like a word to me anymore.Thinking positive, the world is still awesome. Great critters and magic and stuff, and I kind of like that the rise of various great civilizations is due to their catching Summer and harnessing her power. And there are some neat little scenes, like the whole chapter where the world is recovering from
—Nic
