The Last Stormlord (Watergivers, #1)

Sep 15, 2010 Stefan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, www-fantasyliterature-com-review

Sometimes you find a fantasy novel that's not extremely original, but is so much plain fun to read that you just can't help but love it. The Last Stormlord by Glenda Larke is one of those books: despite using some recognizable fantasy templates, it's a great story and a book I found extremely hard to put down.

Whenever the main character in a fantasy novel is poor and young, you can be almost certain that they're destined for great things later in the book or series. The Last Stormlord uses this...more Sometimes you find a fantasy novel that's not extremely original, but is so much plain fun to read that you just can't help but love it. The Last Stormlord by Glenda Larke is one of those books: despite using some recognizable fantasy templates, it's a great story and a book I found extremely hard to put down.

Whenever the main character in a fantasy novel is poor and young, you can be almost certain that they're destined for great things later in the book or series. The Last Stormlord uses this "Ugly Duckling" trope for not one but two main characters. Terelle is a poor young maid in a snuggery (an elegant euphemism for a brothel), who is looking desperately for escape because the next step in her career path is to become a prostitute. Shale is a poor young boy growing up in a desert village, trying to hide his unique gift — finding hidden water in the desert — from his abusive father.

Shale's gift is especially meaningful because in the Quartern, water is the most precious and valuable commodity. The land depends on its Stormlord for rain: he creates rain storms, and the water is collected in an elaborate system of pipes and cisterns that distribute it to the population. The population relies on its leaders for their water rations... and now the last Stormlord is dying.

The Last Stormlord's perspective switches back and forth from Terelle to Shale to several rainlords who are trying to cope with the imminent water shortages in various ways, such as looking for a new stormlord, or finding new ways to stretch the limited water supplies (e.g., cutting off the storms for specific parts of the land).

Glenda Larke gradually reveals the novel's fantasy world as the story progresses: first the established cities of the Scarpern quarter, then the more primitive and poor Gibber lands where Shale grows up, later the Red Quarter and its nomadic Reduners, and towards the end the White Quarter and its mysterious "Alabaster" inhabitants, with even some hints about the lands beyond the Quartern. There's only one noticeable infodump about the land's history, and it’s short and more or less integrated into the story. The rest of the world's details are gracefully revealed to the reader throughout the story.

The Last Stormlord is also extremely well-paced, occasionally skipping a few weeks or months between chapters so the story keeps moving along at a pleasant pace. You won't find 100-page descriptions of a single journey here: this novel is basically all story and zero filler, so the pages just keep turning themselves. I hope this pacing will continue in Stormlord Rising, the next book in The Watergiver trilogy.

Plotting is at times a bit transparent and predictable, and a couple of characters have names that are truly cringe-inducing, but despite those minor problems, this novel is easy to love. With its smooth storytelling style that should go over very well with fans of Brandon Sanderson, and an overall theme — water shortage and conservation — that's acutely relevant in today's world (how rare in a fantasy novel!), The Last Stormlord is a tremendously entertaining read that's easy to get sucked into, hard to put down, and never boring. Recommended.

(This review was also published at the Fantasy Literature website: www.fantasyliterature.com - come check us out!)(less)

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Jun 11, 2013 Jon added it · review of another edition

Recommended to Jon by: Beyond Reality July 2010 Selection

Shelves: fiction, fantasy, read-in-my-40s, meh

2.0-2.5 stars

Due to the acquisition of GoodReads by Amazon on March 28, 2013 and my existing and continuing boycott of all things Amazon, the review I wrote after reading this book now resides, safe and secure, at my blog. You can read it by following this link: http://bit.ly/1brXo0J

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Nov 16, 2012 Nathan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: author-female, high-fantasy, favorites, read-2012, rated-4-star

A great read can show up unexpectedly. Browsing shelves of a used book store this review took a chance on a book by an author he had never heard of. 1/3 in, a new love is discovered.

Something of a Dune vibe, water is king and everything revolves around it. The only water available is the undrinkable sea, moved and purified to the cities on the loam by Stormlords. At the time of the book, the world is down to one man with this power, and his time is running short.

Though never gratuitous with the...more

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Nov 08, 2011 Lexie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-fantasy, review-blog

Its been so long since I've read a straight fantasy that I've almost forgotten what its like. Don't get me wrong I love my urban fantasies, my romance fantasies...but I miss my straight ones. Glenda Larke is a favorite of mine from her 'Isles of Glory' books (of which I still haven't read book 3...), I'd even put her on par with my enjoyment of the Mistborn books or Tredana books honestly.

Stormlord starts out rather bleakly. Terelle has a dark future ahead of her as a handmaiden in Madame Opal's...more Its been so long since I've read a straight fantasy that I've almost forgotten what its like. Don't get me wrong I love my urban fantasies, my romance fantasies...but I miss my straight ones. Glenda Larke is a favorite of mine from her 'Isles of Glory' books (of which I still haven't read book 3...), I'd even put her on par with my enjoyment of the Mistborn books or Tredana books honestly.

Stormlord starts out rather bleakly. Terelle has a dark future ahead of her as a handmaiden in Madame Opal's snuggery. As a handmaiden she's basically little better then a Geisha--she is company for men, sings, dances, plays musical instruments--but with the added duty of being a pleasing companion in bed as well. Mind you she's only 12 years old, her father sold her into this life and her older half-sister Vivie keeps telling her to suck it up and go with the flow.

From there we head to where Nealrith, son of Granlon (a cloudmaster, ie: very important guy), is visiting the water cisterns with Kaneth, his friend. Things are bad, the water levels being no where near where they should be. The solutions presented by Kaneth are both impossible and morally black, but the options are few. Is it better to be rid of a great many to save a few or should they all perish the same, slow, death?

There is a number of different intrigues going on--politically, personally and wide spread. Its not just that the water shortage problem is just now occurring, the problem is that its happening when there hasn't been enough Stormlords. In the last decades only a handful or so of potentials have been born and through disease, death and inability none of them are suitable for the position.

As one should expect from Larke's writing the narrative is lush with details. The layers of society are pretty simple to understand, but the world itself is more complex. From the religion (there is the Sunlord and the Raingiver--both practical given the world and concerns) to the social hierarchy (the more water sensitive you are, the better off you will be) Larke weaves an intricate net of survival.

I found myself liking Kaneth and Ryka despite some of my earlier misgivings. Kaneth is something of a playboy, until recently not prone to overthinking matters or worrying over the future. Current situations being what they are he's beginning to take a more active stance. Is it too late however? Ryka is a bookish woman with a slightly bitter attitude towards men (and Kaneth in general) and marriage. She is however someone you want beside you, she is intelligent, quick-witted and thinks on her feet. She's fiery as well, but that can sometimes be to her detriment.

I am, of course, impatient to read the next volume. With the North American release not until March 2010 (cry with me) and the subsequent volumes not being released until March and September 2010 in Australia, it feels like a loooong wait.

I will say this, I like the Australian cover much more then the US one. I think it fits better. The US/Orbit cover looks kind of like Gail Z. Martin's Necromancer cover and I don't think green is the best color to have.(less)

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Aug 06, 2012 Laylah rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Gave up on this one about 80% of the way through when I realized I wasn't enjoying it and hadn't been for a while. I get uncomfortable pretty fast with books that need to spend a lot of time on reminding you that the characters have suffered! so! much! -- not uncomfortable in a "this is disturbing" way, more in a "what, don't you trust me to sympathize with the characters?" way.

Some interesting political maneuvering, and I love the sensual attention paid to the desert itself, but the main charac...more

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Jun 27, 2010 Sandra aka Sleo rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 25, 2013 Jason Nahrung rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Glenda Larke, recently returned to Australia after a stint in Malaysia, has lived on four continents, but it is her experiences in arid Western Australia and Tunisia that appear to most inform this enchanting opening of the Watergivers series.
The saga of an empire facing its demise is set in a dry coastal realm bordered by mountains and desert where life revolves around the possession and acquisition of water.
Key to the survival of the city states is the Stormlord, the last of the line powerful...more

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Apr 19, 2012 Beaulah Pragg rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I read the pitch for this book, I wasn't entirely sure whether it was something I wanted to read or not, but within the first page, I was hooked. Terelle is living in a 'Snuggery', a polite word for a brothel, and desperately doesn't want to grow up to be one of Madam Opal's girls - but the clock is ticking and her fate is fast approaching.
I immediately wanted to know how she would escape. Through her eyes, I came to know the world of the Quarten, desperately dry and entirely dependant on t...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Racheal rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Overall, this kept my interest enough that I'll probably read the second book, though it's mostly due to the fact that this ends with absolutely no resolution (grumble, grumble). There were interesting ideas and world building, and for the most part I liked the main characters. Egads, though, the author should have stuck with just alternating between Terelle and Shale with maybe a few mini chapters here and there just to get the broader strokes. It took way too long for the story to get past the...more

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Jan 16, 2012 Mark rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

It’s rare that a fantasy novel sets itself up in a world so obviously influenced by the idea of climate change. Usually such issues are left for science fiction. Yet in her latest blockbuster, Larke sets herself firmly in territory that few fantasy novelshave dared to tread. Rather than traipsing through a ‘medieval’ past, she reveals a bold, original world that could possibly be our future, albeit one without technology.

In a world where water is more precious than gold, the men and women who ca...more It’s rare that a fantasy novel sets itself up in a world so obviously influenced by the idea of climate change. Usually such issues are left for science fiction. Yet in her latest blockbuster, Larke sets herself firmly in territory that few fantasy novelshave dared to tread. Rather than traipsing through a ‘medieval’ past, she reveals a bold, original world that could possibly be our future, albeit one without technology.

In a world where water is more precious than gold, the men and women who can sense its presence, and manipulate it at will, hold the ultimate authority and political power in the land. The Stormlords are an aristocracy of Rainlords of varying ability who administer the distribution of water and rule by right of water-sensitivity, rather than talent for government. The Cloudmaster, the highest ranking Stormlord, has powers that enable him to draw water vapour from the ocean and send it across the desert, where the clouds it forms break upon distant mountains and rain down into massive cisterns, sending water back to the cities on the coast.

When the current Cloudmaster lies dying, without an heir to bring water to the desert land, he sends his Rainlords out in search of any child who shows the potential of a ‘water sensitive’, even if it be a child of the poorest of Quarters. But not every Rainlord wants to bow to another Cloudmaster, and so starts a power-play that will change the face of the Quarters and their Rainlords forever.

Shale, an uneducated Gibber boy who displays a powerful water talent, may be the Quarters’ best hope for survival. But before he can be found, he is stolen away and his whole village slaughtered - man, woman and child. Terelle, a slave girl purchased to be a handmaiden in a brothel, runs away to discover she has talent with water that not even the Rainlords understand. As water becomes increasingly scarce, the coastal cities are threatened by drought. The tribesmen of the Red Quarter see a chance to finally rid the Quarters of Rainlords and bring back the time of Random Rain.

The common link in Larke’s novels is her ability to craft worlds that are vibrant and vivid, immersing us in a world that has depth and substance in a way that few writers can match without bogging down in ‘info dump’. This story is no different and I think is her best work to date. That she can also tell a sweeping saga that runs the gauntlet of human experience, immersing us – quite disturbingly at times – in that white water rapid of joy and despair, unmistakeably marks her as one of Australia’s best speculative fiction writers and one you should not miss.(less)

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Mar 06, 2011 Jason rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If I could give 3.5 stars, I would.

Larke has provided an imaginative world, one deprived of water, where water has become so precious that even the currency is based off of it. The stormlord rules the country, and is able to bring in water from the sea, in the form of rain. The current stormlord is dying. The story centers around young Shale, who potentially has the ability to replace the stormlord.

I loved the characters, even the villians of the story are interesting and worth exploring. Lark...more If I could give 3.5 stars, I would.

Larke has provided an imaginative world, one deprived of water, where water has become so precious that even the currency is based off of it. The stormlord rules the country, and is able to bring in water from the sea, in the form of rain. The current stormlord is dying. The story centers around young Shale, who potentially has the ability to replace the stormlord.

I loved the characters, even the villians of the story are interesting and worth exploring. Larke's world is very imaginative, and I was able to picture it quite easily. Larke has a clear writing style that is easy to read and follow.

I had a few problems with the story. In places, things seemed unrealistic, or overly contrived. For example, the little girl notes that no one ever cries, because it is a waste of water. I just found this a bit unrealistic. Iget the sentiment of not wasting water in a world where water is scarce, but this just pushed things too far for me. Everyone in Shale's family is named ofter a rock, even their last name is flint. Then when he has to pick an alias to go by, it is still a rock. If there were some tie to geology in their society, and all the names in the society stemmed from rocks, this would be understandable. However, this isolated naming convention is just for Shale's family alone, and they have no connection with geology in any way (like being miners).

We get a lot of the history of the world being deprived of water. Now with the one stormlord dying, they are low on water. However, there was a time when there were may stormlords. Yet this seems to have had no impact on a society developed around a lack of water. Just like the lack of water would have impacted the society, it seems like the abundance of water for what seems like several generations would have impacted the society in some ways as well.

There were also a couple of places where a character was vehemently arguing in one direction, and then suddenly switched to the entirely opposite view. It did not seem organic, and did not flow well, it seemed like an arbitrary leap, rather than well thought out dialogue.

There were small things as well, like the country is in this horrid state of drought, yet as a little boy Shale is able to find water under the surface at his arm's length. A child's arm's length is a very short distance down for water to be. A drought would send the water table down hundreds of yards, at the very least. So things like that did not seem well thought out.

I did rate the book 3 stars. I fully plan to read the remaining books in the series. Book 2 is already out, and book 3 is promised in August. I enjoyed the book. I enjoyed exploring the world and the characters, so it was a fun read, despite the shortcomings.

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Jan 12, 2011 Ithlilian rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, fantasy

What does it take for a book to win 5 stars from me? Quite a bit. The Last Stormlord excels in some of my favorite areas. First, it grabs your attention from the start. I love it when a book jumps right in with the daily life of a character. This one starts out in a snuggery where our main character is working to pay off her water debt. What is a snuggery and what is a water debt you say? Well a snuggery is the nicest word I've ever seen for a brothel and a water debt is what you have to pay bac...more What does it take for a book to win 5 stars from me? Quite a bit. The Last Stormlord excels in some of my favorite areas. First, it grabs your attention from the start. I love it when a book jumps right in with the daily life of a character. This one starts out in a snuggery where our main character is working to pay off her water debt. What is a snuggery and what is a water debt you say? Well a snuggery is the nicest word I've ever seen for a brothel and a water debt is what you have to pay back for a childhood of someone feeding you, clothing you, and giving you water. The Last Stormlord takes place in a desert environment where everything is based on water. It makes sense that the magic system is based on water. It also makes sense that water is in short supply and has to be rationed out. I think the world was portrayed very well and was fully developed. Also, I felt that Terelle was likable from the start. I understood where she was coming from and why she behaved the way she did. She felt mature for her age, but that makes sense because of her upbringing. The author gives us the lay of the land, the history, and the terminology from the mouths of the main characters, and that is another thing I greatly appreciate. I don't like long introductions where the narrator describes what each area is, who lives there, what they believe, and how everything works. Please let us figure that out for ourselves as we need it. We aren't studying for a test here. I did get a bit upset when the viewpoint changed to Shale because I was enjoying Terelle's story so much, but thankfully all of the viewpoints in this story are equally compelling. Shale is also the victim of bad circumstances, and his childhood is not the greatest. He is also a bit mature for his age, but I didn't mind it. I like that the characters have strength. The third main character introduced is our villain. It may be a bit of a spoiler to say who that is, so I will just say that he's pretty evil. He is motivated by the same thing that motivates all stereotypical villains, and that is power. In that aspect he is a bit one dimensional, but I did understand his motivation. The current stormlord is dying and is too weak to make the decisions that need to be made, so I see why he could want to take over. Even though the villains are evil, I still found them likable, just like all of the other characters. I also loved that most of the characters can be irritating. Everything does not work out nicely for everyone, and everyone is not a stereotypical hero. It's realistic, and that's another thing I love in my fantasy. In summary, The Last Stormlord has likable characters that are not perfect and a great setting with an interesting magic and belief system. It's character based instead of quest based and there is so much left to explore. I can't wait to find out how everything progresses in book two. (less)

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Jun 25, 2010 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lit-australia, fantasy-high

This is one of those interesting books. The plot is predictable; yes, there are a few twists, but overly the plot is clear cut.

Yet, it is engrossing book. I didn't think it would be, especially since it had a blurb from Karen Miller on the cover, and I couldn't make it to the end of her book.

Part of the charm is due to the conflicts in the minor supporting characters. A large portion is due to Larke's wonderful world building. She doesn't ruin this by giving the reader lecture about how things w...more This is one of those interesting books. The plot is predictable; yes, there are a few twists, but overly the plot is clear cut.

Yet, it is engrossing book. I didn't think it would be, especially since it had a blurb from Karen Miller on the cover, and I couldn't make it to the end of her book.

Part of the charm is due to the conflicts in the minor supporting characters. A large portion is due to Larke's wonderful world building. She doesn't ruin this by giving the reader lecture about how things work in the world. She shows the reader. She trusts the reader, and this makes a nice change from writers who feel they have to lecture the reader about how thier fictional world works.

Furthermore, Larke keeps to the rules of her world. She also examines how such a world would effect the people who inhabit it. It is a world where water is controlled by stormlord and high caste magicans. It is a world where the one person who can bring rain is slowing dying. It is a world where some people do not like the strutuce.

It is true, as some reviews point out, that Larke makes over use of the Ugly Duckling plot device. There are three ducklings in this story. One of them, however, is only truly unattractive. Terelle is supposedly an Ugly Duckling, except she isn't ugly and almost everyone wants to have sex with her. She also has too great a sense of entitlement. She is almost unlikable as a character, but the other characters make up for this. This influx of UDs can be a little annoying, but each duckling is different and stands out. The weakest one in terms of character is Terelle who is the standard fantasy heroine that appears in far too many fantasy novels. She is, however, far less annoying here than in Empress by Karen Miller. BTW, I can understand the fasination with waterless worlds, especailly considering where Larke is from, but what is it with all these fantasy heroines being 12 years old at the start of the book?

Larke also shows good and bad families, women who are friends and women who are not. In other words, a world that is real.(less)

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Apr 02, 2013 Margot rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This novel is set in a world where potable water is the scarcest resource. As a result, it is heavily rationed, and stealing water is the greatest crime one can commit. Most people are granted a daily water allotment at birth, but those who aren't--called waterless--struggle mightily to survive and pay for the water they drink.

At the outset of the book, the health of the old Cloudmaster is failing, and the Stormlords have not identified a replacement for him who is powerful enough to extract cl...more This novel is set in a world where potable water is the scarcest resource. As a result, it is heavily rationed, and stealing water is the greatest crime one can commit. Most people are granted a daily water allotment at birth, but those who aren't--called waterless--struggle mightily to survive and pay for the water they drink.

At the outset of the book, the health of the old Cloudmaster is failing, and the Stormlords have not identified a replacement for him who is powerful enough to extract clean water from the salt sea and direct the clouds where they need to go to provide water for the four quarters. Only a person with innate water sensitivity can manipulate water, and that ability tends to grant its bearer political power and wealth, but require them to use their power for public service.

As the old Cloudmaster weakens further, he's no longer able to supply enough water to everyone who needs it, forcing the characters in power to come up with cruel solutions to this seemingly unsolvable problem. Stormlord Tarquar advocates cutting off the water supply to Alabasters, who provide salt and other minerals, and the low-status Gibber, who mine and collect resin, and who are already suffering on the brink of dehydration. Stormlord Nealrith, the son of the Cloudmaster, believes there is a more fair solution, and is derided by those around him, including his beautiful but cold wife, who is also a Stormlord.

Several of the Stormlords go on a yearlong quest to see if they can find water sensitives who have been overlooked in the past. I don't want to get too far into the plot, but this quest starts to connect disparate characters whose lives have been described in alternating chapters so far. The water sensitives are all asked to make sacrifices, and their struggle to come to terms with that provides a lot of the book's drama.

There are several strong female characters in the book, and each derives and uses her power in a different way. One quirk I found somewhat frustrating was that beautiful women all tended to be vapid, selfish, or both. The female characters who were virtuous were described as ugly, unusual-looking, or old. These beautiful characters were less well rendered than the ugly ducklings that the author seemed to feel more affection for.

I'm thrilled to find a new fantasy series I really like by a female author. I'm already 10 pages into the sequel. It's even more exciting that there are already three books out. I'm not sure whether it's meant to be a trilogy--I couldn't figure it out without exposing myself to spoilers. Either way, I'd recommend the book to lovers of fantasy writers such as Scott Lynch, Brendan Sanderson, and Patrick Rothfuss. (less)

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Aug 29, 2011 PaulineMRoss rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-fantasy, price-full, 4-star

This is one of those books that bobbed up somewhere while I was idly trawling through Goodreads and discussion groups, so I have no idea who recommended it. Whoever it was - you have my thanks! I loved this book. Right from the first page I was drawn into it and the magic never let go. It is (inevitably) the first part of a trilogy, so plenty more story to go.

The book is set in a desert environment where every aspect of life is governed by the availability or lack of water, and society is divide...more This is one of those books that bobbed up somewhere while I was idly trawling through Goodreads and discussion groups, so I have no idea who recommended it. Whoever it was - you have my thanks! I loved this book. Right from the first page I was drawn into it and the magic never let go. It is (inevitably) the first part of a trilogy, so plenty more story to go.

The book is set in a desert environment where every aspect of life is governed by the availability or lack of water, and society is divided into those who have it and live comfortably, and those who don't and have to grub around on the margins to survive. Interestingly, there are other parts of the world where water is abundant, but nothing more is revealed about why that should be. Although there are similarities with 'Dune', this is a work of fantasy, so there is magic at work - some people have the ability to sense or move water, and a very few (the stormlord of the title) can draw water from the sea into clouds to create rainstorms where they are needed. Only one stormlord remains, and he is old and sick. His death will plunge the land under his care into crisis.

This background is beautifully created. The author has thought carefully about the possible lifestyles and likely forms of animal life in such a precarious world, and developed them brilliantly. The pedes and ziggers, dayjars and reeves, the multi-level cities with their water-traders and snuggeries - all are believable and evocative. The reader is instantly immersed, with foreign terminolgy scattered about everywhere. Many authors do this just to be cute or clever, but that didn't seem to be the case here. All the terms were either readily understandable (not hard to guess what a pede is) or were soon explained. I liked the dialects for the different regions, too, which were well-defined and credible. Even the swearing had local colour. The names were in keeping, even if often unpronouncable (Taquar? Moiqa? Nealrith?), but this is a bit of a fantasy convention.

The plot is nicely developed. The threat of impending catastrophe should the last stormlord die, and the likely consequences, are laid out right from the start and the tension builds steadily to the inevitable disaster. Everything that happens feels logical , and the motivations of the characters are always understandable. The author has a nice way of disclosing key information, so that the reader works it out just a satisfying moment or two before the reveal, without unnecessary cliff-hangers or overblown drama. The author is also very good about repeating essential details just at the point where it might become puzzling. This makes it really easy to keep track of what's going on and why. And the action just rolls along so that you have to keep turning the pages - that 'just one more chapter' effect.

The main characters are generally complex enough to be interesting. The bad guys are perhaps a little too evil to be credible, but the others are very much drawn in shades of grey. Terelle and Shale have both had difficult childhoods, but the effects of that are not overdone - it gave them depth rather than making them into caricature hero/heroine figures fighting back from adversity. Taquar was interesting, too, and I would have liked to know a little bit more about him. I also liked Kaneth and Ryka - their relationship felt totally believable. The squabbling amongst the various rainlords over how to deal with the situation, and the difficult decisions faced by decent people in impossible situations is beautifully done.

I loved the magic system. The idea of sensing water and moving it about at will is a beguiling one. I find myself looking at clouds now and thinking - if only... The author has devised some very clever applications of it - ways of killing, for instance, or surviving underwater. The water painting is obviously a related form of magic, but is not well developed so far. Presumably it will become more significant in the later books.

One aspect I particularly liked is that Terelle and Shale, while encountering their various difficulties, regularly received help from complete strangers - just normal people behaving decently to fellow human beings. There are too many fantasies around these days which focus unrelievedly on humanity's dark side and it's nice to find a more balanced portrayal.

My only complaint, such as it is, is that the death toll in the final battle was rather high amongst the named characters. The unwashed masses always die in droves, of course, but I like to see most of the significant characters survive, especially as there are still two more volumes to go. But it's a small quibble.

This is not a particularly original book in many ways, but it's good, solid fantasy which I found enjoyable at every level. It has unusually good world-building and an excellent magic system, with a nicely worked plot, believable characters and a down-to-earth writing style which I liked very much. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. Four stars.
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Dec 28, 2012 Charissa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Last year I've read "The Mirage Maker" trilogy by Glenda Larke. I liked it, but thought it was rather cliché and wasn't impressed with the world she created. Being out of new books by my favourite authors to read I decided to give Larke another chance, because really I liked Mirage Makers a lot more than Robin Hobbs disappointing "Shaman's crossing".

Well, this time I wasn't disappointed. True to her earlier work the characters were intriguing and feel very true to life. Cliché named countries a...more

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Sep 23, 2010 Tina Burns rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'd say this is more 3.6 than a 4, but I'm always an overestimator.I bought this despite the fact it had a quote on it from Karen Miller whose books I couldn't get past the first chapter. But I was intrigued by the concept of a world with regulated water and the only way to get it was "magic". True fantasy is not my typical go to read, I really have to be in the mood. My read of The Last Stormlord was no exception. The first half of the book was long, drawn out, and dry. Separate point of views,...more

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Nov 04, 2011 Jordan Frankel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked this book up at the library when I saw it in the recently returned section and I wasnt particularly interested in scouring the shelves for a good book. I ultimately chose the book because Karen Miller had a featured quote on the cover, and I enjoyed her Godspeaker trilogy. On the one hand, I think Karen Miller could easily have been the author of Stormlord, but on the other hand, I suppose that is not a bad thing since I enjoyed both.

I will say that I liked this book more and more as I...more

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May 03, 2010 Melissa Hayden rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This book is set in a world where rain doesn't come regularly and water is a very precious item. Rains are scheduled by the Cloudmaster, or Stormlords. Water has to be separated from the sea, as a pure water vapor, then the cloud is moved up toward the moutain ranges so the water runs down toward all the cities again or to the regions to get the water. The water is released as rain and stored in cisterns to be rationed out. However, you learn there are many people who don't have water rights and...more This book is set in a world where rain doesn't come regularly and water is a very precious item. Rains are scheduled by the Cloudmaster, or Stormlords. Water has to be separated from the sea, as a pure water vapor, then the cloud is moved up toward the moutain ranges so the water runs down toward all the cities again or to the regions to get the water. The water is released as rain and stored in cisterns to be rationed out. However, you learn there are many people who don't have water rights and have to buy the water, one way or another. We start with Terelle in a snuggery with her sister, where their fathers sold them to. Terelle is twelve and has no desire to be paid to sleep with different men every night. Then we meet Shale a Gibber who's father named him Shale because he felt he was as useless as a heap of shale. We take a journey through the lives of these two characters, along with others, as they grow up and learn who they are.

In the first 100 pages I felt I meet all the important characters through the writing of different view points; Terelle, Shale, and from some of the rainlords too. I enjoyed reading these different views because I got to see the world and learn about the world from different happenings and sides. I also got to see what the characters where thinking when they meet, then when they separated again.

The world ended up being a great attraction for me in this book. There are different cultures and beliefs of religion. Along with these different cultures you see there is a "magic" here, that centers around water - water sensitives. These are people who can sense and even manipulate water. There are different levels of ability and there are different types of manipulation. One is to make the storms or sense water, another is to manipulate paint through water - which can also affect the future. I think my favorite at the moment is the waterpainters. Although, how Shale learns to use his water sense is amazing too.

In those first 100 pages not only did I get to see the world at different views and the separation created between all the people, but also the problems that exist in the world now. The shortness in Stormlords and available pure water. I did have one question which kept nagging at me as I read with the characters mentioning there use to be random rains and now they had to have a Stormlord to keep water coming for the people, and the land being rather dry. What was so wrong with random rains, if it had supplied plenty of water and to have lots more vegetation growing? You do find out later in the book some history about the random rains and why the stormlords are needed.

Glenda Larke has created a great world here with different cultures and characters, from Reduners, Albasters, Gibbers, and Scarpens - and we can't forget the Watergivers. Glenda has supplied us with a map and she makes great use of her whole world.

I felt as if I watched these characters grow up over the span of about six or seven years in this world and even adjust to the world for who they are. I got to know them and the world together.

After reading this book, I started to think on how careful the charcters where with their water and how sparingly they used it. Made me think about how we take advantage of always having it.

I am really looking forward to book 2, Stormlord Rising. I am attached to these characters and this world and just have to know how it all works out for them.(less)

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Feb 08, 2013 Jazmine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While reading this book I was enthralled with the world building and the storyline. I also love the different point of views. I stayed up until 4am to finish regardless of having class the next day. The character building was also amazing to see in Jasper/Shale as he grew from a frightened little boy to the strong man he is now (though i still think he needs to grow a spine sometimes)

Ryka was definitely my favorite female character and the cliffhanger ending made me want more from her point of...more

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Mar 18, 2012 Tabs rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First book I have read in a while that I enjoy the suspense. Though you can tell who the bad guy is, half way though I am hoping the author proves me wrong.

I've never read a desert fantasy novel or that much scifi to remember, okay maybe His Dark Material... Any who I love the writing in this book because I can vividly see the landscape, see the characters and most importantly, I am NOT pulled out of the moment by the writer trying to describe every room or space someone walks into or what they...more

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Jan 02, 2012 Huw Evans rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopia, fantasy

Glenda Larke has written a complete continent where the person who controls the water supply controls the people. Water is provided by individuals, Stormlords, who can separate salt from distant sea water and shift the clouds so that it discharges into huge cisterns from which the water supply is regulated. However, the last Stormlord is dying and is no longer able to provide enough to fulfill everybody's needs. The drive to find a replacement becomes imperative and various individuals play poli...more

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Jan 16, 2012 Theresa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In the four quarters of the Scarpen water is provided to the people by the Stormlord and the Rainlords who keep the land alive with their power over water. But the Stormlord is dying and there are no Rainlords strong enough to move the storms that bring water to the cities. The Rainlords decide to go on a desperate search for a new Stormlord, even venturing into the poorest quarters in hopes of finding a water sensitive strong enough to save their way of life.

Shale is a young man living a despe...more
In the four quarters of the Scarpen water is provided to the people by the Stormlord and the Rainlords who keep the land alive with their power over water. But the Stormlord is dying and there are no Rainlords strong enough to move the storms that bring water to the cities. The Rainlords decide to go on a desperate search for a new Stormlord, even venturing into the poorest quarters in hopes of finding a water sensitive strong enough to save their way of life.

Shale is a young man living a desperate existence among the waterless of the Gibber quarter. Shale doesn't tell his alcoholic father that he can sense deep pockets of water out in the desert because of a deep wariness among their people that mistrusts anyone that demonstrates any water sensitivity. So Shale hides from the Rainlords so his ability won't be discovered-- which leads to an opportunity for those who want to overthrow the rule of Stormlords to use Shale for their own mission to return the land to a time of random rain.

Terelle was born in the Gibber and started out life as one of the waterless, but she has come to dread the life she faces in the snuggery more than a life without a water allotment. As the day looms when she will be sold into her first night of prostitution Terelle desperately searches for a way out of her circumstances but her escape into a new life comes from an unexpected place. Terelle learns there's more to water magic than she ever knew and her destiny has been shaped for her in ways she could never have imagined as she gets caught up in a larger conspiracy that threatens to change the world forever.

The Last Stormlord is a return to the kind of fantasy I grew up with; a style that puts a strong emphasis on world building with a strong magical foundation. Larke does a fabulous job of creating a believable world with varying cultures. The details she includes regarding the way people dress, look and behave paint a vivid picture of the place the characters inhabit and that alone makes this a book worth mentioning. Likewise the magic, which is centered around the manipulation of water, is skillfully crafted with time spent on explaining how it works and why it is important. The most believable aspect of the story were the little things-- like the outrage over stepping in a mud puddle as a flagrant waste of water.

But when it came to characterizations "The Last Stormlord" didn't bring the same level of credibility that was brought to the setting. There is some attempt to put the characters into "good" and "bad" categories with some shades of grey, but mostly they got mired down in the usual stereotypes. The two main characters Terelle and Shale are, thankfully, fairly well done. Because we're allowed to follow their progress from youth to young adulthood there is the opportunity to see the necessary growing pains of a character we're meant to empathize with. But rarely are we given the chance to bond with any other characters in a meaningful way. Most of the "good" guys are the kind of people who have been raised in circumstances of privilege and have little concept of hardship. When confronted with a bleak future they're quick to shore up their own circumstances as the expense of others-- and that aspect of the story is believable. But when obvious solutions are presented the characters display a level of obtuseness that's hard to get past. Some characters are allowed to ambiguously hover between good and bad but they are only ones credited with any intelligence while everyone else seems confused or insistent on taking the most illogical position available.

Certain threads of the story also have a kind of repetitious nature. For example: both Shale and Terelle take up apprenticeships without really trusting the motives of their mentors. Additionally all the romantic relationships seem founded more on overdone misunderstandings than any kind of natural progression.

Overall "The Last Stormlord" was a book I had to push myself to finish reading. The world-building is first rate and the detail oriented way Larke built her society was the main attraction for me. But the personalities of her characters fell flat. Their interactions sometimes felt forced and always hovered on the edge of being a cliché. I wanted to like the book enough to push through the series because there is some real quality in Larke's writing, but I never connected to the characters enough to want to invest in reading the full trilogy. (less)

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Nov 21, 2011 Christina rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I found "The Last Stormlord" to be a very good quick read. The story revolves around a civilization that is solely dependent on Stormlords to bring the rains which is the only source of water that can support the large sprawling population. The story begins at a time where there is, as the title indicates, only one Stormlord which has left this world in a dire and vulnerable situation. The main conflict revolves around those that wish to save this world and bring more Stormlords and those that w...more I found "The Last Stormlord" to be a very good quick read. The story revolves around a civilization that is solely dependent on Stormlords to bring the rains which is the only source of water that can support the large sprawling population. The story begins at a time where there is, as the title indicates, only one Stormlord which has left this world in a dire and vulnerable situation. The main conflict revolves around those that wish to save this world and bring more Stormlords and those that wish to take advantage of the situation to bring about their own rule.

The story itself followed the same basic formula that is found in this genre of books. Even the characters themselves seemed to fit specific roles. I did have the sense that when Ms. Larke was writing this book that she had a formula/character guide right next to her. Plucky sidekick, check. For me, this was the weakness of the book. I felt that everything in the novel from where the story was going to the characters themselves was extremely predictable. As soon as we are introduced to specific characters it was already very obvious their motives, who they were going to be, what they were going to do, and as a result how these decisions would resolve themselves by the end of the novel. To Ms. Larke's credit I will say there were a few side characters that surprised me here and there.

That being said the book itself has many redeeming qualities the greatest being the imaginative world that has been built. Ms. Larke is highly descriptive without feeling cumbersome. She allows us to draw most of our understanding of the world she has created from dialogue and the character's own thoughts and actions. I also enjoyed the fact that most of the names of characters and places were easy for me to understand. I appreciate when a fantasy author comes up with interesting names for their characters and cities but sometimes it gets a wee ridiculous. In addition, the "magic" of the novel through the art of water sensitives was different and an interesting approach. I also enjoyed how the characters themselves were offended at the thought that what they did might be perceived as magic.

I also found this book to be very relevant. The question of what does a civilization do when your resources begin to disappear. The characters of this novel faced some of the most difficult decisions regarding the future of the area and the different civilizations within. If you are the lone person who rules how do you then decide who will get the water they need to survive and who will you leave to die? Added to these questions were politics, war, and prejudices against minority groups. Many of the conversations throughout the novel focused on these themes with characters on all sides arguing for their view of how these questions should be answered. It was by no means extremely deep but it did give me pause.

I did find other things in the novel, but that was getting a bit too nit picky. The story itself was very good and interesting. Her writing style was easy and enjoyable. Despite it's faults I would still recommend this book as an enjoyable quick read.(less)

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Aug 15, 2011 Helen Merrick rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So after waiting and waiting for book 3 of the Watergivers to arrive, once it had I didn't jump right on it. Why? Because I was tossing up whether I would go back and start the series from the beginning, as it had been so long since I had read them. My partner recently read the first two and loved them (he doesn't read a lot of my books, so this was a surprise) and I realised, when he was raving about various characters and events that I had forgotten even the names of main characters.

And so, I'...more

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Jul 25, 2011 GemS rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, author-a-z-challenge-1, pa-n-2011-author-a-z-challenge

I only really picked this book up because I liked the cover but it has turned out to be one of my favourite reads of the year so far. The world built is detailed and it's structure well explained. The idea of a world where the water supply and distribution is entirelty controlled by man is really interesting and the issues it throws up are believable despite the fantastical nature of the story. The characters are fantastic too; they are complex and their opinions and motives are not always black...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Jyri rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really liked the idea behind the story, the use of water as a source for magic in a desert and was really looking forward to read this one! It turned out that the first quarter was really slow paced (Not Malazan slow, but slow still) and I had to push myself to read it through. After that when I had almost given up on the book, suddenly the story started to pick up and I found myself finding more and more time each day to get to read it.
In the end the book turned out to be just what I had expe...more

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Apr 26, 2010 Jacqie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really liked the first trilogy I read by Glenda Larke- it was sort of Xena-Warrior-Princess-in-the-Islands sort of thing and a lot of fun.
In Last Stormlord, she takes herself more seriously but doesn't carry it off as well. There is more political intrigue, but the characters don't seem smart or sly enough to work this angle. There is a desert culture dependent on the magical raising of water, but I don't think this was thought out well enough either. I'm afraid that the author went too far ba...more

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Feb 09, 2011 Craig rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have to say that as a reader this book brought the feeling as if I was being tested. Disappointed and disheartened I put this novel down more times then I picked it up though I got through it. The scenes feel stapled together though the writing definitely shows promise. Shale, a great character pulls the reader along while Terelle just beats them with a stick. The redeeming qualities of this novel are personified by Shale who jumps from the dregs of society into the elite. Make it through the...more

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Sep 05, 2010 Jenny Delandro rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This book started quite slow for me.
But everything begins to suck you in...
there are little introductions to major characters and unexpected encounters
just when you think that a character is one of the good guys... it turns out to be wrong.
two main sets of hero/heroine and their characters are fully developed and slightly flawed but trying their best

Some years pass and the bad guys fall out with each other and then all hell breaks loose... the safe city is over run and good guys fall.

At the end,...more

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The Last Stormlord (Watergivers #1)

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