Saint Fire

Rating:
Summary: A Good Read...
Review: After thoroughly enjoying 'Faces Under Water' the first book in this series...I was rubbing my hands together waiting for this one to hit the shelves. I was not as thrilled with this one as the first...I enjoyed the main character, Volpa in 'Saint Fire' ..but some of the minor characters I kept mixing up (the names are similar) and I was at times bored with the "war is emminent" plot, which I know is necessary - but I would've preferred more in depth interaction with the charecters (maybe some more diologue).. But, basically I enjoyed it - and I recommend it. I just liked it a bit less than Venus book 1.

Rating:
Summary: Not As Good As It Should Be
Review: I love Tanith Lee. I've read almost all of her books over the years and although she has had a clinker or two in the past, "Saint Fire" is an unexpected clinker...

"Faces Under Water", the first book in this series, was very good. The story, the characters and the writing all made it a great read. I expected the second book to follow the pattern but it didn't.

"Saint Fire" almost seems like a rewrite of some older story or a half-hearted attempt to continue the Venus series. This story sure didn't move along. There was far, far too much "religious-ness" which, in parts was necessary but in other parts was over kill. The heroine -- Volpa/Beatifica, was typical Lee: a frail, quiet, pale girl with gold eyes (do all Lee's heroine's have gold eyes?) who has a Power. She isn't particularily interesting and you just can't get to like her. Which is also typical Lee... Oftentimes you find that you end up more interested in a secondary character than the main ones. But even here, none of the characters roused any sympathy or interest. The "knight of God", Cristiano, was cold and strange. The Magister, Danielus, was manipulative and weak. The plot itself was weak, too. Out of the blue, "infidels" from another country come screaming across the sea to attack the "good guys". Why? There was no good reason for a war except the obvious -- the heroine can call up fire at will. The ships of the enemy are made of wood. Hmmmm.

Well, anyway, I really looked forward to this book and was very disapointed. It dragged and staggled along to a very un-exciting, un-interesting finish. And was confusing in between. If a no-name author had tried to get this published, no editor in the world would have agreed. Because Tanith Lee is a Name, the editors evidentially don't bother to read her stuff over. I can only hope that if there is are books 3 and 4, they are better than this.