Gardens of the Moon, by Steven Erikson [1]

*/***** (1/5)

Malazan Book of the Fallen series
1. Gardens of the Moon (1999) *
2. Deadhouse Gates (2000)
3. Memories of Ice (2001)
4. House of Chains (2002)
5. Midnight Tides (2004)
6. The Bonehunters (2006)
7. Reaper's Gale (2007)
8. Toll the Hounds - forthcoming
9. Dust of Dreams - forthcoming
10. The Crippled God - forthcoming

Normally, a book/series where anything/everything goes would present some intriguing elements for readers. Normally, I enjoy a book where conflict and war reign throughout. Usually, I don't mind a generous display of magic. Unfortunately, I found Steven Erikson's GARDENS OF THE MOON way too convoluted for an opening installment to an epic SFF series. All of the following severely handicapped the reading experience: Erikson's liberal use of magic, nonsensical events, and intricate names of races, people, gods, creatures, magical houses/warrens, history and places, all of which develop Erikson's world. Oftentimes, I doubted even Erikson's capacity to keep everything straight. GARDENS OF THE MOON appears to emphasize world building above all else and I thought suffered from it as a result. The history, the races, ascendant hierarchy, etc. all detracted from the characterizations, prose, the pacing and even the plotting. I found the characterizations one-dimensional, the prose below-average to average, the settings sorely lacking, and the pacing dull. Unlike another book I'm reading (Jim Butcher's episodic page-turner ACADEM'S FURY), Erikson's GARDENS OF THE MOON never really grabs you. Two very different books obviously but unlike Butcher's series, I was never really interested to read more in GARDENS OF THE MOON, much less entertained. I just continued to read out of rote since I harbor an obstinate habit of trying to finish books I start.

I thought Erikson did a relatively decent job of crafting the same event from multiple perspectives. For example, when the book first introduces us to the central focus of the novel -- the city of Darujhistan -- Erikson crafts a night from multiple perspectives: from a common thief, from an assassin, from various killers, and then from other Phoenix Inn regulars in the city. Erikson pursues a similar style at Lady Sinital's Fete in the finale of the book as the plotting comes to a head from various points of view: the alchemist Baruk, the eccentric sorcerer Kruppe, the thief Crokus, the assassin Rallick Nom, Captain Paran, Whiskeyjack and our antagonist Adjunct Lorn, or the Empress's right arm. Unfortunately, many obtuse occurrences jarred the reading experience. For instance, Paran at Hood's gate (entrance to death) early in the novel and salvaged by the twin gods of luck and chance, Oponn. Tattersail's bizarre reincarnation in Kruppe's dream, and Paran randomly hijacked by the House of Shadow late in the novel. The Jaghut Tyrant and his source of power in an object (Finnest) develops as the primary threat late in the novel despite the Malazan Empire and its quest to conquer the city of Darujhistan. Meanwhile, the 7-foot tall Lord of Moon's Spawn Anomander Rake evolves as the most powerful entity in the story. Also towards the end, Rake seems to randomly appear, saves Paran from the House of Shadow's hounds, and then Rake compels House of Shadow's King Shadowthrone to recall his assassin partner the Rope from possession of the girl Sorry's body thereby rescuing the Coin Bearer Crokus in the process. Convenient? Yep. Convoluted? Yep. Entertaining? No so much.

The Story, such as it is.

In the prologue, Surly (later, she fashions herself as Emperor Laseen) wrests the Empire from Emperor Kellanved in a coup with her "Claw," or a specialized force of assassins able to blunt magic with an "Otataral" sword. Many years later, Empress Laseen pursues her quest to subdue the free world and we pick up her plight in the siege of the city Pale. Immortal players from High House of Shadow (Ammanas, Cotillion or the "Rope") and High House of Dark (Anomander Rake) confound Empress Laseen's efforts along with the twin gods Oponn. The Empire, High Mage Tayschrenn, and High Fist Dujek (military commander) successfully conquer Pale but at a high price ultimately obliging the Empire's adversary Lord of Moon's Spawn (Anomander Rake) to retreat. The Empire's advance military task force responsible for fomenting dissent and clearing obstacles in a target city are called the Bridgeburners. The Bridgeburners, headed by the wily old veteran Sergeant Whiskeyjack, play a significant role in GARDENS OF THE MOON when after Pale, the focus shifts to conquering the free city of Darujhistan. Meanwhile, High House of Shadow's assassin the "Rope" has possessed a young fisher-girl (initially called Sorry and later named Apsalar) to impede Empress Laseen's progress. High Fist Dujek and Whiskeyjack's popularity compels a ruthless Laseen to eliminate Whiskeyjack and his squad of Bridgeburners. The Bridgeburners, it would seem, do their job too well. Laseen dispatches Adjunct Lorn for this special task.

As events shift to Darujhistan, we're introduced to a group of Phoenix Inn regulars that will eventually play critical roles: the assassin Rollick Nom, a petty young thief Crokus, the eccentric Kruppe, Murillio, T'orrud Cabal's leader alchemist Baruk, Crokus's Uncle Mammot and the Lady Sinital. Whiskeyjack and his squad arrive in the city to make contact with the city's assassin guild in order to eliminate the real power of Darujhistan: members of the T'orrud Cabal including Baruk thereby paving the way for conquest. The Lord of Moon's Spawn Anomander Rake allies himself with Baruk and Rake's band of Tiste Andu begin to eliminate Darujhistan's assassin guild hoping to ensure the security of Darujhistan's power. Most of the book centers on the Empire's efforts to conquer the free city of Darujhistan and all the various mortal and immortal players that obfuscate the endeavor. The Empress's "right arm" Adjunct Lorn, Anamonder Rake, Whiskeyjack, Captain Ganoes Paran, Baruk, Rallick Nom, and Crokus all play various roles. Darujhistan's Phoenix Inn regulars Kruppe and Coll also turn out to be more than they initially appear.

In the end, I found the characters stodgy, the events and magic jarring, the world building too involved for an opening installment, the settings entirely lacking and the prose pedestrian. I felt like I wasn't reading a story with interesting characters but rather a history text on a world of magic.

Academ's Fury, by Jim Butcher [1]

*/***** (1/5)

Codex Alera series
1. Furies of Calderon (1/5)
2. Academ's Fury (1/5)
3. Cursor's Fury
4. Captain's Fury
...

It's remarkable that Jim Butcher hooks readers (like me) enough to keep reading this very episodic Codex Alera series in his second installment titled ACADEM'S FURY (*). ACADEM'S FURY perpetuates much of the serial-like plotting and pacing found in the opening installment of this series FURIES OF CALDERON (*). Similar to the romance genre, the science fiction and fantasy genre contains books characterized by greasy burgers-and-fries and other books represented by delicious gourmet meals. You know Butcher's Codex Alera series isn't good for you, you know what you're going to get, and yet you return. Well, greasy burgers and fries aren't bad every once and while right? Right?

Similar to various parallel plots in FURIES OF CALDERON, we find three concurrent plots in ACADEM'S FURY: Amara & Bernard's struggle against a virulent "vord" queen out in the country and their serialized romantic plight (this time, surrounding marriage and children), Isana's journey to Alera's "capital" Alera Imperia to meet with the First Lord and ask for his aid on her brother's Count Bernard's behalf, and finally, seventeen year-old Tavi's continuing maturation as page to First Lord Gaius and his evolution as an Academ studying at the Citadel in Alera Imperia. Of these three disparate and disjoint plots, I found Isana's the most engaging (again) as enemies from the past realign their alliances for political gain. I found Amara's storyline the most taxing to read. Like tall, dark and handsome rogues in historical romance, Bernard and Tavi's friend Max symbolizes sexual eye candy for the female readership, and Amara renews her ardor for Bernard's strong physique. Like an exasperating serial, Amara at first confronts Isana regarding Isana's resentment towards Amara, then grapples with her inability to give Bernard children, struggling to part with Bernard when the Cursor Serai comments that Amara must inevitably leave Bernard. From a pure entertainment standpoint, I most enjoyed Tavi's capture of the mysterious thief "Black Cat" and their subsequent breach of the impregnable Grey Tower to liberate his friend Max. Also like FURIES OF CALDERON, the ending here in ACADEM'S FURY exaggerates the theatrics from different perspectives and two locales like a soap opera (Amara's perspective out near Aricholt in the country and Tavi's perspective in Alera Imperia). Like the previous installment, the seemingly innocuous Fade showcases his mastery with the sword at the end, this time against 9-foot tall Canim creatures (we learn more about Fade's history also). The book crosses its t's and dots its i's in order to accommodate a role for every character from Tavi's small friend Ehren to Captain Miles. ACADEM'S FURY throws 17 year-old Tavi a bone in the finale when he must battle an injured Canim all by himself while a bruised and battle-weary Amara dispenses of a vord queen by herself. Despite threats to both Tavi, Amara and Bernard, I never once felt like they were actually going to die. I thought Lady Aquitaine's impressive exhibition of power at the very end overshadowed everything else.

One of the big reasons to read SFF and historical fiction - world building - disappointed big time in ACADEM'S FURY. Although the prose and world building in FURIES OF CALDERON wasn't great, it deteriorates tremendously here in ACADEM'S FURY. The people, creatures, world, society and magic of Alera never felt real. A good SFF book portrays its fictional magic, world and people so it feels and seems real. ACADEM'S FURY failed in this respect. Maybe it was just me, but reading Tavi's story, I felt like I was back in high school fighting a bully or back in college cramming for final exams. Reading Amara's storyline, I felt like I was was reading a potboiler romance. Random and seemingly arbitrary rules for the vord creatures exacerbates the reading experience. For example, each vord queen multiplies exactly three times (something simply known from Marat folklore), and there exists a hierarchy of vord from the queen to Keepers, to Takers, to Warriors. The Marat barbarian Doroga relays most of the vorg mythology via conversation. I thought ACADEM'S FURY consistently violated the cardinal sin in storytelling by telling us instead of showing us. Fancy names and titles like Maestro didn't change my feeling that all of this is just too fake. Amara even uses the phrase, "We will agree to disagree..." in a conversation with Isana once. In various conversations, the book further explains how country furies are more powerful than city furies (the rural vs. urban aspect). We as readers know the SFF story isn't real, but the base quality of the world building and conversationalist prose in ACADEM'S FURY mar the entire reading experience.

As for the characters, again I found myself drawn to the Jim Butcher's "gray" characters: Lady Aquitaine and Fidelias. Lady Aquitaine thoroughly steals the show in ACADAM'S FURY, and I thought Butcher's efforts to inject caring introspection in Fidelias' characterization detracted from his cynical outlook. Tavi was better here (he didn't cry) but Butcher is very careful to develop him very slowly, just enough to keep reading the next book. The book persists in highlighting Tavi's impotence from his point-of-view. By the end of the book, Tavi still doesn't have a fury and must continue to rely on his own instinct. Kitai was just plain fun. I liked Isana's characterization and the book reveals more of her mysterious history, her connection to the First Lord Gaius and her nephew Tavi's hidden parentage, as formulaic as all of this seems. Amara inspires two things: aggravation and annoyance. If ever Amara and Bernard actually die, I'll be a happy camper.

The Story, possible spoilers.

ACADEM'S FURY picks up from the best part of FURIES OF CALDERON: Tavi and Kitai's race in the Valley of Silence. We learn that when Tavi ignited the 'croach' (glowing, web-like material) in the valley from FURIES OF CALDERON, the ensuing conflagration awakens a vorg queen. The vorg queen promptly spawns three more. The Marat barbarian chieftan Doroga battles one of the queens and her nest with two thousand warriors. The ensuing battle leaves Doroga with two hundred remaining but he manages to eliminate the nest and queen (we don't actually witness the battle, we see the results). Two vord queens remain: one headed for Tavi in Alera's capital Alera Imperia and another in the slopes of the mountains surrounding the country near Isanaholt. From various conversations, we learn more about the vorg, that takers assimilate other beings essentially killing the spirit inside, and keepers and warriors hunt and protect for the vorg queen. The queen herself is very quick.

Isana travels to Aleria Imperia to ensure her beloved nephew's safety and seek aid from the First Lord for her brother Bernard and Amara as the two travel to confront the queen in the slopes of the mountains. Tavi meanwhile fends off bullies at the Academy and we're introduced to Brencis, son of Lord Kalare, a new player in Aleran politics. The bastard son, rogue, and ladies' man Antillar Maximus (Max) rescues our protagonist Tavi more than once. The lords Kalare and Aquitaine are at odds with each other for succession to the First Lord Gaius (who lacks an heir) and the phrase "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" compels unlikely alliances. When a coma-like condition claims the overextended First Lord Gaius, Gaius's page Tavi must scramble to keep the realm functioning. Max poses as the First Lord at various events while the real First Lord lies unconscious (despite almost all Alerans possessing magical powers, apparently only Max is trustworthy and capable enough to pull it off). When failing to reach the First Lord frustrates Isana, love for her family compels Isana to turn to Lady Aquitaine for succor. The Canim Ambassador Varg also fails to reach First Lord and instead drops Tavi subtle hints as to critical developments in the Deeps underneath Alera Imperia.

Like the prior novel, ACADEM'S FURY features a long and protracted finale often shifting perspectives and locales under the threat of death to a major character at a critical juncture in time. However, not once did I feel anyone major would die. Events climax around protecting a comatose First Lord against "taken" Canim coincided by eliminating the vorg queen out in the country from Amara's perspective.

The book is episodic fluff, but continues to hook me enough to find out what happens next. Astonishing.

Black Sun Rising, by C.S. Friedman [2]

**/***** (2/5)

Coldfire Trilogy
1. Black Sun Rising (1991) **
2. When True Night Falls (1993)
3. Crown of Shadows (1995)

Although I laud C.S. Friedman's efforts, I was mostly bored and annoyed by her first installment in the science fiction and fantasy (SFF) Coldfire trilogy published back in 1991, BLACK SUN RISING. Considered by many in the SFF community as a classic, I thought this book amounted to little more than repetitive emotional introspection in the improbable journey of "friendship" between the "Hunter" Gerald Tarrant and Reverend Damien Kilcannon Vryce. Basically, it's a thought experiment in the unlikely teamwork and camaraderie between Evil Incarnate and Wholesome Good symbolized by Tarrant and Vryce, respectively. With the possible exception of the rakh-woman Hasseth, I disliked all the characters here. I had no stake in any of the characters and the book's efforts to endear the evil Tarrant failed miserably. In many books, you hope certain characters will survive, but here, I found myself wishing all of the main characters would keel over and die (Tarrant, Vryce, Ciani). Characterizations here are fairly weak in general, I've read more compelling characterizations in children's fairy tales. But alas, the story isn't interested in characters or plots, it chronicles a journey partnering good with evil to defeat another evil. Despite a decided dearth of plots and characters, BLACK SUN RISING contains rather intriguing elements of mystery and horror, and crafts a very eerie and rich setting. When the book isn't indulging in rather repetitive introspection, the prose is actually good.

From the very first page to the last, BLACK SUN RISING belongs to its evil protagonist hero Gerald Tarrant. Tarrant represents the biggest mover and shaker in the story and Friedman credits his presence and powers in Reverend Damien Vryce's every waking (and dreaming) thought. Tarrant is involved in or responsible for every twist, turn and plot. Our narrator the Reverend Damien Vryce serves as the reader's eyes and ears into Tarrant and even during the climax, Vryce acts as a conduit to facilitate Tarrant. We're told many times that Vryce is accomplished with his sword, but he does little with it and the climactic denouement resorts to vague and ambiguous powers of the mind between Tarrant and the Master of Lema. Certainly, writing sword fights isn't one of Friedman's strengths. In many ways, BLACK SUN RISING (1991) reminded me of Kay's TIGANA (1990), much more so than another book I read recently: Rawn's DRAGON PRINCE. Both BLACK SUN RISING (through Tarrant) and TIGANA (via the sorcerer Brandin) wish to portray the good in evil rather than tell an engaging story with interesting characters. Certainly not the first book to repudiate black-and-white fantasy and examine dark characters, it was nonetheless fad to make evil cool in the early 90s. Matthew Woodring Stover's HEROES DIE (*****) depicted a much more compelling case if you're interested in the "coolness" of evil and ruthlessness with enthralling characterizations and plots.

My biggest gripe with the novel: Vryce muses and thinks about Tarrant endlessly and repetitively. Whether Vryce is jealous of Tarrant because of Ciani (more than once), or calls Tarrant a bastard in his thoughts for thinking or doing something he (Vryce) is ashamed of as a priest (again and again), clearly the book wants to interminably drum out Vryce's evolving view of the apparently evil Tarrant. It's funny, only female authors care about a character's thoughts as much as C.S. Friedman spends time on Vryce's rather aggravating and repetitive introspection over Tarrant. And although I had no idea C.S. Friedman was a woman before I read this, I knew from reading the prologue and first chapter that the author is, without a doubt, female. Many times, Vryce's paradoxical and evolving view of Tarrant seemed exactly like a romance heroine's love-hate relationship with the tall, aristocratic and handsome hero. Tarrant certainly qualifies as the stereotypical tall, dark and handsome hero possessing the the requisite trimmings of corruption, arrogance and high-handedness. So what if Tarrant murdered his wife and children and kills thousands of innocents for his sustenance, he's not all that bad! Consider also these all too convenient cop-outs: Tarrant abstaining from feeding on innocents for a period of time and then, in the epilogue, all of sudden the book mentions how his "feeding" precludes sexual congress. All to make him seem redeemed and good.

The plotting which compels our narrator Damien Vryce to travel to the rakhlands seemed totally unwarranted. We're told Vryce makes the journey to help Ciani regain her memories and abilities as an adept (basically a human born to magic) because he loves her. But since Ciani fails to return the overwhelming love and devotion Vryce shows for her, I was mostly disgusted by Vryce's reasons to make the perilous journey. Tell us he's making the journey because of adventure, or to eliminate great threat to the planet Erna, but please don't give me bull about love. Damien Vryce at least deserved getting laid for all his trouble, lord! Damien is constantly there to support Ciani with an arm-around-the-shoulder, or encourage her dispirited state with words, or travel to the imposing Forest and rescue her when Tarrant kidnaps her. Vryce is consistently jealous of any man close to Ciani (mostly Tarrant and Senzei), thinks he cares for her and loves her, blah, blah, blah. Since Ciani fails to reciprocate even a fraction of Damien Vryce's affection, I was rolling my eyes at Vryce's resolve to hunt down Ciani's attacker and travel to the rakhlands all in the name of love. Please, Ciani astutely manipulates all three men on the journey: Tarrant's honor-bound words not to harm her, Damien's love for her, and Senzei's hunger for greater power (Sight). It's not like she doesn't remember in general, she harbors no physical strain from the attack on her, so the impetus to travel to dangerous lands and restore something vague and ambiguous to her (her "adeptitude") was lost on me. If she really cared for Senzei or Damien in any way, she would tell them not to risk so much for something so selfish (power, ability to Work the Fae, Fae memories). Despite Ciani constantly whispering or meekly vocalizing words, she skillfully exploits all three men: their ambitions, desires and honor, all of her sake.

Premise and plot, possible SPOILERS.

The prologue and settings in the early chapters instantly capture the reader's interest. In a scene of horror, the prologue treats readers to the Neocount of Merentha, the Prophet, sacrificing his wife and children for greater power and immortality. On the fictional planet of Erna (presumably Earth's sister planet), there exists Fae, a powerful energy field incipient throughout the planet. The Fae are sensitive to the human psyche and manifest humans' fear in the form of demons and monsters, much to the humankind's dismay. Whereas the religious institution in this world (the Church, Holy Father) wishes to render the human psyche unable to impact Erna's Fae, the Church's Prophet on the other hand is an adept, and like all adepts, he's born with the ability to manipulate Fae. During his Sacrifice in the prologue, the Prophet will prove both the Church's salvation and damnation at the same time. Another paradoxical dichotomy in the vein of many SFF written to show the good in evil, the evil in good, and blur the lines of distinction between the two. Fusing science fiction and fantasy elements, human survivors of planet Earth colonized the fantastical planet Erna and struggled to live with its sensitive Fae.

In the city Jaggonath, when mysterious creatures strip the adept Ciani's ability to Work the Fae, the Reverend Damien Vryce, Ciani's friend Senzei Reese and Ciani embark on a journey to chase these creatures into the dangerous rakhlands and kill Ciani's attacker thereby returning Ciani's memories of her "adeptitude." The mysterious creatures strangely reminded me of the slake-moths in China Mieville's PERDIDO STREET STATION. There's nothing more horrifying than stripping a thinking, reasoning and experienced person of one's memories. Angst-ridden passages from Damien's perspective proclaiming his love for Ciani when she obviously fails to return even a fraction of his love and devotion grate the nerves. Along the way, more companions join Damien, Ciani and Senzei on their journey, most notable among them the adept Gerald Tarrant. Eventually the narrative shifts to the unlikely yet burgeoning camaraderie between Tarrant and Damien, Damien's conflicting view of Tarrant (Damien strangely finds comfort in Tarrant's powerful, dark presence, yet feels ashamed for it because he's supposed to be a priest). Just like some romance heroine sulking over a tall, dark and handsome hero. This emotional introspection from Damien highlighting his relationship with Tarrant comprises the bulk of the novel and the "point" of it all, such as it is. Damien reasons he needs evil to fight evil, and grows fond of Tarrant, even calling Tarrant a bastard obviously because Damien enjoys the reassurance of Tarrant's presence. Just like serving as our eyes and ears into Tarrant, Damien serves as a conduit for Tarrant to attack the main antagonist of this particular novel, the Master of Lema. The Master of Lema mysteriously harnesses power at the hub of Erna's frequent earthquake activity in the rakhlands. I failed to see a big difference between the Master of Lema and our supposedly redeemed Gerald Tarrant. Both use and kill innocents, so what really makes the Master of Lema the greater threat? The book says whereas Tarrant harbors some semblance of honor and sanity, the Master of Lema has gone insane in a lust for greater and greater power. I don't see it, both require innocent 'sacrifices' to sustain themselves, why is one morally wrong (the Master of Lema), the other forgivable (Tarrant)? By the way, I love how Tarrant's power keeps him tall and handsome, whereas the Master of Lema's appearance has withered. Does that mean: evil men = cool, evil women = bad?

In any case, improbable companions journey to a dangerous and forbidden land. The enemy (Master of Lema) wants the adepts to feed off their power (Ciani and Tarrant), and their journey into the rakhlands bring the enemy the very thing the enemy covets (Ciani and Tarrant). If that doesn't sound like another version of Tolkien's LORD OF THE RINGS, I don't know what does. The events are predictable, boring and annoying at the same time. I didn't care about any of the characters, I was annoyed by Damien's angst-ridden introspection of Tarrant, and in spite of my fondest hopes, nobody major died.

Dragon Prince, by Melanie Rawn [1]

*/***** (1/5)

Dragon Prince series (Rohan)
1. Dragon Prince (1/5)
2. The Star Scroll
3. Sunrunner's Fire

Dragon Star series (Rohan's son Pol)
1. Stronghold
2. The Dragon Token
3. Skybowl

Don't let the title of this book fool you, this book belongs to its Sunrunner heroine Sioned as she facilitates every major aspiration and/or accomplishment for our golden boy Rohan. In a fantasy book with substantial romantic inclinations, I wouldn't mind the emphasis on the heroine if I didn't find our hero Rohan's character so dithering, so wishy-washy, and, for lack of a better word, so "wussified." Our milksop hero Rohan whines about everything, he often gives moral soliloquies and the story arc primarily describes Rohan's evolution from an erudite 21 year-old idealist intent on peace like a 1960s hippie to a 27 year-old realist who whines about doing some rather "barbarian" things to protect the future of his family and people. In Part 3 entitled "Vengeance," Rohan's "brother-by-marriage" Chaynal assuages this evolution in Rohan's character, noting Rohan embodies hope to everyone because he (Rohan) examines and re-examines his actions and motivations. Evidently, this examination makes Rohan the good guy and his actions justified. I say it makes Rohan an annoying milksop. Like an imbecile, more than once Rohan resolves to never do what he's doing now ("Never again."). After he kills a dragon, he resolves, "Never again!" After waging a war in Part 3 when he's supposed to be more mature and worldly, there's also a naive "Never again!" Please, times change and who knows what actions the future may compel. Choose a course of action and get on with it, live with the consequences and learn from them. Guy Gavriel Kay's TIGANA (*) demonstrated I usually don't go for thematic fantasy stories where emotional angst, lessons and morals lurk behind every plot device. Please don't try to teach me and advise me on the nature of life and society. Lamentably, such is the case here in Melanie Rawn's romantic DRAGON PRINCE.

In my endless quest for an entertaining fusion between many different genres, this book reminded me of a another (better) romantic fantasy, that is, Joanne Bertin's THE LAST DRAGONLORD (****). I thought the prose, romance and political intrigue in Bertin's THE LAST DRAGONLORD surpassed Rawn's book here. I also thought the worldbuilding and magic system in Bertin's book were better. Both books however featured fairly weak heroes, and Bertin's awful sequel DRAGON AND PHOENIX (*) exacerbated the male characterizations. Male fantasy authors rarely write engaging female characters and fun romance while female fantasy authors write heroes who often irritate me. Unlike the romance genre, I actually liked that our hero Rohan here in DRAGON PRINCE isn't an older, experienced libertine, I liked that he isn't a redoubtable warrior, but his incessant dithering introspection really sucked the life out of any enjoyment Parts 1 & 2 may have engendered. We're told our hero Rohan is clever, a political mastermind of sorts, but I'm not sure what he accomplishes from Part 2 in the Rialla really amounts to all that much when it all goes to hell in Part 3 anyway. The book glosses over the details of his political maneuvering in the Rialla from Part 2 anyway and we're basically told he deftly effected many favorable agreements for his princedom. If you want a substantively unconventional male hero, check out Tyrion's political maneuvering from George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series (especially in A CLASH OF KINGS), or Locke Lamora in Scott Lynch's Gentlemen Bastards series. Tyrion and Locke are both incredibly hilarious and politically brilliant. Regrettably, Rohan fails to even approach the Tyrion and Locke's realm of brilliance and humor.

Rawn's DRAGON PRINCE also reminded me of Terry Goodkind's fairly repetitive and sermonizing Sword of Truth series (which I've never reviewed and probably never will). I can't express enough how addicted I was to Goodkind's fantasy/romance/adventure Sword of Truth series. I will always maintain that his opening installment WIZARD'S FIRST RULE (1994) was quite good and I really liked the fourth installment TEMPLE OF THE WINDS (1997) as well. His never-ending, repetitive saga crumbles starting from his fifth installment SOUL OF FIRE however. Anyhow, Goodkind is always looking to impart real-life lessons behind his fantasy plots. Similar to Goodkind's series, Rawn's morals and lessons here in the introspection and narrative drain the energy and plotting.

The Story.

In Rawn's fantasy world, I found the magic system both ambiguous and common compared to other fantasy books. Essentially a society of 'Sunrunners' or foradh'im travel along light to communicate across vast distances, conjure images, and the most powerful among the Sunrunners may call fire to destroy and devastate (though they're forbidden to kill and conveniently all the Sunrunners obey the rule). Distinctive colors identify each person in Rawn's world and Sunrunners see the unique colors of the person they're communicating with over vast distances. The sunrunner talent is mostly hereditary although it surfaces randomly in genealogies bereft of the talent. In the beginning of the story, our heroine Sioned is a powerful Sunrunner having earned 5 rings (each ring representing another notch in talent or power). Only the Lady of Goddess Keep, the Lady Andrade and Rohan's aunt, possesses 10 rings. Sunrunners train at the Goddess Keep, earning rings, experience and furthering their talents. Hackneyed for the fantasy genre, everything is made up of Fire, Air, Earth, and Water. Since Sunrunners utilize light and manipulate fire, they can't withstand traveling on a boat in water, an indication of Sunrunner talent. The people in Rawn's world, regardless of whether they possess the Sunrunner talent or not, primarily worship the Goddess. There are no kings here, and instead there exists various princedoms ruled by Princes. Our main antagonist is the High Prince Roelstra who resides over all the other princes and princedoms including his own, the Princemarch.

As the story begins, we're introduced to one of the most powerful princedoms, Prince Zehava's the Desert. Old, grizzled, and a beast among men, Zehava enjoys hunting dragons throughout his princedom and he embarks on killing his tenth dragon. When the ensuing battle between dragon and Prince Zehava lands Zehava in his deathbed, his heir 21 year-old Rohan come into power. Described as learned, clever and political mastermind, Rohan isn't the warrior like his brother-by-marriage Chay nor the dragon hunter like his famed father. In fact, Rohan loves dragons. Outside and above the princes' hierarchy, Rohan's aunt the Lady Andrade of Goddess Keep wishes to arrange a marriage between her pupil Sioned and the new Prince Rohan. Sioned has foreseen Rohan in the flames as a prophecy and finds herself half in love with him without having even met him. When Andrade presents Sioned to Rohan in the flames as well, our golden handsome loverboy is also in love. Part One, Faces in Fire, concludes with the onset of the Rialla a congregation of princes and lords who ratify various trade treaties and compromise on borders. The event culminates with (appropriately enough) Lastday Ceremonies consisting of weddings. Occurring every three years, the High Prince Roelstra oversees all dealings amongst princes at the Rialla. Maligned by seventeen daughters but not one male heir, the High Prince Roelstra, his mistress Palila and his legitimate daughters lanthe and Pandsala scheme to ensnare the new Prince Rohan in a marriage alliance during Rialla.

Part two, the Rialla, concludes with the end of the Rialla as Sioned and Rohan publicly acknowledge one another as husband and wife despite Roelstra's various plots. If Parts One and Two were mildly entertaining viewed as a romance with a fantasy context, Part Three "Vengeance" decidedly switches gears. I don't mind that bad stuff happens in this last part, but I found Rohan's introspective dithering, wishy-washy introspection and emotional angst unbearable as each irritating facet of his characterization multiplies hundred fold. Sioned is clearly the man in the relationship when she goes to whatever extreme necessary -- killing, for example -- to save and succor her husband Rohan. First, I find it implausible that prior to Sioned, no Sunrunner used his or her powers to harm or kill or possibly tilt the balance in a war. Talk about an idealistic utopia. Second, the emotional wedge between Sioned and Rohan as a result of lanthe's scheming seemed to magically disappear at the very end. We're told after the fact that they harmed each other but they eventually found their way back to each other. I also found events describing the war and its strategy very amateurish. Clearly this isn't Rawn's strong suit. There's too many domestic issues miring the plot having to do with Rohan's sister Tobin and her husband (Chay) and children. At times, Part 3 read as a chick fest, the men not really having much to do. Consider: lanthe's plot to trap Rohan, Sioned's revenge against lanthe, Tobin's domestic issues with her husband and children, Chianna, Pandsala and Lady Andrade, and even Feylin of Skybowl antagonizing Walvis and finally Rohan's Commander of his guards Maeta at Stronghold (a woman, of course). Even the final duel between Rohan and Roelstra was one of the poorest sword fights I've ever read, Sioned was intimately involved in it of course from miles away. Victorious, Sioned and Rohan promote new princes and lords. I thought the rosy ending was very unsatisfying and out of place following the emotional angst driving Sioned and Rohan apart earlier.

ASOIAF Update

"Winter is coming..."

For those A-Song-of-Ice-and-Fire enthusiasts (druggies) amongst us, George R.R. Martin updated his progress on his latest ASOIAF book, A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, and unveiled a *new* sample chapter. The Tyrion and Daenerys sample chapters appeared previously but now we receive a sample chapter from my favorite character, and probably the most cliche as well: Jon Snow.

The Dance goes on...

Sample chapter

I knew what happens in that first Jon-Snow chapter a while ago from spoilers on the asoiaf.westeros.org boards.

In case you have no idea what this series is about, it's intense, it's fantasy for adults, it's hard-hitting, it's adventurous, it's political, it's epic, it's extremely well written, it's character-driven and you won't read anything like it. The words "Winter is coming" never fail to give me the chills. Just skip A Feast for Crows which I'm hoping was a bad hiccup in the series.

A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin
1. A Game of Thrones (****)
2. A Clash of Kings (***)
3. A Storm of Swords (*****)
4. A Feast for Crows (*)
5. A Dance with Dragons ~ Fall 2008, at the earliest

My guess for ADWD? More like fall of 2009.

Across the Nightingale Floor, by Lian Hearn [1]

*/***** (1/5)

I found Lian Hearn's fantasy tale ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR: TALES OF THE OTORI BOOK ONE entirely a forgettable experience. Unlike Jim Butcher's FURIES OF CALDERON (*), this book doesn't even manage to hook me enough to tempt me to find what happens next. Though I mildly liked this novel's feudal Japanese setting, the lyrical prose, and the magical elements dealing with special abilities of a group of people, I found the plotting, the sluggish pacing, and the characters, amateurish to say the least. For a novel often dealing with eastern martial arts, I thought the book failed to describe engaging fight sequences. Fight sequences often resorted to, "He was cut down in four slashes," or "Takeo held him off," or "(the villain) was more skillful and experienced and held the advantage." As for the plots, well, the webs of intrigue the book touts from Lady Kaede's perspective was uncouthly rustic: Lord Shigeru's revenge plight never resonated, Takeo's devotion and loyalty to Shigeru seemed an easy manipulation on Shigeru's part, the different clan dynamics a black-and-white affair, and the love between Takeo and Kaede entirely a one-sided stint from Kaede to Takeo, not to mention hollow. Kaede throwing herself at Takeo, and Takeo rejecting her was... cold on Takeo's part and prematurely degrading on Kaede's part given her prior strength of character. A deep-rooted enmity should have replaced Kaede's affections for Takeo after his persistent rejections.

Note that the book makes no claim to historical fact and though the settings and characters bear resemblance to Japanese names and places, a boy's-coming-of-age fictional fantasy best characterizes this 287-page hardcover. Although the book boasts about its complex intrigue plots more than once, it essentially boiled down everyone against the evil Tohan clan and their insidious leader Lord Iida Sadamu. There was no real intrigue or mystery here and most of the plotting was very predictable. For example, Shigeru accepting marriage to Kaede in exchange for traveling to the Tohan stronghold Inuyama was so predictable. It was also clear from the beginning that Shigeru wished to use Takeo and his assassination talents to eliminate Iida while Lord Arai moves against the Tohan militarily. I just didn't get Takeo's blind loyalty to Lord Otori Shigeru once Takeo discovers that Shigeru plotted to find him and knew about his special talents from the beginning. Shigeru would sacrifice Takeo to revenge just as Iida would kill Takeo. Just because Shigeru is kind and respected, and he adopts Takeo, he deserves loyalty? Uhuh, don't you love simplistic, honorable young boys like Takeo? So easily manipulated...

I don't necessarily mind Love-At-First-Sight plots, but this book handles it very crassly and it's all too one-sided. Kaede's strong reaction easily overshadows Takeo's. If anyone deserved Takeo's undying loyalty, it would be Kaede. Not the Otori, not Shigeru, and definitely not the Tribe. Only Kaede's love comes without any conditions or restrictions. But Takeo seemed too easily brainwashed by Shigeru and the Tribe to recognize Kaede's giving love. There isn't even any hint of Takeo's vocalized love for Kaede.

ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR is the opening novel to a trilogy dubbed the Tales of the Otori. Again, I liked the feudal Japanese settings, and I found the factually-based concept of the nightingale floor also pretty unique. The book draws its name from real inventions constructed at many residences and temples throughout Japan. In the story, these nightingale floors are sensitive to anyone walking on them and "sing" as a result. Since the villain Iida has many enemies, he has these floors constructed around his residence at Inuyama alerting the guards to any assassination attempts. And no, I don't want to find out what happens in the other two books.

The Story, possible SPOILERS.

For sixteen years, our main character Tomasu grows up amongst the pacifist, egalitarian group of people known as the Hidden. Unknown to him, he's actually the son of a notorious assassin descended from an archaic race known as the Tribe exhibiting special powers such as invisibility, making copies of your appearance, and acute hearing, sight and touch. The Tribe mostly work now as mercenaries selling their services to the highest bidder, keeping their numbers low and veiled. The book's evil clan the Tohan and their cruel leader Iida persecute various Hidden villages believing their ways blasphemous. When Tomasu returns to his remote village from a venture into the nearby mountains, he finds the village burned and everyone killed by the Tohan. Almost thirty-year-old Lord Otori Shigeru rescues Tomasu from the village, gives him a new Otori name -- Takeo -- and takes him to Otori lands. Shigeru isn't there by accident however, and he's actually looking for the son of the famous Tribe assassin to aid him in a plight for revenge against Iida and the Tohan. The Otori and Tohan clans have a mutual hatred for one another and at a recent battle, the Tohan have forced their subordination.

Back at the Otori stronghold of Hagi, Shigeru trains, teaches and formally adopts Takeo as the Otori heir. After Muto Kenji of the Tribe appears in Hagi, Takeo finally learns of his Tribe heritage and his special talents. For a year in Hagi, Takeo learns of patrician ways, sword fighting, calligraphy, and with Kenji as his tutor, Takeo trains his Tribe talents.

Meanwhile, fifteen year-old Lady Shirakawa Kaede is a hostage under the Tohan, and grows up for half her life with servants which demeans her family and noble rank. Kaede grows into a beauty and struggles to fend of older mens' attentions. Consequently, she harbors a hatred for older men. As she's betrothed to a couple of older men who eventually die, she gains the dubious reputation of causing the death of men who want her. Eventually, Iida matches Kaede with Lord Otori Shigeru in a political alliance to bring both the defeated Otori clan and Kaede's clan out west to heel. Shigeru accepts for a chance to travel to Iida's stronghold. Kenji warns Shigeru that the Tribe are now aware of Takeo and will stake a claim on him that Shigeru and the Otori can do nothing to prevent.

When Kaede finally lays her eyes on Takeo, it's love at first sight. Closer to her age, she feels safe with Takeo despite never talking with Takeo once at this point. Takeo's reaction doesn't nearly match Kaede's. Still, Takeo wants her too. Takeo's blind loyalty to Shigeru and the Otori seems to fog everything else.

As the story drudges along to its predictable and unsatisfying conclusion, Kaede's dubious reputation rings true. The book leaves many plots for subsequent books. No thanks, I think I'll quit while I'm ahead.

Furies of Calderon, by Jim Butcher [1]

*/***** (1/5)

Codex Alera series
1. Furies of Calderon (1/5)
2. Academ's Fury
3. Cursor's Fury
4. Captain's Fury - Dec '07
...

Best known for his Dresden Files series, author Jim Butcher's foray into epic fantasy begins with the tediously predictable yet irritatingly addictive FURIES OF CALDERON. I found the book mostly epic fluff, but surprisingly unputdownable. The book contains episodic, soap-opera plotting which will inexorably compel me to find out what happens to some of the characters in spite of my overall lack of enjoyment. With names like Gaius Sextus and Legionnaires in the Legion, a Roman inspiration characterizes the book's settings and backdrop. This book firmly belongs to the young woman Amara, her missions under the First Lord and her romance with Bernard.

Some positives to begin with. I liked the magic system: humans command "Fury" elementals incipient in earth, water, air, wood, steel to do their bidding. Some of the elementals lend themselves to naturally restorative functions such as water furies while other elementals exhibit a tendency for destruction such as earth furies. For a fantasy series, Butcher injects the book with a prevalent romantic flavor. Astonishingly, I felt some of the romance here could have been written by pure romance novelists, and it almost seems like Jim Butcher has read some historical romance novels. For instance, Amara's tingling, melting reactions in response to a tall, broad-shouldered, handsome widower. The pacing is fast, and Butcher keeps the action and romance flowing in this 504-page paperback. There's some genuine gray characters and the book thankfully dismisses the black-and-white Good vs. Evil struggle in epic fantasies. In fact, treachery and civil conflict marked much of the climactic battle here with each group and character striving for their own end goals.

Possible SPOILERS ahead.

Now for the negatives which easily overwhelmed the positives. The plotting was entirely formulaic and predictable. There's even a magical river flood akin to the flood in Tolkien's FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING before the companions arrive at Rivendale. The prose was, in general, below average to average. There's an attempt at settings and world building but I've seen better, even in pure romance novels. I hated that our 15 year-old protagonist boy Tavi behaves more like a 7,8 year-old baby often crying and screaming in terror most of the time. If I were a 15 year-old boy, I'd resent anyone calling me a "boy" or "child" at every turn, and I'd definitely avoid any emotional outbursts in public (hugging, crying). Tavi is too much of a do-gooder at 15, I know I found myself in much more mischief at the same age. For a series about a boy's coming-of-age, the first installment FURIES OF CALDERON firmly belongs to our young woman Amara, and her mission as Cursor under the First Lord of the Aleran Kingdom. I really could have done without Amara's romance with Tavi's uncle, the tall, broad-shouldered, strong and handsome Bernard. I found myself begrudging any chapter from Amara's perspective, which comprises a majority of the novel. I don't know, something about her, I just didn't like, and I liked Bernard even less. The entire combination was just... bleh. Butcher mostly employs Amara's perspective in the prolonged climactic finale featuring the battle between the Marat barbarians and the Roman-inspired Alerans at the Garrison in Calderon Valley. The interminable climactic battle was long and pointless! Almost every other chapter, there's the threat of a major death, but unfortunately, you know this type of novel lacks the audacity to kill off a major character. By the end of the novel, with *everyone* surviving for future books, it all seemed sooooo very, very, very vapidly pointless. It's funny, I couldn't take The Major Death in Scott Lynch's RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES, but I was begging for some deaths here, Amara and Bernard most of all. I would have given the book 2 stars if this novel had killed off Amara and Bernard! Most of the protagonists I found aggravating or unlikable. I disliked Tavi, hated Bernard and Amara. I liked Tavi's Aunt Isana (though she sparingly appears), I enjoyed the redoubtable warrior Aldrick's mistress, the water witch Odiana, and I definitely enjoyed our disillusioned antagonist Fidelias. Finally, the magic is egregiously overused. It's a danger of fantasy novels, but magic users here fling their furies at foes and allies alike with impunity and without any limitations. Whenever Amara needs some aid in a pinch, oh let's just call on her wind fury Cirrus to fly her to safety or deliver a lethal blow! Oh someone suffered a fatal wound? Fear not, Isana's water fury Rill to the rescue! It gets seriously out of hand, and you start to question whether death exists for our main characters in Butcher's world at all.

The Story.

Academ Amara wants to graduate the Academy and become a full-fledged spy in the Cursor Legate directly under First Lord Gaius of the Aleran Kingdom. As part of her confirmation from Academ to Cursor, the First Lord dispatches Amara on a mission to investigate a rebel camp and report back the identity of the High Lord(s) behind the insurrection legion. Her plans take a turn for the worse when she's betrayed by her own instructor, her patriserus Fidelias. Amara flees the camp with the assistance of her wind fury Cirrus, and quickly reports back to the First Lord Gaius. The First Lord Gaius, not without resources and power of his own, consequently sends Amara to the Calderon Valley where he senses the inchoate stirrings of doom.

In the Calderon Valley, we have Steadholder Bernard a tall, broad-shouldered widower commanding two powerful furies of his own (earth and wood), his sister Isana a powerful water craft commanding the water fury Rill and finally their 15 year-old nephew Tavi. Customarily, if the person were to command a fury, they would have done so well before Tavi's age, and he rues the absence of a fury of his own, a fact belittling the boy's status in the world of FURIES OF CALDERON.

The story then fragments into sundry pieces, each frantically driving the pacing. In one group we have Fidelias, Aldrick and Odiana, sent by the High Lord Aquitaine, a ruthlessly ambitious man fomenting the insurrection against the First Lord. Bernard and Tavi travel Calderon Valley in search of a flock gone astray. Isana remains at Bernardholt dealing with the inimical steadholder Kord. Finally, you have Amara traveling to Calderon Valley to gather information. Bernard and Tavi encounter the gargantuan Marat barbarians in their search for the flock, barbarians Alerans haven't seen in over 15 years. There appears to be a conspiracy afoot fomenting chaos and confusion. In fact, Fidelias has convinced the barbarian horde to attack Calderon Valley and Clan Herdbane's headman Atsurak leads the charge. Later, Tavi convinces Clan Gargant's headman Doroga and Clan Horse to dissent from Atsurak's complicity with Fidelias.

The story chugs along as characters separate and reunite fairly consistently with the Marat barbarian horde on the move.

The most enjoyable part of the novel definitely involved Tavi and Kitai's quest for the Blessing of Night. Tavi represents the Alerans and Kitai represents Clan Gargant in a competition to retrieve the Blessing (a magical mushroom) from the Valley of Silence amongst the Wax Forest crawling with deadly dog-sized wax spiders. If Tavi wins, Clans Gargant and Horse will withdraw from the Marat horde attacking Alera and help the Alerans instead at the battle taking place at the Garrison in Calderon Valley. This quest portends for Tavi much more than he bargained for though, and the full impact of exactly what he bargained for won't be realized until later novels.

I found the the interminable, incessant conclusion involving the climactic battle between half the Marat horde (Clans Wolf and Herdbane, still 10,000 strong), and the meager Aleran legion defending the Garrison led by Amara, very, very painful and insufferably long. Not to mention that it was glaringly obvious no one was going to die and that Tavi will triumphantly arrive with the Marat Clans Gargant and Horse to help. At the battle scene, Tavi does little else other than flail and run around.

Anyway, I can't believe I want to read the next novel in this series after this poor fantasy effort. I guess Jim Butcher hooked me enough to find out if/when Tavi will ever get his fury, who Tavi's parents are, will we see Tavi's Marat rival Kitai who turns out to be a girl, will Tavi grow out of his crying and screaming, will Amara and Bernard ever die. Episodic? Anecdotal? Fluff? Yep. Yep. And yep.

Red Seas Under Red Skies, by Scott Lynch [2]

**/***** (2/5)

Gentlemen Bastards sequence (so far)
1. The Lies of Locke Lamora (5/5)
2. Red Seas Under Red Skies (2/5)

Crooked Warden, give me a golden line of bullshit and the wisdom to know when to stop spinning it, [Locke] thought.

SPOILERS ahead.

The second installment of the Gentlemen Bastards sequence RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES (2007) returns our thieves Locke and Jean back to form. We see Locke doing what he does best: bullshitting out of his ass like never tomorrow! Locke always streaks his lies with traces of the truth, and RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES picks up where THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA left off: Locke dissembling, prevaricating, lying, and scheming for a big score. Again, we find Locke extemporizing with words and legerdemains on the fly, often plunging headfirst into volatile, sure-death situations without a plan or strategy until one seems to present itself. For example, explaining to Requin why Stragos has Locke and Jean go away to the Ghostwind Isles. Most of this was fun, but I found the conclusion a blur and entirely unsatisfying. I lost interest following The Major Death here, and the return-on-investment with this book, both from an entertainment standpoint and from a meaningful perspective, waned considerably in comparison to THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA. The deaths in THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA seemed to fuel the story whereas the The Major Death in RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES paralyzes the ending. Neither resolutions with Requin (Sinspire scheme) nor with Stragos (equivalent of Gray King plot, unwanted attention) in this novel compensated for Jean's loss from the reader's perspective.

Relatively speaking, I actually enjoyed the first 450 pages or so of this 576-page hardcover release. I really did. The rest ruined it for me though. Unlike THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA, Lynch's latest installment teems with too much set-up without the proper payoff. In fact, the return on investment and execution of RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES seems poor to average. For example, when Locke visits Salon Corbeau early in the novel for the construction of some chairs, the book spends quite a few pages detailing the macabre games at the arena in the city. Locke seethes and fumes over the participants' treatment ("defaults") and we knew that the book was destined to return to Salon Corbeau later. Unfortunately the "payoff" much later consists of 2 passages barely spanning 2 pages as the pirates pillage and plunder the city. We also have a long account of Locke and Jean training to climb down cliff faces with harnesses rope early on. The "payoff"? Maybe a couple lines telling us Locke and Jean slid down rope off of the Sinspire.

The Major Death here prompts Jean into a death offering. The "payoff"? Uh nothing really, they capture Stragos, that's about it. The conclusion was a blur, and I wasn't really interested after The Major Death, none of it made up for it. The circumstances leading to The Major Death were horribly contrived. All of a sudden, we have the existence of this potent alchemical globe capable of burning through ships, a ship's bane. In the ultimate act of heroism, our sacrificial lamb touches the globe that cannot be touched and hurls the globe to the other pirate ship where it finally shatters, engulfing the entire ship in flame and death. Conveniently, the globe didn't shatter earlier on our protagonists' ship the Poison Orchid.

In RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES, Scott Lynch seems to compensate for the relative absence of women in THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA. And compensating so much, I had trouble with my suspension of disbelief. You have close-to-40 Captain Drakasha and her first mate Lt. Delmastro. Both are strong women, and that's all well and good, but to see Drakasha handle another man like a toy was a little... uh, unbelievable? Now Locke is pretty small, so I can understand when she flings him like a nuisance out of her way earlier when they first meet in her cabin, but to strangle, drag and throw around Mazucca like he was little more than a toy was a little.... too much? Towards the end, you have Drakasha cleave other men effortlessly like Conan the Barbarian. All the arrows miss her even though she's front-and-center? How is that, just because she has 2 little children and we can't let Drakasha die, but the other death was necessary because it involved love between Jean & Ezri?

True to guy fiction, the love/romance here is tragic, and I could easily tell the novel would separate Jean and Ezri by the end of the novel at best. At worst ... Protestations of love in a SFF novel like this make me nervous because we know it only serves to foreshadow the worst (get the love out of the way early so the death means something when it hits). Can't have Ezri complicating Locke & Jean's comraderie for future books, right? Similarly, we know Locke means to steal Requin's painting ever since Locke observes the paintings in Requin's office.

Locke held up a glittering necklace, a braided band of gold and silver supporting a heavy gold pendant, studded with sapphires in the stylized pattern of a floral blossom... "That's a sweet piece," said Jean... "You didn't snatch that off a street."

"No," said Locke... "I got it from the neck of the governor's mistress."

"You can't be serious."

"In the governor's manor."

"Of all the -- "

"In the governor's bed."

"Damned lunatic!"

"With the governor sleeping next to her."

The night quiet was broken by the high, distant trill of a whistle, the traditional swarming noise of city watches everywhere. "It is possible," said Locke with a sheepish grin, "that I have been slightly too bold."
...
"I take some of it back," [Jean] said. "You might still be a lying, cheating, low-down, greedy, grasping, conniving, pocket-picking son of a bitch."

"Thanks," said Locke.

The Story, again, possible SPOILERS.

We pick up RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES in a vein very similar to the previous THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA: our Gentlemen Bastards' high-stakes con game going terribly, terribly awry by some unwanted attention from some powerful people. From THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA, we know that Locke crippled a Bondsmage who heralds from an elite cult, the Bondsmagi of Karthain. The Bondsmagi of Karthain own a monopoly on magic-users in Lynch's world, and to kill a Bondsmage instigates certain death for not only the perpetrator, but the perpetrator's family, friends and acquaintances. The complete and awesome power of the collective cult of magic-users exacts retribution for killing one from their order, and no man or woman of power is exempt from this order's complete retribution.

Although Locke didn't kill the Bondsmage in THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA, the Bondsmagi of Karthain stalk Locke and Jean making their presence known. On top of that, the Bondsmagi of Karthain have alerted the Archon of Tel Verrar, Maxilan Stragos, to the presence and dealings of our Gentlemen Bastards Locke and Jean. The military dictator of Tel Verrar and the most powerful man in the Tel Verrar, Stragos poisons Locke and Jean as a means of coercion and to use them as instruments for his own purposes. Locke and Jean don't know the ingredients of the poison and only Stragos can provide the antidote in regular doses every 2 months.

For 2 years, Locke & Jean's apparent target in RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES: a vault in the gambling tower of Tel Verrar's Sinspire. Requin runs the Sinspire and owns the vault where several Priori of Tel Verrar also place their fortunes.

As usual, Locke and Jean must balance their con game with Requin at the Sinspire, Stragos' attentions, mysterious assassins, and the most powerful cult in Lynch's world, the Bondsmagi of Karthain. Just great, they're royally fucked as usual!

Locke: "...Have we ever been less in control of our lives than we are at this moment? We can't run away from the archon and his poison, which means we can't just disengage from the Sinspire game. Gods know we can't even see the Bondsmagi lurking, and we've suddenly got assassins coming out of our assholes. Know something? I'd lay even odds that between the people following us and the people hunting us, we've become this city's principal means of employment. Tal Verrar's entire economy is now based on fucking with us."

Stragos sends Locke and Jean away to the seas to incite piracy over the seas around Tel Verrar. Stragos wants the entire city of Tel Verrar begging for him to assume more power, and in order to consolidate his power, he needs an opposition he can crush. After quite a bit of time as pirates on the sea, Locke and Jean return to Tel Verrar and balance the Priori, Stragos and Requin.

The adventures at sea were at times fun, but mostly felt out of place and horribly slow.

Heroes Die, by Matthew Woodring Stover [5]

*****/***** (5/5)

A lot of readers nowadays will eat up Harry Potter but won't touch the fantasy genre otherwise, harboring a healthy aversion to "elves, dwarves, dragons." It's an unfortunate stigma because there's a lot of books in science fiction and fantasy (SFF) written for adults and contains content and themes suitable for adults. That is, SFF books adults can enjoy and don't have to be ashamed of reading. Matthew Woodring Stover authors SFF a lot of us can enjoy. Deliciously arrogant about his views and books, author Matt Stover espouses mature content and themes. Not to mention damn fun reading.

Thankfully, Matt's Caine books are standalone novels, and you don't have to read a host of books just for the sake of continuing the overall story arc. Chronologically, HEROES DIE comes first, BLADE OF TYSHALLE second, but they're independent stories and only familiar characters connects the two. The Star Wars franchise took notice of Matt's writing and contracted him for several Star Wars novels after BLADE OF TYSHALLE (REVENGE OF THE SITH novelization, for example). He's finally returning to his Caine novels and I'm eagerly awaiting his next Caine novel slated for a mid-2008 release now.

Here's a brief review of HEROES DIE:

There's something really powerful and poignant about an old-fashioned struggle for love. At this book's core, we find the quintessential and ageless strife for love. Needless to say, HEROES DIE was a vastly immersing, engaging and enjoyable reading experience for me.

The science fiction/fantasy worlds of HEROES DIE manage to completely blur our idea of right and wrong & good and evil. At times, I find myself pitted against our protagonists, just beginning to understand the death and destruction they cause. At other times, I find myself behind his or her actions. No matter the reader's position or the storyline backdrop, you will always find yourself feeling something. As one of the mad characters mentions in the story, "Anything that is done out love takes place beyond good and evil..."

And trust me, there is never a dull moment. Stover packs every page with action and fervor. With a finale that had me shaking and unable to stop reading until I finished the book, I found myself riveted throughout.

Anti-hero Caine is an assassin in the gritty fantasy world of Overworld; Caine is notorious for killing many key figures in Overworld, kings and innocent commoners alike. Back on a futuristic Earth plagued by rigid social hierarchies dependent on affluence, Caine is Hari Michaelson. Actors such as Hari portal into the fantasy world of Overworld and incite death, destruction and chaos, all for the entertainment of the masses back on futuristic Earth. Overworld is real though, and not some virtual concoction so the people killed back on Overworld represent brutal finality. When the story begins, we're introduced to a bitter Hari estranged from his wife and wanting nothing more than to have her back. His wife Shanna plays the powerful sorceress Pallas Ril in Overworld.

I think the best way to describe Stover's writing: a fantasy romp. Gritty, realistic, and thoroughly entertaining. HEROES DIE contains graphic language and violence so use some discretion.

A Feast for Crows, by George R.R. Martin [1]

*/***** (1/5)

Unlike much formulaic epic fantasy overflowing in bookstores nowadays, many readers of SFF acknowledge George R.R. Martin's (GRRM) A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF) series as hip, trendy, and really for adults. Not since JRR Tolkien's THE LORD OF THE RINGS has an author captured so many readers. It brings back the medieval setting in fantasy in a big way, it's politically intriguing, historically rich, it's epic (big index), it's dark, it's unique (each chapter is written from a single character's point-of-view all over GRRM's world), and consists of a large cast of characters.

Unfortunately, it's also incomplete, and although the first 3 installments were completely engrossing, I found the latest installment (A FEAST FOR CROWS, 2005) pretty bad. Read the first 3, but skip this one, and wait until GRRM deigns to finish the upcoming A DANCE WITH DRAGONS in the next decade or so.

So far, in the A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF) series:

1. A Game of Thrones, (AGOT), 4/5
2. A Clash of Kings, (ACOK), 3/5
3. A Storm of Swords (ASOS), 5/5
4. A Feast for Crows, (AFFC), 1/5

"Above [the archers of Riverrun] streamed the banners of House Tully, the silver trout defiant on its striped field of red and blue. But the highest tower flew a different flag: a long white standard emblazoned with the direwolf of Stark."

(I always get goosebumps when I read this quote about the Stark flag)

I found A FEAST FOR CROWS such poor quality reading material, I can hardly believe George R.R. Martin's (GRRM) name on the book. Is the prose rich? It sure is, GRRM doesn't disappoint in that department, it's the subject of his prose which fails to move in the least.

It would appear George R.R. Martin can no longer discern the forest from the trees. He tells us the story has grown on its own accord and the pages and chapters we find in this book are somehow "necessary". A story growing on its accord is a sure indication of pumping the reader with pointless, worthless content. The subject material contained within 680 odd pages of this book could be summed up by a few sentences.

This book clearly forces stories where there are none.

The book invites the reader to read 680 or so pages of inane, mindless drivel for something to happen. Nothing ever does. A classic case of epic fantasy syndrome.

You know something is wrong with a book when each word of each sentence of each paragraph of each page of each chapter is read just to move on. And after you've finished the current chapter, you have another scintillating Cersei or Brienne chapter just around the corner; yes, I know, you're about to burst with excitement, contain yourself!

In the end, this book represents filler material, nothing more, nothing less.

This book contains so much additional history and so many additional characters and geneology of this person and that person and so many stories within stories, I find it hard to imagine any reader captured by any of it. I was mesmerized by the telling of the tourney at Harrenhal from 3 different perspectives in ASOS (the crannogmen, Jaime, Ser Barristen Selmy). The histories and stories within stories and the exponentially growing cast of characters contained in this book are so numerous and seemingly extraneous, I found myself reading just to arrive at an end, ANY end.

The pages and chapters comprising the 2 new perspectives - Cersei & Brienne - are by far the most numerous. Unfortunately, they are also a cure for insomniacs, boring, uneventful and dull, at least until the very end. Cersei's chapters doesn't inspire (anything) in the least, driving both Cersei and the reader to insanity from the mindless drivel contained therein.

SPOILERS ahead.

Cersei's chapters: she discovers Tywin has been murdered, goes to her father's funeral (so for 2 Cersei chapters we're still tying loose ends from the previous book), oh joy we get another meeting of the King's Council, more proceedings at court (as if all those meetings in AGOT and ACOK weren't enough, we had to have one from Cersei's perspective, so much better, right?), Cersei convincing a catspaw to kill Bronn, Cersei re-arming the Septons in exchange for a debt forgiven and a blessing, etc., etc.

Brienne's chapters: oh the beautiful contryside, the grass, the trees, the hedges, the burnt fields, traveling to Maidenpool, heading out from Maidenpool, oh back to Maidenpool, oh nevermind, heading out from Maidenpool again, etc., etc. And yes we know the common, small folk are in bad shape. Arya's chapters in ACOK & ASOS already shed light on that common element. We don't need Brienne's chapters showing us the same thing... yet again. GRRM sprinkles in a little sword fighting to spice things up as Brienne kills some Bloody Mummers she meets on the way to her hanging.

I’m still at a loss to explain Brienne’s presence in this novel, other than of course take up space and inflate a poor novel with more drivel. In Brienne’s last chapter we meet for the second time the thing that used to be Catelyn Stark (we met her first in aSOS) who "lives" (if you can call it that) for one purpose and one purpose alone: vengeance. After mindless traveling and some killing for good measure, Brienne ends her travels in aFFC in the hands of outlaws, and hangs at the Thing’s command along with an innocent Podrick Payne. Even though it was Brienne who actually saved the children at the inn? How come her sacrifice at the inn to save the children didn’t come up at her "judgement?" How come none of the children spoke for her? Yes, I’m still at a loss.

The goal of Brienne's traveling - Sansa Stark - dwells at the Eyrie as Alayne Stone, Petyr Baelish's natural daughter. At the end of ASOS, the reader received a preview of the training and tutelage Sansa will receive from the master of A Game of Thrones, Littlefinger. After a couple Alayne chapters, our suspicions are confirmed as Sansa sheds a little more of her innocent ignorance and learns more and more from Littlefinger. Sansa understands for herself that Littlefinger actually payed off Corbray to oppose him. As we could have guessed from ASOS, Littlefinger has the lords of the Vale dangling as puppets on his strings. In the final Alayne chapter, we receive a rather lengthy Arryn genealogy history as Littlefinger pulls some strings to set up Alayne Stone with sickly Lord Robert’s heir, "Harry the Heir." I wonder as to her reaction: a giddy schoolgirl when she was matched with Joffrey and Willas later on?

The chapters in the Iron Islands do not fare much better in the something-happening department. We knew from ASOS that Balon Greyjoy had died and that Euron Greyjoy sits the Seastone Chair. After 3 perspectives and 3 chapters from that area, nothing has changed. Wait though, you meet one thousand new characters from the region! Joy! Oh and we have yet another horn that commands dragons.

The first 3 Samwell Tarly chapters can be summed up by: Jon Snow sends Samwell Tarly, Gilly, Daeron (the singer), Aemon, and Gilly's babe (we learn different later on) by ship for Oldtown. Samwell is to become a Maester. They make a stop at Braavos, and -shock- Sam runs into Jon's sister Arya, unbeknowest to Sam. Oh but wait, nothing really comes of any of it.

After 400 pages, Arya has 2 chapters and again, nothing much happens. She's traveling to Braavos, and working as a servant in the temple of the many-faced God, training to become a Faceless Man it would seem.

I was struck by the second Arya chapter however. In the second Arya chapter, the "kindly man" at the temple forces Arya to abandon her possessions if she wishes to continue her training because she must truly give and give up everything she is to the Many-Faced God. An inner struggle ensues and she finds it very hard to abandon all her possessions. In the end, she throws away everything she's brought with her save one: Needle. She cannot bring herself to abandon Needle, since to her, it represents something more than just a blade. For Arya, Needle is Winterfell, Needle is the Old Gods, her father's Gods, Needle is her family, even Sansa, and Needle is Jon Snow. And despite having to give up everything you are to train as a Faceless Man, Arya can never truly abandon Arya Stark, daughter of Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell. "Who are you?" asks the kindly man. "No one," lies Arya. That was a wonderful piece of writing that I couldn't help reading again and again. The final Arya chapter leaves us in a cliffhanger very much akin to the style of the first 3 books. We’ll have to wait until next book to find out what happens to Arya.

We started with the Starks in Winterfell, and we’ve since seen a metaphoric winter claim them. We’ve seen an 8 year-old boy (Bran) crippled, we’ve read of Ned Stark’s beheading, Sansa beaten and whipped, Arya running, constantly running, Winterfell torched and decimated, Robb & Catelyn murdered and Robb’s host destroyed within a blink of an eye. Death and destruction seems to be a common theme with the Starks, with the Starks implanted on the receiving end.

Jaime starts out in King's Landing but then he's sent away by Cersei to bring the King's peace to the Riverlands, and particularly Riverrun which the Blackfish still holds, ever-defiant. Catelyn Stark released Jaime from Riverrun on the condition he will release her daughters and not raise a sword to a Stark or Tully. And now he returns to Riverrun for that very purpose. Jaime does make a stop at Harrenhal to release Wylis Manderly.

I found Jaime’s chapters very hard to read because of all the people and places we see, constant reminders of the Red Wedding: Riverrun, remarkably still flying the Stark banner, the Freys, Edmure Tully and the Blackfish, defiant to the last.

There sure is a lot training in this novel, isn't there? Everyone is either practicing or training, for something later it would seem. We hear of Jon Snow relentlessly practicing at swords, Jaime sparring with Ilyn Payne, Arya practicing with Needle and training to become a Faceless Man, Sansa training to become a player in the Game of Thrones, etc. A sure sign of a filler book through and through.

Finally, we also receive a more refreshing and eventful storyline, and one in which I didn’t mind the exponentially growing cast of characters: that from Dorne. Out of all of the storylines contained in this book, I found the Dorne storyline the most interesting and enjoyable. Something is actually happening in every chapter: the first, we find the Prince to be a very cautious man, completely the polar opposite of the Viper. The reader meets 3 of his Viper's daughters, one after another, all of whom desire revenge for their father's death. At the end of the first chapter, in an unprecedented and shocking move, the Prince orders Hotah (his Master of Arms, guard) to imprison all of the Viper's daughters including the toddlers. The fear of Tywin Lannister stretches all the way to Dorne it would seem, as the Prince hopes Tywin hears of Dorne's support for King's Landing by imprisoning the Sand Snakes.

In the second Dorne chapter, we read about a plot by the Princess Arianne to abduct Myrcella, crown Myrcella and raise her banners to free the Sand Snakes from her father and rebel against King's Landing. The Princess has completely seduced Myrcella's protector Arys Oakheart of the Kingsguard to do her bidding.

In the third Dorne chapter, someone close leaks Arianne's plans and Oakheart of the Kingsguard is slain and Arianne taken captive by her own father. The Prince is nothing if not resolute to keep Dorne out of a conflict which causes more bloodshed.

The fourth and final Dorne chapter hints of Prince Doran's plans, cautious yet not entirely idle. When his daughter inquires as to the nature of his plans, he places an onyx dragon game piece in his daugher's palm and replies, "Vengeance... justice... blood and fire."

Despite some interesting and enjoyable happenings in Dorne, I didn't care for any of the characters there in a character-driven series such as A Song of Ice and Fire.

A Feast for Crows firmly establishes Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons’ looming shadow upon Seven Kingdoms. Her dragons are coming, GRRM tells us in so many words, whether you’re ready or not. In the prologue and one of Cersei’s early chapters, we learn that sailors from Slaver’s Bay are bringing back stories of dragons. In the final Ironmen chapter, Victarion Greyjoy consents to travel to Slaver’s Bay and seemingly pluck Dany out for his wife. Aemon Targaryen dies drunk on Dany and her dragons, convinced down to his last breath that Dany and her dragons are their last hope against the Others and the terror that awaits the Seven Kingdoms beyond the Wall. "Dany is the one," he says. Prophecies of a younger, more beautiful queen robbing Cersei of everything she holds dear haunts Cersei’s dreams. Cersei believes Margaery Tyrell this "younger, more beautiful queen," and schemes to eliminate the young queen with whatever means necessary while completely ignoring sailors’ reports of a younger queen with dragons beyond the narrow sea. Victarion Greyjoy isn’t the only one on his way to meet Dany; Prince Doran apparently sent his oldest son Quentyn with some other lords to Dany.

Elements are on the move to Dany and this book sets the stage for A Dance with Dragons. Again, filler material.

Compared to Dany, Jon Snow’s humble place in the story as Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch remains small, dull and seemingly insignificant. We’re spared of any of his chapters with a promise to change that.

So you have elements on the move and elements practicing and training.

All in all, filler material and the first sign of an anecdotal epic fantasy disease in a series bereft of it thus far: inflated books that continue to no end but to fill the space in the pages. A Song of Ice and Fire hasn’t grown on its accord; it’s grown because GRRM sees the profit in stretching it out mercilessly.

A concluding thought about the finale, with ending chapters from Cersei, Jaime, Brienne, Alayne and Samwell. I haven’t read a more unsatisfying ending in the series. It isn’t that bad stuff happens, it’s that in general nothing happens which inspires in the least. aGOT ended with the North lords declaring Robb as the "King of the North!" and Dany hatching 3 dragons, aCOK ended with the Battle at Blackwater and Jon Snow sparring with the Halfhand, aSOS ended with... well, let’s just say a lot. What appeared the punch line of aFFC - the events at Riverrun from Jaime’s perspective - fizzled out very quickly. One moment the reader is anxious about what Edmure, Jaime and the Blackfish will do and the next moment Edmure is bringing down the Stark flag and Riverrun has yielded. The reader is left guessing what occurred between Edmure and the Blackfish and how the Blackfish ending up fleeing. GRRM does that a lot: he’ll end a character’s chapter in a cliffhanger and the very next time we see that character’s chapter, the ensuing events of the cliffhanger have already happened off-screen. Are we supposed to cheer when Jaime orders Cersei’s plea for help thrown in the fire? Are we supposed to care one way or the other?

Let’s not forget Cersei’s final chapter. Her attempts to oust roses from King’s Landing and secure the throne for herself and her son backfire when the High Septon imprisons her as well as Margaery. Are we supposed to cheer for this poor excuse of an ending to this horrible novel? I could care less one way or the other and endless Cersei chapters didn’t really make me hate her any more than I already had.

Zero build-up with zero payoffs, and nothing really happening. Another sure sign of a filler book.

GRRM tells us that despite his novels fitting into a larger series, he likes to have each novel with an independent beginning, middle and end such that they stand on their own. This book can’t stand anywhere, much less on its own.

We waited 5 years for... this? Here's to hoping the next book is nothing like this one. I say it will take over 2 years to release (2-to-1 odds on it). I’ll give you 100-to-1 odds if you pick under 2 years!

Archangel, by Sharon Shinn [1]

*/***** (1/5)

My first and inevitably my last novel by Sharon Shinn, ARCHANGEL explores a girl's faith in a story with strong Christian overtones. A fantasy novel preaching about having faith, there's a lot of bickering (between hero & heroine) in ARCHANGEL. ARCHANGEL's world is a sort of a religious utopia, and its grand city of Luminaux represents the height of the Utopian principles in all aspects: economy, social position, politics, etc. Every man in Luminaux goes to the job he loves, there's no such thing as a menial job in Luminaux. Through the nomadic, yet persecuted, gypsy-like Edori, the Edori customs and ways represent the height of a free, giving race; the Edori are perfect, all of their people good and wholesome beyond belief.

ARCHANGEL views all rich merchants in a very evil light, summarily condemning all of them and religiously denouncing all of their capitalistic practices to gain wealth. Simplistically, beautiful people are either power-hunger mongrels (Raphael) or ditzy dolts (Judith), except for our handsome hero Gabriel of course. "Metaphorical and ethical speculation was wasted on the literal-minded (and beautiful) Judith," Gabriel notes at one point.

There's 3 provinces in ARCHANGEL's world, with 3 angels to lead each province and an archangel which oversees everyone (included as 1 of the 3 "leading" angels). The archangel term lasts 20 years and oracles deduce from God the next chosen Archangel and his Angelica (or Angelico). Like most fantasy novels written by authors interested in romance, you have some sort of a soul-mate storyline and also similar to other other novels, you have the hero accepting it and quickly embracing his soul-mate (angelica) while the heroine very reluctant for the majority of the novel. In ARCHANGEL in fact, the heroine Rachel is resistant until the very last page of this 390-page superior paperback. There really isn't any warring factions or violence in ARCHANGEL's world as everyone lives in awe and fear of the Almighty God. The angels' power? Basically they pray in hymns and song to entreat god to help effect weather changes. Rain for farmers during a drought, for instance. The hero Gabriel is the most competent of the singing angels. There's plenty of concerts in the novel if you haven't guessed already by the way.

Finally, god tracks its "children" through the "Kiss of God," acorn-sized balls grafted into everyone's arms when they're a baby (similarly to a baptism). The balls illuminate when they're near people god wants to them love for bloodlines and procreation, and it's also supposed to help people find their true love. Even the final monumental climax is left in the hands of god.

Even though ARCHANGEL tells us early via its oracle Jesiah that the Archangel-elect Gabriel's Angelica will humble him, I thought it was his angelica Rachel that needed the humbling. The story begins with Rachel working as a slave in an affluent merchant household. Oh and just to preserve our heroine, this particular merchant household doesn't allow anyone to molest women slaves. The annual event Gloria, which celebrates, worships, sings and prays to god, is only 6 months away, and this year it marks the transition of power from the previous archangel Raphael to the archangel-elect Gabriel. Gabriel needs to track down his angelica quickly and God (via the oracle) is there to point him in the right direction. Handy!

The book clumps along as Gabriel finds Rachel early on and they fight with each other and other elements interfering in their confirmation as Archangel and Angelica on Gloria 6 months away.

I couldn't stand the story's religious preaching, I couldn't stand Rachel's character, and I couldn't stand anything about the other plots.

I had high hopes though. I liked how the heroine Rachel wasn't a virgin, I liked how she didn't swoon and melt at the hero's touch (only at his singing in this case), and I liked how Gabriel was very virtuous, and not the notorious libertine we find from romantic historicals. In case you're interested, there's no passionate scenes here, only goes as far as kissing.

Possible SPOILERS ahead, and various musings.

Rachel acts pretty superior and childish throughout, it's as though she alone understands the trials and tribulations of the poor and underprivileged. Anyone with a modicum of wealth or ambitions for fortune in Sharon Shinn's world are shunned as evil and power hungry. Certainly, this generalization holds true everywhere. Rachel flaunts her Edori heritage as superior to everyone and everything else. She's very juvenile and frosty with her husband too. By my count, Gabriel apologized to her at least 4 times for things he didn't know or understand about her, and he always shows her kindness and affection. Rachel reacts in her obligatory I-art-holier-than-thou attitude. When Rachel walks in on Gabriel and Judith, she secures Gabriel's promise later on that he has never slept with and never will sleep with Judith. They had begun fighting for a while, but this promise seems to have placated her. Inexplicably, they transition into a more amiable conversation. The amiable transition didn't follow after a heated discussion where both accused the other of infidelities. The author felt the need for Gabriel to comfort Rachel and dispel her misgivings, but not the other way around.

And it's Rachel who flirts with Obadiah, and the Edori Isaac and Adam. It's Rachel who kisses Isaac and Adam. I actually wanted to see Rachel get busy with Isaac & Adam and reject Gabriel. At least then Gabriel would be free of her. Lord.

I especially don't understand Rachel's cold desire to destroy an entire city, the city of Semorrah. For a Good Samaritan devoted to the betterment of the needy (she sets up a children's shelter and school), she wants to indiscriminately kill everyone in a city, she wants an entire city to pay for its slavery practices? Her friend the Lady Mary who lives in Semorahh would die too wouldn't she? Huh? What? How does this compute? At least think about vengeance discriminately, against the Jensai slavers maybe? Not an entire city!

It's so horrific to be an Archangel-elect's angelica in Rachel's mind. She doesn't want to be an angelica (predictably), and more than twice she thinks she will not forgive Gabriel for bringing her. She will not forgive Gabriel for freeing her from slavery and bestowing upon her every kindness and lavish comfort at her fingertips. Now she finds herself in a position of power to do something about the unfair poverty and build shelters and schools for orphaned children, yet of course she will not forgive Gabriel for plucking her out of slavery. Obviously, all of Rachel's childish reactions and juvenile fits of defiance serve simply as a ploy to add some romantic tension. Poor delivery in the novel here, because I didn't see so much a romantic tension than I did a childish juvenile rebelling against everyone and everything for the sake of being contrary. I thought Rachel was 25 and not a teenager?

Like heroes and heroines from other romance novels, ARCHANGEL has Gabriel justify Rachel's disdainful and combative disposition towards him by having Gabriel think he would prefer willful wife than a submissive one. Well, it is possible to be willful and not quite so bitchy. Gabriel shows her caring and kindness at almost every turn, attempting to talk to her but predictably she lashes out at the only person who will take it, her husband Gabriel. Shinn has Gabriel think and care for Rachel relatively early despite her belligerent, bratty attitude. In fact, Gabriel is constantly remorseful (for having to be away from Rachel), caring and affectionate towards Rachel. Consistently, Rachel fails to reciprocate Gabriel's caring and instead presents Gabriel with a childish, spiteful disdain. Stop whining and get over yourself for once.

Gabriel bestows every courtesy and kindness to Rachel. Gabriel makes an elevator lift available for Rachel to subvert her fear of heights, Gabriel agrees to provide funding for Rachel's shelter and school for orphaned children, Gabriel gives her gold bracelets as her wedding present, Gabriel asks after her well-being at every chance, it's always Gabriel who feels remorse for parting with Rachel badly (even though Rachel is equally to blame), for all of Rachel's juvenile fits of defiance and anger, it's always Gabriel apologizing and seeking forgiveness, it's Gabriel giving her gold-embroidered gloves as a gift.

In response, Rachel openly flaunts her friendship with the angel Obadiah, a close friendship which chafes her husband Gabriel.

The immature adolescence Rachel so exuberantly sponsors ranges to levels far beyond my comprehension. Get this. At this end, she's beyond petty and vindictive. Gabriel is aware Rachel's most fervent "justice" is to see the entire city of Semerroh destroyed. When it's clear that just such a feat will come to fruition if she will not sing, she uses that knowledge to test Gabriel's love and devotion to her instead, spiting him for not believing in her. When she threatens the city and its people if Gabriel doesn't promise to leave her alone, Gabriel quickly acquiesces to her ludicrous demands. After, she cries thinking how she wanted Gabriel to risk destroying hundreds of people so he would say he would rather have her instead. Despite telling her before that the only angelica he would ever accept by his side would be Rachel, and that he wouldn't choose another angelica had she died. Despite telling her that he would always come back to her if he ever leaves. Despite comforting her and protecting her, despite sheltering her under his sensitive wings no one is supposed to touch.

Man, I've never seen a character so selfish, so childish, so juvenile, so immaturely spiteful as ARCHANGEL's Rachel. And she hates Gabriel for choosing to save hundreds of lives instead of be with her, an ultimatum she herself lays down. Are you serious? Is that even a choice? That's no choice at all, any likable hero would sacrifice himself and his beloved in a heartbeat if not doing so meant the death to thousands of other innocents. There is nothing romantic about this retarded "choice" Rachel tests Gabriel with.

After all this, Rachel stays away for months traveling with the Edori and then when she finally decides she wants Gabriel back, she tests him yet again. She makes Gabriel with his broad wings walk through iron stakes on the top of a mountain he can't land on. Yep. Childish. Juvenile. Petty. Vindictive. Adolescent.

This book is garbage. I need to take my own advise, and I'll stop whining now. Needed to vent! Oh by the way, the prose and settings aren't half bad (though nothing great).

Tigana, by Guy Gavriel Kay [1]

*/***** (1/5)

A Review, SPOILERS galore. Considered by many as revolutionary in epic fantasy storytelling, here's my take on Kay's TIGANA (1990) which I read some time back.

3/10

9/10, if you teach a literature class, and you want your students to write an essay for purely instructional purposes.

If you were ever to create Top-10 list of fantasy novels replete with emotional angst, misery and malaise, you must include Kay's TIGANA in this list. I found TIGANA so unsatisfying, so uninspiring, so emotionally draining, I would be reluctant to pick up another Kay novel ever again. There's a story here, but it isn't meant to entertain. Its central intent? To teach, to share wisdom. Like many others, I have to finish a book I start, and with TIGANA, I felt as if I was being forced to read this book so I can write an essay for a class way back in high school or college. I was begging for some Terry-Goodkind preaching after this novel.

Even not having read Kay's afterword, the reader can sense there's some themes, some lessons, that Kay wants to ascribe to the reader. The didactic prose of the book drips into the farthest recesses of your mind while you're reading this.

Clearly, Kay wanted to teach some lessons in TIGANA, as he explains in the afterword of his Tenth-Anniversary edition of TIGANA. Kay wanted to impart -- emotionally and spiritually and relentless in his prose, in his diction -- what it means to refuse letting the past be in the past. Through the binding between the Alessan and the wizard Erlein, Kay also wanted to teach what it means to use unwilling instruments (people) as tools in your quarrels, in order to raise questions to the legitimacy of the plight. This theme also takes root in Alessan's mother cursing his son on her deathbed for not doing anything about the past, at least not in her eyes. The one person - Dianora - who begins to conquer her past with a promise of love commits suicide by plunging into the water, because in the end, she could not escape her past, her history.

The other central theme Kay wants to drum out mercilessly: the duplicity, the ambiguity, and the divided loyalties of human nature. This is also best represented in Dianora's character, although there's traces of it in Alessan. Obviously, Kay wants to show the good in evil, and the evil in good in a genre, as he says, "tends not to work that way." Well thank you, Guy Gavriel Kay, for shedding some of my naivety, I happened to be waiting for you to do it.

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed Kay's witty humor and political intrigue. In the bar scenes, whether in the beginning in The Paelion, or towards the end, in the inn Solinghi. When Kay isn't edifying us and torturing us with emotional angst, he's certainly readable.

The prose isn't bad, though the messages very repetitive at times. The opening 100 pages or so were, for the most part, fun, witty and full of political intrigue. Then, Kay does a 180 and brings to home what he really wants to talk about when Dianora's perspective starts appearing in waves and waves. Kay often times repeats things over and over again just to fill the pages, about Devin's cursed memory (again and again), about Devin thinking about Alessan's burdens (again and again), about Dianora's life line leading to this moment, to this path (again and again and again in different words). Furthermore, although I enjoy worldbuilding, Kay takes worldbuilding to insufferable heights. For a stand-alone ~650-page epic fantasy novel, Kay is explaining about the history of this province or the history of that ritual or the gods more than 500 pages into it! And it length! Unacceptable, if you ask me.

Also, George R.R. Martin (GRRM) does this too, but I find it acutely unreadable the way Kay leaves the import of the action off-screen. For example, when Dianora returns to Brandin after seeing a riselka for her path made clear, a humanoid creature with green hair and blue veins, Brandin divulges his plans. The reader never hears about the plans, and Kay leaves words to the effect that Dianora listened and cried and listened. Brandin's plans are divulged much later when Alessan, Erlein and Devin visit Alessan's dying mother at Eanna's Sanctuary (one of the goddesses in the Triad of TIGANA).

The Story.

Some 20 years ago, a very powerful sorcerer - Brandin - conquers the western provinces one by one in a peninsula called the Palm. One of the last provinces to fall - proud Tigana - fought back mightily as Prince Valentin of Tigana slays Brandin's beloved son, his youngest son. Brandin brings the absolute and titanic wrath of his awesome power down upon Tigana, decimating everything and killing most everyone in the province. With his sorcery, Brandin also strips the name Tigana from everyone in the Palm not born in Tigana before its fall, calling the province Lower Corte thenceforth. This expropriation of the name Tigana from the Palm serves as the catalyst and underlying impetus of the entire story. I was very unmoved by this underlying energy which drives the characters we read about.

In the beginning we read about the Duke Sandre staging his own death so as to bring together enemies of another sorcerer Tyrant, this time from the eastern Palm, a sorcerer called Alberico, weaker than Brandin. The Duke's plot goes awry when he's betrayed by one of his grandsons, resulting in the death of everyone from his family and other noble families in the Duke's province Astibar. Here we also meet one of the two main perspectives comprising the bulk of the story, our talented, young 19 year-old singer, Devin. Devin serves one purpose and one alone in Kay's story: Devin is our eyes and ears into Alessan, Prince Valentin's youngest son who manages to escape Brandin's carnage of Tigana. Alessan is older now, in his mid-30s and has made it his life-long mission to excavate both Tyrants from the Palm, Brandin from the western palm and Alberico from the eastern palm. In this singular goal, Alessan and Baerd (Dianora's brother) are building contacts throughout the eastern Palm sympathetic to Alessan's cause and against both Alberico and Brandin and everything the tyrants represent.

Returning to Devin, he is a gifted singer touring in the eastern palm, and he discovers he was born in Tigana right before it was destroyed. While most cannot say or hear the name Tigana because of Brandin's magic, those born in Tigana before the destruction can say and hear the name Tigana. My first thought: so Brandin has so much power, but can't vanquish the name Tigana from everyone, including those born in Tigana before the destruction? I guess we wouldn't have a story otherwise. In any case, Alessan does remember the name, as does others born there before Tigana's fall, people like Devin and Baerd and Catriana.

I have many problems with focusing the story on Alessan's side from Devin's perspective. First, I hate it when authors use insignificant characters of no import or impact simply to magnify the mysticism, the intrigue and power of another character. Devin is bewitched by Alessan and Alessan's cause and to return Tigana's name to the hearts and minds of everyone in the Palm, expunging the two tyrant sorcerers in the process. Kay relentlessly makes Devin oooh and aaaah at everything Alessan says and does, as Devin incessantly notes the burdens Alessan has to deal with. Devin is not only bewitched by Alessan, but Devin is constantly thinking what Alessan may be thinking at a certain time! Since Alessan is the last surviving heir of Tigana and obviously very significant, why not just focus on Alessan's perspective?!? Why force the story from Devin's perspective? Devin does little to add to the story (and Alessan's cause) on his own merit, except possibly for Kay to show us that Devin his plagued with an impeccable memory. Devin's memory is his curse, Kay tells us (many times in the beginning). Again, getting back to Kay's lesson of letting the past be in the past.

I believe one of the biggest reasons to read speculative, escapist fiction is to read about characters that go above and beyond the normal, the average. That can do more, that are more. Devin is nothing if not ordinary through every fiber of his being, there is nothing interesting about him, all the intrigue lies with the puppetmaster forcing everyone to dance to his pipes, Alessan. For all of Kay's beliefs in find the good in the evil and the evil in the bad, what happened to letting us inside the head of powerful characters, or a puppetmaster like Alessan? Especially in this genre. Devin is a character that's less than useless, other than to highlight Kay's history lesson.

For all of Devin's impeccable memory and intuition, Devin never really does catch on that Dianora is Baerd's sister. All of the hints are there for him in plain sight too. Before Devin passes out in a barn after severely injuring his leg, he hears of Baerd's childhood friend Nadoo ask about Dianora, and how 14-15 years ago, she disappeared. Then shortly thereafter, Devin and the reader consantly hears about this girl from Certando province brought to Brandin on one his Tribute ships for his harem. And how she almost started a war because Certando is one of Alberico's provinces, not Brandin's. Even when Devin sees her in person and hears more about her in Chiara when they visit the province Brandin holds court, he doesn't connect the dots. Please, for someone as cursed with memory as he's supposed to be, he sure does miss out on a lot of information. At one point, Alessan dismisses the Certando woman having the same name as Baerd's sister as coincidence. Even though the timing of when she was taken on the Tribute ship fits perfectly. For all the connections Alessan and Baerd gather in the 15-16 years throughout the Palm following Tigana's destruction, you're telling me they couldn't trace her? Or find this woman's name which bears the same name as Baerd's sister oddly interesting? The woman who almost started another war with the other Tyrant sorcerer when she was taken to Brandin's harem? Not even Devin's flawless memory can put together all the pieces here? I thought that was Devin's purpose? To absorb information and slowing connect the dots. Okay, I was mistaken Devin is _much_ less than useless, not just less than useless.

Which brings us to the other major perspective comprising the bulk of the story, Dianora. Dianora's heart-wrenching chapters and emotional angst represent the crux of the story and a key lesson Kay wants to teach us. I wouldn't exactly call Dianora's perspective fun, not by any stretch of the imagination. Dianora's character lies at the heart of Kay's story though, and easily eclipses other characters and other happenings. Easily. I would go insofar as to rename the title of this book to DIANORA instead of TIGANA. Because Dianora's inner turmoil even eclipses Alessan's cause to restore Tigana's name and drive the tyrant sorcerers out of the Palm.

Dianora is from Tigana, you see, 13 or 14 at the time Tigana falls to Brandin the Tyrant, and subsequently decimated. Dianora hears of her father's death, watches the glorius city of Tigana destroyed, people killed, her mother go insane, and her brother and friend Nadoo beaten. After her brother Baerd comes upon a riselka and leaves home to find Alessan, the last surviving heir to Tigana, Dianora watches the flames of a fire die but twinning snakes emerge in her heart - twins of memory for what she's seen and witnessed, and hatred for the man who did it, hatred for Brandin the sorcerer. After her brother Baerd leaves, Dianora makes it her life mission to kill Brandin in her own way. She grows into a very beautiful woman and at 19, she's captured on one of Brandin's Tribute Ships which wisks away women for Brandin's harem, his saisan, from his conquered provinces. Dianora is successful in getting taken away on one of these Tribute Ships given her astounding beauty.

As fate would have it however, Dianora falls in love with Brandin. The overwhelming love for this powerful man (Brandin) eventually subdues the twinning snakes of memory and hate in her heart. The same powerful man who conquered her home, destroyed her kingdom, and killed her father. She eventually hopes against all hope that she can live with this man, continue to love this man, and that at the same time, she can somehow restore Tigana's name. Oh and by the way, despite abducting women from his conquered provinces, cruelly torturing people in sickening ways, putting people to death on wheels, and laying Tigana to waste, Brandin isn't really a bad guy. In fact, Brandin is very affectionate, very compassionate. Over time, just as Dianora comes to love Brandin, so too does Brandin come to favor Dianora's wit and humor, so too does the reader receive a glimpse into Brandin's compassion, his good through Dianora's eyes.

Obviously, Kay wants to demonstrate some good in evil and the ambiguity of human nature, not the straight forward good vs. evil we often find in this genre. Further, Kay invites us to see how love in a character can help conquer their past.

Well that would be all well and good if Dianora wasn't so torturous to read. And the upshot of all of her pages? Love isn't enough. That's right, love isn't enough. Thank you and good night. I think a soap opera would be less torturous to watch than read about Dianora's emotional angst over her divided heart. For my part, I don't even see a contest. Kay doesn't really spend time on how Dianora came to love Brandin, only that it happened gradually over 15 years. We're spared of any love making scenes between Brandin and Dianora and there really aren't any scenes between the 2 which would constitute as "romantic." So given the text we have to go on, I'm just not compelled by this overwhelming love Dianora feels for Brandin. For my part, I would have killed Brandin long ago, but Kay points that may shift the balance of power in the Palm to Alberico, and we're led to believe that she's doing us a favor by loving Brandin and saving him from assassination attempts. At one point, Dianora is thinking in her mind to Brandin: LET GO, to something Brandin is saying. Obviously a plea to let go of the past and his hatred of Tigana for killing his beloved son, set Tigana's name free, so she can love him with her whole heart, not just half.

I have to address the Night Walker storyline which comes out of no where, and again reinforces Kay's lesson about letting the past be in the past. Apparently the Night Walkers are cultish group of people with magic, persecuted before the sorcerors conquered the Palm, and executed by the provinces of the Palm for following a religious orientation outside of the accepted the Triad. Baerd travels to another dimension with the Night Walkers to help defeat a nameless enemy - the Others - for a battle over the land, over soil and food. The whole chapter seemed like something from another dimension, which didn't really belong. Ironically enough, it is these same persecuted people of magic which help Alessan's assembled wizards against Brandin's powerful and overwhelming sorcery. That's right, there's a lesson in there. Let the past be in the past!

Kay classifies TIGANA as a romantic adventure, but I would call it anything but. Possibly a romantic tragedy read in a class to analyze, scrutinize and learn. But not simply to read. The most notable "romance" is that between Dianora and Brandin, but it is hardly adventurous. When Devin leaves Alienor after a vicious, but meaningless night of love making, he says something to that effect; that is, maybe we don't feel anything because we think this is all we deserve. The way Kay presents it, there's another lesson in there about sleeping around without any substance. As if our singer boy has stumbled upon some startling revelation for us all to take away. In a couple pages each, we're treated to sparks of romance between some other characters: Devin and Alais, Baerd and Elena, the Night Walker, and finally, between Alessan and Catriana. The final pairing I found very unsatisfying and incongruous, especially since we never receive a perspective from Alessan which would lead us to to the professed love Alessan claims for Catriana. Kay pairs them up but there's hardly any romance really or substance here to these supposed romances. If there wasn't any substance between Devin and Alienor in their feral sex, there certainly isn't any substance in the one page we see Devin kiss Alais towards the end. Substantive romance isn't what Kay is interested in anyway, at least not in TIGANA.

Unimaginate, average and otherwise torturous characters, lessons in every plot and story and an overabundance of worldbuilding. That just about sums up my experience of Kay's TIGANA.

Some concluding thoughts about the finale of TIGANA, with a plethora of magic all at once in a book that uses magic very subtly for the most part. Finally in the end, Brandin does let go of the past and his hatred of the province of Tigana which killed his beloved son. But by then, as Alessan notes from Devin's perspective, it is way too late. In the end, Brandin unleashes everything all the magical power he possesses to kill the rival tyrant sorcerer, Alberico, in a battle that Alessan deftly maneuvers to craft. After Brandin is fully spent, the magic which prevents anyone from hearing or saying Tigana is also released. Brandin also liberates control of his court fool, Rhun, who turns out to be Prince Valentin enslaved and tortured all these years by Brandin's hatred for killing his beloved son. Valentin promptly remembers who he is and kills and Brandin after Brandin is completely spent. Valentin is slain by Brandin's loyal guard, D'Eymon. D'Eymon, seeing how Brandin is killed, plunges the sword in his own body while Dianora promptly plunges into the water to drown after her love Brandin is killed.

There's supposed to be wedding between the new Prince of Tigana, Alessan, and Catriana. The End. I've read some unsatisfying endings, but this is right up there. I'm not sure I got anything out of this than torturous lesson I really didn't need.