Kushiel's Mercy (Kushiel's Legacy) | Jacqueline Carey

Kushiel's Mercy (Kushiel's Legacy) | Jacqueline Carey | A brilliant last installment

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Kushiel's Mercy (K...

	Kushiel's Mercy (Kushiel's Legacy) Jacqueline Carey Grand Central Publishing, 2008 - 672 pages average customer review:based on 38 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

From Jacqueline Carey, New York Times bestselling author of Kushiel's Scion and Kushiel's Justice, comes the final adventure in the Imriel Trilogy.
Having paid dearly for ignoring Elua's edict to love as thou wilt, Imriel and Sidonie have finally come forward to publicly confess their love for each other---only to watch the news ignite turmoil throughout the land. Those who are old enough cannot forget the misdeeds of Imriel's mother, Melisande, whose self-serving lies plunged their country into war.
In order to quell the uprising, Queen Ysandre hands down a decree: she will not divide the lovers, but neither will she acknowledge them. And if they decide to marry, Sidonie will be disinherited.
That is, unless Imriel can find his mother and bring her back to Terre D'Ange to be executed for treason....

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Yet again

One would think that by a 6th book, the author may be pulling out the same ideas, dusting them off and giving them a fresh coat of paint. Not this author. New ideas, twists that leave the reader enthralled and unable to put the book down, she even came up with new characters to love and hate. The only repeat of previous books is what you'd expect, Blessed Eula and his Companions are a constant shadow cast, no matter where in the world our hero or heroine land.
The ending of the 5th book left you salivating for the 6th. The ending of this book leaves you praying to Eula and all of his companions that she'll start another trilogy. Do not try to read this book on your lunch breaks, or if you have to get up early the next morning. Give yourself the time to pick it up and really get comfortable with it.

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A brilliant last installment

This book came out in June, but I only got around to reading it while I was on vacation in August. I have no idea why it took me so long to get around to it, except perhaps that I knew it was going to be the final book involving Phedre, Joscelin, Imriel and their circle of supporting characters, and I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye yet.

If I have had one complaint about the first two books of the second Kushiel trilogy, it was that they weren't plot-driven enough. They were character stories. Kushiel's Scion was about Imriel coming into his sexual maturity knowing he has an inherent sadistic inclination stemming from his semi-divine heritage and trying to balance that streak of cruelty against 1) the trauma he suffered as a child at the hands of a truly mad sadist and 2) the earnest desire to be a good person and live up to the example Phedre and Joscelin have set for him. Kushiel's Justice was about Imriel setting aside boyhood selfishness and learning to become a man and face the responsibilities of a man, including owning up to his forbidden love affair with the Dauphine, Sidonie, despite the turmoil that was certain to come with it. Both of these books EVENTUALLY found a plot or quest of sorts, but it was one that Imriel sort of staggered into half-way through the book, not something that was really there from the very outset.

Now, of course, this character exploration was a perfectly valid choice of directions in which to take the trilogy. And given Imriel's backstory, perhaps it was quite necessary, or else we might not have believed him capable of accomplishing some of the feats he eventually accomplishes. But I really found myself missing that laser-beam precise plotline that cut right through each of the three books of the first trilogy from cover to cover. Jacqueline Carey's ability to craft intricate and compelling mystery/adventure/political intrigue is second only to her gorgeous and elegant use of language. I've heard these books compared to the early Dune novels in terms of the intricacy and detail of the political machinations, and while I've never read the Dune series, I imagine that's a pretty apt comparison.

This last book made up for the lack of plot I felt in the first two novels, though. The "quest" was established quite early on, and just as with the first trilogy, while it occasionally involved u-turns and detours along the way, there was always a strong sense that the story was heading very determinedly toward its conclusion, rather than meandering aimlessly in that direction.

And it was an excellent story. And a necessary one, because we finally see Imriel stand completely alone and live up to the heroic examples that have been set for him. There's no chance of Phedre and Joscelin riding to his rescue at the last instant; in fact, when the climax came, he found himself having to face off against them and almost everyone else that he might have one time looked to for support. The hanging thread of Melisande's fate is at last tied off, though perhaps not as definitively as she might have deserved, and when we see them last, all the characters are in a good place, a place in which its easy to bid them farewell and know that we are never going to see them again.

As always, Carey's writing is beautiful, and midway through the novel, she accomplishes a trick so subtle I'm half-inclined to believe it was completely in my mind. Without giving away too much of the plot, Imriel ends up under a spell that makes him believe he's a different person. Since these novels are written in first-person narration, this means that that narrative is taken over by this new persona of Imriel's. And I swear, the tone of the narration changes. I can't put my finger on what's different about it, but the "voice" I hear in my head when reading first-person narration became a completely different voice while Imriel is under the effect of the spell. The new voice is just a little more light-hearted, more jocular and irreverent, not quite so bogged down in angst and painful memories or driven by issues of world-saving importance as Imriel's voice tends to be. And as Imriel gradually creeps back into the new persona, that voice gradually becomes Imriel's voice again until the final transition back to Imriel is made. It was absolutely bloody BRILLIANT. Carey truly is a first-calibre wordsmith.

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Excellent!

This is a return to the sprawling adventure of most of the other books in the Kushiel series and quite possibly my favorite. Jacqueline Carey's use of language and creative plot turns is wonderful. I'm sure I'll be reading this entire series again in the not-to-distant future. I can't wait for her next book.

Amazing

This one was truly amazing. It was a good book to end the trilogy about Imri. I've read all of the books in the series and was not disappointed. I highly recommend it to anyone that has been following the series.

Would give this a seven star rating if possible...

I have read every book of the Kushiel series and have been so impressed with Carey as an author. To be honest, Phedre and Jocelyn were my favorite characters, but Imriel has steadily grown on me until in this, the conclusion of his story, I found myself on the edge of my seat, cheering him on, laughing, crying and hoping that the story would end well.

From the very first page I was drawn into the world of Terre de Ange and its citizens. I found myself reading at every opportunity, sometimes over a hundred pages a day. I have never been more drawn into a story the way that I've been with this series. Carey has such a way with words that it is impossible to not feel as if you know the characters. You laugh with them, cry with them, cheer them on and stay on the edge of your seat through the ENTIRE book.

I've seen on her website that she will continue with the Kushiel series, only it will be about a 100 years in the future. I'm sad to see this group of characters go. The only thing I would have liked to have seen was an epilogue. I wanted to see what the future held for Imriel and Sidonie, oh well, maybe she will touch briefly on it in her new triology.

A definite must read! I rated this 7 stars because I have read this series twice and it was just as enjoyable both times. This is the kind of book that stays with you long after you've finished the last page.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

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