Sara Douglass Fans, Please Help!

[kayd_mon]

I picked up two books by Sara Douglass at a used book store the other day, The Wayfarer Redemption and Beyond the Hanging Wall. My quick scans of the books made me think I might like them, and it looks like Beyond the Hanging Wall is a stand-alone.

I remember starting a recommendation thread here when I first joined, and someone mentioned Douglass and these books, and they said that Hanging Wall is part of the Wayfarer world. Do I need to read that series first, or can I read Hanging Wall and enjoy it as-is?

 

[Feo Takahari]

I looked up Beyond the Hanging Wall. It's set across the ocean from The Wayfarer Redemption, and isn't really connected to it. However, it's a prequel to Dark Glass Mountain, and it makes some references to that series.

(Fair warning: The Wayfarer Redemption is the worst-written version of the "heroic pagans versus misguided pseudo-Christians" plot I have ever read or seen in any medium, even video games. Try it if you want, but don't say I didn't warn you.)

 

[Jess A]

The short answer is yes, you can read Beyond the Hanging Wall without ever reading another Sara Douglass book. But if you read on I will explain how the series connect.

Unlike Feo, I thoroughly enjoyed the Wayfarer Redemption. I liked that it was obviously ripped off religious conflict. Simple fun. Not sure I'd be as forgiving now (it's been over ten years since I read them), but I enjoyed her magic system and her Icarii. Possibly more so than the plot itself. It gets strange from book 4 onwards. Very strange.

Sara Douglass has written 6 books in the Wayfarer Redemption/Axis series:

Wayfarer Redemption

1. Battleaxe (1995)
aka The Wayfarer Redemption
2. Enchanter (1996)
3. StarMan (1996)
4. Sinner (1997)
5. Pilgrim (1998)
6. Crusader (1999)

( Sara Douglass )

Had to copy and paste them because I couldn't remember exactly what order they were in.

Read those first. You can read Beyond the Hanging Wall by itself, but as Feo said, it's set in the same world, just across the sea from Tencendor, where the above books are set.

Maximillian, the Prince from Beyond the Hanging Wall, becomes a major character in the Darkglass Mountains trilogy. Also read Threshold as some of the references and mythology from that book, possibly the big evil, reoccur in the Darkglass Mountains trilogy. Threshold is a great stand-alone story in itself as well. I really enjoyed it.

Some of the major characters, including Axis, from the Wayfarer Redemption, are also in the Darkglass Mountains trilogy. I will not say who else as it may spoil the story.

Darkglass Mountains

1. The Serpent Bride (2007)
2. The Twisted Citadel (2008)
3. The Infinity Gate (2010)

I will admit I only got halfway through The Twisted Citadel before I lost interest. I'll try it again some other time.