Also re: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, I think you and John disliked it because you spent so much time focused on the world and plot and character, you overlooked that the whole thing with Nahadoth is hhhhhhhhot. I found it far less frustrating than either of you. ;) I mean who cares about story when you've got a sexy bad boy Nightlord?!
Useful data point on the Marie Brennan novels - I hadn't looked for them because I am way burnt out on fairies in Elizabethan England, but I heard that the sequels head into much more interesting and less cliched bits of English history, and actually hearing that there are worries about money makes the first one sound much more interesting.
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is on my coffee table of pending books (as opposed to my bedside pile of pending books, my shipping box of pending manga, etc...) - I've liked NK Jemisin's short stories, but I read the first few chapters of this and it didn't grab me at all. I think I was supposed to find the male lead more fascinating than I did.
I'm in swan-tower's writing group, and from all I've seen there and in her books, she's really good about those sorts of details. And the sequels are very good, and seem to be getting better as the series goes on. I really do recommend them.
I think my fundamental problem with The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms boils down to the fact that it gestures at doing a lot of things and then expects to get credit for doing them properly. Like making its characters interesting. And making its protagonist sympathetic. And having the goddess of wisdom actually be wise. (Seriously: Worst Goddess of Wisdom Ever.)
1) Based on what you wrote about Midnight Never Come here, it's on my gift ideas list for my sister. Thanks! (She and I have similar tastes in reading and she used to play Changeling.)
2) I had to look up the word "indicia." Very useful to know; much less clunky than saying "the page after the title page with all the copyright information," which is what I've called it til now.
3) I misread your footnote as "...used to do in ancient China or Peoria..." *grin*
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Also re: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, I think you and John disliked it because you spent so much time focused on the world and plot and character, you overlooked that the whole thing with Nahadoth is hhhhhhhhot. I found it far less frustrating than either of you. ;) I mean who cares about story when you've got a sexy bad boy Nightlord?!
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(Also, I have standards for smut. That didn't meet them.)
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The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is on my coffee table of pending books (as opposed to my bedside pile of pending books, my shipping box of pending manga, etc...) - I've liked NK Jemisin's short stories, but I read the first few chapters of this and it didn't grab me at all. I think I was supposed to find the male lead more fascinating than I did.
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I think my fundamental problem with The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms boils down to the fact that it gestures at doing a lot of things and then expects to get credit for doing them properly. Like making its characters interesting. And making its protagonist sympathetic. And having the goddess of wisdom actually be wise. (Seriously: Worst Goddess of Wisdom Ever.)
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2) I had to look up the word "indicia." Very useful to know; much less clunky than saying "the page after the title page with all the copyright information," which is what I've called it til now.
3) I misread your footnote as "...used to do in ancient China or Peoria..." *grin*
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2) Yah, Indicia is a very handy term. Not sure when I picked it up. Possibly while I was doing comics journalism back in college.
3) Well, you know. Those ancient Peorians really knew their decadence.
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