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martereadsalot 's review for:
The Sword of Kaigen
by M.L. Wang
“Wholeness, she had learned, was not the absence of pain, but the ability to hold it.”A very impressive self-published high fantasy; and a good representative for the future of the genre.
I think I – like a lot of people – was deceived by the beginning of this book. The reader is dumped straight into a highly complex world, and usually this would lead to some grand adventure. Instead, we’re treated to a rather small and contained story about one family from one secluded village.
So, while you’re always aware that the bigger world is out there and things are happening, you’re limited by the knowledge and perspectives inside this little bubble. And this lead The Sword of Kaigen to break some well-established conventions. Most notably in narrative structure and where the story’s climax lands.
The bubble doesn’t really ever expand, so any big battle or conflict stems from the outside and must be taken to the village itself. And once the outer conflict is resolved, we’re back to our contained family-drama.
Meaning in The Sword of Kaigen the build-up before and the resolution after are much longer, and often seperate, from the climax itself.
This made for a very different kind of war story, and it felt like a breath of fresh air.
M. L. Wang also does not underestimate her reader. And at first, that threw me.
The world, its rules and terms were entirely unfamiliar to me, but not to the characters. Because they were obvious to the characters, there never really was time dedicated to explaining specific terms, titles or honorifics. It reminded me of first starting [b:The Rage of Dragons|41952489|The Rage of Dragons (The Burning, #1)|Evan Winter|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553927196l/41952489._SY75_.jpg|57522473] by Evan Winters.
And once I made that connection, it struck me:
Whenever I read a European medieval-inspired fantasy I have no issue with there being no explanations of lord, Ser or baron. I go in already knowing them from my history-classes.
So, the problem wasn’t that the terms were difficult or made up, they were just new to me. But just because I don’t know enough about Japanese history and culture, doesn’t mean that the author should write her world any different.
It clicked then that if I just continued on – looked in the glossary when needed - I would eventually learn these words too. And I did.
This is where I see the fantasy-genre heading; a place where the different inspirations behind stories seamlessly influence both plot, language and culture, without having to justify it for uneducated/unaware readers.
If I were to criticize anything, I found some of it to be a bit rushed. Especially certain relationship resolutions towards the end. That mostly likely came from this being a stand-alone, while having the potential to be, at least, a very solid duology. I just wanted this already 650-page book to be a little bit longer.
But it obviously didn’t take away much from my enjoyment. And while I can't guarantee that this would be for everyone, I still think most should give it a shot.
(*For more information about my alternative rating system, check out my profile.)
I think I – like a lot of people – was deceived by the beginning of this book. The reader is dumped straight into a highly complex world, and usually this would lead to some grand adventure. Instead, we’re treated to a rather small and contained story about one family from one secluded village.
So, while you’re always aware that the bigger world is out there and things are happening, you’re limited by the knowledge and perspectives inside this little bubble. And this lead The Sword of Kaigen to break some well-established conventions. Most notably in narrative structure and where the story’s climax lands.
The bubble doesn’t really ever expand, so any big battle or conflict stems from the outside and must be taken to the village itself. And once the outer conflict is resolved, we’re back to our contained family-drama.
Meaning in The Sword of Kaigen the build-up before and the resolution after are much longer, and often seperate, from the climax itself.
This made for a very different kind of war story, and it felt like a breath of fresh air.
M. L. Wang also does not underestimate her reader. And at first, that threw me.
The world, its rules and terms were entirely unfamiliar to me, but not to the characters. Because they were obvious to the characters, there never really was time dedicated to explaining specific terms, titles or honorifics. It reminded me of first starting [b:The Rage of Dragons|41952489|The Rage of Dragons (The Burning, #1)|Evan Winter|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553927196l/41952489._SY75_.jpg|57522473] by Evan Winters.
And once I made that connection, it struck me:
Whenever I read a European medieval-inspired fantasy I have no issue with there being no explanations of lord, Ser or baron. I go in already knowing them from my history-classes.
So, the problem wasn’t that the terms were difficult or made up, they were just new to me. But just because I don’t know enough about Japanese history and culture, doesn’t mean that the author should write her world any different.
It clicked then that if I just continued on – looked in the glossary when needed - I would eventually learn these words too. And I did.
This is where I see the fantasy-genre heading; a place where the different inspirations behind stories seamlessly influence both plot, language and culture, without having to justify it for uneducated/unaware readers.
If I were to criticize anything, I found some of it to be a bit rushed. Especially certain relationship resolutions towards the end. That mostly likely came from this being a stand-alone, while having the potential to be, at least, a very solid duology. I just wanted this already 650-page book to be a little bit longer.
But it obviously didn’t take away much from my enjoyment. And while I can't guarantee that this would be for everyone, I still think most should give it a shot.
(*For more information about my alternative rating system, check out my profile.)