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debz57a52's review
4.0
This book last for almost exactly the 12 months after the events in And All Between, although it seems like it skipped a few weeks right after the end of that second book. It follows the reunification mess that the Ol-zhaan and the council deal with, several factions that do not believe in reunification (one on each side), the far history of Green Sky, and the event planning necessary to mark the one-year anniversary of the events at the end of And All Between.
The character group expands a bit more, but only as a device to tell the main characters from the first two books what happened when they weren't around. Consequently, there are a lot of long retelling passages that are important to complete the plot, but not particularly engaging to read. Still, I was always glad I read the witness testimony, as it revealed (usually) hopeful information.
I had forgotten how this series ends. I remember now, not being pleased that it ended that way, and then I remembered that the end of this book goes against the way the video game played. I looked up the video game on Wikipedia and some other sources and discovered that the story we play in the video game was written by Snyder as a way to "right" the way this third book ended. It should be considered canon, even, which seems... weird. A little George Lucas twist there, you know? All the same, it sounds like Snyder was never apologetic about the end of this book and held tight to the conviction that it was needed to advance toward true closure of the original conflict. ::shrug:: Okay.
The character group expands a bit more, but only as a device to tell the main characters from the first two books what happened when they weren't around. Consequently, there are a lot of long retelling passages that are important to complete the plot, but not particularly engaging to read. Still, I was always glad I read the witness testimony, as it revealed (usually) hopeful information.
I had forgotten how this series ends. I remember now, not being pleased that it ended that way, and then I remembered that the end of this book goes against the way the video game played. I looked up the video game on Wikipedia and some other sources and discovered that the story we play in the video game was written by Snyder as a way to "right" the way this third book ended. It should be considered canon, even, which seems... weird. A little George Lucas twist there, you know? All the same, it sounds like Snyder was never apologetic about the end of this book and held tight to the conviction that it was needed to advance toward true closure of the original conflict. ::shrug:: Okay.
smimholt's review
2.0
I've started reading this book for the third time - and I am frustrated just as I was when I was started it two times before. It seems to be going slowly, but I think that if I push through, I will be rewarded...
And I finished it, but it was more work than I wanted it to be. There is too much politics in this book, moreso than in the first two of the series. The resolution at the end was better than I had hoped, but I would not read this book again. I did enjoy the first two, however.
And I finished it, but it was more work than I wanted it to be. There is too much politics in this book, moreso than in the first two of the series. The resolution at the end was better than I had hoped, but I would not read this book again. I did enjoy the first two, however.
cathy_acasefullofbooks's review
3.0
I was slightly disappointed with this series. I remember reading it at age 10 or 12 and absolutely loving it. I was really excited to re-read them after so long, and they just fell short of what I remembered. They were really slow and very choppy. The story was still fantastic, it just wasn't as fun to read as I remember.
ellie31773's review
5.0
Snyder's [b:Below the Root|127122|Below the Root|Zilpha Keatley Snyder|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171928608s/127122.jpg|6329] trilogy is a nice introduction to fantasy and science fiction. It gets young readers ready for such heavy and layered series as [b:the Lord of the Rings|34|The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, Part 1)|J.R.R. Tolkien|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156043001s/34.jpg|3204327] or Narnia.
satyridae's review
1.0
I wanted to like it. Had I read it as a child, I probably would have, but as an adult I found it heavy-handed and deadly. I found myself rolling my eyes and skipping whole chunks of text.
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