I liked this book about Ki and Vandien the most out of the whole four. However, I did not feel as if there was an ongoing story through the series that reached a conclusion in this one. Rather, it felt mostly like a completely seperate story, except for the fact it happened to involve the two main characters of the previous books. That being said, I have to remark that I found this book constructed well, flavored with enough mystery to keep me interested as I read on and things began to fall into place. It was a good read. ( )

Not necessary to the series; more like a 'buy 3 get one Free bonus.' Still, if you've read this far, you don't want to miss this. Humor, drama, romance, and, yes, even more world-building, provocative ideas and original non-human races. ( )

This final book in the [Ki and Vandien Quartet] was a humdinger! Ki and Vandien, obeying the orders of the Windsingers have moved further south and away but the country in which they find themselves now is under the rule of a harsh Duke and getting jobs isn't easy. They end up agreeing to take an adolescent boy to his uncle, a trip of about two weeks. But the boy is no ordinary boy, he is part Jore and this means he has some interesting powers. The problem is that he has never been taught anything about how to protect himself or control what he can do and the results are maddening and terrifying. They also acquire a young woman running away to meet her lover. The two young ones loathe one another and sometimes it is funny, sometimes not. At first, Ki and Vandien have no idea what the bigger issues are. "'The worst thing about children,' Ki observed, speaking in a very small voice, 'is that they require one to act like an adult while provoking one to act like a spoiled brat.'" The greater story, which of course they get caught up in, is the rebellion against the Duke, wonderfully spun out. If you are into sword play description, it can't be done better than in one of the final scenes. Fantasy writing at the highest level. ****1/2 ( )

...I would like to say that Luck of the Wheels is a fitting conclusion for the series but that would probably not be correct. In some ways it still feels like an incomplete series. Lindholm wrote as self contained stories however. The ending of this novel is satisfying enough but I can’t help but wonder what else Lindholm had in mind for the two companions. This novel is probably the most well-written of the quartet. The pacing in particular has much improved since the first novel in the series. Overseeing the whole series I think The Limbreth Gate remains my favorite though. That being said, Luck of the Wheel, just like the previous novels in the series, is well worth reading. They may not be the epic, sprawling fantasy novels Lindholm has produced under her other pen name Robin Hobb but these leaner novels should still appeal to the fantasy fans. This reread has reinforced my opinion work published under the Lindholm pseudonym is a bit under appreciated.

Full Random Comments review ( )

Ce dernier roman de la série Ki et Vandien est dans la lignée des précédents volumes. Les deux personnages principaux, Ki et Vandien, sont toujours intéressants et les personnages secondaires sont bien dessinés par l'auteur et apporte un réel intérêt à l'intrigue. Une pointe de déception apparaît devant l'incrédulité de Ki et Vandien face à ces personnages et parfois, leurs réactions ne cadrent pas avec leurs caractères tels que décrits depuis trois livres. Mais si l'on évalue ce livre comme étant le dernier d'une série et devant donc la conclure, on ne peut être que déçu. En effet, on se serait attendu à avoir des réponses à des questions apparues dans les trois volumes précédents et restées en suspens jusque là. Il n'en est rien. Le passé de Ventchanteuse de Ki n'est pas abordé et nous n'en serons donc pas plus la concernant. Ce volume apparaît en fait plus comme une aventure intermédiaire et non finale. Il est dommage que l'auteur n'ait pas voulu ou pu terminer sa série avec le même talent qu'elle a mis à la développer. ( )