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rainydaydayreams's review against another edition
4.0
Almost as enjoyable as the previous two, with some of the best Alfred and Haplo stuff in the series so far. But the Chelestra natives' narrative is largely uneventful and I was hoping all of the first four books would stand on their own, and Serpent Mage is the first one that doesn't (really). Still a good read, and recommended if you liked any of the first three.
Spoiler
isn't even resolved on-screen. Actually, not much is resolved at the end of this one.vycee's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
fallen_adam's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
nafisa_tabassum's review against another edition
4.0
This is the best book of this series I have read so far. Much more gripping. Much more insightful. It's so unpredictable! I had no idea where the story was going and I was hooked, even if it tired me sometimes to keep up with the consistently fast pace. It's really good.
Alfred and Haplo develop further. They have become memorable characters, deep and different. They are not VERY realistic, but they're close to it and by far the most complex characters in the whole book. There was also that really interesting portrayal of good in evil and evil in good. There was that villainous , fearful, unreasonable Sartan and there's Haplo and descriptions of close-knit, kick-ass Patryns.
The above points were about this book individually. If I were to rate the whole series so far, I'd give it four stars. The plot's complex, and the worlds are very innovative. I have to marvel at these four completely different and reasonably detailed worlds the authors have created. I mean, wow. Sure, making four worlds, they couldn't give loads of detail to each but what they managed to cram in is admirable. All the worlds are so diverse! It was a lot of fun to explore each and compare them.
Alfred and Haplo develop further. They have become memorable characters, deep and different. They are not VERY realistic, but they're close to it and by far the most complex characters in the whole book. There was also that really interesting portrayal of good in evil and evil in good. There was that villainous , fearful, unreasonable Sartan and there's Haplo and descriptions of close-knit, kick-ass Patryns.
The above points were about this book individually. If I were to rate the whole series so far, I'd give it four stars. The plot's complex, and the worlds are very innovative. I have to marvel at these four completely different and reasonably detailed worlds the authors have created. I mean, wow. Sure, making four worlds, they couldn't give loads of detail to each but what they managed to cram in is admirable. All the worlds are so diverse! It was a lot of fun to explore each and compare them.
julie_bonjour's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book more then any of the previous ones. Finally there were characters I found interesting and cared about, finally Alfred and Haplo see some character development (Haplo's did start in previous books, to be fair), finally some plot development! As fun as it was to discover the different worlds, I was getting impatient for hints of what the last 3 books were going to be about.
lazyowl's review against another edition
5.0
The Death Gate Cycle is definitely high on my list of favourite books. I've read these books a few times over and always enjoy them.
In the fourth book of Death Gate Cycle you see who the real enemy is. Haplo struggles with doing what is right and being an obedient Patryn to the Lord of the Nexus.
If you are a lover of fantasy genre, then I highly recommend the Death Gate Cycle.
In the fourth book of Death Gate Cycle you see who the real enemy is. Haplo struggles with doing what is right and being an obedient Patryn to the Lord of the Nexus.
If you are a lover of fantasy genre, then I highly recommend the Death Gate Cycle.
albatrossonhalfpointe's review
2.0
This one was better than Elven Star, but I didn't like it as much as Dragon Wing or Fire Sea. The setting was certainly relevant, and the characters good, and the plot, once it got going, was intriguing. But it did take a while for anything to really get going, and give us enough information to start getting interested. I would have liked, I think, to see more of the Sartan, and maybe a little less of the young'uns and their fairly uneventful travels.
One area where this really didn't satisfy was in the battle scene, and I now sincerely hope that there aren't too many of those in the final three books, because this one was very dull. It felt very turn-based, like they were falling back on their D&D roots to write it, and as a result, it had no sense of urgency. I was really wishing for some [a:Jeff Somers|809148|Jeff Somers|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1271351803p2/809148.jpg] action while that was going on. So hopefully the final three books stick mostly to political intrigue, and don't try for too much direct battling.
That said, we now have everything all laid out for the final three books, so that should be a good time.
One area where this really didn't satisfy was in the battle scene, and I now sincerely hope that there aren't too many of those in the final three books, because this one was very dull. It felt very turn-based, like they were falling back on their D&D roots to write it, and as a result, it had no sense of urgency. I was really wishing for some [a:Jeff Somers|809148|Jeff Somers|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1271351803p2/809148.jpg] action while that was going on. So hopefully the final three books stick mostly to political intrigue, and don't try for too much direct battling.
That said, we now have everything all laid out for the final three books, so that should be a good time.
iheartpuns's review
4.0
Book 4 of the Death Gate Cycle takes Alfred and Haplo to the final post-sundering world—water. This world has surviving Sartan, but Alfred (though he should be filled with joy) finds he mistrusts them. This world also houses an ultimate evil and in order to stop it, Haplo and Alfred must ally their interests yet again. . The book contains many of the same plot deficiencies of the earlier books in the series, but I continue to enjoy them. I particularly enjoyed how 3 of the main “mensch” characters in this book are female.
lazyowl's review
5.0
The Death Gate Cycle is definitely high on my list of favourite books. I've read these books a few times over and always enjoy them.
In the fourth book of Death Gate Cycle you see who the real enemy is. Haplo struggles with doing what is right and being an obedient Patryn to the Lord of the Nexus.
If you are a lover of fantasy genre, then I highly recommend the Death Gate Cycle.
In the fourth book of Death Gate Cycle you see who the real enemy is. Haplo struggles with doing what is right and being an obedient Patryn to the Lord of the Nexus.
If you are a lover of fantasy genre, then I highly recommend the Death Gate Cycle.