heartache and betrayal. those with responsibility abused those who belong to Prophecy. Prophecy is heartless, cold and cruel. Good story tho. ( )

Axis reunites Tecendor and a little more of the mystery is revealed. Good fantasy brain candy. ( )

This is the second novel of The Axis Trilogy, and sequel to BattleAxe. As a general rule, the middle book of a trilogy is the weakest of the three. The first book is the set up and the third book is the final showdown, the middle book is where the characters learn what they need to and get placed on the gameboard where they need to be for the final attack. The hero becomes more heroic, he’s swayed by another woman but stands by his first true love, he meets new people, trains with old people and learns more about his past than he ever wanted to know.

That’s this book, with one exception. Axis the hero turns into Axis the… well, to be blunt, he turns into Axis the giant nob. The more this book progressed, the less I liked him. I don’t necessarily see that as a bad thing though, his actions made him human. His actions made him a man, not an idol. A man who, when faced with having to make a choice, has a moral lapse and refuses to make a decision. Literary & modern fiction is full of it, so why can’t fantasy be too? Why does a hero always have to be morally upright? Axis may have fallen from grace, but he’s still a fascinating character. Even more so than before, in a lot of ways.

Getting away from Axis and going to her villains, Douglass is a master at the terrifying. The skraelings who eat everything in their path, and the truly awful things people can do to each other in the names of race and religions are described in all their dark detail.

As a middle book, there aren’t too many surprises in Enchanter. It wasn’t boring, but I wanted to hurry through it to get to the next book, and see how this story ended.

http://annikisbookcase.com/2013/05/enchanter/ ( )

Sur les épaules d'Axis repose le double fardeau de la prophétie et de la guerre. Il est devenu l'Homme Etoile, le plus puissant Envoûteur que le peuple ailé Icarii ait jamais connu et il doit unir les trois races afin de restaurer la paix. Mais Borneheld, son demi-frère haï, est tout aussi déterminé à l'empêcher de reprendre le contrôle de Tencendor, autrefois la plus grande nation du monde. Dramatique destin que celui d'Axis, partagé entre les deux femmes qu'il aime. Et comme si cela ne suffisait pas, il est pourchassé par le maléfique Gorgrael, un monstre dément décidé à détruire tout ce qu'Axis s'efforce de préserver. Mais peut-on arrêter l'homme qu'on appelle Tranchant d'Acier ?

This is book two of the Axis Trilogy, and follows the same path as many middle novels in trilogies - lots of events but mainly getting all the main players into the right places for the big wrap up in book three. In this novel Axis is trying to bring the Prophecy to fruition - seeking to unite the Acharites with the Avar and the Icarii against opposition from his half-brother Borneheld and, ultimately, Gorgrael. We learn more about the mysterious ninth Talon and finally discover Azhure's heritage.

Full review here: http://floor-to-ceiling-books.blogspot.com/2010/01/enchanter-sara-douglass.html ( )