Scan barcode
A review by apostrophen
Wit'ch Gate by James Clemens
5.0
Reading the "Wit'ch" series, previously my only real frustration had been the proliferation of apostrophes (and perhaps ...should take note here that searching for "Witch Gate" doesn't give you any hits, only "Wit'ch Gate" does). Having just finished "Wit'ch Gate" in the space of two evenings, I must say that I've put the stuttering-effect of apostrophes aside, and will joyfully dive into this series again.
The cast of characters seemed swollen to capacity with the last book in the series, and you're in for a rough ride. Clemens has a real ability to make you care about characters, and then when those characters end up facing potential death, certain death, or outright suicide, you're gripping the book with frustration: you don't want them to die.
Elena takes a little bit of a back seat in this book, and that works out fine. The other characters, especially Elena's brother Joach, Kast, and Nee'lahn, shine forth in this book with a real aplomb. The story splits three-ways, and the following of one group up to a cliffhanger and then switching to another group is a style that will leave you twitching. All in all, this book is a truly enjoyable experience of fantasy.
Specific to the plotline, the group has to split three ways in order to tackle three of the four wiergate creatures of which they learned in the previous book. The story is sensible, the plot twists are unpredictable without being unplausible, and the magic at no time overpowers the characters or the story to the point of Deus Ex Machina. It doesn't matter how powerful the characters may be, it is not their power, but their soul or heart that matters. Solutions to previous plot conflicts are well thought out and always surprising (especially those in the case of the former-hero Kast, twisted to dark magics, and that of the Mogweed/Fardale shapeshifters trapped in one form).
Specifically, I find myself actually worried for some of the characters, and to manage that level of empathy for a character is a real skill indeed. I cannot find anything I found negative enough to mention, and as a result, a rare five stars from me. Grab this one - grab the whole series first - and sit down to a truly great story.
The cast of characters seemed swollen to capacity with the last book in the series, and you're in for a rough ride. Clemens has a real ability to make you care about characters, and then when those characters end up facing potential death, certain death, or outright suicide, you're gripping the book with frustration: you don't want them to die.
Elena takes a little bit of a back seat in this book, and that works out fine. The other characters, especially Elena's brother Joach, Kast, and Nee'lahn, shine forth in this book with a real aplomb. The story splits three-ways, and the following of one group up to a cliffhanger and then switching to another group is a style that will leave you twitching. All in all, this book is a truly enjoyable experience of fantasy.
Specific to the plotline, the group has to split three ways in order to tackle three of the four wiergate creatures of which they learned in the previous book. The story is sensible, the plot twists are unpredictable without being unplausible, and the magic at no time overpowers the characters or the story to the point of Deus Ex Machina. It doesn't matter how powerful the characters may be, it is not their power, but their soul or heart that matters. Solutions to previous plot conflicts are well thought out and always surprising (especially those in the case of the former-hero Kast, twisted to dark magics, and that of the Mogweed/Fardale shapeshifters trapped in one form).
Specifically, I find myself actually worried for some of the characters, and to manage that level of empathy for a character is a real skill indeed. I cannot find anything I found negative enough to mention, and as a result, a rare five stars from me. Grab this one - grab the whole series first - and sit down to a truly great story.