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Chris Wooding
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The Skein Of Lament: Book Two of the Braided Path (Gollancz S.F.) Paperback – 12 May 2005

by Chris Wooding (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars 47 ratings
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The grip of the Weavers on Saramyr's rulers has grown ever tighter. And all the while the blight that they have brought to the land grips ever more harshly. This cannot last and, sure enough, the land is slipping into civil war. In the growing chaos Kaiku and the orphaned heir-Empress must fight for their destiny and their survival as Saramyr succumbs to the twisting of the Weave and the unknowable ambitions of the secretive Weavers. Chris Wooding has created a vivid and turbulent world with an authentic oriental air and its own rich and ancient history. Across this world plays an action packed plot of politics, violence and betrayal. This is an extraordinary fantasy for the 21st century.
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  1. Book 2 of 3
    Braided Path
  2. Print length
    544 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Gollancz
  5. Publication date
    12 May 2005
  6. Dimensions
    10.67 x 3.45 x 17.53 cm
  7. ISBN-10
    0575076461
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0575076464
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Product description

About the Author

Chris Wooding is a full time, award-winning novelist, a YA novelist, and a professional script writer for film and TV. He has travelled extensively, plays bass and guitar (and has recorded several albums) and his novels have been published all over the world.

He has penned the Braided Path trilogy, a standalone novel (The Fade) and the Tales of the Ketty Jay series for Gollancz, all of which were critical and commercial successes.

Chris Wooding lives in Kent, and you can learn more at www.chriswooding.com.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gollancz
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 12 May 2005
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ New
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 544 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0575076461
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0575076464
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 295 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.67 x 3.45 x 17.53 cm
  • Book 2 of 3 ‏ : ‎ Braided Path
  • Customer reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 47 ratings

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Chris Wooding

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4.2 out of 5 stars
47 global ratings

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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Collers
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 April 2015
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    Nice set
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  • Pauline M Ross
    4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent middle book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 October 2011
    Verified Purchase
    This is the seond part of 'The Braided Path' trilogy. Despite having read the first part relatively recently, I had forgotten quite a lot of it, and although Wooding reminds the reader of most of the salient points, there were still a few places where I was confused.

    The author's world-building is awesome. This is not a word I use lightly, but nothing else quite covers it. Everything about Saramyr and its neighbouring territories - history, mythology, races, cultures, natural history, geography - is defined in infinitely layered and nuanced detail. Sometimes an almost throwaway line gives me a frisson of total pleasure - the flight of a bird, the noise of an insect, a rock formation, a character's tattoos, the way food is eaten. It's all there, all thought about and carefully dropped here and there for best effect, creating a world which truly feels 'other', almost alien.

    I particularly liked the three moons, all different, which occasionally come into conjunction causing sudden moonstorms, followed by drifts of tiny ice crystals. I have no idea whether that is feasible in real-world physics, but it's extraordinarily evocative. And the moons are relevant to the plot, even. I love a fully worked out secondary world, and so many fantasy writers make do with some cobbled together mishmash of recognisable environments - medieval Europe, or Roman Empire, or whatever. That's OK, just a little disappointing (and lazy, maybe). Authors, this is how it should be done. My only criticism - could have done with a better map, showing all the places mentioned, and in hi-res.

    The characters, on the other hand, don't work quite so well. It's not that they're uninteresting, for some of them - Saran, Tsata, Lucia, for instance - are intriguing enough, and Asara is downright creepy. Nor are they fantasy cliches. But somehow, it's as if Wooding has drawn up a laundrylist of defining characteristics (Mishani: small, delicate, ankle-length hair, reserved, diplomat) and they never acquire much depth beyond that. Apart from Kaiku learning to control her powers, there's not much growth in evidence, although Kaiku's relationship with Tsata is nicely developed. This makes them, on the whole, unengaging and hard to care much about. And maybe it's just me, but the male characters seem to have marginally more depth than the female ones.

    Plotwise, there's no slow build-up or scene setting - it's straight into the action, which never lets up. Almost, there is too much action, really, and it seems as if Our Heroes can barely put their noses outside the door without finding themselves in yet another life-threatening encounter. So perhaps a little contrived in places. There are numerous different points of view, and the story hops from one to the other like a demented frog, including to minor characters, but at least this avoids tortuous tricks to reveal incidents we couldn't otherwise have seen. Along the way, there are several totally breath-taking shocks and twists - one in particular which completely blew my mind. And yet (like all the best such moments) it was completely predictable, if only I'd been paying proper attention. Clever author.

    The climax brilliantly pulls all the different plot-threads together in a very satisfying way. All the various characters were needed to achieve the resolution, and it was done without any sleight of hand. Very neat. There were a number of blood-and-guts encounters, rather too many for my taste - I'm not over-fond of all that hewing, hacking, gutting, bone-crunching and disembowelling. Oh, and let's not forget the skinning. Nice people, the Weavers. But in between the episodes of slaughter were the really interesting (to me) parts - the time spent 'in the weave', the other-dimensional place where the Weavers and certain others can do - well, whatever it is they do. Is it magic? Or just something unexplained? Who knows, but it's a terrific concept, and definitely the best part of the story. And now everything is set up for the ultimate confrontation on a grand scale. A good four stars.
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  • Dottie
    4.0 out of 5 stars worth reading
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 October 2010
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This is the second of Chris Wooding's trilogy of "The Braided Path" and it was great. I can't wait to read book 3. I already have it on order. His descriptions are vivid and the storyline excellent. Definitely recommended . Couln't find any information about the author though, is he British?
    One person found this helpful
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  • Hansolo28
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 July 2014
    Much appreciated
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Nate
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great series
    Reviewed in the United States on 1 January 2013
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    As a longtime fan of Science fiction/ fantasy when I am reading a new author I look for several things; good character development, a good overall picture of this new world I have entered, a fun plot with some twists, and originality.

    Chris Wooding delivers on all counts and I recommend his books to anyone. I take small issue with the price of his books but that's like complaining about the glove box in a Ferrari.
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  • Pia C. Rasmussen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!
    Reviewed in the United States on 31 July 2013
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    Just like the other books. This series came to my attention because I was looking for something to read until the next Ketty Jay novel comes out and I devoured all three books post haste. Silly, because now I'm out of something to read again, but they were just that good.
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  • Andreas
    5.0 out of 5 stars Strong
    Reviewed in the United States on 12 February 2019
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    Painful but well written, engaging and exciting. A good book with a bit of grimdark in it. Can't wait for the last one
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  • Cheyenne M Lambert
    5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this series
    Reviewed in the United States on 14 July 2015
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    I loved this series. I am a big fan of Chris Wooding's writing, and this was a great trilogy. For any fantasy lovers out there I highly recommend this
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