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    Shattered Pillars
    Shattered Pillars
    Shattered Pillars
    Audiobook14 hours

    Shattered Pillars

    Written by Elizabeth Bear

    Narrated by Celeste Ciulla

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    A winner of multiple Hugo Awards and a Locus Award, Elizabeth Bear crafts mesmerizing tales of science fiction and fantasy. The second novel in her Eternal Sky trilogy, Shattered Pillars continues the epic saga of politics, war, and magic that began with Range of Ghosts. Temur the exiled heir and Sarmarkar the Tsarepheth wizard must gather all their strength to fight the dark forces determined to conquer every great empire along the Celedon Road.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJun 7, 2013
    ISBN9781470347741
    Author

    Elizabeth Bear

    Elizabeth Bear was born on the same day as Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, but in a different year. She is the Hugo, Theodore Sturgeon Memorial, Locus, and Astounding Award–winning author of dozens of novels and over a hundred short stories. She has spoken on futurism at Google, MIT, DARPA’s 100 Year Starship Project, and the White House, among others. Find her at www.elizabethbear.com.  

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    Reviews for Shattered Pillars

    4/5

    93 ratings5 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Shattered Pillars is the second book in Bear’s Eternal Sky series, which starts with Range of Ghosts, an epic fantasy series with a setting based off Central Asia. You will need to read the first book before picking up Shattered Pillars, but there are no spoilers for the first book in this review.Temur is the grandson of the Great Khan, who’s empire is being torn asunder in a civil war. As a potential heir, Temur’s sought by assassins sent by his uncle. Samarkar was once a princess of the Rasan Empire, before she gave up her position to become a wizard of the Citadel. When a secret cult sets out to topple empires, it is Temur and Samarkar who are caught in the middle.There’s things I love about Shattered Pillars, but also areas where I think it’s lacking. Crucially, I could copy and paste my review of the first book for this one. I actually did do that for the above plot summary.I noted in my review of the first book that it felt like the majority of the novel was characters moving from place to place. This remains true. Temur, Samarkar, and their allies are moving from Point A to Point B, with attacks from random assassins in a failed effort to give some urgency. The beginning was slow, although I did get more involved with it later on. I still think this series has major problems with pacing and plotting.However… this series does have its good points, which also happen to fall onto my list of favorite things. The imagery is spectacular. The setting is imaginative and wondrous, and Bear brings it to life beautifully with her excellent prose. It’s the sort of setting that makes me want to break out my watercolors and make some illustrations.Shattered Pillars also has a wide variety of female characters who do things. One of my particular favorites is Hrahima, who’s a member of a tiger-like species and who’s secrets are being slowly revealed. I’m also growing increasingly interested in the sister assassin, Saadet.I do wonder if this series is just a mediocre plot and story with a fantastic paint job. Is it the literary equivalent of James Cameron’s Avatar with its all immersive visuals but ho hum story? Regardless, I’ve already bought the final book in the trilogy.If you’re looking for vivid and beautiful world building, you should definitely check the Eternal Sky trilogy out. If you’re looking for an epic fantasy with prominent and well written female characters, it’s also worth looking into.Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
    • 5/5
      If you had not read the first book in the trilogy, don't even try to read this book. It starts exactly where the previous finished and it sets the stage for the third one nicely. It is one long story - just split into three pieces. Technically each of the novels has its own stories to tell but the whole tapestry of Bear's novel is covered in the three books. This book, the second in the trilogy, starts exactly where the previous finished: Temur, Samarkar, Hrahima and brother Hsiung in Asitaneh with Temur's grandfather Tesefahun, on their way to try to save Edene; Edene wandering around after she managed to escape and starting to realize that there is no free lunch and the ring she stole is not just a great helping tool but a cursed object. Meanwhile the plague in Tsarepheth is getting worse and Temur's uncle is trying to consolidate power while the Al-Sepehr keeps manipulating everyone to get the Rahazeen in power.And as a middle book of a trilogy, its main job is to put all the people in the correct places for the big finale. Edene ends up being the easiest to get there (and there ends up being Erem - the old world that everyone believes not to exist anymore) - this is where the rings ends up being from and she ends up being the queen of the ghulim (it was about time for the Ghuls to make an appearance after all. Before the book is over, the djinn and dragons will also make an appearance). Her story continues in the realm of Erem and it almost feels like time is just marked - things do happen but she gets where she needs to be too fast and her story is almost expected at this point. In the meantime Temur and his company go on a grand adventure - crossing mountains and seas, fighting and bribing, getting almost killed more than once. And in between all that we learn more about brother Hsiung (who finally has something to do) and Hrahima; and Samarkar and Temur continue their affair (and he finally learns that Edene is pregnant). And finally everyone acknowledges that Bansh is not just a mare. Add to this an empress that finally realizes what she had done, the understanding of what the plagues is, Edene's tribe ending up in Tsarepheth and a volcano starting to erupt. And as if it is not enough, a saddle ends up where it should not have, a man get trapped in someone's head and Temur learns that he may be able to find his real name -- while at the same time learning to be a ruler without anyone to rule for now.0By the end of the book, there is a baby born, a baby on the way and a baby colt with unusual coat. Everyone knows that all of these will be important - as will be the changing skies over areas that in some cases had never seen those skies. And Temur finally raises his banner. It is a great continuance of the first volume - and I will be reading the third one shortly.
    • 5/5
      I highly recommend Shattered Pillars, I liked it even better than the first novel in the series, Range of Ghosts. It's possible to jump right into Shattered Pillars, but I would still recommend reading Range of Ghosts first to get a better sense of the world and characters' motivations.Range of Ghosts feels more like alternate history, Shattered Pillars gets more fantastical, but in an incredibly gritty, detailed way. The readers learn more about the various peoples of the Celadon Highway (and the cultures are extremely well-developed) and more about the Rahazeen enemies. As in many second books, the enemies get more devious and frightening. Unlike many second books, the plot remains tight and the characters become even more engaging. Elizabeth Bear's writing is phenomenal and her characters are unique and compelling. There's nobody quite like Re Temur, the wizard Samarkar, the tiger-woman Hrahima, and certainly not the mystical horse Bansh. Go read Eternal Sky!
    • 5/5
      Picking up where Range of Ghosts left off, Elizabeth Bear dives right in with Shattered Pillars - action and strange names galore. Having just finished the first book of this series, I felt somewhat prepared and even more so, excited to see where the adventure would lead.The development of Edene in this book is one of the most important storylines, I think. But in spite of its importance, it reminds me a lot of the storyline of a certain dragon lady in George R.R. Martin's popular series. No, Edene is not surrounded by dragons, nor is she a hot, blonde HBO actress. What I mean is that when I read GRRMs books, I knew there was something important going on in that thread of the story, but I just didn't care enough to figure it out. Then, when I started to watch the HBO series by the same name - I got it. I just needed to see it brought to life. I think the same applies to Edene. From what I understand of what is going on, there's a lot of gross stuff happening around her and it's strange and confusing and I have a hard time caring (other than how it affects Temur). But I know it's important, so be sure to pay attention to that story...I know I forced myself to.Now...Temur, I have no problem paying attention to. I love the story there and really am enjoying the exploration of the world through the various religious practices and especially the way the world is set up. There's action, adventure, questing, and politics all happening in a setting that is the most exotic setting I have been exposed to.Really looking forward to seeing how this series wraps up. If you are looking for a complex story to satisfy your cravings until the next "big" book comes out, I do recommend you look into this one.
    • 5/5
      This is the sequel to Bear's *Range of Ghosts*. It's the middle book of a trilogy and thus ends, like the first, as a cliffhanger, unresolved and with far to go. We have, as in the first novel, several threads in this novel of a parallel world's analogue Central Asia after the Mongol conquest. We follow as the once-princess and wizard Samarkar, the tigerlike Hrahima, and the silent monk Hsiung, in alliance with Temur's maternal grandfather Tesefahun form one thread. Meanwhile the sorcerer Mukhtar forms another, Temur's bride Erem another, and the wizards of the city of Tsarepeth yet another. We are in analogues of Ottoman Constantinople, Assassin Alamut, Tibet, Astrakhan/Samarkand, and other places I cannot identify. The deft use of Central Asian myth and magic, blended with elements of actual history, make this a truly rich fantasy. I'm biased, of course, in favour of a biracial protagonist, but we are in the middle of a compelling tale whose characters all have fascinating stories, even the complex villains, one of whom manages the trick of being two people at once.