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Gale Women #3
The Future Falls
When Auntie Catherine warns the family of an approaching asteroid, the Gales scramble to keep humans from going the way of the dinosaurs. Fortunately for the world, they're wielding a guitar and a dragon.
The Gale family can change the world with the charms they cast, which has caused some supernaturally complicated family shenanigans in the past. So when NASA and Doomsday Dan confirm Auntie Catherine's dire prediction, Charlotte "Charlie" Gale turns to the family for help.
But Allie is unavailable because the universe seems determined to have her produce the seventh son of a seventh son of a seventh son of a Gale. And the Aunties can't help because they're tied to the earth – although they are happy to provide their delicious, trademark pies. And in the end, all Charlie has is a guitar...
...and Jack. The Dragon Prince, and a Sorcerer.
But Charlie might like Jack just a little too much, and Jack might like Charlie a little too much in return. Actually, between Allie's hormones, the Aunties trying to force her and Jack into ritual, the Courts having way too much fun at the end of days, and Jack's sudden desire to sacrifice himself for the good of the many, Charlie's fairly certain that the asteroid is the least of her problems.
The Gales are going to need more than pie to save the world from an incoming asteroid. But together there isn't anything they can't deal with – except possibly each other.
The Gale family can change the world with the charms they cast, which has caused some supernaturally complicated family shenanigans in the past. So when NASA and Doomsday Dan confirm Auntie Catherine's dire prediction, Charlotte "Charlie" Gale turns to the family for help.
But Allie is unavailable because the universe seems determined to have her produce the seventh son of a seventh son of a seventh son of a Gale. And the Aunties can't help because they're tied to the earth – although they are happy to provide their delicious, trademark pies. And in the end, all Charlie has is a guitar...
...and Jack. The Dragon Prince, and a Sorcerer.
But Charlie might like Jack just a little too much, and Jack might like Charlie a little too much in return. Actually, between Allie's hormones, the Aunties trying to force her and Jack into ritual, the Courts having way too much fun at the end of days, and Jack's sudden desire to sacrifice himself for the good of the many, Charlie's fairly certain that the asteroid is the least of her problems.
The Gales are going to need more than pie to save the world from an incoming asteroid. But together there isn't anything they can't deal with – except possibly each other.
368 pages, ebook
First published November 3, 2014
About the author
Tanya Huff
169 books2,366 followersTanya Sue Huff is a Canadian fantasy author. Her stories have been published since the late 1980s, including five fantasy series and one science fiction series. One of these, her Blood Books series, featuring detective Vicki Nelson, was adapted for television under the title Blood Ties.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 196 reviews
January 11, 2018
It took me a long time to pick this book up off my shelf, because I suspected I wouldn't like it. And I loved the first book in this series so much, I just really didn't want to read a book I wouldn't like.
Well, I was correct... I didn't like it. Because, frankly, I seriously dislike Charlie (the heroine).
A flaw throughout the series is the lack of actual world-building when it came to magic. I didn't understand what they could do, what they couldn't do, what the limits were... of both Gales and Wild powers. The only thing I was sure of was that being a Wild power was pretty equivalent to being a selfish, narcissistic asshole.
That was underscored in this book. Charlie is condescending, selfish, shitty, entitled, and is constantly throwing this whole "I'm Wild, deal with it" shit in everyone's face. She is exactly like Catherine: they treat everyone in the world - including people they claim to love - as if they are pawns on their own personal chessboard. And they feel like everyone should just suck it up because they claim to be doing it to save the world. Okay asshole. But in book 1, NO ONE KNOWS whether Allie and David would have chosen to do this stuff (rather than being manipulated into it) if someone had just explained what was going on. Why couldn't you begin by talking to them like adults and letting them choose? Further, no one knows whether they could have found a solution of their own, that didn't require the sacrifices they were forced to make by asshole Wild members of the family, who demand that everyone accept their shitty behavior because "I'm Wild, deal with it."
That's all equally true for book 2. In fact, book 2 underscores how fallible the Wild powers actually are, because Catherine was again engaged in dramatic manipulation... which proved to be utterly unnecessary, as Jack found a different solution.
You'd think that would give these Wild assholes pause, make them actually reassess their narcissistic view of the world ... their constant bullshit "only I can handle this situation, and so you all have to suck up my shitty actions and ask me no questions, because I'm Wild, deal with it!"
But no.
This book is entirely full of that same thing. Charlie, the amazingly undefined Wild power, who decides that no one gets to know what she knows, that she's just going to make all the decisions and force everyone into all the slots she lays out for them... and with some really bizarre hand-waving - everything sort of works out.
Frankly, I hope that Allie and Graham
It's too bad, because I really love the first book in this series, and I would have loved to flesh out more of the actual structure of magic in this world. And it's also too bad, because generally I love Tanya Huff... but this book feels so far beneath her that it is stunning to me.
**1.5**
Well, I was correct... I didn't like it. Because, frankly, I seriously dislike Charlie (the heroine).
A flaw throughout the series is the lack of actual world-building when it came to magic. I didn't understand what they could do, what they couldn't do, what the limits were... of both Gales and Wild powers. The only thing I was sure of was that being a Wild power was pretty equivalent to being a selfish, narcissistic asshole.
That was underscored in this book. Charlie is condescending, selfish, shitty, entitled, and is constantly throwing this whole "I'm Wild, deal with it" shit in everyone's face. She is exactly like Catherine: they treat everyone in the world - including people they claim to love - as if they are pawns on their own personal chessboard. And they feel like everyone should just suck it up because they claim to be doing it to save the world. Okay asshole. But in book 1, NO ONE KNOWS whether Allie and David would have chosen to do this stuff (rather than being manipulated into it) if someone had just explained what was going on. Why couldn't you begin by talking to them like adults and letting them choose? Further, no one knows whether they could have found a solution of their own, that didn't require the sacrifices they were forced to make by asshole Wild members of the family, who demand that everyone accept their shitty behavior because "I'm Wild, deal with it."
That's all equally true for book 2. In fact, book 2 underscores how fallible the Wild powers actually are, because Catherine was again engaged in dramatic manipulation... which proved to be utterly unnecessary, as Jack found a different solution.
You'd think that would give these Wild assholes pause, make them actually reassess their narcissistic view of the world ... their constant bullshit "only I can handle this situation, and so you all have to suck up my shitty actions and ask me no questions, because I'm Wild, deal with it!"
But no.
This book is entirely full of that same thing. Charlie, the amazingly undefined Wild power, who decides that no one gets to know what she knows, that she's just going to make all the decisions and force everyone into all the slots she lays out for them... and with some really bizarre hand-waving - everything sort of works out.
Frankly, I hope that Allie and Graham
It's too bad, because I really love the first book in this series, and I would have loved to flesh out more of the actual structure of magic in this world. And it's also too bad, because generally I love Tanya Huff... but this book feels so far beneath her that it is stunning to me.
**1.5**
August 3, 2020
"The Future Falls", the third of the Gale Women books, was my favourite so far, mainly because of the focus on Charlie starting to understand what she's really capable of and what this means for her future.
This is not an easy book to classify. Tanya Huff is atrope twister extraordinaire, so I guess that's not surprising.
Still, how do you classify a book that is, on one level, about a Gale Girl Wild Power trying to save the world from an extinction event and on the other is tale of star-crossed lovers, where one of them is a witch who is already part of a polyamorous relationship and the other flips between being a Dragon and a teenage boy?
I guess, the answer is that you don't worry about classifying it, you just grab hold and enjoy the ride.
The whole story stands in the deeply disturbing shadow of the power and rituals of the Gale women. This book made it very clear that the priority of the Gale women is to protect the Gale family, even if this means treating family members as breeding stock or as power sources for their rituals, or letting the rest of the world's population die.
Charlie refuses to stay in that shadow. She does what she thinks is right, regardless of the cost to her personally. Her bravery is one of the best aspects of the book. The next best thing about the book is the fast-witted humour, fed by pop culture references to sci fi movies and Canadian pop music.
February 20, 2015
I had an extremely difficult time rating The Future Falls. As painfully as I got wrapped up in the Jack/Charlie angst, I still loved probably the first 90% of the book. That's a lot of book to love. But I'm also susceptible to the ending ruining everything I previously loved when I'm that emotionally invested.
I didn't mind the resolution to the story's antagonist, if you will. Sure, it was kind of an info dump at the last minute, but that wasn't what the book was about anyway. It was Charlie & Jack's story (and, no, the star-crossed love thing didn't squick me out. It's already been established in the previous books that SPOILERS SPOILERS the Gales are only partially human and Jack's barely human at all. So, different rules END SPOILERS). Anyway, being Charlie and Jack's story, I expected some sort of resolution and basically got a Sopranos series finale. I waded through too much heartache and angst to not get a payoff, especially since, this being the last book of the trilogy, we won't see them again. Whiny of me? Probably. But I realized that's how I felt when it came time to write this review.
I didn't mind the resolution to the story's antagonist, if you will. Sure, it was kind of an info dump at the last minute, but that wasn't what the book was about anyway. It was Charlie & Jack's story (and, no, the star-crossed love thing didn't squick me out. It's already been established in the previous books that SPOILERS SPOILERS the Gales are only partially human and Jack's barely human at all. So, different rules END SPOILERS). Anyway, being Charlie and Jack's story, I expected some sort of resolution and basically got a Sopranos series finale. I waded through too much heartache and angst to not get a payoff, especially since, this being the last book of the trilogy, we won't see them again. Whiny of me? Probably. But I realized that's how I felt when it came time to write this review.
June 15, 2015
It's about Canada, music, magic and an extinction event... now that's not your typical urban fantasy
A few quotes to illustrate why this book is awesome:
“And we're screwed either way. Twenty-one months, big hunk of rock, bam, extinction event.” “Bam?” “Scientifically speaking.” LOL
"Life isn’t a Michael Bay movie.” “Usually, that’s a good thing.”
This is one of my favourite urban fantasy series because of it’s themes of family and because of the fact that is just so darn well written. Huff has written some of the first urban fantasy books that is clearly recognizable as such, the Vicki Nelson books. This last installment of is really wonderful. It is rare that I rate books 5 stars but this is one of those. This is something as rare in urban fantasy as a family saga. And it has awesome music, a dragon, family, friends and did I mention a extermination event. And we find out that life isn’t a Michael Bay movie – normally that is a good thing, but what do you do when a giant rock is bound to hit earth pretty darn soon? Did I mention dragon? Ok I did, now why are you not reading it? I read it pretty much in one sitting – I was unable to put it down.
A few quotes to illustrate why this book is awesome:
“And we're screwed either way. Twenty-one months, big hunk of rock, bam, extinction event.” “Bam?” “Scientifically speaking.” LOL
"Life isn’t a Michael Bay movie.” “Usually, that’s a good thing.”
This is one of my favourite urban fantasy series because of it’s themes of family and because of the fact that is just so darn well written. Huff has written some of the first urban fantasy books that is clearly recognizable as such, the Vicki Nelson books. This last installment of is really wonderful. It is rare that I rate books 5 stars but this is one of those. This is something as rare in urban fantasy as a family saga. And it has awesome music, a dragon, family, friends and did I mention a extermination event. And we find out that life isn’t a Michael Bay movie – normally that is a good thing, but what do you do when a giant rock is bound to hit earth pretty darn soon? Did I mention dragon? Ok I did, now why are you not reading it? I read it pretty much in one sitting – I was unable to put it down.
July 6, 2016
If anyone has any kind of advance copy of this, I will read it and review for you.
I will smile while doing it.
#crossmyheart.
#notabovebribery
I will smile while doing it.
#crossmyheart.
#notabovebribery
November 9, 2014
Another fantastic Gale Girls/ Enchantment Emporium novel. Like most of Tanya Huffs books, I found it impossible to put down, being held back only by the need to go to work. The characters are as always charming and quirky, and the plot moves at a rapid pace. I rather like the mix of fantasy creatures that show up, and the storyline offers a great save the world experience. If you like elves, dragons, brownies, leprechauns, asteroids, or just plain good writing, this book is for you. Looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next, although it's going to be hard to top this one.
March 24, 2023
It's the End of the World. With Teddy Bears.
A huge rock is falling out of the sky. NASA can't fix it. The Gale girls, witches to the bone, can't fix it because it is Not Of This Earth. Charlie, musician-magician extraordinaire, can't fix it, because sound doesn't travel through space. The Gales got a heads-up, though, because they have a Seer in the family. Also, Crazy Dave talked about it on the internet. Well, there's a sure and certain omen.
While Charlie the Bard is chasing down some music, she misses some other family news and rescues some Teddy Bears. Because I trust Tanya Huff not to put superfluous cutsey stuff in her books, I expect the Teddy Bears (or the Teddybears, the space is important) to show up in some significant way. Also because this is Tanya Huff and not some hack writer, they will show up in a totally unexpected way. (yup. they do.)
In other news, Allie the Mom is preggers again. This is a fairly serious plot point, and also leads to a running gag about Seventh Sons. (Gag is the right word. Funny once, hair pulling bad the seventh time.) It also makes Charlie wonder where she is on the Maiden Mother Crone cycle, since an awful lot of Gale Girls don't stop off at Mother and flip straight from sort-of-Maiden to ... um, we don't use that word around the Gale Aunties. Well, they flip straight from First Circle to Third Circle without stopping off at Second. But Charlie is in love...
Did anyone pick up on Charlie being in love with the significantly younger Jack the Dragon Prince/Sorcerer in previous books? I thought she just wanted to rescue him from the Aunties. And sure, Jack had a crush on her, but that's because she's awesome and older than him, which means un-attainable. Gale Girls never, ever, hook up with someone more than Seven years older or younger than them. It's too open to abuse, and while the Gales are happy to rearrange the rest of the world to suit themselves, they won't break this rule. Never.
Older woman, younger man - but they're both Wild Powers, doesn't that change the dynamics? Not enough, it seems. Oh, the angst. OH THE ANGST. Not what I expected from Tanya Huff. Not at all.
Fairies. We love to hate them, but will they help?
Time Travel. Can you see the back of your own head? Some really excellent tricks, some tricks that I've seen before with Lessa in The Dragonflight by Anne McAffery... written in 1968. I guess everything old is new again.
Then, Charlie saves the day. Jack helps. That seven son trick? Well, that went in unexpected directions. The Teddy Bears? That was hilarious.
A very fun read, but not the magnificent conclusion to the fun Gale Girls series I had expected.
A huge rock is falling out of the sky. NASA can't fix it. The Gale girls, witches to the bone, can't fix it because it is Not Of This Earth. Charlie, musician-magician extraordinaire, can't fix it, because sound doesn't travel through space. The Gales got a heads-up, though, because they have a Seer in the family. Also, Crazy Dave talked about it on the internet. Well, there's a sure and certain omen.
While Charlie the Bard is chasing down some music, she misses some other family news and rescues some Teddy Bears. Because I trust Tanya Huff not to put superfluous cutsey stuff in her books, I expect the Teddy Bears (or the Teddybears, the space is important) to show up in some significant way. Also because this is Tanya Huff and not some hack writer, they will show up in a totally unexpected way. (yup. they do.)
In other news, Allie the Mom is preggers again. This is a fairly serious plot point, and also leads to a running gag about Seventh Sons. (Gag is the right word. Funny once, hair pulling bad the seventh time.) It also makes Charlie wonder where she is on the Maiden Mother Crone cycle, since an awful lot of Gale Girls don't stop off at Mother and flip straight from sort-of-Maiden to ... um, we don't use that word around the Gale Aunties. Well, they flip straight from First Circle to Third Circle without stopping off at Second. But Charlie is in love...
Did anyone pick up on Charlie being in love with the significantly younger Jack the Dragon Prince/Sorcerer in previous books? I thought she just wanted to rescue him from the Aunties. And sure, Jack had a crush on her, but that's because she's awesome and older than him, which means un-attainable. Gale Girls never, ever, hook up with someone more than Seven years older or younger than them. It's too open to abuse, and while the Gales are happy to rearrange the rest of the world to suit themselves, they won't break this rule. Never.
Older woman, younger man - but they're both Wild Powers, doesn't that change the dynamics? Not enough, it seems. Oh, the angst. OH THE ANGST. Not what I expected from Tanya Huff. Not at all.
Fairies. We love to hate them, but will they help?
Time Travel. Can you see the back of your own head? Some really excellent tricks, some tricks that I've seen before with Lessa in The Dragonflight by Anne McAffery... written in 1968. I guess everything old is new again.
Then, Charlie saves the day. Jack helps. That seven son trick? Well, that went in unexpected directions. The Teddy Bears? That was hilarious.
A very fun read, but not the magnificent conclusion to the fun Gale Girls series I had expected.
November 21, 2014
With this one things got tough for the Gale family, but especially for Charlie and Jack. I felt for both of them, that due to the "family rules" they couldn't act on their attraction, but was also sort of glad as the ages of them sort of grossed me out.
I loved all the people that were able to help explain things to Charlie, they were interesting characters!
The solution that worked sort of made my head hurt. You had to really pay attention to who was doing what, when. That sounds easy, but not really when you add in time travel, it got messy.
I loved all the people that were able to help explain things to Charlie, they were interesting characters!
The solution that worked sort of made my head hurt. You had to really pay attention to who was doing what, when. That sounds easy, but not really when you add in time travel, it got messy.
February 9, 2020
In brief: Charlie Gale’s feeling hemmed in by family expectations and her own conflicting desires, when an aunt prophecies an extinction-level asteroid. Magic can’t solve that … can it? Third in a trilogy.
Thoughts: I don’t know if I’ve outgrown the standard urban fantasy style in the last few years or if this is a weaker or more rushed novel than Huff’s usual, but I found myself almost skimming a lot of this, less from inattention and more to finish the book and move on to something else. In the end, I liked the book okay but I don’t think I really enjoyed it much.
Huff has a good hook, that’s for sure. It’s a problem I’ve never see another novel tackle and I was genuinely worried over how Charlie and her family would solve it, especially as the story progressed. And I was more than happy to see Charlie again (and would happily follow her through more magical adventures if the series wasn’t so wrapped up here). I don’t know if it’s her outsider-ness or her music, but I really like her as a character.
But there are a lot of places where the book failed to work for me. I’m often down for Huff’s meandering, coincidence-dropping, gently foreshadowed, character-focused style, but here it felt more like Charlie was beating a brick wall than ever making progress, and her family …. I’ve never really been a fan of the Gales as a whole, I have to admit. They’re all pretty dominant personalities, all positive they know best for everyone else, which leads to a lot of politics and mind games, and while that might be familiar and funny to some, it isn’t for me. I spent a lot of scenes wondering why Charlie didn’t push back more or run away to Europe and change her name.
And the romance? I’m not sure why Huff felt there even needed to be a romance? I think she could have gotten the emotional payoffs through other means, and especially that a lot of the tension of the novel is not the asteroid, but the sexual chemistry between star-crossed lovers. If you want to call a woman in her late twenties and her teenaged distant cousin star-crossed, which, um. Kudos to Charlie saying, “Absolutely not, we’re not doing this”, and kudos to Huff for finding a way to make the end of that subplot decently acceptable.
And then there’s the almost deus ex machina nature of the climax….
All that aside, Huff’s humour is still going strong, and she’s got lots of quirky scenarios and by-play, and she fleshes out the Fae part of her world-building a lot here, which was neat to see. She’s got some cool new characters too, and Charlie’s mental soundtrack, with a song for every situation, is really fun. So there was lots for me to enjoy in this book, just not enough to make up for the bits that made me grumpy.
5/10
Contains: a romantic subplot that’s pretty skeevy on both an age and a genetic level, though it’s solved all right; family dynamics that had my shoulders by my ears; scientist jokes; and a lot of music
Thoughts: I don’t know if I’ve outgrown the standard urban fantasy style in the last few years or if this is a weaker or more rushed novel than Huff’s usual, but I found myself almost skimming a lot of this, less from inattention and more to finish the book and move on to something else. In the end, I liked the book okay but I don’t think I really enjoyed it much.
Huff has a good hook, that’s for sure. It’s a problem I’ve never see another novel tackle and I was genuinely worried over how Charlie and her family would solve it, especially as the story progressed. And I was more than happy to see Charlie again (and would happily follow her through more magical adventures if the series wasn’t so wrapped up here). I don’t know if it’s her outsider-ness or her music, but I really like her as a character.
But there are a lot of places where the book failed to work for me. I’m often down for Huff’s meandering, coincidence-dropping, gently foreshadowed, character-focused style, but here it felt more like Charlie was beating a brick wall than ever making progress, and her family …. I’ve never really been a fan of the Gales as a whole, I have to admit. They’re all pretty dominant personalities, all positive they know best for everyone else, which leads to a lot of politics and mind games, and while that might be familiar and funny to some, it isn’t for me. I spent a lot of scenes wondering why Charlie didn’t push back more or run away to Europe and change her name.
And the romance? I’m not sure why Huff felt there even needed to be a romance? I think she could have gotten the emotional payoffs through other means, and especially that a lot of the tension of the novel is not the asteroid, but the sexual chemistry between star-crossed lovers. If you want to call a woman in her late twenties and her teenaged distant cousin star-crossed, which, um. Kudos to Charlie saying, “Absolutely not, we’re not doing this”, and kudos to Huff for finding a way to make the end of that subplot decently acceptable.
And then there’s the almost deus ex machina nature of the climax….
All that aside, Huff’s humour is still going strong, and she’s got lots of quirky scenarios and by-play, and she fleshes out the Fae part of her world-building a lot here, which was neat to see. She’s got some cool new characters too, and Charlie’s mental soundtrack, with a song for every situation, is really fun. So there was lots for me to enjoy in this book, just not enough to make up for the bits that made me grumpy.
5/10
Contains: a romantic subplot that’s pretty skeevy on both an age and a genetic level, though it’s solved all right; family dynamics that had my shoulders by my ears; scientist jokes; and a lot of music
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2020
A reminder to myself: Never again try and read the 3rd instalment of an urban fantasy series 8 years after I read the second!
The 2 star rating is a reflection of how much I enjoyed the book rather than a literary critic
The 2 star rating is a reflection of how much I enjoyed the book rather than a literary critic
August 27, 2020
Time travel. Like Captain Janeway, I hate it. I mean, I love stories about it (hello, I watch Doctor Who every Sunday with one of my besties). But the kinds of paradoxes in The Future Falls are not exactly my cup of tea. If you can look past that, this is another fun fantasy novel that benefits from being mostly set in Calgary, and you don’t see enough of those! If you liked the first two Gale novels, then this one is a nice conclusion to the trilogy.
Trigger warning here, as with the previous books, for incest.
Charlie features prominently in this book, as does her fellow Wild Power Jack. Kind of picking up where The Wild Ways left off, this book explores Charlie and Jack’s relationship and “forbidden love.” Meanwhile, an asteroid is on a collision course for Earth. When Aunt Catherine Sees the threat, she alerts Charlie in the hopes that she or the other Gales can avert this catastrophe. So this is very much an existential crisis, and at first there is no obvious solution. The Gales’ powers have always been good for smaller things: charms, influencing the weather or people’s decisions, etc. Moving or destroying an entire asteroid? Tall order.
There are a few distinct things that make The Future Falls compelling. First, as always, is the way Tanya Huff weaves her magic through this urban fantasy setting. Since Charlie is once again the protagonist, magic and music intertwine, with frequent allusions to songs I am not cool enough to recognize. For Charlie and the other Gale women, magic is something you do even if it isn’t something you are, as in the case of Jack. So there’s this easy effortlessness with which Charlie slides into the Wood and visits Ontario or Vermont, for example, that makes the narrative compelling.
Next we have the relationship between Charlie and Jack. It’s very much a star-crossed lovers situation: both Charlie and Jack feel a connection, but because their age difference is greater than seven years, the Gale family bylaws prohibit them from ever really being a thing. I guess we’re supposed to feel sorry for them, but it’s difficult for me to get behind a 30-year-old and a 17-year-old, especially when they are cousins. Huff seems determined to transgress certain boundaries in the romance/sexuality department, and I’m not always here for it. Nevertheless, it’s still the case that this is an interesting subplot and a thorny issue. In fact, I think what I’m trying to say is that I wasn’t pulled in so much by Charlie/Jack as I was by the family dynamics around them. Allie’s obsession with keeping Charlie at home, the interplay with Graham and the aunties, etc. … Huff writes family dynamics well, even if they can be too incestuous for my tastes.
Finally we have the actual plot. Huff establishes, fairly quickly, the stakes. I like that we don’t spend too much time away from the Gales in the back offices of JPL; this is not a book about JPL. Rather, most of the book comprises Charlie investigating the problem, trying to understand it, and then considering a solution. There’s also a question of jurisdiction—she debates who to involve, starting only with Jack because he is also Wild and then gradually widening the circle of trust within the family as they realize they can’t sort this by themselves.
The ending is … ok, I guess. As I said above, time travel can be annoying sometimes. I like what Charlie did, and I guess it puts a nice bow on the whole Gale family story. However, the way Huff presents it feels rushed and doesn’t come with as much exposition as I would have liked. We don’t get to sit with these revelations, don’t get to hear Allie’s reaction for example to the story that Charlie must have told. So in that respect I was disappointed.
Overall, The Future Falls is another great entry in this series. I would read more Gale books. I like that Huff writes fantasy set in Canada and featuring compelling female magic-users. Still not on board with the incest or the low-key gender essentialism going on here, as I’ve discussed in previous reviews.
Originally posted on Kara.Reviews, where you can easily browse all my reviews and subscribe to my newsletter.
My reviews of the Gale Women:
← The Wild Ways
Trigger warning here, as with the previous books, for incest.
Charlie features prominently in this book, as does her fellow Wild Power Jack. Kind of picking up where The Wild Ways left off, this book explores Charlie and Jack’s relationship and “forbidden love.” Meanwhile, an asteroid is on a collision course for Earth. When Aunt Catherine Sees the threat, she alerts Charlie in the hopes that she or the other Gales can avert this catastrophe. So this is very much an existential crisis, and at first there is no obvious solution. The Gales’ powers have always been good for smaller things: charms, influencing the weather or people’s decisions, etc. Moving or destroying an entire asteroid? Tall order.
There are a few distinct things that make The Future Falls compelling. First, as always, is the way Tanya Huff weaves her magic through this urban fantasy setting. Since Charlie is once again the protagonist, magic and music intertwine, with frequent allusions to songs I am not cool enough to recognize. For Charlie and the other Gale women, magic is something you do even if it isn’t something you are, as in the case of Jack. So there’s this easy effortlessness with which Charlie slides into the Wood and visits Ontario or Vermont, for example, that makes the narrative compelling.
Next we have the relationship between Charlie and Jack. It’s very much a star-crossed lovers situation: both Charlie and Jack feel a connection, but because their age difference is greater than seven years, the Gale family bylaws prohibit them from ever really being a thing. I guess we’re supposed to feel sorry for them, but it’s difficult for me to get behind a 30-year-old and a 17-year-old, especially when they are cousins. Huff seems determined to transgress certain boundaries in the romance/sexuality department, and I’m not always here for it. Nevertheless, it’s still the case that this is an interesting subplot and a thorny issue. In fact, I think what I’m trying to say is that I wasn’t pulled in so much by Charlie/Jack as I was by the family dynamics around them. Allie’s obsession with keeping Charlie at home, the interplay with Graham and the aunties, etc. … Huff writes family dynamics well, even if they can be too incestuous for my tastes.
Finally we have the actual plot. Huff establishes, fairly quickly, the stakes. I like that we don’t spend too much time away from the Gales in the back offices of JPL; this is not a book about JPL. Rather, most of the book comprises Charlie investigating the problem, trying to understand it, and then considering a solution. There’s also a question of jurisdiction—she debates who to involve, starting only with Jack because he is also Wild and then gradually widening the circle of trust within the family as they realize they can’t sort this by themselves.
The ending is … ok, I guess. As I said above, time travel can be annoying sometimes. I like what Charlie did, and I guess it puts a nice bow on the whole Gale family story. However, the way Huff presents it feels rushed and doesn’t come with as much exposition as I would have liked. We don’t get to sit with these revelations, don’t get to hear Allie’s reaction for example to the story that Charlie must have told. So in that respect I was disappointed.
Overall, The Future Falls is another great entry in this series. I would read more Gale books. I like that Huff writes fantasy set in Canada and featuring compelling female magic-users. Still not on board with the incest or the low-key gender essentialism going on here, as I’ve discussed in previous reviews.
Originally posted on Kara.Reviews, where you can easily browse all my reviews and subscribe to my newsletter.
My reviews of the Gale Women:
← The Wild Ways
October 12, 2014
I really liked this book so much that I dived deep into the day after I got it and then spent three hours on Saturday to finish it. Got it on Thursday. I love the characters and it just makes you jump in and forget about the world outside while you are reading it. It was all about Charlie and Jack this time and I liked the element of attraction, caring between the characters and whether they get together or not. The best part, the author, Tanya Huff, does not break the rules of her earlier books to shove them together and I like that. My only comment otherwise, is that I wish there had been more on the solution to the danger, it all wraps up very quickly at the end. It's not that the characters don't have to fight for it but still seemed very quick. Still, I loved the book and if this is the end to the series, it was a good wrap up. Of course, loving Huff's books, I'd love more of the world as always!
November 22, 2015
This is the third book in the Gale Women urban fantasy series and, like the previous two, is a fun and light read, though it didn't hold my interest quite as well. The dialog is fun, as Huff's always is, with fast and clever wittiness. There was a little too much angst about the forbidden and frustrated romance between the thirty-year-old witch and the teenaged dragon-prince. I couldn't buy that an incestuous and poly-amorous band of witches would really be too hung up on the age rule. There was a very interesting scientist character who worked at JPL whose character could have been developed a lot more fully with a lot less of the romance discussion because, as was proved in the previous volume, we know that all problems can be solved with time travel.
December 3, 2014
I LOVE the Gale family and I LOVE Tanya Huff's urban fantasy. That said, there was something that didn't work for me with this novel. To be vague and spoiler-free, there was a lot of drawn-out angst with a resolution that was too quick after all the build up. And the ending especially didn't work for me from a character perspective. Plot-wise it was freaking brilliant. But it didn't serve the characters. I'm glad she writes trilogies (with the exception of the Vicky Nelson novels), because I think she's finished what she can do with the Gales. Which makes me just as sad as when I reached the end of the Blood series, the Keeper trilogy and the Smoke series.
January 30, 2015
A good addition to the series with a few reservations. It answers some of the questions of where/how although that raised my eyebrows just a bit. The 'have to save the world from an extinction event/asteroid' was an interesting plot theme, but I found the journey to get there rather slow and convoluted and I found Charlie and Jack as family-banned lovers rather incomprehensible.
Overall, my least favorite of the three books but not a waste of time.
Overall, my least favorite of the three books but not a waste of time.
November 27, 2018
I loved everything about this book. If I thought the first book was weird, this one took the weird up to 11, especially at the end. Loved it.
October 6, 2024
Third and last in the Gale Women urban fantasy series and revolving around Charlie Gale. The couple focus is primarily on Charlie and Jack. It’s been a couple of years or so since
The Wild Ways
, 2.
My Take
Sure, it’s fun and quite the journey with that Wild Gale, Charlie, who travels through the Wood. Lucky for her there’s no monetary expense, no lines, no security, and hardly takes any time for Charlie to go from here to there, Oklahoma to Brazil, or anywhere. It’s a danged handy skill to have as Charlie flits all over North America, visiting bars and musician friends throughout the land.
But being a Wild power is more than just hopping through the Wood and flitting through life. There’s also the cost of time travel.
We experience it all through Huff’s use of third person global subjective point-of-view from the thoughts and events from other characters, but mostly from Charlie’s and Jack’s perspectives.
Huff holds it all together through music, songs that reflect individual characters and the way back, individual instruments that affect Charlie’s surroundings and emotions, and tunes that provide Charlie with feedback.
Huff gives hints about the Gale way of life, but there is nothing explicit. It’s rampant understated sex throughout. A touch, a glance, bed partners. There are rules, of course, one of which contributes to one of the primary issues — Jack’s and Charlie’s love for each other. A love that can never be.
It’s so sad about Jack loving Charlie and her loving him back. I also feel for David, being tied to the land and his alternate form, wasting that doctorate he has. Ya know, I am curious as to what the Gales’ purpose is in life, even if they do make for an interesting albeit confusing story.
The other primary conflict is that impending asteroid impact, which provides a horrifying “opportunity” for Jack with plenty of angst that ties into that rule.
I’m not getting the correlation between teddy bears and people. No, I don’t mean the part about innocence and bears, but the negative side that Huff implies.
Unexpectedly, Charlie encounters Gary and Sheryl giving it all up to take a chance on his career in music via an RV and their cats. If only Charlie had known who he was. I say “unexpectedly”, but I reckon fate plays a major hand in where Charlie roams.
Humor does pop up, especially via Jack’s flight issues in the skies of Calgary. Those jets . . . As for the Fey love for basketball, that I did not see coming, lol. I'm torn between considering Jack's childhood in the UnderRealm and the constant menace of his family as being funny or tragic or both. As for the trauma the Frost Giants are suffering. Well.
How sweet to be a Gale girl, where everything falls into your lap as needed. There’s some sweet payback when Charlie hums charms to help others.The negative side to being a Gale girl is all those danged phone calls! Of course Graham’s status as a seventh son brings additional hardship.
Don’t tick off Allie . . . it’s too irritating when every stoplight is red for over four hours or leaves start growing out of lamp posts.
Yep, Huff likes Firefly and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, that explains why I like her, *grin*, even if she is vague about the Gales’ religion/magic and how it works.
Living quarters for The Enchanted Emporium are increasing. As for living with “two-legged radio stations playing in [his] head 24/7”, that’s just irritating.
The Story
When Auntie Catherine warns the family of an approaching asteroid, the Gales scramble to keep humans from going the way of the dinosaurs. Fortunately for the world, they're wielding a guitar and a dragon.
The Gale family can change the world with the charms they cast, which has caused some supernaturally complicated family shenanigans in the past. So when NASA and Doomsday Dan confirm Auntie Catherine's dire prediction, Charlotte "Charlie" Gale turns to the family for help.
But Allie is unavailable because the universe seems determined to have her produce the seventh son of a seventh son of a seventh son of a Gale. And the Aunties can't help because they're tied to the earth — although they are happy to provide their delicious, trademark pies. And in the end, all Charlie has is a guitar . . .
. . . and Jack. The Dragon Prince, and a Sorcerer.
But Charlie might like Jack just a little too much, and Jack might like Charlie a little too much in return. Actually, between Allie's hormones, the Aunties trying to force her and Jack into ritual, the Courts having way too much fun at the end of days, and Jack's sudden desire to sacrifice himself for the good of the many, Charlie's fairly certain that the asteroid is the least of her problems.
The Gales are going to need more than pie to save the world from an incoming asteroid. But together there isn't anything they can't deal with — except possibly each other.
The Characters
Charlotte “Charlie” Gale, a.k.a. “Cha Cha”, is a Bard, a musician who is a Wild Power with almost degrees in Sociology, Music, Drama, and English.
The Gales
Auntie Catherine, Allie’s Gran, is the oldest of the three family Wild powers and a troublemaker who likes to make the family work for it. Uncle Edward had been Catherine’s husband, who was Hunted in The Wild Ways , 2.
Calgary, Alberta, is . . .
. . . now home for the pregnant-again Alysha “Allie” Gale, who has a degree in Art History and is Charlie’s cousin, closest friend, and a bedmate who had inherited Auntie Catherine’s The Enchantment Emporium , 1, a junk shop. She now leads second circle. Graham Buchanan is Allie’s husband and a former assassin ( The Enchantment Emporium ), who runs the Western Star , a cheesy tabloid. He’s also the seventh son of a seventh son. Their twin sons are Edward, a.k.a. Edlet, and Evan. Grrr is the green bear.
The now-seventeen Jack Archibald Gale is a dragon, a prince, a sorcerer, and a Wild Gale ( The Wild Ways , 2). David is Allie’s brother with the doctorate in criminal psychology, who became the anchor to Calgary in The Wild Ways . Auntie Gwen is living in the garage loft with Joe O’Hallon, a Leprechaun from The Enchantment Emporium .
The Aunties include Carmen; Bea, who is the most senior of the aunties; Gabbie; Melissa; Heather; Bonnie; and, Trisha. Katie, Jennifer, Judith, Rayne, Penny, Sandy, Gen, Gabi, and Wendy are Gale girls. Cameron Edward Gale is the only third circle Gale boy, which seems to be quite the hardship. The magic mirror has a cheesy sense of humor.
Michael is Allie’s gay best friend. who lives in Vancouver with his husband, Brian. Kenny Shoji runs the coffee shop. Boris is a minotaur.
Doomsday Dan is homeless due to a mental issue, and it’s not that he’s crazy. The Brownies at the Saddledome stadium save stuff for Dan. Kelly Ahenakew is a TV reporter. Lisa LaFlammen is the CTV evening news anchor. The FBI?? The Silvan Diner is a popular spot for the minor Fey nobility. Elessar “El” and Arwen are patrons. Regan is a Glashtin. Alice, with nymph blood, works the counter. Jorge works at a golf course. Dr Malan is a Selkie and marine biologist.
Nick O’Connell’s is the bar owned by Brian and Kevin Trang-Murphy where Charlie encounters Four Men Down (and one woman). Dave Anderson is on guitar, Mike Carter is on electric bass, Tara McAllister is on fiddle, Paul Stephens on drums, and Gary Ehrlich, an engineer, on bouzouki. Sheryl is Gary’s wife. Rhianna is Mike’s wife.
Darsden East, Ontario, is . . .
. . . home base for the Gales in Canada until The Enchantment Emporium , 1, when Allie established the Calgary branch. Auntie Jane is the auntie to be feared. Auntie Mary and Uncle Tomas are Allie’s parents. Uncle Arthur defeated Uncle Evan, but is already failing to hold. More Aunties include Trisha; Meredith; Ellen; Christie; Martha, who makes the bread and butter pickles; Esther; Ruth; Fanny, who teaches eighth grade physics; Rose; the dying Ruby, who believes chickens are flying monkeys; Vera, who is sitting with Ruby; and, Grace, who died in June. Charlie’s youngest sisters are on teams in the local roller derby league in Calgary: Gale Force Eleven and Gale Force Twelve. Huff also mentions twin sisters who are out Hunting in the world. I don’t know if they’re additional sisters or . . .? Allie hopes to talk Peggi, a pharmacist, and her husband, Steve, into moving their family to Calgary. Judith, Rayne, and Lucy are the closest Allie has to sisters. Sara is in Ottawa and Ashley is in Toronto. Uncles Richard and Raymond.
Dave Clement knows all about folk or Irish happenings in the US and the UK. The Teddy Bears’ Picnic is the name of a B&B in Carter, Vermont. Toby Summers is a former boyfriend from Charlie’s Montreal band days. George “Frosty” Frost had been with Frost on the Windows. Benji Cheung. Morris Winchester.
NASA
Brigadier General Pam Yorlem is in the Air Force. Dr Grayson is the head of JPL. Dr Kiren Mehta is a scientist involved with the Near-Earth Object Program. Dhruv is Kiren’s ex-husband; Adrika is his second wife. Dr Adeyemi is really frustrated. Howard.
Gary is Kiren’s childhood friend. Mrs Bowen had been one of Kiren’s and Gary’s teachers.
The Elder God was a threat in The Wild Ways . The Armageddon Asteroid is in hiding. The MidRealm is earth. The UnderRealm is where Jack was born into a family with twelve uncles, all Dragon Lords, some of whom are Uncles Adam, Ryan, and Viktor. The Enchanted Emporium also functions as a drop box for Fey mail. The full-blooded Fey Courts are in UnderRealm. A Hantri is a member of a kin group among Brownies.
Stanley Kalynchu, a.k.a. Jonathan Samuel Gale, had been Jack’s father ( The Wild Ways , 2). Kevin is the “boy-toy” in Las Vegas. Eineed is a Selkie from The Wild Ways , 2.
The Cover and Title
The cover is all browns! It’s the blonde Charlie in a leather jacket and jeans standing on a clifftop with Jack in his dragon form behind her, his HUGE head circling around to the front. Behind them, it appears to be a barren plain with a bright light sparking behind Charlie. The title is at the top in cream. To the left of Charlie’s shoulder is a testimonial with the author’s name at the very bottom with both in white.
The title is what Auntie Catherine sees, when The Future Falls.
My Take
Sure, it’s fun and quite the journey with that Wild Gale, Charlie, who travels through the Wood. Lucky for her there’s no monetary expense, no lines, no security, and hardly takes any time for Charlie to go from here to there, Oklahoma to Brazil, or anywhere. It’s a danged handy skill to have as Charlie flits all over North America, visiting bars and musician friends throughout the land.
But being a Wild power is more than just hopping through the Wood and flitting through life. There’s also the cost of time travel.
We experience it all through Huff’s use of third person global subjective point-of-view from the thoughts and events from other characters, but mostly from Charlie’s and Jack’s perspectives.
Huff holds it all together through music, songs that reflect individual characters and the way back, individual instruments that affect Charlie’s surroundings and emotions, and tunes that provide Charlie with feedback.
Huff gives hints about the Gale way of life, but there is nothing explicit. It’s rampant understated sex throughout. A touch, a glance, bed partners. There are rules, of course, one of which contributes to one of the primary issues — Jack’s and Charlie’s love for each other. A love that can never be.
It’s so sad about Jack loving Charlie and her loving him back. I also feel for David, being tied to the land and his alternate form, wasting that doctorate he has. Ya know, I am curious as to what the Gales’ purpose is in life, even if they do make for an interesting albeit confusing story.
The other primary conflict is that impending asteroid impact, which provides a horrifying “opportunity” for Jack with plenty of angst that ties into that rule.
I’m not getting the correlation between teddy bears and people. No, I don’t mean the part about innocence and bears, but the negative side that Huff implies.
Unexpectedly, Charlie encounters Gary and Sheryl giving it all up to take a chance on his career in music via an RV and their cats. If only Charlie had known who he was. I say “unexpectedly”, but I reckon fate plays a major hand in where Charlie roams.
Humor does pop up, especially via Jack’s flight issues in the skies of Calgary. Those jets . . . As for the Fey love for basketball, that I did not see coming, lol. I'm torn between considering Jack's childhood in the UnderRealm and the constant menace of his family as being funny or tragic or both. As for the trauma the Frost Giants are suffering. Well.
How sweet to be a Gale girl, where everything falls into your lap as needed. There’s some sweet payback when Charlie hums charms to help others.The negative side to being a Gale girl is all those danged phone calls! Of course Graham’s status as a seventh son brings additional hardship.
Don’t tick off Allie . . . it’s too irritating when every stoplight is red for over four hours or leaves start growing out of lamp posts.
Yep, Huff likes Firefly and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, that explains why I like her, *grin*, even if she is vague about the Gales’ religion/magic and how it works.
Living quarters for The Enchanted Emporium are increasing. As for living with “two-legged radio stations playing in [his] head 24/7”, that’s just irritating.
The Story
When Auntie Catherine warns the family of an approaching asteroid, the Gales scramble to keep humans from going the way of the dinosaurs. Fortunately for the world, they're wielding a guitar and a dragon.
The Gale family can change the world with the charms they cast, which has caused some supernaturally complicated family shenanigans in the past. So when NASA and Doomsday Dan confirm Auntie Catherine's dire prediction, Charlotte "Charlie" Gale turns to the family for help.
But Allie is unavailable because the universe seems determined to have her produce the seventh son of a seventh son of a seventh son of a Gale. And the Aunties can't help because they're tied to the earth — although they are happy to provide their delicious, trademark pies. And in the end, all Charlie has is a guitar . . .
. . . and Jack. The Dragon Prince, and a Sorcerer.
But Charlie might like Jack just a little too much, and Jack might like Charlie a little too much in return. Actually, between Allie's hormones, the Aunties trying to force her and Jack into ritual, the Courts having way too much fun at the end of days, and Jack's sudden desire to sacrifice himself for the good of the many, Charlie's fairly certain that the asteroid is the least of her problems.
The Gales are going to need more than pie to save the world from an incoming asteroid. But together there isn't anything they can't deal with — except possibly each other.
The Characters
Charlotte “Charlie” Gale, a.k.a. “Cha Cha”, is a Bard, a musician who is a Wild Power with almost degrees in Sociology, Music, Drama, and English.
The Gales
Auntie Catherine, Allie’s Gran, is the oldest of the three family Wild powers and a troublemaker who likes to make the family work for it. Uncle Edward had been Catherine’s husband, who was Hunted in The Wild Ways , 2.
Calgary, Alberta, is . . .
. . . now home for the pregnant-again Alysha “Allie” Gale, who has a degree in Art History and is Charlie’s cousin, closest friend, and a bedmate who had inherited Auntie Catherine’s The Enchantment Emporium , 1, a junk shop. She now leads second circle. Graham Buchanan is Allie’s husband and a former assassin ( The Enchantment Emporium ), who runs the Western Star , a cheesy tabloid. He’s also the seventh son of a seventh son. Their twin sons are Edward, a.k.a. Edlet, and Evan. Grrr is the green bear.
The now-seventeen Jack Archibald Gale is a dragon, a prince, a sorcerer, and a Wild Gale ( The Wild Ways , 2). David is Allie’s brother with the doctorate in criminal psychology, who became the anchor to Calgary in The Wild Ways . Auntie Gwen is living in the garage loft with Joe O’Hallon, a Leprechaun from The Enchantment Emporium .
The Aunties include Carmen; Bea, who is the most senior of the aunties; Gabbie; Melissa; Heather; Bonnie; and, Trisha. Katie, Jennifer, Judith, Rayne, Penny, Sandy, Gen, Gabi, and Wendy are Gale girls. Cameron Edward Gale is the only third circle Gale boy, which seems to be quite the hardship. The magic mirror has a cheesy sense of humor.
Michael is Allie’s gay best friend. who lives in Vancouver with his husband, Brian. Kenny Shoji runs the coffee shop. Boris is a minotaur.
Doomsday Dan is homeless due to a mental issue, and it’s not that he’s crazy. The Brownies at the Saddledome stadium save stuff for Dan. Kelly Ahenakew is a TV reporter. Lisa LaFlammen is the CTV evening news anchor. The FBI?? The Silvan Diner is a popular spot for the minor Fey nobility. Elessar “El” and Arwen are patrons. Regan is a Glashtin. Alice, with nymph blood, works the counter. Jorge works at a golf course. Dr Malan is a Selkie and marine biologist.
Nick O’Connell’s is the bar owned by Brian and Kevin Trang-Murphy where Charlie encounters Four Men Down (and one woman). Dave Anderson is on guitar, Mike Carter is on electric bass, Tara McAllister is on fiddle, Paul Stephens on drums, and Gary Ehrlich, an engineer, on bouzouki. Sheryl is Gary’s wife. Rhianna is Mike’s wife.
Darsden East, Ontario, is . . .
. . . home base for the Gales in Canada until The Enchantment Emporium , 1, when Allie established the Calgary branch. Auntie Jane is the auntie to be feared. Auntie Mary and Uncle Tomas are Allie’s parents. Uncle Arthur defeated Uncle Evan, but is already failing to hold. More Aunties include Trisha; Meredith; Ellen; Christie; Martha, who makes the bread and butter pickles; Esther; Ruth; Fanny, who teaches eighth grade physics; Rose; the dying Ruby, who believes chickens are flying monkeys; Vera, who is sitting with Ruby; and, Grace, who died in June. Charlie’s youngest sisters are on teams in the local roller derby league in Calgary: Gale Force Eleven and Gale Force Twelve. Huff also mentions twin sisters who are out Hunting in the world. I don’t know if they’re additional sisters or . . .? Allie hopes to talk Peggi, a pharmacist, and her husband, Steve, into moving their family to Calgary. Judith, Rayne, and Lucy are the closest Allie has to sisters. Sara is in Ottawa and Ashley is in Toronto. Uncles Richard and Raymond.
Dave Clement knows all about folk or Irish happenings in the US and the UK. The Teddy Bears’ Picnic is the name of a B&B in Carter, Vermont. Toby Summers is a former boyfriend from Charlie’s Montreal band days. George “Frosty” Frost had been with Frost on the Windows. Benji Cheung. Morris Winchester.
NASA
Brigadier General Pam Yorlem is in the Air Force. Dr Grayson is the head of JPL. Dr Kiren Mehta is a scientist involved with the Near-Earth Object Program. Dhruv is Kiren’s ex-husband; Adrika is his second wife. Dr Adeyemi is really frustrated. Howard.
Gary is Kiren’s childhood friend. Mrs Bowen had been one of Kiren’s and Gary’s teachers.
The Elder God was a threat in The Wild Ways . The Armageddon Asteroid is in hiding. The MidRealm is earth. The UnderRealm is where Jack was born into a family with twelve uncles, all Dragon Lords, some of whom are Uncles Adam, Ryan, and Viktor. The Enchanted Emporium also functions as a drop box for Fey mail. The full-blooded Fey Courts are in UnderRealm. A Hantri is a member of a kin group among Brownies.
Stanley Kalynchu, a.k.a. Jonathan Samuel Gale, had been Jack’s father ( The Wild Ways , 2). Kevin is the “boy-toy” in Las Vegas. Eineed is a Selkie from The Wild Ways , 2.
The Cover and Title
The cover is all browns! It’s the blonde Charlie in a leather jacket and jeans standing on a clifftop with Jack in his dragon form behind her, his HUGE head circling around to the front. Behind them, it appears to be a barren plain with a bright light sparking behind Charlie. The title is at the top in cream. To the left of Charlie’s shoulder is a testimonial with the author’s name at the very bottom with both in white.
The title is what Auntie Catherine sees, when The Future Falls.
April 6, 2020
This is a charming fantasy book that derives most of it's charm from being set in the city where I live and referencing pop culture I enjoy. There's also shape-shifting dragons, baking (especially pie) based magic, and magical teleportation. That's also stuff I like! Unfortunately, there's also some eyeroll-worthy gender essentialism and some weird incesty stuff.
If you like charming books with magic and fairies that take place right under the noses of regular people, this is a good series to pick up. I wouldn't recommend it strongly, though, and if you don't already like those kinds of books, I don't think this series will be the one to change your mind. These are like pie you get at the diner - sweet, satisfying, but ultimately forgettable.
If you like charming books with magic and fairies that take place right under the noses of regular people, this is a good series to pick up. I wouldn't recommend it strongly, though, and if you don't already like those kinds of books, I don't think this series will be the one to change your mind. These are like pie you get at the diner - sweet, satisfying, but ultimately forgettable.
October 3, 2022
Not the strongest installment in this series, in my opinion, but still fun as Huff's books always are. I do feel like she really took her time working up to the conclusion, which then felt a bit rushed and slightly ridiculous and a tiny bit anticlimactic. I would love to have read more about Jack's experiences near the end of the story.
January 3, 2021
Different
This book was different in a good way. Jack and Charlie has to go on quest to not only save the world but they meet such wonderful and colorful people (or somewhat?) On their way. Well worth the time to read
This book was different in a good way. Jack and Charlie has to go on quest to not only save the world but they meet such wonderful and colorful people (or somewhat?) On their way. Well worth the time to read
December 11, 2018
A nice ending to a series that has worked it’s rough edges away. Snark, dragons, pies, music and a solid HEA. What more could you want?
December 1, 2014
I finished this a while back, but hadn’t quite figured out how to talk about it. Partly because it’s one of her Gale Girls books, which is her kind-of-dubcon/incestuous-if-you-squint-at-it fantasy series, what with family and magic and interfering aunties pairing up cousins left, right, and centre. But also because… that ending.
Right, I did like TFF – okay, I really liked it – but I suspect a lot of it was because I read it with my romance hat on and therefore totally wallowed in Charlie and Jack’s star-crossed lovers situation all the way through. I didn’t completely get Charlie in the previous book, but was surprised with how much I bonded with her in this one. I loved the older woman-younger man dynamic as well (and Jack in his Dragon Prince guise was just plain adorable).
But the ending – I had to read the final chapters several times because I had no idea what happened the first time round (was that just me?). However, the fact I took the trouble to re-read the ending should tell you how much I enjoyed the story. Because I really wanted to get it. And I did figure it out eventually…
Now you see why I haven’t written about it before, right?
A version originally published on my blog: https://bookdaze.wordpress.com/2014/1...
Right, I did like TFF – okay, I really liked it – but I suspect a lot of it was because I read it with my romance hat on and therefore totally wallowed in Charlie and Jack’s star-crossed lovers situation all the way through. I didn’t completely get Charlie in the previous book, but was surprised with how much I bonded with her in this one. I loved the older woman-younger man dynamic as well (and Jack in his Dragon Prince guise was just plain adorable).
But the ending – I had to read the final chapters several times because I had no idea what happened the first time round (was that just me?). However, the fact I took the trouble to re-read the ending should tell you how much I enjoyed the story. Because I really wanted to get it. And I did figure it out eventually…
Now you see why I haven’t written about it before, right?
A version originally published on my blog: https://bookdaze.wordpress.com/2014/1...
November 20, 2014
Ah, well.
Of course, the writing was superb. The slang, the subtle word play, the allusions to sex without the graphic detail, the melding of "real world" and Gale world - all classic Tanya Huff.
But if you're like me, you read the Keeper Trilogy - and the final book was the jewel. So, I expected the same of Future Falls. I couldn't put the book down, naturally. And there were some elegant moves I did NOT see coming, but...
some spoilerish ***************
Oh, the angst! The torture! The emotional trauma of it all.
I don't imagine there was any other way to do it, considering the rules she had already created, but there was a bit more angst in this book than I was prepared for. Especially from Charlie.
************************************ end spoilerish
So, if you're like me, you'll want to read the book. Heck, you probably already have. But you're not as admiring of the Gale world as you were when you finished the 1st & 2nd book.
Of course, the writing was superb. The slang, the subtle word play, the allusions to sex without the graphic detail, the melding of "real world" and Gale world - all classic Tanya Huff.
But if you're like me, you read the Keeper Trilogy - and the final book was the jewel. So, I expected the same of Future Falls. I couldn't put the book down, naturally. And there were some elegant moves I did NOT see coming, but...
some spoilerish ***************
Oh, the angst! The torture! The emotional trauma of it all.
I don't imagine there was any other way to do it, considering the rules she had already created, but there was a bit more angst in this book than I was prepared for. Especially from Charlie.
************************************ end spoilerish
So, if you're like me, you'll want to read the book. Heck, you probably already have. But you're not as admiring of the Gale world as you were when you finished the 1st & 2nd book.
July 29, 2015
I was disappointed by this book. I typically like Tanya Huff's books - especially the more recent stuff. The first book in this series was great. It had a nice plot, some great humor and great characters. The second book was ok. It was nice to see more of Charlie and Jack, but they didn't make for the best main characters. This one just fell flat for me.
The beginning was ok, though I thought Allie wasn't really acting the way I would have expected her from the earlier book. By the middle things started to fall apart for me. I skimmed the end and found everything to be just too much - too silly, too random, and the solution to the problem just didn't work for me. The time travel thing was a great little touch at the end of book 2, but it was overused here.
I think I'll settle into just pretending that book 1 was a stand-alone book.
The beginning was ok, though I thought Allie wasn't really acting the way I would have expected her from the earlier book. By the middle things started to fall apart for me. I skimmed the end and found everything to be just too much - too silly, too random, and the solution to the problem just didn't work for me. The time travel thing was a great little touch at the end of book 2, but it was overused here.
I think I'll settle into just pretending that book 1 was a stand-alone book.
September 6, 2015
I was happy to find a 3rd instalment of the Gale Women series, which continues Charlie's struggle in a double life between the comforts of domesticity at home with Ally and the babies and her adventures as she travels through the Wood and grows ever more Wild and like her crazy Auntie Catherine, the Seer. Music is her magic, but can it save the family, or more importantly, the world from an apocalyptic event such as an asteroid strike?
I loved Jack's POV the best in this book, a dragon prince grown into a 17-year old Gale boy. There is a lot of angsty tension between Charlie and Jack that I rather enjoy in a story, despite the major age gap between them. The nice part about it was mainly that they resolve and deal by talking about things like mature adults.
Very enjoyable, the plot was woven tightly together and the ending nice and neat the way I like it.
I loved Jack's POV the best in this book, a dragon prince grown into a 17-year old Gale boy. There is a lot of angsty tension between Charlie and Jack that I rather enjoy in a story, despite the major age gap between them. The nice part about it was mainly that they resolve and deal by talking about things like mature adults.
Very enjoyable, the plot was woven tightly together and the ending nice and neat the way I like it.
November 10, 2014
A solid ending to this series, which I have enjoyed. DO NOT start here! You really need to read the previous 2 first.
While in general I find time travel to be rather deus ex machina- what CAN'T you solve thus???- Huff did a good job of balancing that with the plot, and for time travel, it was remarkably coherent.
Also, I think the characters were on the whole richer and better realized than they were in the second book.
The plot was an interesting meld of sf and fantasy, and the question of how fantasy deals with real-world problems was a very interesting one!
Recommended, but read the other 2 first!
While in general I find time travel to be rather deus ex machina- what CAN'T you solve thus???- Huff did a good job of balancing that with the plot, and for time travel, it was remarkably coherent.
Also, I think the characters were on the whole richer and better realized than they were in the second book.
The plot was an interesting meld of sf and fantasy, and the question of how fantasy deals with real-world problems was a very interesting one!
Recommended, but read the other 2 first!
July 1, 2015
So I liked the first two books. But this one got weird really fast, that I had to stop reading it. Basically, Charlie (30 year old female), is having feelings for a 17 year old male dragon prince, and vice versa. I stopped reading to see if they acted upon those feelings. I didn't need to read anything else, nor did I care. Why even develop a story line like this. What's the point. It's disgusting. I'm done with Tanya Huff.
June 19, 2020
This was a reread of the whole series during COVID-19.
I’m having a hard time with new books and I wanted some paranormal so I went back to the Gales.
Look, I know it’s deeply weird but sometimes you need weird.
And a Dragon Prince.
Lots of people bounced hard off of this series but I love it. I’m probably weird.
I’m having a hard time with new books and I wanted some paranormal so I went back to the Gales.
Look, I know it’s deeply weird but sometimes you need weird.
And a Dragon Prince.
Lots of people bounced hard off of this series but I love it. I’m probably weird.
June 18, 2016
Interesting, entertaining read. It's an "end of the world" fantasy that has the characters fight and struggle and think and worry, and then at the end when the disaster is about to hit, they go "Shazam!" (so to speak) and the disaster instantly goes away without any apparent effort. Sort of "oh, is that all?" It's a good read, but a little anticlimactic.
June 3, 2015
Another fantastic tale about the magical Gale family. The women (and their men) end up saving the world this time with the help of Faery and Dragons. Their mysterious group is very engaging, and you can believe that there really is magic in the world. Tanya Huff is an excellent author.
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