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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is an epic tale.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
vajra chandrasekera has been added to my mental list of 'male writers who are not bad and in fact good.' an exclusive grouping.
i was delighted by how much vocabulary this book had that was totally new to me: i haven't had to look up so many words while reading a fiction book in a very long time. i got to feel a bit like i was 12 again.
the standouts from this novel are the voice and setting. chandrasekera writes with a deft hand, describing complex fantastical concepts with consistent clarity and lyricism. and the world of the saint of bright doors feels -- the highest compliment i can give to a sff book -- plausible. the otherworldly elements are integrated into the modern and bureaucratic aspects like a perfect mayonnaise emulsion. like: our protagonist, abandoned by his father's cult, attends a support group for the similarly 'unchosen.' the novel's central plot is catalyzed by a gofundme. television features prominently as a weapon wielded by an incredibly powerful magician. it's really, really great.
unfortunately, i felt that the plot was somewhat lacking. i felt a lot of momentum up to the halfway point, but from there the story sort of just... resolved. to be clear, reading this was always pleasant, if, by the end, underwhelming.
overall, i really enjoyed this. i've added chandrasekera's other published novel to my to-read, and i would recommend this to any fantasy lovers with a decent amount of patience and an interest in radical politics.
i was delighted by how much vocabulary this book had that was totally new to me: i haven't had to look up so many words while reading a fiction book in a very long time. i got to feel a bit like i was 12 again.
the standouts from this novel are the voice and setting. chandrasekera writes with a deft hand, describing complex fantastical concepts with consistent clarity and lyricism. and the world of the saint of bright doors feels -- the highest compliment i can give to a sff book -- plausible. the otherworldly elements are integrated into the modern and bureaucratic aspects like a perfect mayonnaise emulsion. like: our protagonist, abandoned by his father's cult, attends a support group for the similarly 'unchosen.' the novel's central plot is catalyzed by a gofundme. television features prominently as a weapon wielded by an incredibly powerful magician. it's really, really great.
unfortunately, i felt that the plot was somewhat lacking. i felt a lot of momentum up to the halfway point, but from there the story sort of just... resolved. to be clear, reading this was always pleasant, if, by the end, underwhelming.
overall, i really enjoyed this. i've added chandrasekera's other published novel to my to-read, and i would recommend this to any fantasy lovers with a decent amount of patience and an interest in radical politics.
Beautiful prose, but read more like magical realism than scifi or fantasy for me. The magic system is based on religion and vibes and so it never really makes sense in a satisfying way. Interesting relationships and unique world building but overall unsatisfying.
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated