This one totally ended with a great amount of excitement, action, and it fit the story very well. This is the 3rd in the series as I really enjoyed the aspect of the dead armies. Super cool!

Man oh man, where to start on this one. HOW ABOUT WITH THE MOTHER EFFING ZOMBIES!!! Thaaaaaat's right. The 3rd volume introduces zombies. Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit. Buuuuuut after the slightly disappointing and mildly boring second volume, Elven Star, this one manages to recapture the imagination and throws you directly into the action. I can't think of anything that would make someone NOT like this world. It has freaken rocks. It has freaken lava. It has a freaken dragon that SWIMS in the freaken lava. I just totally nerded out The. Whole. Book. No shame.

We finally get the reintroduction of Alfred, which we haven't seen since the first book, and he and Haplo are forced to be travelling companions after Alfred accidentally passed through the death gate. I enjoy their interactions and the symbolism of good and evil between them. This volume delves into Haplo's inner struggle on everything he's ever known vs. everything that he's observed on the worlds he's visited. The continuation of character development was good and the world development was phenomenal.

Like the last two worlds, this one is also wrought with war, destruction, and dying. Same concept as the last two, just maybe done a little better. However it's the first world that has actually had Sartans present, although they have evidently lost their way, forgotten most of the old magic, practiced necromancy, and accidentally killed off their own race with it. *whispers* zoooommmbbbiiieeesssssss

The concept is neat, the world is pure bad-assery as long as you like dark and claustrophobic spaces with friggen lava dragons, and the characters are mostly interesting with the exception of a couple that fell a little flat. *shrugs* Can't win them all. I was of course traumatized and literally yelled "noooooo"  when they threw Dog into the lava and he died. Literally traumatized me....for about 30 pages until he shows back up with Alfred and you learn he's basically immortal as long as Haplo is alive. I have a current theory that he's Haplo's conscience or the split in his mind. It hints as much since book one but still hasn't let you completely in on what's going on there.

Overall it was an awesome read. If you trudge through the last novel, this is your reward. The pace is faster, there's less standing around and talking to each other, the development is good, the world is FRIGGEN AMAZE-BALLS (I hope I've gotten across how cool this world is by this point), and thus far the best book in the series. Immediately diving into volume 4.

I fully expected more dragons, given the cover, but beyond that this was my favorite in the series so far. Alfred manages to be brave a few times, Dog continues to be best boy, and Haplo had a couple of tsundere moments with Alfred, which I loved. Necromancy and it's consequences started explaining previous book questions I'd had, and I can tell that Weis and Hickman had thought a lot of this through before starting the series.

It was great >20 years ago. It is greater as a buddy read.

This is the best installation of the series compared to its predecessors.

From story point of view, it's a fast paced one, yet it doesn't miss on essentials- the dialogues are touching and on point, the characters don't suck, the world building is appreciable though it wouldn't have been possible to do much in just one book nformation about the Sartans as well as Patryns and the world before the Sundering.
at no point do you have to push yourself to read it, there's no dragging. The suspense is kept up throughout the story and keeps building up which makes you want to read more and soon you want to find out what's the next step each character takes.

The conversations are smartly done and focus more on developing understanding between the Sartan Alfred and Haplo.

just like it's earlier books this book too kills off your favourite characters:-|

Alfred and Haplo's companionship alone makes up much of the good part of the book. Establishing understanding between them is one of the best aspects of the book.

La sensación fundamental que me deja este libro es la de que se han desaprovechado ideas.

Como siempre el inicio es francamente bueno. Se desarrollan ideas bastante originales que abren muchas posibilidades. Muy buen tono para comenzar con ese comienzo en forma de diario que ayuda a empatizar con el pueblo del príncipe Edmund. La forma en la que se introduce al lector en sus "peculiares" costumbres mortuorias hace que lo desagradable del asunto sea asumido por parte del lector con naturalidad y sin recurrir a muros de texto que nos saquen de la narración.

En cuanto a los personajes principales en esta novela descubrimos a ese personaje que es Alfred. La narración nos hace meternos perfectamente en su piel y arroja algo más de luz con respecto al pasado de su pueblo. Haplo sigue por allí bastante desdibujado para mi gusto. Tendrá mejores momentos en los libros que siguen a este.

El final me parece no obstante algo decepcionante. Carente de las buenas ideas que se han desarrollado al principio y bastante precipitado. Da la sensación de que los autores se dan cuenta de repente de que se estaban quedando sin páginas.

Se deja leer fácil y, pese a que no es el mejor de los finales, deja con ganas de continuar sabiendo que merecerá la pena.

Favorite of the series.Great book

I was quite pleasantly surprised by this one, my memories tended to not paint it well, but on rereading / listening to it this time round it was a lot stronger, and certainly stronger than Elven Star for me. I think it is at this point that the broader story of the overall series really takes on more depth, and quite a bit of mystery is added at this point, to help feed into the later books.
The main 'self-contained' plot for this book is quite dark, but powerfully so, and for some reason hits a lot harder than in Elven Star, both have some quite dark events going on but this one hits harder, possibly helped by the world in this one being generally a lot darker than Pryan's continuous day.
A lot of interesting characters introduced here, some quite sympathetic, some a lot less so, as well as Haplo and Alfred returning - and some very interesting scenes that come out as a result of Alfred being here.
All round a very strong read.

I am still so so so so in love with this series. If I could give this book in particular more than 5 stars I would. I don't know what to say that wouldn't be spoilers. Just. Ahhhhhhhhh.

Really enjoyed this one. I think this really jumped the recurring characters a good amount. The story alongside that was fairly simple so it didn't detract too much from the progression of the overall. My favorite character from Elven Star did not show up again.. Maybe later.

Having started on this series through a recommendation, I've enjoyed it, but haven't really had the urge to dive into it. This story might have been the turning point for me, as I'm going on with the 4th installment of the series. (again I'm glad the series is finished, so I'm able to do this)
Haplo is off through the Death Gate to the third world created by the Sartans, investigating for his Lord of the Nexus. He unexpectedly is reunited with his Sartan enemy Alfred, in this world of living and dead. The duo are thrown into a unique kinship as they must fight for their lives, in this dying world.
This episode starts to answer questions raised in the previous books about the Sartans and the Patryns, while developing the characters of Alfred and Haplo by changing, or at least questioning the beliefs instilled into them. It's sparked an interest in me to learn more, and I've got to find out about the dog.

4 stars- Dutch hardcover

Abarrach, the Realm of stone. Here, on a barren  world of underground caverns built around a core of  molten lava, the lesser races, humans, elves,  and dwarves, seem to have all died off. Here, too,  what may well be the last remnants of the once  powerful Sartan still struggle to survive.

For Haplo  and Alfred, enemies by heritage, traveling  companions by necessity. Abarrach may reveal more than  either dares to discover about the history of  Sartan... and the future of all their descendants.

I really, really am enjoying this series, immensely. I can not wait to get to the next book, and I am saddened that its only seven books in all.

I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy series. The characters really come alive, and you will find yourself feeling every emotion that the main characters feel.

The authors did an excellent job of bringing the reader to each of the four, unique world's that they designed.