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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
reviews.metaphorosis.com
3.5 stars
Four young men form a theater troupe that competes to deliver performances based on magic. Their abilities depend in part on genetic inheritance from Wizards, Elves, Fae, Goblins, Trolls, etc. The book chronicles their personal development and relationships.
It's a treat to see something new from Ms. Rawn at last, after a long drought in the mysterious and frustrating aftermath of the Ambrai 'trilogy'. In the interim, I've only seen one Rawn work (The Diviner), and didn't like it much. Unlike a number of reviewers, I did like Touchstone.
Rawn made her name with heavily romantic fantasy in the style of Mary Stewart's Merlin series, but tilted more toward romance and less toward real relationships. She did it very well, and the books were good. I and many others were enthralled, up until the Ambrai series suddenly stopped mid-flow.
This book veers slightly from the formula, with a little more focus on the mechanics of magical theater. As I was with Robin Hobb's latest series, I was disappointed in the cultural world-building - primarily because I'm sorry that in the 21st century, the default setting for fantasy is still privileges for men and subservience for women. The individual characters in this book (and Hobb's) are of course feisty and rebellious, but the society is firmly male dominated. There are hints of potential for change, but essentially, it's harder to lose yourself in a world that not only replicates real world problems, but the problems of some decades ago. (Not that there isn't still a lot of room for progress here.)
On the bright side, Rawn uses a lot of fun, archaic words - perhaps even too many, but they do add to the ambiance. She also takes a great deal of care, spending much of this book setting up a relationship that seems almost certain to arrive in later books. It seems clear that the relationship is meant to be seen as illicit, but Rawn spends virtually no time addressing that aspect of the society, which will undermine the relationship if it does develop.
Sadly, for a book of this nature, very few of the characters are fully developed. Even among the four artists, only two of them, Caden and Mieka, are really explored. Most others are simply filler, and the relationships are thin. The world, as well, is apparently interesting, but woefully underexplored, as is the society overall. A map would have been helpful.
The book also starts slowly, and with some confusion. The roles of the artists are not very clear, and in fact they never really become clear. It's a recurring weakness that threads through the very core of the book.
So, it's not a great book, but I do think it's a good one. The writing is largely good, the characters are engaging, and the world is interesting. I will be following up with the other books in the series eventually, even if not as a high priority. I recommend it for Rawn fans, and fans of romantic fantasy generally.
* On a side note, what's the deal with publishers who skimp on the covers for ebooks? Despite the image above, the ebook actually has a much simpler and less attractive cover. The same is true for the reissued Sheri S. Tepper books, which have really terrible, basic covers. To me, it just says cheap.
I really enjoyed this, although I could never quite lose myself in the characters or story. Somewhere in the last half it seemed like the story had been reworked too many times to fit with the first half. And naturally the ending was abrupt and leaves you teetering, waiting for the sequel.
If this book had a climax at all, the driving source of tension for it was 'Mieka has a head cold.'
(and probably also a drug addiction)
There wasn't really any conflict/tension in this book at all, and a lot more summary than scene, which was really disappointing - because when there was scene, the characters had great chemistry.
(and probably also a drug addiction)
There wasn't really any conflict/tension in this book at all, and a lot more summary than scene, which was really disappointing - because when there was scene, the characters had great chemistry.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Touchstone are a theatre troop on the rise, thanks to the difficult and tumultuous relationship between their playwright Cade and 'glisker', Mieka. Cade has big plans for his crew, but is struggling to navigate his visions and how each step toward success seems to be pushing them down a road that will change Mieka forever. Melanie Rawn's love of words and world building is on full display, but I did feel a little queerbaited by Cade and Mieka's relationship, unless they're going to get together very soon in the next few books. I'm fascinated by the lore of the recent war and how magic works in this world, but how the theatre group will fit in remains a mystery at the moment. It's rare that I find myself thinking a fantasy book is too low stakes, but I think I was expecting Exiles level intrigue and felt slightly disappointed
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Racism
Rather overly melodramatic but interesting magic system...
What a bizarre book to try to review.
On the one hand, it was... off. Something was just /off./ The worldbuilding is so intense but so many things are never explained, even obliquely. For example, what /exactly/ is the difference between a glisker and a fettler? What is different from the magic that a tregetour has for enchanting the withies, and the magic that a glisker has? The masquer position is definitely the easiest to understand, but how does the magic for a masquer's persona change work exactly? I want to KNOW these things, not just have vague ideas I suss out from little throwaway lines. Along those lines, I'm not totally sure how the Trials and the Circuits work - that could just be because I'm not familiar with sports, because it sounds a lot how some sports (seem to) work. What are the differences between, say, Trolls and Goblins? Between Fae and Pikseys and Elfkind? Between Wizards and Humans? WHY did I have to learn that "Gallybanks" is the colloquialism for Gallantrybanks, the capital, by reading the index at the back of the books?
These are all valid issues.
HOWEVER.
I FREAKING LOVED THIS, even at the same time that I was frustrated and bewildered!
This is a book that just feels FULL UP with forethought and careful setting-up. Nothing is explained outright because nothing in our "real world" would be explained. Info-dumps so common in fantasy novels like this are few and far between. It's immersive, it leaves you floundering to put yourself in this brand new place with brand new rules, and I LOVED IT.
The characters are fun - mostly stock, but with some interesting spins on old classics. Cade and Mieka are obviously the standouts, though I really loved Blye and Rafe, too. (Jeska's just... too promiscuous, or, if not too promiscuous, promiscuity is his only character trait, and it got exhausting.) I love the Cade/Mieka relationship though, judging by reviews of the later Glass Thorn books, it looks like I'm in for the longest slow-burn relationship of all time.
The ins and outs of the theatre are fascinating. I want to attend one of these playlets. I also want Cade to start writing his own drama, dangit.
I'm fascinated by all the plotlines that are running through this story. None of them are "oh no, the world's in danger, Cade is seeing visions of apocalypse!" It's "oh no, Cade is seeing visions of his friends in terrible situations!" It's a much more intimate story, and though I know it'll probably ramp up in the later books, I really enjoy this focused, friendship-based angst. It's good stuff.
I wasn't really expecting magical drug abuse; the fact that the entire series is named after the method for injecting people with magical drugs makes me a little wary. I don't know how Rawn will continue to deal with it, so fingers crossed for a good resolution, but... yeah. We'll see.
This book was slow and tedious and sometimes the characters had reactions, did things, said things that just came out of nowhere and were then resolved too quickly. Was I skeptical? Yes. Do I remain skeptical? Yes. Did I enjoy this story? YES. Am I going to get the next book from the library? YES I'M GETTING ALL OF THEM. I NEED TO KNOW MIEKA'S GOING TO BE OKAY.
On the one hand, it was... off. Something was just /off./ The worldbuilding is so intense but so many things are never explained, even obliquely. For example, what /exactly/ is the difference between a glisker and a fettler? What is different from the magic that a tregetour has for enchanting the withies, and the magic that a glisker has? The masquer position is definitely the easiest to understand, but how does the magic for a masquer's persona change work exactly? I want to KNOW these things, not just have vague ideas I suss out from little throwaway lines. Along those lines, I'm not totally sure how the Trials and the Circuits work - that could just be because I'm not familiar with sports, because it sounds a lot how some sports (seem to) work. What are the differences between, say, Trolls and Goblins? Between Fae and Pikseys and Elfkind? Between Wizards and Humans? WHY did I have to learn that "Gallybanks" is the colloquialism for Gallantrybanks, the capital, by reading the index at the back of the books?
These are all valid issues.
HOWEVER.
I FREAKING LOVED THIS, even at the same time that I was frustrated and bewildered!
This is a book that just feels FULL UP with forethought and careful setting-up. Nothing is explained outright because nothing in our "real world" would be explained. Info-dumps so common in fantasy novels like this are few and far between. It's immersive, it leaves you floundering to put yourself in this brand new place with brand new rules, and I LOVED IT.
The characters are fun - mostly stock, but with some interesting spins on old classics. Cade and Mieka are obviously the standouts, though I really loved Blye and Rafe, too. (Jeska's just... too promiscuous, or, if not too promiscuous, promiscuity is his only character trait, and it got exhausting.) I love the Cade/Mieka relationship though, judging by reviews of the later Glass Thorn books, it looks like I'm in for the longest slow-burn relationship of all time.
The ins and outs of the theatre are fascinating. I want to attend one of these playlets. I also want Cade to start writing his own drama, dangit.
I'm fascinated by all the plotlines that are running through this story. None of them are "oh no, the world's in danger, Cade is seeing visions of apocalypse!" It's "oh no, Cade is seeing visions of his friends in terrible situations!" It's a much more intimate story, and though I know it'll probably ramp up in the later books, I really enjoy this focused, friendship-based angst. It's good stuff.
I wasn't really expecting magical drug abuse; the fact that the entire series is named after the method for injecting people with magical drugs makes me a little wary. I don't know how Rawn will continue to deal with it, so fingers crossed for a good resolution, but... yeah. We'll see.
This book was slow and tedious and sometimes the characters had reactions, did things, said things that just came out of nowhere and were then resolved too quickly. Was I skeptical? Yes. Do I remain skeptical? Yes. Did I enjoy this story? YES. Am I going to get the next book from the library? YES I'M GETTING ALL OF THEM. I NEED TO KNOW MIEKA'S GOING TO BE OKAY.
A difficult book for me to classify - it's fantasy, for sure, but an odd type of fantasy. The story focuses on a troupe of performers who come to be known as Touchstone in a world in which theater is a magic-intensive art - magic is used to produce special effects and to enchant the audience lightly with emotions and feelings (the job of the "glisker"). The world is not medieval, but perhaps late Renaissance, around the time of the Age of Exploration (an equivalent is underway in the world of the book, with frequent references to all the outlandish places and peoples being discovered all the time). It really is well-written, and rather fun, although I have to admit I personally was not all that fascinated by the idea of magical theater. There is a puzzling element to this fantasy world that I have not quite figured out - the fact that everyone seems to be a mix of fantasy races - Human, yes, but also Wizard (it's a race!), Elf (very important to the story!), Fae, Goblin, Trolls, and so forth. Not quite sure what that was all about.
In the end, this story didn't appeal as much to me personally, but it was very well-written and still enjoyable to read. I may try to find the rest of the series, sometime . . .
In the end, this story didn't appeal as much to me personally, but it was very well-written and still enjoyable to read. I may try to find the rest of the series, sometime . . .
The story and characters are engaging, but I'm left with the feeling that nothing actually happened, that this first book is all build up to the other books that are to come in the series. As a matter of fact, when the book ended, I was like, WTH. Hopefully, the other books in the series will have a lot more action.
I don't normally put reviews on here, but after seeing all the poor reviews, I had to! This book is a wonderful start to a grand adventure! The snips and pieces of 'possible futures' and seeing how the world turns out in comparison are brilliant. The characters are loveable, the world-building is elegant, and I just want to know more!!
mysterious
slow-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content