A Stunning Fantasy Destined to Be Recognized as Great Literature
The Turning Tide is a simply fabulous book! If you enjoyed any of Francis' other works, or books by Patricia Briggs, Patrick O'Brien, Katherine Kurtz, or even Charles Dickens, you'll love The Turning Tide. The plot was full of twists and turns without becoming complex for its own sake, and there was not a single wasted detail.
More than just amazing and entertaining fantasy, I think this book really has the potential to be recognized as great literature. While all kinds of awful things happen at the hands of each of the characters involved, none of the point of view characters were clearly identifiable as villains. There were icky things that happened due to unseen forces, but mostly the people involved in the story all had valid reasons for doing everything they did and simply ended up at destructive cross-purposes with each other. The ethical and literary discussion possible after reading this book will make it far outlast many of the other novels I've read and even loved.
Francis' characters are interesting, sympathetic, intelligent, complex, and believable. Fairley was generous, intense, slightly naïve, and such a loving fighter for the things she believed in; she surpassed all the known stereotypes of metalsmiths and women in typically men's roles, that she will be one of those characters I remember for a long, long time. Shaye was intriguing: eminently capable with his tongue, his political connections, and his majick, he was still extremely vulnerable to his fear of rejection and his dogged determination. I was surprised by Ryland, who did things I found utterly despicable but was still completely sympathetic to me throughout because he did them for all the right reasons. King William wrung my heart for many of the same reasons Ryland did, although even more so because of the recent tragedies in his own life.
The world of all of the Crosspointe novels is rich and vivid, and The Turning Tide continues to deepen and expand the beauty of both the visual elements of the milieu and the culture of Crosspointe until the 'setting' is more than just scenery, but a living, breathing character unto itself. The inner workings of the Rampling castle were sumptuous; the Kalpestrine and Merstone Island (home to the majicars) were eerie and awe-inspiring; and the Maida (temple) of Chayos was not only mystical but the style with which Francis wrote the scenes within the Maida and involving Chayos' priestesses were absolutely exquisite prose-intentionally and successfully evoking a wide range of emotions.
The book's few down points for me were that I wanted a little more resolution on the specifics regarding the death of a main character (although it was well foreshadowed from the beginning and I just got so lost in the plot between whiles that I forgot about the foreshadowing). And there was one majickal/sexual element which while well written and subtle wasn't to my personal tastes (which are pretty conservative). Overall however, a remarkable and enjoyable read!
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Overview
They were the best of friends: Ryland, the son of the king, is bound by loyalty. Shaye is both a majicar and a Weverton, both rebellious factions. Fairlie, a fiery metal-smith, is the iron bond that held them all together. Until now.
Crosspointe's greatest advantage at sea is its ship's compasses-but the compass makers are dying. Without them, Crosspointe will fall. To save his country and repel the coming Jutras invasion, the king orders Ryland to commit an unforgivable act. And soon Ryland, Shaye, and Fairlie find themselves at war...with each other.