Fires of Aggar

Rating:
Summary: A sequel worthy of the original
Review: Fires of Aggar is a worthy sequel to Shadows of Aggar. Often the sequel is a poor immitation of the original. Not this time. Wolfe has leapt centuries past many wars and much political upheaval to a place in time where the Marshal Gwyn n'Athena is free to travel to the distant domain of Kirla where the "blue sighted" Dracoon Llinolae is calling for assistance. What a shame the author will never fill in the gaps or take us winging once again across the centuries as they unfold on Aggar.

Llinolae is gifted with the blue sight but also possesses immense strength of character. She is struggling in a losing battle to protect her people from the encroaching Clansmen. Gwen and her Amazon companions, Brit the irrascible healer and Sparrow the intrepid acrobat, join with Llinolae both to save and to support her. This book is filled with intrigue, plot twists and wonderful characters. Gwyn's bond mates, the sandwolves, add an interesting dimension to the stories. For there are many stories interwoven masterfully.

You will enjoy the developing romance between Gwyn and Llinolae. Wolfe has chosen to let her characters develop into an intimate relationship with full knowledge of how the other feels. The annoying denseness exhibited regularly by lesbian characters in romantic situations continues for less than 3 chapters.

Wolfe never wrote clear, straight forward dialog if half sentences and raised eyebrows could be used. Grit your teeth and keep reading. You won't understand how the other character figured out what was said, but you will eventually understand what you need to know.

I was dismayed by the bad editing. The author misused several words and the editors didn't catch them. For instance Wolfe uses the word feign instead of feint. She uses feign correctly elsewhere. There are others. If you are a crabby grammarian like me, steel yourself to read past the stumbles. The story is worth it.

Rating:
Summary: A sequel worthy of the original
Review: Fires of Aggar is a worthy sequel to Shadows of Aggar. Often the sequel is a poor immitation of the original. Not this time. Wolfe has leapt centuries past many wars and much political upheaval to a place in time where the Marshal Gwyn n'Athena is free to travel to the distant domain of Kirla where the "blue sighted" Dracoon Llinolae is calling for assistance. What a shame the author will never fill in the gaps or take us winging once again across the centuries as they unfold on Aggar.

Llinolae is gifted with the blue sight but also possesses immense strength of character. She is struggling in a losing battle to protect her people from the encroaching Clansmen. Gwen and her Amazon companions, Brit the irrascible healer and Sparrow the intrepid acrobat, join with Llinolae both to save and to support her. This book is filled with intrigue, plot twists and wonderful characters. Gwyn's bond mates, the sandwolves, add an interesting dimension to the stories. For there are many stories interwoven masterfully.

You will enjoy the developing romance between Gwyn and Llinolae. Wolfe has chosen to let her characters develop into an intimate relationship with full knowledge of how the other feels. The annoying denseness exhibited regularly by lesbian characters in romantic situations continues for less than 3 chapters.

Wolfe never wrote clear, straight forward dialog if half sentences and raised eyebrows could be used. Grit your teeth and keep reading. You won't understand how the other character figured out what was said, but you will eventually understand what you need to know.

I was dismayed by the bad editing. The author misused several words and the editors didn't catch them. For instance Wolfe uses the word feign instead of feint. She uses feign correctly elsewhere. There are others. If you are a crabby grammarian like me, steel yourself to read past the stumbles. The story is worth it.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful author that will be missed
Review: I bought the first book along with the second book in tandem since I like books that just dont end. I have to guess I purchased these in about 1999 or so and bought both The Shadows of Aggar and Fires of Aggar. I am somewhat embarrased to say that it wasnt until last night September 15th 2004 that I decided to look up the author Chris Anne Wolfe to see what she was doing. This was of course after finally reading the dedication to the second book. I used the internet to 'google' the author and found 2 more books by her that I will likely purchase. I was greatly saddened to hear that she lost her battle with cancer.

I have seen some reviews out there on the internet that bash her style and writing, but I am one to say that these books have been great re-reads over the years, perhaps I am simplistic in the type of escapism I seek when reading, but I will continue to treasure them and mourn the fact that there will be no more sequels.

I identified with characters, understood the emotions of others and was not lost in the techno babble I have found curiously present in some of the more recent writers of this type of fiction. Inventing in the mind is a wonderful thing, being able to convey the concept is a gift. Chris Anne Wolfe does that well. My most recent read was a huge disappointment which is why perhaps I decided rather than trying out something new, I would reread something I knew appealed to me. I wish she had been granted the time to publish more than the 4 books I have found to read.



Rating:
Summary: Great sequel
Review: If you liked Shadows of Aggar you'll enjoy this too. If you haven't read Shadows then get it first! Both are imaginative enjoyable lesbian sci-fantasy with well thought through characters and romance with plenty of suspense.

Rating:
Summary: Ignore the cover; Enjoy the book!
Review: Originally published in 1994, Fires of Aggar is a re-release of the second "Aggar" planet sci fi/fantasy by Chris Anne Wolfe. Occurring some 500 years after the events of Shadows of Aggar, Wolfe took this opportunity to explore the impact of the relationship between the Amazon Diana N'Athena and her "shadow" and life partner, the blue-eyed, Aggar woman, Elana, two characters from Shadows. In the intervening years, Aggar's ruling Council and the women of "dey Sorormin " (a planet populated by lesbians, known as the sisterhood) forged an alliance that led a colony of "dey Sorormin" women to settle on Aggar in the Valley Bay.

The war that was postponed in Shadows eventually consumed the Terran Empire. In the last five centuries, the descendants of those Terrans stranded on Aggar continue to clutch at their former, and now decaying, technology. They struggle with Aggar's natural habitat and against the native population.

Fires opens with a request for Gwen'l N'Athena, Royal Marshal to the council, to go to the aide of the Dracoon, the heir apparent of the city state of Khirla located to the South. Gwen is a "Niachero" or "daughter of the stars." This is the name given to those "dey Sorormin" that carry the appearance of the women of the N'Athena House or "Amazons." The Dracoon, Llinolae is a very gifted Blue Sight, a skill she has been carefully hiding. Fires is an espionage thriller with government intrigues and spies between various factions. Gwen is assisted by Ty and Ril, a pair of sentient sandwolves, and two shadow bound Amazons, Sparrowhawk and Brit.

Wolfe creates a refreshingly non-homophobic society on Aggar that values the strengths of "dey Sorormin" and respects their integrity. This is illustrated by the farmer who Gwen assists on her trip south, as well as the acceptance by the general population of same sex romantic relationships.

Finally, Fires of Aggar is a love story. Gwen and Llinolae, faced with a political knot, must balance their respective duties with their personal desire and the possibility of a future together. Fires draws the reader into their struggles to root for their success on personal and professional levels. Thankfully, the publishers have re-released this enchanting fantasy. Regretfully, they've changed the cover from the original illustration. The new photographed image is not an improvement. Ignore the cover; enjoy the book.