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Wit'ch Star (The Banned And The Banished Book 4) by James Clemens
01/10/2004 . Source: Donna Jones 
pub: Orbit/Times Warner. 739 page paperback. Price: £ 6.99 (UK). ISBN: 0-84149-244-2. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. check out website: www.OrbitBooks.co.uk and www.TimeWarnerBooks.co.uk
This is the fifth and last book in 'The Banned And The Banished' series. We find Elena again waiting to move on the Dark Lord. Planning to finish the job she and her companions started in the previous book, finding and destroying the final Weirgate.
While Elena knows that the magic is being drained and warped by the Dark Lord, she also knows that he holds Chi captive. A line must be drawn and Elena and the massed forces of Alasea must finally destroy the threat to their lands.
This time, though, there are prices to be paid for their efforts, debts that cannot be reconciled with magic. Finally, the wit'ch must fulfil her destiny and the writer of the Banned and Banished Kelvish scrolls must finish his task to break the curse from the wit'ch.
Well, I had thought that the book's writing style was becoming more enjoyable. With the last instalment, I now realise I was very wrong.
This novel has gone back to the sprawling page counts of over seven hundred pages, making me wonder why we needed such over-detailed, long-winded story-telling. The story follows a very similar thread to previous episodes in the series, elaborating upon the world of the wit'ch. In the end, though, the final battle between Elena and the Dark Lord, Ly'chuk, is sadly the biggest let-down of the series.
We meet a new character in the form of Harlequin Quail, a court jester-type spy that brings news from the very depths of the Gul'gotha stronghold, Blackhall. He seems to be a character that will be the making of this ending, but actually in reality he is just another poorly thought-out character that adds nothing to the story.
Again, we go off in all directions following the fortunes of each respective characters quests. Again, it would work, but bottom line here, we're doing it again! I felt that this book could have been cut down and merged with the previous book. The whole series could have prospered from some judicial editing and paring down. I found the story stale and the twists kind of straight and obvious.
While the ending explains the writer of the scrolls curse and how the world came to be the way it was, it seemed to me that Clemens possibly had the overall idea for the ending way before he wrote it. The journey to that point doesn't seem important now and I feel that it was a missed opportunity with the last book and its development.
We also come to realise the worth of heartstone and the dark e'bonstone. It was merely a matter of opposites, as most of this story turns out to be. Eventually the wit'ch, through her actions will restore a natural balance to the world, banishing only inequality. The moral of the story and why are the scrolls banned and banished? Because quite simply folks human beings, magic or otherwise, have an incessant desire for power over their fellow human beings. The idea that we can all be equal upsets those that want to lord it over the rest of us.
I stand by my opinions about this series. Its first problem is that it takes itself far too seriously, trying to get the reader excited about its existence. Secondly, it has forgettable characters that have little charisma and very little staying power.
Thirdly, last but not least, the novel had a bulky padded writing style that fails to engage or entertain, sadly falling very short of good fantasy.
Donna Jones
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