What do You think about The Margrave (2011)?
The Relic Master/Book of the Crow series ends well, mainly because the arch-bad-guy gets quite a bit of on-stage time; a rarity in high fantasy. It's interesting to get a glimpse of his motivations and character. An alternative (eye-witness) version of events in the era of the Makers is presented - but how reliable is it? In fact it seems much more believable than the legends that have been handed down by the Order for many generations. This change of perspective on events reminds me of what happens multiple times in Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea books, where different view points and revelations about the past alter the reader's views on what has been going on, making everything much less black & white. Catherine Fisher does not reach the level of sophistication LeGuin achieves, but it adds a lot of depth to a world that is already realised in greater detail than many of her earlier efforts. Further revelations about the Sekoi also contribute to this.The denouement is rather predictable in general terms and the aftermath is glossed over, which is a shame, because the aftermath is rarely examined in quest style stories even though it often presents challenges to the characters that are different and possibly more demanding than those of the quest itself. The state of the world at the end of many quests is dire and frequently a power-vacuum prevails. What happens then? The Scouring of the Shire in The Return of the King is the only example that springs to mind of trying to deal with this in a serious way. Since the entire primary plotline of the second book in this series is redundant, getting rid of it and having a book that follows on from the situation at the end of this book would have been much more interesting, with great opportunity for further character development in the two young protagonists.Over all, this is one of Fisher's better series but none of the books individually is a match for her best books, such as The Oracle and Incarceron.
—Robert
This fourth and final book in the tetralogy The Book of the Crow, again splits view points between Raffi and Carys, in more or less parallel events that lead to a conclusion as unsurprising as a stomachache after Trick or Treat. This series continues to a conclusion without ever really building a complete world picture, or giving us a reason for the existence of the Makers, a group of people revered as gods by the humans of the world. The author at one point alluded to the fact that the people are lost colonists, but nothing more is really said, although there are points which could have been strongly built on (view spoiler)[. I felt that the story, except for the annoying and unlikable Master Galen, has some strong characters that were oddly intriguing. The strongest point of the story is that you are left with impressions that things will get better for all.Altogether, not a strong finish to this series. (hide spoiler)]
—Doris
Raffi undergoes his final test to be a Relic Master, as the conflict between the Crow and the Margrave reaches its final end. Secrets about the characters' pasts, the gods and the foundation of Anara are revealed. Will Raffi break in his final test, or can he save his friends?After the dramatic ramp-up of the third volume, I found this book a little anti-climactic, probably because the author was tying up the many loose ends of the plot line. If I had read it immediately after "The Hidden Coronet," I think I would have liked it more. Still, my overall impression of the series is that it is a very unique fantasy world, well-realized, and beautifully depicted. And the characters are all very real -- flawed yet determined. Well worth reading.
—Maria Kramer
