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A review by jpjackson
The Lion Lies Waiting by Glenn Quigley
5.0
I had such a good time with Mr. Quigley's first novel, The Moth and The Moon, that I couldn't wait to get my hands on the second story that continues to follow the adventures of Robin Shipp. This historical fantasy set in the 18th Century revolves around a cast of characters in an age where the sexual orientation of the townsfolk isn't a scandalous item to be discussed. In other words, it's a common thing for same-sex relationships to exist. Folks are just as likely to pair with someone of the same gender, as they would be the opposite sex.
What's so refreshing about this is the total normalcy of everyone in their interaction with those bonded in a gay or lesbian pairing. In fact, it was rather hard reconciling this with my own life experience, and the book had me wishing I was living back in this fairytale type like setting. But this is just a side. The real meat of the tale is outlined below.
Quigley has outdone himself in several aspects of this book.
1.) The folklore and worldbuilding. It was pristine. I had absolutely no hesitancy in delving deep into this story as the backdrop, culture, folklore, customs, dress, speech and architecture was all so on-point that it was 100% believable.
2.) The characterization and development of each of the myriad of people in this tale are astonishing, and again, superbly crafted. The number of people dancing in and out of the story at different points and how they are portrayed, along with the changes in each leaves me exhausted as a writer. I can't imagine the amount of forethought and planning it took to achieve this.
3.) If I thought the characterization was well-crafted, then the tale itself was a masterpiece. Honestly, I'm not trying to over inflate this! This required Master Class status of skill to weave the people and their lives and make this believable. As the story bounces between two small, and often rival islands, it becomes completely possible to see how people moved back and forth between the two cities, and how lives become intertwined - even when the characters themselves are ignorant to the connections. Brilliant! My only question to the author is this: How many notebooks did you go through plotting this out?
4.) The political climate. I hate politics. Especially looking at our own world right now. It's full of hate and spite. I'd sooner climb into a deep hole than try and have any kind of debate with anyone who thinks differently than I do because today's lines between political parties are so deeply divided. But, Quigley created a city council ripe with strife and machinations, culture and history that made me turning the pages as fast as I possibly could to find out what happens next.
5.) The description of mental illness in this story left me agape. Not in a bad way. The metaphor used was utterly brilliant. I refuse to share it with you, you must read the story to discover it yourself. I honestly can't think of a more apt way to phrase how so many people in our world struggle daily. And remember, struggling doesn't mean failing. But imagine if they didn't have that extra battle every day? Well done, Mr. Quigley. That cut me to the core, and deeply, and won't be something I soon forget.
6.) And lastly, the fact that the story was about people like me. No, I'm not living life in the 1780s, (despite how attractive Mr. Quigley made it). No, I mean the book has bearish men - like me - who are involved in loving, caring, positive relationships - like me - who are well into their forties - like me. I could make several other comparisons - but the bottom line remains this: Representation and diversity in literature is essential, because when you find stories that contain people who you identify with, suddenly the story takes on a deeper level, a stronger connection, and the tale becomes one you hold dear and close to your heart.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. I like my novels with magic and horns, tails and wings. That's not this. And it shouldn't be. It's perfect the way it is.
And now I can sit back and read these two books over and over and only hope, that at some point in the future, Mr. Quigley deems it necessary to take us back to Merryapple, to continue the tale of Robin Shipp and his lover Edwin, their very close and dear friend Duncan, and their soon to be extended family with the Ladies Wolfe-Chase.
What's so refreshing about this is the total normalcy of everyone in their interaction with those bonded in a gay or lesbian pairing. In fact, it was rather hard reconciling this with my own life experience, and the book had me wishing I was living back in this fairytale type like setting. But this is just a side. The real meat of the tale is outlined below.
Quigley has outdone himself in several aspects of this book.
1.) The folklore and worldbuilding. It was pristine. I had absolutely no hesitancy in delving deep into this story as the backdrop, culture, folklore, customs, dress, speech and architecture was all so on-point that it was 100% believable.
2.) The characterization and development of each of the myriad of people in this tale are astonishing, and again, superbly crafted. The number of people dancing in and out of the story at different points and how they are portrayed, along with the changes in each leaves me exhausted as a writer. I can't imagine the amount of forethought and planning it took to achieve this.
3.) If I thought the characterization was well-crafted, then the tale itself was a masterpiece. Honestly, I'm not trying to over inflate this! This required Master Class status of skill to weave the people and their lives and make this believable. As the story bounces between two small, and often rival islands, it becomes completely possible to see how people moved back and forth between the two cities, and how lives become intertwined - even when the characters themselves are ignorant to the connections. Brilliant! My only question to the author is this: How many notebooks did you go through plotting this out?
4.) The political climate. I hate politics. Especially looking at our own world right now. It's full of hate and spite. I'd sooner climb into a deep hole than try and have any kind of debate with anyone who thinks differently than I do because today's lines between political parties are so deeply divided. But, Quigley created a city council ripe with strife and machinations, culture and history that made me turning the pages as fast as I possibly could to find out what happens next.
5.) The description of mental illness in this story left me agape. Not in a bad way. The metaphor used was utterly brilliant. I refuse to share it with you, you must read the story to discover it yourself. I honestly can't think of a more apt way to phrase how so many people in our world struggle daily. And remember, struggling doesn't mean failing. But imagine if they didn't have that extra battle every day? Well done, Mr. Quigley. That cut me to the core, and deeply, and won't be something I soon forget.
6.) And lastly, the fact that the story was about people like me. No, I'm not living life in the 1780s, (despite how attractive Mr. Quigley made it). No, I mean the book has bearish men - like me - who are involved in loving, caring, positive relationships - like me - who are well into their forties - like me. I could make several other comparisons - but the bottom line remains this: Representation and diversity in literature is essential, because when you find stories that contain people who you identify with, suddenly the story takes on a deeper level, a stronger connection, and the tale becomes one you hold dear and close to your heart.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. I like my novels with magic and horns, tails and wings. That's not this. And it shouldn't be. It's perfect the way it is.
And now I can sit back and read these two books over and over and only hope, that at some point in the future, Mr. Quigley deems it necessary to take us back to Merryapple, to continue the tale of Robin Shipp and his lover Edwin, their very close and dear friend Duncan, and their soon to be extended family with the Ladies Wolfe-Chase.