4.5 stars I really enjoyed this book. There was so much going on and the it was written with a very different kind of intensity. Shattered Pillars essentially picks up where Range of Ghosts left off and continues to develop both the characters and the evolving storylines from there. While I really enjoyed Range of Ghosts, Shattered Pillars definitely turned things up a notch in terms of its complexity. I love Bear's use of language, which I find quite different from some of the other writers I h...

Stop. If you have not read Range of Ghosts, preferably in the last year, then you're really going to be confused for the first quarter of this book. It does all sort out so that you don't have to have read the first on, but c'mon, it's great, you want to anyway.Ok, that said: What an excellent second book. Unlike many middle books in a trilogy, this one is fast-paced, compelling, and full of character development. At no time did I feel like we were just marking time until the climax. It is just

I love what Bear is doing with gender in this epic-fantasy series. There is a perfect equilibrium between men and women, between there roles and there support to one another, that is such joy to read. The thing that prevents Shattered Pillars to be the perfect novel that Range of Ghosts was, is the fact that, being the second book in a trilogy, we spend less time with Temur and Sarmarkar, and more time with some characters that are more generic epic-fantasy, but are necessary for the future conf...

Djinn and rukhs and ghuls oh my! What a fun fantasy book in a not often trod setting, the dusty deserts and windswept steppes – along with the teeming, opulent, decidedly non-western cities – of the Silk Road. There was a lot to like about this second installment in a rather promising series; really evocative (but not over wrought) language perfectly describing the feel of this vividly described world is the first thing that comes to mind. I don’t think I have read in recent memory anyone who ha...

Solid instalment in the series - looking forward to reading the third!The mythology continues to evolve and intrigue. There are tantalising hints that this world might be more than it seems, which again, just makes me ready for the third. Despite that, the book is certainly whole in and of itself - all the pieces are now in play!

Book 2 of the Eternal Sky trilogy. As is typical with Bear's books, I am in love with the characters, and find the villain threatening, but understandable. It was a fair bit of cognitive dissonance to read this while, in parallel, listening to the Game of Thrones audiobook. It makes the problematic shortcuts Martin takes with the Dothraki really, really stand out.The only story line that I'm feeling shaky about is Edene's, but I won't know how I feel about it until book 3 when I find out how it

Let me start off by saying that I like the plot of this book, the main characters, and I think Ms. Bear is a wonderful writer. That being said I still had issues with the book. I found the book to be rather slow, and it took me longer then usual to read because of this. Not much happens through out the book in terms of plot advancement until the last twenty pages or so after a long building process and in my option the pay off just wasn't there. It was much like the first story were the book end...

”To say a thing is to make it so.”I am occasionally told that my reviews are mean and that I rarely say good things about books. In an attempt to counter this allegation, I’d like to begin with an affirmative statement: This book has a nice cover.Now, that was nice, wasn’t it? As to the important things: There are two. In the first place, do not believe in a single word of Scott Lynch’s review. Clearly, he has not been entirely objective when writing it. (I don’t hold it against you, Scott, you

It's my reluctant policy not to give star ratings to books written by the woman I am dating. ;)With that said, Range of Ghosts was a very good book, a fine opening to this trilogy, but Shattered Pillars tops it in every particular. It moves faster but sacrifices neither detail nor characterization. It's brutal, beautiful, and nuanced, marrying the pace of classic swords-and-sorcery with the numinous, expansive worldbuilding of contemporary epic fantasy. Bear's touch is as deft and her control is...

4.5 stars.There’s much to love in the second book, with deeper characterizations of existing characters, and the introduction of several more, while really giving this world great texture. The action is fast, and I loved how though things are looking worse for the core characters, the complexity of the plots and peoples in this world make this a terrific read.

This book, the second in the series, did not let me down. So often the "middle child" of a trilogy is fundamentally lacking. But not so here, oh no. The characters you love return, and you're introduced to new ones that you begin to love as well. The plot moves forward, instead of spinning its wheels in a holding pattern and keeping all that good stuff for the final book.And more Hrahima! She, if you don't already know, is a mysterious magical tiger-woman warrior. That should be enough to get yo...

Just so you know, everyone in this story is pregnant. Ok, that's not true, but there does seem to be a lot of pregnancy among main(ish) characters. I guess it's like when the one woman in your circle is gravid and then everyone gets gravid.I enjoyed this book; the story continues to be questy-fantasy but the environments, the world, it's all just so intriguing. I do not recommend waiting years between the first one and this one, though. I had forgotten so much and now I realize that I should pro...

Sadly, I did not enjoy Bear's second novel set in her intriguing take on Earth's steppe nomads, as well as neighboring regions. While I adored the first book, Shattered Pillars suffered some of the the symptoms of second book syndrome:--New characters that the reader is not connected with, because they are new.(duh)I spent most of the time thinking "Why can't I be reading about Temur,Sarmarkar, and Hrahima.--An exploration of new places that aren't as nifty as previous ones.--A feeling that the

4 StarsLet me start by saying that I love Elizabeth Bear and can say that she is easily a five star writer. Shattered Pillar, book two in the Eternal Sky series is even better than book one. This book is filled with so much action, magic, and adventure that it was tough to put down. My only real gripe was I had a tough time remembering who was who, and who was a man or am beast. This book has many points of view that also was a bit tough to keep up with for the first third of this book. Once thi...

“To say a thing is to make it so.” Well-conceived and well-told epic fantasy. Bear’s created world breathes authenticity. Spared returning reader retelling the first book, though a new reader may not pick up the stakes and the players as quickly.“Everything is lazy.”Maintains the high standards of Range of Ghosts but still drifts a little sideways. Nothing requires a story stretch to three volumes if it can be told in two. Ends with the right mix of hope and despair.“It’s easier to be shared tha...

Ahoy there me mateys! This here be a combined review of the last two books in the Eternal Sky trilogy. While I try to post no spoilers, ye have been forewarned and continue at yer own peril . . .I have to review these books together because I read them back to back and thus they have blended into one whole. The books follow Temur and Samarkar and friends as they try to destroy a cult and save the world. This series continues to be odd in that the plot sort of plods along. The pacing is uneven an...

It's been a while since I read the first book in this trilogy, but it didn't take me long to slip back into this world, and I think I liked Shattered Pillars even more than Range of Ghosts, and I liked Range of Ghosts quite a lot. The characters have settled in, though, and the struggles they're facing are deadly and affecting.Note: The rest of this review has been withheld due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here. In the meantime, you...

Arrgh. I really like this series so far. It's got some great worldbuilding, beautiful imagery, and characters with well-drawn relationships - plus, ponies! - and this book in particular has some fantastic action sequences. But my feeling that maybe I should have waited until all three books were published remains, because dammit, I want to know the end. That's more praise than criticism, mind you - I am too old and cynical to look forward to the conclusions of uninteresting series, even if I kno...

I am neutral on Bear's style here, consisting as it does of long sentences, intended to add more and more information to what we started with. If done in conversation it would be called boring, but the additions are at least well chosen. The detailed descriptions are nice, but do we need so MANY of them? And there are perhaps a few too many characters. Especially when so many are Pongping and Pingpong, Tsetsefly and Tseflytse. I am still stuck on the variable sky? How? Mass illusion? Be if ever

Elizabeth Bear’s entire ETERNAL SKY trilogy is now sitting in a neat row on my bookshelf. I adored the first book and consumed the second one so quickly it went by in a blur of semi-divine horses and cool but unpronounceable names. Before I read Steles of the Sky(released on April 10th), it’s worth pausing to reconsider the middle book in what might be one of my favorite fantasy series in recent years.In Shattered Pillars, Temur and his band of loyal and enigmatic followers continue their quest....