Tales of the Otori is a trilogy written by Lian Hearn, a pseudonym for Australian author, Gillian Rubenstein. It's a fantasy series, set in a mythical medieval Japan, where warlords feud for control of the land, and the Tribe, secretive people with extraordinary physical powers, hire themselves out as assassins and spies.
Tales of the Otori tells the story of Takeo and Kaede, a young man and woman who must fight for their future. There's a great deal of death in these books, and I found the propensity people have for killing themselves rather off-putting. The writing style is what I think of as Japanese - rich with description, but very spare and simple, especiially the dialogue and the emotional life of the characters. In fact, I didn't feel that I got very close to the characters, which was drawback. Their lives were so intensely dramatic that they didn't feel particularly real.
However, Hearn's descriptions are intensely beautiful, and she has created a beautiful world in Tales of the Otori. They veer between three and four out of five stars.
29 November, 2005
Cassandra; Medea; and Electra (Kerry Greenwood)
Each of these books tells the story of the titular character from what I would call a feminist perspective, in that the women are the centre of the stories. I love what Kerry Greenwood has done with these stories, and these characters. These three books have formed the foundation of Greek myths for me - I can't think of Cassandra without seeing Greenwood's visions of Troy burning, blood in the streets. Greenwood has done quite meticulous research, but doesn't apologise for her interpretation or changing of certain events - in fact, she explains her choices in detail in appendixes to each book, which are fascinating reading in themselves, and made me want to devour every version of these stories I can find.
(In a somewhat similar vein, Margaret Atwood has just published a story about Penelope, wife of Odysseus - The Penelopiad - which looks fantastic.)
Cassandra and Electra are slightly linked - it is better to read Cassandra first, as Electra is set after the conclusion of the fall of Troy, and it works better chronologically. Medea stands on its own.
If you are passionately attached to one version or the other of these stories, you might not enjoy these. Cassandra has two lovers and survives the fall of Troy, Electra was raped by her stepfather, and Medea doesn't kill her own children.
These characters come alive under Greenwood's pen - in fact, the world of Ancient Greece lives, visceral and breathing, in these books. They're some of my very favourite books - highly recommended, if you can find copies.
(In a somewhat similar vein, Margaret Atwood has just published a story about Penelope, wife of Odysseus - The Penelopiad - which looks fantastic.)
Cassandra and Electra are slightly linked - it is better to read Cassandra first, as Electra is set after the conclusion of the fall of Troy, and it works better chronologically. Medea stands on its own.
If you are passionately attached to one version or the other of these stories, you might not enjoy these. Cassandra has two lovers and survives the fall of Troy, Electra was raped by her stepfather, and Medea doesn't kill her own children.
These characters come alive under Greenwood's pen - in fact, the world of Ancient Greece lives, visceral and breathing, in these books. They're some of my very favourite books - highly recommended, if you can find copies.
28 November, 2005
The Powerbook (Jeanette Winterson)
I had never read any Winterson before this novel, and found her style a little hard to adjust to. It's very dream-like, this collection of interlinked stories and scenes, and I wouldn't describe it as a work with a firm plot or narrative.
Winterson creates very visceral imagery - her descriptions drip with colour, scent and flavour, and this is the most seductive part of her writing. I found the dialogue between the storyteller and the listener a little forced and wooden, but that was my only dislike in terms of Winterson's writing style.
I found it hard to connect to this book, with its mutable characters, its winding and tenuous storyline, but I really loved Winterson's use of words. I'd like to read another one of her novels, perhaps one of the more conventional ones, although I don't think "conventional" is really a word you can connect with Winterson. This was a book for the Book Club, and it made for an interesting discussion piece - I was pleased to be introduced to Winterson's work.
Winterson creates very visceral imagery - her descriptions drip with colour, scent and flavour, and this is the most seductive part of her writing. I found the dialogue between the storyteller and the listener a little forced and wooden, but that was my only dislike in terms of Winterson's writing style.
I found it hard to connect to this book, with its mutable characters, its winding and tenuous storyline, but I really loved Winterson's use of words. I'd like to read another one of her novels, perhaps one of the more conventional ones, although I don't think "conventional" is really a word you can connect with Winterson. This was a book for the Book Club, and it made for an interesting discussion piece - I was pleased to be introduced to Winterson's work.
The Mermaid Chair (Sue Monk Kidd)
I read Sue Monk Kidd's first novel, The Secret Life of Bees, and really loved its soothingly spiritual flavour. The Mermaid Chair didn't grab me in the same way. When Jessie hears that her mother is ill, she leaves her stifling husband and returns to the island of her childhood to confront her memories of her father's death and her future.
I didn't really connect with the characters - Jessie was irritatingly obtuse, and I didn't enjoy her awakening and realisations, or the decisions she made. The myth of the mermaid which is woven somewhat awkwardly through the story feels clumsy and unneccessary. The revelation concerning Jessie's father's death was overly elaborate, and felt contrived.
I don't think I'd be attracted to any more of Kidd's work. This was a 2 out of 5 novel, and rather disappointing, as I was expecting more.
I didn't really connect with the characters - Jessie was irritatingly obtuse, and I didn't enjoy her awakening and realisations, or the decisions she made. The myth of the mermaid which is woven somewhat awkwardly through the story feels clumsy and unneccessary. The revelation concerning Jessie's father's death was overly elaborate, and felt contrived.
I don't think I'd be attracted to any more of Kidd's work. This was a 2 out of 5 novel, and rather disappointing, as I was expecting more.
Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
Gabaldon is well-known for writing romance novels, although I hear that she dislikes the label. I don't know why - although Outlander involves time travel (briefly), and historical aspects, it revolves chiefly around the romance of Claire and Jamie in 18th century Scotland.
Claire travels several hundred years into the past through a stone circle. She seems relatively undisturbed about this occurrence, which irritated me. She very swiftly settles down, and seems to forget entirely her husband whom she has left behind in the future. She meets Jamie when he saves her from being raped and she nurses him from a bullet wound. They progress to madly having sex everywhere, at anytime of day, and having what I found to be a strangely abusive relationship with each other.
I enjoyed the pace of this novel, but various elements of the characters were most unrealistic - Claire's happily settling down in the past, for example. I found the scene where Jamie beats Claire extremely off-putting, and his nickname for her - "Sassenach" - began to drive me crazy about halfway through the book.
I enjoyed the rollicking haphazardness of the story though, and I'll be reading one or two of the sequels to see if the characterisation improves. I'd say this was a 3 out of 5, occasionally verging on a 2.
Claire travels several hundred years into the past through a stone circle. She seems relatively undisturbed about this occurrence, which irritated me. She very swiftly settles down, and seems to forget entirely her husband whom she has left behind in the future. She meets Jamie when he saves her from being raped and she nurses him from a bullet wound. They progress to madly having sex everywhere, at anytime of day, and having what I found to be a strangely abusive relationship with each other.
I enjoyed the pace of this novel, but various elements of the characters were most unrealistic - Claire's happily settling down in the past, for example. I found the scene where Jamie beats Claire extremely off-putting, and his nickname for her - "Sassenach" - began to drive me crazy about halfway through the book.
I enjoyed the rollicking haphazardness of the story though, and I'll be reading one or two of the sequels to see if the characterisation improves. I'd say this was a 3 out of 5, occasionally verging on a 2.
21 November, 2005
The Bone Doll's Twin & Hidden Warrior (Lynn Flewelling)
These two novels, the beginning of the Tamir Triad, are written later than the Nightrunner Trilogy, and it's immediately apparent that the author's writing has matured. These are set in the same world as the Nightrunner books, but at an earlier time.
The Tamir Triad tells the story of a ruthless king who seeks to stabilise his throne and succession by killing his female relatives, in a time when the land is overun with plague, famine and war. When his sister gives birth to twins, the boy is killed, and in a working of dark magic, his male form is given to his sister.
Tobin, as she is named, grows up in a remote keep believing she is a boy. She is haunted by the ghost of her brother, and surrounded by intrigue, dark magic, and loyalty. While serving as a knight at the court of her uncle, the king, she discovers her true nature, and plans for her future.
Flewelling's characters are far more realistic in these novels - Tobin and the people who are working to see her on the throne are convincingly torn between loyalities and regimes. Tobin is a particularly endearing character, and I think Flewelling captures the nature of a young mind and voice extremely well, and also Tobin's double nature, of a woman brought up as a man. They are extremely captivating books, and I enjoyed them immensely (although I'm rather annoyed that I now have to wait a year for the next one to be published). 4 out of 5 - they're excellent fantasy novels.
The Tamir Triad tells the story of a ruthless king who seeks to stabilise his throne and succession by killing his female relatives, in a time when the land is overun with plague, famine and war. When his sister gives birth to twins, the boy is killed, and in a working of dark magic, his male form is given to his sister.
Tobin, as she is named, grows up in a remote keep believing she is a boy. She is haunted by the ghost of her brother, and surrounded by intrigue, dark magic, and loyalty. While serving as a knight at the court of her uncle, the king, she discovers her true nature, and plans for her future.
Flewelling's characters are far more realistic in these novels - Tobin and the people who are working to see her on the throne are convincingly torn between loyalities and regimes. Tobin is a particularly endearing character, and I think Flewelling captures the nature of a young mind and voice extremely well, and also Tobin's double nature, of a woman brought up as a man. They are extremely captivating books, and I enjoyed them immensely (although I'm rather annoyed that I now have to wait a year for the next one to be published). 4 out of 5 - they're excellent fantasy novels.
Luck in the Shadows; Stalking Darkness; Traitor's Moon (Lynn Flewelling)
These three books are generally referred to as The Nightrunner Trilogy, although only the first two books follow directly on from each other. The third book was written some time afterwards, and is set some years after the events in the first two.
The covers of these books really put me off, as did the blurbs - I'm not into those "young thief in faux medieval world wins the money and gets the girl" books, and this is what these look like at first glance. I really enjoyed them, though, despite my misgivings. Not the most stunningly written fantasy, but it is decent - no glaring horrible bits. (There are so many fantasies with glaringly horrible bits.)
Actually, what I like most about this trilogy is that the two male main characters, Alec and Seregil, have fallen in love by the end of the second book, and are lovers by the third. It's handled very well by Flewelling, and I enjoyed reading a book, especially in a such a cliche-ridden genre, that treats homosexuality as a completely normal aspect of human sexual behaviour.
But apart from containing a very refreshing love story, these books have a fairly average swords 'n magic tale to tell, lifted by decent writing and a good sense of pace. I was drawn into them. 3 out of 5, occasionally verging on 4.
The covers of these books really put me off, as did the blurbs - I'm not into those "young thief in faux medieval world wins the money and gets the girl" books, and this is what these look like at first glance. I really enjoyed them, though, despite my misgivings. Not the most stunningly written fantasy, but it is decent - no glaring horrible bits. (There are so many fantasies with glaringly horrible bits.)
Actually, what I like most about this trilogy is that the two male main characters, Alec and Seregil, have fallen in love by the end of the second book, and are lovers by the third. It's handled very well by Flewelling, and I enjoyed reading a book, especially in a such a cliche-ridden genre, that treats homosexuality as a completely normal aspect of human sexual behaviour.
But apart from containing a very refreshing love story, these books have a fairly average swords 'n magic tale to tell, lifted by decent writing and a good sense of pace. I was drawn into them. 3 out of 5, occasionally verging on 4.
18 November, 2005
The White Earth (Andrew McGahan)
This novel won some sort of award, which is why I picked it up in the first place. However, I just Googled it, and can't figure out what award it was. Ah, there we go - shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award, and it won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize.
McGahan describes the book as being about political paranoia, and the Australian rural landscape. It evokes that atmosphere very well, and there's an undercurrent of tension and horror throughout the entire piece. I put it down and for the next couple of days I kept imagining I had an ear ache, and worrying about it - if you read the book, you'll understand why.
The main character is nine year old William, who after his father's death, goes with his mother to live with his mysterious great-uncle John. William is drawn into John's confidence, and slowly throughout the book he discovers more about the land his mother wishes him to inherit, and the dark history of his family.
This is a very Australian book - the atmosphere and the setting are very firmly Australian, and it was interesting to read a horror story that was so Australian, rather than the usual sagas that get characterised as such. An excellent book.
McGahan describes the book as being about political paranoia, and the Australian rural landscape. It evokes that atmosphere very well, and there's an undercurrent of tension and horror throughout the entire piece. I put it down and for the next couple of days I kept imagining I had an ear ache, and worrying about it - if you read the book, you'll understand why.
The main character is nine year old William, who after his father's death, goes with his mother to live with his mysterious great-uncle John. William is drawn into John's confidence, and slowly throughout the book he discovers more about the land his mother wishes him to inherit, and the dark history of his family.
This is a very Australian book - the atmosphere and the setting are very firmly Australian, and it was interesting to read a horror story that was so Australian, rather than the usual sagas that get characterised as such. An excellent book.
Anansi Boys (Neil Gaiman)
I'm a big fan of Neil Gaiman. The first things I read of his were his very dark, very twisted Sandman graphic novels, which I loved. Then I went on to read all his novels (of which there aren't that many, alas). I have his signature on a frame on my desk at home. A friend got it for me, with a little inscription - "Dream dangerously" - and my name. So, all in all, it was very unlikely that I was not going to love this book.
Anansi Boys is the story of Fat Charlie Nancy, who learns, after attending his estranged father's funeral, that his father was Anansi, an African trickster god, and that he has a brother, Spider, who inherited their father's god-like attributes. Fat Charlie gets in touch with Spider, and then tries to get rid of him, both actions having fairly disasterous results. I'd classify it more as magic-realism or urban fantasy than straight-out fantasy, which you'll realise if you've read Gaiman, but my short synopsis gives it a bit of a fantasy feel. Read Amazon reviews for a more detailed description of the plot. I'm not good at that.
It's a novel beautifully thick with detail and rich characterisation - Spider was such an endearingly terrible character, I named a pot plant after him. I love the way Gaiman plays around with myths, and he does it well here - I particularly enjoyed seeing him use stories that I wasn't familiar with.
Gaiman gets into the guts of life and of stories, and he's funny all at the same time. He's one of the few authors that can take me from laughing out loud to feeling horribly depressed in a few pages. Brilliant.
Anansi Boys is the story of Fat Charlie Nancy, who learns, after attending his estranged father's funeral, that his father was Anansi, an African trickster god, and that he has a brother, Spider, who inherited their father's god-like attributes. Fat Charlie gets in touch with Spider, and then tries to get rid of him, both actions having fairly disasterous results. I'd classify it more as magic-realism or urban fantasy than straight-out fantasy, which you'll realise if you've read Gaiman, but my short synopsis gives it a bit of a fantasy feel. Read Amazon reviews for a more detailed description of the plot. I'm not good at that.
It's a novel beautifully thick with detail and rich characterisation - Spider was such an endearingly terrible character, I named a pot plant after him. I love the way Gaiman plays around with myths, and he does it well here - I particularly enjoyed seeing him use stories that I wasn't familiar with.
Gaiman gets into the guts of life and of stories, and he's funny all at the same time. He's one of the few authors that can take me from laughing out loud to feeling horribly depressed in a few pages. Brilliant.
03 November, 2005
The Jane Austen Book Club (Karen Joy Fowler)
A group of women (and one man) get together once a month to read through the works of Jane Austen. This novel narates each meeting for us, and then follows each character into their lives. Apparently there are plenty of Austen references throughout this book, but I'm sure I didn't catch any of them, not having read or studied much Austen. (One character is a matchmaker, like Emma - that's the only thing that stood out for me).
Despite probably missing some witty references, its a fun book - the characters are well drawn, and I enjoyed their takes on Austen's characters. If you've never read or watched any movie adaptions of Austen, this would not be the book for you. Enjoyable, but II wasn't particularly enraptured, so it'd be a 3 out of 5 for me.
Despite probably missing some witty references, its a fun book - the characters are well drawn, and I enjoyed their takes on Austen's characters. If you've never read or watched any movie adaptions of Austen, this would not be the book for you. Enjoyable, but II wasn't particularly enraptured, so it'd be a 3 out of 5 for me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
