I'm almost tired of gushing with praise over the books in this Peltedverse saga. This appears to be the last books (though the second Shieldmatron volume, "An Exile Amid Stars", appears to take place after this, and also appears to be the opening chapter of the upcoming conflict with the evil Haters of wormholes), and that I will have to eagerly and impatiently await the next parts. Again, as the old emotional softy I am, I cried through much of this, perhaps because I'd just finished the second volume of the Zafiil duology—for me a tremendous tear-jerker—but it does wrap up a lot of story lines, though is still leaves several loose ends. I hope in the future we'll know what becomes of Amber and Crispin, among other things. As always, the characters are very likable and well developed, and the storytelling is outstanding. The story itself is satisfying and entertaining, and my suspicion about Sedyril being what she turns out to turns out to be correct, though I am not sure I like that development. That being said, Ms Hogarth has an uncanny way of making these incongruous developments work out far better than expected. I can't wait to see this aspect of her gifting come to fruition. So…another great book, and I wonder how long it will be before the next piece is offered.

An absolute Masterpiece! I can't begin to tell you how much I loved this book. The characters are awesome, even the one antagonist had his moments, and I completely fell in love with Zafiil, especially in the last movement (how could you not, when she turned out as she did). Zafiil turned out to be what I suspected, as I'm sure many readers will also expect, and she's expertly developed and brought to life. Of course, when the duology is written from her perspective and she's in literally every chapter of two excellent and long books, that is to be expected. And yet Ms Hogarth has gone beyond the norm with one of the best character studies I've ever read, and her storytelling is beyond…stellar. I have to admit to bawling uncontrollably through the last several chapters, and I'm getting choked up even now as I think back on it. The story itself is moving and powerful, and sets up future stories admirably. I've given this one my very highest rating—higher even than the five stars reflected in this review—one I give to only a rare few. I imagine others will not love the story as I have, but I was really touched by it. Oh, if only the God of the bible made Himself as real as Faulza does in these books, but perhaps that is the point?

Really loved the book! Easy to order, and easy to download through BookFunnel.

A real departure from other books set in the Peltedverse, this book is very different from its predecessors. That is not to say it's anything but outstanding, however. The characters are very complex, well developed, and likable…if just a little bit unbelievable (but that can easily and lovingly be forgiven), and the story is also complex and intriguing. Ms Hogarth exposes her spiritual side in this one, though there have been interesting hints at it in other books. I could, and would very much like to, say much about this, but it's not fitting for a review, so I will just say that I was moved to tears many times, and my heart broke for this fictional character and her people. The author expertly uses a technique I normally find annoying, going back in time to the protagonist's childhood (if you can call 30-60 years of age childhood…and, of course, this race of people who live 700-800 years can certainly do so) in the center of three parts, or movements as the book calls them. The storytelling is on another level, which is the most important thing to me, and I can't wait to see if Zafill turns out to be what I suspect she is.

Fantastic story, expertly told, and loaded with important developments. I'm rarely surprised by events in a book, but there is a shocking surprise near the end of this one. It seems to finish with a number of loose ends, and this especially true after that little surpriose, but the author's note at the end promises they will all be tied up satisfactorily in the stories to come. Many favorite, lovable characters continue to appear in the story as well. I loved this one, and now I must continue on, though I feel it's necessary to read the Zafiil Duology before I can read the next (and last?) book in the overall saga.

An excellent continuation of the Fallowtide Sequence, loaded with intrigue, great characters, and world-class storytelling. I continue to look for incidents alluded to in the Shieldmatron series, which should be about this time, but seem to remain for future fulfillment (I rarely re-read books, but I'm going to have to read that short series again). A top notch story, and I can't wait to read on.

I almost didn't purchase and read this book as I really dislike short stories, much as the writer herself stated in her author's note at the beginning (and for much the same reasons), and it's a general rule for me to ignore any such offerings. However, I thoroughly enjoyed these stories, so much so that I couldn't come close to saying which I liked most. Plenty of new, very likable characters are introduced as some lesser known characters are fleshed out and developed while including many of the previously loved characters. My only dismay is knowing most of these new characters will not be heard from again, at least not in any significant way. I heartily recommend this book; it answers many questions you didn't know you had and is well worth the time.

Excellent first contact story! Interesting, true aliens, MCs struggling with communication and cultural/philosophical barriers. Better than any Star Trek in a long time! Great narration to boot.

I especially enjoyed this wonderful book. There's none of the exciting action or intrigue, but the heartwarming story touched me anyway. Written delightfully from the perspective of a (so-far) minor character, the book draws together some threads that some may have wondered about over the course of previous tales. Vasiht'h's beloved professor from his days as a psychology student in university answers his call to come and help the Eldritch into a new renaissance, but the university he was called to help with is not even close to being a reality, so he finds himself spending time with Sediryl's invalid father and Vasiht'h's father as well, developing an unlikely friendship, and the possibilities are endless. Delightfully entertaining.

This standalone novel, more of a prequel than most that claim the title, introduces an interesting young Eldritch woman that will go on to be a very important figure in the sagas of the Peltedverse. The characters are well-developed and likable, especially the title character, and the well-told story is intriguing and engaging. I read it out of order, so I knew what Sediryl would become, but it answers many questions and paints a great background portrait of this key figure. The only thing I'm a bit puzzled by is the mind-blindness she appears to suffer from, unable to communicate telepathically as most of her kind can. I vaguely remembered from the Shieldmatron stories of Surela a time when Sediryl went to meet Surela for the purpose of evaluating her character and I *thought* she'd used telepathy to do so. Either I was wrong about this or something I have yet to read about will change this. Overall a very satisfying read with few editing mistakes and a great deal of entertainment.

Much simpler fare than most of the books near this point in the Peltedverse history, nevertheless this story contains some key pieces for both the past and the future of the these characters. I like the way Hogarth writes many of these books from the primary perspective of different characters, though switching to other when necessary. This one is written from Vasih't's point of view as he and his partner, Jahir, travel to his birth world to retrieve the three children he commissioned (for lack of a better yet more concise term)—artificially generated from a combination of his genetic material, that from a priestess of his race, and a third random sample (if I remember correctly, I tend to mix details like this up at times). Along the way they learn more about his race's esper powers and he discovers he is one of the fabled mind-mages of his kind. With just a little bit of excitement near the end, the majority of the book is background, though no less enjoyable for it. It's roughly half the length of other works in this set, and I devoured it in a few days (and, naturally, I find myself writing an unnecessarily long review). I also have to say that I am impressed with the improvement in editing. The earlier books from this excellent storyteller were riddled with editing errors that have gradually decreased over time, and I can't remember noting any in this book, though there is less of it to stumble across such issues. Fine work, though this Fallowtide sequence seems to be hinting at some conflict in the future of the Peltedverse and I wonder if those are books yet to be written or will be revealed in what is to come in the sequence (though the author's not in this books suggests the Fallowtide sequence is the period between the Chatcaavan War and "the beginning of… whatever comes next". I keep hoping to hear more from Alysha from the Stardancer series and Surela of the Shielmatron, but I suspect that's not going to happen.

Another excellent piece of the Peltedverse story, well told, with interesting and well-developed characters. The story is intriguing and uplifting, with important details tied together in a most satisfying way.

I absolutely loved this one. Even though the disturbing sexual mores that so bothered me about the previous three books of the series are still hinted at—and I'm still rather disappointed with the polyamorous direction Hogarth is taking my favorite characters in—there is little salacious content while it is loaded exciting action, intrigue, and multiple storylines that are masterfully woven together. Take the objectionable parts out, and this series, so far, is a masterpiece of storytelling. I read it in near record time, literally unable to put it down, and immediately started on the next book, "In Extremis". The rest of this series promises to be full of surprises and extreme levels of excitement.

Another excellent addition to the history of the Peltedverse, filled with well-developed and likable characters, great world building, action, intrigue, and a satisfying romance. I feel compelled to say I'm still nor comfortable with the sexual mores of the lead characters—I think it seriously detracts from their likability—but I suppose it has a purpose in emphasizing the non-conformity of the these characters in a galaxy where anything goes in either casual or serious relationships. I can overlook these elements, however, much as I do some of the nonsensical terms as 'solar system' and 'inter-galactic' which are frequently misapplied, because of the outstanding and ever improving storytelling. It's been a pleasure to watch Hogarth grow as a storyteller over the course of these books, and the editing even seems to be improving. This is another key chapter in the history of the Peltedverse, and I devoured it quickly. Highly recommended.

A masterpiece of great storytelling! I somewhat expected, from the description in seller's websites, this one would be short on details (an irrational fear), but was very pleased to find that I was as wrong as one could be. There were so many details to be nailed down, Hogarth can easily be forgiven for missing a very few as she did an amazing job of tying everything together in an extremely satisfying way. In my old age I have to admit to being easily brought to tears, and I did find myself weeping several times through this book, most notably when the Queen of the Chatcaava and one of the Eldritch mind-mages meet in an alternate reality and when she wakes and is able to make a permanent, and planet-shattering change to her body. The characters are very well-developed and likable, though flawed, and the threefold story merges in a powerful and exciting climax. My only disappointment is that I'd read the Shieldmatron duology before this and so I knew some of the details, yet there was so much more to the story and it all masterfully drawn together. There are a few questions I do wish I had answers to, and hope they will be in future books I have not yet read, like who was responsible for the atrocity on the pirate base, can and will Crispin be redeemed, and why didn't the Queen Ransomed demonstrate the many species she'd taken patterns for to her two lovers? Minor issues, truly, for such a masterful book.