[.ca] Lady Pain (ISBN 0441008712)

rounds off the Gil tirlogy nicely:
Twenty years ago, unwilling hero Tigrallef faced the power known as the Lady in Gil, and not so much defeated it as absorbed it. And every day since that fateful one, Tig valiantly fights the power that is inside him, preventing it from escaping and unleashing its might against the world. And while this power inside Tig keeps him young, and relatively free of diseases, it also seems to be eating away at Tig's soul, making him less and less human each day. Now, Tig and his family and friends travel around the world looking for the spell of banishment that will for once and for all defeat the power, before it gets the better of Tig and destroys the world. The quest to find this spell however has taken quite a toll on everyone; Tig's daughter Kat, in particular, is not sure of how much more she can take. And then Tig comes to the realisation that the spell he is so desperately searching for is in Gil. But that means entering the lion's den again and facing danger and old enemies. Will Tig's old enemy, the Primate, recognise Tig after all these years? No one (except Tig) is keen to make for Gil, but what if the spell is there after all? Can they afford to overlook the possibility? Wary and worried, Tig and company make for Gil... "Lady Pain" does not quite possess as wry and droll a tone as the first two books in the trilogy, "Lady in Gil" and "Scion's Lady," mainly because, as other reviewers have pointed out, this installment of the trilogy is told completely from Tig's son, Vero's, point-of-view. Years of watching out for Tig, especially given Tig has a rather naive and scholastic approach to things, has made Vero assume a more authoritative role toward his father than a son may ordinarily have done. Rebecca Bradley does a wonderful job of portraying this flip side of a father-son relationship, as well as Kat's (Tig's daughter) leery relationship with her father. This difficulty that Tig's children face in their dealings with their father, colours the tone of "Lady Pain" and makes it a much darker book. It also explains why the wry and droll tone is not always there. However, having noted that I do think that "Lady Pain" does compare well to the first two books in the trilogy. The story is an interesting, compelling and exciting one, that will definitely keep you riveted till the very end. The pacing is tight and the manner in which the plot flowed, seamless. I've enjoyed all three books in the series, and thought that "Lady Pain" rounded off things nicely -- it was nice to see familiar characters from "The Lady in Gil" again. Rebecca Bradley is a brilliant authour and has a wonderful prose style. All three books in this series are going on my 'must have' list. I do hope that Bradley writes more sci-fantasy books and that they get published soon!

Why, Why Does it Have to End?:
If you haven't read Lady in Gil, read it. Then read Scion's Lady. Then you won't need to read any of these reviews, because you'll know how wonderful this series is, and you'll be scrambling to get a copy of Lady Pain as quickly as possible so you can finish the tale. This is the darkest of the three, but no less wonderful. It's actually the book that convinced me to try the first--I saw this for sale, it looked very engaging, but realising it was the third in the series I found Lady in Gil and sat down to read it, and seem to remember finishing it that evening as it was too wonderful for words. I love Connie Willis (well, her better work, at least), and I love Mervyn Peake. I love Jane Austen, and I love Robertson Davies, and I love Rebecca Bradley. We must have more from her. Read these books and you'll agree! Note: a 3 star ranking from me is actually pretty good; I reserve 4 stars for tremendously good works, and 5 only for the rare few that are or ought to be classic; unfortunately most books published are 2 or less.

Not Bad... Three and a half:
Ok, This wasnt a bad book, and the ending tied in really well with the first two books. Bradley must have had it all worked out ahead of time and that is refreshing to see in the world of fantasy where many people just write to put out another volume...Cough *Robert Jordan... Anyhow my problem with this book is that it was 20 years after Scions Lady and when i bought the book i was assuming TIg would have some adventures in the interim. I dont like books that leap far into the future...some of the majic always gets left behind. If you read the first two books then by all means oyu have to read this one as well to see how Tig (and his son) resovle the issue of the lady pain... 3 and a half stars.... definatly worth a read...

An enjoyable read:
The characters are what I like most about this series. This third book in the trilogy is pretty good. The pace is good and the setting imaginative. Pretty much the story of Tig's son and we see the story through his eyes. I liked the ending and it made sense within the context of the other two books.

A satisfying conclusion:
I really enjoyed this book. Bradley's characters are engaging, and the story moves along at a good pace. The imaginative setting is brought to life with economy and liveliness. Set twenty years after Scion's Lady, Tigrallef, accompanied by his family and friends, is still wandering the world, seeking a way to banish the Harashil. Facing a dead end in their quest, they travel to Gil, Tig's ancestral home - and doing so sets off a series of unforeseen and deadly dangerous events. I did wish more time could have been devoted to Shree, Calla, and Chasco in this book, but I certainly did not feel short-changed by the new characters that appeared: Mallinna the beautiful memorian, Jonno the poetry-writing guardsman, and Tig's daughter Katla. The story is narrated by Vero, Tig's son, and Bradley conveys his devotion to duty, his growing despair, and his wish for something new in his life wonderfully. It was also good to see Tig's combination of intelligence and innocent stupidity through another's eyes. What is particularly good about this book is that Bradley clearly worked out the whole story before she even wrote Lady in Gil. There is no sense that this book was written out of laziness or obligation, like so many fantasy series. It forms a coherent whole with the previous two books, and the ending is both appropriate, given all that has gone before, and satisfying. Lady Pain is a fascinating and truly enjoyable book. Make sure you read Bradley's previous books first so you appreciate it to the full.