The Gates of Twilight

Ever get weary of all the practically interchangeable fantasy novels that all seem to be populated with the same characters in the same setting having the exact same quest-like adventure? I do sometimes. Fantasy as a genre encompasses almost infinite possibilities that many novelists take little advantage of. That's why I was thrilled to find Paula Volsky. Her novels are often inspired by real world events or classic literature that have been mixed with sorcery and magic. Her stories are populated with unusual characters caught up in formidable conflict in beautifully drawn and detailed worlds. Also each of her novels are unique, and take the reader to totally different places. The Gates of Twilight is no exception. In The Gates of Twilight, the eastern country of Aveshq has been occupied by the western civilization of Vonahr for two centuries. The situation has been uneasy for some time, but now the native population seems poised on the violence. The Vonahrish Residency suspects the ancient secretive Aveshquian cult called the VaiPradh is working behind the scenes to incite the Aveshquian people to rebellion. So they decide to send Renuille vo Chaumelle, a civil servant with mixed blood and a deep understanding of the Aveshquian people, as a spy. Renuille penetrates the cult's fortress/temple JiPhaindru and discovers secrets more horrifying and dangerous than he could possibly have imagined... Paula Volsky has a very unique writing style that's more sophisticated and formal than you would normally find in fantasy. Occasionally the prose comes across as a wee bit stiff and forced, but most of the time the writing is elegant, especially during dialogue. Volsky's novels often have grotesque elements such as instances of horror torture or violence, so I don't recommend them for readers who want to avoid the macabre in their fantasy. However The Gates of Twilight has less. There is one bloody and rather gruesome cult ritual but that's the most explicit scene in the book. I'm always pleased to find fantasy that steps beyond familiar archetypes, Tolkien plot rip-offs and typical pseudo-medieval settings. And that's exactly what Volsky delivers in The Gates of Twilight.

The reviewers that said they were disappointed inspired me to write this because I completely disagree. Granted, different people like different books, but I truly think this is a great book. I like "Illusion" and "The White Tribunal", but I love "Wolf of Winter" and "The Gates of Twilight". Both of them gripped my imagination firmly and pulled me into Volsky's world completely. Paula Volsky has a gift of being about to write in such a way that an exotic location becomes so lifelike that you feel like you are really there, and I never felt so completely drawn in as I did in this book. The story is intruguing, the characters are believeable, and the descriptiveness of the location is incredibly lifelike.

We return to the world of Illusion--old stomping ground--with Ms. Volsky's The Gates of Twilight; the time is a few generations after that wonderful novel (she does satisfy our curiosity about Dref and Eliste in a few placating sentences), the place a colony of post-revolutionary Vonahr. The setting is familiar to those who know about the English settlements in the Indies (any passing knowledge of the Jungle Book suffices) and the plot unsurprisingly touches on the injustices of imperialism thereof. The storyline is complete, unlike The Wolf of Winter, but feels sketchy in parts, unlike Illusion. Secondary characters, which in her previous works would have resurfaced somewhere within the novel to lend a sense of completeness and continuity, are dropped after a few limp scenes. Ms. Volsky also begins to develop her "planar" concept of God, which was hinted at with The Wolf of Winter's necromancy, and is more fully developed in The White Tribunal. On the whole, The Gates of Twilight is readable, enjoyable for an afternoon, but not a true indication of Ms. Volsky's talent.--Emily C. A. Snyder

Eighteenth century colonial India seems to be the historical parallel used in this book. It is classic Paula, with vivid characters and fantasy/history blend. Though some characters seem to be "Illusion" retreads, it is an enjoyable read nevertheless, especially if godly struggle is your thing.