Sunday, May 18, 2008

Firebird

Book 11/25

Mercedes Lackey's Firebird

After enjoying Ms. Lackey's The Black Swan as much as I did, I couldn't pass up Firebird as soon as I saw it. While I have never seen the Firebird Ballet, I have heard the majority of the score, and I was curious to see if I could read a retelling of the story to suit the music. As usual, Ms. Lackey did not disappoint me.

The book is a beautiful tale, and it never takes the path you would expect in a fairy tale. Ilya is hardly a faultless hero, and his mistakes are thrown at him again and again. It's debatable that he's a stereotypical hero from "low" origins, simply because of his treatment by his family, but it came across as fresh, to me. Rather than being looked down upon by everyone, he enjoys a fairly comfortable life - and not the life I expected when I read the opening of the first chapter. I thought I was going to be bored by a pathetic, quiet protagonist fighting for everything he could get; it was a pleasant surprise to find that I didn't entirely like Ilya's character.

The plot itself was woven nicely, giving all of the characters - save perhaps the Katschei - a chance to be given flesh and movement. Only the Katschei is completely incapable of moving between good and evil equally well, which was a disappointment; pure evil is always a lacking foe. While her own story is overshadowed by Ilya's, even the Firebird is granted a "humanity" of flaws and desires. It was also nice to see the animals behaving as animals, rather than adopting anthropomorphic qualities, as I see in the Heralds Ms. Lakcey created. Their behaviors don't change, simply because they cna speak with Ilya.

To be honest, I was afraid the ending was going to be lacking. Titania was just too much a stock princess in peril, and I was afraid that Ilya would end up with the typical storybook ending of love everlasting with a beautiful, perfect princess. Ms. Lackey surprised me, though, in that final section of the last chapter - to the point that I had to go back and re-read the opening, as I was afraid I had missed something. While I wish there had been a little more substance to the ending and the romance, I was happy to see that, even as a Hero, Ilya was capable of mistakes.

A beautiful story, and I'm glad I didn't hesitate to snatch a copy from the shelves.
Posted by Andria :: 11:33 AM :: 0 comments

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Sunday, May 04, 2008

Eternity Row

Book 10/25

S.L. Viehl's Eternity Row

This must be a record of some kind - a review not only posted in a reasonable amount of time after completion of the book, but a review posted the same day as that event! However, I wouldn't get too comfortable with this idea - this is most likely a fluke.

I have been really disappointed with the last few StarDoc books, to the point that I had considered stopping the series. However, it seemed a terrible waste to leave off before reading my signed copy (I actually believe Rebel Ice is the next book in the series), so I gave Ms. Viehl one last try, and I'm grateful I did. Eternity Row was everything I could have hoped for, and my biggest complaint is with whoever was charged with the editing.

Cherijo was the character she began as, complete with her sarcasm, wit, and flaws. She made mistakes, and she made assumptions she couldn't always support. At the same time, she was every bit a physician, concerned with healing her patients. The addition of her vow to keep her promises - however reluctantly she meant them - elevated her in my eyes and redeemed her past behavior. I was afraid the addition of Marel might have swayed her, but it didn't change her - beyond the expectations one should have for a character who is suddenly a parent of a young child. She was the character I admired once more, and even Reever unbent enough to become sympathetic. Which is why I cannot completely condemn the addition of Marel to the mix, as I chalk a resumption of his humanity to her presence.

The plot made sense, and the various hanging threads were all explained and woven nicely together at the end - what more could one ask for? Yes, I am slightly biased by the fact that there was not a cliffhanger tacked onto the end of this book, but it was also nicely handled. Ms. Viehl's creativity in the simultaneous problems of Taercal and Oenrall was fantastic, and something I hadn't considered. I had had my theories regarding the connection between the two, but I was on the wrong path. It was nice to be pleasantly surprised, rather than guessing the answer chapters ahead of the revelation. It was also an interesting juxtaposition - on a number of levels - and my only hope is that the situation between Dhreen and Ilona will find some conclusion down the road.

Every previously-introduced character grew new facets, while remaining true to their selves. And, of course, I was pleased to see the continuation of the feline family...though I would like to think, as a doctor, that Cherijo would be smart enough to have her own pets neutered/spayed - for their own health, if nothing else. However, I have to admit that is a bias that comes from working in the animal medical world, as opposed to the human medical world. Deciphering Marel's pathos was annoying at times, not to mention confusing, but I was able to muddle through. I have my own suspicions as to her ability to always be where she isn't meant to be, but I'm hoping Ms. Viehl isn't taking that obvious route. I would be nice to see Marel as just an ordinary child, with an ordinary child's ability to get underfoot at the worst opportunities.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, from the beginning, and it was returned me to the fandom of StarDoc. At least until I read the next book.

Posted by Andria :: 2:54 PM :: 0 comments

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---------------oOo--------------- Sense and Sensibility

Book 9/25

Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility

This was the story - the language, the plot, the characters - that I had originally hoped for and expected when I decided to begin reading Ms. Austen's works. While Northanger Abbey was very sweet and an enjoyable read, the lack of character depth and the frequent absence of dialogue was a disappointment. Sense and Sensibility was a complete opposite and had everything I could have hoped for.

Once again, the sweet reasonability and reality of the characters and their challenges and rewards was refreshing. Even though I haven't studied the age or its customs, it was obvious what manners were expected, and what social norms and requirements were expected of men and women of various classes. Ms. Austen took a sweet, simple story of finding one's true love and put it through the twists, turns, and falls that exist in the every day. After my disappointment with Marina's spontaneous love in Mercedes Lackey's The Gates of Sleep, it was a comfort to fall into the misery of Marianne and the troubled mind of Elinor. The two sisters' desires were so simple, and yet both of them suffered horribly in the pursuit of those dreams. They were subjected to a roller coaster that anyone who's experienced rejection or disappointment could sympathize with.

Ms. Austen's characters step out of the real world, and they have simple faults, and they receive rewards that are just - or not. This is the first book I've read where a character who deserved nothing less than tragedy was actually rewarded beyond their original expectations. Lucy is able to manipulate everyone to achieve a goal even higher than what the reader is led to believe she desires. I have to admit, I was angry that such a horrible person could be gifted so, but this often happens in the real world. The reality Ms. Austen captures in the guise of fiction is a revelation after reading so many works of fiction where people are, really, inhuman in their habits or characters. Meanwhile, Elinor has to earn her own happy ending, suffering quietly while Marianne wastes away in her depression. She is the typical older sister, expected to shoulder the burden of protecting and comforting her siblings and promoting their interests ahead of her own.

The story is simply a tale of the sweet reality of love, and every facet that it can capture. Every character has flaws, every character - with, perhaps, the exception of Lucy - learns and changes, and every ending is thoroughly earned. My only true complaint is Marianne's own marriage; there was no dialogue or explanation given for her change of mind. She transformed from someone who ridiculed the very idea of someone being paired with such a man to accepting his hand. It was confusing to see that, and it almost appeared as if she simply gave up and accepted her only option. With how her character had been set up, prior to that, I was disappointed. I wanted to see a full recovery for Marianne, the rebirth of a fiery phoenix from the ashes of regret. The quiet acceptance of, essentially, second place (if he could have even qualified for that position) was a let-down. Yes, he deserved the ending, but it seemed less-than-happy for Marianne. It would have been nice if Ms. Austen had shown the growing affection, or at least dictated the quiet acceptance of an unavoidable fate. It diminished the strong passions of Marianne, and I think that was unfair to her character; she deserved much better.

All in all, though, I loved the book - and I am not a fan of romantic stories. It was refreshing to see genuine love and its trials, though, and I look forward to reading the rest of my collection.

Posted by Andria :: 10:06 AM :: 0 comments

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---------------oOo--------------- The Gates of Sleep

Book 8/25

Mercedes Lackey's The Gates of Sleep

This is the third in the Elemental Masters series (second, depending on the source you check, as The Fire Rose frequently gets missed); this particular book retells the tale of "Sleeping Beauty." As usual, Ms. Lackey manages to add a new finish to the story, taking it in a new direction. Unfortunately, it wasn't as new of a finish as I had originally hoped, and it was a little bit of a let-down after my enjoyment of The Serpent's Shadow.

Marina is a change from what I've come to recognize as Ms. Lackey's leading lady - rather than striking out as an individual, bucking tradition, challenging the social norms, etc., Marina is a stereotypical girly-girl fascinated by the latest fashions and trends. That was a disappointment, for me, because it made her seem - to my mind - more helpless. When you throw in her hysterics on being sent to Arachne, she diminished a lot as a primary character, in my opinion. She wanted to rebel against her cousin's perception of her as just another flighty female, but, honestly, she met most of his expectations. Yes, she could be pronounced a "bore" for her time spent with the Pastor, but she was still thrilled with a shopping trip. To change from Maya, who was a feminist doctor, to Marina, who is little more than a backwards teenage girl was a dramatic shift, and I wish that Ms. Lackey had done more to bolster Marina's character as something - anything - more than cardboard.

The story was still well-told, though the final battle was a severe anti-climax for me; there is nothing so horribly cliched as good and evil battling - literally. I had hoped for a little more out of the final confrontation, but the handful of paragraphs left to the matter of releasing Marina and rescuing Dr. Pike...it was droll. It was also expected, once Arachne's source of power had been revealed, which is always a disappointment. The romantic angle of the story felt very thrown-on, as well; it was as if Ms. Lackey suddenly realized she'd forgotten an important aspect of the original fairy tale and tried to tack it on. There was no justification, at least on Marina's part, for the sudden romance. While I acknowledge that a number of fairy tales believe in such spontaneous love, it felt very out of place in this story. I just wish more attention had been granted to that sub-plot, or that, at the very least, it had been allowed to grow more before the Epilogue. Speaking of which, I was pleased to see Ms. Lackey stick to a normal narration, and I found the Epilogue to be appropriate and beautiful. It closed the story nicely, tying up all of the loose ends, without leaving a single question or element of confusion.

It is still a beautiful story, but it didn't measure up, in my opinion, to the first two books in the series.

Posted by Andria :: 9:51 AM :: 0 comments

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