The Way Between the Worlds

The View from the Mirror #4

by Ian Irvine

For 3,000 years the Forbidding protected Santhenar from the savagery of the Void. Now Rulke has broken it open.

And the ultimate clash of an aeons-long war erupts. As alien lords battle Rulke to gain control of the Way Between the Worlds, and abominations from the Void ravage the land, can Mendark and Yggur overcome their mutual hatred and stand together to seal the Way?

In this final hour, will Karan find the courage to make the ultimate sacrifice – one that must lead to a hideous death?

Can her  unreliable ally Maigraith free herself from the thrall of Faelamor, the greatest manipulator in the Three Worlds, and fight for her true destiny? Or will she fall back under Faelamor’s spell?

How will Karan’s lover Llian, the cursed Tale-spinner, choose between ambition and honour? And can he crack the code of the Twisted Mirror, to reveal the truth about the ancient betrayal that has brought Santhenar to the edge of annihilation, in time? 

If any of them falter, the Three Worlds are doomed.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Audiobook, High Fantasy

740 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

I'm an Australian author of 34 novels, mainly fantasy. They include the bestselling Three Worlds epic fantasy sequence, which has sold over a million print copies. It comprises The View from the Mirror quartet, The Well of Echoes quartet and The Song of the Tears trilogy. I’ve just finished The Gates of Good and Evil quartet, the long-awaited sequel to The View from the Mirror. Book 3, The Perilous Tower, was published recently and the final book, The Sapphire Portal, will be published on November 1, 2020.
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WHY I WRITE
Funny thing is, I never wanted to be a writer. From an early age my ambition was to be a scientist. I’m an expert in pollution and I’ve spent my professional life studying it in far-flung places like Mauritius, Sumatra, Mongolia, South Korea, the Philippines, Papua-New Guinea and Western Samoa, as well as all over Australia. Often scuba diving to the bottom of foul, smelly harbours and hammering tubes deep into the polluted mud to collect samples for chemical analysis. Now that’s living!

I was a small, quiet kid who devoured books from the moment I learned to read. When I was naughty, Mum wouldn’t let me read anything for a week – talk about a cruel and unusual punishment.

I discovered fantasy in the early 70’s, with The Lord of the Rings and the Earthsea trilogy, and was immediately hooked. But there wasn’t much fantasy in those days; within a couple of years I’d read everything available. I wanted more and bigger tales, on vaster canvases, but they didn’t exist. That’s why I had to become a writer – to write the kind of stories I wanted to read.

WHAT I WRITE
I’ve never wanted to write about superheroes or huge, reckless warriors who know no fear. I write epic fantasy about underdogs and ordinary people who, in pursuit of their goals, are put to the limit of human endurance. My characters aren’t fantasy stereotypes, they’re real people with believable motivations and unfortunate flaws. I’m well known for strong female characters who have as many adventures as the men, and frequently get them out of trouble (I have five sisters). My characters are often small or clumsy or inexperienced or handicapped in some way, yet they make up for it with cleverness, ingenuity or sheer, low cunning. My antagonists are real, complex people who do bad things for strong and deeply-held reasons – never ‘just because they’re evil’.

Though my characters suffer every kind of torment imaginable, at their lowest point they discover the truest form of courage – they keep fighting because the fate of the people they care for, and the world they love, depends on them never giving up.

SOME RECENT REVIEWS
"Irvine is a veteran storyteller who excels in sustaining complex plots with well-rounded characters. Here, he delivers a compelling tale of vengeance, loyalty, and the search for a place in the world." Starred review, Library Journal (US)

"That Grand Master of the vast epic is with us again! The first gripping volume of what promises to be a vintage Irvine treat. More please!" Crisetta MacLeod, Aurealis Express

"Incredibly exciting. The end will have you eagerly anticipating the next book." Good Reading (Aus)

"He knows how to spin an epic yarn and tell it with real gusto ... ambitious in scope and tirelessly action-stuffed." SFX

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a difficult one for me. I definitely enjoyed the plot, the characters and to a certain extend, the conclusion. I think what keeps me from rating this set higher than 3 stars was the writing style. This is a very personal thing (I find Tolkien a hard read for the same reason, so he's in good company), but I just didn't fall in love with the way he told the story.

His descriptions were sometimes quite extraordinary and I found myself so astonished at his choice of phrase that I found it detrimental to the immersion I normally feel when reading (i.e. it got in the way of the story for me).

I will read other books by him, but I didn't feel it to be a labour of love to read them.

I did also find his attempts to give everyone good/evil aspects to thier characters to be a little clumsy (sorry!). I didn't quite believe in those protagonists who hated each other and then worked together, then didn't, etc.

Finally, there seemed to be a lot less back story that there initially appeared to be. Ultimately, there were just two real stories. The one that happened X thousand years ago, and one which happens now. The mystery did not torment me in the same way it does Llian, and the resolution did not astonish me either.

I apologise if this comes across as an unnecessarily harsh review - I can see that others rate this very highly, but to me whilst some of the ingredients were good, and the tale of interest, it was much too long for such a small tale (and I did enjoy that small tale).

[Misha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Said simply: I really enjoyed the book. The ending wasn't a 'everyone lives happily ever after', which was a very big surprise. It was very sad and made me think about how all the events tied in - not giving too much away, the book is covered in decisions upon decisions of the numerous characters, and the way everything ties into each other at the end is incredible.
It made me question what was right, what was wrong, who was evil, who was good. There is no 'bad side' and 'good side', where the good side always defeats the evil bad guys. Ian Irvine thins the line between good and evil, to the extent that there are so many different viewpoints, so many things to question, so many ways to interpret the things that Ian Irvine writes. Everyone has there own driving points, there own reasons for doing what they do. The author describes everything equally - he doesn't take the side of any of the characters - and because of this you question who is right after every chapter. Every couple of chapters change your perception of the characters completely changes. And the way every action of everyone ties in at the end... - the conclusion is incredible.

I will not read a book this great for a very long time. Recommended ten times over.

[Adrian G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What am I supposed to say?

They, the readers of the world talk about how hangovers, and books that insinuate themselves in you, and change you.

I finished this series years after I started it. I'm 30ish, and have a bit of the jadedness that comes with the age in homo sapien, where in an arrogant maliese they believe they have a general idea of how all things flow, and there is nothing new under their eyes, and that new things are to be feared and hated.

I don't think anyone could agree with me on how deep the river of the series cut into me. Mercy me I think it's impact on me is singular.

When I right, I know I'm playing at alchemy with unlabeled bottles. I hope for the curious combination of words that will crush people as this book had crushed me. The sheer desperate folly of every character was a perfect picture of mankind. I don't even know if I can recommend this series to others, not at least with the object of having them feel what I felt.

I will be plain. This is the greatest fantasy series I have ever read. Some will not be able to understand it. I wonder if I do. It is of Paragon quality, such that it may not be digestible for everyone. But everyone must try. I don't think many would be disappointed. Please me Irvine, keep working in the lab. You are a good talent. Brave as the Charon, skilled as the Aachim, Indefatigable as to he Faellem, and incorrigible as the Zain.

Thank you so much. I need coffee, a pillow, and a long, dark night.

[Cassy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have postponed reading this final book for years. It's the final book in the series and the whole series was really hard to trudge through. The only reason I finished them is because they've been sitting on my shelves for years and I was determined to finish it. However, I wish I hadn't bothered. The ending was very anti-climatic. Everything was solved but in a weird way. Irvine really dragged the ending out too much and just didn't execute the ending well. All four books were only mediocre. I've read too many fantastic books in my life to be okay with so-so ones.

However, it wasn't all bad. He threw in a few surprises and you get very attached to your characters in the book. If you have a lot of time to kill and enjoy fantasy then I would read it. If not, read something else on your shelf first.

[Elar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A whole series has been full of great story telling as books are filled with magic, deception, court intrigue and adventures. Main downside is that some characters are little bit too naive and there are lots of strange names to remember.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite book of the series. I still found some characters frustrating and self centered, but I still enjoyed it.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pacing issues and relatively thin plot in the prior volume, Dark is the Moon, put me off reading The Way Between the Worlds for almost two years. At one point, I was considering leaving the series unfinished, but I am a completionist and that just wouldn't do.

And as it turns out, I liked this book. Irvine pulls together an incredible number of plot threads and manages to bring them to a resolution that satisfactorily answered all my questions. This may sound like damning with faint praise, and while it's true the book didn't blow me away, I had a good time following characters I've grown attached to and reading on to see how they were going to get out of the newest sticky situation. One of the things I consistently love in Irvine's books are his realistic and gripping portrayals of physical hardship and danger: when Karan trudges across miles of snowbound forest with only a few provisions in her pocket, or flees up a rocky slope with the air burning her lungs and the Ghâshâd in hot pursuit, I viscerally felt it as a reader.

Some of the issues with earlier books in the series still persisted here: the climax dragged on way too long, and it took Irvine about three chapters to finally decide on the place where he wanted to end the book. (Though I'll take that over a series-ending cliffhanger, one of the Seven Mortal Sins of series writing, which Irvine committed in Well of Echoes, the series following this one.) He also has a penchant for melodrama and his telling versus showing ratio is a bit higher than I'd like. Even with these personal preferences taken into account, this was a fun read in a world I've come to look forward to visiting, and will definitely be visiting again in Fate of the Fallen, his first book in the most recent Santhenar cycle.

[Steven Poore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Phew. I made it out the other side. It took some doing, let me tell you. This is an exhausting quartet - every chapter features either heavy travel, heavy emoting, absolute torrents of food, or massive doses or travelling-while-injured. From Shazmak to Thurkad, back again, off to Faelamor's den, back to Thurkad, through a gate to a remote library, back again, off to Gothryme, back to Thurkad... little wonder the characters keep falling over in exhaustion.

It still isn't helped by the over-ripe narrative, with so many exclamations and gigglesome descriptions and similes. The entire quartet could have been cut back considerably if not for that, even if it is half-excused at the end by apparently being a transcription of Llian's Great Tale. Irvine doesn't really pull that one off.

[Iben · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book concludes the tale of Karan, Llian, the Mirror and all who have been swept up by the events. And what a series it has been, friends and enemies, love and betrayal, survival and death. The imagination of Ian Irvine is really a thing to celebrate.

The plotling has throughout the whole series been original and ever changing, this has not changed. The reader can be sure of nothing until those two amazing words "The End" stops it all. Until then everything is in flux and the unsuspecting reader can do nothing but try to keep up.

I would definetly recomend this book (and of course the entire series) to any who is a fan of the genre.

[Nicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

A satisfying conclusion t the series.....

[C · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've read the first three of this quartet, just not bothering to add them here. On the face of it, this is my perfect type of fiction - and it is a genuinely interesting world build. Something just didn't quite mesh. Really mixed feelings about the star rating - one, because sorry Ian Irvine, I actually hated it, or 5 because this book was a turning point in my reading habits.

Why a turning point, and why I'm adding this one: it is notable for being the first time, ever, I got half way through a book and thought "you know what, I really don't care what happens to these people" and STOPPED READING. Before this, I'd always grimly pushed through to the end, because my mother said you had to finish books you started. Of course, I wish I'd actually stopped about 1000 pages and a couple weeks sooner, but never mind eh, always was a slow learner ;p

Well, you know what mumma, life is too damn short and there's too many good books out there, so if I'm not enjoying reading something that I'm reading for leisure, I'm gonna stop, and this was over 15 years ago now and lightning still hasn't hit me, so ...

[Karen Field · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Way Between the Worlds is the fourth, and final, book in The View from the Mirror series. I listened to the audio version of the quartet and admit that I had issues with the series, such as feeling it was too long. Still, now that I have finished it, I have no regrets investing the past few months to this story.

Being the final book, The Way Between the Worlds answers all the questions and ties up all the loose ends. This is to be expected, of course. I gave this book five stars because I enjoyed it the most. Something was nearly always happening. Wrapping up the storylines took a while, but I can walk away from the characters and the world knowing the outcome, and getting a sense of what their futures held.

The series, overall, was long. I keep saying it, too long. I believe the story could have been told in half the number of words. Then it would have been more contained, the action would have been increased, and the suspense would have been terrific. In my opinion, the perfect ingredients for a page-turner. Yet, while I feel that way, I still can't say I didn't like it. There was a lot to the plot, the characters, and the history that showed the author worked hard on planning the details. That's impressive in itself.

I don't know what else to say. I have wanted to read this series for many years, and now I have. I'm satisfied with that accomplishment. The View from the Mirror is a series that you will either like or not like. Only the reader can decide. This reader has decided that despite its downfalls, it's a good series.

[Wide Eyes, Big Ears! · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boy, these books took a long time to read! This final instalment tied up all the Greek tragedy storylines, everyone got their just deserts. The View from the Mirror quartet is an ambitious undertaking, it imagines unique races with long histories and lots of debts to repay. Having read the Well of the Worlds series first, it feels like Irvine recycles a lot of his characters under different names. The characters never seem quite real to me, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment of the novels.

[Matthew Archer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely ending to a quartet like no other. It wasn't without its faults. Irvine struggles to adequately explain and describe sometimes. His world is huge, but vague. I still couldn't tell you what the Forbidding is. I can't tell the difference between the creatures that escape the void.

And yet, the characters are really well crafted. The story, although plodding is rarely dull and I think there are a raft of great ideas in there. Would definitely read more by the author.

[Richard Barrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This enthralling last instalment brings the many plot threads and characters from Irvine’s View From the Mirror series together to thrill and astonish in the grand finale. It is a wonderful and entertaining end to the saga. I even liked the last few pages, promoting freedom and new life and hope for the future. A clichéd ending? I didn’t think so, considering how frequently dark and tortuous are the events and character arcs of this series. Mostly epic fun, and very enjoyable!

[Ulrika · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last part of the series was the best. I feel the previous three could have been shortened into two but in this everything that bothered me woth the previous ones was better. I almost read this in one go. I will, however, not re-read any of them.

[Justin Dickerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series got better as it went along.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm disappointed that this series didn't live up to my memories of it. It was far too long and flawed, but I did enjoy revisiting one of my childhood memories.

[Dan Mowbray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant conclusion to the quadrilogy. My favourite of the 4 books so far.

[Nadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved these books

[Tim Caird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute cracking end the Shadow on the glass quartet. Sews up the storylines nicely and sets up well historically for the start of Geomancer.

[Sancho · Rating 3 out of 5]

***1/2

[Ben Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! What an ending to an incredible series.
With more plot twists than a packet of twisties chips.
Thoroughly enjoyed.

[Teri B · Rating 4 out of 5]

The conclusion of this series goes out with a bang. Loved it.

[Morgan Hood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Positives- characters, plot, mystery, cliffhangers and reveals
Negatives- magic system, lots of filler in books- whole series could have been half the length. Sideplots

[Angelika Belko · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really hoped that I would give this book a higher rating, as it is a series conclusion, but no, this was as much average as the rest. I am surprised I read all four books. I gave it three stars only because I appreciated the worldbuilding. However action and the relationships of the characters are not the strong side of this series. Honestly it was quite boring and that is why I am not gonna read anything from this author for a long long time. Maybe in a distant future, sorry Mr Irvine...

[S. Lynham · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this series which was different from the usual "Lord of the Rings" fantasy novel and would highly recommend it to lovers of fantasy literature...there is a bit of sci-fi to this tale of various human species stuck on one world, some of whom wish to return to their own. The machinations of the 2 groups who want to return to their home worlds are sometimes hilarious despite the fact that I doubt they were meant to be. But Irving does write a bit "tongue in cheek" so perhaps they were. His descriptions of people and places are rich but his maps really suck badly...I really don't care about the vegetation in an area, I want to see where one place is in relation to others and where the roads are that the characters take. Given the references to the other side of this world, it might have been useful for him to fab up a map of that side too. But this series took years to write and perhaps he was sick of maps by then but I really like to orientate myself when I am following characters around on their travels

[Doris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good ending to a good series. Mostly a happy ending though, which I wasn't expecting seeing as I accidentally read the second series set in the same world (the Geomancer series) first.

So why only four stars? Because I missed... that intangible something, a bit of subtlety, a bit of empathy, a bit of eloquence. You could say that it's my bias as a female reader against a male author but I don't think so, there are plenty of male authors who absolutely master the "impersonal personal touch". It was hard for me to identify with a LOT, if not all, of the characters even though Irvine obviously put a lot of effort into character building. In that sense the second tetralogy is better.

Consistency, story and pace-wise, but above all the whole concept of the series is really really good!

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The series is finally over- and I am rather unsure as how to rate the overall experience.

Throughout most of the series, I felt like there was way too much going on, and it felt the same through this book. Most of these books probably could have been shortened by 200 pages, and reduced some of the lengthy plot and backstory in order to make it feel less like swimming through mud.

The ending of this book was rather shocking- usually I enjoy a different, rather sad ending, but in a way it also felt like a waste when you spend four books following certain characters and entire peoples, and the ending rather disappointed this.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally - I'm exhausted! What a read. On the other had, I did not want it to end. I haven't read any books that have kept me as engrossed as The View from the Mirror quartet for a long time. I recommend this series of books whole-heartedly. I don't know anything about writing book reviews, all I know is what I like. I never would have thought that I would have bought books in this category - but I'm glad I did. I will certainly be reading more of Ian Irvine's books