by Sara Douglass
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Product Description
A missing prince...A mythical creature...An age-old mystery
Like his physician father, sixteen-year-old Garth Baxtor is gifted with the Touch. By laying his hands upon his patients, Garth can sense the illness that dwells within and promote healing. But illness is not all he can sense, as he learns when he accompanies his father to the underground mines known as the Veins to minister to the criminals condemned to labor there, beyond the hanging wall. Applying his hands to the wound of one prisoner known only as Lot No. 859, Garth is stunned to discover that the man is no common criminal....
With the help of Ravenna, a witch from the marshes, and a mythical creature from the land of dreams, Garth sets out to solve a centuries-old mystery--a mystery that will pit one king against another and shake the Kingdom of Escator to its foundations.
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Average Customer Review:
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A refreshing fantasy tale, 2007-10-16
Beyond the Hanging Wall by Sara Douglass is a stand alone novel set in the same world as her Wayfarer Redemption series. Although, from reading the back cover, it is on the other side of a sea. So, while elements are similar you don't have to have read the previous books to understand this novel. In fact, this is the first book by Ms. Douglass that I have read and after finishing I promptly went out and purchased the first five books of the Wayfarer Redemption series.
The plot of this book is very well contained. Ms. Douglass is able it add many elements, without the plot going out of control and getting confusing. The main plot of this book is the story of a young prince, once thought dead and the process of those faithful to him to bring him back to the throne. There are also several subplots scattered throughout that book. Subplots such as the growth of one of the characters from a simple apprentice to a widely regarded healer, as well as political positioning, and something akin to a prophecy which, I think adds depth to the novel. On the surface, the plot is simplistic in nature and quite linear. However, this book doesn't profess to be anything that it is not. Being a stand alone novel, it is allowed to follow a rather simple path. However, once the reader is into the story a rich world appears and the pace of the story is almost perfect.
The characters are very well done as well. There are many memorable characters in this book; from Garth and Cavor to Ravenna and Vorstus they all add something to the story, yet at no time does one character `steal' scenes or dominate an entire section. There is a very nice balance between the characters. In term of the character Garth, there is a great deal of character development. All of his character development follows a logical path and makes sense as well. It's not characters development strictly for the case of development, which seems to be the case in some fantasy being released right now. There was only one character I was disappointed with, and that was Maximilian. For lack of a better word, he seemed shallow and I wasn't really that interested in his character. The rest of the characters more than made up for that though.
The one complaint I had with this book is what I just mentioned, the character of Maximilian. For as important of part that he plays in the story, I would have hoped for more from him. He just didn't fir with the other characters very well. It was almost like two different authors.
Some positives about this novel. It's a stand alone book - it seems the fantasy gene as a whole is going away from stand alones so it was nice to find this one. The world is rich with history and details, it's well conceived. The idea of the Touch is a very interesting idea, I enjoyed how that worked. Ms. Douglass' prose is simple, efficient, but well done. It moves the story along and doesn't try to be too much.
If you are a fantasy fan looking for large scale battles and wizard duels, then you should probably consider a different book. This one is on a much smaller scale, but really held my interest. I think most fans will enjoy this book, in fact I encourage most fantasy fans to take a look at this one. Ms. Douglass is an author that I had never heard of before, and after reading this book I have no idea how she slipped past my radar. I plan on reading her other works and I will be recommending this book to many people.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Satisfying but predictable, 2007-06-06
Garth Baxtor, a apprentice physician to his father Joseph, is like his father possessed of The Touch - the ability to ease pain and discomfort in addition to promoting healing by laying hands on the patient. When Joseph's yearly summons to tend to the prisoners working in the mines arrives, Garth is finally deemed old enough and experienced enough to accompany him. Garth soon discovers that the Veins, as the mines are called, are the most dismal and appalling place imaginable. Imagine his surprise and horror when, while treating prisoner #859, he senses the Manteceros royal tattoo beneath scar tissue on the prisoner's arm - when everyone in Escator knows that seventeen years ago the crown prince met his death in a tragic hunting accident.
'Beyond the Hanging Wall' is a pleasant if simplistic and predictable read. There isn't a lot of suspense, but it was still a decent diversion. It's easy to understand why it's considered young adult by some, although in my library it's shelved with adult fantasy.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
A Likable Tale, 2007-03-13
Having read most of Sara Douglass's novels, Beyond the Hanging Wall proved to be a fine, stand-alone novel absent of the melodrama and lurid sex which had marred a few of her other stories. The protagonist, Garth Baxtor, a young man gifted with the "Touch," an ability to assess and probe illnesses, travels with his father to the Veins--a gloomy, squalid series of mines where gloam is harvested--to administer healing to the prisoners. During his three week soujourn, Garth discovers, much to his delight and surprise, that one prisoner, Lot no. 859, is in actuality a prince thought to have died seventeen years ago. Although the prisoner denies his true identity, bemoaning that there is "nothing beyond the hanging wall," Garth embarks on a quest to free the true heir to the kingdom. Garth enlists the aid of a marsh witch and a brotherhood committed to the line of the true royal family. He also pursues the mystery behind the mythical dream creature called the Manteceros, which is inextricably linked to Lot no. 859. Mystery, suspense, with some mayhem are thrown together to produce a rousing adventure tale that you just can't put down.
1 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Nice story, family friedly (mostly), 2005-02-05
This is a well written enjoyable read. I read it a couple of weeks after reading Hades Daughter, which was a challenge. Beyond the Hanging Wall had none of the offensive material that was abundant in Hades daughter. Two of my friends read thes books after I did, and we agreed on Hanging wall as a good and enjoyable story. Ony two of us finished Hades daughter due to the offensive material and unsympathetic characters. You wouldn't know that these two books were written by the same woman. In any case Beyond the Hanging Wall can be safely given as a gift knowing that it is an enjoyable and wholesome story.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
 The Wayfarer Redemption, 2004-08-06
Even though I have read several hundred sci-fi and fantasy books, this is one of the few books I had problems with putting down!! Sara's writing has kept me with wanting more and searching for the next books in the series!
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