The Sharing Knife: Book 4
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Liked It “Pretty good, but not as exciting as I had hoped.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “An interesting concept of evil is presented in this series, but more importantly, it delves into issues of racism and segregation. Those human themes presented in such non-human ways are what I love about Sci-Fi and Fantasy.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“An interesting concept of evil is presented in this series, but more importantly, it delves into issues of racism and segregation. Those human themes presented in such non-human ways are what I love about Sci-Fi and Fantasy.”
JM wrote this review Tuesday, November 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Pretty good, but not as exciting as I had hoped.”
Natalie H wrote this review Monday, October 5 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“although i could keep reading about dag and fawn and all their adventures forever, this was a great conclusion to the series.”
californiameaghan wrote this review Saturday, June 6 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Fourth book in a slow, but rewarding series. Not Bujold's best, but still a satisfying read.”
aprillee wrote this review Wednesday, May 20 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I found the fourth and final installment of the Sharing Knife series to be a satisfying end to Dag and Fawn's adventures. The cast of characters that seems to surround them, inspite of them, are realistic if frustrating. I genuinely cared about their fates. I continued to appreciate the relationship portrayed between Dag and Fawn and admit to finally overcoming their age difference. I can easily see Bujold picking up this world at sometime in the future, focusing on other characters, perhaps the children of these characters and the legacy with which they've been left. Good read.”
Nissanmama wrote this review Monday, April 13 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I liked this book as a good conclusion to the series. It will not stand on its own though and you will want to read the 3 prior. It starts with Dag and Fawn finally finding the help Dag has wanted, and this part is very detailed and slow as it rehashes past mystery's and problems of the other books. It took me awhile to remember all the things he was sorting through. Then the end is back to more classic Dag and Fawn courage, adventure and devotion. I liked the book overall, but it wasn't as gripping in the first half as the others and the Dag/Fawn relationship didn't feel as passionate until the end.”
Escape via Books wrote this review Tuesday, March 10 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This book has some of everything. The cultural interactions were interesting and the magic was facinating and the action was well paced. A wedding, Dag studies magic, missunderstandings between Lakewalkers and Farmers, traveling in a caravan of homesteaders, and fighting off mudmen; all done very well.”
Heather G wrote this review Tuesday, March 3 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This book is the best of the entire series!!! I love the romance, the adventure, the nightmarish creatures that truly did disturb my dreams! There was love and anguish and sacrifice all tied up in a beautiful package that kept going all the way to the end! The Sharing Knife series is one of my all time favorites and can you believe it??? Not one hunky vampire and I still LOVELOVELOVE IT!!!!!!! Thanks Lois for giving us this wonderful world!!!”
stupid shiny volvo driver wrote this review Wednesday, February 18 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Everything I wanted and more! THIS is how a fourth and final book in a series should be.”
Ouisa wrote this review Wednesday, January 28 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I had the privilege recently to read the Sharing Knife series by Lois McMaster Bujold, courtesy of Eos. This four volume series tells the story of the young farmgirl Fawn and her relationship with the middle-aged Dag. As a patroller, Dag is responsible for walking the land looking for the life-sucking demons known as blight boggles or malices. As a widower, he's also walking the land looking for death.
Kiara wrote this review Sunday, January 11 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Then he rescues the helpless, pregnant Fawn from the slimy grasp of a moderately powerful malice; but not before the creature manages to literally rip the life from her three month old fetus. Dag nurses Fawn back to health, and in the course of doing so falls once again into love. Their love is, of course, forbidden by both their peoples but neither cares.
You see, in their world, there are patrollers and there are farmers. The latter group basically encompasses all the not-patrollers: farmers, merchants, soldiers, and regular people who don't have the extrasensory powers of the patrollers. It's a classic case of love bridging the division of right-side/wrong-side of the tracks. There is prejudice and mistrust on both sides and neither group feels very comfortable with the other.
As one-half of a multi-racial marriage, this particular theme struck a chord with me. When Dag and Fawn marry and neither group is really willing to accept them, where will they live? Will their respective families allow them to remain together or try to force them asunder? Where does a young couple make their home when their roots are at odds? Is their relationship strong enough to face the inevitable prejudice and doubt of their friends and family?
Then throw in the fact that these demon-like malices are emerging more and more frequently to face a dwindling supply of kamikazi patrollers willing to donate their heart's deaths to their destruction. The big question then is - Can Dag stay married to and protect Fawn without walking away from the responsibilities that he's shouldered for his entire life? Can he convince both sides that they need each other in the fight for their very existence?
One of the central themes throughout the seres is whether one open-minded couple can change the very structure of their world. Horizon doesn't necessarily come right out and answer that question. By the last paragraph, Dag and Fawn have made a very good start. Some very small social changes, combined with a very dramatically portrayed final battle with an extremely strong and destructive malice, are an excellent start. But Bujold doesn't give us the answer to that question. She leaves us with the same things we have in this world: A good idea, a head start, and a whole lot of hope.
I enjoyed this series very much. It was a deep, well-woven tapestry with some of the best world-building I've ever seen. Stories are like relationships. Some of them reach out, grab you by the heart and leave you breathless, wanting more. The Sharing Knife is more like that solid, dependable guy you once dated. Remember? He's the one who always opened doors and remembered your birthday, giving you the same flowers every year. You smile to think about him; you enjoyed his company. But you broke up with him a year ago because that "spark" just wasn't there. I didn't fall in love with the world, but it was a very pleasant distraction to retreat into for a time.
The age difference between Fawn and Dag creeped me out a little. I understand that Fawn's youthful eighteen-year-old exuberance is meant to give the fifty-five-year-old Dag something new to live for. I just have to admit that my skin crawled just a little bit every time I thought of it.
I was impressed by the way Bujold managed to portray a one-handed hero without ever making it seem like he was handicapped. Dag's maiming fit into the story without it being something he needed to "over come" in order to live normally. It simply was an aspect of him, like having dark hair or being tall. Having only one hand wasn't any more a detriment to Dag than having brown eyes is to me.
Overall, I think this series sits at a very solid B. It's not something I'll race to re-read but it's nice to know it's there in case I'd like to revisit it.// Originally posted at: http://waitingforfairies.com/2008/review-sharing…cmaster-bujoldreview-sharing-knife-horizon-by-lois-mcmaster-bujold/ ”
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