Glenda Larke
Auteur van The Last Stormlord
Over de Auteur
Glenda Larke grew up in Australia. She earned a degree in history and a diploma in education at the University of Western Australia. She has taught English in Australia, Vienna, Tunisia and Malaysia. Larke's first novel, Havenstar was published in 1998 under her married name of Glenda Noramly. In toon meer 2003 she returned to the fantasy genre under the name of Glenda Larke. She is the author of The Isles of Glory trilogy which includes The Aware, Gilfeather and The Tainted. Her second trilogy The Mirage Makers includes Heart of the Mirage, The Shadow of Tyr and Song of the Shiver Barrens. In 2015 she won the Ditmar Award in the Best Novel Category for her title The Lasscar's Dagger. Her series, The Watergivers, which includes The Last Stormlord, Stormlord Rising, and Stormlords Exile, won the 2015 Aurealis Awards Sara Douglass Book Series Award. (Bowker Author Biography) toon minder
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Tagged
Algemene kennis
- Pseudoniemen en naamsvarianten
- Noramly, Glenda
Larke, Glenyce - Geboortedatum
- c. 1955
- Geslacht
- female
- Nationaliteit
- Australia
- Woonplaatsen
- Malaysia
Tunisia - Opleiding
- University of Western Australia (History)
- Beroepen
- environmentalist
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I admired Ms. Larke's ability to craft a good fantasy novel is her pervious book The Aware.Yet this addition to the series, chronicling the further adventures of Blaze Halfbreed, did not match my expectations despite my wanting to enjoy it.
The skill with which to first book was written was what drew me in initially. Many fantasy novels spend too much time detailing “this is how this land works and why” rather than telling readers “these things matter, because it causes this character to…”. Ms. Larke focused on the characters and constructed around them a world that would bring them into the conflict. In doing so, her book becomes a story rather than a novel. The writing was smooth, never troubled by tricky sentences or grammatical errors, yet it was not overly simple either.
I confess that is was for the appeal of the characters that I picked up this sequel. So many fantasy stories have a fantasy stereotype cropping up somewhere, but all of Ms. Larke’s were completely original. Refreshingly, all of the plot conflicts are a direct result of their personal choices in life: Blaze, a half-breed, choices to defy prejudice; Flame turns away from a royal life to embrace freedom, Tor tempers his inner ferocity with his faith in God…but this time the new character, Gilfeather, lacks the same spark. I felt that his utopian culture is too unrealistic, and that he himself never when under true development, merely, he was exposed to more outlandish situations. I also missed hearing the story told from Blaze’s point of view. The antagonist, a “ruthless dunmagicker” also shed some of his appeal on closer examination, and I much preferred him when he was a sinister presence as opposed to a person.
As for the plot…well, I’m not sure where Ms. Larke was taking me. Because I was hearing the story from Gilfeather’s perspective, I was shuffled from the main conflict and became an observer rather than an active part of the interesting parts, (i.e. what Blaze and co. were up to). The new islands seemed designed to prop up the plot rather than begin scenery, although I will salute their creativity.
Final Word: A disappointing sequel, but not a bad read. The originality and returning characters kept it afloat, and I’ll still pick up the concluding novel.
… (meer)
The skill with which to first book was written was what drew me in initially. Many fantasy novels spend too much time detailing “this is how this land works and why” rather than telling readers “these things matter, because it causes this character to…”. Ms. Larke focused on the characters and constructed around them a world that would bring them into the conflict. In doing so, her book becomes a story rather than a novel. The writing was smooth, never troubled by tricky sentences or grammatical errors, yet it was not overly simple either.
I confess that is was for the appeal of the characters that I picked up this sequel. So many fantasy stories have a fantasy stereotype cropping up somewhere, but all of Ms. Larke’s were completely original. Refreshingly, all of the plot conflicts are a direct result of their personal choices in life: Blaze, a half-breed, choices to defy prejudice; Flame turns away from a royal life to embrace freedom, Tor tempers his inner ferocity with his faith in God…but this time the new character, Gilfeather, lacks the same spark. I felt that his utopian culture is too unrealistic, and that he himself never when under true development, merely, he was exposed to more outlandish situations. I also missed hearing the story told from Blaze’s point of view. The antagonist, a “ruthless dunmagicker” also shed some of his appeal on closer examination, and I much preferred him when he was a sinister presence as opposed to a person.
As for the plot…well, I’m not sure where Ms. Larke was taking me. Because I was hearing the story from Gilfeather’s perspective, I was shuffled from the main conflict and became an observer rather than an active part of the interesting parts, (i.e. what Blaze and co. were up to). The new islands seemed designed to prop up the plot rather than begin scenery, although I will salute their creativity.
Final Word: A disappointing sequel, but not a bad read. The originality and returning characters kept it afloat, and I’ll still pick up the concluding novel.
… (meer)
It was a good story, interesting world, and good characters. I enjoyed it whenever I was reading it, but somehow I often let it lie for weeks on end. I don't really know why, but it was not pulling me in, even though it had all the potential. It could have been my mood, this has been a stressful year and my brain could not always cope with things less readily accessible.
Its been so long since I've read a straight fantasy that I've almost forgotten what its like. Don't get me wrong I love my urban fantasies, my romance fantasies...but I miss my straight ones. Glenda Larke is a favorite of mine from her 'Isles of Glory' books (of which I still haven't read book 3...), I'd even put her on par with my enjoyment of the Mistborn books or Tredana books honestly.
Stormlord starts out rather bleakly. Terelle has a dark future ahead of her as a handmaiden in Madame Opal's snuggery. As a handmaiden she's basically little better then a Geisha--she is company for men, sings, dances, plays musical instruments--but with the added duty of being a pleasing companion in bed as well. Mind you she's only 12 years old, her father sold her into this life and her older half-sister Vivie keeps telling her to suck it up and go with the flow.
From there we head to where Nealrith, son of Granlon (a cloudmaster, ie: very important guy), is visiting the water cisterns with Kaneth, his friend. Things are bad, the water levels being no where near where they should be. The solutions presented by Kaneth are both impossible and morally black, but the options are few. Is it better to be rid of a great many to save a few or should they all perish the same, slow, death?
There is a number of different intrigues going on--politically, personally and wide spread. Its not just that the water shortage problem is just now occurring, the problem is that its happening when there hasn't been enough Stormlords. In the last decades only a handful or so of potentials have been born and through disease, death and inability none of them are suitable for the position.
As one should expect from Larke's writing the narrative is lush with details. The layers of society are pretty simple to understand, but the world itself is more complex. From the religion (there is the Sunlord and the Raingiver--both practical given the world and concerns) to the social hierarchy (the more water sensitive you are, the better off you will be) Larke weaves an intricate net of survival.
I found myself liking Kaneth and Ryka despite some of my earlier misgivings. Kaneth is something of a playboy, until recently not prone to overthinking matters or worrying over the future. Current situations being what they are he's beginning to take a more active stance. Is it too late however? Ryka is a bookish woman with a slightly bitter attitude towards men (and Kaneth in general) and marriage. She is however someone you want beside you, she is intelligent, quick-witted and thinks on her feet. She's fiery as well, but that can sometimes be to her detriment.
I am, of course, impatient to read the next volume. With the North American release not until March 2010 (cry with me) and the subsequent volumes not being released until March and September 2010 in Australia, it feels like a loooong wait.
I will say this, I like the Australian cover much more then the US one. I think it fits better. The US/Orbit cover looks kind of like Gail Z. Martin's Necromancer cover and I don't think green is the best color to have.… (meer)
Stormlord starts out rather bleakly. Terelle has a dark future ahead of her as a handmaiden in Madame Opal's snuggery. As a handmaiden she's basically little better then a Geisha--she is company for men, sings, dances, plays musical instruments--but with the added duty of being a pleasing companion in bed as well. Mind you she's only 12 years old, her father sold her into this life and her older half-sister Vivie keeps telling her to suck it up and go with the flow.
From there we head to where Nealrith, son of Granlon (a cloudmaster, ie: very important guy), is visiting the water cisterns with Kaneth, his friend. Things are bad, the water levels being no where near where they should be. The solutions presented by Kaneth are both impossible and morally black, but the options are few. Is it better to be rid of a great many to save a few or should they all perish the same, slow, death?
There is a number of different intrigues going on--politically, personally and wide spread. Its not just that the water shortage problem is just now occurring, the problem is that its happening when there hasn't been enough Stormlords. In the last decades only a handful or so of potentials have been born and through disease, death and inability none of them are suitable for the position.
As one should expect from Larke's writing the narrative is lush with details. The layers of society are pretty simple to understand, but the world itself is more complex. From the religion (there is the Sunlord and the Raingiver--both practical given the world and concerns) to the social hierarchy (the more water sensitive you are, the better off you will be) Larke weaves an intricate net of survival.
I found myself liking Kaneth and Ryka despite some of my earlier misgivings. Kaneth is something of a playboy, until recently not prone to overthinking matters or worrying over the future. Current situations being what they are he's beginning to take a more active stance. Is it too late however? Ryka is a bookish woman with a slightly bitter attitude towards men (and Kaneth in general) and marriage. She is however someone you want beside you, she is intelligent, quick-witted and thinks on her feet. She's fiery as well, but that can sometimes be to her detriment.
I am, of course, impatient to read the next volume. With the North American release not until March 2010 (cry with me) and the subsequent volumes not being released until March and September 2010 in Australia, it feels like a loooong wait.
I will say this, I like the Australian cover much more then the US one. I think it fits better. The US/Orbit cover looks kind of like Gail Z. Martin's Necromancer cover and I don't think green is the best color to have.… (meer)
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I now wish that I had re-read the first two books prior to this one because my memory of some events was fuzzy and non-existent for others. For the most part, though it was a satisfying ending if sometimes a bit predictable. I will definately go back at some point to re-read and give it a solic c