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novelinsights's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fairly satisfying ending to the trilogy. I found the twist toward the end to be relatively predictable, but it was still a fun read, and I was glad that they addressed a specific hole that they had left open since the beginning of the first book.
There were a few small complaints that I had about this. Again, the author uses elegant variation, which is bad form writing-wise. Additionally, there were about three times when scenes changed but there were no visible scene breaks, meaning that about halfway down the page, the setting and time frame completely changed between one paragraph and the next with absolutely no indication that it was happening, which was jarring and confusing. Additionally, they changed the protagonists' father's name from Brown Bear to Cinnamon Bear for no reason and with no explanation. I'm not sure if they released different editions of the old books with the name changed in it or if the author actually forgot what the character was called and none of his editors remembered either or what the deal was, but that seemed like an amateur move, and it didn't add anything to the story so there's no legitimate reason for it to have been changed on purpose.
There were a few small complaints that I had about this. Again, the author uses elegant variation, which is bad form writing-wise. Additionally, there were about three times when scenes changed but there were no visible scene breaks, meaning that about halfway down the page, the setting and time frame completely changed between one paragraph and the next with absolutely no indication that it was happening, which was jarring and confusing. Additionally, they changed the protagonists' father's name from Brown Bear to Cinnamon Bear for no reason and with no explanation. I'm not sure if they released different editions of the old books with the name changed in it or if the author actually forgot what the character was called and none of his editors remembered either or what the deal was, but that seemed like an amateur move, and it didn't add anything to the story so there's no legitimate reason for it to have been changed on purpose.
mewpasaurus's review
3.0
Ending was a bit disappointing, but the build up to the end was to be expected. The end just seemed a bit anticlimactic, but the storytelling was in line with all the other novels in this trilogy. A few nice tidbits about the world of Magic were scattered throughout this book (as the others), but again, independent of the later books which are plane specific or character specific.
manwithanagenda's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is the conclusion to the 'Greensleeves' trilogy, the only multi-part storyline in the prerevisionist books, discounting a couple links between a short story and a novel such as in Hanovi Braddock's 'Ashes of the Sun' and his "Heart of Shanodin" in 'Tapestries', and because 'Song of Time's second part was never published because HarperPrism shut down the series.
'Shattered Chains' left off with the defeated wizards learning of a way to use Greensleeve's method of controlling them against her, and forming an alliance to take her and her brother Gull down. The bulk of the book is leading up to that final confrontation between the, oh let's just call them that, Freedom Fighters and the Bad Wizards. I liked a couple set pieces that Emery used to carry the action, including a visit to the Hurloon Minotaurs, the excavation of the lost college of Lat-Nam and an underwater exploration led by the Lord of Atlantis himself. Because the book did need it.
The personal issues between Gull and Lily have been resolved (she decided to be wizard and wife after all) and Greensleeves got a teacher and a lover (and not from the same person, elderly, druidic loving is not on the menu), and Noreen/Rakel and Garth left the scene at the end of the last book so the big draw for me was finished. Emery did a good job in almost every other aspect, but each of his villains was more absurdly selfish and dastardly than the last. The mystery of the Keldon Warlord who would face-off with Gull and why he had such a personal grudge against him was pretty obvious, too.
Still, if you are a Magic storyline buff and want to check out these early books, even if they're not canon, Clayton Emery is a good bet. There's a reason he is one of only three prerevisionist authors to keep writing Magic: The Gathering stories after Wizards started publishing the books themselves.
Garth/Greensleeves
Previous: 'Shattered Chains'
'Shattered Chains' left off with the defeated wizards learning of a way to use Greensleeve's method of controlling them against her, and forming an alliance to take her and her brother Gull down. The bulk of the book is leading up to that final confrontation between the, oh let's just call them that, Freedom Fighters and the Bad Wizards. I liked a couple set pieces that Emery used to carry the action, including a visit to the Hurloon Minotaurs, the excavation of the lost college of Lat-Nam and an underwater exploration led by the Lord of Atlantis himself. Because the book did need it.
The personal issues between Gull and Lily have been resolved (she decided to be wizard and wife after all) and Greensleeves got a teacher and a lover (and not from the same person, elderly, druidic loving is not on the menu), and Noreen/Rakel and Garth left the scene at the end of the last book so the big draw for me was finished. Emery did a good job in almost every other aspect, but each of his villains was more absurdly selfish and dastardly than the last. The mystery of the Keldon Warlord who would face-off with Gull and why he had such a personal grudge against him was pretty obvious, too.
Still, if you are a Magic storyline buff and want to check out these early books, even if they're not canon, Clayton Emery is a good bet. There's a reason he is one of only three prerevisionist authors to keep writing Magic: The Gathering stories after Wizards started publishing the books themselves.
Garth/Greensleeves
Previous: 'Shattered Chains'
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