2.5, rounded up for the pretty writing. Historical fantasy sort of thing, set in 1491 in the Alhambra, shortly before Ferdinand and Isabella’s take-ov2.5, rounded up for the pretty writing. Historical fantasy sort of thing, set in 1491 in the Alhambra, shortly before Ferdinand and Isabella’s take-over of Granada, the last Muslim stronghold in Spain. The MC is Fatima, the failing sultan’s concubine, whose best friend Hassan is a queer mapmaker who can draw places into and out of existence. To save her BFF from torture and death at the hands of the Spanish Inquisition for his evil gay sorcerous ways, she flees the Alhambra with Hassan, aided by Vikram, a delightfully sarcastic jinn type, and they set out on a quest for the mythological island of Qaf/Antillia, ruled by the equally mythological King of the Birds. Many chase scenes ensue, I Wikipedia’d some interesting stuff about the Emirate of Granada and the history of the mystical island, and I guess the real Bird King was the friends we made along the way�?
It's a weird book. The set-up was intriguing and the narrative starts out promising. For a heroine with plenty of agency and a decidedly self-interested slant to her personality, Fatima ends up breaking down crying and having to be rescued a whole lot, but also she is only seventeen and has grown up incredibly sheltered, so her involuntary damselling didn’t bother me as much as it might have. Luz was a fascinating antagonist as well, although I have severe doubts that the Inquisition would have employed nuns to lead armed forces to hunt down sorcerers and do the torturing with her own saintly hands, but she made a delightful/infuriating villain.
Actually all the characters were really well-drawn - I guess my main issue was that the magic elements, and the convenient ways in which they were used, really diluted the strengths of the human elements, in a way. There were just so many scenes where magic ex-machina-ed the characters� way out of an unescapable situation, and it really exploded into just mushroom-trip-level weirdness towards the very end. The writing’s quite lovely and the descriptions beautiful, but the whole thing definitely didn’t quite come together for me. ...more
I enjoyed this a good bit more than the Dreaming trilogy. A lot of it comes down to characters� the trilogy focused on characters I wasn’t that intereI enjoyed this a good bit more than the Dreaming trilogy. A lot of it comes down to characters� the trilogy focused on characters I wasn’t that interested in (I’m still very meh on Dora) and Daniel-Dream was absent for much of it. In addition to gorgeous art, this standalone has a fun and emotional story and wonderful characters � a failed nightmare who just wants to find the human dreamer he fell in love with, a sorceress with family baggage and a tendency to piss off the wrong people, and the cranky cherub who tries to keep them grounded and unmurdered.
Ruin with his gentle emo ways and his quest to defy his own purpose was both unique and very on brand for this universe; and I loved that of all the issues Heather struggles with, being trans wasn’t one of them (I couldn’t help thinking of how Wanda was treated in A Game of You, and how this was such a lovely contrast). Honestly, they’re just adorbs and I’d love more stories about them.
Also, Dream actually features in this plot, and I really liked how he was written here � he’s grown into his power more and seems more comfortable with his wisdom and authority but he’s also still making mistakes, is capable of being surprised, and demonstrates a flexibility that Morpheus probably wouldn’t have been capable of.
Did I mention that the art is STUNNING. Just absolutely lush.
Really impressed with G. Willow Wilson’s work here; I need to hunt down some other stuff she’s done....more
Didn't work for me, unfortunately. The set-up was very similar to that The Last of Us bottle episode (yeah, I know this came first but the comparisonsDidn't work for me, unfortunately. The set-up was very similar to that The Last of Us bottle episode (yeah, I know this came first but the comparisons were inevitable) but without the depth. The survival aspect was ok, the romantic connection was VERY insta in a way that for me strained credibility even considering the extreme circumstances (view spoiler)[(way too much of both characters' thoughts revolve around whether the complete stranger they've just encountered could be a life partner, and after barely five days of knowing each other, Zeke wonders whether he should think of Nathan as his husband) (hide spoiler)]; author did a good job with the post-apocalyptic vibe, and the OCD rep was nice, but I didn't buy the emotions....more
Still enjoying myself with these absolute tomes; it feels like it’s taken me way long to finish this one, but it was actually only 3 weeks. Work and RStill enjoying myself with these absolute tomes; it feels like it’s taken me way long to finish this one, but it was actually only 3 weeks. Work and RL are messing up my ability to spend all day reading, rude!
Lots of travel with lots of worldbuilding detail again in this one, which I always enjoy, and some really epic developments. Three favourite parts:
-Perrin in the Two Rivers. My boy has levelled UP. He’s just going to have to deal with being respected and adored by everyone now, because he earned it. There were also so many good community moments in this part of the story. I love that it wasn’t just Perrin swooping back in and saving them, but ordinary people rallying and taking no shit from invaders. It was awesome. (And dark at times. Like, proper dark. I'm here for it.)
-Rand in the Waste. My boy has levelled UP. I found the first part back in Tear a wee bit of a slog, because I’m not sure I buy Rand suddenly out-scheming seasoned politicians and reading ancient books by the dozens to gain knowledge Aes Sedai don’t even have, but the parts in the Waste were great. I loved finding out more about the Aiel, and the reveal about their history was incredible; it’s in these moments of mixing prophecy with history and magic with almost-sci-fi that Jordan really shows the range of his imagination. I can’t wait to see where this reveal takes the Aiel.
-Siuan Sanche handling the worst thing that’s ever happened to her like an absolute QUEEN. (view spoiler)[The way she instantly reframed being deposed through a coup, stilled, and tortured was the epitome of real strength. Women who are stilled die, and she doesn’t want to die, so she decides to find a new purpose, immediately, props up Leane at the same time, rallies her handful of allies, immediately snaps into action, all with the same measured calm, even as she grieves the loss of the thing that’s defined her for most of her life. (hide spoiler)] She is formidable, I adore her, and I’d follow her to the ends of the earth. (Moiraine, come comfort your girlfriend, FFS!)
The story is still expanding and I’m still impressed with how Jordan is handling all these different threads. And the writing is consistently good. It continues to be a real joy to have a meaty fantasy epic to dig my teeth into.
The one part where Jordan loses me, though, is romantic relationships, because oh wow, there is some ridiculous and/or problematic stuff going on here. (Gonna get spoilery from here.) As previously established, I absolutely LOVE the many different stories of women in power in this world, but the gender relations when it comes to romance� are not great. There’s a common thread of men needing to be “managed� by the women in their lives, and it extends to romance in a gross and groomy way: basically, men don’t know what’s good for them and are stupid and stubborn, so they need to be patiently manoeuvred into relationships no matter what they think they might want, and once hooked, must be subjected to an ongoing regime of firm but unobtrusive manipulation without ever letting them know they’re being manipulated. There was one scene between Rand, Egwene, and Elayne that could have been a really beautiful moment of openness about their emotions between all three, but it was ruined entirely by Egwene completely dismissing Rand’s honesty about his own feelings and just smugly patting herself on the back about how well she thought she’d manipulated him.
The worst offenders are Perrin and Faile, though: It gets a bit better once they’re together but the early stages of their courtship are just a constant stream of Faile bullying, belittling, and humiliating Perrin, and not in a fun enemies-to-lovers way. He doesn’t act much better; there’s some good old-fashioned sexism in how he insists on keeping her safe at the expense of her own agency, and one time it’s implied he fucking SPANKS her (again, not in a fun way). Meanwhile, she non-stop mocks and sneers at him and also attacks him physically. It’s gross on both sides, and honestly, they both deserve better. (Team Berelain!)
Aviendha appears to also subscribe to the “bullying means flirting� approach, and no matter who it comes from, it’s just unpleasant to read in a romantic context and made me really wonder about Jordan’s ideas of romantic connection. I also feel a bit cheated because I fully WANT to be on board for a happy polyamorous quartet if that’s where we’re heading with Rand, Elayne, Min, and Aviendha; but so far I’m really missing the happy? Rand and Elayne came closest to actually just having a nice time together in Tear, but Min seems half-grimly, half-sadly resigned to the fact that she loves him because she’s destined to (and definitely, knowing that what you foresee about a person will absolutely come true must mess you up when your visions involve your own relationship with that person, because it must feel like you have no actual choice), while Aviendha is dealing with her own life upheavals by being genuinely bitter at Rand non-stop, and Rand� seems to not be super-deeply invested in any of the girls, tbh (I guess he does have a lot more important shit going on). My point is, thus far all angles of the potential quartet feel a bit lacklustre and joyless, and I would like them to actually, you know, be into it.
(Then there's Nynaeve and Lan, who to my knowledge still haven't had an on-page normal conversation to just, like, get to know each other, but their love is epic and she wears his class ring and stuff. Don't get me started.)
I also need Mat to get some actual plot soon, he’s been a bit side-kicky this book. And I still miss the show’s stylish take on evil!
Overall, though, good stuff: I’m never bored, rarely annoyed, and generally always invested. Let’s see how many more magic thingamabobs we can collect!...more
I only just found out this existed the other day. You have failed me, tiny fandom! (Well ok, it's my own fault, I never pay attention.) Anyway, this waI only just found out this existed the other day. You have failed me, tiny fandom! (Well ok, it's my own fault, I never pay attention.) Anyway, this was good fun, the snark was on point as per usual, the little pockets of poignancy were lovely, and Mark's view of the world was highly entertaining (the terrible sky! all the hideous humans!). That being said, I did spend most of this ~10k story going WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED, ELLIOT SCHAFER, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE NOW!, and though I breathed several sighs of relief towards the end, there just wasn't enough of my favourite wingfic pairing happening here....more
It's Mike Carey, so obviously it's excellent. Lovely eerie atmosphere, some very neat twists (view spoiler)[(never gonna say no to some surprise f/f!)It's Mike Carey, so obviously it's excellent. Lovely eerie atmosphere, some very neat twists (view spoiler)[(never gonna say no to some surprise f/f!) (hide spoiler)] and concepts, and I really enjoyed the characters....more
3.5 stars, rounding up for now until I’m less indecisive. Me at more than three quarters through this book:
I still can't quite figure out if this is a)3.5 stars, rounding up for now until I’m less indecisive. Me at more than three quarters through this book:
I still can't quite figure out if this is a) exceedingly daft and overdramatic b) grimdark and gory but in a fun way c) bitter and weirdly poignant d) all of the above and therefore screechingly dissonant e) all of the above and somehow working
Me at the end of this book: I think it’s e) but barely, and also I may change my mind depending on where the sequel goes.
Because there is a lot going on here and it doesn’t always mesh super-well. We’ve got some very self-referential portal fantasy and a lot of silly fun with fantasy tropes and character archetypes and narrative stereotypes and the subverting thereof. We’ve got a motley crew of proudly self-proclaimed villains who for the most part are just kids cosplaying evil while being mildly naughty, except when they’re suddenly fighting for high stakes and against impossible odds and in genuinely poignant character configurations. We’ve got a narrative voice that is hyper-dramatic in a way complementary to the in-universe YA dark romantasy, exceedingly snarky in SRB’s trademark style, and also just sad and lovely at other times, because:
We’ve also got a gut-wrenching and grim cancer battle as the framing device, which permeates the fantasy world at will and brings a different vibe of darkness into a gory-but-fun setting; a different kind of bitterness, ugliness, abandonment and loss. It’s hard for me to consider this part of the narrative in any kind of useful critical assessment as a reader, since it’s so clearly a part of the author’s own processing of her experiences.
Taken as a whole, I still find it a tonally confusing book and I think it has a lot of flaws: the snark is a bit much sometimes, the self-awareness of the play with tropes can get exhausting, and I do wish occasionally the reader was left to figure some things out on their own rather than being told everything in the narrative equivalent of shocked pikachu face. But I also spent the last three days pretty solidly glued to this book and I kind of love all these damaged disaster kids and want everything to work out for them, so� see title, I guess? What a very weird reading experience, next book please!
PS: Whoa, why's the foreign-language edition cover SO much more gorgeous than this! I want....more
I’m still finding these very moreish (finished this one in 10 days), which is good considering I’m three fat books into the equivalent of almost five I’m still finding these very moreish (finished this one in 10 days), which is good considering I’m three fat books into the equivalent of almost five trilogies, lol. I think it’s time to mention that (a few nitpicks aside) Jordan’s writing is really good � yes, it’s of a certain style of a certain fantasy era, but he always keeps things moving, he does characterisation well, and I continue to enjoy the way he plays around with parallel worlds and a very layered mythology.
The Dragon Reborn is interesting in that for most of the book, there’s not much of the Dragon to be seen. Rand does make a few crucial appearances, but mostly we follow three different groups of the rapidly expanding ensemble cast on their various journeys, only converging in the same place towards the end. As usual, there is a lot of travel detail, to the point where I fully expect anyone who finishes this series to be capable of writing a guide to all the inns in the world of WoT, complete with the innkeepers� names and habits, whether there are Ogier-suitable furnishings available, and whether the travellers actually got to stay their booked night or had to rush off shortly after check-in due to sudden disaster. As usual, I didn’t mind; I enjoy the WoT travelogue, and there’s always plenty of action.
There’s a lot of interesting interpersonal stuff going on in this book, and this is where I really enjoyed Jordan’s writing: He does really well with presenting these young or new adults as real people with realistic flaws, who are trying to cope with a bunch of terrifying shit the best they can, and by no means always succeed. They screw up, and they struggle with their own identities as well as their changing relationships with other people, and while it’s often frustrating, it also kept me engaged and caring at all times.
No one particularly covered themselves in glory when it came to dealing with other people, including and especially close friends, in this book: There’s Nynaeve and Egwene’s growing rivalry/frustration with each other, there’s Nynaeve's continued completely misplaced hatred of Moiraine, there’s Mat trying to act like he’s way more callous and self-interested than he really is, there’s Perrin’s ongoing wolf denial and constant bickering with Faile. Some of it is admittedly a bit dated and eyeroll-inducing: Perrin and Faile’s interactions fall into that bracket for me, as they follow the “if a girl is mean to you and mocks and snipes at you all the time, it means she liiiikes you� handbook, which I have zero patience for; but for the most part, all the frustrating shit they do and think is true to character (and the fact that they’re all still really young, tbh), which felt absolutely authentic. Some of it’s also just hilarious, mostly Mat’s whole “I’m an uncaring rogue � oh no, random stranger, your kids look hungry, have all my money� shtick, and Elayne trying to mediate between her two idiotic girlfriends friends.
I continue to love the way that women are casually in power in this world, and the different ways that different female characters view that power. One of my favourite examples is probably Elayne, who would have been really easy to stereotype as a spoiled and/or reluctant princess type, but who instead is a young woman fully aware of and prepared for the dangers and duties of embodying that power. She’s not without her own issues by any means but it’s a much more nuanced portrait of a girl raised to various types of privilege than I would have expected. She’s fast becoming a favourite.
Perrin needs all the hugs; that’s all. I can’t wait to see him accepting his wolfy powers more.
Lots of abductions and rescues in this one; I do hope hope Aes Sedai Healings really fix all the brain damage from all the hits to everyone’s heads, ouch.
I did find myself missing both more presence and more nuance from the Forsaken, something the show does do better, in my opinion. I accept that all the baddies are just old-school super-duper-evil (and will NOT shut up about it; honestly, guys, if you’d skip the Evil Monologue of Evil at every showdown, you might have won a few by now) but I did miss the show’s sense of fashionable evil whimsy!
Overall though, really enjoyed it and love having a proper epic fantasy world to explore. It’s been a while. Next!
PS: I have no idea when would be an appropriate time for my lengthy nitpicky rant about hair (yes, HAIR), so I might as well stick it here. LONG HAIR. Let’s talk about it. I think it’s one of those things writers think they don’t need to research because they know how hair works?? But I do wish every author who writes about characters with very long hair bothered to talk to a single long-haired person about hair-related practicalities, because weird hair-related habits or mannerisms that make NO SENSE are so pervasive, especially in fantasy books, and it drives me batty. Whether it’s female warrior types with long loose locks blowing dramatically in the wind mid-fight or lengthy horse-back travel with your hair down� any long-haired person with an ounce of sense would put that shit up. No matter how attractive billowing mid-fight hair might be, it will get in your eyes/mouth, you will get grabbed by it, you will die. Travel by ship or land for any amount of time, especially in the summer, you will get hot and sweaty, your hair will get tangled and horrible, you would put that shit up. It’s just the most basic of common sense. In WoT’s case, I will not even bother with the many many extremely busy, extremely travelling, extremely magic-wielding women wandering around with their hair flowing freely down their backs, because I would bust some blood vessels (seriously, the only Aes Sedai whose hairstyle is even remotely sensible is Liandrin). But I WILL talk about Emond’s Fielders� weird braid habits, and Nynaeve’s braid specifically. So apparently in Emond’s Field, it’s a big deal when a young girl reaches her majority because she can now� put her hair in a braid. Before then, they just wear their hair down. This is a plot point with Egwene a number of times. Hear me out: Nope. In a rural community with a strong dependence on agriculture, it makes zero sense to have every girl from 0 to 16 (18?) running around with their (uncut, therefore very long) hair down. Little girls play. Older girls and especially teenagers would be expected to work � in the fields, in the inn, in many professions requiring hard physical labour. Their hair would be a hot, tangled, sweaty rat’s nest inside of three minutes. It’s just completely impractical. They’d have their hair up anyway, so being “allowed� to finally braid is bonkers.
Okay. Nynaeve. My darling ever-so-frustrating logic-defying firecracker Nynaeve. Apparently Jordan thought that this character whose defining personality trait is “perpetually stroppy� and who has a waist-long braid really needed some kind of physical fiddling habit, especially for when she’s SUPER-stroppy (i.e. all the damn time), so he chose to have her tugging her braid whenever she’s agitated (again: ALL THE DAMN TIME). So she tugs her braid. With her fist. At least once per bloody page. Sometimes she tugs non-stop throughout a conversation. Often she YANKS it. And I’m sorry, not only is this an incredibly obvious tell that absolutely all of her seventeen thousand enemies would readily take advantage of, but also, this poor girl would be bald. Hair does not take well to constant abuse; very long hair, less so. It’d have fallen out by now. At the very least, it would be thinned out, greasy and incredibly damaged, not thick and lush and attractive. I know, it’s a smallish thing, suspension of disbelief, blah blah, but it’s also so repetitive that it’s hard to overlook. Stop yanking on your hair, you look like a tantruming toddler and your hair will fall out! *deep breath* Hair rant over, for now....more
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