Has anyone else read this series by Jill Williamson? Liked it? Didn't like it? Have thoughts on it? Haven't read it?

I have read the first two books, and half of the third one (I couldn't finish it because I was at a friend's house), and I found them to be very well-written, captivating fantasy books.

As far as I can remember of what I read, the books are pretty clean. I don't recall any bad language or anything questionable. I'd recommend these books.

I'm going to warn anyone who has read this books to put anything at all spoiler-ish in spoilers, because some major plot points can be spilled and will take away much of the wonderful-ness of surprise. Also, if it's a spoiler from the third book, I don't want to read it! People who have not read it, NO spoiler clicking!

Yes, and I really liked it!



Also didn't like it.



Oh yeah. *cracks knuckles*



I agree...but at the same time I would warn guys that there is a FMC that...well, is a POV character and consequently, you're right there when sometimes you don't really want to be (if you take my meaning). If you want more specific terms, I guess you should PM me to see if it's something that would bother you (it didn't bother me overmuch, but if I was writing a female character, I would have definitely skipped a lot of things for fear of causing someone to stumble).

But there isn't any bad language, and for the most part the theology is pretty sound (I think).
The main problem I had with them in this area was that in a scene where (2nd book spoiler, I think) the MC meets Caan (the Son of God character), and Caan pleads with the MC. That just didn't feel right to me, didn't seem like what God is really like. But I know that no one will be able to make a perfectly accurate God-figure anyway, so.

Um... I felt that the bloodvoicing thing was really cool, but I didn't like how vulnerable that made everyone that didn't have the gift. Anyone without the gift was practically an open book to be read (but the reader can't turn pages, only sees the thoughts on the current page), controlled, and spoken to. This means someone with the gift could easily drive someone without it insane, and the poor non-bloodvoicer wouldn't be able to do a thing about it. (mostly third book spoiler, I think) I Also feel that the veil warrior aspect of it is way too easy unless you're against a dark knight. Again, a poor non-bloodvoicer is practically putty in the hands of one who does have the gift and knows how to use it.


Anyway, I also felt like the series ended too soon...(3rd book spoiler, discusses the very end of series)you never see Achan's bloodvoicing capability come to anything close to it's potential, and for some reason I sort of felt like it was a "shaggy dog story" sort of ending, except different because it's a fantasy adventure with a point.

*Nods* I might not have noticed that, or in the third book, the part I didn't read yet. I think there is a couple instances where things got a little uncomfortable in Vrell's POV.


Yes, I thought that was a little odd.

The theology... I was a little disturbed by some aspects of it. I didn't mind how Arman seemed a bit different from God in real life, I don't think I would have been comfortable if it was exactly the same. What I really didn't like was how the author took scriptures from the bible and put them into the book as words from Arman, and since Arman was different from God, that defiantly got a face from me. I don't know, it just made me uncomfortable.

That is true. (Don't click this spoiler if you haven't read them) I found the bloodvoicing to be good in the first book, then getting worse as the characters learned more about the veil, and all the things you could do with bloodvoicing and everything. It seemed to just become too much. I liked how in the first book they didn't know all that much, so it almost seemed that the series starting going downhill with the bloodvoicing aspect of it.

*Carefully refrains from clicking the last spoiler because she hasn't gotten to that part*

I'd like to try this series.

*really, really wants to click the spoilers, but doesn't*

I haven't read this series yet, but if I suddenly strike it rich, I plan on buying them.

Yeah, I can understand that, too. I mean, I can understand that if you're trying to make a God allegory, you would want him to say things allegorical to what God actually said. But I'm the same way as far as being very wary (uh, no rhyme intended) of paraphrased scripture (especially when done by a non-expert).


Yeah, that's an interesting perspective I'm not sure I'd exactly thought of, but I totally agree, it went from a handy little tool, to a pretty awesome tool, to a horribly complex weapon of anonymous destruction. I guess it'd be correct to say that she (the author) got a little carried away with it.



I knew you could do it! *high fives*



Definitely do so, they are a good read!

Yeah, don't click the spoilers, you can do it! Let us know what you think after you've struck it rich and gotten the books! (and tell us how to strike it rich too, will you? )

This sounds interesting. I have a couple of the bookmarks from last year's Read-A-Thon.

A series I think I'd like to try as well. *Writes on the very long book list*

I read them, and I liked them.

So what was your favorite thing about them? What was your favorite part if you have one (put it in spoilers, of course )?

I really enjoyed the series myself, but the few parts I came across that I didn't really like you seemed to cover already.

Hmm. I'm not really sure. They wouldn't be in my favorites, just in the ones I liked.

(Spoilers discussing blood-voicing)
About the Blood-voicing get out of control, it's the same thing that happened in SW with the Force.

I think I actually liked how they learned more about what blood-voicing could do, and how it got more powerful.

Yes, a non-gifted person wouldn't be able to do anything in defense against a blood-voicer, but that's realistic, for me at least.

Interesting. I haven't read/watched starwars so I wouldn't know really. Yeah, I guess on one hand it's realistic that a non-bloodvoicer wouldn't be able to counter it exactly, but at the same time I don't like that it basically means anyone without the gift is pretty much...hopeless if they come to a serious disagreement with a bloodvoicer.

Even still though, I did like the series, and bloodvoicing is pretty cool.

It's basically that way with any type of telepathic/psionic abilities that I've read about. There is no defense against a mental attack if you can't use the same power. That's what makes it so dangerous, even if you're a superhero yourself like the X-Men.

Yeah, it is pretty cool.

That's often what people's reactions are...

Yeah that makes sense for the most part, I just don't like how lopsided things got in this case.

I've seen a few times when the vulnerability of non-telepaths was even more noticeable than in this series.

Well, I'm glad it wasn't any worse in this one then.

*clicks all the spoilers*

I've read the first book and love it, but I haven't gotten my hands on the other two yet. I don't have near as much money as I'd like for buying books. XD

Yeah, me neither, so I've been using the library...

This was pretty mild actually, because nobody seemed to try and take advantage of the ability and fleece people out of their money or take over the world.

Things get really interesting when telepaths go evil and try to take over the world. Or, in one of my stories, the universe.

I like libraries as well, but I had to go with Inter-Library Loans.

Yeah, that's good, the possibilities were bad enough. Although a telepath trying to take over the universe definitely sounds interesting...

Yeah I've had to use interlibrary loans before too, but I don't remember if I had to do that for these books or not.

Well, our local library doesn't have a inter-library loan system (small town, haha) or the books, and though there's a better library (with inter-library loan!) in the town where Melody goes to college, it's hard to get her to bring home specific books for me. XD (Usually it goes "Melody are you going to go to the library after classes today? Will you bring me new books? Pleaseeeeeee?" and then we see whether or not she remembers/gets time. XD)


No one has complained about me clicking all the spoiler text.

I hereby complain! You have abused your own experience of these books and you ought to be ashamed!

Hee hee.

*Shakes head*