"The Pomegranate Gate" Discuss Everything (Spoilers)

[SFFBC, Ancillary Mod]

A few questions to get us started:


1. What did you think of the world?
2. What did you think of the characters?
3. What worked or didn't for you?
4. Overall thoughts?

[CJ]

Overall I quite enjoyed this. I thought the world was pretty unique for the fantasy genre and made really good and interesting use of Jewish folklore, Talmudic traditions and Sephardic culture.

I liked how the author mostly structured the story around Toba and Naftaly and their particular family connections to the Mazik world, with the various secondary character falling into either of those protagonist's arcs. Both how the story was structure and how the two main protagonists have connections to both the mortal and Mazik worlds--two distinct connections that eventually bring them together--really helped give the story a sense of duality that fit its theme of a "mirrored" universe.

At times the backdrop of the Inquisition felt a bit heavy. I mean, it's not surprising--it's all pretty dreadful and terrible historically, but all the politics of that side of the story felt a bit much to keep track of with all the other stuff going on with the protagonists' connection to the Mazik world and all the stuff going on there, which for me was far more interesting.

And the Jewish pirates who show up and save Naftaly, the Old Woman and Elena was a tad too convenient for me. I kept hoping there would be a little more with them to justify their appearance in the story. Maybe in the second book?

[Edwin]

Gonna be a naysayer here, but I found this book to be real drudgery.

The story, time line and political machinations were hard to follow and each of the characters had multiple names making it all very confusing. The torture that ramped up at the end felt unnecessary and overdone. And the magic never seemed to make any sense.

But mostly, nothing much happened in this book. I was temped on several occasions to DNF and by the end, I really didn't care about anyone or anything and was just glad to be done.

[lanlynk]

The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan is a complex story with many characters and places. Luckily, the book contains lists for both the Dramatis Personae and Geographical Locations to help readers keep things sorted. There's even a Glossary at the back of the book.

I liked the unique use of Jewish heritage, traditions, folklore, and mysticism in both the alternate RL world and in the magic realms. I also enjoyed the lucid dreaming aspects and the different types of beings.

At almost 600 pages, The Pomegranate Gate is a lengthy book and feels slow-paced at times, but it's still an engaging story with much to offer.

[lanlynk]

I'll add a few more comments to answer the questions posted.


1. Mazik seemed like a very realistic world with recognizable structures and societies. Beyond the obvious, though, magic imbued this realm with mystical powers. An alternate reality, yes, but one formed from our own historical material world.

2. I thought the characters were diverse and complex. I liked the shades, who were like spirit constructs, bots, or golems. It was interesting how Toba was able to better communicate with them beyond their limitations by exploiting their restrictions. Toba and Naftaly were half-mortal/half-magical beings. This is a common theme in folklore and myths. They both embodied the idea of mirrored worlds, bridging the two realms.

3. I liked how the main characters grew to understand, accept, and use their own powers and talents. We also came to know the secondary characters, their personal motivations and secrets. There were a lot of characters to keep straight, but the depth of the characterization helped in building a realistic fictional world.

I enjoyed the lucid dreaming and the mentor/apprentice relationships. Although the book was long and the pacing slow, it moved along and didn't bog down for me. The environment was filled with plenty of people to meet and places to explore.

4. The book was part fantasy, folklore, thriller, horror, historical fiction, and coming-of-age. It could get very dark at times with lots of political intrigue, but it was also creative, lyrical, insightful, and humorous.

[April]

Hi! First off, no, i have not been struggling with interest in this book all these months, its just that ive had other on my shelf to read too. At almost 200pages (yeah, still not finished), i have come to find that i really enjoy the world, not so much the Inquisition, but the interest in learning about that time as well as learning about the Maziks (fictional group). I am at the edge of my seat with Tobas story right now, but have been progressively getting more and more annoyed with the flip betwen her story and Naftalys. I hate when things have an unnatural break, although some have had so e very clever transitions.

Also, at this point, Naftalys story has been draaaaagging! Im so tired of the trio of arguing, him, Elena, and the Old Woman, with nothing too much happening. I know he has some powers too, but like a third way into the book, it still hasnt been revealed.

Perhaps its my overall frustration with a lot of fantasy books. Why must they take 3 or so books to tell the story? These are good stories! But its too much for me. I REALLY want to read what happens, but i am seriously contemplating not finishing this, because there are so many other books i want to read too. But to conclude this thought, i think maybe i am more in this group for the sci-fi part, because it is another curious genre, but i dont know much about it.

What a shame though! Had high hopes for this book, but i should know better. If theyre this long and there are more books, it is probably not for me to start and feel this conflict of whether to finish. 😕 🤦‍♀️😅