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Thread: The Sundering Trilogy (Spoilers)

  1. #1

    Default The Sundering Trilogy (Spoilers)

    I just finished reading the Sundering trilogy these last couple of weeks and it's caused be to come out feeling pretty melancholy about Warhammer Fantasy in general. I'll certainly keep in any specific spoilers behind spoiler tags as to not ruin the novels.

    On Malekith:

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    I didn't really find much wrong with the presentation of the story and at parts I genuinely enjoyed Malekith's character. Though I did find him being outwitted by his mother and pretty much being emasculated for the latter half of the novel to be rather disconcerting. I was hoping he would be the victim of political intrigue rather than just a raucous brat who thinks he's able to do a better job. Even his thin reasoning later on would've been solidified in my view if Morathi didn't have such a strong hand in everything.


    On Shadow King:

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    I think my issue was the writing as I'm not a huge fan of Gav Thorpe. The entire "Oh, I'm so foreboding and dark" felt very forced with Alith Anar. I understand the horrors he went through but it wasn't less than anyone else without everyone turning into someone so angsty. The entire chapter dedicated to him essentially dancing with wolves naked was rather silly to me. Especially when later he states how he spent several years with them while he faked his death. Then naturally the ending was entirely intolerable to me. For all the preparation of creating a new kingdom and thinking about the longevity of his people, he then challenges Malekith then you have a sudden ending. Of course in the third novel, you find out he's somehow able to get away from the Witch King and escape.


    On Caledor:

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    I really wasn't phased by the reiteration of certain scenes but I had hoped the focus would've been primarily on Caledor. The writing and plot development here got really dodgy though I did enjoy Caledor's character more than Malekith and Alith Anar's. I even understood the elements where Caledor pulled a Fabius and used attrition to whittle down the Dark Elves' numbers. But the ending of it is what left me in a melancholy state about Warhammer Fantasy as a whole. You suddenly see characters new and old, some you spent the entire trilogy reading about, suddenly killed in an instant with little or no ceremony. Then Malekith and Morathi zip away and begin their doomsday plan. It turns into a cartoon from this point as they are then defeated in their attempt to unleash chaos upon the world and everything suffers but the two villains. They just pick up their citadel ships and float away with no issue. The ending of this book is just kind of sudden and leaves you feeling like the victory they won was for nothing.

    Of course later or before hand you learn that Imrik (Caledor) later dies by throwing himself off a ship and drowning instead of being caught by Dark Elves. Awesome.


    So I might take a break from the 'Time of Legends' series since the writing for these time periods really do not leave me feeling inspired. I may chance the Defenders of Ulthuan and Sons of Ellyrion books next. If not that then I'll return to something about The Empire.
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  2. #2

    Default Re: The Sundering Trilogy

    Yeah, I can agree with you on the first and third book. (I never read the second)

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    For the first book, I initially found Malekith to be a very interesting character but my opinion of him slowly deteriorated as it went on. I would have thought that the time he'd spent with the dwarven high king would have changed his perspective of things but that didn't seem to be the case.

    Instead, he went back to thinking that he was the only person suitable for the throne, gets manipulated by his mother (which I find to be weird considering he was supposed to possess her cunningness) and ends up getting BBQ. The only thing which I can admire about him was that he didn't allow himself to get controlled by that sword of Khaine.

    As for the third book, it was very interesting especially how the war went with both sides taking huge risks and trying to outmaneuver one another. Then, the last battle happened and that's when the story went for a complete fall.

    Malekith gets owned by those elven guards, then comes up with a childish plan to tip the battle in his favor. Hasn't he forgotten that he has been fighting Chaos many years ago and that they cannot be controlled? Isn't he aware that by doing this that he is basically undoing everything that his faher had been fighting for? (well initially of course, later his father just went demon killing berserk mode)


    Spoiled


    I don't know, the third book just made me unsatisfied by the time I finished reading it.
    Last edited by Arandir Tur-Anion de Bodemloze; February 06, 2013 at 05:55 AM.

  3. #3
    Ciciro's Avatar Protector Domesticus
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    Default Re: The Sundering Trilogy

    Edit for me being an idiot
    Last edited by Ciciro; September 09, 2013 at 08:43 PM.

  4. #4

    Default Re: The Sundering Trilogy

    Sorry, I forgot.

  5. #5

    Default Re: The Sundering Trilogy (Spoilers)

    Are there any books/novels that cover period closely after Sundering ?
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