2.5 stars

Not much happened, really, and I'm a little disappointed with the Edene storyline, honestly. ( )

Great cover art. Archery on horseback and a pregnant steppe woman becoming the dread scorpion queen. I liked it. ( )

Shattered Pillars is the second book in Bear’s Eternal Sky series, which starts with Range of Ghosts, an epic fantasy series with a setting based off Central Asia. You will need to read the first book before picking up Shattered Pillars, but there are no spoilers for the first book in this review.

Temur is the grandson of the Great Khan, who’s empire is being torn asunder in a civil war. As a potential heir, Temur’s sought by assassins sent by his uncle. Samarkar was once a princess of the Rasan Empire, before she gave up her position to become a wizard of the Citadel. When a secret cult sets out to topple empires, it is Temur and Samarkar who are caught in the middle.

There’s things I love about Shattered Pillars, but also areas where I think it’s lacking. Crucially, I could copy and paste my review of the first book for this one. I actually did do that for the above plot summary.

I noted in my review of the first book that it felt like the majority of the novel was characters moving from place to place. This remains true. Temur, Samarkar, and their allies are moving from Point A to Point B, with attacks from random assassins in a failed effort to give some urgency. The beginning was slow, although I did get more involved with it later on. I still think this series has major problems with pacing and plotting.

However… this series does have its good points, which also happen to fall onto my list of favorite things. The imagery is spectacular. The setting is imaginative and wondrous, and Bear brings it to life beautifully with her excellent prose. It’s the sort of setting that makes me want to break out my watercolors and make some illustrations.

Shattered Pillars also has a wide variety of female characters who do things. One of my particular favorites is Hrahima, who’s a member of a tiger-like species and who’s secrets are being slowly revealed. I’m also growing increasingly interested in the sister assassin, Saadet.

I do wonder if this series is just a mediocre plot and story with a fantastic paint job. Is it the literary equivalent of James Cameron’s Avatar with its all immersive visuals but ho hum story? Regardless, I’ve already bought the final book in the trilogy.

If you’re looking for vivid and beautiful world building, you should definitely check the Eternal Sky trilogy out. If you’re looking for an epic fantasy with prominent and well written female characters, it’s also worth looking into.

Originally posted on The Illustrated Page. ( )

Please read the full review on Weighing A Pig Doesn't Fatten It...

It’s always a thrill when the second book you read of an author turns out to be as good as the first. Thrilling, but sometimes daunting too, since it usually means my TBR-pile grows with a substantial number of titles. 26, in the case of Elizabeth Bear. Shattered Pillars is even better than Range of Ghosts, the book it is a sequel to.

That’s not only because it’s not the first of a trilogy, (...) ( )

If you had not read the first book in the trilogy, don't even try to read this book. It starts exactly where the previous finished and it sets the stage for the third one nicely. It is one long story - just split into three pieces. Technically each of the novels has its own stories to tell but the whole tapestry of Bear's novel is covered in the three books.

This book, the second in the trilogy, starts exactly where the previous finished: Temur, Samarkar, Hrahima and brother Hsiung in Asitaneh with Temur's grandfather Tesefahun, on their way to try to save Edene; Edene wandering around after she managed to escape and starting to realize that there is no free lunch and the ring she stole is not just a great helping tool but a cursed object. Meanwhile the plague in Tsarepheth is getting worse and Temur's uncle is trying to consolidate power while the Al-Sepehr keeps manipulating everyone to get the Rahazeen in power.

And as a middle book of a trilogy, its main job is to put all the people in the correct places for the big finale. Edene ends up being the easiest to get there (and there ends up being Erem - the old world that everyone believes not to exist anymore) - this is where the rings ends up being from and she ends up being the queen of the ghulim (it was about time for the Ghuls to make an appearance after all. Before the book is over, the djinn and dragons will also make an appearance). Her story continues in the realm of Erem and it almost feels like time is just marked - things do happen but she gets where she needs to be too fast and her story is almost expected at this point.

In the meantime Temur and his company go on a grand adventure - crossing mountains and seas, fighting and bribing, getting almost killed more than once. And in between all that we learn more about brother Hsiung (who finally has something to do) and Hrahima; and Samarkar and Temur continue their affair (and he finally learns that Edene is pregnant). And finally everyone acknowledges that Bansh is not just a mare.

Add to this an empress that finally realizes what she had done, the understanding of what the plagues is, Edene's tribe ending up in Tsarepheth and a volcano starting to erupt. And as if it is not enough, a saddle ends up where it should not have, a man get trapped in someone's head and Temur learns that he may be able to find his real name -- while at the same time learning to be a ruler without anyone to rule for now.0

By the end of the book, there is a baby born, a baby on the way and a baby colt with unusual coat. Everyone knows that all of these will be important - as will be the changing skies over areas that in some cases had never seen those skies. And Temur finally raises his banner.

It is a great continuance of the first volume - and I will be reading the third one shortly. ( )