The Gates of Tagmeth (8) (Kencyrath)

I've been a feminist sci-fi and fantasy fan since before I really knew what those terms meant, and I've been reading this series since I discovered _God Stalk_ gathering dust on the shelves of the local public library of the podunk town I grew up in (how and why was it there? I'll never know...). I waited FOR YEARS as Hodgell worked through whatever, and the ensuing novels finally came out, more recently in pretty rapid succession. They've been of variable quality, but because of the relatively rare viewpoint and utterly fascinating larger universe of this series, I kept excitedly buying and devouring them. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but this one is...close to unreadable.

It's a series of disconnected, episodic snapshots. Jame's old friends visit and predictable hijinks ensue, like in some painful reunion special (think Star Wars Christmas!), with a regularity, order, and convenience that strains even a fantasy reader's generous capacity to suspend disbelief. Repeated paragraphs explain events from earlier in the series, over and over again long into the book, probably because nothing is actually happening. Also, I am by this point FULLY DONE with the strangely stubborn plot point of "Whiny, Incompetent, Entitled Dudes Who Can't Deal With Their Issues and Do Nothing But Nevertheless Get Lots of Pages": Chingetai (yes, Pat, we can swear in Spanish, too); Gorbel, Timmeri and in fact the entire Caineron clan; and the High Lord of Pointlessly Angry Bros, Torisen. By the end, Tori finally gets over his increasingly garbled daddy issues, sort of. Should've happened three books ago. And it's not just the male characters, although those seem particularly poorly-written: Lyra Lack-Wit, Brier, Bel, and even Jame have become two-dimensional cliches of themselves. The scene where Jame circles Brier, with her claws finally unsheathed, reads as staged and false. The Kendar back up in fear because Hodgell thinks they're supposed to, and because when Jame used to have a berserker flare it was very, very convincing.

The characters don't need to be this regurgitative: Marc, Rue, Bear, Cyd, Kindrie, Char (and yes, even most of those I've already mentioned) seem to be begging with their creator, between the lines, for some convincing movement and development. I increasingly feel like the author has lost her way. She's amazing at world creation, and at big-picture plotting; I've rarely found a more complex, satisfying, interesting, consistent fantasy universe...but the follow-through is horrible. Hate to disappoint my 14-year-old self, but I'm not sure I'm going to buy the next one.

I've been with this series since 8th grade (I'm in my 40's). The last two books have been very disappointing. The descriptive writing/poetry is not there anymore. The confrontation between Jame and Rawneth seemed more a rehash of what the fan groups were saying about what face the changer in the garden wore. The "bully" was funny but the author turned Gran Cy from an amazon into a seemingly weak-willed chit. Pat I'm very disappointed in you.

I loved this addition to the series. A lot of small loose ends were tied up, and Jame got to stretch her skills as a leader. My only criticism is that the movie didn't move far enough ahead that we get a full book with the three in the same home, so I'm crossing my fingers that the next book is out soon and does just that.

Now all I have to do is wait for the next book

I love that Jame and Marc's relationship gets quite a bit of attention in this book. They both have more going on, so it's not the focus like in Dark of the Moon, but it's been a long wait to finally see them reunited in the same place. I also love Jame's adventures with the Merikit, including a final resolution of Marc's sad, bloody history with them. The one thing I didn't like was how Jame essentially ignored the "pranks" for most of the books. Though I just realized while writing this that it is consistent with how the prankster was so forgettable. Overall, good book and a nice addition to the series.

Not as good as previous books, but I love the series and am glad to have more of the story. Really dissapointed I can't get them in hardcover anymore.

The Gates of Tagmeth are a welcome addition to the Chronicles of the Kencyrath series. It ties together many disparate pieces of the saga together and gives me hope I will live long enough to read the exciting conclusion some day.

I have been following P.C. Hodgell's Kencyrath since the first book in the very early 1980's and eagerly await each new book. They never disappoint.

Very well written adventure in a continuing series.

What can I say..the story continues and I love it.