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Guardians of Ga'Hoole #15
The War of the Ember
Not an ambush. Not a battle. But the final confrontation: War.
In this last chapter in the great of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole the Striga and Nyra join to conjure a malignant power from hagsmire itself. When news of their alliance reaches the Great Ga'Hoole Tree the Guardians call to good creatures everywhere: gadfeathers, kraals, polar bears, greenowls,puffins, seagulls, and dire wolves. An army of free creatures marches, swims, and flies to the Hot Gates of the Beyond, where the fate of the six owl kingdoms will be decided once and for all.
In this last chapter in the great of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole the Striga and Nyra join to conjure a malignant power from hagsmire itself. When news of their alliance reaches the Great Ga'Hoole Tree the Guardians call to good creatures everywhere: gadfeathers, kraals, polar bears, greenowls,puffins, seagulls, and dire wolves. An army of free creatures marches, swims, and flies to the Hot Gates of the Beyond, where the fate of the six owl kingdoms will be decided once and for all.
232 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2008
110 people are currently reading
3422 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Lasky
266 books2,278 followersKathryn Lasky, also known as Kathryn Lasky Knight and E. L. Swann, is an award-winning American author of over one hundred books for children and adults. Best known for the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series, her work has been translated into 19 languages and includes historical fiction, fantasy, and nonfiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 156 reviews
May 19, 2011
This book culminates the fifteen-book adventure of the Guardians of Gahoole series. This last book was an improvement on the last several installations, but it comes nowhere near to the quality of the first two or the seventh and eighth. Overall I enjoyed it as a passive read, but I never felt involved in the story. I was planning to rate it 3 stars, but the end was so disappointing that I gave it only two. Without divulging major spoilers, I shall say it this way: In the end battle, a pivotal character dies, and their death is treated flippantly. The entire section of battle scenes is so rushed that it's hard to focus, and then the death of a major character is glossed over. None of his friends even acted all that sorrowful! After the initial moment of shock, they were like, "Oh well. He's dead. Let's just move on with life." The dramatic factor to the surprise end was ruined by the other character's passive response and overall ruined the book for me.
Here is my review of the entire Guardians of Ga’Hoole series:
For the most part, I liked the first six books. The first two were great. The seventh and eighth were absolutely excellent- I stayed up all night to finish them. From there on, the series got less interesting. The plot lines grew increasingly tired, and although there were some scenes which I enjoyed, others were so dull that the books averaged at a low rating. The books were quick reads, so I still finished the series, but I won’t re-read most of the books.
One of the main things I enjoyed about this series was how it made magic out to be a bad thing. Since it was not used in a frivolous way and was shown to hold dire consequences, the story was more believable than a fantasy world where characters cast spells left and right. Characters had to work hard to succeed, instead of using magic to get what they wanted.
The owls value teamwork, learning from history, and studying the natural world. The young owls are usually respectful to their elders. Many owls die protecting loved ones. We see that one’s birth and childhood don’t decide how someone will turn out. Sometimes, the morals can come across as trite, but they’re better than what you usually find in mainstream children’s fare.
Here are my major complaints with the series:
1. I know that this is a fantasy story, but throughout there are many illogical things which contradict nature. For instance, owls fight with ice scimitars. Ice only stays frozen under 32 degree conditions, but the swords never melt no matter where the owls use them.
Owls catch coals in their talons and carry them about without getting burned. Coals retain their heat permanently when removed from flames. This is slightly more plausible than the ice swords, but the coals should eventually cool. One of them was magical, which might explain the longevity of the flames, but ordinary coals can’t stay hot forever.
If the author had given some explanation, however frivolous, of how this could happen, it might sit better with me. Simply saying “it’s fantasy” doesn’t convince me that this is plausible. If a fantasy world is going to seem real, it has to suspend your disbelief. If the author can convince you that this really could happen in a fantasy world, you can enjoy the story. If you’re thinking the entire time, Drop the coal! It’s going to burn you!, it’s hard to feel dramatic.
2. Throughout the books, there are occasional references to “Others”, humans who once lived in the world but are now extinct. This could make for an interesting plot-line, but it isn’t given enough time or thought. It would be better left out than just a half-baked idea. There’s also another suspension of disbelief problem here: even though Others have been extinct so long that they are little more than legends, paintings and old books remain. It’s feasible that stone structures would still be around, but if an owl can get to old books, then mildew should have gotten to them years and years ago.
3. The made-up swear words and occasional crude jokes are unnecessary and just plain irritating.
I don’t regret reading this series, because it was usually entertaining and mostly clean, but I wouldn't recommend it since there are so many better fantasy books on the market.
Here is my review of the entire Guardians of Ga’Hoole series:
For the most part, I liked the first six books. The first two were great. The seventh and eighth were absolutely excellent- I stayed up all night to finish them. From there on, the series got less interesting. The plot lines grew increasingly tired, and although there were some scenes which I enjoyed, others were so dull that the books averaged at a low rating. The books were quick reads, so I still finished the series, but I won’t re-read most of the books.
One of the main things I enjoyed about this series was how it made magic out to be a bad thing. Since it was not used in a frivolous way and was shown to hold dire consequences, the story was more believable than a fantasy world where characters cast spells left and right. Characters had to work hard to succeed, instead of using magic to get what they wanted.
The owls value teamwork, learning from history, and studying the natural world. The young owls are usually respectful to their elders. Many owls die protecting loved ones. We see that one’s birth and childhood don’t decide how someone will turn out. Sometimes, the morals can come across as trite, but they’re better than what you usually find in mainstream children’s fare.
Here are my major complaints with the series:
1. I know that this is a fantasy story, but throughout there are many illogical things which contradict nature. For instance, owls fight with ice scimitars. Ice only stays frozen under 32 degree conditions, but the swords never melt no matter where the owls use them.
Owls catch coals in their talons and carry them about without getting burned. Coals retain their heat permanently when removed from flames. This is slightly more plausible than the ice swords, but the coals should eventually cool. One of them was magical, which might explain the longevity of the flames, but ordinary coals can’t stay hot forever.
If the author had given some explanation, however frivolous, of how this could happen, it might sit better with me. Simply saying “it’s fantasy” doesn’t convince me that this is plausible. If a fantasy world is going to seem real, it has to suspend your disbelief. If the author can convince you that this really could happen in a fantasy world, you can enjoy the story. If you’re thinking the entire time, Drop the coal! It’s going to burn you!, it’s hard to feel dramatic.
2. Throughout the books, there are occasional references to “Others”, humans who once lived in the world but are now extinct. This could make for an interesting plot-line, but it isn’t given enough time or thought. It would be better left out than just a half-baked idea. There’s also another suspension of disbelief problem here: even though Others have been extinct so long that they are little more than legends, paintings and old books remain. It’s feasible that stone structures would still be around, but if an owl can get to old books, then mildew should have gotten to them years and years ago.
3. The made-up swear words and occasional crude jokes are unnecessary and just plain irritating.
I don’t regret reading this series, because it was usually entertaining and mostly clean, but I wouldn't recommend it since there are so many better fantasy books on the market.
January 5, 2023
And so ends a series, a series that had its ups and downs, but was nevertheless worth all my time and emotions!
August 19, 2021
Nostalgia lies, but at least its over.
I miss Coryn tho :(
I miss Coryn tho :(
October 6, 2023
Wowlie Zowlie
Join the gang of your fave owls as they once again muster troops and lure their enemies into small corners and rise victorious! Meet Soren, once again, as he has no discernible personality, hang out with a cast of fcharacters so vast, even Kathy forgets they’re there!
Ahhhhh what a fun little read. I will always love my owls. And for the last time, dear owls or other creatures of intelligent creatures, HOOT HOOT. 🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉
Join the gang of your fave owls as they once again muster troops and lure their enemies into small corners and rise victorious! Meet Soren, once again, as he has no discernible personality, hang out with a cast of fcharacters so vast, even Kathy forgets they’re there!
Ahhhhh what a fun little read. I will always love my owls. And for the last time, dear owls or other creatures of intelligent creatures, HOOT HOOT. 🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉
November 21, 2023
A good ending to a great series.
February 1, 2011
Just when I started feeling that the series is extending a bit too much, it gets interesting to even think of leaving the series alone. Book 15, The war of the Ember, yes finally the ever-ending series of the noble owls of the Ga'Hoole tree has come to a stunning conclusion.
The strange, maniacal blue owl known as the Striga has been rousted from the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. Nyra, leader of the vicious Pure Ones, is either dead or laying low in some distant land,leaving the tree finally at peace. As if fed by an invisible spring, learning and the lively arts flourish at the great tree and spread throughout the owl kingdoms.
But unbeknowst to the Guardians, in a long-empty cave deep in the Northern Kingdoms two ruthless villains join forces to conjure an ancient evil, an evil that will do their bidding and wreak havoc on the world.
When word of this growing malevolence reaches Coryn, Soren, and the Band, the young king knows he must do two things: First, he must return the ember to the Sacred Volcanoes, for the same subtle emanation from the Ember of Hoole that stimulates the quest for knowledge and invention at the great tree, also magnifies the powers of those who seek to destroy it and all for which it stands. Second, he must gather allies. Two armies grow. Gadfeathers, bears, dire wolves, and greenowls join with the Guardians, while on the other side ancient evil takes to the sky.
It is not a battle but a War, a war for the ember of Hoole.
A gripping tale of bravery, friendship, nobility, "gizzardly" wisdom and of valour. The War of the Ember marks the end of the long winding tale of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series spun in a well appointed plot by Kathryn Lasky and read by Pamela Garelick who delivers the depth of personality Lasky has invested in her flock of owls and energetically leads us through the plot twists. Garelick's distinguished yet likable voice is simply wonderful--her lively characterizations of little owls and maternally inclined snakes all delight. She's also expert at recapping the owl's complex history so that it's clear to new listeners, yet fresh for the already familiar.
A nice conclusion for this series of books. I enjoyed the whole series very much and learned a lot about owls in the process. Realize that they are written for children but are a delightful read for adults as well. As always there is the conflict of good and evil, with evil being vanquished in the last novel. It also teaches of harmony among all creatures, big or small and among varying species.
The strange, maniacal blue owl known as the Striga has been rousted from the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. Nyra, leader of the vicious Pure Ones, is either dead or laying low in some distant land,leaving the tree finally at peace. As if fed by an invisible spring, learning and the lively arts flourish at the great tree and spread throughout the owl kingdoms.
But unbeknowst to the Guardians, in a long-empty cave deep in the Northern Kingdoms two ruthless villains join forces to conjure an ancient evil, an evil that will do their bidding and wreak havoc on the world.
When word of this growing malevolence reaches Coryn, Soren, and the Band, the young king knows he must do two things: First, he must return the ember to the Sacred Volcanoes, for the same subtle emanation from the Ember of Hoole that stimulates the quest for knowledge and invention at the great tree, also magnifies the powers of those who seek to destroy it and all for which it stands. Second, he must gather allies. Two armies grow. Gadfeathers, bears, dire wolves, and greenowls join with the Guardians, while on the other side ancient evil takes to the sky.
It is not a battle but a War, a war for the ember of Hoole.
A gripping tale of bravery, friendship, nobility, "gizzardly" wisdom and of valour. The War of the Ember marks the end of the long winding tale of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series spun in a well appointed plot by Kathryn Lasky and read by Pamela Garelick who delivers the depth of personality Lasky has invested in her flock of owls and energetically leads us through the plot twists. Garelick's distinguished yet likable voice is simply wonderful--her lively characterizations of little owls and maternally inclined snakes all delight. She's also expert at recapping the owl's complex history so that it's clear to new listeners, yet fresh for the already familiar.
A nice conclusion for this series of books. I enjoyed the whole series very much and learned a lot about owls in the process. Realize that they are written for children but are a delightful read for adults as well. As always there is the conflict of good and evil, with evil being vanquished in the last novel. It also teaches of harmony among all creatures, big or small and among varying species.
October 3, 2011
This series has had a horrible downfall from the first book. Very disappointed, the band seems to be Mary-sues/Gary-sues now. Like Gylfie is the best navigator in the history of the tree. A non-band one is Ruby, she is the best flier in the history of the tree. I pretty much hate this book series now. I unhappily stuck with it though to see if it would get better, I hope Wolves of the Beyond will be better.
January 29, 2019
This was the final book of the main series, and the one I never knew existed when I blew through the series in middle school. I may have cried a little. So much nostalgia, a great ending, and some closure a decade later.
January 24, 2024
Unfortunately, this book did not live up to what I was hoping it would be. As a book revolving around a final battle between all the forces of good and evil, I certainly expected a large battle at the end, and I expected all of the forces to be gathered up against each other. However, this story took far too much time gathering forces across the world. In fact out of the approximately 225 pages of the book, almost 200 of them are devoted toward different forces moving into position. The final battle, which is not badly written, is left with very little room to shine. All those forces that you read about don't really have any time to be put in a spotlight, and many of them are briefly mentioned as simply having a good effect on the battle. It's a shame, because a lot of the characters you spend quite a bit of time with in the previous books aren't given enough time to have a meaningful ending, and it made this book feel like it came up short for me. Not to mention, the main villains, who managed to escape time and time again, really don't seem to have that much of a plan or an effect, or any sort of cliffhanger / suspenseful moments. They finally get their comeuppance, but you don't feel like they were ever that threatening to begin with. Overall, this book did not capture my imagination even though it did sum up the series effectively, if not briefly. The next book, I suspect, will do better as it's a prequel and the historical novels were quite good.
December 13, 2019
So this book was totally mazing. it is now my all time favorite book of the series. It was amazing! the final battle at the end of the book near the volcano was crazy! I didn't know what was going to happen and how the evil owls would come to an end. If you haven't already this is a series I definitely think people should go read. This is probably my favorite book series I have ever read.
July 26, 2025
2.5 ✨
I'm sorry to those who liked it, I did not care for it.
At the beginning, I think I did, but as it went on, it was slow and drawn out (to me), and the battle seemed rushed because we spent more time getting to the battle than we did having the battle. I'm sad because a favorite character of mine did die, but honestly not a fan of the hows and whys in the end.
I'm sorry to those who liked it, I did not care for it.
At the beginning, I think I did, but as it went on, it was slow and drawn out (to me), and the battle seemed rushed because we spent more time getting to the battle than we did having the battle. I'm sad because a favorite character of mine did die, but honestly not a fan of the hows and whys in the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 9, 2008
Gaurdians of Ga Hoole: War of the Ember
By Kathryn Lasky
“Soren , your time has come.” Those fateful words were empowering and heartbreaking. The book was incredible and magnificent and bloody and everything in between. My favorite character is by far Teng Shu even though he play only a minor role he has got to be the coolest owl ever. Let me put this simply, he is an owl who knows kung fu, and he is blue. A BLUE OWL! I think Lasky wrote this final chapter to end the FIFTEEN book saga, and to put an end to Nyra and that stupid blue owl Orlando a.k.a the Striga. Orlando is a demented “dragon court owl” who escaped and tried to take over the kings mind and then tried to court Nyra. Bleakch. It great though when the striga got ripped to pieces then dropped into an erupting volcano, which is the end of the story which is when the spartanic battle of the ember takes place. I call it spartanic because there are several allusions to the battle of the 300 spartans at Thermopylae. I kept read the book because it was never boring, that is just the way lasky writes. If it were a movie though I would probably choose little known actors to play the parts. In the end however I was totally taken by surprised but I can not tell you why because that would just ruin the whole series of book so now you have to go read them to find out. Just a warning I wouldn’t recommend this book to small children or those with a weak stomach or who dislike blood, because it is gruesome bloody and very violent.
By Kathryn Lasky
“Soren , your time has come.” Those fateful words were empowering and heartbreaking. The book was incredible and magnificent and bloody and everything in between. My favorite character is by far Teng Shu even though he play only a minor role he has got to be the coolest owl ever. Let me put this simply, he is an owl who knows kung fu, and he is blue. A BLUE OWL! I think Lasky wrote this final chapter to end the FIFTEEN book saga, and to put an end to Nyra and that stupid blue owl Orlando a.k.a the Striga. Orlando is a demented “dragon court owl” who escaped and tried to take over the kings mind and then tried to court Nyra. Bleakch. It great though when the striga got ripped to pieces then dropped into an erupting volcano, which is the end of the story which is when the spartanic battle of the ember takes place. I call it spartanic because there are several allusions to the battle of the 300 spartans at Thermopylae. I kept read the book because it was never boring, that is just the way lasky writes. If it were a movie though I would probably choose little known actors to play the parts. In the end however I was totally taken by surprised but I can not tell you why because that would just ruin the whole series of book so now you have to go read them to find out. Just a warning I wouldn’t recommend this book to small children or those with a weak stomach or who dislike blood, because it is gruesome bloody and very violent.
February 11, 2017
The book that I am currently reading right now is called Guardians of Ga'Hoole By Katheryn Lasky. The story has a mixed amount of main antagonist and protagonists. The main protagonists names are Soren (Barn owl), Gylfie (Elf owl), Twilight (Great Gray owl), Digger (Burrowing owl), Outlissa (Spotted owl), Coryn (Barn owl), Cleve (Spotted owl), Tengshu (Long-eared blue owl), and Namara (Dire wolf of the Beyond). The book's main antagonist are Nyra (Barn owl, leader of the Pure Ones), The Striga (Leader of the Blue Brigade, Blue owl), and Tarn (Burrowing owl, commander of Pure Ones). The story takes place in a land known as Ga'Hoole, It is made up of two kingdoms known as the Southern, Northern Kingdoms and the Beyond. There is a war that is being fought between two different groups of owls, one being called the Pure Ones who want to seek control and take over all six owl kingdoms and the rest of the animal world. The other faction, they are called the Guardians, they job is to bring peace to the owl kingdom and to rid the animal world of all evil. In my opinion this book was great to have read because it had an excellent plot that makes you feel like you are there and lets the you know exactly whats going on in the story, I hope you find it just as great as I found it if you chose to read it.
November 9, 2017
While I certainly did enjoy this series I also feel there was a lot of dragging out of stories, chopping out entire stories, and in the last few books, mountains of retconning. I personally think the series could have been ended far, far earlier. I've noticed with many of these types of books, looking at you Warriors, that stories are so confusing and drawn out that they're a bit difficult to read. While this series was far better in those aspects it's still a bit disappointing. When I first started reading this series I really enjoyed it but, as the books went on I realized it was becoming far more convoluted and confusing than the original story entailed. The random introduction of mates in favor of already established characters plus the sudden Asian owl continent was generally very saddening for me as I really liked the potential relationships and battle-rich ending. The constant escape of Nyra and the sudden appearance of Peli and her chicks was rather annoying in my opinion as it dragged out and eventually tainted a very creative series. As with Warriors, this series made the fatal mistake of dragging on everything so long that the endings with the final and certain slaughter of the main villain was very short and seemed extremely rushed. Overall this series was fun, although I wish it hadn't fallen into the Fantasy Youth Animal genre of messy stories and retconning.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2014
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS.
This book/series has a lot of bittersweet memories for me. When I finished it(and cried) it was Christmas Eve. Ezylryb will forever remind me of my grandfather, who was a true book lover. Right about the time I read the part in the series where Ezylryb passed away, my grandfather did as well. So when Soren was mourning his noble teacher, I was doing so outside of the page. I had always found similarities between myself and Soren, but at that point he felt like my best friend. Then, at the end of The War Of The Ember, when Soren was crowned as king of the Ga'Hoole tree, it just seemed so perfect. This series really touched me, and I hope it does for you as well.
This book/series has a lot of bittersweet memories for me. When I finished it(and cried) it was Christmas Eve. Ezylryb will forever remind me of my grandfather, who was a true book lover. Right about the time I read the part in the series where Ezylryb passed away, my grandfather did as well. So when Soren was mourning his noble teacher, I was doing so outside of the page. I had always found similarities between myself and Soren, but at that point he felt like my best friend. Then, at the end of The War Of The Ember, when Soren was crowned as king of the Ga'Hoole tree, it just seemed so perfect. This series really touched me, and I hope it does for you as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2021
I have loved this series from beginning to end!
It's a whimsical tale.
The only part I felt was lacking in this book, was the battle itself... I was hoping to read about the puffins and snakes taking part. They get a brief mention...
I guess I really just wanted another book with more details haha... It left a lot to imagination.
I'm a big "details" person haha. But I think it ended well enough.
Looking forward to checking out the companion books & starting the other spin off series.
*Spoilers*
I was shocked that Twilight has brothers! I loved them! So exciting for him, but there wasn't a lot written about them. I was hoping for more...
It's a whimsical tale.
The only part I felt was lacking in this book, was the battle itself... I was hoping to read about the puffins and snakes taking part. They get a brief mention...
I guess I really just wanted another book with more details haha... It left a lot to imagination.
I'm a big "details" person haha. But I think it ended well enough.
Looking forward to checking out the companion books & starting the other spin off series.
*Spoilers*
I was shocked that Twilight has brothers! I loved them! So exciting for him, but there wasn't a lot written about them. I was hoping for more...
January 23, 2021
I enjoy well-written young adult/tween books. I didn't write a review for the preceding books in this series, because the last book is always the one that makes or breaks a series, IMO.
I enjoyed the entire series. Each book builds on the one before. The characters are well developed, for YA. The world is beautifully described. The author's ability to create an animal world that mimics the skills and knowledge of people is so well done!
I absolutely recommend this series - not just for the kids in your life. These are great quick reads for adults too!
I enjoyed the entire series. Each book builds on the one before. The characters are well developed, for YA. The world is beautifully described. The author's ability to create an animal world that mimics the skills and knowledge of people is so well done!
I absolutely recommend this series - not just for the kids in your life. These are great quick reads for adults too!
June 23, 2025
Overall Rating : B
"We are few, they are many, but in this land of the Beyond we shall set a standard of valor unmatched in the long history of the Hoolian world."
"We are few, they are many, but in this land of the Beyond we shall set a standard of valor unmatched in the long history of the Hoolian world."
November 8, 2024
SPOILERS AHEAD ❗️❗️
This will serve as my review of the entire series.
I read the first few books several times as a kid and it's fair to say that they shaped my childhood. Rereading them as an adult, the first two books hold up, as do books 7-8. Where the story kind of loses me is the inter-series trilogy that delves into the lore of Hoole and Grank. I typically love getting this type of context but generally speaking these books did not feel nearly as engaging as the books featuring Coryn and the Band (although I did love Siv's character). The lore trilogy also added a ton of inconsistencies and general confusion to the plot - the worst of this being hagsfiends. They are initially introduced as like, the evil version of scrooms that can haunt you but have no real power, but apparently they're actually a crow-owl hybrid from ancient times, but also they come from smee holes that connect to hagsmire, and also if an owl hangs out with them too much they start to kind of look "haggish". Confusing as hell, and after reading the whole series I still don't have answers.
Ultimately I think that books 9-11 would have functioned much better as an optional standalone trilogy rather than a mandatory mid-series read, because the transition back to present times is pretty jarring. There are just too many parallels between the events of the lore trilogy and books 7-8 (an outcast on the run who eventually retrieves the Ember, a female wolf named Namara who befriends the king, the presence of firesight, etc.) It just led to me getting plotlines confused with each other.
By far the worst book in the entire series is the River of Wind. I like the concept of introducing a new region to explore when the main characters have already been everywhere on the map, but this story was told terribly. I could not have been less interested in the Middle Kingdom with the way it was hurriedly and unnaturally introduced to us. Also, this has been mentioned in many other reviews, but the way these blue owls are Asian-coded with all the stereotypes feels iffy to me. The one positive thing I'll say about this book is I like the concept of the dragon owls/former hagsfiends being "rendered powerless by their own vanity." That was cool.
When you get to the last book and see the foreword stating that the series was originally supposed to only be 6 books, you feel as if a question you've had for ages has finally been answered which is kind of nice. The last half of the series seems to have a lot of details added in after the fact in an attempt to MAKE more stories to tell. I was relieved that Coryn returned the Ember to the volcanoes because to be honest I was wondering what the fuck was the benefit of having it around anyway. It was basically causing a different problem each book since it was retrieved. Generally speaking I felt like this book was a step up from the few before it but the ending totally lost me. The tragic death of the main character got about a paragraph of recognition before all the characters are ready to move on and accept Soren as their king.
A few miscellaneous thoughts-
1. The author does not seem to know the concept of actions having consequences, which is present throughout the series but most notably when Eglantine brings Nyra precious documents on higher magnetics in book 5 but this is never acknowledged as a problem that they'll have to deal with in the future, because Nyra is still an idiot.
2. Relatedly, it makes zero sense why Nyra is constantly able to amass a following being that she is stupid and uncharismatic with generally nothing to offer her followers.
3. "Nestmaid snakes, although blind, have very finely tuned sensibilities, especially Mrs. P." "None was better than Twilight at seeing during the time of day for which he was named, when the outlines of the world become hazy." "Digger, who was the most philosophical of the band..." You do not need to keep repeating yourself twice a chapter. Trust your audience a little more.
4. The last few books generally seem rushed - I noticed there were more grammatical mistakes in the last book than I had noticed prior. Also in the last book, when Soren, Gylfie and Wensel are up against Tarn and the other Burrowing Owls, it is said that Burrowing Owls are larger than Barn Owls which is just... not true. This has been bugging me ever since I read it.
5. Most books had a major lead up to a big battle, which ended up being and anticlimactic two paragraphs that were not engaging at all.
6. Even with the addition of the Middle Kingdom, the world feels small, because they keep running into the same characters wherever they go which makes me feel like there's just no other interesting owls out there.
Despite this review I actually still enjoyed reading these books. First and foremost I am a critic and this series is easy to criticize (sorry), but the overall concept is so much fun. I love the idea of an intelligent society of owls, and I love watching them develop their technology in the later books. I like that there are a lot of darker themes despite the fact that this is a children's series. I was just pretty disappointed to what the story devolved into, but overall I still had fun reading it.
This will serve as my review of the entire series.
I read the first few books several times as a kid and it's fair to say that they shaped my childhood. Rereading them as an adult, the first two books hold up, as do books 7-8. Where the story kind of loses me is the inter-series trilogy that delves into the lore of Hoole and Grank. I typically love getting this type of context but generally speaking these books did not feel nearly as engaging as the books featuring Coryn and the Band (although I did love Siv's character). The lore trilogy also added a ton of inconsistencies and general confusion to the plot - the worst of this being hagsfiends. They are initially introduced as like, the evil version of scrooms that can haunt you but have no real power, but apparently they're actually a crow-owl hybrid from ancient times, but also they come from smee holes that connect to hagsmire, and also if an owl hangs out with them too much they start to kind of look "haggish". Confusing as hell, and after reading the whole series I still don't have answers.
Ultimately I think that books 9-11 would have functioned much better as an optional standalone trilogy rather than a mandatory mid-series read, because the transition back to present times is pretty jarring. There are just too many parallels between the events of the lore trilogy and books 7-8 (an outcast on the run who eventually retrieves the Ember, a female wolf named Namara who befriends the king, the presence of firesight, etc.) It just led to me getting plotlines confused with each other.
By far the worst book in the entire series is the River of Wind. I like the concept of introducing a new region to explore when the main characters have already been everywhere on the map, but this story was told terribly. I could not have been less interested in the Middle Kingdom with the way it was hurriedly and unnaturally introduced to us. Also, this has been mentioned in many other reviews, but the way these blue owls are Asian-coded with all the stereotypes feels iffy to me. The one positive thing I'll say about this book is I like the concept of the dragon owls/former hagsfiends being "rendered powerless by their own vanity." That was cool.
When you get to the last book and see the foreword stating that the series was originally supposed to only be 6 books, you feel as if a question you've had for ages has finally been answered which is kind of nice. The last half of the series seems to have a lot of details added in after the fact in an attempt to MAKE more stories to tell. I was relieved that Coryn returned the Ember to the volcanoes because to be honest I was wondering what the fuck was the benefit of having it around anyway. It was basically causing a different problem each book since it was retrieved. Generally speaking I felt like this book was a step up from the few before it but the ending totally lost me. The tragic death of the main character got about a paragraph of recognition before all the characters are ready to move on and accept Soren as their king.
A few miscellaneous thoughts-
1. The author does not seem to know the concept of actions having consequences, which is present throughout the series but most notably when Eglantine brings Nyra precious documents on higher magnetics in book 5 but this is never acknowledged as a problem that they'll have to deal with in the future, because Nyra is still an idiot.
2. Relatedly, it makes zero sense why Nyra is constantly able to amass a following being that she is stupid and uncharismatic with generally nothing to offer her followers.
3. "Nestmaid snakes, although blind, have very finely tuned sensibilities, especially Mrs. P." "None was better than Twilight at seeing during the time of day for which he was named, when the outlines of the world become hazy." "Digger, who was the most philosophical of the band..." You do not need to keep repeating yourself twice a chapter. Trust your audience a little more.
4. The last few books generally seem rushed - I noticed there were more grammatical mistakes in the last book than I had noticed prior. Also in the last book, when Soren, Gylfie and Wensel are up against Tarn and the other Burrowing Owls, it is said that Burrowing Owls are larger than Barn Owls which is just... not true. This has been bugging me ever since I read it.
5. Most books had a major lead up to a big battle, which ended up being and anticlimactic two paragraphs that were not engaging at all.
6. Even with the addition of the Middle Kingdom, the world feels small, because they keep running into the same characters wherever they go which makes me feel like there's just no other interesting owls out there.
Despite this review I actually still enjoyed reading these books. First and foremost I am a critic and this series is easy to criticize (sorry), but the overall concept is so much fun. I love the idea of an intelligent society of owls, and I love watching them develop their technology in the later books. I like that there are a lot of darker themes despite the fact that this is a children's series. I was just pretty disappointed to what the story devolved into, but overall I still had fun reading it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2021
REVIEW: The War of the Ember (Guardians of Ga'Hoole, #15), Kathryn Lasky
RATING: 3.25/5
What I took away from this book: I think, therefore I'm a puffin.
This was a journey. Other than the prequel - which I do intend to read this week or next, depending on how much time I have after work - this is the final book in the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. These books have been part of my life for such a wide stretch of time now that the person who recommended this series to me has been vastly removed from my life. Essentially, this leaves me with fifteen books under my belt and no one to discuss them with. Great.
Six months of owl puns and violence. Who would have thought? And it all comes down to the final battle...or really, what could be equated to roughly the fourth or fifth "final battle" of this long series. I'm glad I read through the whole thing, but after book eight, the quality of these texts just plummeted. I'll make a few additional series remarks toward the end of my review, but first, I want to cover what I thought of this book specifically.
I don't know how to say this without throwing a fit on the Internet: the treatment of literal stillbirths in this book was vile. I don't care if you love kids or hate kids. I don't care which side of a war someone is on. Trivializing the idea of dragon owl egg complications was not Lasky's best moment by a longshot. I can understand wanting to eliminate the possibility of hagsfiends for the inevitable combat, but the language surrounding the whole thing was actually horrific. I was also appalled by allusions to manipulative reproductive on Striga's behalf. Nyra is no saint, but again, no one deserves that. With so many adaptations from the Others, you'd think that the Great Tree would have instated owl therapy by now. Trust me when I say that 95% of the characters in this series need it.
I probably just glossed over it the first time, but the imagery of the blue owls - who have already been described with so many isolating and racist undertones - and their single feathers sticking up from their heads is just overkill. If Lasky would have simply left these owls across seas and time where they belonged after The River of Wind, I think the series could have ended sooner and on a much more fulfilling note. There were other ways to win that war. Just alter the arbitrary numbers you had to even out the sides.
Why did we have to give Twilight brothers out of nowhere? I actually think it's great that he found his family, but I think it would have been even better by the end of the band's first series of antics. That way, we could have actual characterization and bonding beyond three pages of content toward the end. That brings me to another issue I had with this book: why does the battle itself only last for two, maybe three chapters? If you're going to write a book about war, you need to own it. That's not to say I didn't think some of the strategies were intelligent; rather, it's to emphasize that so much of this series is random and abrupt.
Of course, I can't say that without bringing up the big whopper of Book 15: Coryn's death. I had a feeling one of the main characters was going to die upon the long death speech. To be entirely fair, I liked the line "There can be no courage without fear." The metaphor about smelting that fear afterwards was a little cringey, but it carried decently throughout! But for the love of Glaux, that death was so quick both in the moment and in the characters' "mourning." Normalizing death is one thing, but just delegating kingship in five minutes to Mr. Blatant Protagonist is not the way.
Oh, and I didn't really like the line contrasting having tics with being a gentle or skilled person. I don't feel like I need to explain why at this point. Consider taking a cue from the pirates and viewing people of all physical and mental abilities as worthy counterparts in battle. And may I just say: why would Cleve even learn the techniques if he didn't end up fighting in the final battle? I smell a plot device with shaky execution.
I know I normally don't go quite this hard in my reviews. But despite this book's better quality over the last one, for example, I simply thought there were too many infuriating issues that cannot be ignored. I guess it was a...fitting ending? Most of the loose ends got tied up, no matter how fast. It was the most baseline level of satisfying you could get, just teetering over that edge thanks to a few decent one-liners borrowed from Winston Churchill anyway.
The series as a whole is very polarized in my opinion. The first part is great fantasy despite some plot holes. The rest is not very good and guides readers a little too heavily for my taste. I may be an adult, but I think it's excessive even for the target audience. Additionally, as I have mentioned consistently throughout my reviews (including this one), so many things happen out of convenience. You can get away with that every once in awhile, but constant usage of any literary strategy - positive or negative - will bore readers. And that's not the only repetitive thing. You can show the idea of nature vs. nurture and family cycles without repeating the same plot every few books. The first time with Soren defying his brother, it was good. Coryn and Nyra? Still pretty good. And then it just went on and on, even throughout their historical narratives, rendering many latter events terribly predictable and boring. Call my overcritical for my comments, but I want more from fantasy than a bunch of Mary Sues flying over an inconsistent dystopian land.
At any rate, I read fifteen books, which is probably the longest series I've ever tackled since Riordan's books are segmented into various pantheons. Ultimately, I would recommend reading the whole thing through, but have low expectations after Book 8.
RATING: 3.25/5
What I took away from this book: I think, therefore I'm a puffin.
This was a journey. Other than the prequel - which I do intend to read this week or next, depending on how much time I have after work - this is the final book in the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. These books have been part of my life for such a wide stretch of time now that the person who recommended this series to me has been vastly removed from my life. Essentially, this leaves me with fifteen books under my belt and no one to discuss them with. Great.
Six months of owl puns and violence. Who would have thought? And it all comes down to the final battle...or really, what could be equated to roughly the fourth or fifth "final battle" of this long series. I'm glad I read through the whole thing, but after book eight, the quality of these texts just plummeted. I'll make a few additional series remarks toward the end of my review, but first, I want to cover what I thought of this book specifically.
I don't know how to say this without throwing a fit on the Internet: the treatment of literal stillbirths in this book was vile. I don't care if you love kids or hate kids. I don't care which side of a war someone is on. Trivializing the idea of dragon owl egg complications was not Lasky's best moment by a longshot. I can understand wanting to eliminate the possibility of hagsfiends for the inevitable combat, but the language surrounding the whole thing was actually horrific. I was also appalled by allusions to manipulative reproductive on Striga's behalf. Nyra is no saint, but again, no one deserves that. With so many adaptations from the Others, you'd think that the Great Tree would have instated owl therapy by now. Trust me when I say that 95% of the characters in this series need it.
I probably just glossed over it the first time, but the imagery of the blue owls - who have already been described with so many isolating and racist undertones - and their single feathers sticking up from their heads is just overkill. If Lasky would have simply left these owls across seas and time where they belonged after The River of Wind, I think the series could have ended sooner and on a much more fulfilling note. There were other ways to win that war. Just alter the arbitrary numbers you had to even out the sides.
Why did we have to give Twilight brothers out of nowhere? I actually think it's great that he found his family, but I think it would have been even better by the end of the band's first series of antics. That way, we could have actual characterization and bonding beyond three pages of content toward the end. That brings me to another issue I had with this book: why does the battle itself only last for two, maybe three chapters? If you're going to write a book about war, you need to own it. That's not to say I didn't think some of the strategies were intelligent; rather, it's to emphasize that so much of this series is random and abrupt.
Of course, I can't say that without bringing up the big whopper of Book 15: Coryn's death. I had a feeling one of the main characters was going to die upon the long death speech. To be entirely fair, I liked the line "There can be no courage without fear." The metaphor about smelting that fear afterwards was a little cringey, but it carried decently throughout! But for the love of Glaux, that death was so quick both in the moment and in the characters' "mourning." Normalizing death is one thing, but just delegating kingship in five minutes to Mr. Blatant Protagonist is not the way.
Oh, and I didn't really like the line contrasting having tics with being a gentle or skilled person. I don't feel like I need to explain why at this point. Consider taking a cue from the pirates and viewing people of all physical and mental abilities as worthy counterparts in battle. And may I just say: why would Cleve even learn the techniques if he didn't end up fighting in the final battle? I smell a plot device with shaky execution.
I know I normally don't go quite this hard in my reviews. But despite this book's better quality over the last one, for example, I simply thought there were too many infuriating issues that cannot be ignored. I guess it was a...fitting ending? Most of the loose ends got tied up, no matter how fast. It was the most baseline level of satisfying you could get, just teetering over that edge thanks to a few decent one-liners borrowed from Winston Churchill anyway.
The series as a whole is very polarized in my opinion. The first part is great fantasy despite some plot holes. The rest is not very good and guides readers a little too heavily for my taste. I may be an adult, but I think it's excessive even for the target audience. Additionally, as I have mentioned consistently throughout my reviews (including this one), so many things happen out of convenience. You can get away with that every once in awhile, but constant usage of any literary strategy - positive or negative - will bore readers. And that's not the only repetitive thing. You can show the idea of nature vs. nurture and family cycles without repeating the same plot every few books. The first time with Soren defying his brother, it was good. Coryn and Nyra? Still pretty good. And then it just went on and on, even throughout their historical narratives, rendering many latter events terribly predictable and boring. Call my overcritical for my comments, but I want more from fantasy than a bunch of Mary Sues flying over an inconsistent dystopian land.
At any rate, I read fifteen books, which is probably the longest series I've ever tackled since Riordan's books are segmented into various pantheons. Ultimately, I would recommend reading the whole thing through, but have low expectations after Book 8.
February 10, 2012
I thoroughly enjoyed the Guardians series. While they're surprisingly violent for books targeted at children, I still think of them as a good, easy read and do recommend them. The first few books especially were marvelous, though I must admit my favourite part of the entire series are the three books written about Hoole and Grank (honestly I think that those three books would have been better suited to the film adaptation than the ones actually chosen, though there were problems with the film that stretched far beyond the choice of material or adaptation decay that I won't get into here). Actually writing out the legends instead of relating them piecemeal via exposition or dialogue was an excellent idea on Lasky's part, especially considering what came after them in the series. However, I felt that it was after To Be A King that the series really lost its momentum, and it ultimately lets this final installment down.
Most of the book is quite good. The whole lead-up is engaging and interesting, and the tension builds quite nicely. And then the battle begins. When I realised how few pages were actually left in the book by that point (knowing that a good portion of the end pages would be taken up by a glossary of characters), I did wonder to myself how the climactic confrontation of this fifteen book series could play out in such a small space with the kind of tension and action that it deserved. Previous installments featured some engaging, suspenseful and well-handled battles between the Guardians and the Pure Ones, and with the entirety of this book being one huge lead-up to the final battle of the series, I was expecting something suitably epic -- the battle to end all battles as it were. I don't feel this was an unfair presumption. The massing of the Guardians' forces and the numbers of the enemy -- a horrifying last-minute revelation -- implied that this was supposed to be the most serious confrontation in the series. I was sadly a little disappointed.
For the titular war and conclusion of the series, I admit I was expecting something a little more like the other battles early in the series, which I felt were far more compelling and better written than this one. Which was a right shame, since it can be quite easily inferred from the lead-up to the final battle that the War of the Ember was intended to be seen as being more dire and more important than the one at the end of the Hoolian legends, which was much better written. The impression I had by this point was that perhaps the author had become burned out or the story had been drawn out far too long.
I have read that the author originally didn't intend to write this many books, and I feel like it really showed in this last entry. The Golden Tree and Exile in particular seemed like rehashes of the same core concept with different approaches (cult/superstition/religious ceremony and indoctrination is bad -- not that I necessarily agree or disagree, but it felt quite heavy-handed in those two books). While I don't think that these two books in particular were poorly written or boring (in fact, I found Exile morbidly compelling, especially when the fanatical book burning reaches its obvious next step), it did feel like the core spirit of the series had been on a downward spiral once we return to Soren and Coryn after the Hoolian legends.
The build up is, perhaps ironically, what lets this book down the most. The Pure Ones and the Dragon Owls have gathered an immense force. They're hatching an army of hagsfiends, evil demon owls who were driven from the world when Hoole became king. The good guys have the puffins gaining some ambition, the polar bears and wolves joining up, and all sorts of birdy riff-raff coming to help who were otherwise derided or disliked by the owls for the entire series, like seagulls, crows and kraals (owl pirates). It's all building up to be a huge, epic battle between good and evil. Reader expectations are raised, and when the actual fighting starts, I guess my expectations had a little too far to fall.
One of the more disappointing things for me personally was the absence of hagsfiends in the final battle. Largely this was because of the way the force of hagsfiends being bred by the villains was dealt with in the narrative. I must admit I wasn't sure what to make of the sudden idea that the baby hagfiends would be ready to fight within hours of their hatching. It felt like a contrivance intended solely to create tension in the context of Namara's mission. Reading the book, I can see what was being aimed at -- the uncertainty of whether or not Namara actually succeeded in destroying the hagsfiend eggs is played upon. The scene of Namara's battle was omitted from the narrative with no further clues given during the story. However, the suspense and tension I imagine this was supposed to generate in theory just didn't work in practice when it came down to the final battle itself. The Pure Ones came across as nonthreatening and impotent, and I kept expecting hagfiends, even a handful of them, to show up so that the tension and stakes could be ratcheted up to the point where it would feel like the Guardians would be at greater risk. When the good guys have polar bears, wolves and numerous other birds including martial-arts owls and coal-throwing colliers, even if the Pure Ones technically outnumbered them it failed to feel like a high-tension battle and more like an unfair fight tilted in the Guardians' favour.
We are led to believe just before the battle that the Pure Ones severely outnumber the Guardians by about two-to-one or so, which makes the presence of the Guardians' allies even more important to their victory. But when the battle actually starts, perhaps because of the confusing way it is written, it really comes across that the Pure Ones have no real advantage at all. This is a real contrast to previous, earlier battles in the series which had great tension and pacing. Even the strategy felt a bit contrived; wedging an enemy force that can fly perfectly well into a corridor to be assaulted by polar bears was a little hard to wrap my head around (I have a theory about where this came from, which I will get to shortly). Nonetheless I was willing to suspend a bit of disbelief here and convinced myself that they were being driven down. Which they probably were, and this is of course what I mean by the description of the battle being confusing: some of the time I didn't have much idea as to what was going on.
Which leads me to my real, big gripe. It's quite probable that I would have just read the book and shrugged a little at the shortcomings that I noticed during the climax (as I tend to do when I'm thoroughly engrossed in a book). However, something took place early in the battle that jarred me straight out of the story. I laughed. I was probably not supposed to laugh. This is the serious part of the book where everything comes to a violent head. And after reading this part, I found it very difficult to get back into the story.
When it is first suggested by the characters that they use a place called the Hot Gates in the Beyond as the centrepiece in their strategy, I had a flashback to the film 300. No big issue really, since it's a rather ordinary and logical strategy when you have the advantage of that kind of geography. But then, during the battle, Nyra calls for a parley and says this to Soren and Coryn while trying to convince them to surrender and give up the Ember:
"By noon tomorrow your flame squadron, your Strix Struma Strikers, your Frost Beaks will be finished because our hagsfiends will blot out the sun and you will die."
"Then we shall fight you in the shade!" Coryn replied.
"Be sensible. Lay down your weapons." The Striga stepped forward on the perch.
"Come and get them," Coryn said in a deadly voice that range out. A wild cheer went up from the colliers of the Sacred Ring.
I stopped reading here for a moment. I did laugh, and at first I thought it was cute, and then I re-read it and my assessment of 'cute' turned to awkward. The middle of the climactic battle of the series was probably not the best place to put something like this. It's made worse by a confusing piece of dialogue that takes place shortly after where the wolf Namara captures a traitor. Namara tells them that the Pure Ones have been shown 'an old caribou trail' and they're coming in from the rear.
It was painfully obvious that this section of the battle is some kind of odd homage to 300/The 300 Spartans, which makes an awkward kind of sense when one considers the coincidence that Zack Snyder directed both that film and the adaptation of the Guardians series. If you've seen the film 300 more than once, the references here are numerous and laid on thick. It turns the whole section from a serious battle into an uncomfortable, jarring Narm moment. It doesn't work in the way it's been used. It's completely distracting and left me feeling awkward and weird about the whole scene. In a way, I feel like it really ruined the climax with its shamelessness by disrupting the momentum of the action.
One of the other things that bugged me more after the fact was this.
The death of a major character during the climax of the book felt like it was tacked in there purely to amp up the drama. While in terms of the narrative and the conclusion to the series it was an obvious choice to end that character's role in the story, the brevity of its handling made the whole scenario seem completely arbitrary. It didn't help at all that this happened at the end of what was a somewhat awkwardly-written climax between the main heroes and the main villains. Visually I'm sure it would have looked spectacular, but the whole thing read very strangely off the page. Initially the climax of the battle was great once it got underway. And then it stopped dead in its tracks, so during the pivotal scene that takes place in the caldera it was hard to visualise some of the action. Once the writing picks up again, suddenly an important character is dying. And then dead. The disappointing part is that it feels glossed over and hardly mourned, which is perhaps why it felt that the death was arbitrary.
So ends the series, and though I've waxed at length on why I was so disappointed with the ending, bear in mind that this is all in the last 30-or-so pages of the story. The rest of the series is quite good; I wouldn't have spent my time reading 15 books about the characters and world if I didn't enjoy it (I'll drop a book in the first few pages if it bores me, after all). However, endings are important, and as the ending to such a long series, I naturally felt let-down that the conclusion to this book wasn't as grand as I was expecting. Others may think differently, and as I did really enjoy the other 14-and-a-half books in this series (and am currently enjoying The Lost Tales of Ga'Hoole) I still recommend giving it a read, even if you only read as far as book 6 (which you can, I think, stop at and still have a well-rounded story) or even read up to To Be a King, since I feel that the legend of Hoole is well worth a read too.
Most of the book is quite good. The whole lead-up is engaging and interesting, and the tension builds quite nicely. And then the battle begins. When I realised how few pages were actually left in the book by that point (knowing that a good portion of the end pages would be taken up by a glossary of characters), I did wonder to myself how the climactic confrontation of this fifteen book series could play out in such a small space with the kind of tension and action that it deserved. Previous installments featured some engaging, suspenseful and well-handled battles between the Guardians and the Pure Ones, and with the entirety of this book being one huge lead-up to the final battle of the series, I was expecting something suitably epic -- the battle to end all battles as it were. I don't feel this was an unfair presumption. The massing of the Guardians' forces and the numbers of the enemy -- a horrifying last-minute revelation -- implied that this was supposed to be the most serious confrontation in the series. I was sadly a little disappointed.
For the titular war and conclusion of the series, I admit I was expecting something a little more like the other battles early in the series, which I felt were far more compelling and better written than this one. Which was a right shame, since it can be quite easily inferred from the lead-up to the final battle that the War of the Ember was intended to be seen as being more dire and more important than the one at the end of the Hoolian legends, which was much better written. The impression I had by this point was that perhaps the author had become burned out or the story had been drawn out far too long.
I have read that the author originally didn't intend to write this many books, and I feel like it really showed in this last entry. The Golden Tree and Exile in particular seemed like rehashes of the same core concept with different approaches (cult/superstition/religious ceremony and indoctrination is bad -- not that I necessarily agree or disagree, but it felt quite heavy-handed in those two books). While I don't think that these two books in particular were poorly written or boring (in fact, I found Exile morbidly compelling, especially when the fanatical book burning reaches its obvious next step), it did feel like the core spirit of the series had been on a downward spiral once we return to Soren and Coryn after the Hoolian legends.
The build up is, perhaps ironically, what lets this book down the most. The Pure Ones and the Dragon Owls have gathered an immense force. They're hatching an army of hagsfiends, evil demon owls who were driven from the world when Hoole became king. The good guys have the puffins gaining some ambition, the polar bears and wolves joining up, and all sorts of birdy riff-raff coming to help who were otherwise derided or disliked by the owls for the entire series, like seagulls, crows and kraals (owl pirates). It's all building up to be a huge, epic battle between good and evil. Reader expectations are raised, and when the actual fighting starts, I guess my expectations had a little too far to fall.
One of the more disappointing things for me personally was the absence of hagsfiends in the final battle. Largely this was because of the way the force of hagsfiends being bred by the villains was dealt with in the narrative. I must admit I wasn't sure what to make of the sudden idea that the baby hagfiends would be ready to fight within hours of their hatching. It felt like a contrivance intended solely to create tension in the context of Namara's mission. Reading the book, I can see what was being aimed at -- the uncertainty of whether or not Namara actually succeeded in destroying the hagsfiend eggs is played upon. The scene of Namara's battle was omitted from the narrative with no further clues given during the story. However, the suspense and tension I imagine this was supposed to generate in theory just didn't work in practice when it came down to the final battle itself. The Pure Ones came across as nonthreatening and impotent, and I kept expecting hagfiends, even a handful of them, to show up so that the tension and stakes could be ratcheted up to the point where it would feel like the Guardians would be at greater risk. When the good guys have polar bears, wolves and numerous other birds including martial-arts owls and coal-throwing colliers, even if the Pure Ones technically outnumbered them it failed to feel like a high-tension battle and more like an unfair fight tilted in the Guardians' favour.
We are led to believe just before the battle that the Pure Ones severely outnumber the Guardians by about two-to-one or so, which makes the presence of the Guardians' allies even more important to their victory. But when the battle actually starts, perhaps because of the confusing way it is written, it really comes across that the Pure Ones have no real advantage at all. This is a real contrast to previous, earlier battles in the series which had great tension and pacing. Even the strategy felt a bit contrived; wedging an enemy force that can fly perfectly well into a corridor to be assaulted by polar bears was a little hard to wrap my head around (I have a theory about where this came from, which I will get to shortly). Nonetheless I was willing to suspend a bit of disbelief here and convinced myself that they were being driven down. Which they probably were, and this is of course what I mean by the description of the battle being confusing: some of the time I didn't have much idea as to what was going on.
Which leads me to my real, big gripe. It's quite probable that I would have just read the book and shrugged a little at the shortcomings that I noticed during the climax (as I tend to do when I'm thoroughly engrossed in a book). However, something took place early in the battle that jarred me straight out of the story. I laughed. I was probably not supposed to laugh. This is the serious part of the book where everything comes to a violent head. And after reading this part, I found it very difficult to get back into the story.
When it is first suggested by the characters that they use a place called the Hot Gates in the Beyond as the centrepiece in their strategy, I had a flashback to the film 300. No big issue really, since it's a rather ordinary and logical strategy when you have the advantage of that kind of geography. But then, during the battle, Nyra calls for a parley and says this to Soren and Coryn while trying to convince them to surrender and give up the Ember:
"By noon tomorrow your flame squadron, your Strix Struma Strikers, your Frost Beaks will be finished because our hagsfiends will blot out the sun and you will die."
"Then we shall fight you in the shade!" Coryn replied.
"Be sensible. Lay down your weapons." The Striga stepped forward on the perch.
"Come and get them," Coryn said in a deadly voice that range out. A wild cheer went up from the colliers of the Sacred Ring.
I stopped reading here for a moment. I did laugh, and at first I thought it was cute, and then I re-read it and my assessment of 'cute' turned to awkward. The middle of the climactic battle of the series was probably not the best place to put something like this. It's made worse by a confusing piece of dialogue that takes place shortly after where the wolf Namara captures a traitor. Namara tells them that the Pure Ones have been shown 'an old caribou trail' and they're coming in from the rear.
It was painfully obvious that this section of the battle is some kind of odd homage to 300/The 300 Spartans, which makes an awkward kind of sense when one considers the coincidence that Zack Snyder directed both that film and the adaptation of the Guardians series. If you've seen the film 300 more than once, the references here are numerous and laid on thick. It turns the whole section from a serious battle into an uncomfortable, jarring Narm moment. It doesn't work in the way it's been used. It's completely distracting and left me feeling awkward and weird about the whole scene. In a way, I feel like it really ruined the climax with its shamelessness by disrupting the momentum of the action.
One of the other things that bugged me more after the fact was this.
The death of a major character during the climax of the book felt like it was tacked in there purely to amp up the drama. While in terms of the narrative and the conclusion to the series it was an obvious choice to end that character's role in the story, the brevity of its handling made the whole scenario seem completely arbitrary. It didn't help at all that this happened at the end of what was a somewhat awkwardly-written climax between the main heroes and the main villains. Visually I'm sure it would have looked spectacular, but the whole thing read very strangely off the page. Initially the climax of the battle was great once it got underway. And then it stopped dead in its tracks, so during the pivotal scene that takes place in the caldera it was hard to visualise some of the action. Once the writing picks up again, suddenly an important character is dying. And then dead. The disappointing part is that it feels glossed over and hardly mourned, which is perhaps why it felt that the death was arbitrary.
So ends the series, and though I've waxed at length on why I was so disappointed with the ending, bear in mind that this is all in the last 30-or-so pages of the story. The rest of the series is quite good; I wouldn't have spent my time reading 15 books about the characters and world if I didn't enjoy it (I'll drop a book in the first few pages if it bores me, after all). However, endings are important, and as the ending to such a long series, I naturally felt let-down that the conclusion to this book wasn't as grand as I was expecting. Others may think differently, and as I did really enjoy the other 14-and-a-half books in this series (and am currently enjoying The Lost Tales of Ga'Hoole) I still recommend giving it a read, even if you only read as far as book 6 (which you can, I think, stop at and still have a well-rounded story) or even read up to To Be a King, since I feel that the legend of Hoole is well worth a read too.
June 26, 2021
FR
Etant donné la descente que ces livres ont été, je dois avouer que j'étais plus contente d'arriver au dernier. Et c'est triste de dire ça car pendant de nombreux tomes, j'ai beaucoup aimé ma lecture !
Ce livre a légèrement rattrapé ce qui était mauvais, mais pas à fond, vous vous en doutez.
Pour moi, la fin est d'une certaine façon "logique", même si je me doute qu'elle ne doit pas plaire à tout le monde. Par contre, concernant cette fin, le fait que dans le livre, tout le monde réagit normalement, ça, ça m'a dérangée.
Une saga de clôturée, pas sans peine.
Malgré tout, je la recommande, surtout pour les premiers tomes, mais pas pour les plus jeunes !
ENG
Given the descent these books have been, I must admit I was happy to get to the last one. And it's sad to say that because for many books, I really enjoyed my reading!
This book has caught up to what was wrong a little, but not fully, you can imagine.
For me, the ending is somehow "logical", although I suspect that it may not appeal to everyone. On the other hand, concerning this ending, the fact that in the book, everyone reacts normally, that bothered me.
A closed saga, not without difficulty.
Despite everything, I recommend it, especially for the first volumes, but not for the youngest !
Etant donné la descente que ces livres ont été, je dois avouer que j'étais plus contente d'arriver au dernier. Et c'est triste de dire ça car pendant de nombreux tomes, j'ai beaucoup aimé ma lecture !
Ce livre a légèrement rattrapé ce qui était mauvais, mais pas à fond, vous vous en doutez.
Pour moi, la fin est d'une certaine façon "logique", même si je me doute qu'elle ne doit pas plaire à tout le monde. Par contre, concernant cette fin, le fait que dans le livre, tout le monde réagit normalement, ça, ça m'a dérangée.
Une saga de clôturée, pas sans peine.
Malgré tout, je la recommande, surtout pour les premiers tomes, mais pas pour les plus jeunes !
ENG
Given the descent these books have been, I must admit I was happy to get to the last one. And it's sad to say that because for many books, I really enjoyed my reading!
This book has caught up to what was wrong a little, but not fully, you can imagine.
For me, the ending is somehow "logical", although I suspect that it may not appeal to everyone. On the other hand, concerning this ending, the fact that in the book, everyone reacts normally, that bothered me.
A closed saga, not without difficulty.
Despite everything, I recommend it, especially for the first volumes, but not for the youngest !
May 31, 2022
The ending to this wonderful series is such a disappointment.
Based on my previous experience with the climax of the story arcs from the earlier books, those were meticulously written to ensure that all the characters get what they deserved to complete their respective character journeys. End books are supposed to be cathartic. They're supposed to give us a conclusion that summarizes all the important points in the series with quick, brisk action to convey the most vital challenge each of the characters has to face.
The War of the Ember has none of those. First of all, we took a long time consolidating the army and highlighting just how important and unprecedented this event is, only to end up being used as one or two lines in the last ten pages of the book. Second, the opposing army never actually felt like a threat to any of the Hoolians plans, they were always one step behind despite Nyra being held up as the ultimate evil capable of wreaking destruction due to her nature and skillset. She was vanquished so fast that I was left reeling with the feeling of "this is it? this is what all that preparation amounted to?". Finally, the deaths and changes that followed felt more like an afterthought rather than the actual destination of the story. None of them was handled right and it feels like the characters were disrespected, a post-it note to all that build-up.
I'm glad I finished this series but I'm sad to witness how it was treated at the end.
Based on my previous experience with the climax of the story arcs from the earlier books, those were meticulously written to ensure that all the characters get what they deserved to complete their respective character journeys. End books are supposed to be cathartic. They're supposed to give us a conclusion that summarizes all the important points in the series with quick, brisk action to convey the most vital challenge each of the characters has to face.
The War of the Ember has none of those. First of all, we took a long time consolidating the army and highlighting just how important and unprecedented this event is, only to end up being used as one or two lines in the last ten pages of the book. Second, the opposing army never actually felt like a threat to any of the Hoolians plans, they were always one step behind despite Nyra being held up as the ultimate evil capable of wreaking destruction due to her nature and skillset. She was vanquished so fast that I was left reeling with the feeling of "this is it? this is what all that preparation amounted to?". Finally, the deaths and changes that followed felt more like an afterthought rather than the actual destination of the story. None of them was handled right and it feels like the characters were disrespected, a post-it note to all that build-up.
I'm glad I finished this series but I'm sad to witness how it was treated at the end.
October 29, 2022
Kind of anticlimactic for me at the end about how Coryn puts back the ember with no difficulty, how Soren easily gets an opening to kill Nyra, how he also kills the Striga so easily too. I didn’t understand how Coryn’s wing got sliced completely off, dies, and Soren is made king without writing showing Soren would be distraught or sad that his nephew died.
I also didn’t appreciate how the puffins were made out to be dumb. I wouldn’t consider them dumb at all. Some of the way Coryn talked kind of bugged me because it didn’t seem to be in his nature or how he would have talked even as a young king.
And then the random part where Twilight finds out he has 2 older brothers because Soren and Gylfie magically bumps into them and receives help from them and believes they are related because of how they act? Maybe their specie of owl is like that? Who knows?
As you can see I felt like this story had holes instead of the author taking the time to really build a good story line. But since it is a children’s book, the kids maybe won’t notice and they just want to know how this whole series ends.
I also didn’t appreciate how the puffins were made out to be dumb. I wouldn’t consider them dumb at all. Some of the way Coryn talked kind of bugged me because it didn’t seem to be in his nature or how he would have talked even as a young king.
And then the random part where Twilight finds out he has 2 older brothers because Soren and Gylfie magically bumps into them and receives help from them and believes they are related because of how they act? Maybe their specie of owl is like that? Who knows?
As you can see I felt like this story had holes instead of the author taking the time to really build a good story line. But since it is a children’s book, the kids maybe won’t notice and they just want to know how this whole series ends.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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February 27, 2022part of me wants to sit here and bash it because it's a terrible series.
but the other part of me remembers when my parents would drive to the closest big city and go to B&N - i'd beg them for the next book in this series everytime we went. That's what I want to come away with. I don't remember reading them all that much when I was a kid, but now, i'd like to think i've come away with a more whole idea of what the themes/messages are and I'm glad. because i think i would've been really bitter about this series had i thought critically about them all those years ago.
This series will need a rewrite sometime down the line though, so lasky: consider getting an editor that knows what they're doing and allow them to trim/work as they please. don't repeat the same information every other page because you think your target audience is 6 years old with a desire to learn about mutilation, war, cannibalism, etc.
but the other part of me remembers when my parents would drive to the closest big city and go to B&N - i'd beg them for the next book in this series everytime we went. That's what I want to come away with. I don't remember reading them all that much when I was a kid, but now, i'd like to think i've come away with a more whole idea of what the themes/messages are and I'm glad. because i think i would've been really bitter about this series had i thought critically about them all those years ago.
This series will need a rewrite sometime down the line though, so lasky: consider getting an editor that knows what they're doing and allow them to trim/work as they please. don't repeat the same information every other page because you think your target audience is 6 years old with a desire to learn about mutilation, war, cannibalism, etc.
October 27, 2023
That was fantastic! Slowly, after arc 4, the warriors (The ones about the cats) books got progressively worse. However, if I'm not mistaken, these books got progressively better! I have heard many ominous things about rereading something you enjoyed as a child, but as I finally finished this series (see my review on Exile) I realized this is a series I'll come back to and recommend to my friends. 4.75 stars!
May 23, 2024
Bel romanzo fino alla battaglia finale, che prometteva di essere qualcosa di epico Che delusione...
May 28, 2022
I finished it! Im so proud.
This one has been my Alamo for a long time. I don’t know why; no matter how I tried to pace myself I always put it down half finished and didn’t pick it up again until it had been so long I had forgotten what was happening. It was nothing against the book and everything about my own burn out. But this time, I paced myself and finished it. And Im so glad I did.
I don’t have many more deeper thoughts than that. Previously I spoke about Lasky’s use of history and the symbolism of great (and not so great) leaders. It ends poetically, if a little abruptly, and it was enough to make me cry. Worth the sticky middle of the series and the patchy continuity.
This one has been my Alamo for a long time. I don’t know why; no matter how I tried to pace myself I always put it down half finished and didn’t pick it up again until it had been so long I had forgotten what was happening. It was nothing against the book and everything about my own burn out. But this time, I paced myself and finished it. And Im so glad I did.
I don’t have many more deeper thoughts than that. Previously I spoke about Lasky’s use of history and the symbolism of great (and not so great) leaders. It ends poetically, if a little abruptly, and it was enough to make me cry. Worth the sticky middle of the series and the patchy continuity.
May 22, 2018
My favorite part was when they recruited all the different animals to fight with the guardians, and when Soren became king. I found the puffins lack of vocabulary very funny, because they took everything literally. My least favorite part was when Coryn died, even though I knew it was fair. It wouldn't have been fair, or likely, that all the main characters survive the whole thing, or none of them sustain any injuries, so the injuries they have make it more realistic, even f I don't like Otulissa losing an eye from the previous book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 11, 2025
The first 8 guardians of gahoole books are insane and super relevant as the embodiment of evil has changed little over the centuries. After the Outcast, the series does a flashback to ancient, more dangerous times which is interesting but causes the series to lose momentum once forced to pick back up in the River of Wind. The ending of the series is great but felt rushed. After so much has happened in the world, the book simply ends and the world moves on. The entire series is worth the read, especially recommend the first eight all the way through the Outcast which was my favorite.
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