I loved this book. I wasn't sure I was going to about half way through the book, but then Marya returned to Leningrad and the story started to pull together.
My previous experience with this fairy tale is mostly from Mercedes Lackey's Firebird, which I do not particularly recommend. In that, Ivan is the main character and he rescues Marya from Koschei and conquers a dragon to find Koschei's death. Ivan and Marya have a happily ever after ending. We hardly meet Marya as a character at all. She is just the stunningly beautiful woman that Ivan rescues.
I love how making Marya the POV character changes the power dynamics of this story. It's important in this story that she loves both Koschei and Ivan, and her actions dealing with that drive the story. It's her pregnancy that carries Koschei's death, which is something that combines life and death and love in a fantastic way.
I love how Valente uses the famine and death in the Siege of Leningrad to give resonance to the mythic war between Vly and Koschei, or between death and
I was going to read that Lackey last year, and then decided I really had no interest at all, especially after hearing bad review after bad review. Sounds like I chose correctly!
I love this book to pieces. I'm Russian, too, so I understand the influences and the references (most of them, I still felt like half the stuff in the village-egg chapter went over my head) and the in-jokes (http://www.amazon.com/Deathless-Catherynne-M-Valente/dp/0765326310/ the top customer review is mine), but don't look to me for a reasoned critique. I liked *everything* about it, and think it's the best she's written so far. I also agree with you on the Hugo. I didn't bother registering & voting, because of how poorly Palimpsest did (I fell hard for that book, and bought a membership just to vote), although I do believe Deathless is a better and more accessible book, Valente won't be everyone's cup of tea.
Even if the books we nominate don't get picked, I do think there's something to be said about trying again and again. Because otherwise, how will the Hugos ever change, unless its changed by the fans?
Glad to hear it's a winner for you though, especially given that you're Russian. Sounds like there's a lot more to enjoy, if you know the lens to look out of!
Just to confuse things, I'll throw in another Russian's opinion - I liked the book, but did not love it.
Perhaps it was because Valente got 99% of the Russian stuff right, but then there will be a "Nadya Konstantinovna" instead of "Nadezhda Konstantinovna" and it would totally throw me off (which is why I did not even bother reading Bardugo's book - the cultural appropriation in the little abstracts I read drove me nuts).
It sounds really petty, I know, but that's how I felt.
But her writing is beautiful, and I am definitely planning to check out her "Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland" books one of these days :-)
While I can see the 1% would drive a native crazy (I get that way about stories that are literally set in my backyard), I'm glad she got the 99% right. It's definitely better than other non-native authors attempts, be it Russian or Asian cultures or whatever. :-/
The Fairyland series is SUPER different, but you still get Valente's trademark style. I'm also very, very fond of her Night Garden duology.
Ugh, I haven't been able to read this yet because I forgot to pack it with me when I came home for the holidays. I'll definitely be reading it as soon as I can though and your review has made me all the more excited. :)
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My previous experience with this fairy tale is mostly from Mercedes Lackey's Firebird, which I do not particularly recommend. In that, Ivan is the main character and he rescues Marya from Koschei and conquers a dragon to find Koschei's death. Ivan and Marya have a happily ever after ending. We hardly meet Marya as a character at all. She is just the stunningly beautiful woman that Ivan rescues.
I love how making Marya the POV character changes the power dynamics of this story. It's important in this story that she loves both Koschei and Ivan, and her actions dealing with that drive the story. It's her pregnancy that carries Koschei's death, which is something that combines life and death and love in a fantastic way.
I love how Valente uses the famine and death in the Siege of Leningrad to give resonance to the mythic war between Vly and Koschei, or between death and
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Glad to hear it's a winner for you though, especially given that you're Russian. Sounds like there's a lot more to enjoy, if you know the lens to look out of!
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Perhaps it was because Valente got 99% of the Russian stuff right, but then there will be a "Nadya Konstantinovna" instead of "Nadezhda Konstantinovna" and it would totally throw me off (which is why I did not even bother reading Bardugo's book - the cultural appropriation in the little abstracts I read drove me nuts).
It sounds really petty, I know, but that's how I felt.
But her writing is beautiful, and I am definitely planning to check out her "Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland" books one of these days :-)
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The Fairyland series is SUPER different, but you still get Valente's trademark style. I'm also very, very fond of her Night Garden duology.
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