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xeyra1's review against another edition
2.0
This was not the book for me. I've been trying to read it for a month and persevered through most of it, but I've reached a point where I don't quite care to finish it anymore because there's nothing I'd consider a plot that I need to see through to the end of the book. I am quite sad I didn't enjoy this book past the first 20%, which gave me such high expectations: the beautiful writing was at its best, the main character's voice as he talked about his childhood and upbringing was really compelling and I devoured those first chapters.
And then the main character arrived at Olondria and things got terribly confusing to the point I wasn't understanding anything anymore. The writing I'd so enjoyed at the beginning was a detriment to the understanding of the story, too embellished, too abstract sometimes, as to perpetuate the confusion of what was happening while events were going on at a breakneck speed. In the space of a couple of chapters, Jevick, our MC, arrives at a new city, ready to adventure into trading and commerce as was his training and suddenly, without much follow-through at the beginning, he is deliriously ill, is taken by a religious sect that imprisons him because of the visions he sees while delirious (they're blasphemy) and then is contacted by a rebel religious faction who has the opposite idea, and in betwixt all this, our MC's voice is an amalgam of authors and books he has read to the point I wondered if he had any original thought himself.
By this time it was too late to grab me again because I realized early on that Jevick had no real agency in this story. People talked at him, about him, acted in accordance to their wishes, and Jevick just got dragged along constantly without having any real say. His haunting by this mysterious ghost is just another way he gets kicked in by fate and makes him even less of a character I could care about. And because of this, it ended up feeling like an effort to continue reading, reason why I've ultimately decided I'd finish at 80% without any real need to see how it ends, much to my sorrow because I was convinced I'd love this novel by those first 20-25%...
And then the main character arrived at Olondria and things got terribly confusing to the point I wasn't understanding anything anymore. The writing I'd so enjoyed at the beginning was a detriment to the understanding of the story, too embellished, too abstract sometimes, as to perpetuate the confusion of what was happening while events were going on at a breakneck speed. In the space of a couple of chapters, Jevick, our MC, arrives at a new city, ready to adventure into trading and commerce as was his training and suddenly, without much follow-through at the beginning, he is deliriously ill, is taken by a religious sect that imprisons him because of the visions he sees while delirious (they're blasphemy) and then is contacted by a rebel religious faction who has the opposite idea, and in betwixt all this, our MC's voice is an amalgam of authors and books he has read to the point I wondered if he had any original thought himself.
By this time it was too late to grab me again because I realized early on that Jevick had no real agency in this story. People talked at him, about him, acted in accordance to their wishes, and Jevick just got dragged along constantly without having any real say. His haunting by this mysterious ghost is just another way he gets kicked in by fate and makes him even less of a character I could care about. And because of this, it ended up feeling like an effort to continue reading, reason why I've ultimately decided I'd finish at 80% without any real need to see how it ends, much to my sorrow because I was convinced I'd love this novel by those first 20-25%...
heylook's review against another edition
1.0
Okay, this is another one of those fantasy books with a bunch of made-up names and places, which is obnoxious enough, but then it's another god damn journey quest against all powerful evil or something. The theme underlying it all is apparently the power of telling stories, but all that means is that there are dozens of asides that go off into different narratives (poetry AND prose) so it's all just a big muddle of extraneous material with no real bearing on the plot. Masturbatory self-indulgence.
sydneyjn's review against another edition
This was so beautifully written and so damn boring.
littlemegs's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
sarabz's review against another edition
4.0
Although the style of the book didn't fully grab me, I enjoyed the story and there was a lot of thought provoking stuff in here. The dense prose was a little too much for my tastes, although there were sections that totally drew me in.
I enjoyed the self-interested and selfish characters that are caught up in their own experiences but that also impact and influence the world around them, someones deliberately sometimes but often accidentally. This happens at every level of the story (there are stories within stories throughout the book).
And even though I spent a couple hours discussing it last night with a book group, there is still more that I'll be digesting and thinking about: Traveling, exploration, being a stranger and also belonging. The expression and communication of self and community that is accomplished through stories - both written and oral (although they are so different and can convey such different things). Literacy and access to resources impacting whose voices and stories get heard.
I enjoyed the self-interested and selfish characters that are caught up in their own experiences but that also impact and influence the world around them, someones deliberately sometimes but often accidentally. This happens at every level of the story (there are stories within stories throughout the book).
And even though I spent a couple hours discussing it last night with a book group, there is still more that I'll be digesting and thinking about: Traveling, exploration, being a stranger and also belonging. The expression and communication of self and community that is accomplished through stories - both written and oral (although they are so different and can convey such different things). Literacy and access to resources impacting whose voices and stories get heard.
mary_soon_lee's review against another edition
3.0
This is a lyrical, beautifully-written fantasy with many smaller stories contained within the larger tale. A major theme is the significance of books and of reading, and, in particular, there are two paragraphs that describe the experience of coming to the end of a book that are quite wonderful. Yet the prose is so lyrical that I was often aware of the wording rather than falling into the story itself. Also, for a large part of the book, the first-person narrator didn't care enough about anyone else for me to care about him. Had I liked the narrator throughout, I would have loved the book. As it is, I liked it and I admire the writing.
_ash0_'s review against another edition
DNF @ 10 pages
Way too boring. The poetic writing style didn't work for me. I gave this book multiple tries but it's high time I made some space on my shelf by getting rid of this book.
Way too boring. The poetic writing style didn't work for me. I gave this book multiple tries but it's high time I made some space on my shelf by getting rid of this book.
rodneywilhite's review against another edition
4.0
As much as I loved this book, I will admit the first hundred pages are a bit of a chore. The focus on the anthropology of this created world, although fascinating, is extraordinarily dense.
Oh, but when the story kicks in, the story kicks in--and it assumes a dizzying pace that never relents until the end. I will admit I was sometimes lost, but the language is so gorgeous, the world-building so complex, I was happily lost.
I read The Winged Histories first and, although the two novels can stand alone, there are a number of things that would've been much clearer if I had read this one first. But, by all means, read them both because they are wonderful!
Oh, but when the story kicks in, the story kicks in--and it assumes a dizzying pace that never relents until the end. I will admit I was sometimes lost, but the language is so gorgeous, the world-building so complex, I was happily lost.
I read The Winged Histories first and, although the two novels can stand alone, there are a number of things that would've been much clearer if I had read this one first. But, by all means, read them both because they are wonderful!