Rating: 
Summary: A good read once i got over the slow start.
Review: I had this book for over a year, and hadn't got past the first chapter. I picked it up again, struggled through the part dealing with a big social gathering down at the castle. After getting through that I couldn't put it down. Then I went out and bought the bext two books in the trilogy. However, it is only now that I realise how much this fantasy novel, and many others for that matter, owe to the fantasy tropes first introduced in Lord of the Rings. I enjoyed the first three books of the Wayfarer Redemption. Faraday and Drago are my favourite characters in this trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Book
Review: Faraday is the 18 year old daughter of an Earl that comes to the big city for the first time. It's clear from the opening pages of the book that Faraday is one of the most naïve people in the kingdom. She isn't stupid by any means, only innocent and naïve. Her naiveté is the only thing that can explain her thought process, beliefs, and actions. I really liked "The Wayfarer Redemption" even though some of the events seem overly simplistic and contrived. There are two men in her life, Axis and his half-brother Borneheld (I always pronounced it Bonehead). She doesn't like Borneheld but has a childish infatuation with Axis. Most women that meet Axis have similar feelings toward him. Axis and Borneheld hate each other and look forward to the day they can kill each other in open combat. They are both military leaders. Sara Douglass does her best to convince you that Faraday must marry Borneheld. I didn't buy it. The world as we know it depends upon Axis and (in theory) he will get killed unless Faraday marries Borneheld. Faraday is infatuated with Axis from the first moment she sees him at a distance. Axis shows now real interest in Faraday until 70% of the way through the book when he discovers she has married his accursed brother. He then vows Faraday will someday be his wife. Personally, I seriously doubt Axis likes Faraday at all. He's only interested in taking her away from Borneheld. There's no reason to believe Faraday won't be married to Borneheld for a long time. It seems unreasonable to believe that Axis is going to remain celibate for the next 40 years on the off chance Faraday will become available. It's more likely he will forget about Faraday and get on with his life. Someday he will meet a woman he truly loves, a woman that he can spend his life with. On the whole, "The Wayfarer Redemption" is a book worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Living Is A Learning Experience
Review: The Wayfarer Redemption is the first novel in The Axis Trilogy. Originally published as Battleaxe in the Australian version, this novel is the first of six novels, two trilogies, but only the first trilogy has been published in the USA to date. Long before, on the continent of Tencendor, the Acharites dwelled in peace with the Avars and the Icarii. Then the Seneschal raised a new religion among the Acharites that led to the bloody War of the Axe. The Acharites drove the Avars and the Icarii away from the plains of Achar and penned them behind the Fortress Range. Now the Avar and the Icarii are called the Forbidden and are shunned or killed by the Acharites. Later, prophecy foretold the coming the Destroyer, who will wage war on all three races, and the Starman, who will unite the three once more. Now two females, impregnated by the same male, are near death in the snowy wilderness. One will bear the Destroyer and the other has borne the Starman. In this novel, twenty-nine years later, the winter is unusually cold and strange creatures have appeared in the north. These things cannot be touched by steel weapons and have attacked and overcome even armed and armored men. They seem to be driving thousands of Ravensbundmen south into Ichtar. Elsewhere, villagers have seen other creatures, like short, dark men, carrying children near the Forbidden places. Furthermore, King Priam reports that the wraiths, led by another kind of creature, have recently attacked the commander of Gorkenfort in his personal quarters, injuring him and shredding some of his guards. These creatures have also attacked the Seneschal's Retreat in Gorkentown, killing all but two of the Brothers, stealing a body from the crypt, and destroying the library. Borneheld, Duke of Ichtar and the WarLord, has been sending troops to Gorkenfort for weeks. Now he intends to speed up the process and to send as many as possible by ship. Also, he plans to accompany the troops to Gorkenfort to take command. Axis is BattleAxe of the Axe-Wielders, the military force of the Seneschal. He is ordered to take most of his troops to the Silent Woman Keep to learn more about the Forbidden and then to recon the route to Smyrton and its environs. He is to leave some of his men in Smyrton and take the rest to Gorkenfort, placing himself and his troops under the command of Borneheld, his older half-brother. Axis is not happy about being under Borneheld's command, but Borneheld is very pleased (obnoxiously so). Faraday, daughter of Earl Isend, is hastily betrothed to Borneheld as the army prepares to move out. Due to the dangers in the northern Duchies, her father decides to send her to the home of Earl Burdel in Arcen until her marriage to Borneheld. She will be escorted there by the Axis and his Axe-Wielders, her mother will accompany her, and Embeth, the Lady of Tare, will join them for the first part of the journey. This novel is a journey of discovery for all involved. Axis learns the secrets that have been kept from him by the Brothers. Faraday gains a position of responsibility that she never imagined. And Borneheld learns that there are limits to his power. This first volume in the series is full of twists and turns, enemies and allies, and the workings of prophecy. Axis is the center of this novel and the trilogy. He learns some of his heritage in this volume and begins to see the larger picture, but he has to work around Borneheld, who refuses to believe that everything has changed. Apparently this series has disappointed a large number of people while satisfying many others. I found this book to be enjoyable, even though it has flaws. Maybe it could have been better written, but could it have been more satisfying? Maybe, but I am willing to follow this author as long as she provides enjoyable stories. Hopefully, future works will satisfy the technical critics, but that is not my thing; interesting and smooth flowing will do nicely. Although I too get exasperated at the characters for not doing the obvious, it is less annoying than the Iliad (Achilles is a first class jerk)! My impression of the characterization is that it is mostly believable and compatible with the story. The hero and heroine are surrounded with people who teach and assist them in their efforts to meet the various obstacles and challenges, just as in real life we have mentors and associates who help us along the way. Life is a learning experience to many of these characters just as it is to real people. Recommended for all fans of epic tales of swords and sorcery.
Rating: 
Summary: Abysmal. A betrayal of everything fantasy lovers value.
Review: I write this review intending to encompas the first three books in the series. I'll try to avoid spoilers. I have never before read a book or series in which I've yearned for the misery and failure of the main protagonist more than this one. Without going into much detail, Sara Douglass attempts to instill human realism into the main character by giving him certain....weaknesses....that lead him to take certain actions that even the most flawed fantasy hero would deftly avoid. Unfortunately, while Ms. Douglass' attempts to instill weakness into her hero succeed, those weaknesses, and said hero's resulting hypocrisy and betrayals, only serve to disgust and alienate the reader. We read fantasy literature for many different reasons, yet in the end, in my opinion, it all boils down to one: we yearn to discover worlds better than our own and people greater than ourselves. We search for a magical place where people we love triumph over monsters we hate. Simply put, we look for the perfect story. In my opinion, there are many stories that meet this criteria with varying degrees of success. A Song of Ice and Fire (Martin), The Riftwar Saga (Feist), The Belgariad (Eddings), The Lord of the Rings (Tolkein), and my personal favorite fantasy series of all--The Deed of Paksennarion (Moon) are all stunning examples of fantastic brilliance. This series is not. Perhaps I could have given the series two stars. I thought about it, and had Douglass made more of an effort to reconcile her protagonist's disgusting behavior by creating her supporting cast with weaknesses of their own (ala A Song of Ice and Fire), I would have, but in this she failed miserably. 99% of the characters in this series are the kind of creatures I could and did root for without qualification. Unfortunately, this just served to make the protagonist's weakness and resulting behavior all the more revolting. This kind of amateurishly lopsided character development should not be encouraged, especially in this genre. Not even Douglass' admittedly fertile imagination and better than average storytelling can not come close to making up for the disgust I felt with Axis SunSoar, the main "hero" (laugh) throughout most of the series. Avoid this one for anything other than campfire tinder.
Rating:
Summary: Shame about all these trees
Review: Congratulations (or condolences) to everyone who, unlike me, manages to finish this one. Nonexistent characterization, razor thin storyline, indifferent writing - the paper used for this could have gone into something perfectly reasonable like a users manual for an electric blanket or a very large paper plane.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Author Who Can't Write
Review: The "Locus" blurb on the cover claims 'breadth of vision' and 'the storyteller's gift' for Sara Douglass. Unfortunately, she just doesn't write very well. I find this a serious (and puzzling) problem in one who has chosen to make her living as an author. At best, her prose is clumsy and pedestrian, but hardly a page passes without egregious errors in syntax and grammar. (One wonders, where was her editor?) And she clearly does not understand very well many of the words she uses. Two examples that particularly bother me are 'Seneschal' for the church of Artor in Achar, and 'Bane' for a magical leader of the Avarian people. These words already have meanings, which do not coexist comfortably with her re-definitions. (I won't bother quoting definitions here; look them up if you don't know them.) A fantasy author is allowed, indeed expected, to put her own twist on concepts and meanings, but it must be within the context of our shared language. Her usage here is akin to proclaiming that an 'elephant' is a group of feathered creatures with wings; it is far too great a stretch to be acceptable. As a result, I read this book in many short sessions. The language kept jerking me back to reality, and I was completely unable to submerse myself in the story. Too bad; I had really hoped for more, much more.
Rating:
Summary: if you like wellcrafted fantasy, avoid this one
Review: Sara Douglass is one of a growing number of new fantasy authors who seem to feel that constructing a character means opening a psychiatry textbook, picking out a group of neuroses, and then giving them a person's name. Much of Ms. Douglass' writing in this book consists of explaining her characters to the reader by telling us all about their childhood traumas in typically leaden and clumsy style:
"Yet of all the hatreds Borneheld bore Axis, it was the fact that they shared the same mother that he resented most. Even though Rivkah had betrayed both her husband and her elder son in conceiving and giving birth to a lover's child, Borneheld still revered her memory. And Axis had killed her. Axis had taken Rivkah away from Borneheld. Borneheld daily cursed Axis for causing his mother's death..." Ms. Douglass' insistence that her characters be completely controlled by their neuroses does not serve her or the reader. Her characters are stilted, one-dimensional, very crudely drawn caricatures, incapable of developing true maturity or believable relationships with one another--a flaw that completely undermines her plot. Douglass also seems completely unwilling to trust her reader or her story. She spends too much time telling us how we are supposed to feel about particular characters, rather than telling us their story and allowing us to form our own response. For example, other characters are constantly calling the heroine, Faraday, such things as 'lovely lady,' 'dear child,' 'dear one,' and 'sweet child,' and they act as though she's the most incredible person they've ever met--and yet, what Douglass shows us of Faraday doesn't justify anything like that kind of unmixed adulation. If you like good fantasy, try some other author.
Rating:
Summary: If this is any indication Australia has a literary jewel
Review: This is a new flavor in fantasy by a woman who the Australian press describes as a treasure. Reading this, her first book to be published in the US, it's easy to see why. Douglass is not another Tolkien imitator, not by a longshot. Oh yes, the basic formula is there - evil wants to rule the world, which has only one hope left. But that's the formula of any fantasy novel, good or bad - and this is definitely one of the good ones. Her characters are not quite as fleshed out as I would like them to be. Douglass really needs to put more life into them. But she makes up for that with the unanswered questions she poses throughout this book. Who is Gorgrael's mentor, the Dark Man? Who is the traitor in Axis' camp, as mentioned in the prophecy? And how is it that members of the Charonites, the little-known fourth race in Douglass' world, became the Sentinels who will guide Axis, his beloved Faraday, and possibly others to their destinies? Douglass' story is unique, in that it drops you into her world with a lot of these questions. And I look forward to finding out the answers.
Rating:
Summary: So Disappointing
Review: I waited until the entire Redemption series was out before reading the first novel because I was positive that it would be fantastic and that I'd rush through each book. I am so utterly, utterly disappointed. While the setting and plot had some serious potential, overall the story was shallow and predictable. The worst part, though, was the fact that I couldn't empathize with ANY of the characters. I kept waiting for someone to come along who could make me actually eager to learn about the fate of the world, but it never happened. Definitely a waste of time, money, and anticipation.
Rating:
Summary: Why Did I Do It?
Review: O.K. Any of the reviews of The Wayfarer Redemption that are above 2 stars are obviously written by teenagers below the age of 15. If this is not the case, then I feel truly sorry for those reviewers. With The Wayfarer Redemption Sara Douglass has crafted a pedantic, cliché ridden study in somnolence. I read this series simply because I am a voracious reader... As well as not having any other unread books in the house at the time. I read a review from a Top 1000 reviewer that gave this book 3 stars. He stated that after this initial offering, readers would be treated to improvements in the next 2 books. Sadly, he was incorrect. I too believed as he did. It has to get better, I kept telling myself. Then I slogged my way through 2 more books of additional prose that proved that the craft of writing does not necessarily get better with practice. I am simply unwilling to waste time and effort detailing everything that is wrong with the storyline and writing in this series. A brief litany would include the complete amorality of the main characters, a magic system that is not explained, battle scenes that lack even a rudimentary understanding of basic tactics, a timeline that doesn't even pretend to be chronological, cardboard cut-out bad guys, and on and on. This series suffered from a complete suspension of the suspension of disbelief. I truly did not care about any of the main characters in this series. By the last book, Starman, I was hoping they would all be killed. I myself was hoping to be pulverized by a meteor for actually finishing the series. How can I save any potential readers from making the mistake of purchasing the books in this series? I can beg you I suppose. I don't write many reviews. I felt compelled to try and save readers the grief they will surely experience if they attempt to read these books. This series was truly one of the worst that I have EVER read. Ms. Douglass improved not a wit from book 1 to book 3. I am led to understand that there are an additional 3 books that are related to this series. I don't know their names and I have absolutely no urge find out. If you want memorable fantasy then read R. R. Martin or David Gemmell.
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