This pair of books is probably the most difficult to compare and contrast since they are so similar.  They are written by the same author and set in the same world.

When I first read The Quickening series some while ago I very much enjoyed it.   I found the concept of Myrren’s Gift fresh and new and found the characters engaging and interesting.  During my recent reread my enjoyment remained the same.  I found myself reading “just one more chapter” to find out what was happening next for Wyl, Valentyna, Finch et all.  (handy for a reading marathon!)  It was fun to guess where Myrren’s Gift would take Wyl next and how he would achieve his goals.

I found it surprising then that I struggled so much with The Scrivener’s Tale.  I found that the plot device remained basically the same, and the characters were carbon copies of those from The Quickening.  There was Fynch Mark II, Valentyna Mark II and Wyl was found in three other characters.  This actually made it harder to care for them – having just finished The Quickening, I felt that these characters’ tales had come to a natural end and I wasn’t really interested in hearing more of them.  

The twist in this tale was supposed to be the introduction of someone from our modern world into the world of Morgravia.  This could and should have brought a fresh new dimension to the story, but Gabe has no trouble at all adapting.  This is actually a plot point, but rather defeats the purpose of the character and so much more could have been done with him.

Rather than being squeezed into a standalone novel, this might have been better as a more developed trilogy.  We could have had more time to get to know and care for the characters as being distinct from their Quickening counterparts, Gabe’s introduction to Morgravia could have been developed further and perhaps some new additions to the magic system could have been better thought out.

In all fairness, many of my gripes with The Scrivener’s Tale are due to The Quickening’s being so fresh in my mind.  With some distance perhaps the characters and plot would have seemed fresher.  I would not recommend re-reading The Quickening right before The Scrivener’s Tale.