Comments | ninebelow: The Sunless Country

ninebelow

The Sunless Country

May 09, 2006 10:13

My review of A Darkling Plain by Philip Reeve is up now at Strange Horizons.

If another issue of Vector is ever published you will see me banging on in there about how much I was looking forward to A Darkling Plain and it repaid my hope. I know some people - fjm, for example - thought the series tailed off but I really think this is one of the best ( Read more... )

philip reeve, strange horizons, sf, books

Comments 17

coalescent May 9 2006, 09:22:26 UTC

If another issue of Vector is ever published

Real Soon Now. At this rate, you'll get two at once.

(For those who don't know: the company that distributes the BSFA magazines went bust last month, and Pat's in the process of confirming a replacement. The March/April mailing was slightly late, but it's been printed and waiting to go somewhere for about a month; similarly I believe the May/June mailing is being printed at the moment.)

(The comment has been removed)

coalescent May 9 2006, 09:52:56 UTC

I did make a post to bsfa_news about it, but yeah: we don't really have a good channel for getting this sort of information out. :-/

i_ate_my_crusts May 9 2006, 10:47:16 UTC

I thought the series tailed off, mostly with regard to characterisation and character motivation.

talvalin May 9 2006, 11:25:14 UTC

Agreed and a good review. By the way, shouldn't the following bit use "recreated"?

...yet later when the Stalker praises his work in creating her he cannot help but feel pride.

talvalin May 9 2006, 11:25:49 UTC

"Rebuilding" is possibly better though.

ninebelow May 9 2006, 11:34:33 UTC

With your fine eye for pedantry a glittering career as a Strange Horizons proofreader awaits.

talvalin May 9 2006, 11:40:46 UTC

Man, it's not like I said that the entire review was brought down because of that. I liked the review. I just can't seem to rein in my pedantry. Please forgive me.

Anyway, don't I have to use Merkin spelling to be an SH proofreader or is proper spelling allowed these days? Does SH even need proofreaders?

Thread 6

fjm May 9 2006, 18:17:43 UTC

It tailed off *and* it's the best kid's sf series for some time?

But I did get a bit irritated at the cod teuton/Nazi villains. If they had been say, Japanese, wouldn't you have been a mite offended?

ninebelow May 10 2006, 10:12:14 UTC

It tailed off *and* it's the best kid's sf series for some time?

Fair enough. For me the second volume was the most problematic.

If they had been say, Japanese, wouldn't you have been a mite offended?

Well, the Green Fang are Evil Orientalists, aren't they? I don't really see your point about why this would have been more problematic if they had been Japanese instead of German but then I don't really see any racial stereotypes. If there is any problem on this front it is that the jokey nomenclature you refer but I don't see it becomes ironic prejudice.

It is true that Wolf is a Teutonic fascist but his father is a peacemaker and the biggest villian on the Tractionist side is the mayor of Manchester.

fjm May 10 2006, 12:48:26 UTC

I just thought it was tacky, anmd old fashioned. The Green Fang don't come over in quite the same way (no failure to pronounce the letter "r", for example). It struck me as a failure of an otherwise admirably fertile imagination.

thehornedgod May 10 2006, 12:15:02 UTC

Latest Robin Jarvis series? Oh, that must be the new Deptford Mice trilogy! The Almanack was such a tease.

ninebelow May 10 2006, 12:39:44 UTC

He is doing a new Deptford Mice trilogy aimed at young children that isn't very good. The one I am interested in though is the Hagwood Trilogy which is pretty good. Both seem to be on hiatus. Illness maybe?

thehornedgod May 10 2006, 13:00:27 UTC

Meh, I see it's even called the Deptford Mouselets trilogy. Sounds like the kind of babytalk I might inflict on my cat when I'm tickling his tummy and think no-one can hear; "You caught those Deptford Mouselets Patchy, didn't you? DIDN'T YOU?" but as an actual title it's not so promising.

I see the next Hagwood is due in 08 so that is a long wait since 99 by his standards but then as I say the Almanack was a tease in 97 and I see he didn't revisit the mice til 04. He has slowed down, he used to flood W.H. Smiths.

ninebelow May 10 2006, 13:09:44 UTC

Well, the second Hagwood book, Dark Waters Of Hagwood, was due to ship in March 2005 but has yet to see the light of day so something has gone awry. I still have it on order from Amazon. His presence on the bookshelf has definitely decreased.

Have you read the Deptford Histories? They are good and all.

Thread 5