An excellent book. It must be read in the proper sequence with the other 2 of the trilogy.

Just an armchair observation or two:

C. J. Cherry[h] seems like a really gifted writer but I found this book to be largely predictable and tedious. It's well-written but you never get the satisfying pay-off. [SPOILER ALERT] When Vanye kissed Morgaine and followed her through the gate at the end of the first book, Gate of Ivrel, I thought; oh yea, here we go, now it gets good but the second book never picks up where this left off.

Granted, arriving in a world that is basically drowning is an intriguing opener and I liked Jhirun and thought she had much potential for becoming someone or something remarkable as counterpoint to Vanye being such a plonker all the time. Vanye constantly subordinating himself to his fate and his "liege," Morgaine, grows tiresome and redundant. He didn't even murder his brother, he was just defending himself from their constant cruelties so this whole honor-bound thing gets pretty trite after awhile, even within the thinly-veiled context of Vanye not having much choice but to be the cast-out "ronin". This man has a huge heart beating in his chest but Morgaine is as cold as ice and entirely too stern for much all else to develop but their protracted arms' lengths to each other, so to speak, as they go on and on over hill and over dale, barely saying a word...sure; after a long while, the walls between them crumble a little bit (and he gets to hold her laser beam sword and all, oh my gosh!) but it never goes anywhere and both Morgaine and Vanye are just resigned to their banal fates running their poor horses to death, getting no sleep and barely eating, enduring village mob hostilities, barely a few grunts passing between each other at cold campsite number bazillion, no real backstory about the technology that Morgaine is using (which seems like a kind of dark magic to the overly primitively-painted Vanye).

After awhile, it just doesn't really seem that it would be all that plausible that they would just go on and on and on like that in real life, even in the context of Sci Fi Fantasy and Morgaine's seemingly urgent, incessant need to close the gates - I mean, I get it, you want to stop the fabric of the universe from completely unraveling but it's always the same reoccurring theme about a potentially noble and heroic Vanye always just being treated like a dog in some way in nearly every scene.

Though the characters are well-drawn; strangely, there seems to be little growth between the two of them...there's no literary climax. I keep waiting for something heroic to happen, some moment of surprising romance, some intriguing twist, some breakthrough for Vanye or Morgaine (or even Jhirun!) that never comes. Sure, it has something of the spirit of The Lord of the Rings but Morgaine is about as intriguing as a shiny pebble that looks good on the outside but is not much more than hard rock on the inside...she capitulates a little now and again but it's just a yawnfest.

And just when you start to root for Jhirun, she is just too neatly disposed of...left in the arms of a weak, dunce of a former prince as Morgaine and Vanye leap through time and space again. I am wondering if the third in the series redeems this tedium or continues ad nauseum. Yea, I get they need to take out all gates asap but throw in a little more kismet, why don't you, C. J...maybe the third book turns it all on its head.

Fun fantasy book.

Well of Shiuan - book 2 of the Morgaine cycle - C.J. Cherryh [fantasy novel - November 12, 2015 - 0656]

The Morgaine book series by C.J. Cherryh consist of four novels. The second book "Well of Ivrel"(1976) is commented upon in this report.

The following is my synopsis of the back-story for these four novels:

The ancient Qhal Empire expanded and dominated civilizations throughout the Galaxy. The Qhal are human in appearance and can breed, if desired, with other humanoid beings. The teleportation Gates technology the Qhal reversed engineered and utilized for interstellar travel were discovered in ruins on a dead world. The Qhal did not invent the Gates. Using the Gates the ruthless Qhal who despised other "native" beings imposed their wills without remorse. In the end the downfall of the Qhal was in the nature of the Gates. The Gates in addition to providing instantaneous travel between star systems could also be used to travel forward in time. It is speculated from analysis of ancient Qhal artifacts on many worlds that travel back in time unraveled the Qhal civilization. Qujalin are human offspring that have bred with Qhal beings. Morgaine is a Qujalin who has undertaken a quest to go from world to world destroying the master Gates since there influence corrupts societies, nature and individuals. It should be noted that all worlds contain many Gates but only one Master Gate. Shutting down the Master renders them all just dead stone monuments.

I have not been able to definitely determine the motivation that propels Morgaine to go from world to world closing the Gates. Certainly the Gates are inherently evil but I was she given a mandate by some council or organization or is she self - motivated, the latter appears to be the case as best I can determine. Her journeys are difficult and dangerous yet her persistence and dedication never waivers. There is enormous opposition to her task since those in power lose all when the Gates is sealed. Fortunately she is in possession of an incredibly magical sword - Changling by name - that is partnered with the mystical evil of the Gates and provides her a weapon that can irrevocably draws individuals to oblivion. How she aquired this incredibly powerful weapon is unknown. Use of the sword takes a psychic toll on her. All the books take place in medieval type world. The technologies evident are body armor and cross bows; horses are the only means of transportation. These pre industrial revolution locals makes for interesting stories but I question if the Qhal who were interstellar travelers what happened to their technology?

Vanye the bastard son of Nhi Rijan killed his half-brother Nhi Kandrys and cut off several fingers of his other half-brother Nhi Erij in a fight he was goaded into by the half-brothers. His father was incensed with grief and anger and cursed his son and pronounced him an "ilin" an outcast. Vanye was "claimed" by the Qujalin Morgaine to assist her in defeating a clan leader who aspires for the forbidden knowledge of the Gates. At the story unfolds her becomes her assistant is riding worlds of Master Gates.

Well of Shiuan - book 2 of the Morgaine cycle:

The setting for this book is alien planet that had in the distant past been an outpost of the Qhal. The planet has earth-like conditions and is populated with men and descendants of the Qhal who have breed with the humans. The planet's moon had experienced a cataclysmic event that results in a steadily rising sea level and a forbidding sense of dread among the inhabitants. The society is pre-industrial and feudal ruled by clans who maintain uneasy alliances and truces with adjoining clans. Warriors are respected for their skills with bows and swords and their horsemanship. Anything to do with the Qhal - the Gates or beings with Qhal blood - Qujalin - is an object of justified superstitious dread. Nonetheless some individual's lust for the powers Qhal items can provide. Morgaine and her sworn assistant Vanyn appear intent on closing the Master Gate. Degenerate Qhal, a being masquerading as Vanye's cousin and angry locals conspire to thwart their plan.

This book screams for a glossary of terms - alas there isn't one. The author with a masters of arts in mythology fills her books with cryptic terms for places and locations that, frankly, were unfamiliar to this reader. Alas I had to slow down take a few notes and use some page index tabs to refer back too and I was ok and good to go. It was worth the effort - this is a many-layered story with several very strong personalities competing for the reader attention. The climax of this story, a stand-alone book as published, begs for sequel. Fortunately for us there was one.

I have read several of Ms. Cherryh's books and to be honest they are an acquired taste and put demands on the reader not accustomed to her writing style and narrative pacing. In this book the narrative pacing proceeded glacially. Nonetheless I enjoyed this book and will eventually read the two remaining sequels.

As fantasy novels go this offers all the basic elements, tremendous descriptions, characters on a perilous journey with a mission of world ending proportions and a host of dark characters bent on their defeat. The story features a prevalent thing from the seventies with plenty of characters with difficult names full of hyphens, something considered cliche today. I enjoyed the action, the character introspection and the writing as a whole. The only weakness would be a limited plot. Not enough happens in this story to justify five stars. Though it could stand alone, the ending is definitely designed for a sequel.