So on to the next novel and the one I have not read before. It is still a bit of a slog at times and I found I got on better with it in small chunks rather than large ones. But more happens in this - there are more revelations and more action. Barrick's annoying whining got less and the end was a real twist. Still not sure what point of Briony's story is though - so far she has left Southmarch - wandered about a bit, met a few people, nothing much has changed and now she's on her way back to Southmarch with an army but she has that by accident.
Everyone is converging on Southmarch for the final showdown, so let's see how it all comes together. ( )

This series continues to be something of an enigma, but not in the usual sense of the word.

Sure, there's a number of great reveals in this volume that let us dive deeper and deeper into what the gods are and what they were and how they work. We understand the god's children, the Fae who are bursting out into this fantasy land and displacing or killing the lesser, or rather, quite equal humans.
There's even a great deal of good action and epic battles and tons of court intrigue and traveling on the road if hobnobbing with gods isn't your thing. It is my thing, however, and I count that part of the storytelling to be some of the most interesting. By far. Keyword STORYTELLING. Those of you who've read this will understand what I mean. It's quite beautiful how the gods and their lands work.

Dreams, imagination, passing on of immortality, the difficulty of children... all of it wraps up into something quite delicious.

And then there's the enigma.

How can something with such core awesomeness in an epic fantasy wind up having so many tedious passages? I'm sorry, but the book is too long. I might have said the same about the other two and by the look of things, the fourth is the worst.

Unfortunately, some storylines lost my interest. I might have perked up with the assassination attempts and the escapes and the times of good dialogue where reveals were being had, but the rest was full of sad tedium.

And yet I still rate this as a four star because on the whole, I love the story. That's the strength of Tad Williams and it's why I'm willing to slog a bit. It's worth it in the end. Especially this novel. The end was pretty fantastic and has me rearing to pick up the next. :)

But I shall wait a little. I need to recharge. :) ( )

The pace is much improved over the second volume, with nearly all of these chapters carrying weight and momentum. Briony regains most of her agency as she seeks foreign assistance against the Shadowmarch usurper. Barrick's narrative improves while he's on his lonesome in the inhospitable fairy lands. Chert is assertive and Chaven further defies his character template as they deal with mysterious events at the castle, now aided by Vansen who gets back to what he's good at. Only Quinnitan languishes for being held prisoner, but her captor Daikonas Vo is interesting and so is her strange psychic tie to Barrick. Various other players have roles as the Quar ramp up the Shadowmarch siege. I don't think anyone makes it this far without being invested in these characters and it's gratifying whenever something goes right for them. Unfortunately we don't reach the conclusion as scheduled, the author again finding himself in need of a fourth volume to close out his trilogy. ( )

The 3rd book of the Shadowmarch tetrology. I ended up reading this in short sections at lunch at work, and I think that really worked against this book. The way it was written made it so it needed to be read in 3-5 long reads.

Barrit ends up going through yet more stuff and meeting the King of the Qar, Briony makes it safely to another kingdom only to face assassination, etc and ends up fleeing back to Southmarch and the fruitcake godking reveals his plans to sacrifice the king of Southmarch to gain control of a god for his own personal use.

This book just didn't really resonate with me, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it in fewer, but longer, sessions. ( )

The saga continues. And again Mr. Williams enraptures me with his perfectly chosen words and deep historical content. The narrator on these audio books is amazing so I'm sure that helps, but really the story is getting deeper and more interesting as it goes. Only one more to go. ( )