book post!
Yesterday I finished my first for-fun-reading book in . . . months, probably. It was kind of exciting. There are other things I read earlier in the semester and never got to ramble about, so here's what I read August-December, basically.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard - J.K. Rowling
I actually read this so long ago I don't remember much. It was fun, though, even if my favorite parts were Dumbledore's commentary.
Dead Witch Walking - Kim Harrison
I was surprised at how much I liked this. Basically I picked it up because it's urban fantasy set in Cincinnati, where I went to college, which seemed hilarious. It's about a witch bounty hunter, in a world where much of humanity has been decimated by disease and magical beings, having revealed themselves, live uneasily beside humans. And it's actually pretty good. What gave it the most points is that it's not that terrible writing you see in a lot of mass-market series novels, with boring prose, self-conscious first-person narration, and way too many needless and annoying details. It was a quick read, the main character likeable (and she has UST with her vampire roommate Ivy), and the story pretty entertaining. The disease that killed people was spread through tomatoes, which is a bit cheesy, but at least Harrison follows through--at one point Rachel, the main character, has a human over at her place and worries when she realizes she left a jar of tomato sauce out on the counter since humans actively avoid tomatoes after the epidemic. My main complaint is that this isn't good urban fantasy--I really wanted to see the characters' world, but it feels like, a trip to Graeter's aside, they could be wandering around any midwestern city. Overall, though, I liked it, and will probably go for the next one when I get the chance.
The Colour of Power - Gillian Bradshaw
This is really excellent historical fiction. It's set in the Roman Empire in the fifth century, and takes place mostly in Tyre and Constantinople. It's the story of Demetrias, a slave of the state who works in an imperial weaving factory, who weaves things like cloaks and rugs for the imperial family. She is married to Simeon, also a slave of the state who fishes for the mollusks that make imperial purple dye, and has a child. There are two main plots. The first is that Demetrias gets caught up in a plot to overthrow the emperor. The local magistrate (I don't remember his exact title) basically orders her to weave a purple cloak for someone other than the emperor, which is a crime that can incur the punishment of death. The other main aspect of the plot is her relationship to her husband. Because she was raped as a girl, she has an uneasy relationship with men, and so she is merely content with her husband while he is frustrated at her coolness because he actually loves her.
The story is all about the powerlessness of slaves, the powerlessness of women, and politics, with loads of highly-accurate historical detail. It's one of those stories that doesn't change anything we know about history, but finds a way to work itself out behind the scenes. There were places where I got a little impatient, but overall it was really, really good. I'm not super-interested in Rome so I don't know if I'll seek out any more of Bradshaw's books, but I'm glad I read this one. Below is an excerpt I wanted to save because it's so sad and awesome at the same time. It's from early in the book, when the emperor's allies have figured out something's up but they're not sure what, so in order to appease his master at not finding anything, the man who came to investigate the plot decides to buy Demetrias and take her back to Constantinople.
"There was no hope of escape: she would have to yield, as she had yielded before, and hope that she would have some other opportunity if she went quietly. But she found that she couldn't do it: at the thought of consenting to her own captivity, a sick, hot, violent hatred rose up uncontrollably inside her, and she flung herself backward and screamed, "No!" The word seemed for a moment as solid and real as her own flesh, formed from her own substance, and it brought with it an immense feeling of relief. There was no use in fighting, but she fought anyway, kicking and biting and screaming desperate refusals. The guards had to wrestle her to the ground, tie her up, and gag her again before they got her into the carriage."
MY HEART. I think the worst part is when you realize that this is based on actual historical circumstances. People faced situations like this all the time. Even though there's a lot of horrible things going on today, we are so, so lucky to live in a world where, for the most part, women have their say and slavery is illegal.
Storm Front - Jim Butcher (Book One of the Dresden Files)
This was basically a masculine version of Dead Witch Walking, except the main character is a private investigator rather than a bounty hunter. It felt very classic noir, with magic. It took awhile to get into, because I didn't find the main character compelling. Harry Dresden is your typical noir hero: loner, tragic past, bad luck with women, a bit chauvinist but also chivalric. Once the story really got going though, it was pretty cool, with some really cinematic sequences that made me wonder if I wouldn't like this better as a TV series than as books (OH HAY IT IS A TV SERIES *adds to queue*). Parts of it were cheesy or a little too close to other stories (at one important point His Dead Mum Protects Him), but ultimately it was fun. I don't think I'll seek out the other books in the series, but I'd pick them up in an airport bookstore.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard - J.K. Rowling
I actually read this so long ago I don't remember much. It was fun, though, even if my favorite parts were Dumbledore's commentary.
Dead Witch Walking - Kim Harrison
I was surprised at how much I liked this. Basically I picked it up because it's urban fantasy set in Cincinnati, where I went to college, which seemed hilarious. It's about a witch bounty hunter, in a world where much of humanity has been decimated by disease and magical beings, having revealed themselves, live uneasily beside humans. And it's actually pretty good. What gave it the most points is that it's not that terrible writing you see in a lot of mass-market series novels, with boring prose, self-conscious first-person narration, and way too many needless and annoying details. It was a quick read, the main character likeable (and she has UST with her vampire roommate Ivy), and the story pretty entertaining. The disease that killed people was spread through tomatoes, which is a bit cheesy, but at least Harrison follows through--at one point Rachel, the main character, has a human over at her place and worries when she realizes she left a jar of tomato sauce out on the counter since humans actively avoid tomatoes after the epidemic. My main complaint is that this isn't good urban fantasy--I really wanted to see the characters' world, but it feels like, a trip to Graeter's aside, they could be wandering around any midwestern city. Overall, though, I liked it, and will probably go for the next one when I get the chance.
The Colour of Power - Gillian Bradshaw
This is really excellent historical fiction. It's set in the Roman Empire in the fifth century, and takes place mostly in Tyre and Constantinople. It's the story of Demetrias, a slave of the state who works in an imperial weaving factory, who weaves things like cloaks and rugs for the imperial family. She is married to Simeon, also a slave of the state who fishes for the mollusks that make imperial purple dye, and has a child. There are two main plots. The first is that Demetrias gets caught up in a plot to overthrow the emperor. The local magistrate (I don't remember his exact title) basically orders her to weave a purple cloak for someone other than the emperor, which is a crime that can incur the punishment of death. The other main aspect of the plot is her relationship to her husband. Because she was raped as a girl, she has an uneasy relationship with men, and so she is merely content with her husband while he is frustrated at her coolness because he actually loves her.
The story is all about the powerlessness of slaves, the powerlessness of women, and politics, with loads of highly-accurate historical detail. It's one of those stories that doesn't change anything we know about history, but finds a way to work itself out behind the scenes. There were places where I got a little impatient, but overall it was really, really good. I'm not super-interested in Rome so I don't know if I'll seek out any more of Bradshaw's books, but I'm glad I read this one. Below is an excerpt I wanted to save because it's so sad and awesome at the same time. It's from early in the book, when the emperor's allies have figured out something's up but they're not sure what, so in order to appease his master at not finding anything, the man who came to investigate the plot decides to buy Demetrias and take her back to Constantinople.
"There was no hope of escape: she would have to yield, as she had yielded before, and hope that she would have some other opportunity if she went quietly. But she found that she couldn't do it: at the thought of consenting to her own captivity, a sick, hot, violent hatred rose up uncontrollably inside her, and she flung herself backward and screamed, "No!" The word seemed for a moment as solid and real as her own flesh, formed from her own substance, and it brought with it an immense feeling of relief. There was no use in fighting, but she fought anyway, kicking and biting and screaming desperate refusals. The guards had to wrestle her to the ground, tie her up, and gag her again before they got her into the carriage."
MY HEART. I think the worst part is when you realize that this is based on actual historical circumstances. People faced situations like this all the time. Even though there's a lot of horrible things going on today, we are so, so lucky to live in a world where, for the most part, women have their say and slavery is illegal.
Storm Front - Jim Butcher (Book One of the Dresden Files)
This was basically a masculine version of Dead Witch Walking, except the main character is a private investigator rather than a bounty hunter. It felt very classic noir, with magic. It took awhile to get into, because I didn't find the main character compelling. Harry Dresden is your typical noir hero: loner, tragic past, bad luck with women, a bit chauvinist but also chivalric. Once the story really got going though, it was pretty cool, with some really cinematic sequences that made me wonder if I wouldn't like this better as a TV series than as books (OH HAY IT IS A TV SERIES *adds to queue*). Parts of it were cheesy or a little too close to other stories (at one important point His Dead Mum Protects Him), but ultimately it was fun. I don't think I'll seek out the other books in the series, but I'd pick them up in an airport bookstore.