Books 2010: stars round his wrists
Mar. 7th, 2010 10:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hawkwing_lbBooks 2010: 18
18. Elizabeth Moon, Oath of Fealty.
That was pretty good. Where's the next one?
Okay. In all seriousness. I had a pretty ambivalent reaction to the Deed of Paksenarrion novels, way back when I read them first - going on five or six years ago now, or more, I think: I have the Earthlight editions, and I haven't seen that imprint in a while. I wanted to like them, and indeed, they did what they were doing extremely well, but I found the clear-cut distinctions between good and evil far more simplistic than I would have preferred.
(And I have this allergy to manifest gods who work predictably. If the gods are comprehensible and not messy enough in mythic ways, I find them insufficiently godlike. Gods might be bastards, but they ought to be numinous bastards. But I am aware not everyone is of this opinion.)
But. Oath of Fealty has a lot more to do with politics and consequences, and Moon's writing has grown smoother and her characterisation deeper over the novels since the Paksenarrion books. Too, none of the main characters in this is a paladin, or even showing very paladin-like tendencies at present, which is all to the good. They're interesting characters, particularly Dorrin Verrakai, about whom I would have been happy to spend the whole book reading.
It is very clear that this is the setup for a much longer story: the action seems to be but prelude, and the chapters from Kieri's point of view are pretty damn boring, actually: what is he doing, after all, but standing around talking? But it seems promising enough, and I look forward to the sequel with some anticipation.
And for the next I-don't-know-how-long I probably won't be reading much fiction. Sigh. I am determined that I will not let the exams terrify me, but, well. They are a significant hurdle, and I am only a small student, when all is said and done.
A small student who shouldn't whine. Time to shut up and soldier, however little I like it.
18. Elizabeth Moon, Oath of Fealty.
That was pretty good. Where's the next one?
Okay. In all seriousness. I had a pretty ambivalent reaction to the Deed of Paksenarrion novels, way back when I read them first - going on five or six years ago now, or more, I think: I have the Earthlight editions, and I haven't seen that imprint in a while. I wanted to like them, and indeed, they did what they were doing extremely well, but I found the clear-cut distinctions between good and evil far more simplistic than I would have preferred.
(And I have this allergy to manifest gods who work predictably. If the gods are comprehensible and not messy enough in mythic ways, I find them insufficiently godlike. Gods might be bastards, but they ought to be numinous bastards. But I am aware not everyone is of this opinion.)
But. Oath of Fealty has a lot more to do with politics and consequences, and Moon's writing has grown smoother and her characterisation deeper over the novels since the Paksenarrion books. Too, none of the main characters in this is a paladin, or even showing very paladin-like tendencies at present, which is all to the good. They're interesting characters, particularly Dorrin Verrakai, about whom I would have been happy to spend the whole book reading.
It is very clear that this is the setup for a much longer story: the action seems to be but prelude, and the chapters from Kieri's point of view are pretty damn boring, actually: what is he doing, after all, but standing around talking? But it seems promising enough, and I look forward to the sequel with some anticipation.
And for the next I-don't-know-how-long I probably won't be reading much fiction. Sigh. I am determined that I will not let the exams terrify me, but, well. They are a significant hurdle, and I am only a small student, when all is said and done.
A small student who shouldn't whine. Time to shut up and soldier, however little I like it.
