Spirit Gate is the first in Kate Elliott’s Crossroads trilogy. I have to admit I struggled to finish reading this one. To give the book its due, I read it just after George R R Martin’s A Dance With Dragons and any book would have suffered in comparison. (That reminds me; I probably should do a review of ADwD, too) As the first book in a trilogy, I had expected a lot of introductory backstory. However, I felt this book suffered from too much setup not enough payoff. For the first 80%* the main protagonists seem to be wandering around aimlessly. The last 20% of the book where all the storylines converge was fun, exciting and could have been kicked off earlier in the book. All in all, though, I will likely read the next book in the trilogy to find out what happens to the characters. What I liked: The worldbuilding: The world created by Ms Elliott is extremely rich and detailed. We are introduced to multiple cultures with varied religions, customs and mores and they all feel unique, real and believable. Some interesting premises, the Guardians for example, are introduced, and I look forward to reading more about them in…
Spirit Gate is the first in Kate Elliott's Crossroads trilogy. I have to admit I struggled to finish reading this one. To give the book its due, I read it just after George R R Martin's A Dance With Dragons and any book would have suffered in comparison. (That reminds me; I probably should do a review of ADwD, too) As the first book in a trilogy, I had expected a lot of introductory backstory. However, I felt this book suffered from too much setup not enough payoff. For the first 80%* the main protagonists seem to be wandering around aimlessly. The last 20% of the book where all the storylines converge was fun, exciting and could have been kicked off earlier in the book. All in all, though, I will likely read the next book in the trilogy to find out what happens to the characters. What I liked: The worldbuilding: The world created by Ms Elliott is extremely rich and detailed. We are introduced to multiple cultures with varied religions, customs and mores and they all feel unique, real and believable. Some interesting premises, the Guardians for example, are introduced, and I look forward to reading more about them in…