Circle's End
The ninth and final installment to Lisanne Norman’s military sci-fi Sholan Alliance series.
After years of conflict, the Sholan telepath, Kusac, and his allies must confront the warrior Valtegans on the enemy’s world of M’zull. He faces an impossible choice, one that will have a long-ranging consequences: will he work to rehabilitate the M’zullians, or will his calling as the Avatar of Justice take over and destroy them utterly? Isolated on their world, Kusac and his clan of Sholans and Humans work to destabilize the Valtegan society, posing as the avenging spirit of the long dead Zsadhi. But as they develop the ruse to fool the M’zullians, Kusac worries that he may be becoming more and more like the first Valtegan king with every passing day. If so, can he escape that destiny and chart his own?
His plans will not only take him and his clan into mortal danger, but also his young son Shaidan who has, unbeknownst to his father, become bound up in a plan to destroy the martial spirit of the M’zullians. Can Kusac navigate these dangerous waters and bring all of his family home safely, while also putting an end to the M’zullian threat? Or will the price of victory prove too great even for the Avatar of Justice?
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Lisanne Norman
Lisanne Norman (born 1951) is a science fiction author. She is best known as the author of The Sholan Alliance series.
Sholan Alliance
Sholan Alliance consists of nine books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
Reviews and Comments
I read and loved the first book when it was first released. I wanted more after that without expecting it, pleasantly surprised when the second book came out then eagerly waiting for the others after that. It was a long, hard wait that I kept up with, going so far as to join the forum(s) in eager hope of news when I thought the wait too much. I am a patient person, it was enough to see the author interact with her fans in the forum. This wait was near torture when I discovered this was to be the last book, excitement and dread in equal parts really up to the release date. I hate endings but I really wanted to see how things played out, what would happen to some of my favorite characters and whatnot. I also love endings for the simple reason of completion's sake and knowing I can happily move on to something new. I'm going on this spiel just to get across how utterly disappointed I am in this book. It doesn't have the same feel as the other books at all. It feels rushed, it ends too soon and abruptly at that. Characters I had hoped to read more about are hardly if ever mentioned, shockingly so for a few of them not there at all. There's plot points never to be resolved and the whole tone of the book, while expected given the last two books, just feels off. I've never felt dread when reading a book before. When I got to the last few pages and realized that there was no where near enough of them left for.. for what I don't know. This was my first serious book series and I'll remember it fondly up 'til this point. It's that sense of love for the series that made me mark 2 stars rather than the 1 I think it deserves. To end this monster I'll just say that while the ride was rough and bumpy I could not put this book down. I read it in roughly 2 days and while the other books I've read each near 10 times I don't know if I could reread this. For all that it was fun at times and frustrating others it was ultimately an ending that left me highly unsatisfied and in want of more that isn't to come. Sorry to have made this so long winded but I just had to let out the steam.