I plan to start giving you a review of what I’ve been reading on Thursday of each week. For now, let’s play a little catch-up and see what I’ve read so far in 2010.
The Ghost King by R.A. Salvatore
Ugh. This is a hard one to write. I admit I’m a big fan of R.A. Salvatore’s Drizzt books, but I find myself a little disappointed in the Transitions trilogy. I know Salvatore is somewhat constrained by the powers that be at Wizards, but it seems to me the three books were somewhat lacking in purpose. Sure, the books are serving as a bridge to novel readers to the changes imposed on Toril by the newest edition of AD&D rules, but that’s no excuse to not have a plot beyond killing of beloved characters in spectacular ways.
Plus, I have a heavy prejudice against zombies and undead creatures in general. I think they’re really dumb plot devices. That’s just my opinion, and in light of many currently popular books, I suspect many readers don’t feel the same.
At least The Ghost King seemed to have more purpose than the two preceding volumes. The Orc King seemed to just reinforce the new status quo of the uneasy truce between Oubold’s orcs and Mithril Hall, but did offer small glimpses of the future. The Pirate King just turned the already shady Luskan into an even seedier parody of itself. Neither story really seemed to advance the story of the Companions of the Hall and their place within it.
The Ghost King finally gave us a firsthand look at what the Spellplague was doing to the magic users of Toril, and a small glimpse into the shakeup of the pantheon. In the end, I was left feeling a little cheated, and not just because of the death of Cattie-brie, Regis, and Cadderly. Drizzt may have become the star of the stories, but I fear for the franchise now that two of the Companions are dead, and another is in self-imposed exile (Wulfgar).
I hope Salvatore’s got something exciting and innovative up his sleeve.
Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky
I loved this one, and can’t wait to get into the next two volumes of the series. As with all good fantasy, the world Tchaikovsky has crafted is at once both strange and familiar. Though it took me a little getting into, I really think the idea of insect kinden—different strains of humans who’ve retained insect-like characteristics and abilities throughout their evolution—worked well. This is also the first book I’ve ever read which has true steampunk elements woven throughout the story. The balance between the revolutionary industrial machine and the fantastic was just right.
Empire in Black and Gold is gritty and realistic. The characters on both sides of the epic struggle are solid, and you get a real sense of their humanity. Real-world issues are confronted and dealt with in a blunt manner. Slavery, ethnic cleansing, racism, class envy/warfare, insurrection, politics, survival, coming of age, technology, mythology, they’re all there. You nearly feel like you’re reading a first-hand account of Hilter’s march across Europe, only set on a different world.
The war’s just getting started, and I’m hopeful the next two volumes will be just a rich as the first.
Bauchelain and Korbal Broach by Steven Erikson
This is a very solid collection of three short stories from Erikson set in the same world as his epic Malazan Book of the Fallen series. We get to look into the warped lives of two of the most powerful individuals on the planet, Bauchelain and Korbal Broach. The first story, Blood Follows, shows us how Emancipor Reese came to be Bauchelain’s manservant, and just how twisted and (a)morally depraved the pair of necromancers are.
You get a real sense over the course of the three stories that the world should be thankful the two, most especially Bauchelain, seem to be content to travel the world in search of knowledge and new experiences. Hints of the power at Bauchelain’s disposal, particularly in the third story, The Healthy Dead, lead me to believe he could hold his own against the likes of Tayschrenn, or maybe even Anomander Rake.
As a side note, the biting political/religious/ethical commentary provided by Bauchelain in The Healthy Dead is some of most brilliant prose I’ve ever read.
The three stories are not for the faint of heart, as Erikson lets the characters revel in their moral neutrality. If you thought the world of Malazan was dark, wait until you ride alongside Emancipor Reese and his employers. I dare you not to shudder.
The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
I was right. Giving Brandon Sanderson the helm of Jordan’s Wheel of Time series did nothing but make it better. I’m not trying to bash Jordan. Nothing could ever take away the fact that the story, plot, convolutions, characters, and creativity were all originally his. Like many readers, I had to try three times to get into the series because of how ponderous the writing was from the very outset. Admittedly, once I forced myself through the first half of Eye of the World I was hooked. As will all series, there were ups and downs, strengths and weaknesses.
What it comes down to, for me at least, is that I think Sanderson is simply a superior writer. Jordan was a fantastic story-weaver, but his writing never seemed to flow for me. I have a hard time saying this, being an aspiring writer myself. I know just how hard the creative process can be, and Jordan was a master at crafting a story.
I think Sanderson did a masterful job of continuing the feel of the series. Though differences in writing style are readily apparent, every character sounded the same as they always had in my imagination. There were never any jarring differences between what Jordan had created and what Sanderson continued. I can’t imagine the amount of care that was put into writing The Gathering Storm.
Sanderson has completely reenergized the series for me, and I eagerly await the next volume.
Crystal Rain by Tobias S. Buckell
Here’s a book where the aspiring author in me won an internal debate, and I’m glad for it. I’ve had Buckell’s books on my to-be-read list for a while, and finally got around to them. After the first few chapters, I seriously considered giving up and moving on to another author. The story was slow, and just not working for me. I wasn’t connecting with the characters, and had my doubts about the story going anywhere.
Something inside me told me to give it the same chance I hope agents, editors, and readers will one day give me. I stuck with it and found a very interesting story. While fairly straightforward, Crystal Rain hints at a much larger universe and a greater struggle that plagued mankind in the past, and will rear its ugly head again soon.
As an aside, I can’t tell you how many times I felt like I was reading something set in Sandra McDonald’s universe from The Outback Stars. I thought it was pretty neat then when I read in Buckell’s acknowledgements a thanks to one of his writers groups, of which McDonald is a member.
Like McDonald’s series, I loved the creativity behind basing the book’s culture on something other than modern North American, or ancient Western (Greece/Rome) civilization. The people populating Buckell’s world are of Caribbean stock, no surprise since the author himself grew up in those azure waters. Once you get a grip on the dialect, and the story gets moving, you’re in for a treat.
