It's taken longer than I'd have liked, but I've finally finished my first read of 2025! I actually had to pause reading Brandon Sanderson's Wind and Truth to complete Gatebound, but I have absolutely no regrets.
The story was completely worth my time, and there was no drop in quality compared to the preceding two books in the series.
In Gatebound, the powers of the Illborn grow stronger, even as they're inexorably drawn to Aiduel's Gate, where it all started centuries prior.
Arion, struggling with guilt after the deaths of his loved ones, joins a religious order pledged to reclaim the Holy Land, hoping to find some form of redemption in waging war against the infidels. However, there is no guarantee that he will find peace or happiness as he faces his new reality. Time will tell whether he's a hero or a mere butcher Is he a hero, or a mere butcher?
Leanna, ever drawn to the power at the Gate, journeys with Arion to the Holy Land. But their relationship continues to sour, leading her to cut ties with him as it becomes clear that his motives, despite having saved her life, may not necessarily be aligned with hers.
Corin and his warband finally set out for the Holy Land, seeking to claim the power before the other Illborn can get to it, and finds that his opinions about the rest of his kind aren't as accurate as he thought. Leanna, on the other hand, continues to live in fear, each new decision more ruthless than the last. But, can she truly be blamed, given the evils she's suffered in her young life?
In Gatebound, the Illborn convergence draws a step closer, and the Great Power beyond the Gate beckons even more strongly, as their true character begins to take form.
Like Illborn and Aiduel's Sin, Gatebound is another relentlessly fast-paced fantasy epic that pulls readers along in storytelling so intriguing that it's hard to drop the book, even for a moment.
Corin, a character I previously found boring, takes several steps into embodying what his character should stand for. Having shown his ruthless side in preceding books in the series, it comes as quite a pleasant surprise to see him show some mature initiative beyond slaughtering his enemies.
Leanna's self-righteous drive remains as infuriating as ever, but, being the Angel of Arlais, nothing less should be expected. Arion's fall is pitiable, and even the elevation of his status due to his battle prowess does nothing to hide the fact that he's a mental wreck. Leanna would have probably been able to help him, but alas, she lost faith in him. Too quickly, I'd add.
Alanna, on the other hand... I thought she couldn't surprise me any more than she already had in the previous books, but damn, she's become something else now.
The biggest leap in plot development in Gatebound is the convergence of the second pair of Illborn in quite extraordinary circumstances. In previous books, I assumed that the main characters were something of gray characters, but now, I'm not so certain.
There's a clear divide with regards to their motives now, and we can see which pair is leaning closest to the darkness, and the light. Still, it's hard to shake off the feeling that the final, inevitable convergence of the four will end up being completely unpredictable.
Unlike many fantasy authors who seem to take delight in complex writing, Daniel T. Jackson is a firm believer in captivating storytelling. His approach to writing seems to be the development of extremely relatable and controversial characters, coupled with bullet-train-paced storytelling.
This makes his books, thoroughly enjoyable, even if you're not the biggest fan of fantasy.
Gatebound delves more deeply into the nature of the Illborn more deeply than previous books, setting readers up nicely for what is sure to be a banger of a conclusion to this brilliant saga.
I'll forever be quick to jump into anything written by Daniel T. Jackson and look forward to seeing how it all ends in the fourth and final book of the Illborn Saga.
