Oracle

After a particularly rough start, I was afraid that, like Skirmish and Battle, this new House War installment would be another book that failed to recapture the epicness and the awesomeness of The Sun Sword series. But I was pleasantly surprised that Oracle moves the story forward in unexpected ways and is chock-full of revelations the way Sea of Sorrows turned out to be. As such, it's the best work focused on the aftermath of the Sun Sword thus far.

The main problem continues to be Jewel and the pivotal role she plays in the House War series. Three volumes in, it's obvious that Jewel alone cannot carry such a complex tale on her shoulders. Regardless of how fascinating some of the plot twists involving her continue to be, when it's great it's usually in spite of Jewel, not because of her. She remains the same insufferable and annoying young woman we've known for a long time, with very little character growth to speak of. It doesn't help that two other major protagonists, namely Teller and Finch, are bland and often boring. As mentioned before, The Sun Sword benefited from its diverse cast, all of whom having important roles to play in the outcome of the series. I opined that the downsizing of the House War books was definitely detrimental to the series as a whole. The good news is that Michelle West upped her game in Oracle, with two new important POV characters whose perspectives bring new energy and originality to a cast that sorely needed both.

Here's the blurb:

In this epic fantasy series for fans of George R. R. Martin and Robin Hobb, Jewel Markess must contend with deadly court politics, and visions of looming magical threats.

Beneath the streets of Averalaan, capital city of the Essalieyan Empire, lie the three Princes of the firstborn, doomed to sleep until the end of days. When gods walked the world, they feared the Sleepers—and the Sleepers are waking.

House Terafin has already felt the consequences of their stirring.

To save the city and the House over which she rules, Jewel Markess ATerafin must face the Oracle. She leaves a divided House and a city haunted by demons in human guise. At no time in Terafin’s history has it faced the dangers it now faces, and it will face them bereft of its leader.

But the path of the Oracle was old when the gods ceased to walk the world. Ancient creatures stalk winter skies at the behest of the demons, who mean to ensure that she will never reach the Oracle’s side.

Secrets, long hidden from all but the firstborn, will finally be brought to light. Choices will be made, and paths chosen, from which there will be no return....

It will come as no surprise that the worldbuilding remains the most amazing facet of these novels. As mentioned in my previous review, in many ways it's what is holding the story together at the moment. It's evident that there is a depth to Michelle West's universe that rivals those of Tolkien, Erikson, and Bakker. Morever, it's a depth that keeps growing with each new installment. That's truly saying something, especially since Oracle raises the bar in a way we haven't seen since Sea of Sorrows. New revelations about the firstborn, the Ariani, the Sleepers, the gods and goddesses, the cats, Meralonne, the Oracle, the Winter Court, the Sen, the Cities of Man, and more add yet new layers to what is already one of the most convoluted fantasy series of all time. The author continues to shine in that regard and that's no easy feat.

In both Skirmish and Battle, the characterization left something to be desired. As mentioned in my review of both books, I believe that your mileage will vary regarding this. Readers who love Jewel will likely enjoy them as much as the others. Perhaps more, if truth be told. For those for whom, like me, Jewel is just one of the protagonists and not their favorite, it remains very tricky. I claimed that I doubted that Jewel could carry this series on her own, ever. And I stand by those words until proven wrong. I bemoaned the absence of thoughtful perspectives of such flawed protagonists as Diora, Teresa, Kallandras, Margret, Valedan, Alina, Ser Anton, and others. With each new installment, West continues to give more importance to Finch and Teller, yet both den members can't seem to come into their own. House business and commercial ventures and unending conversations meant for the younger ATerafin to be brought up to speed by more experienced people got so boring that I considered skipping whatever had to do with them. I didn't, but it was close. What differentiates Oracle from its two predecessors is the addition of new important POVS, those of the botanist/spy Birgide Viranyi and of den member Jester, and to a lesser extent, that of Andrei, which brought new life to the House War series. Even better, as Jewel walks the path of the Oracle, we see events unfold through the eyes of her companions nearly as much as her own, which helps a lot if you're not rooting for team Jewel. This novel is the one in which there is the best balance between points of view, and it makes for a better overall reading experience.

Once more, the pace throughout Oracle can be quite uneven. As was the case with both Skirmish and Battle, everything that has to do with the greater scheme of things is interesting and the implications for the future quite engrossing. Not since Sea of Sorrows has West revealed so many secrets and I for one can't wait for what comes next. I always believed that Jewel was meant to replace the seer Evayne when all was said and done, yet what the author has in store for her is way more awesome than that! However, dealing with the minutiae of House business continues to make for long and boring chapters. Case in point the first 200 pages or so if this book. Once Jewel and her companion set out on their quest, the next 160 pages follow Jester delivering three messages for Finch and an incident at the Merchants' Guild. Trouble is, if not for the Finch/Teller/House business chapters, Oracle would have been as good as the Sun Sword books. The rationale behind spending so many pages (in both series) elaborating on House Terafin business/members/what not is that Jewel will need something she loves and cannot stand to lose to stand up against the forces of evil that will try to destroy the capital and the rest of the world. We've known this since forever, so I'm wondering why West feels the need to "waste" hundreds and hundreds of pages over the course of numerous books just to hammer this into readers' minds. We get it. Seriously, we do. Thankfully, after that horribly slow beginning, such sequences are fewer and far between. But they still bring the tale's momentum to a standstill every time they occur.

As is usually her wont, West brings this novel to its conclusion with another captivating endgame. The finale, a little overlong and overdone, sets the stage for what should be something special. But since Firstborn is essentially the first half of War, which grew too big to be published as a single novel (this is a recurring problem for West, it seems), I'm concerned as to how well it will stand on its own.

Still, building on past plotlines and unveiling new ones, Oracle elevates the House War series to new heights.

The final verdict: 8.5/10

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