The Pillars of the World (Tir Alainn Trilogy)

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 432 pages
• Published by: Roc October 10, 2001
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0451458508
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0451458506
• Book Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Weighs: 7.2 ounces

From Booklist
In Sylvalan, a witch hunt is in full force. As witches and innocents are brutally murdered, magic disappears from the land, and the roads between the worlds of humans and of faery vanish one by one. Ari's family has tended one of the Old Places for generations, keeping the magic alive and the land lush and fertile. But with the midsummer moon, Ari's life changes dramatically. She unknowingly takes a Fae lover, the Lord of the Sun, and immediately becomes suspect to faery nobility, who neither trust nor mingle willingly with humankind, except for the occasional caprice. But Ari's life and the future of the Fae depend upon the nobles' willingness to change their elitist ways. For the inquisitor Adolpho--the Witch's Hammer--has come to Ari's door, and only the Fae and the secret of Ari's bloodline can save her and the magic she protects. Bishop only adds luster to her reputation for fine fantasy. Paula Luedtke
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description
National bestselling author Anne Bishop's novels have been praised as "genuine gems" (SF Site) and "lavishly sensual" (Library Journal). Now, she unveils an exciting new universe in her most powerful, provocative story to date

The young witch Ari finds herself torn between the world of mortals and the world of the Fae-for the roads between the two lands are vanishing into thin air

"A storyteller of stunning intensity." (Romantic Times)

Reader Reviews
I picked this book up because it was by Anne Bishop, and I had read and liked the Black Jewels Trilogy (with some reservations about the ending). I did realize it was set in a different world, though, and since it involved elf-like creatures, I was more than willing to give it a try. Unfortunately, problems that were minor in the Black Jewels Trilogy crop up here and overwhelm the whole of the storyline. First is villain trouble. The villains in 'The Pillars of the World,' and in particular the main one, are displayed as evil and irredeemable. But the main sign of a villain is this: He hates women and witches. Anyone in the book who expresses a less than positive opinion of either- even the Fae, who hold themselves above mortals in general and not just witches- are proven wrong, wrong, wrong, and humbled and humiliated. This is irritating, and especially because the main 'good' male character, Neall, is apparently good because he loves Ari, the main witch character. That's it. There is no other standard for judging good or evil in this book. It's extremely disappointing that anyone could be judged entirely for a prejudice they hold, and which is certainly not the whole of his or her character. Even granting that fictional characters are supposed to be less complex than real people, there can be attempts to show that they're not really evil, just biased, and the heroes can show them the errors of their ways without crushing them. However, that doesn't happen here. The moment anyone expresses suspicion of or contempt for witches, you know he's going down, with no chance to catch himself. Second is hero trouble. I've already mentioned how it seems that Neall is only a hero because he loves Ari. Ari herself is extraordinarily vague, much like the most flattering teen Wiccan stereotypes distilled. She values only true love, is perfectly in touch with the earth, is respectful of all animals, and so on and so forth. The crying that she does about how the village treats her and about how lonely she is could be an interesting flaw, but the narrative never indicates any disapproval of this weepiness; far from it, Ari is exalted as passionate and sensitive for her teenage angst. I did like Neall in the beginning, but as the story went on, I wondered how anyone could love Ari. Third is language trouble. When the characters speak of love, they speak like modern men and women influenced by feminist concerns. Unfortunately, this is supposed to be a fantasy novel, and moreover, one based on a medieval world where the feminist movement has not happened. It strained credibility to hear how love is always a woman's choice, or how what women want more than anything else is respect and love, not admiration of their bodies, when the society has little basis for this. More, this standard was applied to all the people who acted a lot more like people in a medieval society would have acted, and they were punished when they fell short of it (read: whenever they said something offensive about a witch). The world was apparently only created to propagate this message. I did give the book two stars because of two Fae characters, the Bard and the Muse, who actually might have a chance at an equal male-female relationship, instead of the debased one that Neall has with Ari. Of course, the Muse is hurt because of the straying of the Bard character, even though she has never told him that she wants them to be exclusive lovers- but at least the Bard character doesn't drop everything because a woman is angry at him. It's a shame. I really wanted to like this story. I'm female, and like to find readable female fantasy authors. But this strained credibility far too much.