Book Roundup
I have been reading a lot more than I should, so instead of filling out taxes I’m going to write about them.
The Temeraire series, books 1-4, by Naomi Novik
Pardon me for being so late on the bandwagon, but thanks to floweranza/Julia’s incessant nattering I have grown equally obsessed as she. Naomi Novik’s fantastic blend of fantasy and historical fiction pits dragons as Britain’s air force circa 1805. Naval officer Will Laurence’s life is turned upside down when the dragon Temeraire chooses him to be his handler; both are now assigned to the Aerial Corps, the isolated and not-as-respected branch of the military. I’ve read lots of dragon novels, so Novik accomplishes the incredible feat of bringing something new to the genre that (I believe, anyway) Anne McCaffrey started with her Pern books: the link between dragon and handler feels so refreshingly new, the characters unforgettable, and the settings both rich and cosmopolitan.
Each book only elevated my wanderlust: though His Majesty’s Dragon was set in Europe, the following novels explore China, Turkey and South Africa respectively. Treatment of dragons in other nations provide contrast to both Laurence and Temeraire’s troubles at home, where dragons are still treated as beasts born and bred for the military, despite the fact that some possess a level of intelligence that outstrips most humans. (Yes, they talk!) I was tickled by all the questions this book raised-I loved Temeraire’s cheeky and passionate bravado and Laurence’s quiet sense of justice (oh come on, he’s the kind of gentleman we all want to ruin). I absolutely adored all the women in the Corps (which is technically a secret, but damn those picky Longwings), who each bring a flare of independence in a very much male-dominated world: Jane, her daughter Emily, and Catherine-Lily’s captain. Special love also goes out to Berkley and his dragon Maximus, speaker of the some of the best lines in the whole series. Also, these bits pretty much rule:
Laurence: Will you marry me Jane?
Jane: Why no, dear fellow, what’s for dinner?
and
Priest, at Catherine’s grudging wedding: Anyone object?
Lily: CAN I? PLEASE?
Catherine: NO!
Oh so win.
Farthing, by Jo Walton
I read Farthing several weeks ago and it was so poignantly written I haven’t been able to keep it out of my mind. The beef I have with most alternate history novels is that most of the plot centres around the discrepancies between actual history and the history presented in the book-but not so with Farthing. In Farthing, where the setting is a sleepy English town in a world where Hitler won World War II, is part murder mystery and part political discourse, but it feels like both and neither at the same time-and alternate history is where the story works best, not the main focus. A noted politician mainly responsible for bringing peace to Britain is murdered at a weekend gathering, and Lucy Kahn’s Jewish husband, David, appears to be set up as the scapegoat. Each chapter alternates point of view between Lucy and Inspector Carmichael, tapped to investigate the case. The writing is masterful with Jo Walton’s unintrusive prose, the ending depressing but so determinedly full of hope, and the story echoing today so loudly it rings in my ears. I’ve already put Ha’penny, book two, on hold.
The Trouble With Kings, by Sherwood Smith
I wanted to HUG this book when it came out, and so fitting that it was released on Valentine’s Day. Flian Elandersi is a princess, but that is No Good Thing, since people keep trying to abduct her for her family’s considerable wealth and influence. All she wants is to be at home with her music and left in peace, but just as she’s nearly been tricked into marrying nasty Scoundrel One by Scoundrel Two, Scoundrel Three comes in and kidnaps her. With the world full of rotten scoundrels, what is a girl to do? The characters' motivations are multi-faceted and complex, and Flian herself displays courage she didn’t even know existed in her person. Sherwood Smith’s story is full of tension, adventure, humour and romance, and will have you guessing at the villain. The memoir style works especially well for this book; we really get inside Flian’s head and experiences things as she does-especially memorable is a passage where she’s being carried on a horse, soaking in the scents around her. What’s so great about The Trouble With Kings is that it is utterly romantic without needing physical details, and as always I gobble up every slight reference to the rest of Sartorias-deles (Yustnesveas Landis! Marloven Hess! Lexan Glenereth!) When you’re as big a nerd as I am, every mention is a treasure trove.
Okay, somehow, magically, my taxes got filled (my Dad rules). Yay money back! Not that I made much to begin with, but… yay!