The second novel in the Braided Path trilogy picks up the story a few years after the end of the Weavers of Saramyr. The initial action takes place on the distant continent of Okhamba as a group of explorers are pursued from the depths of the rainforest having discovered some crucial information about the background of the Weavers who dominate Saramyr society. The initial part of the story features some action scenes more memorable than anything in the first novel and overall the storytelling does feel more assured in the second book, the climactic battle also being more compelling than any of the conflict in the first book. There is some decent character development here, and one of the new characters, Tsata, is one of the more likeable and interesting characters in the series. Although Tsata does provide an interesting outside perspective on Saramyr society through his conversations with Kaiku, he does feel a bit clichéd at times as well since his role seems to be the supposedly uncivilised forest dweller who could teach the more refined people of Saramyr a thing or two about how to live their lives using the ancient wisdom of his people. The Weavers continue to simultaneously be effective villains and unsubtle caricatures. More interesting is the Red Order which opposes them, their leader Cailin is a more complex and more interesting character than the Weavers, being nowhere near as unpleasant but still potentially as dangerous and ruthless as her opponents. Whereas the first novel was often a bit predictable there are a couple of surprising plot developments here and the ending of the book did set things up for an intriguing finale in the last book of the trilogy. The Skein of Lament is an improvement on the Weavers of Saramyr while still not quite being as compelling as the best of the modern epic fantasy series.
I quite enjoyed The Skein of Lament. It is clear from the beginning that this is not to be the last novel in the series; a joy to learn. However, this suffers from the traditional second-novel curse: the major plot line is a minor occurrence, and nothing is tied up properly such that we end on a cliff hanger.In this book, we get a few new characters and an old character with a few new faces. The lesbian sex scene of the previous novel makes sense, now. It appears that it was not just a random one-off. Does that make it better? I'm not entirely convinced. However, the author treats all sex with the same gratuitousness, so I'm no longer as upset about his desire to write girl-on-girl action.One of the new faces is a gentleman from a separate continent and/or culture where altruism is the overriding ideal. This sets up a very interesting dynamic when thrown in with the Saramyr characters who all are jockeying, selfishly, for power.Also, this book reveals who the true nemesis is. The reasoning behind the Weaver's evil and the source of the hive-think is revealed. So now the evil can be named, but it doesn't change its nature.And the ending cliff hanger ... well ... let's just say that no one is working for altruism except Tsata.So, why the four stars? The characters feel flat. This book is set five years after the previous novel and I sense no growth in the characters. Well, except that the heir-empress is older. But otherwise, they are flat and merely pawns to advance the plot.
What do You think about The Skein Of Lament (2004)?
I've already mentioned the similarities I find between this world and that of "Lord of the Rings". Here those points on common are even more apparent.Besides the spreading evil there is also a mask which-like the Ring- corrupts those who wear it, creatures who work for the evil side who could well be compered to Orcs or Uruk-hai an entity who could well be compared to Saruman just to mention a few.Yes, all these influences are well apparent on Wooding's work yet the complexity of the world and characters is entrancing.In fact some of these characters are so fascinating we just want to know what will happen next (this deserves my 4*)For instance Asara is extremely intriguing, Tsata has a refreshing philosophy and society with characteristics from some tribes of our world, Lucia is growing a mind of her own, Cailin is all for the supremacy of her race, Mishani has two sides to her who complete each other (one more cerebral, the other, which she hides from the world, warmer...well if I were to speak about all of these characters I would be here for most of the day...For all of the above I have chosen to forget the three moons though it still bothers me to read about them on the story, I keep hopping that there will be some kind of explanation to them which will clarify the reason why there are so many earth species on this fantasy planet.Maybe I can find it on the third volume...
—Poli
I'll be honest that this book really only gets five stars by the skin of its teeth. That said, it is a lot better than the first book (which is strange because it was always the first book I liked best before).This series is really starting to remind me of Game of Thrones, the political intrigue and the changing factions/loyalties especially give me a GoT vibe - this is just for younger people (though considering some of the acts of violence I would argue are on par with GoT not for much younger people).Despite having rather little page time Asara is once again the most interesting aspect - why has she been working alongside Cailin for so long (view spoiler)[and why has she decided to throw her lot in with the Weavers to some extent? (hide spoiler)]
—Carina
