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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
my short verdict: this is a marxist manifesto that masquerades as a faerie fantasy
let's play a game. try to guess what items from the list below were not in the book:
- a lesmis arc, complete with riots of factory workers & debates over marxist alienation, leading naturally to sex in the slums that result in a touching mesalliance with a guy you unknowingly wrote letters to when you were five
- zombie apocalypse
- questionably sentient bees (jupiter ascending war flashbacks intensify)
- ferrets in love with a priest
- local ferrets turn into women to rescue priests
- printing press triggers faerie court downfall
- raining words
- the bees turning into a priest, and vice versa
- water conduits
- land & water rights
correct answer is, all of this is in the book. and the book is very long. and it's weirdly paced. i can't even explain to myself how was it that i actually read all of it, what made me follow through on this. first it was confusion, then it was mild interest in dysfunctional squabbling faerie lords, and at the final stretch it was this confused wanting of explanations, because what we had didn't make a full picture. or rather, didn't make one satisfyingly and in a way that would justify why i read it, why it took 495 printed pages to tell the story, how the hell the backstory explains the resolution, and most importantly, why the hell grass king is so useless and why the book needs a titular concubine.
in the interest of fairness, what this book did well was create the feeling, the headspace of otherness - especially convincing in juxtaposition and sometimes direct clash with a regular human's way of seeing and rationalizing things. the faerie cadre - the highest ranking nobility, if you will - were of most interest to me, as beings of magic limited by the very traits that they were made to represent, that defines in them, and in particular - the not!haephestus craftsman/metalworker and his disastrous and occasionally resentful pet projects. it's just that - the headspace of two completely crazy ferret twins obsessed with a man is not something i'd like to ever read again about, especially not on 495 pages .___.
let's play a game. try to guess what items from the list below were not in the book:
- a lesmis arc, complete with riots of factory workers & debates over marxist alienation, leading naturally to sex in the slums that result in a touching mesalliance with a guy you unknowingly wrote letters to when you were five
- zombie apocalypse
- questionably sentient bees (jupiter ascending war flashbacks intensify)
- ferrets in love with a priest
- local ferrets turn into women to rescue priests
- printing press triggers faerie court downfall
- raining words
- the bees turning into a priest, and vice versa
- water conduits
- land & water rights
correct answer is, all of this is in the book. and the book is very long. and it's weirdly paced. i can't even explain to myself how was it that i actually read all of it, what made me follow through on this. first it was confusion, then it was mild interest in dysfunctional squabbling faerie lords, and at the final stretch it was this confused wanting of explanations, because what we had didn't make a full picture. or rather, didn't make one satisfyingly and in a way that would justify why i read it, why it took 495 printed pages to tell the story, how the hell the backstory explains the resolution, and most importantly, why the hell grass king is so useless and why the book needs a titular concubine.
in the interest of fairness, what this book did well was create the feeling, the headspace of otherness - especially convincing in juxtaposition and sometimes direct clash with a regular human's way of seeing and rationalizing things. the faerie cadre - the highest ranking nobility, if you will - were of most interest to me, as beings of magic limited by the very traits that they were made to represent, that defines in them, and in particular - the not!haephestus craftsman/metalworker and his disastrous and occasionally resentful pet projects. it's just that - the headspace of two completely crazy ferret twins obsessed with a man is not something i'd like to ever read again about, especially not on 495 pages .___.
I usually shy away from fantasy, as a genre, because it tends to be The Chosen One, and A Quest, and Tolkien Was Great, Wasn't He? That's not to dismiss Tolkien or anything, it's just not a story I'm usually interested in reading. (And I don't enjoy it enough to sort through the chaff looking for good ones; I am open to recommendations, but I am skeptical.)
This, however, is Fantasy Done Right. No one is chosen, it's not familiar races or cosmology. It is instead a the story of a woman who believes in the mystical, who discovers the real world isn't what she thought, a search for family history....it sucked me in. It covers class, sexism, family history, and not understanding what the H is going on, except not in a way you notice until you're writing the review later. It drew me in and kept me reading.
Also: the best ferrets since the [b:Greywalker|140099|Greywalker (Greywalker, #1)|Kat Richardson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441341730s/140099.jpg|3150322] books!
This, however, is Fantasy Done Right. No one is chosen, it's not familiar races or cosmology. It is instead a the story of a woman who believes in the mystical, who discovers the real world isn't what she thought, a search for family history....it sucked me in. It covers class, sexism, family history, and not understanding what the H is going on, except not in a way you notice until you're writing the review later. It drew me in and kept me reading.
Also: the best ferrets since the [b:Greywalker|140099|Greywalker (Greywalker, #1)|Kat Richardson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441341730s/140099.jpg|3150322] books!
a final verdict: a gorgeous, lush, unhurried book, a darker fairytale that manages to avoid both being overwrought and drowning in edginess, populated with relatable, fascinating and lovely characters, both human and unhuman.
aude, the dissatisfied rich heiress, sets out to find the origins of her privilege and finds way, way more than she bargained for (i take back her alt!england origins, by the way, the worldbuilding is more interesting than i presumed). aude is determined and sheltered but not naive, full of dignity and determination, unwilling to bow to the scariest of circumstances and never giving up, and i've loved her to pieces; she didn't always win, but god did she ever go down fighting.
jehan, her husband, an unlucky officer with too much ethics for his own good, loyal and kind to the end of the earth, steadfast and calm; together they made a pretty much unstoppable team.
ferret witch-sisters julana and yelena, book-stealers (metaphorically and literally too), who gave their loyalty and their love to a scholar from human land and bit and fought and intrigued for him and found their identities and their personalities in process; they started out as interesting worldbuilding detail and ended up being my favorites (and wow that was a perfect example of how to create an inhuman narrative just right).
and finally, the cadre, the elemental bannermen of enigmatic grass king of the land below, wound tight in a knot of old conflicts and older loyalty, fighting for their very existence. there was a whole different book about them hidden inside this one, and the narrative glances at it and skitters away, and it's understated and clever and creepy and beautiful, and i've loved how scarilyalien they were while being so, so understandable.
and, of course, the beautiful, beautiful dead remains of the worldbelow, terrifying and wonderful; the worldbuilding is subtle and gentle and just a bit out of step, and, yes, definitely merits a mention.
aude, the dissatisfied rich heiress, sets out to find the origins of her privilege and finds way, way more than she bargained for (i take back her alt!england origins, by the way, the worldbuilding is more interesting than i presumed). aude is determined and sheltered but not naive, full of dignity and determination, unwilling to bow to the scariest of circumstances and never giving up, and i've loved her to pieces; she didn't always win, but god did she ever go down fighting.
jehan, her husband, an unlucky officer with too much ethics for his own good, loyal and kind to the end of the earth, steadfast and calm; together they made a pretty much unstoppable team.
ferret witch-sisters julana and yelena, book-stealers (metaphorically and literally too), who gave their loyalty and their love to a scholar from human land and bit and fought and intrigued for him and found their identities and their personalities in process; they started out as interesting worldbuilding detail and ended up being my favorites (and wow that was a perfect example of how to create an inhuman narrative just right).
and finally, the cadre, the elemental bannermen of enigmatic grass king of the land below, wound tight in a knot of old conflicts and older loyalty, fighting for their very existence. there was a whole different book about them hidden inside this one, and the narrative glances at it and skitters away, and it's understated and clever and creepy and beautiful, and i've loved how scarilyalien they were while being so, so understandable.
and, of course, the beautiful, beautiful dead remains of the worldbelow, terrifying and wonderful; the worldbuilding is subtle and gentle and just a bit out of step, and, yes, definitely merits a mention.
3.5 stars. This was an interesting story, with a world undergoing an industrial revolution, with all the attendant problems of pollution, abuse of workers, workers agitating for some respect and rights, an oblivious upper class, a young woman (Aude) from the upper class who doesn't conform to its expectations and who has a relationship with a guardsman (Jehan), who works for the rich. There is also a magical world that intersects with this world, but in a minimal way, into which the young woman, Aude is dragged. Jehan, of course, goes on a journey to this magical realm to find her.
That's the bare bones of the story, and it doesn't really cover why I liked this book. This is not an action-packed quest story. Rather, it's a slow, quiet unfolding of events, with characters making choices that have, in some cases, very long-range consequences. I liked a number of things about this book. The author's words about the abuses of power by the factory owners (members of the upper class) could be describing corporate behaviour from our past and our present. I liked the two leads, Aude and Jehan, and the magical realm of the Grass King was fascinating and well described. There were some beautiful and some creepy aspects.
Aude, while different from other women of her class, did suffer from a mild sense of entitlement, and her questing to understand her family's origins feels believeable. And after her capture, despite how women are expected to sit around and wait for rescue, Aude doesn't. Aude constantly fights her captors and searches for a way out. Jehan is steadfast and somewhat impatient with Aude's unthinking certainty that her desires will be fulfilled, and he's just such a good guy.
Aude's kidnappers are elementals, essentially, and they range from a little odd to pretty scary.
And the ferrets! The hilarious, interfering ferret sisters ("...we bite them!") provide both some comic relief and general oddness to the story. I enjoyed seeing the other characters from the sisters' perspectives, and how well the sisters bonded with Clairet, the pony.
That's the bare bones of the story, and it doesn't really cover why I liked this book. This is not an action-packed quest story. Rather, it's a slow, quiet unfolding of events, with characters making choices that have, in some cases, very long-range consequences. I liked a number of things about this book. The author's words about the abuses of power by the factory owners (members of the upper class) could be describing corporate behaviour from our past and our present. I liked the two leads, Aude and Jehan, and the magical realm of the Grass King was fascinating and well described. There were some beautiful and some creepy aspects.
Aude, while different from other women of her class, did suffer from a mild sense of entitlement, and her questing to understand her family's origins feels believeable. And after her capture, despite how women are expected to sit around and wait for rescue, Aude doesn't. Aude constantly fights her captors and searches for a way out. Jehan is steadfast and somewhat impatient with Aude's unthinking certainty that her desires will be fulfilled, and he's just such a good guy.
Aude's kidnappers are elementals, essentially, and they range from a little odd to pretty scary.
And the ferrets! The hilarious, interfering ferret sisters ("...we bite them!") provide both some comic relief and general oddness to the story. I enjoyed seeing the other characters from the sisters' perspectives, and how well the sisters bonded with Clairet, the pony.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
intriguing but EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING and often disjointed.
once she's in WorldBelow, I wanted to tear my hair out at the repetitiveness of "it's all your fault!" "no, it's not. and what do you want me to do about it?" "fix it!" "fix what? fix how?" "aaaaaaaarh, i angy" just... yeah.
the best thing are the ferrets
once she's in WorldBelow, I wanted to tear my hair out at the repetitiveness of "it's all your fault!" "no, it's not. and what do you want me to do about it?" "fix it!" "fix what? fix how?" "aaaaaaaarh, i angy" just... yeah.
the best thing are the ferrets
I bought this book in hard copy two years ago and decided to move it up in the reading queue by means of re-buying it in e-book form earlier this month. Since I wasn’t reading it hard on the heels of release, I wasn’t distracted by the expectations of what other people were saying about it. Overall, this is the most enjoyable novel I read all year (setting aside the entirely separate category of “mind-blowing concept but impossibly turgid prose” into which The Adventures of Mademoiselle de Richelieu fell).
The setting is vivid and particular -- or rather, composed of several particulars -- without being a clear reflection of any specific historic setting. We follow three distinct storylines, developing in different times and places but all proceeding toward the same conclusion. Aude is a young woman of well-off family but not particularly noble lineage in a society in the early throes of an industrial revolution. She has been brought to the city in anticipation of marriage to a decidedly indifferent fiance, but becomes fascinated by, and entangled in, the social divide that supports her lifestyle on the backs of a downtrodden (and increasingly rebellious) working class. The entanglement is embodied in the form of Jehan, a young officer of the guard who becomes her protector and champion. With the decidedly naive goal of discovering and understanding the origins of her family’s wealth, the two set out on a quest, heading for her ancestral lands in search of clues. Those lands, rather than being a fertile source of wealth are dead and drought-ridden and infested with dangerous supernatural creatures.
The second strand comes in the form of two shape-shifting ferret-women. And it is vitally important to understand that these are not women who shape-shift into ferrets, but ferrets who have learned how to shape-shift into humans. The characterization of Yelena and Julana is one of the most delightful aspects of the story. They are always and ever very much ferrets, with concerns and reactions that feel exactly right for such creatures. Their story concerns how they came to befriend Marcellan, a philosopher who wandered into the Grass King’s realm (about which more below), how they learned to become human for his sake, and how they were exiled to the human world to become gatekeepers for The World Below (the Grass King’s realm). Marcellan’s writings about the various non-human realms form a theme tying the various strands together: viewed both as irrelevant mythology and dangerous subversion. The ferret-twins bargain for a copy of Marcellan’s book in the hopes that it will help them return to World Below (and Marcellan), but not until Jehan and Aude cross their path is that goal realized.
The third strand occurs in World Below itself -- one of five supernatural realms corresponding to five elemental forces, this one the realm of earth and growing things. We dip in and out of various time-streams, learning that Marcellan’s intrusion somehow set in motion a decay and drought in World Below that mirrors the one Aude found in her own lands. The Grass King and his five elemental captains enact their own dramas and tragedies that intersect with Aude when she is kidnapped and brought to World Below in expectation that she will somehow be able to make restitution and heal the land, though no one is quite sure how.
The first half of the book is slow, vivid world-building with the constant tease of the connection between Aude’s stark and concrete present and the magical vision she once had in childhood of the shining World Below, which she has never entirely stopped seeking. The three strands are developed independently until Aude’s quest brings them together in a tangled snarl. At this point, the story weakens a little. There are several episodes of nebulous travel through bleak unnatural landscapes which bear some resemblance to hallucinations. Several of these felt more present for the purpose of description than to advance the plot in a meaningful way. Similarly, Aude’s experiences as a captive in World Below sometimes shade into repetitive descriptions of opulent deserted palaces, unexpectedly luxurious baths, and cycles of conflict with her captors. The strands all braid together in the end, forming a satisfying and unpredictable resolution that evolves, in important ways, out of the basic underlying good will and generous impulses of the main characters (both human and not) and an understanding of the flawed “humanity” of characters who are decidedly not human at all. The blending of a feel of classical mythology (though not at all a default western one) with modern social/industrial dynamics is unexpected and successful. With only a few exceptions, the strength of the story lies in the vivid and concrete depictions of the several planes of existence in which the story operates. And the characters -- of all types -- are complex and engaging. But if for no other reason at all, read this book for the ferret-twins. They are absolutely delightful.
The setting is vivid and particular -- or rather, composed of several particulars -- without being a clear reflection of any specific historic setting. We follow three distinct storylines, developing in different times and places but all proceeding toward the same conclusion. Aude is a young woman of well-off family but not particularly noble lineage in a society in the early throes of an industrial revolution. She has been brought to the city in anticipation of marriage to a decidedly indifferent fiance, but becomes fascinated by, and entangled in, the social divide that supports her lifestyle on the backs of a downtrodden (and increasingly rebellious) working class. The entanglement is embodied in the form of Jehan, a young officer of the guard who becomes her protector and champion. With the decidedly naive goal of discovering and understanding the origins of her family’s wealth, the two set out on a quest, heading for her ancestral lands in search of clues. Those lands, rather than being a fertile source of wealth are dead and drought-ridden and infested with dangerous supernatural creatures.
The second strand comes in the form of two shape-shifting ferret-women. And it is vitally important to understand that these are not women who shape-shift into ferrets, but ferrets who have learned how to shape-shift into humans. The characterization of Yelena and Julana is one of the most delightful aspects of the story. They are always and ever very much ferrets, with concerns and reactions that feel exactly right for such creatures. Their story concerns how they came to befriend Marcellan, a philosopher who wandered into the Grass King’s realm (about which more below), how they learned to become human for his sake, and how they were exiled to the human world to become gatekeepers for The World Below (the Grass King’s realm). Marcellan’s writings about the various non-human realms form a theme tying the various strands together: viewed both as irrelevant mythology and dangerous subversion. The ferret-twins bargain for a copy of Marcellan’s book in the hopes that it will help them return to World Below (and Marcellan), but not until Jehan and Aude cross their path is that goal realized.
The third strand occurs in World Below itself -- one of five supernatural realms corresponding to five elemental forces, this one the realm of earth and growing things. We dip in and out of various time-streams, learning that Marcellan’s intrusion somehow set in motion a decay and drought in World Below that mirrors the one Aude found in her own lands. The Grass King and his five elemental captains enact their own dramas and tragedies that intersect with Aude when she is kidnapped and brought to World Below in expectation that she will somehow be able to make restitution and heal the land, though no one is quite sure how.
The first half of the book is slow, vivid world-building with the constant tease of the connection between Aude’s stark and concrete present and the magical vision she once had in childhood of the shining World Below, which she has never entirely stopped seeking. The three strands are developed independently until Aude’s quest brings them together in a tangled snarl. At this point, the story weakens a little. There are several episodes of nebulous travel through bleak unnatural landscapes which bear some resemblance to hallucinations. Several of these felt more present for the purpose of description than to advance the plot in a meaningful way. Similarly, Aude’s experiences as a captive in World Below sometimes shade into repetitive descriptions of opulent deserted palaces, unexpectedly luxurious baths, and cycles of conflict with her captors. The strands all braid together in the end, forming a satisfying and unpredictable resolution that evolves, in important ways, out of the basic underlying good will and generous impulses of the main characters (both human and not) and an understanding of the flawed “humanity” of characters who are decidedly not human at all. The blending of a feel of classical mythology (though not at all a default western one) with modern social/industrial dynamics is unexpected and successful. With only a few exceptions, the strength of the story lies in the vivid and concrete depictions of the several planes of existence in which the story operates. And the characters -- of all types -- are complex and engaging. But if for no other reason at all, read this book for the ferret-twins. They are absolutely delightful.
I am used to fantasy novels and Regency romances that star wealthy nobles and royals who have tragic pasts and presents and yet still, are afforded a great deal of respect by virture of their fortunate birth. And no one ever ponders where the money for noble Lord So&So's splendid balls, or feisty orphan Lady Such&Such's swashbuckling tour of the world, comes from. This book takes that subject head on, and delves even deeper, from a glittering steampunky world teetering on revolution into a mystical, allegorical land.
Taking this journey are two unmagical humans, Aude and Jehan. Aude is a lonely young heiress, with a quick mind, strong sense of compassion and very little experience in the world. When she comes of age, she convinces her guardian to help her tour her factories and estates, in hopes of discovering why she has so much and others have so little. As a titled, unmarried young girl, Aude is afforded with respect but little actual authority. To help her, then, she enlists the guardsman Jehan, who is initially furious to be taken away from patrolling the city. (This first half of the novel deals a great deal with classism, capitalism, and sexism, though it never felt heavy-handed.) They finally reach the hut where Aude's ancestors first started accruing their wealth. The jumbled, yellowing papers Aude finds are no help--but then a great wind pulls her into the afterlife, to pay for a long-ago deal made by an ancestor.
The servants of the Grass King don't care that Aude didn't make the deal, they just want her to fix the matter. The Grass King's servants are confusing, contradictory, sometimes kind and sometimes murderous, and Aude tries again and again to escape the strange prison she finds herself in. Jehan, meanwhile, travels through the world Between in hopes of finding Aude once more.
The language is beautiful, the characters unique and memorable (my faves were the ferrets Yelena and Julana, whose alien viewpoint is fascinating to read), the magical underworld suuuper creepy but also dreamy, like an earthier, scarier version of Beauty&the Beast's castle or Sleeping Beauty's thorn-covered castle. The magical and spiritual system was wholly new to me--unlike almost every other fantasy novel with a created pantheon, I really was as lost as the viewpoint characters, and couldn't cheat by knowing (for instance) that "Mr. Wednesday" was probably Odin. I was completely enthralled and entranced and transported by this book. I only wish it was thousands of pages longer, somehow. I put off reviewing it for weeks because I know there's no way I can convey how wonderful it is, or how much depth there is to every part of it. Go read it and see for yourself!
Taking this journey are two unmagical humans, Aude and Jehan. Aude is a lonely young heiress, with a quick mind, strong sense of compassion and very little experience in the world. When she comes of age, she convinces her guardian to help her tour her factories and estates, in hopes of discovering why she has so much and others have so little. As a titled, unmarried young girl, Aude is afforded with respect but little actual authority. To help her, then, she enlists the guardsman Jehan, who is initially furious to be taken away from patrolling the city. (This first half of the novel deals a great deal with classism, capitalism, and sexism, though it never felt heavy-handed.) They finally reach the hut where Aude's ancestors first started accruing their wealth. The jumbled, yellowing papers Aude finds are no help--but then a great wind pulls her into the afterlife, to pay for a long-ago deal made by an ancestor.
The servants of the Grass King don't care that Aude didn't make the deal, they just want her to fix the matter. The Grass King's servants are confusing, contradictory, sometimes kind and sometimes murderous, and Aude tries again and again to escape the strange prison she finds herself in. Jehan, meanwhile, travels through the world Between in hopes of finding Aude once more.
The language is beautiful, the characters unique and memorable (my faves were the ferrets Yelena and Julana, whose alien viewpoint is fascinating to read), the magical underworld suuuper creepy but also dreamy, like an earthier, scarier version of Beauty&the Beast's castle or Sleeping Beauty's thorn-covered castle. The magical and spiritual system was wholly new to me--unlike almost every other fantasy novel with a created pantheon, I really was as lost as the viewpoint characters, and couldn't cheat by knowing (for instance) that "Mr. Wednesday" was probably Odin. I was completely enthralled and entranced and transported by this book. I only wish it was thousands of pages longer, somehow. I put off reviewing it for weeks because I know there's no way I can convey how wonderful it is, or how much depth there is to every part of it. Go read it and see for yourself!
Interesting, unusual, and well-executed, but I never quite connected with it.