Sea Without a Shore

Sea Without a Shore (1996) Sean Russell

Sea Without a Shore takes up immediately after the close of World Without End. Tristam is recovering from the events on the Lost Island, Averil Kent is further embroiled in politics and working with the Countess of Chilton to keep Palle and his followers from creating a mage and returning magic to the world, and Jamis and Alissa have also become involved in Kent’s efforts.

Again, I particularly enjoyed the character of Averil Kent. Usually, in fantasy usually the only old men we see are dying kings or wily magicians, it was nice to have a main character who was allowed to be old without having his age be the central point of his existence.

I also enjoyed the development of the character of Lady Chilton. She is very much a mystery, but like Averil Kent develops throughout the story, and I enjoy that development.

Although Tristam is supposed to be the primary character, I found that I often enjoyed reading about Jamis more than Tristam. Part of it may have been Tristam’s relationships with the Duchess of Morland as opposed to Jamis’s relationship with Alissa. The relationships between Jamis and Alissa simply felt more real to me, despite its ups and downs.

In addition the very satisfying character development, I also liked the resolution of the story. Although there is not a happily ever after for everyone, I found the conclusion very satisfying. Tristam’s future is in many ways unknown, but his future is his own, and under his own control.

And there was, of course, the writing. As with Guy Gavriel Kay and Ellen Kushner, I find something very satisfying about Sean Russell’s writing. Take this passage about Averil Kent.

Forty Years. Kent had spent so much time in this garden that he believed he knew its every stone, every branch on each tree. Yet it was a garden, and each season it came forth from the earth, like magic, almost mockingly familiar, but never twice the same. An ever-changing canvas, no single day ever to be repeated. One could plan a garden in infinite detail, but what blossomed forth from the earth was only an approximation of the vision. And in this way, too, it was like a painting, or like a man’s life, for that matter. One could never predict what the magic of the earth would produce.

As a gardener myself, how can I not love that passage?

If you read the previous book, then you will of course want to read Sea Without a Shore. It is an immensely satisfying conclusion to the series.
Rating: 8/10

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