#66 The Pillars of the World by Anne Bishop
Pieces of the world are disappearing. The roads between the worlds of the fae are vanishing, and no one knows what is happening to 
the habitants of those vanished territories. The fae leaders, including Dianna the Huntress, have heard that this damage is somehow related to the lost wiccanfae. In the human realm, a witch hunt is taking place. Lead by the wicked Adolfo, the inquisitors are going from village to village to find and kill witches. In one village lives Ari, a young witch who lives close to the land. At the beginning of the novel, she is relatively untouched by the atrocities being committed against her kind. She unintentionally gains the attention of two powerful fae, the Huntress, and the Lightbringer. As a result of these two very different relationships, Ari will discover things long forgotten about what it means to be a witch.
Anne Bishop is best known for her Black Jewels trilogy. The Pillars of the World is the first is in the Tir Alainn Trilogy, which takes place in a completely different world with a new cast of characters. The Pillars of the World is admittedly a step down from The Black Jewels trilogy, as it lacks the originality, and the characters are not quite as memorable. Despite its flaws, The Pillars of the World is a likeable book. Bishop’s high-drama writing style is very easy to get into, although some of the darker moments (such as the torturing of the witches) can be a little difficult to swallow. Some of the fae characters are quite interesting. I really liked Morag, a character that would have felt quite at home in the Black Jewels universe, who gathers recently deceased souls for death. I felt a little more mixed about Dianna the Huntress and Lucian the Lightbringer. At times I really enjoyed reading about them, especially with their relationships with Ari. The Pillars of the World at times reads like a comedy of errors, as we watch the fae characters struggle to comprehend human life. Unfortunately, at times I had to question the plausibility of some of their actions. Dianna in particular is supposed to be a leader of the fae, but at times she does thing which feel foolish and immature, not something I’d expect from an established leader.
The witch hunt storyline is interesting to read. One thing that grabbed my attention that while the witches are obviously influenced by paganism, is that the witch hunters, even with all of their talk of “the evil one” don’t appear to follow a specific deity-based faith (unless I really missed something). Instead their hunt seemed to be based on pure misogyny. The story can be quite exciting at time, especially towards the end. I also found it refreshing that we had a love triangle where it wasn’t obvious from the beginning who Ari would end up with.
Despite its flaws, The Pillars of the World was a fantasy I enjoyed pretty consistently. I would probably recommend this series to fans of Anne Bishop’s other novels, but only if the reader keeps an open mind. Tir Alainn Trilogy has similarities with her other works, but it is very much its own world.
Rating: four stars
Length: 420 pages
Source: Twice Sold Tales
TBR Pile: 140 books
Similar Books: The Black Jewels Trilogy
Other books I've read by this book: Daughter of the Blood, Heir to the Shadows, Queen of the Darkness, The Invisible Ring ( my review), Dreams Made Flesh, Tangled Webs, Sebastian
xposted to bookish and temporaryworlds
the habitants of those vanished territories. The fae leaders, including Dianna the Huntress, have heard that this damage is somehow related to the lost wiccanfae. In the human realm, a witch hunt is taking place. Lead by the wicked Adolfo, the inquisitors are going from village to village to find and kill witches. In one village lives Ari, a young witch who lives close to the land. At the beginning of the novel, she is relatively untouched by the atrocities being committed against her kind. She unintentionally gains the attention of two powerful fae, the Huntress, and the Lightbringer. As a result of these two very different relationships, Ari will discover things long forgotten about what it means to be a witch.
Anne Bishop is best known for her Black Jewels trilogy. The Pillars of the World is the first is in the Tir Alainn Trilogy, which takes place in a completely different world with a new cast of characters. The Pillars of the World is admittedly a step down from The Black Jewels trilogy, as it lacks the originality, and the characters are not quite as memorable. Despite its flaws, The Pillars of the World is a likeable book. Bishop’s high-drama writing style is very easy to get into, although some of the darker moments (such as the torturing of the witches) can be a little difficult to swallow. Some of the fae characters are quite interesting. I really liked Morag, a character that would have felt quite at home in the Black Jewels universe, who gathers recently deceased souls for death. I felt a little more mixed about Dianna the Huntress and Lucian the Lightbringer. At times I really enjoyed reading about them, especially with their relationships with Ari. The Pillars of the World at times reads like a comedy of errors, as we watch the fae characters struggle to comprehend human life. Unfortunately, at times I had to question the plausibility of some of their actions. Dianna in particular is supposed to be a leader of the fae, but at times she does thing which feel foolish and immature, not something I’d expect from an established leader.
The witch hunt storyline is interesting to read. One thing that grabbed my attention that while the witches are obviously influenced by paganism, is that the witch hunters, even with all of their talk of “the evil one” don’t appear to follow a specific deity-based faith (unless I really missed something). Instead their hunt seemed to be based on pure misogyny. The story can be quite exciting at time, especially towards the end. I also found it refreshing that we had a love triangle where it wasn’t obvious from the beginning who Ari would end up with.
Despite its flaws, The Pillars of the World was a fantasy I enjoyed pretty consistently. I would probably recommend this series to fans of Anne Bishop’s other novels, but only if the reader keeps an open mind. Tir Alainn Trilogy has similarities with her other works, but it is very much its own world.
Rating: four stars
Length: 420 pages
Source: Twice Sold Tales
TBR Pile: 140 books
Similar Books: The Black Jewels Trilogy
Other books I've read by this book: Daughter of the Blood, Heir to the Shadows, Queen of the Darkness, The Invisible Ring ( my review), Dreams Made Flesh, Tangled Webs, Sebastian
xposted to bookish and temporaryworlds