The Innkeeper's Song - Non-spoilery Review
Non-spoilery review of The Innkeeper's Song by Peter S. Beagle.
It's been a long time since I've been afraid for a book to be over, since I've been so caught up that I want to set life aside to curl up and read. I've missed that feeling. The Innkeeper's Song sustained it for almost the whole book, with a slight loss of momentum toward the end.
The plot concerns two former students of an aged magician who are brought together by a magical summons telling them he is in danger. The story brings together several characters who learn various things about themselves and each other in the course of unraveling the magician's plight.
The book's strength is character rather than plot; in fact, the plot might be described as a bit weak (anticlimactic), though perhaps it is better described as "subversive" of the usual expectations of quest fantasy. I'm not sure its subversion is 100% effective, and I'm not sure it's entirely a compliment to say that parts of the story reminded me of the works of H. P. Lovecraft. But these are niggles. Where it counts, Beagle shows his usual skill in constructing a diversity of characters who ring true and sidestep stereotype (both in personality and narrative trajectory). The book had a bit of the Battlestar Galactica effect of losing force by distributing the plot and perspectives among so many people that none could be deeply developed. That said, he got a lot of excellent development of out several of them.
I am usually a spoiler freak, but I consider this book important not to be spoiled for. Spoilers will wreck the impact on at least two levels.
Another caution: if, like me, you're drawn to this book because its cover and blurb promise a focus on strong female characters in interaction with each other, prepare for some disappointment. There are strong female characters, very well rendered, but not as front and center as you might think.
Highly recommended to character-centric readers.
It's been a long time since I've been afraid for a book to be over, since I've been so caught up that I want to set life aside to curl up and read. I've missed that feeling. The Innkeeper's Song sustained it for almost the whole book, with a slight loss of momentum toward the end.
The plot concerns two former students of an aged magician who are brought together by a magical summons telling them he is in danger. The story brings together several characters who learn various things about themselves and each other in the course of unraveling the magician's plight.
The book's strength is character rather than plot; in fact, the plot might be described as a bit weak (anticlimactic), though perhaps it is better described as "subversive" of the usual expectations of quest fantasy. I'm not sure its subversion is 100% effective, and I'm not sure it's entirely a compliment to say that parts of the story reminded me of the works of H. P. Lovecraft. But these are niggles. Where it counts, Beagle shows his usual skill in constructing a diversity of characters who ring true and sidestep stereotype (both in personality and narrative trajectory). The book had a bit of the Battlestar Galactica effect of losing force by distributing the plot and perspectives among so many people that none could be deeply developed. That said, he got a lot of excellent development of out several of them.
I am usually a spoiler freak, but I consider this book important not to be spoiled for. Spoilers will wreck the impact on at least two levels.
Another caution: if, like me, you're drawn to this book because its cover and blurb promise a focus on strong female characters in interaction with each other, prepare for some disappointment. There are strong female characters, very well rendered, but not as front and center as you might think.
Highly recommended to character-centric readers.