‘The Gathering Storm’ as the fifth volume continues the story of Liathano, a half-human half-angel/demon female who by marrying the bastard Prince Sanglant becomes entangled in the politics of Wendar.

The series is mainly political and filled with the intrigue common to monarchical states- think George RR Martin. However, Elliott's offering on the altar of fantasy fiction includes a sliver of magic, based on the arts of the Mathematicus.

'Art' is practised by a branch of the church that condemns it as forbidden, which obviously adds a further dimension to the intrigue binding secular politics to spiritual. The characters all jostle for ascendancy in the power structures, while the predicted cataclysm draws ever nearer.

I read part four of this series last year and have been on tenterhooks waiting for the next one ever since. There is one thing I have a weakness for in fantasy and that is a strong female heroine.

One that is beaten down, over and over again but ultimately prevails. Liathano was one such heroine. I say 'was' because in this part she has changed. In part four of the ‘Crown Of Stars’ series, Liathano discovered her heritage and went on a journey to become her true self.

In ‘The Gathering Storm’ she becomes more powerful and suddenly she is no longer the underdog. No longer the girl we saw get raped, beaten and oppressed by a churchman and because of this I believe she has lost her attraction. The books have followed her progression from a girl into a woman with power and confidence, but she is no longer the heroine who inspires pity with her helplessness and pride with her resilience.

However, lest the readers believe this is a fault in Elliott's new novel, let me hasten to correct the impression. I believe Elliott is well aware of the changes in her heroine and so in this part, not only is the reader a stranger to the heroine- whom we should recognise as a close friend after four parts of 900 pages a piece- but so is her husband Sanglant. So as Sanglant recognises his wife, so do we.

‘The Gathering Storm’ does not however deliver as well as maybe it could. I whizzed through it in a matter of days, not because it was a 'page-turner' but because I was desperately searching for that something that made the preceding parts special to me.

The cataclysm predicted earlier comes to pass but I found it did not have a spectacular effect. There was a twist but it could easily be lost or forgotten in the minor details that mire this novel. I got exactly what I was expecting which was disheartening because I wanted something more.

I ended the book no longer looking forward to the next part, as was my wont with Kate Elliott's earlier segments.

Sana Master