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Rating: 
Summary: and they just keep getting better
Review: I just finished this book, which I devoured very quickly, since all of Juliet McKenna's books cannot be put down.The story now returns to Livak, the spunky female thief from the first book in the series. The Livak-Ryshad romance is put by the wayside, as they go their separate ways. One can only hope that we will see their relationship to fruition in future books. Livak is again on a quest to find out more about aetheric magic, the new magic that we have been learning about since the very first book. The hope is that they will be able to use the magic against the Elietimm threat. However, Livak's simple goal is to make enough cash on this job so that she can settle down with Ryshad. I've always praised this series' character goals, which always seem realistic, not always altruistic. Some charming new characters are introduced - Sorgren and Sorgrad. In addition, there are some new "villains" on the scene. As usual, they are fleshed out so that we understand their motivations and we can almost sympathise with them. The third book doesn't seem to conclude the story, although all of McKenna's books feel complete at the end. And so far, the characters and stories are staying fresh - something I cannot say of other writers who continue with the same characters and world for several books. As usual, I am eagerly awaiting the next one. You may enjoy this book and series if you have enjoyed the work of Terry Goodkind or Robin Hobb.
Rating: 
Summary: The worst of the three, but still not bad.
Review: I like Ms. McKenna's style of juxtaposing first and third person. It add a distinct flavor to the books that I found quite enjoyable. The Gambler's Fortune was inconsistent. It took me a long time to warm up to Jerrian, Kiesyl, and the other Mountain Men and Women. I found McKenna's treatment of Shiv in this book to be wholly out of character for him. In the previous episodes, he was a strong, decisive character, eager for more responsibility and interaction with Archmage Planir. Here, he is reduced to an uncomprehending and nervous wreck who distrusts some of Planir's motivations. Not at all the same Shivvalyan we came to know. That said, the plotting of the evil Eresken kept things lively -- who knew what he would do next -- and the concept of evil deceiving good people to do its bidding is an ages-old idea that is still relevant today. I am looking forward to the fourth installment, but hope that it is closer in quality to the first two books than the Gambler's Fortune.
Rating:
Summary: The worst of the three, but still not bad.
Review: I like Ms. McKenna's style of juxtaposing first and third person. It add a distinct flavor to the books that I found quite enjoyable. The Gambler's Fortune was inconsistent. It took me a long time to warm up to Jerrian, Kiesyl, and the other Mountain Men and Women. I found McKenna's treatment of Shiv in this book to be wholly out of character for him. In the previous episodes, he was a strong, decisive character, eager for more responsibility and interaction with Archmage Planir. Here, he is reduced to an uncomprehending and nervous wreck who distrusts some of Planir's motivations. Not at all the same Shivvalyan we came to know. That said, the plotting of the evil Eresken kept things lively -- who knew what he would do next -- and the concept of evil deceiving good people to do its bidding is an ages-old idea that is still relevant today. I am looking forward to the fourth installment, but hope that it is closer in quality to the first two books than the Gambler's Fortune.
Rating: 
Summary: A good continuation of the series
Review: I wasn't going to write a review but the first one on this page was so awful I felt I had to put in my two cents. I have really been enjoying this series and the third entry is no exception. I am very picky about writing and read different books for different reasons. I don't read this type of sf/f looking for inspiring literature- I read it for a rousing story and fun charactors. McKenna's series is just that: a lot of fun to read. I really enjoy her use of differing perspectives. At one point in the third volume, we actually switch to the villain's point of view during the last hours of his life, before his comeuppance. I anticipate that the fourth book will be back to Ryshad's viewpoint, dealing with his activities while offstage during this third book. I agree with an earlier reviewer that I prefer Livak's viewpoint, mainly because she is such a strong and interesting charactor. One of the enjoyable aspects of the third book is the chance to get to know her better as well as the chance to meet her friends Sorgrad and Sorgren and the mage Usara. If you like a good, well written tale with practical, earthy charactors and a very detailed and believable world of magic and the mundane, you will enjoy this series. If you're looking for Guy Gavriel Kay, go elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: A good continuation of the series
Review: I wasn't going to write a review but the first one on this page was so awful I felt I had to put in my two cents. I have really been enjoying this series and the third entry is no exception. I am very picky about writing and read different books for different reasons. I don't read this type of sf/f looking for inspiring literature- I read it for a rousing story and fun charactors. McKenna's series is just that: a lot of fun to read. I really enjoy her use of differing perspectives. At one point in the third volume, we actually switch to the villain's point of view during the last hours of his life, before his comeuppance. I anticipate that the fourth book will be back to Ryshad's viewpoint, dealing with his activities while offstage during this third book. I agree with an earlier reviewer that I prefer Livak's viewpoint, mainly because she is such a strong and interesting charactor. One of the enjoyable aspects of the third book is the chance to get to know her better as well as the chance to meet her friends Sorgrad and Sorgren and the mage Usara. If you like a good, well written tale with practical, earthy charactors and a very detailed and believable world of magic and the mundane, you will enjoy this series. If you're looking for Guy Gavriel Kay, go elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh please
Review: This is a mediocre book, in a mediocre-to-poor series. McKenna made a huge mistake from the very beginning, messing with point of view and not building characters who were particularly endearing. The second book was a bad rehash of the first story from a different,if not interesting. perspective. There is an amateurish feel to all of Ms. McKenna's books, which for some reason we have read in our SFF readers' group. This is bad mass market paperback stuff; if your taste runs to that, you may enjoy it. If you prefer some talent and some skill in your writers, well, look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Tales of Forest Folk and Mountain Men
Review: With each new installment, McKenna's reason for subtitling her series as "tales of Einarinn" becomes increasingly evident: the world itself shares center stage with events and characters. There's ample action in The Gambler's Fortune, but like its predecessors it's best appreciated by readers whose taste for adventure includes a hunger to explore new places and cultures in addition to a thirst for intrepid exploits. Livak has returned as first-person narrator, like a welcome breath of fresh air. She seems much more natural than currently-absent associate and lover Ryshad. Maybe that's the nature of her personality, or maybe a female point of view just comes more naturally to McKenna. Livak's storyline is intercut with three others told in third-person: an in-depth view of life among the Mountain Men, or Anyatimm, as they call themselves; the most revealing look to-date at the elusive Elietimm; and glimpses of Archmage Planir's ongoing machinations back in Hadrumal. Livak has entered the pay of Messire D'Olbriot, Ryshad's patron prince, who continues to pool resources with Planir against the Elietimm. One thing they've learned is that the ancient magic now being called "Artifice" is deeply rooted in the oldest races still living on Einarinn. Livak has convinced D'Olbriot to send her on a fact-finding mission among two of those reclusive groups, with wizard Usara along to represent Planir. Figuring her mixed blood will gain entrée among the Forest Folk, she recruits a pair of old friends, brothers Sorgrad and Sorgren, to help with the Mountain Men. She's angling for a discovery big enough to net a fortune in bonus money from D'Olbriot and Planir. Incidentally, she expects her quest to take her well away from further confrontation with the Elietimm, but there she's proven abysmally wrong. In fact, while the most obvious "gambler's fortune" here is Livak's hoped-for bonus, the book's title applies equally well to her changing fortunes on the road. The time among the Forest Folk is interesting, productive, and not without its tense moments, but the Mountain Men really drive The Gambler's Fortune. Livak has remarked in previous books on the strong resemblance between the Elietimm and her friends Sorgrad and Sorgren. The storylines here tie both peoples firmly together. Through the Anyatimm, McKenna also tells a tale with echoes common to aboriginal peoples of any time or place: heedlessly overrun and gradually supplanted by empire-building outsiders. She declines to let the blame be entirely one-sided, however; if the Anyatimm are indeed doomed, it's due as much to their own tradition-bound inflexibility as to outside influences. As always, McKenna's writing is rich and colorful. Her characters continue to evolve. She's settled into a measured pace rather slower than some readers might prefer, but there's plenty to see along the way between crises. The incidence of minor basic writing glitches has increased slightly since McKenna's first book, but that's fairly common and not particularly noticeable here. The Gambler's Fortune leaves readers with much to think about and even more to look forward to.
Rating:
Summary: Tales of Forest Folk and Mountain Men
Review: With each new installment, McKenna's reason for subtitling her series as "tales of Einarinn" becomes increasingly evident: the world itself shares center stage with events and characters. There's ample action in The Gambler's Fortune, but like its predecessors it's best appreciated by readers whose taste for adventure includes a hunger to explore new places and cultures in addition to a thirst for intrepid exploits. Livak has returned as first-person narrator, like a welcome breath of fresh air. She seems much more natural than currently-absent associate and lover Ryshad. Maybe that's the nature of her personality, or maybe a female point of view just comes more naturally to McKenna. Livak's storyline is intercut with three others told in third-person: an in-depth view of life among the Mountain Men, or Anyatimm, as they call themselves; the most revealing look to-date at the elusive Elietimm; and glimpses of Archmage Planir's ongoing machinations back in Hadrumal. Livak has entered the pay of Messire D'Olbriot, Ryshad's patron prince, who continues to pool resources with Planir against the Elietimm. One thing they've learned is that the ancient magic now being called "Artifice" is deeply rooted in the oldest races still living on Einarinn. Livak has convinced D'Olbriot to send her on a fact-finding mission among two of those reclusive groups, with wizard Usara along to represent Planir. Figuring her mixed blood will gain entrée among the Forest Folk, she recruits a pair of old friends, brothers Sorgrad and Sorgren, to help with the Mountain Men. She's angling for a discovery big enough to net a fortune in bonus money from D'Olbriot and Planir. Incidentally, she expects her quest to take her well away from further confrontation with the Elietimm, but there she's proven abysmally wrong. In fact, while the most obvious "gambler's fortune" here is Livak's hoped-for bonus, the book's title applies equally well to her changing fortunes on the road. The time among the Forest Folk is interesting, productive, and not without its tense moments, but the Mountain Men really drive The Gambler's Fortune. Livak has remarked in previous books on the strong resemblance between the Elietimm and her friends Sorgrad and Sorgren. The storylines here tie both peoples firmly together. Through the Anyatimm, McKenna also tells a tale with echoes common to aboriginal peoples of any time or place: heedlessly overrun and gradually supplanted by empire-building outsiders. She declines to let the blame be entirely one-sided, however; if the Anyatimm are indeed doomed, it's due as much to their own tradition-bound inflexibility as to outside influences. As always, McKenna's writing is rich and colorful. Her characters continue to evolve. She's settled into a measured pace rather slower than some readers might prefer, but there's plenty to see along the way between crises. The incidence of minor basic writing glitches has increased slightly since McKenna's first book, but that's fairly common and not particularly noticeable here. The Gambler's Fortune leaves readers with much to think about and even more to look forward to.
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