Book Review: The Last Stormlord

The Last Stormlord

By:  Glenda Larke

Publisher:  Orbit

Publish Date:  March 1, 2010 (first published 2009)

Genre:  Fantasy

Format:  Paperback, 608 pages

Series:  First book of the Watergivers series

Recommendation:  Yes.  There is a unique take of water in a "magic" view and a great world that draws you in to see what the characters will be driven to do to survive.

Book Synopsis:
SHALE is the lowest of the low - an outcast from a poor village in the heart of the desert.  In the desert, water is life and currency, and Shale has none.  But he has a secret.  It's the one thing that keeps him alive and may save all the cities of the Quartern in the days to come.  If it doesn't get him killed first...

TERELLE is a slave fleeing a life as a courtesan.  She finds shelter in the home of an elderly painter, but as she learns the strange and powerful secrets of his art she fears she may have traded a life of servitude for something far more perilous...

THE STORMLORD is dying in his tower and there is no one, by accident or design, to take his place.  He brings the rain from the distant seas to his people.  Without a Stormlord, the cities of the Quartern will wither and die.

Their civilization is at the brink of disaster.  If Shale and Terelle can find a way to save themselves, they may just save them all.  Water is life and the wells are running dry...

First Sentence:
It was the last night of her childhood.

My Review and Summary:
This book is set in a world where rain doesn't come regularly and water is a very precious item.  Rains are scheduled by the Cloudmaster, or Stormlords.  Water has to be separated from the sea, as a pure water vapor, then the cloud is moved up toward the moutain ranges so the water runs down toward all the cities again or to the regions to get the water.  The water is released as rain and stored in cisterns to be rationed out.  However, you learn there are many people who don't have water rights and have to buy the water, one way or another.  We start with Terelle in a snuggery with her sister, where their fathers sold them to.  Terelle is twelve and has no desire to be paid to sleep with different men every night.  Then we meet Shale a Gibber who's father named him Shale because he felt he was as useless as a heap of shale.  We take a journey through the lives of these two characters, along with others, as they grow up and learn who they are.

In the first 100 pages I felt I meet all the important characters through the writing of different view points; Terelle, Shale, and from some of the rainlords too.  I enjoyed reading these different views because I got to see the world and learn about the world from different happenings and sides.  I also got to see what the characters where thinking when they meet, then when they separated again.

The world ended up being a great attraction for me in this book.  There are different cultures and beliefs of religion.  Along with these different cultures you see there is a "magic" here, that centers around water - water sensitives.  These are people who can sense and even manipulate water.  There are different levels of ability and there are different types of manipulation.  One is to make the storms or sense water, another is to manipulate paint through water - which can also affect the future.  I think my favorite at the moment is the waterpainters.   Although, how Shale learns to use his water sense is amazing too.

In those first 100 pages not only did I get to see the world at different views and the separation created between all the people, but also the problems that exist in the world now.  The shortness in Stormlords and available pure water.  I did have one question which kept nagging at me as I read with the characters mentioning there use to be random rains and now they had to have a Stormlord to keep water coming for the people, and the land being rather dry.  What was so wrong with random rains, if it had supplied plenty of water and to have lots more vegetation growing? You do find out later in the book some history about the random rains and why the stormlords are needed.

Glenda Larke has created a great world here with different cultures and characters, from Reduners, Albasters, Gibbers, and Scarpens - and we can't forget the Watergivers.  Glenda has supplied us with a map and she makes great use of her whole world.

I felt as if I watched these characters grow up over the span of about six or seven years in this world and even adjust to the world for who they are.  I got to know them and the world together.

After reading this book, I started to think on how careful the charcters where with their water and how sparingly they used it.  Made me think about how we take advantage of always having it.

I am really looking forward to book 2, Stormlord Rising.  I am attached to these characters and this world and just have to know how it all works out for them.

If you would like to stop by Glenda Larkes blog, click here, there is also tabs for to look into other books and such.




I won this book on Twitter from Orbit Books.

This book qualifies for Speculated Fiction Challenge at Book Chick City.