Traitors' Gate

This book works on two levels. On the first level it is a satisfying conclusion to the Crossroads trilogy. All loose ends are picked up and, although some events see a little rushed at the end or happen off page, overall the pacing works well. Events also don't go quite as the seasoned reader might anticipate (although there is an increasingly ominous aura surrounding one character) which adds to the pleasure of the book. Warning - you may find it impossible to put down!

On the second level it is a thought provoking read about how to ensure a truly just society. On the surface the Hundred is an idyllic place to live, relaxed about sexuality, democratic and giving women equal rights yet, like Nazi Germany, even reasonably 'good' people show more have joined up with an army whose actions are 'evil'. Why did they join? How do you bring justice to this army? Is justice different from revenge? Is justice different from what seems expedient in the short term?
At the end of the book readers will, I think, be left with a very different perspective to the one they started with. show less

The conclusion of this superb fantasy trilogy pulls no punches as Elliot shows herself capable of writing a story in which people of differing cultures are able to survive and adjust as the world changes about them. Indeed, they are able to change the world. This is a new take on heroic fantasy, not just another variant on the Tolkienian quest. Well-told and feminist without once being preachy.

So, this is book three, so to give a quick recap would be to give spoilers for the previous books, so I won’t. However, I will say that this is less of a review and more of “oh my god” feels sort of wandering thought process. I don’t know why anyone would read it if they haven’t read the books, but I’ll still try to hide spoilers and not get to specific in my burblings.

First off, I loved this book. Loved it.

I mean, I really liked book 1, and enjoyed book 2 even more, but this one… yeah it just did he job. All of the job. Which isn’t to say that it is perfect, because nothing in life is, but I can’t come up with anything wrong with it at the moment.

Second of all the characters. There are so many of them, and they all show more have their own journeys and character arcs, and they are all so real. Even when I didn’t particularly like a character1 I still found myself utterly caught up in their story, and didn’t want to leave it, even when I really wanted to find out what was going on in another characters story.

And then there were the stories and characters that I loved and adored but that went in a way I so didn’t see coming and were so sad and heartbreaking… but I’m venturing into spoiler territory there, so I’ll leave it at that.

But yeah, lots of unexpected events and developments here. The title of the book, Traitors’ Gate, that’s all I’m saying, okay?

And then there is the world building. The main setting for the story is The Hundred, where there are no kings or queens and every town rules itself, with help, in theory, from the Reeves and the Guardians. But at the start of Spirit Gate the reader learns that the Guardians haven’t been seen in at least a generation and the power of the reeves has been slipping. The peace of The Hundred is not to last. In other, bordering, lands things are done differently. Most are ruled by one person, and that centralisation of authority can be useful in times of war. But not only are they organised in different manners, they also have different religions and customs. Even within The Hundred there are those who do not follow all the usual Hundred customs.

These different cultures allow Elliott to explore themes such as sexism, racism, slavery, power and privilege, and so much more. And boy does she! There is loads and loads to discuss in this book.

One issue I did have with the book was that at the start of some of the chapters names of characters and places weren’t capitalised, it is strange how much that interferes with the flow of reading, but I can’t lay the blame for that with the author :) now can I.

I think this book means that I will have to read everything by Elliott that I can, I was already working my way towards that idea, but this has cemented it. Good thing I have her Jaran series already on the kindle, and that her new short story collection The very best of Kate Elliott arrived last week. show less

We have to go through a whole war and family drama and yes, betrayals, with so many points of view. The ending does pull in close enough to leave the impression of a significantly better book, but it was a drag to get there.

Best of the trilogy, worth reading the others just to get this far!

What happens when the war is over? How do you stop mercenaries on your side when they don't want paying and just take over so competently.

Asks lots of questions without answer. Peace and justice how to define them and win love honour and trust.

The intrusion of the wildlings is more prominent and still unexplained, but the book length means there's little room for more extraneous detail.

All the characters have their stories completed and only a few seem unduly contrived, there are some great surprises

Room for many more stories in the world but it's complete as it stands.

The traitors gate - that's not mentioned in the Tales is it?

This is noted as the conclusion of the crossroads trilogy on the front cover, but it certainly feels as if there could be more novels in this series.
If you've read Spirit Gate, and Shadow Gate, then you're aware that the author can generate an extremely credible, living, breathing world, full of realistic characters and institutions.

I could simply say the good guys fight back. This takes on more significant meaning if you've really walked a mile in these characters shoes, as i feel I've done. You begin to know the characters so well, that you have a feeling how they may react in different situations. We know that Reeve Josh will reluctantly follow through and do the right show more thing. We know that Mai would never go to the Temple of the Devourer. We know that the crafty Keshad will somehow find a way. We know that Shai may fall, but he won't be broken.

This is another thing that I liked - we may know them so well, but this makes a betrayal so terrible. If you think you know someone, then they are not that person, then ouch.

There are quite a few suprises here, one of the betrayals I did not see coming. Another I had been suspecting, since the Shadow Gate.

I was upset as I was reading the last few chapters of this novel. But please, stick it out to the end. It doesn't have a nice ending for everyone, but it has an ending that makes sense.

I'm especially happy for Reeve Josh at the end, and feel that most of the characters I've grown to care about are at peace with themselves. There are some whom I am sad for. One whom I'm pretty sure wasn't in here, was the incomparable Eridit. What happened to her? show less

Fine conclusion to the Crossroads trilogy, which showcases Kate Elliott's skill in misdirection. Who exactly should you be rooting for here?