Book Review: Fire by Kristin Cashore
Title: Fire
Author: Kristin Cashor
Pages:461
What is says on the back:It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. The young King Nash clings to his throne while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. The mountains and forests are filled with spies and thieves and lawless men.
This is where Fire lives. With a wild, irresistible appearance and hair the color of flame, Fire is the last remaining human monster. Equally hated and adored, she had the unique ability to control minds, but she guards her power, unwilling to steal the secrets of innocent people. Especially when she has so many of her own.
Then Prince Brigan comes to bring her to King City, The royal family needs her help to uncover the plot against the king. Far away from home, Fire begins to realize there's more to her power than she ever dreamed. Her power could save the kingdom.
If only she weren't afraid of becoming the monster her father was
What I thought:
I debated with myself on whether I should include a large aspect of this review, as part of my experience of this book was as a direct result of my habit of reading fanfiction. I pondered the relevance of such a review from the point of view of a ‘non fanfic’ reader and wondered if it would have a wider audience’s understanding.
After much internal debate, I declared: But I am a fanfic reader and by natural consequence my reading experience of new works, whether original professional or fannish amateur, is influenced by previous readings (original and amateur). Thus by and large my review of the main character of this book, Fire, is influenced by my fanfic reading and associated preferences.
Fire is the sequel to Graceling but occurs prior to the events in Graceling and in the ‘unknown’ land mentioned in the previous book. As a result, very little of the world building and knowledge gleaned from the previous story apply and impact this plot. Only one character from Graceling appears in Fire, and his presence almost automatically prequalifies the conclusion or rather narrows the scope of possible endings as he must survive to play a role in the next series of events. The reader of Fire is thus presented with a brand new version of Cashore’s world and mythology - which is not necessarily a negative aspect as it allows for fresh creativity and exploration, however it does remove a certain amount of doubt about the ending, which as a pernickety reader I did not relish.
The underlying trope of a group of people with special abilities, underpins both books, much in the vein of the Marvel verse, which depicts different ‘groups’ of mutants within their own sphere of influence. In Fire however, the special ability of the ‘unusual group of people’ is slightly different from the one described (and central) to Graceling - those called Gracelings. On the outset, the prospective of new ability/power is intriguing, but alas, the special ability in Fire does not have particular depth as it is very singular - unnatural attraction/beauty and telepathy. Without the interesting variety of the Graceling abilities (and mystery associated with discovering ‘what’ each ability was) Fire’s mediocre plot is not elevated by the addition of ‘abilities’.
The central plot is a love triangle in the midst of an impending civil war and the need to save a crumbling country from said war and restore it to prosperity. This plot however serves mainly though to showcase Fire, the central character and casts her in a pivotal role throughout all the intrigue, and as a result the plight of country and secondary characters becomes ancillary to Fire herself, her emotions and relationships. The political situation is as a direct result of Fire’s Father’s actions and behaviour, and his relationship with the King.
This is a natural point to direct the main thrust of my review to Fire herself, the protagonist of the book, Fire. Within the realms of fanfiction, there is a stereotype or character trope known as the Mary Sue. Please feel to google ‘Mary Sue’ if you are unfamiliar with the term and concept. My personal preference when reading fanfiction and thus choosing which story to invest time in, is to search out stories that focus on the canon characters of the book/tv show/movie that I am a fan of. As a result, I tend to dislike fanfiction stories who have a central original character who meets the Mary Sue criteria. I won’t get into the criteria just yet, but my main reason for avoiding Mary Sue fanfic, is this: I want to read about the characters who originally intrigued me in the canon medium. I want to explore canon relationships, drama, etc and thus, am not particularly interested in reading about an original character, their interactions with the canon characters, especially when said interactions became the focus/centre of the story.
This is a personal preference and I am aware that there are fans who love Mary Sues/OFC/OMCs and will actively seek out fanfic with that criteria. By automatic qualification of the above stipulation, Fire is not a Mary Sue, quietly simply because Fire is not fanfiction. It is entirely original, has no ‘canon’ characters and thus, I cannot automatically dislike Fire because she fits the Mary Sue trope. The ancilliary, supporting characters in Fire are just that - supporting characters. Cashore is not detracting from my enjoyment of a set of characters I sought out, no, I chose to read her book about her original female character.
Why then am I muttering about Mary Sues and casting Fire in the same light?
Failure to meet one (in my mind the main) characteristic of a Mary Sue, does not mean that Fire doesn’t fit just about every other tick box on the Mary Sue list. If you remove the fanfic component, the debate is not on whether Fire is a Mary Sue - because she isn’t - instead the debate becomes: just how much of a clichéd stereotype is she?
I, with my reading experience, cannot ignore the Mary Sue colouring in Fire, but another reader may simply find her a clichéd, flat character. I will however, stick with my Mary Sue comparison, because this, if you have read this far, is my review.
Fire quite easily meets nearly every single item on the checklist: unusual hair colour - check. Unusual eye colour - check. Everyone is obsessed with her - check. She is prone is injury/attack - check. Abilities no one else has - check (she is the last ‘monster’ human). And last, Fire has a deep darks secret in her past - check.
A fair question would be: does this list and that fact that Fire meets these criteria make her a poor character? I would respond with this: the first time you read a cliché or a stereotype character, do you know its clichéd? It if often only on the re-reading or re-experience of the cliché that it becomes so for that reader. As a child, I happily read many a story chock full of formulaic plots, cardboard characters and flat descriptions - and it did not matter as I knew no better. But as a mature reader, I no longer have the luxury (and alas probably the tolerance) of reading trope, stereotypes without finding it a bit weary. Of course, you could argue that there is no original fiction, and that everything is a reinvention on a stereotype, and I will heartedly agree.
Which is why, I will end with this. I struggled to read Fire as I struggled to connect with Fire as a character for all of my reasons above. Alas, Cashore, for me, did not elevate the story or characters enough, did not offer a unique enough a take on ground so well covered by so many - for me. There are certainly people who enjoyed this book - alas, I was not one of them as I finished purely out of curiosity to see how it connected to Graceling.
Author: Kristin Cashor
Pages:461
What is says on the back:It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. The young King Nash clings to his throne while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. The mountains and forests are filled with spies and thieves and lawless men.
This is where Fire lives. With a wild, irresistible appearance and hair the color of flame, Fire is the last remaining human monster. Equally hated and adored, she had the unique ability to control minds, but she guards her power, unwilling to steal the secrets of innocent people. Especially when she has so many of her own.
Then Prince Brigan comes to bring her to King City, The royal family needs her help to uncover the plot against the king. Far away from home, Fire begins to realize there's more to her power than she ever dreamed. Her power could save the kingdom.
If only she weren't afraid of becoming the monster her father was
What I thought:
I debated with myself on whether I should include a large aspect of this review, as part of my experience of this book was as a direct result of my habit of reading fanfiction. I pondered the relevance of such a review from the point of view of a ‘non fanfic’ reader and wondered if it would have a wider audience’s understanding.
After much internal debate, I declared: But I am a fanfic reader and by natural consequence my reading experience of new works, whether original professional or fannish amateur, is influenced by previous readings (original and amateur). Thus by and large my review of the main character of this book, Fire, is influenced by my fanfic reading and associated preferences.
Fire is the sequel to Graceling but occurs prior to the events in Graceling and in the ‘unknown’ land mentioned in the previous book. As a result, very little of the world building and knowledge gleaned from the previous story apply and impact this plot. Only one character from Graceling appears in Fire, and his presence almost automatically prequalifies the conclusion or rather narrows the scope of possible endings as he must survive to play a role in the next series of events. The reader of Fire is thus presented with a brand new version of Cashore’s world and mythology - which is not necessarily a negative aspect as it allows for fresh creativity and exploration, however it does remove a certain amount of doubt about the ending, which as a pernickety reader I did not relish.
The underlying trope of a group of people with special abilities, underpins both books, much in the vein of the Marvel verse, which depicts different ‘groups’ of mutants within their own sphere of influence. In Fire however, the special ability of the ‘unusual group of people’ is slightly different from the one described (and central) to Graceling - those called Gracelings. On the outset, the prospective of new ability/power is intriguing, but alas, the special ability in Fire does not have particular depth as it is very singular - unnatural attraction/beauty and telepathy. Without the interesting variety of the Graceling abilities (and mystery associated with discovering ‘what’ each ability was) Fire’s mediocre plot is not elevated by the addition of ‘abilities’.
The central plot is a love triangle in the midst of an impending civil war and the need to save a crumbling country from said war and restore it to prosperity. This plot however serves mainly though to showcase Fire, the central character and casts her in a pivotal role throughout all the intrigue, and as a result the plight of country and secondary characters becomes ancillary to Fire herself, her emotions and relationships. The political situation is as a direct result of Fire’s Father’s actions and behaviour, and his relationship with the King.
This is a natural point to direct the main thrust of my review to Fire herself, the protagonist of the book, Fire. Within the realms of fanfiction, there is a stereotype or character trope known as the Mary Sue. Please feel to google ‘Mary Sue’ if you are unfamiliar with the term and concept. My personal preference when reading fanfiction and thus choosing which story to invest time in, is to search out stories that focus on the canon characters of the book/tv show/movie that I am a fan of. As a result, I tend to dislike fanfiction stories who have a central original character who meets the Mary Sue criteria. I won’t get into the criteria just yet, but my main reason for avoiding Mary Sue fanfic, is this: I want to read about the characters who originally intrigued me in the canon medium. I want to explore canon relationships, drama, etc and thus, am not particularly interested in reading about an original character, their interactions with the canon characters, especially when said interactions became the focus/centre of the story.
This is a personal preference and I am aware that there are fans who love Mary Sues/OFC/OMCs and will actively seek out fanfic with that criteria. By automatic qualification of the above stipulation, Fire is not a Mary Sue, quietly simply because Fire is not fanfiction. It is entirely original, has no ‘canon’ characters and thus, I cannot automatically dislike Fire because she fits the Mary Sue trope. The ancilliary, supporting characters in Fire are just that - supporting characters. Cashore is not detracting from my enjoyment of a set of characters I sought out, no, I chose to read her book about her original female character.
Why then am I muttering about Mary Sues and casting Fire in the same light?
Failure to meet one (in my mind the main) characteristic of a Mary Sue, does not mean that Fire doesn’t fit just about every other tick box on the Mary Sue list. If you remove the fanfic component, the debate is not on whether Fire is a Mary Sue - because she isn’t - instead the debate becomes: just how much of a clichéd stereotype is she?
I, with my reading experience, cannot ignore the Mary Sue colouring in Fire, but another reader may simply find her a clichéd, flat character. I will however, stick with my Mary Sue comparison, because this, if you have read this far, is my review.
Fire quite easily meets nearly every single item on the checklist: unusual hair colour - check. Unusual eye colour - check. Everyone is obsessed with her - check. She is prone is injury/attack - check. Abilities no one else has - check (she is the last ‘monster’ human). And last, Fire has a deep darks secret in her past - check.
A fair question would be: does this list and that fact that Fire meets these criteria make her a poor character? I would respond with this: the first time you read a cliché or a stereotype character, do you know its clichéd? It if often only on the re-reading or re-experience of the cliché that it becomes so for that reader. As a child, I happily read many a story chock full of formulaic plots, cardboard characters and flat descriptions - and it did not matter as I knew no better. But as a mature reader, I no longer have the luxury (and alas probably the tolerance) of reading trope, stereotypes without finding it a bit weary. Of course, you could argue that there is no original fiction, and that everything is a reinvention on a stereotype, and I will heartedly agree.
Which is why, I will end with this. I struggled to read Fire as I struggled to connect with Fire as a character for all of my reasons above. Alas, Cashore, for me, did not elevate the story or characters enough, did not offer a unique enough a take on ground so well covered by so many - for me. There are certainly people who enjoyed this book - alas, I was not one of them as I finished purely out of curiosity to see how it connected to Graceling.