Search - Blackgod (Chosen of the Changeling)

This is the sequel to Waterborn and closes out the series. In it, Hezhi and Perkar's flight from the River/Changeling continues and its a doozy. Shamanic initiation, angst, etc. are only some of the events in the book.

I liked it because it continued to flesh out the world (and it looks like Keyes lifted Pleistocene era fauna for some of the monsters), as well as the characters. Particularly, it fleshed out Yen/Ghe the assassin from Waterborn who has a new role in this book. It also fleshed out Ghan, the librarian from the book as well. Both are taken from their places of power and into new environments and that makes it interesting.

About the only thing I didn't like was the ending, but it was good. Keyes lays the groundwork for it, but doesn't point it out for the reader. Still, it did jar, but it opened up a happy ending.

Anyway, I highly recommend this book to fantasy fans.

A direct sequel to 'The Waterborn,' this follows the story of Hezhi and Perkar, as different forces pull them this way and that way, each trying to use them for their own ends. There's a quest to destroy the god of the River - but is it the right thing to do? Meanwhile, a ghoul that was formerly a man pursues them, leaving death and destruction in its wake...
I liked the book, but it wasn't as good as the first one, I thought. I felt that some of the magic and spirituality scenes got a little lengthy, and while it was interesting to try to figure out different characters' motivations, at times it got a little unfocused and confusing. For a quest story where a large part of the concept was that the reader isn't sure who's in the right or what the outcome should be, the end feels a little too... ordinary, I thought.

It was still good, and I'll try the author's 'Newton's Cannon' next, even though on the face of it, it doesn't seem like it will be my favorite type of book...