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A review by michaeljohnhalseartistry
Shattered Pillars by Elizabeth Bear
3.0
My second novel of 2016. The book is called Shattered Pillars, and is the second of the Eternal Sky trilogy written by American author Elizabeth Bear. The story is set in a fantasy world that’s a reimagining of Asian and Middle Eastern cultures, which is something that’s rarely tackled in fantasy. It follows the young, self-exiled prince Temur, as he seeks to reclaim his father’s vast kingdom of grassy steppes and high hills; and the princess-turned-wizard Sarmarkar as she helped Temur in his pursuit.
I read the first book in this series, Range of Ghosts, in May 2015, I might have even posted about it, but I was a little unsure if I liked it. I know I liked Shattered Pillars more, but it could be that I’m now familiar with these characters so I as more invested in the story (Mostly, though, I’m invested in the sentient-tiger-fighter Hrahima and the wizard surgeon Hong-la, WHO ARE MY FAVOURITE CHARACTERS).
The reason I have mixed feelings about this book and it’s predecessor, has to do with the writing. I absolutely LOVE the world-building in this series. Bear’s created one of the most unique and interesting fantasy world, that dominated by these kingdoms with differing skies, each one reflecting the political structure and religion of the kingdom they sit under. The religion and cultures are so incredibly fleshed out that they feel real, and her descriptive writing is magical and easily whisked me away.
The problem I had was with the dialogue. To me, it almost doesn’t fit. It’s written oddly modern and westernized, and feels out of place among the asian-themed cultures and customs. And it read so different for me, almost to the point where it was like a rude interruption from her masterful descriptive paragraphs.
However I do recommend reading this series. It’s a very different take on fantasy than I’ve read, and I find Bear’s descriptive writing style and world-building to be incredibly inspiring, especially to a newbie fantasy author like myself. I do plan on finishing the series with the final book in the trilogy, Steles of the Sky, buuuuut, I still have to buy it, haha.
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FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, PHOTOS, AND MY OWN NOVEL SERIES, CHECK OUT MY BLOG:
www.michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse
I read the first book in this series, Range of Ghosts, in May 2015, I might have even posted about it, but I was a little unsure if I liked it. I know I liked Shattered Pillars more, but it could be that I’m now familiar with these characters so I as more invested in the story (Mostly, though, I’m invested in the sentient-tiger-fighter Hrahima and the wizard surgeon Hong-la, WHO ARE MY FAVOURITE CHARACTERS).
The reason I have mixed feelings about this book and it’s predecessor, has to do with the writing. I absolutely LOVE the world-building in this series. Bear’s created one of the most unique and interesting fantasy world, that dominated by these kingdoms with differing skies, each one reflecting the political structure and religion of the kingdom they sit under. The religion and cultures are so incredibly fleshed out that they feel real, and her descriptive writing is magical and easily whisked me away.
The problem I had was with the dialogue. To me, it almost doesn’t fit. It’s written oddly modern and westernized, and feels out of place among the asian-themed cultures and customs. And it read so different for me, almost to the point where it was like a rude interruption from her masterful descriptive paragraphs.
However I do recommend reading this series. It’s a very different take on fantasy than I’ve read, and I find Bear’s descriptive writing style and world-building to be incredibly inspiring, especially to a newbie fantasy author like myself. I do plan on finishing the series with the final book in the trilogy, Steles of the Sky, buuuuut, I still have to buy it, haha.
---
FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, PHOTOS, AND MY OWN NOVEL SERIES, CHECK OUT MY BLOG:
www.michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse