Rating: 
Summary: Brother & Sister Assassins versus the Grim Reaper
Review: A 'noir' fantasy. "Fifth Quarter" reminded me of one of those old German woodcuts of the Grim Reaper stalking through a medieval village, bishops, commoners, and knights falling dead in his path. The grim reaper in this tale is a pathetic old man with a Song that can seal the souls of the dead back inside their decaying bodies.Tanya Huff sets "Fifth Quarter" in the same world as "Sing the Four Quarters". There are Bards who can Sing to the 'kigh', the elemental spirits of earth, air, fire, and water. The Empire and its armies are major elements in the plot. However, "Fifth Quarter" is not a continuation of the earlier book. It is the story of brother and sister assassins, who end up inhabiting the same body (the sister's) when they attempt to kill a man who has discovered the secret of eternal life. How the brother gets his body back is one of the book's dominant plot lines, along with the hunt for the grim reaper, who has abducted the Emperor's son. I didn't enjoy "Fifth Quarter" as much as Huff's earlier book. It dwells too much on incest and decaying bodies. However, it is a strong, well-plotted novel with likeable, interesting characters (the only exception is the narcissistic brother-assassin). Huff does her usual good job with the minor characters, too. I grew especially fond of the city guard who is one of the first to encounter the walking dead. She survives the encounter, only to be demoted because no one believes her. Next, she barely escapes death at the hand of the sister-assassin. Finally, she stumbles across the assassin who has sworn to kill the brother-sister team because they deserted the Army.. I've already bought the sequel, "No Quarter" to see what happens to Vree and her new live-in companion. Huff is always worth reading, especially for her carefully developed characters.
Rating:
Summary: Brother & Sister Assassins versus the Grim Reaper
Review: A 'noir' fantasy. "Fifth Quarter" reminded me of one of those old German woodcuts of the Grim Reaper stalking through a medieval village, bishops, commoners, and knights falling dead in his path. The grim reaper in this tale is a pathetic old man with a Song that can seal the souls of the dead back inside their decaying bodies. Tanya Huff sets "Fifth Quarter" in the same world as "Sing the Four Quarters". There are Bards who can Sing to the 'kigh', the elemental spirits of earth, air, fire, and water. The Empire and its armies are major elements in the plot. However, "Fifth Quarter" is not a continuation of the earlier book. It is the story of brother and sister assassins, who end up inhabiting the same body (the sister's) when they attempt to kill a man who has discovered the secret of eternal life. How the brother gets his body back is one of the book's dominant plot lines, along with the hunt for the grim reaper, who has abducted the Emperor's son. I didn't enjoy "Fifth Quarter" as much as Huff's earlier book. It dwells too much on incest and decaying bodies. However, it is a strong, well-plotted novel with likeable, interesting characters (the only exception is the narcissistic brother-assassin). Huff does her usual good job with the minor characters, too. I grew especially fond of the city guard who is one of the first to encounter the walking dead. She survives the encounter, only to be demoted because no one believes her. Next, she barely escapes death at the hand of the sister-assassin. Finally, she stumbles across the assassin who has sworn to kill the brother-sister team because they deserted the Army.. I've already bought the sequel, "No Quarter" to see what happens to Vree and her new live-in companion. Huff is always worth reading, especially for her carefully developed characters.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent!
Review: Fifth Quarter has quite a few interesting characters involved in intricate relationships. There's excellent action, horror, romance, and a bit of humor mixed in throughout the story. This book explores taboos but doesn't step delicately; rather, it plainly thrusts the situation in your face. I enjoyed the emotional stress on all the different characters as their self-images changed. Tanya Huff does a lot of character development in her books.
Rating:
Summary: A brilliant book
Review: Having found the first of this series and being totally hooked, I was certainly not disappointed. If you enjoy Anne McCaffrey or Mercedes Lackey, you will love this and indeed the whole series. Be careful...not a book easy to put down.
Rating: 
Summary: If you have another book on your list, read it first
Review: Maybe you will like this book. I didn't. Huff attempted to do something new with gender by pushing a male into a female's body (actually, a brother and sister are sharing her body). Personally, I think it fell rather flat. The hint (well, MORE than a hint) of incestuous desires was mostly gratuitous. I wasn't impressed. In addition, I didn't care for the objects of their quest: (1) to acquire the body of a prince and push HIS spirit out of his body and (2) to locate a "could-have-been" bard who is raising the dead, like zombies. The whole "walk of the living dead" portions of the novel were too dark for me, but I generally prefer my fantasy to be more idyllic, epic, or lighthearted. Hey, this book might be for you if the gothic or vampires appeal. If not, I'd pass on this one. Read "Sing the Four Quarters" (book 1) and "The Quartered Sea" (book 4) instead and skip the two middle novels. Both are self-contained enough that books 2 and 3 won't be missed.
Rating:
Summary: If you have another book on your list, read it first
Review: Maybe you will like this book. I didn't. Huff attempted to do something new with gender by pushing a male into a female's body (actually, a brother and sister are sharing her body). Personally, I think it fell rather flat. The hint (well, MORE than a hint) of incestuous desires was mostly gratuitous. I wasn't impressed. In addition, I didn't care for the objects of their quest: (1) to acquire the body of a prince and push HIS spirit out of his body and (2) to locate a "could-have-been" bard who is raising the dead, like zombies. The whole "walk of the living dead" portions of the novel were too dark for me, but I generally prefer my fantasy to be more idyllic, epic, or lighthearted. Hey, this book might be for you if the gothic or vampires appeal. If not, I'd pass on this one. Read "Sing the Four Quarters" (book 1) and "The Quartered Sea" (book 4) instead and skip the two middle novels. Both are self-contained enough that books 2 and 3 won't be missed.
Rating:
Summary: Beneath the surface
Review: This book brought back fond memories of The Firestone...my first encounter with Huff...managed to create a tapestry of words, revealing all the many things going on just beneath the surface. The simplistic yet complexity of each character reminds me of people in 'real life' The petty bickering of sibling rivalry mixed with very serious issues of FAMILY blend well with the other aspects bubbling away within the pages. Even though i felt more kinship with Vree (there is nothing i would not suffer for my brother) Bannon managed to find a special place in the circle of my thoughts...Despite his self-centered rediculous behavior...Shallow, vain, beautiful, mysterious but most of all silly. I read this in one day...now i'm just slightly vexed because that's it...the end! well of course there was the Quartered Sea... and to think...I kept frowning and leaving this book on the store shelf for so long!
Rating:
Summary: Beneath the surface
Review: This book brought back fond memories of The Firestone...my first encounter with Huff...managed to create a tapestry of words, revealing all the many things going on just beneath the surface. The simplistic yet complexity of each character reminds me of people in 'real life' The petty bickering of sibling rivalry mixed with very serious issues of FAMILY blend well with the other aspects bubbling away within the pages. Even though i felt more kinship with Vree (there is nothing i would not suffer for my brother) Bannon managed to find a special place in the circle of my thoughts...Despite his self-centered rediculous behavior...Shallow, vain, beautiful, mysterious but most of all silly. I read this in one day...now i'm just slightly vexed because that's it...the end! well of course there was the Quartered Sea... and to think...I kept frowning and leaving this book on the store shelf for so long!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: This is a an amazing book! The characters are built, and I felt that I really understood what they were feeling. The action was fast-paced, but the plot was still built delicately. I really enjoyed the topic also, two assassins whose target turns their lives upside-down. I found the characters highly amusing with their witty remarks and sometimes stupidity. But, be warned, if you don't want love in your books, this might not be the book for you. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: This is a an amazing book! The characters are built, and I felt that I really understood what they were feeling. The action was fast-paced, but the plot was still built delicately. I really enjoyed the topic also, two assassins whose target turns their lives upside-down. I found the characters highly amusing with their witty remarks and sometimes stupidity. But, be warned, if you don't want love in your books, this might not be the book for you. I highly recommend it.
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