The Tainted

by Glenda Larke

Book Overview

The Isles of Glory, caught in a maelstrom, will never be the same again. In this final book of the trilogy, the islandoms of the archipelago are torn apart by change as the Keepers, under the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0441014194
• ISBN13: 9780441014194
• Release Date: June 2006
• Publisher: Ace Books
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 4.2" x 6.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A good end of a Triology

The final book of this series brought a tear to my eye. A fine conclusion, with all the central charcters living full lives afterward. Though it does leave room for a sequal, which I hope to see one day.

wonderful conclusion

It is not often I have left a book well satified. This trilogy has been a pleasure from first to last book. Please be aware that you must read them in order or you will have no clue as to what is going on. The order is The Aware, Gilfeather, The Tainted. First off, I loved the fact that the small inner story changed character. In the two previous books, we read the letters of a researcher who is interviewing elderly Blaze and Gilfeather for research papers he is sending back to his uncle. In this book, several chapters are bracketed instead by journal entries from the old love interest of said researcher, who is a much open-minded character, to say the least. In the larger story, Larke takes on the narration of Blaze, Gilfeather, Ruarth, and new character whose name I can't remember. Ruarth is now a man trapped on the boat Flame escaped on, only now Flame is tainted with Dun and is becoming more evil by the day. Regardless, he sticks by her side and looks for some sort of way to help her. Gilfeather and Tor join together to find a cure for Dun. Blaze and the kid she picked up on book two are on a rescue mission to stop and capture Flame. Let me tell you, the action does not stop in these books. I actually begin reading book one while home sick with the flu. In five days I had all three read. I've been very impressed with this author and look forward to reading more by her.

Conclusion to a rousing fantasy trilogy

So here we have the conclusion to Larke's 'Isles of Glory' series, which we in Australia have had in our hot little hands for a while now. This is a great trilogy. Please do not be misled by the unfortunate cover art, which does not reflect the nature of the work. Larke's work is fresh and wondrous, with a truly original fantasy setting handled with the deftest of worldbuilding touches. She writes great characters, throws thorny problems at them, and stands back to let them get on with it. If you enjoy intelligent, well-crafted and beautifully executed fantasy novels that challenge and delight, you will doubtless enjoy Glenda Larke's series.