Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I was entranced by the opening of this book: a wonderful and original opening into another world. The descriptions of kitchens, stables and the Tower, often using archaic language, added depth and believability. Windships and eotaurs flying with semi-magical equipment was highly creative, and the concepts underlying the world-building were enviable, to say the least. As an author, I wish I had her talent for sub-creation away from the old formulas! The game of 'chess' was magical!However, the more I read, the more it seemed that the story was a vague quest disguised as a catalogue of wights and witcheries. After the promising opening, it moved terribly slowly for a long time, wandering off into little diversions that frustrated rather than added either interest, sub-plots or layers of meaning. I found myself wanting more action instead of the seemingly continual lists and descriptions of nasties. I remember LOTR, which developed a compelling story-line and very well-defined quest motif early on, and then followed it unerringly, making the book un-put-downable. The Ill-made Mute, on the other hand, seems to lack a plot entirely, or if it does, to hide it behind distractions. At this point, at page 306, I have put it down, extremely disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Golden Prose
Review: I've just seen a book review in The Washington Post, which describes "The Ill-Made Mute" as being "netted in golden prose". How true! I can only agree with the experts. This is a beautifully written book, poetic and rich in subtle language. I hope it will be the forefront of a new trend in Sci-Fi and Fantasy. But I fear it may not appeal to readers of mass-market pulp who prefer not "Spaghetti Western" style books, but "Camelot Westerns". This book is original in many ways. One is the language, another is the way the characters interact with each other as humans in a different time and space from what we are used to. I recommend it to all lovers of fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: Something new
Review: This author has something new to say and a great way of saying it. I was blown away by passages like this - It was very dark. In the total silence, not a whisper or a sigh could be heard. Eventually, somewhere in the deeps of the Forest of Tiriendor, a wind went through, rustling the leaves like the sough of the ocean. And then the firelight lit up a pearly Something coming down the road. It was not a fog. Alive, woolly like a cloud or a wet blanket, with a terrible cold and a stale smell, it slid up and all over the wagons, the carts, the coaches, the horses, the hounds, the caravaners, in every nook and cranny, and was gone, rolling and bowling, stretching out and in, down the road. Nerveless, aghast, the caravaners leaned together in a lethargy bequeathed by shock. See what I mean!!! The sense of excitement and weirdness is total. It grabbed me and I could not stop reading. I hope the second one in the series comes out soon.
Rating:
Summary: A treasure
Review: This book is so cool. It's one of the most imaginative books I've ever read, but some people just don't get it. I had to laugh when reading one of the reviewers, who said the Irish language was called "Ertish" in the book. The poor dear doesn't even know her own language! The "Ertish" is mostly a made-up language, with a tiny scattering of Irish here and there. And why would it be so offensive to include the Irish language? The Ertish people are portrayed in a very complimentary way throughout the book. Where that reviewer's idea of leprechauns came from is a mystery. There are none in the book, the reviewer must have made them up. Anyone can see there is no Celtic mythology in the story, but there is English and Celtic folklore. There IS a difference. It would a good idea for people to get their facts right before they start showing their ignorance in public on the Internet.. As readers of these reviews can see, it seems to be those who can spell correctly and write well that give the highest ratings to this book. It takes intelligence to appreciate such fine writing.
Rating:
Summary: A completely different new world
Review: Judging from the other reviews, this seems to be one of those novels you either love or hate! I happened to love it. The author sets up a foreboding, deliciously creepy mood that really took me away from everyday life. The world in this book is filled with creatures from Irish myth, but these bogles, wights, etc. aren't so rare as to be only legends--they run rampant in the landscape, resulting in a dangerous world that humans have to learn how to cope with. Turn your clothes inside out, don't go anywhere without a supply of salt and an iron dagger, etc. Also, some readers complain that the author's use of "big words" was forced--but every word is used exactly right (and I learned some wonderful new ones!) So the author has a bigger vocabulary than most of us--what's wrong with that? The overall effect, for me, was very lush and intriguing. I really look forward to the next book in the series.
Rating: 
Summary: uninteresting and trite
Review: After reading all the great reviews on this book, I couldnt wait to dive into this "Tolkein-esque" world of fantasy. I couldnt be more disappointed. Several things bothered me about the Dart-Thorin's writing style. She seems to enjoy throwing in difficult words that seem way too premeditated. Yes it displays her skills in vocabulary, but it also takes away from the overall flow of the book. The plot was, for the most part, empty. I skimmed through many pages looking for something interesting to happen. Bottom line: Please dont do Tolkein's works the injustice of comparing them to this book.
Rating:
Summary: Ghastly, ghastly, ghastly
Review: I was ecstatic to find some other people also found this book dull beyond measure. I do intend to haul my way through eventually, just to see if the story does get interesting, but frankly I just couldn't stand the overwriting. I'm not a huge fantasy fan, but I don't mind it - this, however, was just "my enormous vocabulary" and a complete lack of characterisation. I couldn't see the point in the folklore - I am a big Celtic mythology buff and I love that stuff, but all C D-T seemed to be doing was repeating a few stories with no apparent narrative tie-ins. I also found her appropriation of Irish language as "Ertish" offensive. We are not diddly-diddly leprechauny elvish "characters". We're real people with a real language. Another reviewer suggested it would be good for children - children with a reading age of 250, perhaps? Extending vocab is great but this is mostly unreadable.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of fuss over very little
Review: I really just don't get the fuss. So far this year this is the most mediocre book I've bothered finishing. And the only reason I finished is because a friend recommended it. I ended up skimming huge chunks just to get through it. The plotting was transparent. With perhaps two exceptions I could pretty much tell what was going to happen. Boring. The characterization was nonexistent. The heroine had no personality, the hero was perfect and had no personality, the secondary characters were archetypes. Boring. The world building was thrown at you in undigestible chunks at the beginning. A good author weaves the world seamlessly into the plot, IMO. And how hokey - she gets a normal face and doesn't know if she's ugly or pretty <eye roll>. And worst of all, this book ends in the middle of nowhere. It. Just. Ends. ARGH!! If I hadn't gotten this book from the library and had actually paid full cover price for it I would be frothing at the mouth.
Rating: 
Summary: Great novel, few glitches
Review: .... That being said, Dart-Thorton has created a unique style of her own, and one that I find simply amazing. This book is like no other fantasy novel i have encountered. I think her integration of Scotish folklore is brilliant. Her text painting skills are better than any current author of fantasy, as is her imagination. The first complaint I have are that some of the concepts were not explained as well as they could have been. I think she is on to a really good thing with the shang wind, but she never fully explained what it was. The second and final complain is that the novel had a cliffhanger ending, and does not stand well by itself. Trilogies are ok, just make each book complete.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful fantasy book
Review: A few days ago I bought this book, thinking it would be a way for me to unwind at night before I went to bed. I decided to read the first few pages soon after I left the store, and I wasnt able to put this book down after. It is a wonderful book, although the ending is a bit annoying, but that is the one of the few faults I have found with this book. The author decribes everything very well, somtimes alittle to much, but its worth it somtimes, you almost feel as if your really there. The author also works in some wonderful folklore which I think really adds to this book. If you like fantasy books, then you should buy this, its worth it.
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