Shadows & Light, House of Gaian

By Anne Bishop
Read: September 2008
Rating: FAB.

You know the kind of book that you read in hours and days instead of weeks, the kind of book that makes you want to cry as you reach the end because it’s just so good? That’s the latter 2/3 of the Tir Alainn books.

The first, Pillars of the World, was good, but not up to Anne Bishop’s usual standard of excellence. These ones are. I shot through the first fifty pages and realized it was because we were back in the zone. If anything, I think this series shows more finesse than the Black Jewels. Certainly fewer typos.

Shadows & Light

Ari and Neal have made their escape and settled in Neal’s family’s land, and their role is diminished as the cast expands. They meet their neighbors, the Fae who live near their new home. We meet the mysterious Ashk, who now has a family of her own–and power. They are in the West, where things are very different.

The tensions among the Fae are running high. No one wants to listen to the Bard or the Muse who argue in favor of the witches–and no one likes that they are going directly against the Huntress and the Lightbringer. Morag the Gatherer still roams the countryside, on her own quest to uncover the evil.

And the Inquisitors are extending their reach. A new technique is introduced to break the souls of women–mutilation. This is the sort of thing that makes Bishop exceptional. She doesn’t shy away from the horrific. She addresses it head on, without being sensationalist. You feel deeply rocked, shocked, disgusted, as though you were there.

I went straight on to the third.

House of Gaian

This book essentially encompasses the weeks leading up to the huge final battle, and the war itself. It does feel very full and complete, no worries.

The deep bonds between people are tested–lovers, siblings, friends. Ashk has to embrace her darker side.

And a new woman, a hybrid of forces, is compelled to seize the power of the Moon.

There’s a certain grusome satisfaction in the Master Inquisitor’s demise, the more I think about it. Certainly a kind of justice being served. But I feel that a man like him would enjoy what was made for him as a punishment. Bloodlust trumps disgust.

All in all, wonderful. I wish there were more. There’s always heartache in Bishop’s books, but there’s also hope.

I gave them to my mom to enjoy and she’s also going through them rapidly. I’ll see if I can get her to say a few words.