A Review: Fire Sea by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

My re-read of The Death Gate Cycle continues with its 3rd entry, Fire Sea. I remember the major plot elements of this story much more than book 2, but memory has a funny way of twisting an experience to suit how you’ve chosen to view the past. Did Weis and Hickman’s story stick with me because the story was truly significant, or was it due to my lack of experience in fantasy realms when I first read it?

Summary

As Haplo prepares to enter the third of the four primary worlds created by the Sartan’s Sundering, he’s unexpectedly joined by the bumbling Sartan, Alfred. Together, they explore the world of Abarrach, the realm of stone. Shrouded in darkness and death, the two unlikely companions uncover the most horrific secrets of a dying world.

Review

The first thing that stands out to me about this novel is the incredibly haunting tone it wields throughout its narrative. From the very beginning, a sense of doom permeates the prose, giving it a dark fantasy flavor.

Tying the story back to The Deathgate Cycle’s first novel, Fire Sea reintroduces Alfred. Through Alfred’s POV and the additional context from Alfred and Haplo’s discoveries in Abbarrach, the story uncovers more background information about the Sartan, their motivations behind the Sundering, and the extent of their failures. Alfred’s horror at the consequences of the Sundering for Abbarrach and his resulting growth of character is a strong driving force of the novel. Haplo also grows as a character, and we learn how far he’s willing to go for revenge and where he draws the line.

Each book has displayed different tones and POVs, but it still manages to hang together and feel cohesive as a series. I enjoyed how Weis and Hickman allowed themselves to play with the narrative this way, and I appreciate it more while re-reading than I could when I originally read the story in my youth.

Unfortunately, there are a few drawbacks to the story.

At the novel’s start, the pacing is slower than I’d like due to the travel log narrative technique used to set up the story. The new characters introduced in Abarrach are more forgettable than some characters in the previous two worlds. And the story’s third act feels a bit too drawn out.

Is Fire Sea Worth Reading?

Despite these few weaknesses, Fire Sea is a strong entry to the series, possibly the strongest yet, exploring dark and terrible themes that stray into the territory of horror. If you finished Elven Star and wondered if the story was worth continuing because it didn’t quite hit the way you thought it might, this one is worth the read before you decide whether to put the series down.