Crown of Renewal

By: Elizabeth Moon

Narrated by: Susan Ericksen

Length: 21 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's Summary

Acclaimed author Elizabeth Moon spins gripping, richly imagined epic fantasy novels that have earned comparisons to the work of such authors as Robin Hobb and Lois McMaster Bujold. In this volume, Moon’s brilliant masterwork reaches its triumphant conclusion.

The mysterious reappearance of magery throughout the land has been met with suspicion, fear, and violence. In the kingdom of Lyonya, Kieri, the half-elven, half-human king, struggles to balance the competing demands of his heritage while fighting a deadly threat to his rule: evil elves linked in some way to the rebirth of magic.

Meanwhile, in the neighboring kingdom of Tsaia, a set of ancient artifacts recovered by the former mercenary Dorrin Verrakai may hold the answer to the riddle of magery’s return. Thus Dorrin embarks on a dangerous quest to return these relics of a bygone age to their all-but-mythical place of origin. What she encounters there will change her in unimaginable ways - and spell doom or salvation for the entire world.

©2014 Elizabeth Moon (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved

Closure

I enjoyed the wrap up of the multiple story lines. Was a little disappointed with Camwin's story but others more than made up for it. I would recommend especially if you are a big fan of the series.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Soooo.... that's it?

What did you love best about Crown of Renewal?

I'm a Moon fan from way back>
There aren't too many authors I read everything I can get my hands on.
Elizabeth Moon is constantly one of them.
She doesn't forget about details and weaves a good long tale.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Paks of course, but she scarce.

What aspect of Susan Ericksen’s performance would you have changed?

Sounded very painfully deliberate.
voicing accents and giving good performances is well within her preview, but this book began stilted and wound up passably awkward.

STILL, miles beyond and above Dawe.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

no... we didn't stay with anyone or any one situation long enough to care.

Any additional comments?

Additional comments...
Sigh... yeah.
I follow Moon's twitter and there have been some real world interruptions that can derail a good book.
This was a contractual completion and it shows>
I would HAPPILY have waited another two years to have had this NOT seem like a rushed wrap-it-up-and-move-on effort.

In disappointment I shall return to the best of all of the Elizabeth Moon book and reread The Deed of Paksinarion trilogy and be soothed and sated.

Other recommndations from this author.
the Vata Saga (5 books)
Remnant (Novella)
Speed of Dark (Novel)

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

good but not epic

It was a good but not epic. Expected big final battles with the villains but little was provided.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

not a very gratifying end to a fantastic series

i loved both Pak series and all the other moon books but the last two books were disappointing. This seemed a hurry up and finish effort and i have to admit that van dyke spoiled me as a narrator...sometime mentioned this was a contract completion effort and there were other things going on inn miss moon's life during its writing. i can believe that.

i hope Ms Moon has a grand life in her later years...she gave us so much...time to relax

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Find out the pronunciation, please!

What did you like best about Crown of Renewal? What did you like least?

I like the continuation of the story arc that started with Sheepherder's Daughter.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

All of the other audio books in the series have a certain pronunciation for the words devised by the author. As in Paks pronounced Pox. This narrator threw all of that out and read it in her own way. That is irritating as it breaks the continuity. Occasionally I was thrown out of the story by trying to figure out what the narrator meant.

Do you think Crown of Renewal needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yes, there are still questions that need to be answered.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

The end left me wanting more.

Would you listen to Crown of Renewal again? Why?

Yes- easy listen and I am devoted to the characters.

What did you like best about this story?

The way this episode wrapped up all of the loose threads made it a satisfying end.

Which character – as performed by Susan Ericksen – was your favorite?

Duke Veriki.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A story that leaves you wanting even more.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great read

Great story I cannot wait to start the next book in this series I started reading this series years ago when the first book came out I was very happy to find recently that there were more books in the series I am thoroughly enjoying it

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

change not always good

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

i love this series. the narrator prefaced the performance with an announcement that all word pronunciations went through the author. I knew that had to be bad news. most of the significant names and locations including the MAIN CHARACTER are different. Right or wrong I've purchased and listened to the previous 4 books excellently narrated by Jennifer van dyke. now the flow is broken every time I have to translate the word that was said into the familiar places and people I've gotten to know so well.

Would you be willing to try another one of Susan Ericksen’s performances?

maybe. does she have a habit of jumping in and changing things her way? she tends to speak in a slow and ponderous manner.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

It's finished, but I want more!

Any additional comments?

I loved this series, but the ending of some subplots seemed to be the beginnings of another book. I want to hear about Dorrin's adventures, what Gird has in store for Arvid, how the new mageborn handle their powers and are trained!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Ditto...Anita

If you could sum up Crown of Renewal in three words, what would they be?

Dorinsanarrion, mage's daughter. Not dis-ing this book or previous ones. It just felt like Dorin's journey to paladin(?)-hood. Only Dorin suffered the torture earlier in her life than Paks did.

Still LOVE Ms Moon and her magical characters. I followed her first then stumbled across Janny Wurtz. Not her recent stuff. Her Daughter of the Empire series with Feist is somewhat similar in it's flow and heroine. Although they start from much different strata of society, Wurtz's protagonist is worth reading if you're hungering for more alternative female heroes.

If you’ve listened to books by Elizabeth Moon before, how does this one compare?

Good. Missed the mercenary-campaigning of the original Paks series but it's hard to come up with something new every time. Narrator was ok. Not my first choice but it's the story that keeps me coming back. If there's gonna be something to come back to.

What aspect of Susan Ericksen’s performance would you have changed?

Ooops, see above. Military campaign.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

None. Nothing that was disappointing either. Pleasurable steady ride.

Any additional comments?

Thought I had read there was one more book in the series. Feelin' kinda depressed/sad if this is the farewell. But that happens with all great series.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful