The Ships of Air by Martha Wells
Reading this trilogy, I have to wonder sometimes if Wells is somewhat like Tremaine: she knows what she wants to get done, but she isn’t quite sure how to get there, so she makes things up as she goes along, and hopes they work out. This isn’t a complaint, as the plot remains wonderfully madcap (if a bit repetitive and random) and the characters delightfully looney.
This is the middle book of a trilogy, which, almost by definition, means that it’s when everyone is finding out what’s going on, secrets are revealed, mysteries are solved, and things are moved into place. The middle part of a trilogy isn’t an inherently bad thing, contrary to popular belief, it’s just how it’s handled, and Wells handles it well.
The biggest appeal for me remain Tremaine, who is now over her suicidal tendencies, but seems to be replacing them with near homicidal ones. Thankfully, her friends are even better equipped to deal with those, and the amazing frankness-and acceptance-of the characters (not to mention Tremaine straightforward determination to get things done, and promptly) remains utterly charming. Things like people wandering around carrying human arms are very quickly accepted, here. I have to say, though, that it’s a bit disconcerting to realize that both books have only covered six days so far, especially given how quickly certain relationships are progressing.
Not surprisingly, I find Nicholas, The World’s Worst Absentee Father more palatable than Nicholas, The Main Character. But then, I think a plot like this and a character like Tremaine are more flattering to a character like him.
This is the middle book of a trilogy, which, almost by definition, means that it’s when everyone is finding out what’s going on, secrets are revealed, mysteries are solved, and things are moved into place. The middle part of a trilogy isn’t an inherently bad thing, contrary to popular belief, it’s just how it’s handled, and Wells handles it well.
The biggest appeal for me remain Tremaine, who is now over her suicidal tendencies, but seems to be replacing them with near homicidal ones. Thankfully, her friends are even better equipped to deal with those, and the amazing frankness-and acceptance-of the characters (not to mention Tremaine straightforward determination to get things done, and promptly) remains utterly charming. Things like people wandering around carrying human arms are very quickly accepted, here. I have to say, though, that it’s a bit disconcerting to realize that both books have only covered six days so far, especially given how quickly certain relationships are progressing.
Not surprisingly, I find Nicholas, The World’s Worst Absentee Father more palatable than Nicholas, The Main Character. But then, I think a plot like this and a character like Tremaine are more flattering to a character like him.