The Feast of the Trickster

Rating:
Summary: Unsatisfying Sequel
Review:

"Colors in the Dreamweaver's Loom" (the prequel) was a decent read, with a surprising and hope-tinged (though not exactly happy) ending. But "Feast of the Trickster" was not written with the same attention to detail. The characters spend half the book doing things unrelated to the storyline, and are constantly manuevering to do something which they can never quite accomplish. As for the friend they're so urgently searching for (and who the reader would also like to see again), she's gone. T'san -- Alexander Scarsdale -- appears in name only, a hollow shell of the person she once was. There is no joyful reunion, no real revisit of the exotic lands and people we met before. Most of the action takes place in T'san's world, which the author describes only briefly. The ending didn't really satisfy me. Still, others might like it better.

It might be worth reading once, but I personally chose to "forget" this book and just remember the first. I would have liked a good sequel, but it is sort of fun to make up my own version of what happened next.

Oh, and for those of you looking for copies of these out-of-print titles, you may find some at the Advanced Book Exchange. The prices seem a little inflated, but they ARE out-of-print titles.

Rating:
Summary: Unsatisfying Sequel
Review:

"Colors in the Dreamweaver's Loom" (the prequel) was a decent read, with a surprising and hope-tinged (though not exactly happy) ending. But "Feast of the Trickster" was not written with the same attention to detail. The characters spend half the book doing things unrelated to the storyline, and are constantly manuevering to do something which they can never quite accomplish. As for the friend they're so urgently searching for (and who the reader would also like to see again), she's gone. T'san -- Alexander Scarsdale -- appears in name only, a hollow shell of the person she once was. There is no joyful reunion, no real revisit of the exotic lands and people we met before. Most of the action takes place in T'san's world, which the author describes only briefly. The ending didn't really satisfy me. Still, others might like it better.

It might be worth reading once, but I personally chose to "forget" this book and just remember the first. I would have liked a good sequel, but it is sort of fun to make up my own version of what happened next.

Oh, and for those of you looking for copies of these out-of-print titles, you may find some at the Advanced Book Exchange. The prices seem a little inflated, but they ARE out-of-print titles.

Rating:
Summary: Great Set Of Books
Review: I can truly say that I loved this book as well as it's sequel! The heroin, Zan Scarsdale, was believable and endearing. Karivet and Iobeh were sweet and more mature than most adults I know. Remarr's plight was very familiar to the way families work today. Ychass's wild, passionate spirit was refreshing and close-to-heart. Vihena reminded me a tad of myself, striving to be herself while others around her try to shove her into a mold that she neither fits nor wants to be enclosed in. These books wonderful and have remained so even after the 5th time I've read them. I strongly urge you to go to your local library and see if they have these two books.

Rating:
Summary: It definately wasn't boring!!!
Review: Three years have passed since Zan was ripped from the Dreamweaver's Loom, and in that time, the Dreamweaver's world has fallen upon harsh times. Back on Earth, Zan has convinced herself that the story she created about the cult is true and that the memories she has are mearly dellusions; she believes herself to be crazy. The Five (Ychass, Remarr, Vihena, Karivet, and Iobeh) are sent by the gods to bring her back in order to save their world and end her torments. The task, however, turns out to be more complicated than they thought. The new world the Five have been thrust into is very confusing to them, plus they have no idea how to find Zan.Meanwhile, the gods try to communicate with Zan through dreams, etc., not knowing it is driving her to the brink of insanity.

While this book does not mainly focus on Zan anymore, it takes new twists and turns, following instead the Five. You will get occasional glimpses of Zan as she struggles to cope with her feelings, of the Dreamweaver and three of the gods as she tries yet again to weave Zan and the Five a Fate, and of the Trickster (whom you find out is much more of a person than you think), who was also thrown into Zan's world and is trying to find her before the Five do. Altogether, it was an enjoyable book. (Who am I kidding? I couldn't stop grinning at the end! While it IS strange, it fits.)