The Ale Boy's Feast: Closing Thoughts
Finishing The Ale Boy’s Feast was a moment of disappointment, not for the fact that I didn’t like the ending, quite the contrary. I enjoyed the ending, and loved the balance of both mystery and resolution. But it was a disappointment that the story has come to its end, in a sense. The story obviously, goes on. But our reading of it has reached its end.
It’s not merely the end of the one book, it is the end of the series, and our part in discovering that world. All throughout the Auralia Thread was this sense of being an explorer of that world, discovering it, as if for the first time ever. It wasn’t so much a setting as a place for us to wander in. But now, our wandering is over, and I must reflect on what it is I have seen in the expanse over the course of the last four books. And in my case, the last four years.
There is comfort that in a matter of time I can reopen the pages of Auralia’s Colors and once again be filled with wonder.
Part of the reason that these books have the ability to transport the reader into the story is, no doubt, the power of the language used to write it. There is a richness to the writing itself that lends itself to the world within the words, rather then sidetracting the reader, it draws them, to quote C. S. Lewis’s The Last Battle further up, and further in.
I am, in addition to disappointed, very pleased with the story and its resolution. Of all the characters in it, and there are many, I still love Auralia the most. There is something about her that I’ve always related to, yet she always has, and still remains a mystery. I like that in a character. It gives the sense that there is so much more to the person to be revealed then is given us, that their personality and so forth goes so much deeper then what we read about, it really helps to bring them to life. It is her mystery that makes her so interesting, and I’m not sure I would want to know every detail about Auralia. I think that would flatten her character a bit, it would deaden, rather then bring her to life.
In closing, I found The Ale Boy’s Feast a satisfying end to the wonderful Auralia Thread.
The Ale Boy's Feast on Amazon.com
Author Website: Jeff Overstreet, looking closer.org
As part of the CSFF blog tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, for the purposes of this tour.
Participants’ links
Gillian Adams
Red Bissell
Grace Bridges
Beckie Burnham
Morgan L. Busse
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
Shane Deal
Chris Deane
Cynthia Dyer
Andrea Graham
Katie Hart
Ryan Heart
Bruce Hennigan
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Dawn King
Inae Kyo
Shannon McDermott
Shannon McNear
Karen McSpadden
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
Sarah Sawyer
Kathleen Smith
Donna Swanson
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler
1 comment:
Not only is there a richness to the writing, but to the entire world of the Expanse. I also look forward to picking these back up one day!
I'm not sure I could pick a favorite character, but I would have liked to witness a little more of Cyndere and Jordam's story. Perhaps because I have always had a soft spot for tales with Beauty and the Beast themes. :)
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