Scan barcode
A review by theaurochs
Thief's Magic by Trudi Canavan
2.0
"'How do you kill a vampire?'
'Dunno, stake through the heart? Garlic? Expose them to sunlight?'
'Nope. You kill a vampire however you like, because vampires aren't real.'"
This is a piece of literary criticism that has really stuck with me ever since I first heard it, and can be applied liberally to the majority of fantasy works. In this instance I'd like to use it against the intense sexism present in both of the fictional worlds detailed in this novel. What purpose is it intended to serve? I can't be incensed against these cultures because the author has crafted them herself- they are far removed from our real world and could easily have been written without the sexism because; vampires aren't real. Certain pains are taken to show that Tyen (one of the two protagonists) is not quite as bad as everyone else, but this does little to endear me to him. The other protagonist Rielle is slighted by so many other things, that the sexism in her culture would be completely unnecessary to reinforce that, one of the major reasons she is ostracised is because she, and her family, smell. I wish I was making it up.
Both subplots (which do not, in this first novel, interact whatsoever) spend a reasonable amount of time in central city locations, but despite this never really flesh out these cities particularly well. This may be because sooner or later we get the call to adventure (forced, in both instances) and leave these cities behind.
Don't really want to spend too long reviewing this, there's really not a lot to it. There's a lot of fantasy cliches, and it was very light reading. Definitely could use stronger characterisation, particularly side characters- none of them are memorable, not a one. And I put the book down only a few hours ago.
Despite all that, I didn't dislike it. I picked this up looking for a simple fantasy romp, and it delivers fairly well on that. Unfortunately not close to the standard of her Black Mage trilogy.
'Dunno, stake through the heart? Garlic? Expose them to sunlight?'
'Nope. You kill a vampire however you like, because vampires aren't real.'"
This is a piece of literary criticism that has really stuck with me ever since I first heard it, and can be applied liberally to the majority of fantasy works. In this instance I'd like to use it against the intense sexism present in both of the fictional worlds detailed in this novel. What purpose is it intended to serve? I can't be incensed against these cultures because the author has crafted them herself- they are far removed from our real world and could easily have been written without the sexism because; vampires aren't real. Certain pains are taken to show that Tyen (one of the two protagonists) is not quite as bad as everyone else, but this does little to endear me to him. The other protagonist Rielle is slighted by so many other things, that the sexism in her culture would be completely unnecessary to reinforce that, one of the major reasons she is ostracised is because she, and her family, smell. I wish I was making it up.
Both subplots (which do not, in this first novel, interact whatsoever) spend a reasonable amount of time in central city locations, but despite this never really flesh out these cities particularly well. This may be because sooner or later we get the call to adventure (forced, in both instances) and leave these cities behind.
Don't really want to spend too long reviewing this, there's really not a lot to it. There's a lot of fantasy cliches, and it was very light reading. Definitely could use stronger characterisation, particularly side characters- none of them are memorable, not a one. And I put the book down only a few hours ago.
Despite all that, I didn't dislike it. I picked this up looking for a simple fantasy romp, and it delivers fairly well on that. Unfortunately not close to the standard of her Black Mage trilogy.