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Shkode #3
The Scattered Bond
With the world on fire and the ground crumbling around them, Cor, Atesh, and Jwala struggle to make sense of the lost magic and find something, or someone, else to help them survive. The Scattered Bond, the dramatic finale to the Shkode trilogy, concludes this unique fantasy saga about a split world—exploring themes of identity, prejudice, violence, compassion, and the ways we are all connected.
- GenresFantasy
356 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2017
About the author
E.D.E. Bell
37 books212 followersE.D.E. Bell (she/her or e/em) is a writer, global editor, and pro-expression organizer in Ferndale, Michigan. Eir works are quiet and queer and often explore conceptions of identity and community, including themes of friendship, family, and connection. You can follow Emily's adventures at edebell.com.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 28, 2017
I am so proud of this finale. Magic. Drama. Hope. Despair. Revelations. And, of course, pregnant wizards. I love the fantasy genre so dearly - for exploration as much as for escape, and I'm hoping I've done it some justice.
If you enjoy reading something different, I hope you'll read the Shkode trilogy, starting with Book 1: The Banished Craft.
If you enjoy reading something different, I hope you'll read the Shkode trilogy, starting with Book 1: The Banished Craft.
June 3, 2017
(Note: This is a review of the entire series, not just The Scattered Bond. I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.)
Oftentimes when I read fantasy, I can tell that the work is derivative of The Lord of the Rings, which is probably going to be the quintessential fantasy series of all time. There will be the Chosen One, the Wise One, the Warlord, and so on, and the regions of this fantasy land will typically mirror the English countryside (The Shire) and a volcanic hellhole (Mordor).
The Shkode Series by E.D.E. Bell is nothing like this. Her characters come from many diverse backgrounds: Cor, the protagonist, is a writer (a thing forbidden among women) who learns that she is one of the Shkode (an ancient society of those who know magic). Other characters include a president who has a secret, an angry young man who incites a war, a dragon who is a scientist, and a four-dimensional being called "Mother." These characters must deal with the impending cataclysm of their worlds--Arev (dragon world) and Teirrah (human world) used to be one, but were accidentally split in two by a four-dimensional child who bumped into it. It is up to Mother and everyone else to try to rejoin the two worlds before they are both destroyed.
It is clear that E.D.E. Bell took some inspiration from the book "Flatland" by Edwin A. Abbott, but the Shkode series is infinitely more entertaining than Flatland. If you like reading books with diverse characters and want to rack your brain trying to imagine what a four-dimensional being might look like, give this series a try!
Oftentimes when I read fantasy, I can tell that the work is derivative of The Lord of the Rings, which is probably going to be the quintessential fantasy series of all time. There will be the Chosen One, the Wise One, the Warlord, and so on, and the regions of this fantasy land will typically mirror the English countryside (The Shire) and a volcanic hellhole (Mordor).
The Shkode Series by E.D.E. Bell is nothing like this. Her characters come from many diverse backgrounds: Cor, the protagonist, is a writer (a thing forbidden among women) who learns that she is one of the Shkode (an ancient society of those who know magic). Other characters include a president who has a secret, an angry young man who incites a war, a dragon who is a scientist, and a four-dimensional being called "Mother." These characters must deal with the impending cataclysm of their worlds--Arev (dragon world) and Teirrah (human world) used to be one, but were accidentally split in two by a four-dimensional child who bumped into it. It is up to Mother and everyone else to try to rejoin the two worlds before they are both destroyed.
It is clear that E.D.E. Bell took some inspiration from the book "Flatland" by Edwin A. Abbott, but the Shkode series is infinitely more entertaining than Flatland. If you like reading books with diverse characters and want to rack your brain trying to imagine what a four-dimensional being might look like, give this series a try!
June 7, 2017
The third and final book in the Shkode series, The Scattered Bond, is due to arrive this September! This series has held one surprise after another and I have been fortunate enough to receive an advanced copy of the exciting finale!
Cor and Atesh have their hands (and claws) full as they try to unravel the mystery of Cor's magic and its relationship to the ha to try and save their diminishing worlds. Two worlds that are changing rapidly, and not just environmentally. Ideas are taking root and humans and gon's alike are ready for to take control of their futures.
It's a familiar scenario, one we all can relate to today with issues such as LGBTQ pride, women's rights, global environmental concerns, and the desire for a leader that truly has their people's best interest in mind.
E.D.E. Bell has combined today's biggest topics in a fantasy novel that begs the reader to put equality and understanding ahead of societal pressures to conform to outdated standards of 'acceptable' views and beliefs.
Each book in the series is broken up into chapters containing several glimpses into individual characters, each sharing their struggles and their fight to build a better world, and with book 3 building up the the final climax, The Scattered Bond has more viewpoints than ever. The reader gets a front row seat to the impending doom through the eyes of key characters in both human and gon dimensions. Things are heating up, and everything is falling to pieces.
I am so excited to have completed this series and now I want to share this story and its message with others.
A giveaway begins 6/9/17 and will run through 6/16/17 on my blog angelaburkhead.blogspot.com
Cor and Atesh have their hands (and claws) full as they try to unravel the mystery of Cor's magic and its relationship to the ha to try and save their diminishing worlds. Two worlds that are changing rapidly, and not just environmentally. Ideas are taking root and humans and gon's alike are ready for to take control of their futures.
It's a familiar scenario, one we all can relate to today with issues such as LGBTQ pride, women's rights, global environmental concerns, and the desire for a leader that truly has their people's best interest in mind.
E.D.E. Bell has combined today's biggest topics in a fantasy novel that begs the reader to put equality and understanding ahead of societal pressures to conform to outdated standards of 'acceptable' views and beliefs.
Each book in the series is broken up into chapters containing several glimpses into individual characters, each sharing their struggles and their fight to build a better world, and with book 3 building up the the final climax, The Scattered Bond has more viewpoints than ever. The reader gets a front row seat to the impending doom through the eyes of key characters in both human and gon dimensions. Things are heating up, and everything is falling to pieces.
I am so excited to have completed this series and now I want to share this story and its message with others.
A giveaway begins 6/9/17 and will run through 6/16/17 on my blog angelaburkhead.blogspot.com
August 29, 2017
An incredibly strong finish to this series. It did not end how I expected it to and is all the better for it.
"The Huge Surprise" alone is worth the price of admission. I was laughing loudly in the breakroom.
Not indicative of the series as a whole, but fun nevertheless.
I'm glad I kickstarted this series and now left wondering what I shall read next.
"The Huge Surprise" alone is worth the price of admission. I was laughing loudly in the breakroom.
Not indicative of the series as a whole, but fun nevertheless.
I'm glad I kickstarted this series and now left wondering what I shall read next.
August 15, 2017
**Honest Review in exchange for Free ARC**
What an exciting finale!
This book delivers everything the first two books promised. An apocalyptic doom is here and there are mobs with their heads buried in the sand. Our heroes rally together and fight back for the final push with magic, daring escapes, and thwarting villainous plots to destroy an already crumbling world.
This last book in the trilogy still has several twists to unveil and I highly recommend the entire trilogy. Start with "The Banished Craft", explore deeper with "The Fettered Flame" and finish with this one.
What an exciting finale!
This book delivers everything the first two books promised. An apocalyptic doom is here and there are mobs with their heads buried in the sand. Our heroes rally together and fight back for the final push with magic, daring escapes, and thwarting villainous plots to destroy an already crumbling world.
This last book in the trilogy still has several twists to unveil and I highly recommend the entire trilogy. Start with "The Banished Craft", explore deeper with "The Fettered Flame" and finish with this one.
April 29, 2017
I have loved reading this series. The juxtaposition of two worlds and the human and Dragon characters is interesting, fun and challenging. E.D.E. Bell has created two fully developed environments with Dragonan and Human customs, speech, ecology, politics and especially magic. The Dragons and the humans are caught in a battle to save their worlds from destruction. They face warring factions , environmental upheaval, epic storms and evil conspirators along the way. In the finale, they must unite their scattered bond to save everyone. The travails of the main characters are contemporary- miscogny, racism, fear of the unknown and pacifism vs war among others. It's not your usual fantasy world- it's much deeper and challenging. All in all it is a wonderful journey into a terrific fantasy. I'm sorry the trilogy is done and thoroughly enjoyed the books.
June 10, 2017
I love books about dragons, so my bar for this is set high, and E.D.E Bell’s Shkode Trilogy clears it with room to spare. Her dragons have a fully-realized society on a par with the world’s human society, and the problems and complexities of dragon life are given the same weight as the human issues at play.
The Scattered Bond wraps up the trilogy in a satisfying manner, with a dramatic climax and a solid conclusion to the various threads of the story. This is definitely a trilogy that needs to be read in order and in full (I would not suggest trying to read The Scattered Bond as a stand-alone).
The book and series feature some characters who are vegan, and that viewpoint certainly gave me a lot to think about. I adored the progressive and powerful female characters, and the theme of peaceful protest and speaking out against repressive authority.
If asked, I don’t think I could choose a “favourite” character or storyline, as they’re all so intertwined and vivid, but I do find myself particularly fond of Jwala and Atesh, the Kings, and of course Cor.
The Scattered Bond wraps up the trilogy in a satisfying manner, with a dramatic climax and a solid conclusion to the various threads of the story. This is definitely a trilogy that needs to be read in order and in full (I would not suggest trying to read The Scattered Bond as a stand-alone).
The book and series feature some characters who are vegan, and that viewpoint certainly gave me a lot to think about. I adored the progressive and powerful female characters, and the theme of peaceful protest and speaking out against repressive authority.
If asked, I don’t think I could choose a “favourite” character or storyline, as they’re all so intertwined and vivid, but I do find myself particularly fond of Jwala and Atesh, the Kings, and of course Cor.
August 29, 2017
After reading the first two books in this trilogy, I could hardly wait to read The Scattered Bond to see how the story ends. It was worth the wait! In the Scattered bond, Ms. Bell builds the suspense and feeling of urgency, as many heroes in the story work against time to save their world.
Now that the story has been told, I wish there was more! I hope that the author will consider re visiting the characters of the Shkode trilogy in future work.
Intelligent and thoughtful fantasy fiction which addresses many social issues relevant in our own world today.
Now that the story has been told, I wish there was more! I hope that the author will consider re visiting the characters of the Shkode trilogy in future work.
Intelligent and thoughtful fantasy fiction which addresses many social issues relevant in our own world today.
September 22, 2019
I finished this way earlier, but have been behind on writing up Goodreads review. This was a satisfying conclusion to the Shkode trilogy. There's a hilarious moment I won't spoil, but had me setting down the book so I could laugh for a good minute.
February 2, 2018
Wonderful series, entertaining and gripping! Highly recommend these books
January 19, 2019
Bell delights readers again as she masterfully brings the duality of her universe into cohesion, providing suspense and hope until the end.
May 15, 2017
The Scattered Bond was a great end to a fantastic series! I have never read anything quite like this complex high-fantasy trilogy in my life, but clearly the author’s goal in writing her utterly unique trilogy is enlightenment. She defies gender roles and delves deeply into societal problems caused by ignorance and prejudice, which are so relevant in today’s world.
The series has a large cast of characters and is told from multiple points of view. (Don’t panic, people. I know some of you don’t like that, but it totally worked in this series!) All of the characters we hear from play pivotal roles in the story.
The series began with a mysterious four-dimensional researcher’s child causing a world to split into dangerously unstable twin worlds of Teirrah and Arev. Each world knows nothing of the other's existence, except as stories, legends and myths.
Humans inhabit the one known as Teirrah, and anthropomorphic dragons populate the other world. (May I just say … anthropomorphic dragons are awesome, particularly Jwala and Atesh!)
In The Scattered Bond, I love the storyline between Cor, a woman with amazing magical powers, and Atesh, a dragon scientist who are desperately attempting to reunite the worlds of Teirrah and Arev.
The political landscape of both worlds are also in a state of flux and revolutions are in the making. (The storyline between the Grande Dame Francie and President Greg King of Gardenia practically blew my socks off in book 2!)
While all this occurs, the above mentioned researcher, known to Cor and Atesh as Mother, is watching over the worlds and guiding them as best as she can.
Will the worlds reunite or be destroyed? Will the political landscape be reshaped in both worlds? Will the worlds continue to be divided by class distinctions and misconceptions?
I’ll never tell. (I'm no spoiler!) You must grab the series and see for yourselves!
The series has a large cast of characters and is told from multiple points of view. (Don’t panic, people. I know some of you don’t like that, but it totally worked in this series!) All of the characters we hear from play pivotal roles in the story.
The series began with a mysterious four-dimensional researcher’s child causing a world to split into dangerously unstable twin worlds of Teirrah and Arev. Each world knows nothing of the other's existence, except as stories, legends and myths.
Humans inhabit the one known as Teirrah, and anthropomorphic dragons populate the other world. (May I just say … anthropomorphic dragons are awesome, particularly Jwala and Atesh!)
In The Scattered Bond, I love the storyline between Cor, a woman with amazing magical powers, and Atesh, a dragon scientist who are desperately attempting to reunite the worlds of Teirrah and Arev.
The political landscape of both worlds are also in a state of flux and revolutions are in the making. (The storyline between the Grande Dame Francie and President Greg King of Gardenia practically blew my socks off in book 2!)
While all this occurs, the above mentioned researcher, known to Cor and Atesh as Mother, is watching over the worlds and guiding them as best as she can.
Will the worlds reunite or be destroyed? Will the political landscape be reshaped in both worlds? Will the worlds continue to be divided by class distinctions and misconceptions?
I’ll never tell. (I'm no spoiler!) You must grab the series and see for yourselves!
May 29, 2019
This is such an uncharacteristic fantasy novel; normally you would be adventuring (killing things and bad guys) but here is a fantasy novel about violence being wrong and veganism and peace. I think the conclusions felt a little lacking (both the fight with the emperor and the overall dissolution of worlds) but this is an interesting and thought-provoking series and I'm glad I read it.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews