Reading roundup: Inda

[hamsterwoman]

3. Sherwood Smith*, Inda -- which I started reading on egelantier's rec, after having been curious about it for a couple of years. When I was about two thirds through the book, I placed the sequel on hold at the library. When I finished it Saturday morning and my hold was still processing, which meant I wouldn't get it till Monday at the earliest, I went on

Comments

[sineala]

I have heard good things about Inda and am therefore trying to comment without reading your post, because spoilers. Perhaps I should move it up my to-read list.

[hamsterwoman]

Nonspoiler-ly, so far, I've found it to be a nicely meaty fantasy, sort of fantasy Ender's Game + Song of Ice and Fire, with bonus ship/pirate stuff. It's omniscient POV but in a way that worked well for me. The beginning is very worldbuilding heavy and therfore confusing, with a profusion of names that could've sorely used a character list and terms which fortunately are explained in the glossary, but the info-heavy beginning is worth plugging through for the story. There are complicated, messy family relationships, and bonds of duty and friendship, a well realized second-world culture (of "horseboys", though they've settled down in cities and castles now) and hints at more, interesting treatment of gender roles, a prominent queer character (and several secondary/background ones). Personally I could've done with more action on land and less at sea, but even with that balance the book worked for me really well.

If you do read it, will be very curious to see what you think, of course!

[egelantier]

(yesssssssssss the inda review time. hooray!)

dude, let me just tell you: love the ships. embrace the ships. ships are about 80% fun and games time with tactics and swashbuckling. when the action goes back to the land, there will be WOE AND TRAGEDY AND DID I MENTION WOE.

inda is... well, complicated, mostly, but definitely NOT miles (miles and kenshin's lovechild, that's how i put it). in a later book he's [mildly spoilery but not relevant to the main action spoiler]described by his mother as being mildly autistic, in local terms, and i think it feels? he's brilliant at tactics, and he's able to relate to people, and he has emotions, but the deeper machinery of relationships between people is such a mystery to him. but the loyalty he inspires in people is very real; loyalty and desire to protect

[hamsterwoman]

let me just tell you: love the ships. embrace the ships. ships are about 80% fun and games time with tactics and swashbuckling

LOL, I'm trying! And it's not the I'm opposed to ships -- ships are fine! I liked Pirates of the Caribbean (that's about as deep as my interest in ships goes, admittedly) -- it's just that there's all this stuff happening parallel to the ships that's much more my speed -- royal family dynamics! bonds of military training! magical research! -- and because of the omniscient POV and huge scope, we get just enough of that to make me yearn for more. But the ship stuff is interesting, too. At least Tau is still around, even if Kodl and Dun, the other characters I liked from Inda's marine band, no longer are.

when the action goes back to the land, there will be WOE AND TRAGEDY AND DID I MENTION WOE.That is very encouraging XD No, but thanks for the warning -- I've kind of already gotten the feel that even though lots of things about Inda remind me of fantasy Barrayar, the body count and likelihood of happy

[egelantier]

hah, well. it never got me asoiaf's "everybody is awful, nobody is safe" feel, and it's generally a more justly organized universe, of sorts, but, yes. higher stakes, higher bodycount, more last stands. and inda can't be mostly everywhere, and save mostly everybody, unlike miles, despite all his brilliance.

and re: secondary characters development: and it's a such neat worldbuilding trick, too! from time to time she does it with tertiary characters - just several pages here and there, and yet they make such an impression.

[hamsterwoman]

it never got me asoiaf's "everybody is awful, nobody is safe" feel,

I would agree that this universe seems to contain fewer randomly terrible / "mad dog" types than ASOIAF, which is quite nice. I do appreciate ASOIAF's complexity when it comes to shades of gray (and I think some of the more interesting villains -- Tywin, Littlefinger -- do have some of the same things going on that Inda's antagonists do -- you can see what's made them the way they are, even though it doesn't excuse the terrible things they do).

and inda can't be mostly everywhere, and save mostly everybody, unlike miles, despite all his brilliance.

That is a very good point! Miles has such enormous hang-ups over the few he couldn't manage to save, it's rather sobering to think of how many more are on Inda's list, even at his much younger age, starting with Dogpiss...

from time to time she does it with tertiary characters - just several pages here and there, and yet they make such an impressionYes, that's where it's been most effective for me, actually. I think

[etrangere]

I did say that Inda was nothing like Miles even though the overall narrative reminded me a lot of Vorkosigan once I was trying to summerise it!!

[hamsterwoman]

Heh, I went back and read your review -- I'd actually forgotten you were one of the "Vorkosigan people" whom I'd seen recommending the book, and you totally did say Inda was nothing like Miles -- though of course I totally agree with your "fantasy Barrayar" impression. And the Evred ~ Gregor thing is something that fell into focus for me with egelantier's comment above. (Also, Sindan kind of gives me a slight Illyan vibe, too, and not just because of their shared rank as Captain and honorary Uncle-ness.)

[etrangere]

Yeah, Evred as Gregor is something that becomes more apparent as he grows older. And, yeah you're right about Sindan as Illyan too!!

[hamsterwoman]

This makes me look forward to more of Evred's development even more!

(Also, hi! So good to see you on LJ! :)

[meathiel]

*sigh* As if I needed any more book recommendations! :D

[hamsterwoman]

Haha, sorry! This series is four thick books that I think are probably best read back to back, because there is a lot of worldbuilding and a large cast to keep track of, so if you decide on reading it, I would set some time aside!

[philomytha]

I tried Inda a while back and stalled in the first chapter, but it sounds like I should give it another go sometime when I can get past that and into the meat of the story.

[hamsterwoman]

It's definitely one of those books where you have to push past the beginning before it hits its stride, or at least it was for me. For me that point was at the start of chapter 4 (about 40 pages in with my paperback), when Inda starts his education at the military academy. Lots of tactics and politics and interesting social stuff, and the "fantasy Barrayar" parallels added a layer of extra amusement for me. (I think all of the people I've met who have read Inda are also Vorkosigan fans, and I can totally see the crossover appeal.)