Stormlord’s Exile(Watergivers, Book 3)Author: Glenda LarkePublisher: Orbit, 2011Genre: Fantasy
Back Cover:
Shale is finally free from his greatest enemy. But now, he is responsible for bringing life-giving rain to all the people of the Quartern. He must stretch his powers to the limit or his people will die – if they don’t meet a nomad’s blade first. And while Shale’s own highlords and waterpriests plot against him, his Reduner brother plots his revenge.
Terelle is Shale’s secret weapon, covertly boosting his powers with her own mystical abilities. Bit she is compelled by the strange magic of her people and will one day have to leave Shale’s side. No one knows what waits for her across the desert, but her people gave the Quartern its first Stormlord and they may save Shale and his people once again – or lead them to their doom.
The water of life is running out.
Reduner nomads have massacred the Quartern's Rainlords, leaving its cities vulnerable to the relentless desert. Stormlord Shale must stretch his powers to bring rain or his people will die - if they don't meet a nomad's knife first. And while Shale's own highlords and waterpriests plot against him, his reduner brother prepares his revenge.
Then when Shale's comrades leave to free the dunes from tyranny, only Terelle remains at his side. She has been his secret weapon, covertly boosting his powers. But when waterpainter magic compels Terelle to travel to distant Khromatis, she must leave or be destroyed. Danger awaits, yet as Khromatis gave the Quartern its first Stormlord she may find help there - as well as betrayal.
My Review:
Epic conclusion to the Watergiver series!
What I love about these epic fantasy series is the way they weave a hundred plots together and in the end manage to lead us to a satisfying conclusion. After three 500 pages plus volumes, I’m going to miss the characters and the world Glenda Larke has created! And let me tell you, it is a truly fascinating and unique world with cleverly wrought plots of love, politics and religion in an unforgivably harsh dry land.
I have to say that what I liked the most about this world was how it all was made to fit. Because of the lack of water issue, in the world you’ll find cisterns and the pipes leading to the main cities. But the cisterns have to be filled by their stormlords who have to make water vapor out of the sea then lead the rain to each cistern. Also the types of animals that can be found in the land, ones that don’t require a lot of water to survive, like the myriapedes and the zyggers. Even the cursing was related: “withering bastards”, “waterless hells”, “pedeshit!”, “Sunlord save us”, etc. It all shows that Larke put great thought into her world and how it would all work together.
And the characters! You can’t help but to fall in love with the heroes and truly despise the archenemies. I swear every time Russet, Laisa, Senya or Lord Gold appeared I just wanted to hurl my book across the room in anger. That’s how much into this series I was! Reading about the lives of Shale and Terelle and their friends was a journey in itself. And now that it has ended I feel a bit sad but satisfied. There were a couple of cool characters that appeared in this book, and if there’s anything to complain about is that they didn’t make it into the series sooner.
Favorite Quotes:
“Then he reached into Ravard’s eye with his forefinger and thumb and ripped the eyeball out of its socket. Still attached, it hung on Ravard’s cheek, raw and blood-covered, dripping zigger acid. Grasping it, Jasper slashed it free with the knife. He opened his hand and it fell onto the floor, a bloodied mess. His stomach heaved.”
~
“Hello there,” he said softly. “I’m Lord Rubric, a stormlord, working for the Cloudmaster. Just in case we haven’t met. Ye want to be friendly, or shall I take your water? Ye know, as in kill ye?”
