books read recently

[salinea]

The Cloud Road & The Serpent Sea by Martha Wells, the two first volumes of a fantasy series about Moon, a guy shapeshifting in to a flying reptile finally finding out about who the people he's of are, and trying to integrate into their society, while they face great threat.
The setting and premise has a pretty refreshing atmosphere in world building : There's a very great diversity of people in the Three Worlds, whether they be Groundlings, Sealings or Skylings, and this is obviously a very vast world. Gives it a sort of Vancian pulpish vibe. The plot itself isn't great, but the core of the story about Moon - a rather reserved, prickly and laconic guy - trying to deal with suddenly having a family, who has all sorts of expectations of him, after having been used to always hiding who he was to people by fear of being cast of or attacked, is very engrossing. The society he finds itself in is very well depicted and explored - it reminds me a little bit of a the Dragon Riders of Pern with most of the skeeviness removed on the way it deals with the social structure and specific castes when dealing with marriage. In fact it's pretty good at being subversive gender wise in a rather deconstructive way. There's a couple of secondary characters I especially liked, especially old cheeky bastard Stone and the adorable Chime; and this was a very entertaining and delightful read. (also scratched my kink for people sleeping together in a very hurt/comfort way - i mean sleep, not sex :p not that there isn't any sex going on).

A Companion to Wolves by Sarah Monette & Elisabeth Bear, the first novel in a fantasy series about a group of warriors who are a mindlinked to magical wolves who war against trolls in a northern flavoured setting. If the books above reminded me a little bit of the Dragon Riders of Pern with most of the skeeviness removed; this one reminded me A LOT of the Dragon Riders of Pern with most of the skeeviness put front and center for an examination which tries to transcend it (I think), but fails and mostly manages to be very id ficcy. Not a bad id fic by any means, but you know, it's a social structure which relies on ritualistic gang rape and that's the way it is. If I compare it to Sarah Monette's Doctrine of the Labyrinth series which also seemed very id-ficcy at times, but managed to always use such scenes as plot relevant and important to the themes examined so they never really felt gratuitous, I think this one falls shorter. Although they do try to use in a gender thematic way - the protagonist does go from accepting without questions the baseline sexism and patriarchy of his culture to thinking ahead of how to try to improve things for his daughter, and this is, in part, related to the position he's placed as someone mindbound to a female wolf. But, since at the same time very few of the characters in the story are women (that is, there are a handful of important characters who are female - such as a wolves - but none of them are humans), I don't think this was put enough to the forefront to be thematically relevant enough. Enough for that part, plot wise, there isn't all that much going on, in fact one of the main flaw of the series is that the protagonist is a little bit too... flawless and good at the challenges he's set up with, but it's solid enough as a coming of age story.

The Silent Tower by Barbara Hambly, an early fantasy novel of Hambly, with a modern earth woman being thrust into a medieval-but-on-the-verge-of-industrial-revolution world in a way related to a mysterious series of death involving magic and wizards. I had some trouble with this one. There are three main characters, two of which have point of views, and the third is an enigmatic is-he-the-villain-or-isn't-he? and it's a little bit too obvious that he isn't the villain because he's totally awesome and hot in a mild librarian who is also badass Remus Lupin way, and the others are, like, totally wrong to suspect him, and the earth woman who is also a total geek who makes D&D reference when talking about the fantasy world she finds herself in, falls in love with him, and at this point it just feels way too... pat and wish-fulfillment-y for me, I'm afraid. Although the enigmatic character was pretty cool until it was so obvious he was wrongfully suspected, and the second one - a young and rather earnest ninja warrior - was a very decent character as well. But I'm not sure I'll bother with the sequels.

The Irregulars by various authors, is an anthology of urban fantasy mystery M/M short stories by various authors all revolving about a secret state organisation having to deal with magical creatures related threats and crimes. It was pretty cool, most of the creatures had a faery vibe which was refreshing and well done, most of the characterizations is decent. Some of the plots were better than others, but overall it was an entertaining read.

Somebody Kill his Editor & All She Wrote by Josh Lanyon, amateur smartass sleuth M/M novels in which the protagonist is a mystery writers himself. Those were pretty cute, mostly light hearted, with decent enough plots and amusing characters.

Oucast Mine by Jamie Craig, a space opera prison M/M novel, which was crap with a barely coherent plot wise asides from having hot sex scenes.

Counterpoint & Crescendo by Rachel Haimowitz - a fantasy slave M/M story about an elve warrior and the human military leader who got him as a captive, the second book has a semi decent plot, and the main characters aren't half bad, although their romance does not convince and its all very cookie cutter. Also the writing overuse cutesy medieval speech patterns in a way that gets annoying very fast.

Comments

[curtana.livejournal.com]

Chime is so adorable (and so clearly queer ;) and I want him to have all the tail-hugs <3 I haven't read Serpent Sea yet but I am looking forward to it!

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

Have you read the short stories by Wells has put on her website? There's one from Chime's point of view in which there's an off comment on the topic of his sexuality ^^
(I do so totally ship him and Moon).

[curtana.livejournal.com]

I have! (I have a story with him and Moon in mind that I will try to write, but I've been waiting to read Serpent Sea first).

I met Martha Wells at a con last week, actually! she signed my copy of Cloud roads and was super nice and talked with us for ages :) and she is very pro-fanfic, which I always like in an author.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

Woot! I look forward to it :) (it's rare for me to like a ship because it's all cute XD)

I've met Martha Wells at cons too, a while ago, although I never had the occasion to chat, and I follow her livejournal (one of the only author I do so with, for some reason) she definitly seems like a very nice and cool person from those interactions ^^

[hamsterwoman]

A Companion to Wolves is the only one of these I've read, and it worked for me better than it did for you. I also read about it on Bear's (matociquala's) LJ, before and after I read the book, so I think I was maybe more favorably disposed to it from the start? From what I gather, the "Dragon Riders of Pern with most of the skeeviness put front and center" comparison is definitely very intentional. I'm not entirely sure what you mean by "for an examination which tries to transcend it (I think)" -- if you mean transcend the skeeviness, I didn't get that this was the intent. I thought the skeeviness was always meant to be highly skeevy, just part of the world they ended up in. I also didn't get the idfic vibe (much less so than in DoL, for instance). Also, I gather that trying to write a feminist book with hardly any human women in it was part of the intent. It succeeded for me in that respect, because of the troll and svaltalfar (right? I forget if that was the term they use) and wolf social structures providing an interesting contrast to the wolfcarls, and I liked Isolfr's lover and mother, too, though they were certainly background characters.

The Cloud Road sounds interesting! I haven't had much success with Martha Wells before, but I'm a sucker for people turning into flying reptiles, and family themes, so that sounds like something I should keep an eye out for.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

I also read about it on Bear's (matociquala's) LJ, before and after I read the book, so I think I was maybe more favorably disposed to it from the start?
How so?

From what I gather, the "Dragon Riders of Pern with most of the skeeviness put front and center" comparison is definitely very intentional
I really didn't think it was unintentional XD (I don't think so for the Wells books either, although I think the inspiration is much more remote).

if you mean transcend the skeeviness, I didn't get that this was the intent. I thought the skeeviness was always meant to be highly skeevy, just part of the world they ended up in.
I don't think there's such a thing as "just part of the world [one] end[s] up in." There's no accident in writing.
What did I mean with that? Hmmm, I guess that they have those skeevy/id fic elements, and they try to use them seriously, not only for the purpose of id scratching, in part of the feminist themes, but all in all, it feels like the feminist themes are a mere token aknowledgement of the issues the setting has, with the main purpose of them being to scratch the id, to be sexy/kinky (including in narrative kinky way, and not necessarily sexy kinky if that makes any sense), whereas in Doctrine of the Labyrinth it had all those hurt/comfort and abuse and incestuous desires and rape etc. - but it lined up perfectly with the the overall narrative of recovering from trauma and the thematics of labyrinth.

Svartalfar, I think it is, and yeah, I didn't mention it because I try not to be spoilery in my reviews ;)

Yeah, Isolfr's mother was cool; but definitly not forefront.

In any case, I wouldn't say I disliked it, I liked it for what it does, I just wanted to make it clear it wasn't very ambitious and that it could be easily squicky if those story elements are something one doesn't care for.

but I'm a sucker for people turning into flying reptiles
such a frequent element XD

[hamsterwoman]

I also read about it on Bear's (matociquala's) LJ, before and after I read the book, so I think I was maybe more favorably disposed to it from the start?
How so?

I read her progress reports, so I knew a bit of what they were trying to do, deconstructing the animal companion fantasy, so I guess I approached it with that expectation, and I know from past stuff of hers I've read that Bear likes exploring gender roles, so I was on the lookout for that, too, and so the feminist themes probably felt more prominent to me because of that.

I don't think there's such a thing as "just part of the world [one] end[s] up in." There's no accident in writing.

Oh, yeah, I didn't mean that it was accidental in the writing -- it's definitely very intentional. I just wasn't sure what you meant by "transcend" (what it was applying to). I meant that the skeeviness wasn't meant to be transcended, IMO, that it was always meant to remain skeevy and problematic.

not only for the purpose of id scratching

I actually didn't get an id scratching vibe from the book at all (the opposite, if anything) -- in the sexy kinky way anyway. I could maybe see it in narrative kinky way, now that you mention that, but to me the gender roles stuff felt more prominent than even those aspects.

and that it could be easily squicky if those story elements are something one doesn't care for.

Oh, yes, it definitely deserves a warning for that!

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

See, I don't see how it works as a deconstruction, either. But saying that would allow apply well by what I meant by trying to transcend those elements but failing.

It's not that I didn't see the gender elements, it just didn't feel like... enough, or even earned.

I see the id scratching element as very prominent, but it's not too different from stuff I've seen showing up in kink memes lately. Alpha/Beta/Omega tropes especially.

[hamsterwoman]

Maybe not a deconstruction, but explicitly problematizing the stuff that's sort of blithely glossed over? I haven't read Pern myself (well, I read one interminable novella in an anthology, as an adult, and that was plenty for me), but I've learned some stuff about the "green rider problem" by fandom osmosis, and I seem to recall that this was one of the things Bear and Monette were specifically trying to address. Bear has said in the Q&A posts, for example, that Isolfr is straight and remains straight despite the frenzies and "marriage" to two guys, which, if I'm recalling the Pern osmosis correctly is explicitly counter to the handwaviness with how the green dragon riders are chosen.

The animal companion fantasy deconstruction I could appreciate more directly was by comparison with the Heralds of Valdemar, which I have read. The animals really are quite animal like rather than humans (or human-like supernatural beings) in animal form. I don't know very much about wolves, but apparently extensive research was involved, and the way the wolf social structure dominates and interplays with the social structure of the wolfcars -- and the way they're seen by the wolfless men because of it -- were interesting to me, because I have not seen that explored at all in the animal companion fantasies I'm familiar with.

I see the id scratching element as very prominent, but it's not too different from stuff I've seen showing up in kink memes lately. Alpha/Beta/Omega tropes especially.

Hm. It's probably an in-the-eye-of-the-beholder thing. I wonder if I would've potentially felt differently if I'd read ACtW after reading DoL but not Bear's stuff, instead of the other way around. Because, based on my limited sample, Monette's writing, at least in DoL, feels a lot more idfic-y to me, and Bear's sort of the oppsotie of that, and rather more consciously issue/theme-driven (or maybe I just feel that way because she writes a lot about her writing process and I've read that, while I've never looked at Monette's LJ). Which is all to say, I can see how it can be read that way, but it never occurred to me while I was reading the book.

I've got the sequel, The Temepring of Men, sitting in my to-read pile, and I better get around to it one of these days, and see what I think, especially now that I'm familiar with both authors' solo work.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

but I've learned some stuff about the "green rider problem" by fandom osmosis, and I seem to recall that this was one of the things Bear and Monette were specifically trying to address.
Ah,yes, that part is definitely there and well done enough.

Bear has said in the Q&A posts, for example, that Isolfr is straight and remains straight despite the frenzies and "marriage" to two guys
Yeah, I'd put Isolfr as a 2 on the Kinsey scale.

The animals really are quite animal like rather than humans (or human-like supernatural beings) in animal form.
Err, yes, but it's not like human-like is the only kind of treatment there is to that sort of thing, look no farthar than to ASOIAF for a more down to earth approach to animal companions.

I don't know that much about Bear, and i've read very little of her writing, so yeah, I'd have trouble making that comparison.

Oh, I didn't know the sequel was already out. I look forward to it, since it might be enough to male me change my mind thematically speaking, depending on where it's headed.

[hamsterwoman]

but it's not like human-like is the only kind of treatment there is to that sort of thing, look no farthar than to ASOIAF for a more down to earth approach to animal companions.

Yes, but I think the wargs in ASOIAF (and, say the Witted in the Assassin Trilogy, which is the other example that springs to mind) are quite the same thing as the wolfcarls or Lackey's Heralds -- they are people who have a connection with animals, sure. But to me the interesting thing about the wolfcarls is the institutionalization of the connection with the animal nature being dominant (or even just significant) rather than the human one. That may exist elsewhere, too, but I have not encountered it in other books. It's definitely not like that with Valdemar (I did not read enough of Pern to know if it is or not, but I did not get that impression).

I haven't read too much of Bear's writing, either, but I've sampled several of her series -- Amber-on-a-generation-ship Dust, alien culture Undertow, post-apocalyptic-steampunk-with-Norse-mythology All the Windwracked Stars, and some short stories. It's interesting stuff, though I can't say I'm in love with any of it, because none of the characters fully resonate for me, though I do find some of the ideas interesting and some of the writing lovely.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

But to me the interesting thing about the wolfcarls is the institutionalization of the connection with the animal nature being dominant (or even just significant) rather than the human one.
Aah, I see. An interesting point. I can't think of another example either, although there may be some. The other big animale companion fantasy I can think of, the chronicle of the Cheysuli by Jennifer Robinson was definitly not like this either.

I've only read Dust.

[trobadora]

I absolutely hated A Companion to Wolves and gave up on it somewhere in the middle because the whole thing seemed so gratuitous and pointless, and I couldn't discern any actual plot that might have kept me going.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the plot itself isn't enough to keep interest if one doesn't find the premise - in all its gratuity - interesting.

[flo-nelja.livejournal.com]

urban fantasy mystery M/M
most of the creatures had a faery vibe
OK, je crois qu'il faut que je lise ça. :-) :-)

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

La première histoire a des fruits gobelins et des marchés gobelins qui m'a fait pensé à Changeling the Lost un peu en plus ;)

[berylia.livejournal.com]

Toi tu utilises à bon escient ton livre électronique. ^^

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

Yup :D