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mikhailrekun 's review for:
The Fade
by Chris Wooding
This is a very interesting book, one which I respect but one which I didn't quite enjoy.
THE GOOD
The setting is absolutely fascinating. Very briefly, it's set on an alien world where the local humanity-equivalent went underground after their binary stars began to pump out something that vaguely looks like extreme radiation. The societies and species thus created are interesting and memorable, the description of the vistas are gorgeous, everything is just begging for an art gallery or two.
Wooding is also an absolute master at action sequences, and those moments when the story really revs up to a tight infiltration or escape are the best in the book. It is quite challenging to write an action sequence that is both unusual, but also perfectly clear in what is happening to the reader, and Wooding nails it.
THE BAD
...And yet. Two problems, somewhat but not entirely related. First, Wooding uses an odd sort of bifurcated story structure, where there's the active plot, and then a series of flashbacks receding ever further into the past. The main issue is that despite Wooding's best efforts, the flashbacks are just much less interesting or exciting than the main plotline. The characters are mostly standalones or else less vivid (Rynn and Jai, the protagonist Orna's husband and son, were fairly bland), and the fact that the flashbacks are all about makes it hard for them to build up. The result is interesting, but it constantly shoots the book's pace in the foot. Towards the very end I just found myself skipping the flashback scenes entirely.
The related issue is that both world and protagonist are difficult to relate to or have sympathy for. The setting is pretty grim, with endless wars, violence, oppression, and so forth. A key part of the setting is a war between two endless rivals, but as both are pretty dreadful societies, it's difficult to feel great interest in the war's outcome.
Likewise, Orna, our heroine, is a difficult character to love. She's an assassin, and Wooding doesn't shy from showing her doing horrid things in the past. Much of the story is concerned with her overcoming her training and upbringing out of love for her family, but this is kind of sabotaged by the fact that her husband and son, mentioned above, are far more vaguely sketched out and generally blander characters than the various underworld figures she interacts with.
Finally...the entire book is basically a shaggy dog story. Orna is bamboozled, and unwittingly ensures that nothing changes. While this certainly fits the tone of the story, it also robs the climax of much of its catharsis.
CONCLUSION
Magnificent setting and high-quality writing, uneven characters and pacing, a consistently grim and gloomy theme and tone. It's not a bad book, but I think you need to enjoy very dark books more than I do to really appreciate this.
THE GOOD
The setting is absolutely fascinating. Very briefly, it's set on an alien world where the local humanity-equivalent went underground after their binary stars began to pump out something that vaguely looks like extreme radiation. The societies and species thus created are interesting and memorable, the description of the vistas are gorgeous, everything is just begging for an art gallery or two.
Wooding is also an absolute master at action sequences, and those moments when the story really revs up to a tight infiltration or escape are the best in the book. It is quite challenging to write an action sequence that is both unusual, but also perfectly clear in what is happening to the reader, and Wooding nails it.
THE BAD
...And yet. Two problems, somewhat but not entirely related. First, Wooding uses an odd sort of bifurcated story structure, where there's the active plot, and then a series of flashbacks receding ever further into the past. The main issue is that despite Wooding's best efforts, the flashbacks are just much less interesting or exciting than the main plotline. The characters are mostly standalones or else less vivid (Rynn and Jai, the protagonist Orna's husband and son, were fairly bland), and the fact that the flashbacks are all about makes it hard for them to build up. The result is interesting, but it constantly shoots the book's pace in the foot. Towards the very end I just found myself skipping the flashback scenes entirely.
The related issue is that both world and protagonist are difficult to relate to or have sympathy for. The setting is pretty grim, with endless wars, violence, oppression, and so forth. A key part of the setting is a war between two endless rivals, but as both are pretty dreadful societies, it's difficult to feel great interest in the war's outcome.
Likewise, Orna, our heroine, is a difficult character to love. She's an assassin, and Wooding doesn't shy from showing her doing horrid things in the past. Much of the story is concerned with her overcoming her training and upbringing out of love for her family, but this is kind of sabotaged by the fact that her husband and son, mentioned above, are far more vaguely sketched out and generally blander characters than the various underworld figures she interacts with.
Finally...
CONCLUSION
Magnificent setting and high-quality writing, uneven characters and pacing, a consistently grim and gloomy theme and tone. It's not a bad book, but I think you need to enjoy very dark books more than I do to really appreciate this.