His Holy Bones Rifter 10 by Ginn Hale
08 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in Ginn Hale, Weightless Books Tags: Ginn Hale, Weightless Books
Title: His Holy Bones (Rifter, #10)
Author: Ginn Hale
Publisher: Blind Eye Books
Pages: 145
Characters: Jath’ibaye, Kahlil
POV: 3rd Person
Sub-Genre: Alt U/Fantasy
Kisses: 5
Blurb:
*There is no official blurb for this installment in the series*
Review:
So it began and so it ended, at well more than 1000 pages of nothing less than outstanding character exposition, world building, dialogue, narrative, humor, action, terror, violence, heartbreak, romance. This was the Chronicles of Basawar and was everything great speculative fiction should be. While each installment of the Rifter series might not have stood as strongly as others, individually, the sum of each of its parts, collectively, is simply stunning.
This is a sweeping story of sacrifice and duty, of the ultimate corruption of power and the perversion of a religion that persecutes indiscriminately and seeks to propagate its authority through the violation of its followers. On the opposite side of the coin, it is a story of devotion to the earth god and the reluctant, arduous, and fearful journey of a man who becomes a deity. It is a story of love and loss and redemption. It is the story of divination and of altering the future through acts of free will and conscience and commitment, proving that nothing is preordained where there are choices to be made.
His Holy Bones and the Rifter series itself is a complex journey that is, at its most simple, a story of the power of love and the deep spiritual connection between two men that defies the bonds of death. Ginn Hale sends her readers on an incomparable adventure through time and space, to a land threatened by unseen forces, to a place where our own world is seen as the Promised Land, to a place where sorcery is both salvation and destruction, to a point where unconditional faith delivers miracles.
The series all comes down to a pivotal moment, when the key to the future becomes the will to survive for the love and compassion of mankind, and for the love of the one who is your destiny.
Reviewed By: Lisa
The Iron Temple part 9 by Ginn Hale
08 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in Ginn Hale, Weightless Books Tags: Ginn Hale, Weightless Books
Title: The Iron Temple (Rifter, #9)
Author: Ginn Hale
Publisher: Blind Eye Books
Pages: 134
Characters: Jath’ibaye
POV: 3rd Person
Sub-Genre: Alt U/Fantasy
Kisses: 5
Blurb:
*There is no individual blurb for this installment in the series*
Review:
And finally, we are at the beginning of the end. Or is it the end of the beginning? Perhaps when dealing with shifts in time, as Ginn Hale has done throughout this series, it is both. There is one certainty, however—John, Jahn, Jath’ibaye; the reluctant god; the manipulator of earth, air, fire, and water; the humble man in all his reincarnations is about to unleash his righteous fury upon Basawar. And it will be beautiful to behold.
The Iron Temple delivers readers to the very brink of this epic story and leaves us poised in the rift between the past and the present, hanging in the balance between death and life and a future that is yet to unfold completely. We are at the crossroads, at the point where Ravishan and Kahlil and their two separate but joined lives will meet in divine retribution against a curse blade and against the hungry bones that Laurie has created.
Jath’ibaye will bear the mortal wounds that threaten to steal the man he loves from him, not once but twice, or as many times as it takes, perhaps, to cheat death and keep Kahlil with him. There is a parallel between what has happened and what will happen, and the only question I have at the moment is whether or not the past will be altered again, and will that shift again affect the future? I have quickly learned that anything is possible when Ginn Hale is weaving the threads of an awesome story, and will accept any change in the pattern she chooses to make because I trust it will be perfect.
A chasm that cannot be breached has formed amongst Parfir’s worshipers. It is now time for those who lead with conscience and those who manipulate through fear and greed to take their respective sides and fight for that in which they believe. What one side covets, the other reveres; one side will face certain annihilation, the other will take its place at the right hand of the Rifter to carve out a new world from the destruction of the old.
Ginn Hale has skillfully delivered us to the summit of this monumental journey, where the reader can now see what was and perhaps speculate on what is yet to come. One thing is certain; it will be both a wonder and a disappointment to come to The End.
Reviewed By: Lisa
The Silent City (Part 8) by Ginn Hale
05 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in Ginn Hale, Weightless Books Tags: Ginn Hale, Weightless Books
Title: The Silent City (Rifter, #8)
Author: Ginn Hale
Publisher: Blind Eye Books
Pages: 144
Characters: John, Ravishan
POV: 3rd Person
Sub-Genre: Alt U/Fantasy
Kisses: 4
Blurb:
*There is no official blurb for this installment in the series*
Review:
On the path to becoming the Rifter, John joins the Fai’daum resistance, swearing his allegiance to their cause and training with the witch Ji Shir’korud in an effort to learn to harness the immense power he possesses.
The Silent City is the continuation of John’s journey to becoming Jath’ibaye, the name in which he will find refuge from the knowledge that his life as John is now complete, that Basawar is where he will remain, and that home is now nothing more than a distant memory. Home is now Ravishan and the land he is connected to, the land he is connected to which he controls with his thoughts and emotions, the land that is divided between the haves, the have nots, and the religious regime that wields its influence and might like a weapon to control and induce fear. This is the land that dies a little more each time the Gate to Nayeshi is opened.
This is the place where John and Ravishan might have one day found peace and a modicum of acceptance, a place where they could have lived and loved but for the way fate and circumstance are intent on keeping them apart. And now that we know what is to come, now that we know how their love story ends and then begins again as two wholly different people, it makes the anticipation of what is to come all the more frightening and wonderful.
This is the beginning of the race against time to make the impossible possible, as they must rescue Laurie from a fate far worse than death, and as John must prepare for the consequences of her loss, her anger, and her retribution.
The Silent City is another prologue in the midst of this series that underscores the events of the past and the present. It is another line that connects the dots on the way to completing the entire picture, and again, while it might not stand as strongly on its own, tied into the entirety of the saga it is essential and excellent.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Enemies and Shadows ( Part 7) by Ginn Hale
05 Feb 2012 3 Comments
in Ginn Hale, Weightless Books Tags: Ginn Hale, Weightless Books
Title: Enemies and Shadows (Rifter, #7)
Author: Ginn Hale
Publisher: Blind Eye Books
Pages: 127
Characters: Jath’ibaye, Kahlil
POV: 3rd Person
Sub-Genre: Alt U/Fantasy
Kisses: 4
Blurb:
*There is no official blurb for this installment in the series*
Review:
Reading Enemies and Shadows was a little bit like standing in Hades and watching Sisyphus push his boulder uphill, seeing it strive toward its ultimate destination, holding your breath and hoping…only to have it roll back down to the bottom of the hill again. And this is a good thing? Yeah, it is.
Enemies are disposed of in this installment of the Rifter series, quite handily, I thought, all things considered. So handily, in fact, it caught me a little off guard, wondering, did Ginn Hale just take the easy way out of avoiding an all out Armageddon here? But I should’ve known better. It goes entirely against series canon to believe that anything will ever come easily to these characters in this harsh and unforgiving world. So, I mistakenly allowed myself to be lured into a false sense of security, then, like the master of my emotional wellbeing that she is, Ms. Hale threw me to the hungry bones and left me languishing there as she transported me to the past again to show me that something, something is going to juxtapose these two storylines between John and Ravishan, and Jath’ibaye and Kahlil. And it all seems to hinge on the golden key, a single word, “Don’t!” and the opportunity to save the savior, atoning for past mistakes.
And now, the true battle will begin, as the most dangerous enemy Jath’ibaye may have ever faced comes to the fore, an enemy who was once an ally, a good and trusted friend who will divide Jath’ibaye between his honor and conscience, and his sense of duty and love for his land, his people, and above all, his love for Kahlil.
If I were to make only one judgment against this installment, because honestly, there is only one in this otherwise brilliant series, it would be that Enemies and Shadows might have worked better tacked on to the end of book #6 or the beginning of book #8. This is the only episode so far that didn’t work as well as a standalone for me. Added to the whole, however, it is purely sublime.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Broken Fortress by Ginn Hale
27 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Ginn Hale, Weightless Books Tags: Ginn Hale, Weightless Books
Title: Broken Fortress (Rifter, #6)
Author: Ginn Hale
Publisher: Blind Eye Books
Pages: 165
Characters: Jath’ibaye, Kahlil
POV: 3rd Person
Sub-Genre: Alt U/Fantasy
Kisses: 4
Blurb:
*There is no official blurb for this installment in the series*
Review:
Broken Fortress – The Interlude – This is the perfect place to catch your breath and digest everything that has happened up until now. Pluck what you know of the past and apply it to the present, because the future is sure to be a dangerous, dangerous place, and it might help you to navigate your way to the cusp of the war that looms.
This segment in the ongoing saga picks up on Jath’ibaye’s ship, where we left him and Kahlil to travel back to Rathal’pesha earlier on. Everything that has happened up until now is necessary information to understand the evolution Kahlil experiences after his resurrection, as he came through the Gates decades beyond where John had landed some thirty years before. Understanding how Ravishan and Kahlil’s lives both parallel and intertwine, how Ravishan sacrificed everything he was to become in order to save the man he loved, as well as how John’s presence in the past affected certain outcomes in the future, will not only bring clarity to the bond between Kahlil and Jath’ibaye, but it will also cement the significance of that connection, which in turn makes the relationship between the two men incredibly poignant and entirely significant.
Broken Fortress is definitely more informative than action packed, to be sure, but the material is delivered through compelling and intelligent dialogue, giving each of the characters weight and importance and dimension, regardless if how minor their role may be as the series continues. This book is the road map, in a way, that gives direction to everything there is yet to come. It is the means of tracing the line from where everyone has been, to where they will proceed in this long, winding, and wondrous journey.
There is a wicked political agenda broiling, a heinous plot underway to rid the world of the Rifter, a dark supernatural spell evolving, as a onetime friend attempts to alter events of the past, and a battle poised on the horizon that could very well destroy every living thing in its path. The strategy is unfolding, luring a dangerous enemy into the midst, and separating Jath’ibaye and Kahlil. Will this be a scenario where history repeats itself, or will Kahlil incorporate what he has learned from the past and use it to influence a better future?
That remains to be seen.
Reviewed By: Lisa
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Black Blades- Rifter 3 by Ginn Hale
21 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Blind Eye Books, Ginn Hale Tags: Ginn Hale, Weightless Books
Title: Black Blades (Rifter, #3)
Author: Ginn Hale
Publisher: Blind Eye Books
Pages: Novella Length
Characters: John (Jath’ibaye) Kyle (Kahlil)
POV: 3rd Person
Sub-Genre: Alt U/Fantasy
Kisses: 5
Blurb:
Kahlil balances his loyalty to the Bousim house against the revelations of his past. Blood will be shed one-way or the other. While in the heights of Rathal’pesha, John adapts to the hardships of a warrior-priest’s life and secretly searches for anything that will return him and his friends back home.
Review:
And the plot thickens.
Prophesies broken, awesome powers revealed, an assassination thwarted, and former allies who apparently have become enemies, these are some of the enticements Ginn Hale offers up in episode three of the Rifter saga.
Told in a non-linear fashion, this installment does a time shift from present to past again, revealing just enough about John, who will become Jath’ibaye, and the one who is called Ji, that the reader is granted an enticing glimpse into a future of power and witchcraft which is only now beginning to take shape, as John and Kyle are reunited and the rules of the game change.
An assassination attempt on Jath’ibaye goes wrong when Kahlil intervenes, and Jath’ibaye offers to bear Kahlil’s wounds to save his life. What will become of the two men, now that they have been reunited? The answer to that question must wait, as the reader is taken back in time to Rathal’pesha, just when the getting was good, to witness John’s evolution to warrior, led by the Payshmura, whose prayers and tenets are based on a particularly interesting foundation.
Who survives? Who doesn’t? Who knows? That remains to be seen, as Ginn Hale continues to entice, seduce, provoke, and weave her wonderful spell.
Reviewed By: Lisa
