Silver and Iron completes the SAGE Trilogy. I reviewed the first, The Fall of Onagros in April 2020 and the second, Bargain with Fate in January. I think I commented about the need to keep track of this amazingly complex world in my failing memory. It (the memory) seems to have improved of late, but there were still times when I found it hard not to mix people up. This completes another of my Series reading challenge, and also helps my TBR mountain-climbing!
Silver and Iron (SAGE book 3)
by Marian Allen
Usurper. Lost Heir. Runaway bride. Land on the brink of civil war. All so familiar, until Tortoise — the Divine Creature who ignores the rules of right and wrong — challenges his fellow divinities to meddle.
Suddenly, children targeted for murder are adopted, swordsmen turn into blacksmiths, and none are reliably who or what they seem. The four Divine Animals are afoot: Tortoise, Dragon, Unicorn, and Phoenix. Hold on tight.
Book 3: Silver and Iron
In the final book of the SAGE trilogy, the contention over the throne of Layounna is fought on strange battlegrounds: an island, a henyard, a scrivenry, a pocket, and the heart of the chief claimant. [goodreads]
My Review
In some ways this is a more straightforward book than the previous two in the series. I suppose it needs to be, since all roads lead to the object of the series – reuniting the family and installing the right one on the throne for all the right reasons.
Marian Allen does a great job of reminding us who the various parties are, partly through their deeds and actions, and partly through reflections of the deities. They have played a confusing part so far (to a dimwit like me), but here their role is clearer. They help move the plot along and the people to where they need to be for the best chance of fulfilling their destinies.
It is still a complicated plot, but light begins to dawn, along with the conclusion of the journey. People discover who other people really are. Some people discover themselves. The general public discover what they’d really want, other to be left alone to get on with life. It’s a satisfactory conclusion of the trilogy, with some amusing incidents on the way.
I’m really glad I read it, and look forward to seeing what else Ms Allen has up her sleeve, since I seem to enjoy everything she writes.
Book Review | Silver and Iron @MarianAllen. The finale of the SAGE Trilogy brings a satisfactory conclusion to the adventure, greater understanding of the universe, and some fun along the way. Ask Tortoise if you don't believe me.… Click To Tweet
Sounds like this was a bit of a challenge. Perhaps the author should have put a character list in the beginning of the book with a little description about eahc?
Oh, I think there’s a dramatis personae listed, but when reading a kindle version it’s almost impossible to look back and check. Well, for me, anyway. I think it’s a series that should not be read over a five year time span (even if I only did three), for those with my sort of memory, anyway 🙂