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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Too rushed., 14 Aug 2003
This review is from: Ships From The West (Gollancz S.F.) (Hardcover)
I really love this series - as a whole it easily deserves 5 stars - but the last book was a disappointment. It lacks the depth and the heart of the first four books and everything seems incredibly rushed. If he had taken his time and written a longer book or maybe even expanded the series by a book or two, this could've been one of the best series ever.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ending To A Magnificent Series, 20 Dec 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Ships From The West (Gollancz S.F.) (Hardcover)
Picking up the story 16 years after The Second Empire, Kearney brings back the major characters of the previous four books to conclude one of the best fantasy series ever written. Why this series hasn't gained more recognition within the genre is a mystery, as I can think of few series that packs such an emotional punch, kick and werewolf bite. Ships from the West has more of the blood-and-thunder warfare that made the previous books, although the emphasis for most of the book is more magical than martial. (How long did the armada last?!?) Richard and Corfe's stories drive (or should that be "sail"?) the plot, but there's still room for every other major character to reach their own personal resolutions - some surprisingly so. And while I didn't like some of these resolutions, this dis-satisfaction is down to personal preference rather than any fault in the execution. Brilliant, shocking, moving and - thank God - as consistant as anything the fantasy genre has to offer. Thank you, Paul Kearney.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Did not meet the high expectations for this series' finale, 4 July 2003
This review is from: Ships From The West (Gollancz S.F.) (Hardcover)
A very disappointing book. It seems as if the author wanted to close the series very fast. Wonderful characters get eliminated in stupid and swift ways. The Hebrians and their allies had a lot of time to prepare and all they came up with is a large traditional fleet. And all the Kings and admirals get onto this fleet and sail into the maws of the incoming unknown completely underestimating the paramount feature of the enemy: its mighty magic. The reading of this book wasted the pleasure I got from the whole series. I would plead for a re-writing of the finale, eventually split in two books, but following the charachters threads towards a more consequential and intelligent ending.
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