SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY
When Torak's secret is revealed suddenly he is deemed an outcast. Now on the run, he desires nothing than to clear his name, but to do so he must face a Soul Eater.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Torak is still treated as an outcast, even bullied by some. He does his best to stay out of trouble but still struggles with trust issues. He learns about mysteries regarding his mother and eventually learns about her and his father.
Renn is mad about Torak's secret but she still wants to help him. She plays an important role as she explains how to remove the Soul eater mark and provides the right tools.
Bale visits the clan after Torak has become an outcast. He goes after Torak with Renn. He becomes a voice of reason and a a defender of Renn after a secret is revealed.
Seshru is the viper mage, introduced in the last book. She seeks to separate Torak from his allies and control him completely.
Aki is a young man from the Raven Clan who despises Torak. When Torak becomes and outcast he desires the most to hunt and kill him.
Wolf is separated from Torak from a time and returns to his wolf pack. But eventually Torak gets to meet them and this may set up a future for Wolf.
Fin-kedinn develops near the climax, finally showing his affection for Torak by putting his life on the line.
PACING
The main threat are people, as anyone who sees him can kill him but Torak has Aki as his specific threat. As well as the soul sickness and getting lost in unfamiliar territory. Not to mention the wolf clan who sees him as a dishonor. Basically threats are from all sides, and the story never slows.
We get Renn's perspective, as well as Wolf's and Torak's, so there are plenty of different stories going on at once to help the pacing stay fast.
SOUL SICKNESS-SPOILERS
A big part of the story has to do with a white stone that Torak painted for Renn. He takes it from her quarters then leaves it in the woods. Someone finds the stone and uses it to make Torak ill (his skin with the soul eater mark is used as well). I found this confusing at first, mainly because Torak should have been informed of the power of this stone. After all, it had existed since the last book. But I suppose he is ignorant of mage craft and would not think to destroy his skin after removing the mark.
RENN THE LONER
When Renn encounters a girl who used to live in her clan called Dyrati, she says some nasty things to Renn. Basically that Renn is bad luck and no one has ever liked her. Renn tries not to let it get to her but she realizes she has never had any friends.
This kind of surprised me. I just hadn't seen her among her clan because most of the books involved her and Torak running off somewhere else. I assumed she had acquaintances who were kind to her, and maybe just a few friends.
AKI & TORAK
There is a scene where Aki finds and confronts Torak. Seeing how barely gets away with his life, I wasn't surprised he didn't stop and check if Aki was alive. But Renn and Bale seemed horrified that he left Aki for dead. I just felt this was completely unreasonable. If it turned out Aki wasn't dead, he could have killed Torak.
These use this discovery to say that Torak isn't the same person he used to be. Of course not, he is an Outcast, all thanks to the clan. Why should he be concerned for his murderers?
OUT OF CONTROL-SPOILERS
Torak dreams of attacking Renn while spirit walking, only to wake up, knowing it really happened. This is the beginning of tearing him away from her. He is horrified and doesn't understand why this is happening. I found it interesting that Renn knew it was him, although she doesn't explain how.
THE WOLF CLAN
Fin-kedinn previously revealed there is a wolf clan but they are secretive. They show up in this story but only end up revealing a horrific truth to Torak about himself.
BALE & RENN
When Torak goes to check on Renn after he accidentally attacked her, he sees Bale there. There is a short scene where Bale defends Renn from an annoyance. And then later Torak thinks she doesn't need him because Bale is there. This didn't add up to me. Renn barely knew Bale, it was Torak who was friends with him. It really felt like jumping to conclusions that even youth and naivete couldn't be an excuse for.
SPLITTING UP THE TEAM
The main theme of the story is how Torak is separated, from Renn, Wolf and Fin-kedinn. He rejects Renn (thinking she doesn't need him) and doesn't want to trust Bale. The sickness ruins his relationship with wolf and destroys his memory.
RENN'S MAGECRAFT-SPOILERS
For the first time, Renn does real magecraft. This is a big deal because through the last three books she has shown her disdain for becoming a mage. Also, she doesn't just attempt it, she succeeds, managing to heal Torak from far away, inadvertently reuniting him with Wolf.
Also, all throughout the story she has seen signs, and she doesn't understand them. When she finally does she saves many lives by foreseeing a natural disaster.
FORESHADOWING
Renn tells Torak that it's hard to keep a secret. Also, when a truth is revealed about Torak, Renn asks Saeunn how she kept it. And Saeunn reminds her that she keeps a secret too. These are both hints about what is revealed near the climax.
THE GOAL OF SESHRU
Seshru the viper mage is the villain of this book. The goal of utopia may have gone by the wayside but her desire for power hasn't. Although she isn't revealed until much later in the book she is eerily beautiful and calmly rational in her explanations. We learn more about her and her insanity becomes apparent.
CLIMAX-SPOILERS
After a secret has been revealed, the group is scattered again. Only when Bale reasons with Torak do they reunite and work a plan. Torak and company head back to the Raven clan where Seshru confronts them. Working together, they kill her and destroy the piece of fire-opal.
CONCLUSION
Paver creates a theme of unity, of how to break it, and how to forgive. The story is as fast paced as usual and Renn reveals she has a secret as big as Torak ever had. Torak is also presented with new discoveries about himself and his mother. My criticisms are few and mostly minor.
Mainly Torak seeming dumb about thinking Renn doesn't need him (simply because he saw Bale with her once) and Renn revealing the fact that she has no friends other than Torak. It hadn't been hinted at previously, but perhaps there simply hadn't been a chance. I give “Outcast” four stars.
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