Kate Elliott

[GOLLUM]

I await the results of your little field trip with bated breath.

Don''t get too wet now..

 

[ericf]

Yes, Jennifer Roberson wrote the first third of Golden Key.

I love that book. But I found part one and 3 to be the best. After a second reading part 2 felt better but I'm not fond of the preaching tone of Melanie Rawn's writing. And I didn't find Roberson's writing repetitive at all. If something is repeated it's for a purpose but I don't reacall any of that and I read the book a second time about 6 months ago.

I haven't read any of the Crown of Stars books yet. I have them on my shelf. I loved the Jaran series and I'm quite annoyed that Daw didn't let her go on with it at the time. It will take several years for her to be able to go back to it now.

I have also read the first book of the Highroad Trilogy. A great, light read. A bit too light for my taste but it does get more complicated as the start of the second book indicates. Space Opera written in an engaging way. Characters that you do care about or are annoyed at.

Do read Kate Elliott.
ericf

 

[Alia]

That's interesting about the Jaran Series ericf. A friend who has already read the four books told me it wasn't finished. So now I'm going to ask a stupid question...
Does Daw have that much control over what Kate writes? Can they tell her not to write a story? How does that work anyways?

For the Highroad Triology, I'll have to check into that one, sounds interesting.

If you haven't finished reading the Crown of Stars then I suggest you ought to. Very good reading with a bit of intrique involved. If you figure out who Alain is let me know... lol

Alia

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I wonder whether that was an editorial decision or actually Kate/Alis's own -- to stop writing the Jaran books and move on to the fantasy series.

Because I know that she had it in mind to write The Crown of Stars books for quite some time. I remember hearing her read an excerpt from the first book at a convention 10-15 years ago.

 

[ericf]

Okay. From what I understand the fourth book of Jaran was titled somthing like Blue Heaven. I'm not totally sure but I think it was partly written when Kate started on Crown of Stars. At the time she said something like that she had always wanted to try something epic in fantasy but that she needed to write a number of books to get into her own style and not make a Tolkien clone.

How that fits with her not continuing Jaran I don't know but we are all well aware of the sales figures of fantasy compared to Science Fiction. That was probably one of the reasons sshe did stop writing the Jaran books and started on something new.
Check here for som answers:
http://www.sff.net/people/Kate.Elliott/faq.html

ericf

 

[Alia]

Thanks for the website ericf. I haven't finished the series yet. My friend who has did tell me that Kate's last book in the series was more of her writing style that I like. I read the Crown of Stars first and loved the style. By the way, have you read those books yet?

 

[ericf]

Are we talking about the last book in the Highroad Trilogy or Jaran? Well, I haven't read the whole Highroad trilogy. I'm about halfway into the second book and I find I'm loving it and finding it frustrating at the same time. But most of that comes from one of the character's behaviour not being explained. It's a mystery.

I have read all the Jaran books. Love them. Want more. And I haven't started on Crown of Stars. Bought all of them but am waiting (he says) for all the books to be out so I can read them all when I like and not have to wait for the next volume. I lent the first two books to a colleague and she positively glowed when coming back to me with them and asked for more. The themes and background story of the series really has her fired up. I've read a few pages of the first book and do find it has some very religious themes that might, in a way, be a small obstacle to me but I think the series will be a hit with me.

I haven't read The Labyrinth Gate but I have that also.

I just wich that someone would (had) publish the Jaran books in hardcover. They do deserve it. They weren't even part of the SF Bookclub titles!

ericf

 

[Alia]

Sorry ericf about that. I assumed everyone is able to read my mind, my mistake. Of course, it help if I had clearer thoughts.
I was talking about the crown of star series. You have actually peeked my interest in the Highroad Triology.
Have you by chance been to the discussion board over at Kate Elliott's site?

 

[AryaUnderfoot]

What a great idea to start a Kate Elliot thread! I must say that I have always loved the Crown of Stars books- just re-read all of them, actually. I liked them more the second time- the religious ideas held more interest for me, and I found that I could grasp the overall plot a lot better when I had several to read in succession.

I like the fact that the religion in the Crown of Stars paralells Christianity- it's easier for me to relate to, and the hypocrisy of a lot of it stands out quite a bit.

As for the characters, I love the way they are portrayed. At some points, I got a little annoyed with Liath- she's so intelligent and yet, in many ways, so weak. At certain points I wanted her to stand up for herself and I was greatly disappointed. Sanglant and Alain are definitely big favorites with me, and Frater Hugh and Lady Tallia (is that her name?), as well as Biscop Antonia are so despicable - it's perfect!

Does anyone else find Sanglant and Liath's daughter to be a bit trying?

 

[ericf]

I have seen the discussion boards but I use it only for news sine I haven't read the Crown of Stars series.

Will begin reading fairly soon, I think. Too much else to read an watch ( being a film freak).
ericf

 

[Alia]

Does anyone else find Sanglant and Liath's daughter to be a bit trying?

YES!!!
But due to the fact that she is a young lady with the maturity and age of a toddler it is to be expected. I wonder if she is going to be empress.
Arya, do you have any thoughts on Alain and what he might be? His parentage.

 

[AryaUnderfoot]

Alia, I'm afraid I can't remember all of the questions that arose during the last book- it's been a year since I first yelled in triumph and snatched if off of the shelves in Barnes & Noble. Care to give me a re-cap???

 

[Alia]

Alia, I'm afraid I can't remember all of the questions that arose during the last book- it's been a year since I first yelled in triumph and snatched if off of the shelves in Barnes & Noble. Care to give me a re-cap???

Love to give you a recap, but it's been a little while for me. Let me stumble through it for you and see if it rings any bells.
First of all Alain ends up at a monastry with his dogs. Anne sends Severus out to retrieve him for some reason, which is still unknown. Severus sends Alain off with others as he makes his track to the stone circles up by the Eika. Alain's group is captured by a group of bandits, the same men that help Biscop Antonia and Sabella in book 1. They hit him over the head (Alain) and is now blind and mute. The dogs still follow him. The bandits sell him as a slave, he ends up working a wheel down in a pit. Tallia shows up with Conrad and sees him, and has him murdered. Men go down into the pit and throw him off this ledge and he hits the bottom and survives. He meets the goblins that are seperated from their city and decides to help them. By this time he has his sight back and is talking. I think? He swims underwater for awhile ends up somewhere? Oh I can't remember where... but some how he ends back up at Lavas holdings where Geoffrey has him chained and displayed for all to see. Heric is the driving the wagon. Now Alain is having visions of fire and is going crazy. When the Aoi come back he drowns (and that is debatable) and Henri his foster father finds him and Henri has the dogs. At some point, and I think when Alain is in the pit, the dogs run off and find Stronghand who too is looking for Alain, but has to stop to stop Severus from stopping the Aoi from coming back. (God I hope that made sense!! lol)
And that's just Alain!
Liath gets back with Sanglant to leave again. She brings up a volcano to kill her 'mother'. Sister Rosvita has Liath's grandmother, and they are very near her.
King Henry dies, and Sanglant is named King.
And Blessing is asleep in the cave with six or seven other sleepers. I think it's six.
Have I missed anyone?
Oh Tallia is pregnant (the *mumble grumble mumble grumble* horrible person).
Hugh cut out Zacharias tongue...
Antonia, now Verna, has King Henry's two youngest daughters.
Oh and the Aoi come back prepared to battle.
Does that jog any memories?

Alia

 

[AryaUnderfoot]

Does that jog any memories?

Yes! Thanks!

I do remember that Alain is down in that tunnel and he encounters those weird mushroom men and they feed him.

I totally forgot about Henri and the dogs. Hmmmmmmmm. Oh right! Holy memory jolt!

I think Alain is Henri's son by one of the Aoi women- I think I got that right... didn't he say that he visited the ruins that one night so that he could meet that girl?

Hmmm, I may have to simply re-read that book.

 

[Alia]

I think Alain is Henri's son by one of the Aoi women- I think I got that right... didn't he say that he visited the ruins that one night so that he could meet that girl?

Aoi woman, her name is Alia, had a son (Sanglant) with King Henry...
Henri, the foster father of Alain, is a different man who served Count Lavas. Alain is the ******* child of a whore, Rose, who died during child birth. The orgins of Alain's parentage has been widely debated on Kate's website. It's a hot topic of who Alain's true father might be. Rose claims that she was raped by a shadowed Aoi prince and concieved the child that way. But Rose was also known to 'get around'. Count Lavastine claimed Alain as his heir once Alain was seventeen and served his year for the count, based on the reaction of the dogs to him. But the Count and Alain looked nothing alike.
There... does that ring any more bells?

 

[AryaUnderfoot]

Well, I remembered most of that... I suppose I'm going to have to pull the book off of the shelf tonight when I get home and review a bit.

 

[Rahl Windsong]

I've read the first 2 books in Crown of Stars I enjoyed the story and I felt the characters were excellent, the author allowing me to feel, see, and hear what they did with ease and grace. I look forward to reading the rest of this series and anything else I can find by Kate Elliott.

Rahl