There is a great deal to admire about this ambitious novel: its central characters are vividly drawn, complex, and satisfyingly larger than life. ParkThere is a great deal to admire about this ambitious novel: its central characters are vividly drawn, complex, and satisfyingly larger than life. Parker-Chan’s sense of place is authentic. And the genderqueer themes are a welcome presence in the landscape of mainstream fantasy literature. Where this book falls short for me is in its many chapters of palace and court intrigue; the inclusion of a vast cast of supporting players makes following the twisting threads of betrayals and shifting loyalties challenging and murky.
Still, over all, I’m glad to have spent time following this tale, and I’ll be interested to see its development in future installments.
Merged review:
There is a great deal to admire about this ambitious novel: its central characters are vividly drawn, complex, and satisfyingly larger than life. Parker-Chan’s sense of place is authentic. And the genderqueer themes are a welcome presence in the landscape of mainstream fantasy literature. Where this book falls short for me is in its many chapters of palace and court intrigue; the inclusion of a vast cast of supporting players makes following the twisting threads of betrayals and shifting loyalties challenging and murky.
Still, over all, I’m glad to have spent time following this tale, and I’ll be interested to see its development in future installments....more
This was a bewildering, entertaining, and inventive sequel to the wonderfully enjoyable Gideon the Ninth. I can’t say that I’m able to parse fully allThis was a bewildering, entertaining, and inventive sequel to the wonderfully enjoyable Gideon the Ninth. I can’t say that I’m able to parse fully all of the implications of the various revelations and plot twists that Muir flings at her readers in this installment, but that doesn’t overly trouble me. As with the first novel, I have the feeling that Muir is wanting some of her thornier emotional beats to land with a little more impact, and for me, they fall short of that. But I remain thoroughly impressed by how confidently and wittily and boldly she crafts her work, and I definitely will continue on with The Locked Tomb. ...more
This book started out promisingly, with a breezy style and a welcome exploration of class differences as told in a fantasy setting. And its central chThis book started out promisingly, with a breezy style and a welcome exploration of class differences as told in a fantasy setting. And its central characters felt fresh and alive.
But as it wore on, it became clear that Canavan had almost no sense of dramatic tension or plot momentum, and a tedium set in that, coupled with mounting excessive cliches such as all characters sighing multiple times on a page, made me resist picking up the book, until at long last I finished it.
Ah well, another popular fantasy selection that I read because it was voted up by the SF and Fantasy Book Club goes into my growing pile of two-star reads. ...more
This is an intriguing, emotionally chilly exploration of the theory of the multiverse, and of how class differences are also in some ways manifestatioThis is an intriguing, emotionally chilly exploration of the theory of the multiverse, and of how class differences are also in some ways manifestations of parallel universes.
I was always kept at an arm’s length from being emotionally engaged as much as I think Johnson was hoping her readers would be, which is what ticked down the rating a notch.
But she’s an assured, inventive writer with a lot on her mind, and I’ll definitely follow her career with interest. ...more
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