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ericderoulet's reviews
64 reviews
A Woman of the Sword by Anna Smith Spark
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I wrote a detailed treatment of Anna Smith Spark's A Woman of the Sword for Typebar Magazine: https://www.typebarmagazine.com/2024/03/24/finding-space-for-the-literary-in-fantasy-a-reflection-on-a-woman-of-the-sword
In essence: Smith Spark's dreamy prose and her story told through the perspective of Lidae, a mother and a veteran who struggles who has never fully adapted to her civilian and domestic life, make this an uncommon piece of fantasy that's absolutely worth reading. The unconventional plotting and treatment of the very human protagonist's motivation, plus Lidae's from-the-ground perspective in what would otherwise be epic fantasy, constitute what I think are unique strengths of the novel, but these features may be turnoffs for consumers of more conventional high/epic fantasy. Still, it doesn't hurt for fantasy readers to broaden the types of literature they're exposed to, and those who think they orefer "literary" fiction over genre will find much to appreciate here.
There are occasional issues with editing (and the novel deserved a better treatment from its publisher in this respect), though the language that some readers find confusing is intentional more often than not. I find the book is unmissable in spite of a few small flaws, and this was probably my favorite read of 2024.
In essence: Smith Spark's dreamy prose and her story told through the perspective of Lidae, a mother and a veteran who struggles who has never fully adapted to her civilian and domestic life, make this an uncommon piece of fantasy that's absolutely worth reading. The unconventional plotting and treatment of the very human protagonist's motivation, plus Lidae's from-the-ground perspective in what would otherwise be epic fantasy, constitute what I think are unique strengths of the novel, but these features may be turnoffs for consumers of more conventional high/epic fantasy. Still, it doesn't hurt for fantasy readers to broaden the types of literature they're exposed to, and those who think they orefer "literary" fiction over genre will find much to appreciate here.
There are occasional issues with editing (and the novel deserved a better treatment from its publisher in this respect), though the language that some readers find confusing is intentional more often than not. I find the book is unmissable in spite of a few small flaws, and this was probably my favorite read of 2024.
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
A retrospective update: Having read more of Sanderson's work, I generally agree with characterizations of his prose being "workmanlike" (i.e., merely serving to advance the plot/provide information and not being particularly artful). Also, his works with hard magic systems share a key flaw of other settings with hard magic systems in that magic, if over-systematized, spoils the wonder that I expect to experience from, well, reading fantasy. More on that in my Typebar Magazine article from early 2024: https://www.typebarmagazine.com/2024/03/24/finding-space-for-the-literary-in-fantasy-a-reflection-on-a-woman-of-the-sword/
That being said, Elantris doesn't share the issues I have with several other Sanderson works, nor is it excessively lengthy like his other work can be. More from my original review below, written a few years back:
Sanderson is probably best known (alright, best known to me) for his innovations in developing magic systems for his worlds. Elantris is no exception to this, but what stands out to me most about Elantris is that it is a hopeful piece of high fantasy that manages not to feel derivative. Sanderson makes good use of the book's length to build a setting and flesh out characters that readers can really be invested in, and he allows the main characters to enter dire straits and face some tragic losses without writing the sort of grim, fatalistic narrative which can be fun but we've probably seen too much of these days.
This book has plenty else going for it, too, enough that I think it can appeal to quite a few different tastes. The magic system is strongly grounded in the world Sanderson has built, and the visual descriptions of it are quite effective. The romance (of sorts) is nice without being too sappy. The storylines of the three main characters also weave together and diverge in enticing ways, such that even if you can safely assume the three will all meet at some point, you're still genuinely curious about what'll happen when that time comes. Lastly, while the world itself basically feels like European medieval fantasy with a few more original additions, the political tensions that drive parts of the plot are well-thought-out. For fantasy readers who are more concerned with stories' narrative qualities than the rigor of their "hard" magic systems, this is the work I'd most recommend by Sanderson.
My only critique, a small one, is that two of the protagonists are a bit too close to being flawless, a characterization problem that's fairly common in high fantasy literature with a moral message.
That being said, Elantris doesn't share the issues I have with several other Sanderson works, nor is it excessively lengthy like his other work can be. More from my original review below, written a few years back:
Sanderson is probably best known (alright, best known to me) for his innovations in developing magic systems for his worlds. Elantris is no exception to this, but what stands out to me most about Elantris is that it is a hopeful piece of high fantasy that manages not to feel derivative. Sanderson makes good use of the book's length to build a setting and flesh out characters that readers can really be invested in, and he allows the main characters to enter dire straits and face some tragic losses without writing the sort of grim, fatalistic narrative which can be fun but we've probably seen too much of these days.
This book has plenty else going for it, too, enough that I think it can appeal to quite a few different tastes. The magic system is strongly grounded in the world Sanderson has built, and the visual descriptions of it are quite effective. The romance (of sorts) is nice without being too sappy. The storylines of the three main characters also weave together and diverge in enticing ways, such that even if you can safely assume the three will all meet at some point, you're still genuinely curious about what'll happen when that time comes. Lastly, while the world itself basically feels like European medieval fantasy with a few more original additions, the political tensions that drive parts of the plot are well-thought-out. For fantasy readers who are more concerned with stories' narrative qualities than the rigor of their "hard" magic systems, this is the work I'd most recommend by Sanderson.
My only critique, a small one, is that two of the protagonists are a bit too close to being flawless, a characterization problem that's fairly common in high fantasy literature with a moral message.