The Folly of the World by Jesse Bullington.
What a strange book. Mostly spoiler free comments, in a vague sort of way.
I really loved the first third of it. It's a tense collection of miscreants and a treasure hunt. Some of the setting scenes near the end of that portion are among my favorites from any books. It really showcases what Bullington does best, which is bring the past to life (dirty, foul-mouthed life) and set a scene.
The second two third were much harder for me to pin down. It is definitely, to me, a magical realism sort of historical fiction. There are hints and implications and some rather fantastic things happen, but they're always treated as the sort of strangeness that just crops up in the world.
There is a historical cameo about halfway through that I thought was going to dominate the plot, which was not a direction I was really interested in. It turned out to be just a cameo after all, though it seemed to set the tone for the remainder of the book.
The final third is, I think, sort of a lesson in missed connections or a lack of gratification. Our heroes protagonists show up to battles after they're over, just miss putting the pieces together in time, and generally find themselves missing the neat endings that they're looking for. (In case you missed it, one character eventually remarks on this trend in her life.)
Their denied gratifications (especially in terms of knowledge - about just what is going on) are also the readers', since you are right there with them. It's not a thriller where the audience knows about the bomb or the spy; you are stuck in the limited perspective of these characters.
I really wasn't sure what to think after finishing the book, so I fell asleep exhaustedly instead. I think I liked it; despite reading The Enterprise of Death last year, it still wasn't what I expected.
I really loved the first third of it. It's a tense collection of miscreants and a treasure hunt. Some of the setting scenes near the end of that portion are among my favorites from any books. It really showcases what Bullington does best, which is bring the past to life (dirty, foul-mouthed life) and set a scene.
The second two third were much harder for me to pin down. It is definitely, to me, a magical realism sort of historical fiction. There are hints and implications and some rather fantastic things happen, but they're always treated as the sort of strangeness that just crops up in the world.
There is a historical cameo about halfway through that I thought was going to dominate the plot, which was not a direction I was really interested in. It turned out to be just a cameo after all, though it seemed to set the tone for the remainder of the book.
The final third is, I think, sort of a lesson in missed connections or a lack of gratification. Our heroes protagonists show up to battles after they're over, just miss putting the pieces together in time, and generally find themselves missing the neat endings that they're looking for. (In case you missed it, one character eventually remarks on this trend in her life.)
Their denied gratifications (especially in terms of knowledge - about just what is going on) are also the readers', since you are right there with them. It's not a thriller where the audience knows about the bomb or the spy; you are stuck in the limited perspective of these characters.
I really wasn't sure what to think after finishing the book, so I fell asleep exhaustedly instead. I think I liked it; despite reading The Enterprise of Death last year, it still wasn't what I expected.