The Spiral River, Book Two

Five Rivers Met on a Wooded Plain by Barney Norris review – an insightful debut

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We reconnect with the main characters from the novel, but here the tale is simpler - Lucia the 19 year old daughter of "Hound" Bridget-ban aka super agent for the League, one of the main powers of the novels and the "good guys" is looking for her disappeared mother; of the three men who were with Bridget on the January Dance This one is a direct sequel of the superb The January Dancer - it starts 20 years after the main events there, but immediately after the interludes that tell those events.

Of course Mearana "convinces" Donovan to help her at least for a while and well, you know how the story runs from here though there are some twists and turns but many are telegraphed. In a way Up Jim River is a very "travelogue" novel, following Bridget's path and exploring the League's part of the humanity and its boundaries in a sort of Vancian way of the Gaean later novels.

And here is the main weakness of the novel in that the attempt to create weird cultures a la Vance falls flat because it conflicts with the Celtic flavored archaic language of the novel and the result is partly messy, partly silly and very rarely convincing, while descending into farce on occasion; and then there are the silly mannerisms, way overdone of Donovan's acquired servant Billy luckily The Fudir's mannerisms in Dancer were much less annoying so Up Jim River is not quite there where I expected it to be.

Flynn is excellent and has lots of possibilities, but the choice of the archaic Celtic-peppered language which worked so well in The January Dancer since it added to the space opera feel of that one, backfires here when it makes the multiple cultures that form such a main part of the novel, feel silly and make-believe It seems that Bridget-Ban has gone missing for about two years. Her organization, the Kennel, which is the intelligence arm of the League, has given up the search for Up Jim River is the second book in Michael Flynn 's Spiral Arm series.

Her organization, the Kennel, which is the intelligence arm of the League, has given up the search for her. Donovan view spoiler [who saved the day at the end of The January Dancer subsequently hide spoiler ] was broken by his former masters, "Those of Name" who control the Confederation, the other major power of the series. The Confederation are opposed to the League, and seem to be the bad guys in the series. As a result of the mistreatment he endured, Donovan has become a scarred and seemingly useless drunk with 7 personalities warring in his head.

Mearana and Donovan travel from planet to planet into the "wild" tracing clues to her mother's fate. As they get deeper into the raw frontier, things get dangerous. Along the way they have multiple adventures, and they are joined by others, who provide skills or knowledge necessary for the journey. However, these fellow travelers have their own agendas and, some may not be trustworthy. Flynn is a very skillful writer. He deftly weaves some tropes more common to fantasy into this story without it being incongruous in any way.

I had a few laugh out loud moments. I listened to audible versions of the first two books in this series. The narration was acceptable, but I think the multiple characters were really too much for the single narrator. I plan to shift to text for the final two books in the series. Jun 14, Mary Catelli rated it it was amazing Shelves: Unlike it, it is not a retrospective tale. It is still, however, a tale of vivid characters, intriguing plot twists, marvelous and marvelously detailed planetary societies -- the planets are, I think better, even Spoilers ahead for The January Dancer.

The harper is going to look for her mother, because the Kennel has given up. Donovan, knowing something of what it would take to keep Bridget ban away and make the Kennel gives up, a The second Spiral Arm book and so the sequel to The January Dancer. Donovan, knowing something of what it would take to keep Bridget ban away and make the Kennel gives up, agrees to go with her to High Tara, to get the Hounds to talk her out of it.

What happens is that the harper's goodfather, as they put it, her honorary uncle, makes some threats about what will happen to Donovan if she is injured or killed on her quest. And so they are off, tracking Bridget's known itinerary after she left -- telling her daughter she would be back soon -- in hopes that her daughter would pick up clues that the Hounds would miss.

Not to mention, as it turns out, clues that Donovan would pick up. And we learn more about the end results of what happened to Donovan after the action of The January Dancer. Plus a few hints of what actually happened -- not many. They track through exotic worlds -- visit jewelers, see a lynch mob, travel third class, present a bribe on the pretense of asking the official for an opinion of the engraving, meet a ship captain who remembers Donovan, have the harper play for an emperor who would rather build bridges, track Bridget by a pseudonym only three people know, and otherwise see adventure.

They also continue their talk about quests and other matters of life and death. And there is an amazing amount of detail that you can track back to the old Terra of nowadays -- or earlier. This book also benefits from being read slowly. Chock full of stuff. Aug 30, Libby rated it it was amazing Shelves: If you haven't read The January Dancer, do soyou will not regret it. In this far future, much of our present world and point of view has been forgotten, swallowed by vast time and space. Flynn's characters play in an heroic Space Opera dominated by the League, a quasi-governmental group whose will is done by the Kennel, whose agents Hounds and their Pups are resourceful, relentless, clever, mani Up Jim River continues telling of a future universe Flynn first chronicled in The January Dancer.

Flynn's characters play in an heroic Space Opera dominated by the League, a quasi-governmental group whose will is done by the Kennel, whose agents Hounds and their Pups are resourceful, relentless, clever, manipulative super-spies; and the Confederacy, ruled by Those of Name, an enigmatic opposition group both ruthless and frightening. Bridget ban, a Hound, has gone missing and is being sought by her daughter Mearana, a Harper of some distinction.

She enlists the unwilling help of the Scarred Man, whose personality has been shattered by mental torture under Those of Name. They and their varied and fascinating henchmen travel the star roads until they reach Dangchao Waypoint, a planet where there is a long and braided river.

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They are told, "If you go upriver you can find anything or lose everything. Flynn's narrative also contains many levels. His books are wonderful concoctions like layered Viennese tortes of damp rich cake and velvet icing. His action moves through elaborately imagined worlds and cultures, rich with detail and fat with the weight of history. His characters are weighty as well, burdened with past decisions, old emotions and conflicting motives. His books are never easy, but always are worth your time.

They are a banquet of many courses inviting his readers to feed their imaginations. They are loaded with cultural allusions both obvious and obscure, but all are amusing. For example, there is a planet called Boldly Go. Jun 27, David rated it liked it.

This is the sequel to The January Dancer, and it picks up pretty much right where that left off. I found that the book steadily picked up speed as it progressed - it became less of a an exercise in sifting through history and more of a romp. I find the whole notion of the Hounds and their Pups to be fascinating - it's like the the Birds of Prey were hired to be InterPol.

A couple of tidbits: I can only imagine what Medieval Europeans thought when they encountered some of the fallen Roman ruins, but I do know that the mysteries of the Ahu on Easter Island and the construction technologies of the pyramids were solved in my lifetime: I distinctly remember when wild speculation about the origins of these artifacts was a staple of hucksterism. One thing Flynn does, and I appreciate his ability to do this, is make the ending of a book worth it - choosing to read a novel is giving an author a precious commodity which is irreplaceable: Flynn makes the emotional investment in his characters pay off, and that's a skill which I hope more writers pick up from him.

Recommended, but read The January Dancer first. May 09, Banner rated it it was amazing Shelves: I really do enjoy Michael Flynn's style of writing. His descriptions of the worlds you visit make you think you are looking out the portal of the ship. The characters are alive and real; flawed yet they reach a level of nobility.

It seems a rare thing in trilogies to like the second better than the first , but it is the case here. In January Dancer we are introduced to a complex system of worlds in the far future, there is I really do enjoy Michael Flynn's style of writing. In January Dancer we are introduced to a complex system of worlds in the far future, there is intrigue, action and a satisfying story.

We pick up in Up Jim River several years down the road. The world stage has changed very little, but our characters have grown older. And there have been some interesting personal developments. We travel through many of the known and some of the lesser known worlds of the Spiral Arm the name given to the section of the universe which is connected by a sort of space highway that allows faster than light speed travel.

You have to read this book if for no other reason than to get to know the scared man. He is one of the most interesting characters I have read in the science fiction genre. There is no way to describe him without spoiling it. You can read this book without having to read the next one but you'll want to. Up Jim River is the second book in the January Dancer series. The author continues to impress me with his elegant use of language and imagery. As we learned in the first book, the Harper is the daughter of super-cop Bridg Up Jim River is the second book in the January Dancer series.

As we learned in the first book, the Harper is the daughter of super-cop Bridget ban, who has gone missing.

Their search takes them on a grand tour of the January Dancer universe, visiting many planets and learning more about their various cultural adaptations. The quest is successful, and after Donovan sees to it that his daughter and former lover are safe and sound he returns to the bar where the Harper first found him to take up his life of drunken oblivion once more.

Then he gets kidnapped by an agent of the government he used to spy for. Dec 17, Pam rated it really liked it. I didn't realize this book was a sequel until I came across references to the January Dancer in the text of this book. Then I remembered seeing that title on Flynn's Amazon page. I debated stopping Up Jim River and reading January Dancer first, but by then, the story was moving right along and I didn't want to quit. Flynn is quite the storyteller. I was fully involved in the search for the Harper's mother, even though I didn't care all that much whether or not they found her.

I'd I didn't realize this book was a sequel until I came across references to the January Dancer in the text of this book. I'd never met her, not having read the first book, and the way people talked about her, I wasn't sure I'd like her anyway. Also fascinating were all the places visited in the search, and it was great fun to try and work out the language.

I'm left with some questions though.

The big one being who were the "prehumans" they talked about. Are they the original inhabitants of the worlds settled by the Commonwealth? I also didn't understand the importance of the DNA "mighty chondrian" search. What does it matter, which worlds were settled first? I've bought January Dancer -- maybe my questions will be answered there.

Jan 26, Tim Jin rated it it was ok. I'm still having trouble trying to grasp to the story. The story is long and tedious. It's not an easy book to read after you had a long day. In order to be fully immersed to the space opera, you need to read this book into different segments, where you need to take a breather in between the pages. It's not like running a marathon, where you can sprint to the finish. Flynn writes in depth of the storytelling, where I hit the wall many times and needed to be distracted.

I will eventually finish this series, but there is no rush. I'm not really into space opera as I should be, but I really like science fiction. Flynn's direction for this series is somewhat tiring, but I also want to know how everything ends. I'm hoping for less storytelling and more plot and action.

The series is still not there for me to look forward to "In the Lion's Mouth. Dec 01, Charles rated it it was ok. You really need to have read the first book for this one to be readable. That is, that this series is only very superficially science fiction. The multiple aspects of personality are explored through this character, and are mildly interesting, but this addition does not make the book any better than its predecessor. Oct 14, Cam rated it really liked it Shelves: Another visit to Flynn's space opera universe, focusing on Bridget-ban's daughter, Donovan and a newly split personality, and the search for a lost Treasure Fleet from the Commonwealth era among other things.

Wildmen from remote planets figure in, other Those of Name agents from the Commonwealth keep tracking Donovan and the rest of the team as they keep up the search in remoter and remoter lands. Full of humor and pathos and plenty of teases about the eons and eons of human and alien history on Another visit to Flynn's space opera universe, focusing on Bridget-ban's daughter, Donovan and a newly split personality, and the search for a lost Treasure Fleet from the Commonwealth era among other things.

Full of humor and pathos and plenty of teases about the eons and eons of human and alien history only barely understood by this Silver Age or maybe Bronze Age of humanity. Flynn does a great job with how civilization and language would drift and remix endlessly and how power struggles influence even the most humdrum of lives. A worthy series; I'm looking forward to catching up with the rest.

Feb 01, Jacqie rated it really liked it. I think I preferred January Dancer to this one, mainly because the harper was much more a main character in this book and I just never liked her. I figured out the twist in the relationships in the story early, as I think we're meant to, but the old friendships were what was most interesting to me. The story of tracking Bridget Ban ended up being more of a tour of worlds than a story in its own right, as well. The best part of the story dealt with the fractured personality of Donovan, another cha I think I preferred January Dancer to this one, mainly because the harper was much more a main character in this book and I just never liked her.

The best part of the story dealt with the fractured personality of Donovan, another character that I didn't really care for in the first book.

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But the splitting of the personality into distinct parts was an interesting idea. Good writing that makes one think. I will read the next book. Dec 23, Will rated it it was amazing. The not-so United League of the Periphery, where the Hounds of the Ardry battle the chilling machinations of Those Of Name, and a kaleidoscope falling out of an ahem!

Irish stew of cultures, has emerged as a captivating milieu for futuristic adventure, and we must hope for many more. There are more enigmas which gnaw at the reader. How The not-so United League of the Periphery, where the Hounds of the Ardry battle the chilling machinations of Those Of Name, and a kaleidoscope falling out of an ahem! But perhaps these will be dealt with in the next volume. May 24, Julian rated it liked it.

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I'm a big fan of Flynn. Interesting way of presenting the fragmented person, etc. That said, the actual story didn't quite grab me quite as much as other stuff by the TOF. It felt like more of a story that puts ideas and "isms" on display, but the result is that you are reading more of collage than a plot. Maybe that's due to the fact that it's a "road trip" story with lots of stops on the way to the destination. Still, to it's credit, this book r I'm a big fan of Flynn. Still, to it's credit, this book really reminds me of Joss Whedon's "Firefly.

Mar 03, Mike rated it really liked it Shelves: I'm a fan of author Flynn and the second book in this trilogy was much better than the first one, The January Dancer. Great story telling here but not a lot of shoot 'em up action, if that's what you're looking for. Excessive use of made up, or alien verbiage, but what the hell, it's sci-fi. I bought the third book, In the Lion's Mouth and look forward to the continuing adventures of the protaginists in Flynn's universe. Flynn provides a map of his universe, planets, etc. I consulted it a lot in my paperback version.

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FYI, the map is illegibe too small on Kindle, so I ordered the third book in hardback. Anyway, good writing and good stuff. Jan 30, Dan rated it liked it. Not as much fun as the first one. This is admittedly a hazy sort of measure; briefly, I read through the first book in one sitting, and this one took many.

For around half the book I wanted to scream at the characters that view spoiler [Billy was totally a spy hide spoiler ]. I was confused by the chapter where view spoiler [Donovan gets drugged and left behind. It was like, whoa, they drugged him and took off, and then he recovered and he's commandeering some other ship to chase after them, bu Not as much fun as the first one. For readers who have been waiting for the next book to sweep them off their feet-this is it.

Lisa Mangum has loved and worked with books ever since elementary school, when she volunteered at the school library during recess. She worked for five years at Waldenbooks while she attended the University of Utah, graduating in English with honors. She has worked in the publishing department of Deseret Book since and is the author of The Hourglass Door trilogy. Lisa lives in Taylorsville, Utah, with her husband, Tracy.

Would you like to tell us about a lower price? If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support? The bank is eroding. The barriers are thinning. And time is running out.

The hourglass door has closed, sending Dante back in time to hunt down Zo, Tony, and V. Although giving him up was the hardest test she ever faced, Abby knows that Dante is the only one who can stop the others from destroying time itself. But almost immediately, things start to change, and Abby s worst fears are realized when Zo begins targeting her past. With each change that ripples into her present, Abby s life continues to spiral out of control. Her relationships with Jason, Natalie, and even her family are threatened to the breaking point. Zo s power is greater than Abby ever imagined, but as she struggles to free Dante, she receives help from an unexpected and unlikely ally.

Will Abby s love for Dante be enough to turn the tide? Read more Read less. Add both to Cart Add both to List. These items are shipped from and sold by different sellers. Buy the selected items together This item: Ships from and sold by Amazon. Customers who viewed this item also viewed. Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. Here's how restrictions apply. Review Give yourself time to read them because once you begin, you won t be able to stop! Shadow Mountain; Reprint edition May 9, Language: Don't have a Kindle?

Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Read reviews that mention hourglass door golden spiral lisa mangum time travel forgotten locket abby and dante final book door trilogy hunt tony looking forward book in this trilogy final installment abby finds her life second book stuck behind really enjoyed twists and turns highly recommend save dante get him back. Showing of 48 reviews. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now.

Spiral Arm Series

Please try again later. Her boyfriend, Dante, has disappeared through a time portal, stuck in a between place that's impossible to reach without the hourglass door. But the door has been destroyed, and Abby has only a small amount of time to create new one. Problem is, the reality around her continues to change as Zo manipulates time, drastically altering Abby's life. First it's her friend, Justin, then her college scholarship. When her family is affected, Abby will take any risk to undo Zo's destruction. Her friend, Valerie is the only one with answers, but she is under strict surveillance at a mental hospital.

As the second installment of this YA series, The Golden Spiral continues the fascinating and highly creative story of time travel. Mangum's writing style is fresh, with a strong literary voice, and will draw readers into the psyche of the various characters and their struggles to understand who they can trust and who still holds dark secrets.

Intriguing and suspenseful, The Golden Spiral is an engaging sequel, which will both please readers and leave them anxious for volume three, The Forgotten Locket. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. Even better than the first one. While it wasn't as concentrated on Abby and Dante's romance and more stopping Zo and the his interference with the River of Time, it still had moments of sweet tender romance between Abby and Dante. Magnum has an amazing way with words and description that just draw you in and capture from the first sentence.

You feel everything the characters feel, see everything they see, smell everything they smell. It truly is amazing. I found myself completely wrapped up in their world, their struggles and trials, their love for one another, their sadness and anguish and their hate. I can't wait to read the next and final installment in this trilogy.

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