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kilroyPrint date: 2001 (20s: 1, 60s: 2, 70s: 1, 80s: 3, 90s: 3, 00s: 4)
Page count: 502 (5160 total)
Wow.
So I believe this one was nominated for the Hugo, World Fantasy, and Locus awards and won the Mythopoeic Fantasy. And holy shit, did it deserve it. Definitely top 5% of all fantasy novels I've ever read (and I've read a lot).
Let's go down the usual checklist: Characters you care deeply about? Check. Sense of humor? Check. Original world deep enough to fascinate but simple enough to hold onto? Check. Energetic plot? Check. On the rubric of readable literature, this book gets full marks. Thoroughly well-constructed from start to finish.
Bujold has always had a genuine flair for dialogue, but it's firing on all cylinders here; the one-liners just keep coming-- each perfectly delivered, encompassing weakness, self-deprecating humor, awe, and threats with equal aplomb. Add in a cogent subtext of what a relationship with the gods means in a fantasy universe, and you end up with the occasional theological discussion that slips entirely under the radar as just part of the story. Her characters here are playful, emotional, subtle, and a joy to listen to whatever they happen to be saying. And of course, we have many (many!) strong female characters.
I feel like I'm trying to sell you on this book, but really I don't need to. If you like fantasy, you'll like this book. End stop. There's intrigue and miracles, romance and tragedy, cleverness and sacrifice. It will grab you. It certainly did me.
Verdict: Will return this copy to its owner, buy my own, and lend to as many people as possible. (7.5/19 keepers)
Completed: 14 (7 female authors, 7 male authors)
Rejected: 5 (4 male authors, 1 female authors)
Next book due: 5/13
Page count: 502 (5160 total)
Wow.
So I believe this one was nominated for the Hugo, World Fantasy, and Locus awards and won the Mythopoeic Fantasy. And holy shit, did it deserve it. Definitely top 5% of all fantasy novels I've ever read (and I've read a lot).
Let's go down the usual checklist: Characters you care deeply about? Check. Sense of humor? Check. Original world deep enough to fascinate but simple enough to hold onto? Check. Energetic plot? Check. On the rubric of readable literature, this book gets full marks. Thoroughly well-constructed from start to finish.
Bujold has always had a genuine flair for dialogue, but it's firing on all cylinders here; the one-liners just keep coming-- each perfectly delivered, encompassing weakness, self-deprecating humor, awe, and threats with equal aplomb. Add in a cogent subtext of what a relationship with the gods means in a fantasy universe, and you end up with the occasional theological discussion that slips entirely under the radar as just part of the story. Her characters here are playful, emotional, subtle, and a joy to listen to whatever they happen to be saying. And of course, we have many (many!) strong female characters.
I feel like I'm trying to sell you on this book, but really I don't need to. If you like fantasy, you'll like this book. End stop. There's intrigue and miracles, romance and tragedy, cleverness and sacrifice. It will grab you. It certainly did me.
Verdict: Will return this copy to its owner, buy my own, and lend to as many people as possible. (7.5/19 keepers)
Completed: 14 (7 female authors, 7 male authors)
Rejected: 5 (4 male authors, 1 female authors)
Next book due: 5/13