Passage (The Sharing Knife, Book 3)
Eos - Eos
Release date: 2008-04-22
Hardcover
Author: Lois Mcmaster Bujold
American Science Fiction And Fantasy, Fiction, Fiction - Fantasy, Fantasy, Fantasy - Epic, Fiction / Fantasy / General, Fantasy - General, Fantasy fiction, Love stories
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Passage (The Sharing Knife, Book 3)
Date undefinedDag, the Lakewalker, has had a harrowing life of death and destruction, fighting the horrific Malices that blight the land and create monsters and kill thousands. His personal life has hardly been less difficult since he's fallen in love and wed Fawn, a woman a third his age and worse yet, one of the Farmers, people with whom the Lakewalkers do not associate even though they are sworn to protect them from the Malices.
It's not Fawn's fault of course, but the way their societies are set up. The first two books (of which this is the third) are full of fights with Malices and fights for this odd couple to stay together against the wishes of nearly everyone else. Living among the Lakewalkers finally drove them both to leave... searching for a way of life that would help both Farmers and Lakewalkers and themselves.
So, on a honeymoon of sorts, although with a vague purpose, Dag has promised Fawn a trip to view the ocean. They first stop at the farm of Fawn's family and end up leaving with Fawn's brother, who used to torment her but who promises to be better behaved. They start a leisurely trip by flat-boat down the long river to the sea.
There is nothing world-shattering at stake, or at least, not in the short term, but Dag is determined to break the societal taboos that keep the people divided, since keeping to the old ways will only lead to greater destruction, as far as he can see. The social aspects remind me a little of Cherryh's Foreigner Series, which can seem slow, but are still rich and engrossing. Here it is the same, utterly fascinating, and a welcome respite after the grim events of the first books. The tale is filled with curious characters and many revelations about them and their lives, with lovely bits of growth and insight. And the adventure of following Fawn and her brother on a trip to new territory is exiting on its own. There is also danger and action, of course. This is not a slow, dull book by any means.
This series has not been among my favorites by Bujold, but surprisingly, I've come to truly care for these characters, particularly with this wonderful tale of simple adventure and exploration. It was like being on a travel vacation to a new locale with a group of good friends and interesting new people to meet. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and am more than ready to read about what happens next.
Passage (The Sharing Knife, Book 3)
Date undefinedI have read many of LMBs books and enjoyed them immensely, including the first two Sharing Knife books. I was excited about this third volume but have found it slow paced with mundane detail. I have read over half of it and find it so lackluster I can hardly pick it up. hopefully the other reviews will give me the encouragement to finish it and be able to write a more positive review.
Passage (The Sharing Knife, Book 3)
Date undefinedThe third novel in the Sharing Knife series is a solid and entertianing continuation. This book follows the travels of Fawn and Dag from Dag's lakewalker camp down what is basicly the Ohio river to the ocean. They introduce several new characters and Dag learns more about both the extent of his powers and of the extent of the tension between the lakewalkers and farmers.
The joy in these novels is the way that Bujold can write such an entertaining and novel and keep up tension in what is mostly domestic situations. Her accoplishment with these novels reminds me of the camp sceanes that dominate the Lord of the Rings. As much as everyone remembers the big battle sceanes it is the time around the campfire and the characters cooking and telling stories that really held those novels together.
The novel ends with another small battle with a resolution that was both suprising and a little bit disurbing, and as always Bujold doesn't shy away from the questions that come as a result. Overall this is an excellent book that leaves me looking foward to the next one.
