An Inheritance of Ashes by Leah Bobet

I'm still trying to catch up on April's reviews, especially of the fantasy I've been reading for Carl's Once Upon a Time challenge.

An Inheritance of Ashes by Leah Bobet  is a dark, atmospheric fantasy.  Hallie and Marthe, the two sisters who own Roadstead Farm, wait for Marthe's husband to return home from the recent war.  As the women are about to give up on Tom's return, Heron, a wandering veteran, arrives, and Hallie convinces Marthe to hire him to help get the farm through the winter.

Then the Twisted Things arrive.  Are they following Heron?

Bobet's language is often beautiful and contains fresh and powerful imagery: 

 "His color was coming back, sun-brown instead of pale, but he still looked like he'd watched his house burn down and been fed the ashes."  What a potent description of shock and misery.  

And "There was no light in the smokehouse past the edge of sun creeping around the doorstep, but the knife shimmered like fresh water."

The world building left me curious, but not satisfied.  It is a post-apocalyptic world to begin with, great cities and human progress destroyed in the distant past.  Then there is the strange and never fully explained war with a "Wicked God," who has been destroyed.  Or not.  A parallel world from which the twisted things continue to escape, destroying all they come in contact with.  This Wicked God, parallel world, twisted things concept didn't feel fully realized to me.  More questions than answers.

A distinct and complicated family dynamic is at work involving the sisters.  Are they repeating the "war" between their father and their uncle?  It has long been a family on the verge of disintegrating, but can Hallie and Marthe resolve the conflicts?  Themes of the effects of war on the individuals who fight, of words that linger and poison, and of good intentions that often fail are also intertwined throughout the novel.   

The atmospheric details create an eerie, menacing mood, but the pacing is slow.    In spite of the potential, I never felt  fully a part of this world.  I almost loved An Inheritance of Ashes, but not quite.  It was a near-miss for me, and yet, many of the scenes linger visually.  A book that left me with some vivid images and some questions.

Library book.

Fantasy/YA.  2015.  388 pages.

Epic Fantasy by Michael J. Sullivan

Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan was a great example of epic fantasy!  It is the first in The Legends of the First Empire trilogy, and sadly I will have to wait another year for the second book.  

I'm saving my review of Age of Myth for later because it won't be published until June 28 (thank you, NetGalley),  but I'm going to mention it now because...

As soon as I finished Age of Myth, I ordered Theft of Swords, Book One in the Riyria Revelations trilogy by the same author.  

As different as the time period and the characters are from Age of Myth, the world is the same.  

I love this description:  They killed the king. They pinned it on two men. They chose poorly.

 A three sentence summation that intrigues, yet leaves out all of the highlights of conspiracy and adventure.  That leaves all the satisfying details for the readers to discover for themselves.  

Indeed, "they" did choose poorly when they decided to pin the king's murder on Royce Melbourne and Hadrian Blackwater, a professional thief and a warrior who make up the Riyria, a two-man organization that can be hired to steal, implicate, and in some cases, assassinate for a price.  

The opening was a little slow, but after that, the pacing is excellent.  A fantasy with swords and sorcery, a monk, a hidden prison, a hidden heir, elves and enchanted monsters, a corrupt church--a book that is both fun and suspenseful!  I will definitely be reading more by Mr. Sullivan.  Although I will have to wait for the sequel to Age of Myth, I intend to indulge in the author's other series.

purchased

Epic Fantasy.  2011.  Print length:  694 pages.

Two more for Carl's Once Upon a Time Challenge!

4 More for Once Upon a Time Fantasy Challenge

A Natural History of Dragons:
A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan

A lovely cover for one of NPR's Best Books of 2013--I'm not sure why I delayed reading it.    Another perfect read for Carl's Once Upon a Time challenge, the book is the memoir of a Victorian lady (in an alternate historical setting) flouting convention in order to pursue her unladylike scientific interest in dragons.

As Lady Trent says in the preface, "...this series will contain frozen mountains, foetid swamps, hostile foreigners, hostile fellow countrymen, the occasional hostile family member, bad decisions, misadventures in orienteering, diseases of an unromantic sort, and a plenitude of mud." 

I just ordered a couple of books for my oldest granddaughter, but surely she must have this one as well?  After reading the description of the deckled pages, the chestnut brown ink, and Todd Lockwood's lovely illustrations in sepia, it seems that it will have to be the hardback version for the lovely Miss Mila.  My kindle edition allowed no such sensuous tactile or visual effects.

Fantasy/Memoir/YA.  2013.  Print length:  335 pages.

The Last Falcon and Dragon Fire by Collen Ruttan

"This kickoff to a traditional fantasy series starring feisty and independent teen heroine Erynn is both well paced and engaging. The book starts in medias res, with Erynn hiding in a cave after the dragon Krystalix attacked a group of men from her kingdom returning from a horse-buying expedition, and the raid on the recently purchased animals leaves her father dead. But Erynn got a clear look at the person who struck the fatal blow, a "fair-haired man with the limp and the jagged scars," and vows to avenge the murder. When she discovers the true identity of the fair-haired man, Erynn uncovers a conspiracy that may complicate her quest. Ruttan blends the medieval and supernatural effortlessly, ably setting up a sequel to this fun fantasy novel."
-- Publishers Weekly (STARRED REVIEW)

I know, I'm getting lazy, but I've got several reviews to get into this post, and the above review describes the situation so neatly.  

My main complaint is the sequence of caught! escaped! caught! escaped!  caught!  well, you get the idea.  Oh, and I didn't like the name Krystalix...it grated on me each time I saw it.  Weird.  

Overall, it is a decent series and entertaining, but not in my top tier of favorite YA fantasy.

Hmmm, although I have to admit the covers are excellent and may be among my favorites for their graphic simplicity and visual atmosphere.

YA/Fantasy.  2012 and 2013.  Print length:  Falcon - 292 pages; Dragon - 341 pages.

I'm just going to mention another one that I've finished and really liked:  Animas:  The Legacy of the Claw by C.R. Grey.  This one is another NetGalley book, and I will have to hold the review until closer to the publication date, but you can pre-order it.  

It is for a younger audience, but was a great read, and I can't wait for the next in the series.  Perfect for grandson Max, who will be entering the third grade in the fall.  It would make a great book for my daughter to read aloud to both Max and Mila.  Although the target audience is for grades 3-7, I thoroughly enjoyed it! 

Middle School.  Oct. 28, 2014.  Print length:  304 pages.

Some Fantasy

I've tried a couple more fantasy novels for the Once Upon a Time challenge.  Each is a part of a series, but I won't pursue either.  There will be plenty of people to love these books, but neither truly engaged my interest. 


Daughter of Time by Sarah Woodbury is a time travel novel in which the protagonist Meg gets transported to 13th century Wales and meets Llewellyn ap Gruffydd, the last (Welsh) prince of Wales.  There are a lot of implausible elements (I've never met a time travel novel that doesn't have some), and some of them could easily have been avoided.   

If you want an Outlander light, you will enjoy the book.  In spite of the implausible factors and the modern language Llewellyn occasionally uses, the novel was a  quick read, more entertaining for the historical elements than the story itself. 

The sense of danger and possibility of betrayal by even members of a family, the inclusion of  real battles and skirmishes, and the complicated political landscape were interesting.  Of course, then I did a little research to separate fact and fiction.

This book is actually a prequel to the alternate history series that Woodbury wrote about what might have occurred if LLewellyn had not died at Cilmeri.

Fantasy/Time Travel/Historic Fiction.  2011.  Print version:  352 pages.

The Wretched of Muiwood by Jeff Wheeler is a fantasy set in a medieval world, the first in a series. 

An orphan raised in an Abbey, Lia is a Wretched and a kitchen servant.  The explanation of treating orphans as Wretched didn't work all that well.  Lia's dream is to learn to read and write, but the Abbot will not allow it.  When a young squire is delivered to the Abbey kitchen where Lia works, she saves the young man's life.

The first part of the book was pretty good, but when the adventures started, instead of becoming more interesting, the book became too coincidental, too predictable.  The characters development--well, they started off fairly interesting, but the didn't really develop and became sort of pawns for the action.  I also had trouble with the magic system, which was too vague and felt forced.

The book ends in a cliff hanger, but I didn't care enough about either the characters or the plot to invest in the next installment.

Fantasy.  2013.  Print version:  300 pages.

Troll Mountain by Matthew Reilly

I've not read any other books by Matthew Reilly, but I gather that this is his first novel for young people.  It is entirely suitable for his audience.  Character development is limited, but it is the familiar hero's quest and meets all of the requirements for this genre.  

Book Description:  A dauntless young hero.An army of brutal monsters.An impossible quest.Journey to the mountain …In an isolated valley, a small tribe of humans is dying from a terrible illness.
There are rumors, however, that the trolls of Troll Mountain, the valley’s fearsome overlords, have found a cure for the illness: a fabulous elixir.
When his sister is struck down by the disease and his tribal leaders refuse to help him, an intrepid youth named Raf decides to defy his tribe and do the unthinkable: he will journey alone to Troll Mountain and steal the elixir from the dreaded trolls.
But to get to Troll Mountain, Raf will have to pass through dangerous swamps and haunting forests filled with wolves, hobgoblins and, worst of all, the ever-present danger of rogue trolls …The journey to the mountain has begun.  

And there you have it.  The novel is exactly what it says it is and is certainly something young readers might enjoy.  On the other hand, there is little character development (and Raf, the young hero, and Ko, the mysterious old man, are worth more development).  The adventures move too quickly and feel abbreviated.  Maybe it would make a good manga--it would certainly lend itself to illustration.  

Interestingly, this novel was published as a novella series first, then the three novellas combined for the final version of the novel.  Even as a complete novel, it felt rushed and awfully short.

An example of "fantasy light"--that will engage young readers, but leaves a lot to be desired for most adults.   

NetGalley/Momentum Books

Fantasy/YA/Juv.  May 20, 2014.  

The Dragon Boy: Book One of the Star Trilogy by Donald Samson

The Dragon Boy has an interesting oral process of creation, much like the original folk and fairy tales.  Donald Sampson was a Waldorf classroom teacher for nineteen years, and he shared his favorite fairy tales and folk tales and myths with his students.  Then he began a new story, a story that he spun out for weeks and that came entirely from his own imagination.  His students loved the story and begged him to write it down.    And he did.

The story begins with two archetypal characters, Galifalia, an old woman with a back story of heroism, and Aga, an ageless magician.  Aga brings Galifalia a baby boy to raise.  She tells the magician she is too old to raise a child, but she is unable to resist the baby--as Aga knew would be the case.  

The orphan baby grows happy and content in Galifalia's care, but when she dies, the boy has no one and must survive on his own.  He goes each day to the compound where the great dragon Star is kept and asks to speak to the Dragon Master.  His determination finally bears results, and his request to be taken on as a stall boy is granted.

The boy loves his work and makes some good friends, but he also must endure some bullying from one of the older boys.  Though small, his time on the streets has made him tough and determined, and he doesn't let the bullying discourage him, but fights back.  Working with the dragon Star is all he has dreamed of, and his love for the dragon increases.

Star takes to the boy immediately, and one small detail that I liked is that Star purrs when the boy is around.  Something about a dragon purring just appeals to me.  As the relationship grows, it turns out that the boy and dragon share the ability to communicate telepathically, and the dragon takes it upon himself to teach the boy.  The boy becomes the dragon's apprentice--a goal that the mysterious Aga, who brought the orphaned baby to Galifalia, has intended all along.

The Dragon Boy has been honored with a first place gold medal in the 2009 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards for Best First Book.

The Dragon Boy has also received the coveted Mom's Choice Award for juvenile fiction.

I enjoyed this adventure, and since many of the reviews are from young people, it is clear that Samson has reached his target audience.  A great book for read-aloud with parent and child both enjoying the experience, but for middle graders, an involving read on their own.

Once Upon a Time Challenge

Fantasy.  2012, 3rd ed.  245 pages.


              

Grumbles from the Forest: Fairy-Tale Voices with a Twist by Jane Yolen and Rebecca Kai Dotlich

Grumbles from the Forest features poems by Jane Yolen and Rebecca Kai Dotlich, with lovely illustrations by Matt Mahurin.  

Fairy tales and poetry, a perfect mix.  Yolen and Dotlich give voice to the many inhabitants of fairy tales: prince or princess, fairy or witch, the gentle, the jealous, the greedy, to the major characters and to the minor characters whose opinions we rarely consider.

As an example, the following two are from the tale of Sleeping Beauty;  the first the lament of the wicked fairy, the second the (ahem) omniscient voice of reason:




Words of the Wicked Fairy

Beauty wakes!
My fun is through.
What's a wicked fairy to do?

I blame myself.
This didn't go well.
Big mistake.
Wrong spell.

I should have given her 
crooked ears,
a runny nose,
chapped lips.
Should've read 
that page on TIPS.

Spell's over.
Imagine this!
All because of a stupid kiss.

-Rebecca Kai Dotlich

Beauty Sleep

Wake up, princess, time to rise.
Open up your dreamy eyes.
Never mind the prince or kiss.
By no means were you raised for this.
Take the plot back from the witch.
Kick her spindle in the ditch!

-Jane Yolen


I liked that there were so many different voices imagined to tell the tales from unique points of view, but the quality of the poems varies.  Some of these poems are very good; some are less so;  all of the illustrations are beautiful.

While I wasn't as delighted with all of the poems as I'd hoped to be, I'll hold final judgement until after the grands give an opinion.  I'm not sure that the book quite knows its target audience.  

Another one for the Once Upon a Time Challenge.

Fairy Tale/Poetry.  2013.   40 pages.

Fairy Tales and Poetry

In the past, I've sometimes connected National Poetry Month with the Once Upon a Time Challenge.  It is a way to celebrate both poetry and fairy tales. Beauty and the Beast: An Anniversary by Jane Yolen

It is winter now, and the roses are blooming again, their petals bright against the snow. My father died last April; my sisters no longer write, except at the turning of the year, content with their fine houses and their grandchildren. Beast and I putter in the gardens and walk slowly on the forest paths. He is graying around the muzzle and I have silver combs to match my hair. I have no regrets. None. Though sometimes I do wonder what sounds children might have made running across the marble halls, swinging from the birches over the roses in the snow. (via Endicott Studio) ----------------- I really like this one.  Of course, I think Jane Yolen always does a marvelous job with poetry, and I couldn't even begin to choose a favorite.

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson (Once Upon a Time)

The Kiss of Deception (Book 1 in The Remnant Chronicles) was a wonderful surprise!  I love fantasy, but finding one of those special fantasy books--the kind that delights and surprises and provides so much more than expected--that is a gift.  

Especially if one is expecting a run-of-the-mill, predictable story, and then discovers a beautifully created world with characters that breathe and complex relationships and adventure and more in one compelling book.

I've never heard of Mary E. Pearson before, but on the basis of one book, she is now on my list of favorite authors.  

First sentence:  "Today was the day a thousand dreams would die and a single dream would be born."

On the eve of Lia's political marriage to the prince of another kingdom, this feisty princess decides she can't go through with it, and with the help of her friend Pauline, makes her bid for freedom.  The two skillfully evade capture by her father's soldiers, laying false trails and clues until they arrive in Pauline's childhood village, where they work as tavern maids.

Her pursuers are not limited to her father's soldiers, however, and an assassin from Venda and the jilted prince of Dalbreck have succeeded in locating Lia.  She isn't the spoiled royal either one expected, and both young men find themselves intrigued by the tavern maid/runaway bride.

Most of the story is told from Lia's point of view, but shorter alternating chapters are by the Prince and the Assassin.  

The country is on the brink of war, although most do not realize how much preparation the Vendalese (referred to as barbarians) have made or how close they are to making their move.  

To say much more wouldn't be fair, but this is one of the best fantasies I've read in a long time.  I literally could not put it down once I started it.

The first few pages were a little slow, but once they are out of the way, the story flows, the characters develop, and you may find yourself, as I did, surprised at how much this book has to offer.

The publication date is not until July, and I'm breaking my usual pattern of holding a review until closer to the release date because of Carl's Once Upon a Time Challenge.  I'll mention it again closer to the publication date to make up for the early review.  

NetGalley/Macmillan/Henry Holt

Fantasy.  July 18, 2014.  Print version:  496 pages.

Dragon Rose by Christine Pope

Dragon Rose  is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast.   In this version, the beast is a dragon that claims a girl from a local village as a bride every five to seven years.  (Goes through them pretty quickly, eh?)   

When the flag appears indicating that the dragon will come for another bride, the young women assemble to see whose name will be drawn--to learn who will leave the village and never be heard from again.

The name of Rhianne Menyon's best friend is drawn, and Rhianne does something totally unexpected, volunteering to go in her friend's place.  Given that the previous brides are believed to have been eaten by the dragon, this is a tremendous sacrifice. 

 Strangely, however, although Rhianne professes to believe the previous brides have been eaten by the dragon, emotionally, she seems amazingly cool about it.  She says words to the effect that she is frightened, and yet...she doesn't really exhibit the matching behavior.

Of course, she is not eaten.  The dragon (in a human form, but cloaked to hide the scales) and his bride have separate suites of rooms, and Rhianne is treated kindly.  The dragon asks about her interests or hobbies, and when Rhianne admits her love of painting, she is given all of the paints and canvases she can use.       

And then things get pretty bland.  Daily behavior is detailed, but somehow the details fail to really explain the growing relationship between Rhianne and the dragon.   The foundation for a developing relationship appears to lie almost entirely in the fact that Rhianne doesn't fear the dragon.  No shared interests, no inspiring conversations.  They have dinner together every evening.  The dragon is considerate.    During the day, Rhianne paints her dream fella'. 

The story is predictable, of course, but it misses putting a heart into the story.   There is little suspense, little action, and little depth to the characters.  In the original forms of fairy tales, leaving character development thin is fine, but in a retelling, I expect characters with more human qualities--not archetypes, but more fully rounded personalities.

It isn't a bad book, and yet it was not a book that met the promise of the theme and the opening chapters, nor did it offer a deeper examination of the beauty and the beast motif.  Sort of ended without any bang, and a faint whimper.

Of course, you have to read it to discover what happened to the other brides.

Fairy Tale Retelling.  2012.  Print version:  274 pages.  

Read in March; review scheduled for April.

Snow in Summer by Jane Yolen

What was your first experience with Snow White?  Was it the Disney film, the Disney Golden Book version, or the German version by the brothers Grimm?

What image is most clear to you from the story?  The evil queen, the mirror, the happy home of the dwarves, the hag and the apple, the glass coffin?  Something else?

All of the above images come to mind for me when I think of Snow White, but perhaps my favorite is an image of the queen, sitting at the window sewing and thinking about the baby she carries. She pricks her finger and three small drops of blood appear in the snow, and she says to herself that she wishes that her daughter would have skin as white as snow, red lips, and ebony hair.  She is already in love with her daughter.  

Brothers Grimm. Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs.
 Bess Livings, illustrator.
Chicago: Rand McNally & Company, 1938.
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/index.html

Of course, we all know what comes after--the good queen 

dies and the evil queen becomes the stepmother.  

Snow in Summer is an interesting retelling of the Snow White tale, set in the mountains of West Virginia e in the 1940's.  Snow in Summer (called Summer by her parents) has a wonderful childhood until her mother dies when she is seven; and, you know, things begin to go down hill from there.

The story is mostly told through Summer's point of view, but there are also sections from Cousin Nancy's and Stepmama's points of view.  Through these three frames of reference, Yolen is able to give additional insight into the situation.

For the most part, the story follows the original (adjusted for time and place) with the additional character of Cousin Nancy and a little twist on the seven dwarves.  The story has a dark edge which echoes the darkness of classic fairy tales.  All is not Disney-resolved.

What I liked:  The Appalachian setting worked for me, as did the use of local folklore which is woven into the plot.  The character development stayed mostly with Summer, but we get a good feel for Cousin Nancy and for Stepmama, who of course, is a scary woman.  

What bothered me:  Summer loved fairy tales, but apparently she never read Snow White.  Not only does she not pick up the general fairy tale/stepmother trope, the magic mirror doesn't ring any bells, either.  

Snow in Summer is, however, an intriguing retelling of the original story and gives the story a fresh perspective.

First book finished for Carl's Once Upon a Time Challenge.

Fairy Tale.  2011.  Print version:  272 pages.

Once Upon a Time...

Carl started a challenge that involved several Quest options for reading fairy tales, folklore, and fantasy.   I've never outgrown my love of fairy tales and fantasy, so I always read for this challenge even if I don't join formally or post all my reviews.

Once Upon a Time

This year, maybe I will do a better job and post my reviews.  First, I need to decide what to read.  I recently read Thorn by Intasar Khanani, which I reviewed here.  Wish I'd held out until the OUaT challenge had begun, but it was a lovely book.  

---------
O.K. - I've ordered a few ebooks, joined the challenge, and am ready to begin.   Instead of choosing a specific Quest, I will take the Journey.

Here is a list of the books I've ordered (I had a credit):

Snow in Summer by Jane Yolen

The Light Princess -Illustrated by George MacDonald

Dragon Rose by Christine Pope

Cinderella:  The Ultimate Collection (illustrated, annotated, 29 versions) by Charles Perrault, the Grimms, Andrew Lang, etc.)

Cindermaid: A Tale of Cinderella (The Dark Woods series) by Laura Briggs & Sarah Steinbrenner

That makes 5 books that I'll have to get through.  Well, I won't have to--because I chose the Journey.  But I have so many other books TBR (a stack of physical and a que of ebooks)!  Some will just have to wait patiently.

Has anyone read anything by Christine Pope or Briggs &Steinbrenner?
             

Reading and Stitching

Once Upon a Time Round Up :

1. The Summoner:  Book I in the Chronicles of the Necromancer
2. Heartless by Gail Carriger (The Parasol Protectorate)
3. The Apothecary by Maile Meloy
4. Beauty by Sheri S. Tepper
5. River Secrets by Shannon Hale (The Books of Bayern) 
6. The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb (Vol. 1 of The Rain Wild Chronicles)
7. Dragon Haven  by Robin Hobb (Vol. 2)
8. City of Dragons by Robin Hobb (Vol. 3)

I may read another one, but then again, I may not as I'm back to enjoying my mysteries. 

 I have three more reviews scheduled--WooHoo!  I have only two more to do, and I'm caught up with reviews!

-------

Stitching lately has been white on white blocks of various sizes that will be sewn together eventually for a small quilt.  Moving from sorting through various vintage linen pieces and choosing various white fabrics...

vintage handkerchiefs, doilies, napkins, tatting...

to hand stitching together blocks like the one below, adding prairie points to some seams.

 

Then embellishing the seams with embroidery and adding thrifted  or vintage lace, creating button hole lace, and adding other embroidery.

And moving on to other embellishment techniques like ruching draped with French knots and bullion knots.

And puffy tufts--and more embroidery, of course.

I'm having fun with this!  There are five blocks in progress, and I move from one to another.  There is no telling how long it will take to fill almost every square inch of space on the five blocks.  

Reading and stitching--two of my favorite activities.  And some gardening, although it is really getting to hot and humid for much of that.  

Dragon Haven and City of Dragons by Robin Hobb (once upon a time challenge)

Dragon Haven is the second in the Rain Wild Chronicles.  Only fifteen of the sea serpents that ventured up the Rain Wild river to make their cocoons have survived, and all of them are imperfect, deformed or misshapen, arrogant, and angry at their fate.  Thanks to Mercor, the dragons have managed to manipulate humans into sending them on their journey to the ancient Elderling city of Kelsingra.

Humans:  Captain Leftrin and Alise's relationship develops, Sedric struggles with his secret purposes for the journey; Thymara's physical changes are challenging and frightening.

Dragons:   Mercor's wisdom continues to aid the dragons through their hardships on the journey; Sintara is as egoistical and vain as ever; Relpa, originally without a keeper, bonds with Sedric and becomes much more interesting, not the brightest dragon in the bunch, she has a sweetness and innocence that helps Sedric become a better person.

In  City of Dragons, both dragons and keepers explore their new environment which is across the river from the fabled city of Kelsingra.  Unable to dock the live ship Tarman on the Kelsingra side of the river, visiting the city to awaken its magic is difficult.  Although there is more game for feeding the dragons, with one exception, the dragons are still unable to fly, so the keepers are still busy hunting to keep their dragons fed.

More story lines are being developed--hopefully, to be resolved in the next book.

-----
If I had not expected the same quality as previous trilogies by Hobb, I wouldn't be disappointed in this series.  I found the books enjoyable, just not as good as her previous works in this fantasy world.

Whew!  I've had the heading for this review for nearly two weeks; I'm glad to have it done.

Fiction.  Fantasy.   2010 -528 pages and 2o12-352 pages.

Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb (Once Upon a Time Challenge)

I had planned to read Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb with Kailana, but last week, I couldn't resist beginning the series.  I'd finished Cryptonomicon, River Secrets, and A Rising Thunder and wanted to immerse myself in some dragon lore.

Years ago, I read Hobb's Liveship Traders trilogy and fell in love with Robin Hobb's (Megan Lindholm) fantasy.  I went on to read The Farseer trilogy and then The Tawney Man trilogy.    Eagerly awaiting each new installment.

Later, Hobb developed two more series that didn't engage me much, and there was a long drought without her fantasy.   I was more than eagerly awaiting this series.

The Rain Wild Chronicles is most closely related to the Liveship Traders and even allows brief cameos of Althea Vestrit, Brashen Trell, Paragon, and Tintaglia.  Reyn Khuprus, Malda Vestrit, and Selden Vestrit are also present in the Rain Wild Chronicles, but have smaller roles that may be expanded later.

Because!  This is not a trilogy!  In a few days, I'd gone through Dragon Keeper, and Dragon Haven, and was more than half-way through City of Dragons when I realized that there was no way Hobb could conclude this story line in what was left of the book.  Groan.  I thought I could get the whole kabob in one go...but no.  I'll have to wait.

Back to Dragon Keeper.  At the end of the Liveship trilogy, the dragon Tintaglia was leading the sea serpents up the Rain Wild River, to their hatching ground.  When they arrived, the serpents used the mud of the Rain Wild to form cases, a kind of mud chrysalis, from which they would eventually emerge as dragons.

When the time for their emergence arrived, everyone was eager to see the return of dragons to their world.  The length of time the prospective dragons had spent as sea serpents, among other factors, unfortunately had terrible consequences, and the young dragons that broke free of their shells were deformed and puny things that were unable to fly or to feed themselves.

The Rain Wilders fed the young dragons poorly and treated them as useless things for five years.  Feeding the dragons became more and more difficult, and they began to fear the dragons would not be content to satisfy their hunger with the handouts provided.  The dream of dragons returning to the world had become a nightmare.

A dragon conspiracy led by a golden dragon with more memories from the past deceives the Rain Wilders into thinking that it is their idea to send the dragons (along with dragon keepers) on a journey to the fabled Elderling city of Kelsingra.

------
I enjoyed the book and rushed headlong into Dragon Haven and then to City of Dragons, but I have to say that none of the Rain Wild books have the same quality of characters and narrative pace that the other series set in this world have.

It is a good fantasy series, but not on a par with the Liveship Traders or Farseer trilogies.

Fiction.  Fantasy.  2011.  528 pages.

River Secrets by Shannon Hale (Once Upon a Time Challenge)

River Secrets continues the Bayern cycle that Hale began with The Goose Girl.  It is another fine  novel by Hale, filling in the niche between children's books and YA novels for the older set.


Young Razo is chosen to accompany the group from Bayern that travels to Tira in an exchange of ambassadors.  Razo is young, small for his age, and without the skills or the strength that others in the expedition possess.  He is a goofy, Bantam rooster kind of  kid, with great personal charm, an interest in other people, and unusual powers of observation, but he feels inferior and doesn't know why he has been chosen for this mission.


All of the members of the group are aware of the danger that threatens their mission in Tira (recently defeated in the war with Bayern).  Not all of Tira's citizens are over the grief and outrage of their losses, and some are actively calling for a return to fighting. 


When Razo discovers a burned body on their journey to Tira, no one is sure who caused the death and their concerns increase, only to multiply when they are actually ensconced in Tira itself and more burned bodies are discovered.


 Enna (of Enna Burning, the second novel in the series) is also part of the group.  Although she has come a long way in conquering her gift of fire, Razo and Finn worry about her for several reasons: they fear that she is not yet fully in command of her powers, they fear the Tirans discovering that she is responsible for so many of the Tiran deaths during the war, and against their wills, her friends fear that Enna may be the one who has burned the bodies they find.


I loved The Goose Girl and liked Enna Burning, but Razo's personality marks this book in a different way.  It is a coming of age story about a rather delightful young man and is lighter in tone (despite the many dangers) because of Razo's outlook on life.


The beginning is slow, and it took me a while to become fully invested in the story, but once there...a pleasure and a very fast read!


Fiction.   Fantasy.  2006.  310 pages.

Beauty by Sheri Tepper

Beauty is retelling of Sleeping Beauty with several other fairy tales mixed in.

(I started this review after reading the first chapters, then finished the book, and have had a huge delay in completing the review because my pleasure didn't continue.)

3/31/12 I've decided to take a few notes as I read because the Foreword intrigued me and then, in the first few pages, other incidents caught my attention.

The Foreword is written by Carabosse, "the fairy of clocks, keeper of the secrets of time."  Carabosse remarks that Beauty was given many gifts when she was born, "Though it is regrettable that no one gave her the gift of intelligence (a  gift not highly valued in Faery, she has a practicality that often makes up for that lack."

Now, intelligence is rarely mentioned in fairy tales, so I'm curious already.

A few pages into the story, Beauty describes the education she receives from her aunts.  She is taught sewing by her Aunt Marjoram "(who was herself educated by the Sisters of the Immediate Conception at St. Mary of Perpetual Surprise)" and music by her Aunt Lavender "who, though tone deaf, plays upon the lute with great brio and a blithesome disregard for accuracy."

Tepper has my full attention now and has made me smile.

-----------

4/18

The first section was so charming, so delightful.  Unfortunately, the rest of the book, although interesting, was not at all charming.  I was so disappointed.

With the first incidence of time travel, things degenerate.  Up until Beauty leaves her own time period for the first time, the story was a delightful alternative version of Sleeping Beauty--unfortunately, that was only a very small percentage of the book.

While Tepper makes several points with which I completely agree, the book becomes an unpleasant polemic.  While I can understand and completely agree with her views about our lack of care concerning the environment and her distaste for books that  celebrate violence and abuse, her bitterness defeated the purpose for me.  Tepper's inclusion of violence and abuse, her completely dark view of the fate of the world--leaves a feeling of despair.

What would have pleased me much more would have been a story that presents alternatives and inspiration for working for a change.

From such a bright beginning, the book turned into a struggle to read and on finishing it, a feeling of having accomplished nothing.

Fiction.  Fairy Tale/Time Travel/

Fairy Tales and Poetry

I was looking through some old drafts and found several fairy tale poems that I'd linked to or posted for the Once Upon a Time Challenge several years back.

I love poetry, and combining poetry and fairy tales has produced some wonderful, delicious, frightening, and/or funny poems.

Here is a delightful poem "How to Change a Frog into a Prince" by Anna Denise; originally published in The Poets' Grimm: 20th Century Poems from Grimm Fairy Tales.  I posted this poem a couple of years ago during the Once Upon a Time Challenge, and still it touches me with both humor and truth.

Another post that I've had in draft form for about a year is a poem by Jane Yolen (can't beat Jane Yolen for poetry and fairy tales).  Another transformational poem.

Swan / Princess by Jane Yolen 

1
When the change came
she was sitting in the garden
embroidering an altar cloth,
thin gold thread working the crown of Christ.
First her neck
arching like cathedral vaultings.
Dress rippling at the shoulder accomodated wings:
white-vaned, white-feathered like Oriental smocking.
Hands and feet tangling into orange legs,
inelegant, powerful as camshafts.
When her head went, she cried,
not for pain, but for the loss
of her soft, thin lips
so recently kissed by the prince.
Not even the sweet air,
not even earth unfolding beneath her
recompensed for those lost kisses
or the comfort of his human arms.

2

When the change came
she was floating in the millpond,
foam like white lace tracing her wake.
First her neck shrinking,
candle to candleholder,
the color of old, used wax.
Wings collapsed like fans;
one feather left,
floating memory on the churning water.
Powerful legs devolving;
Powerful beak dissolving.
She would have cried for the pain of it
had not remembrance of sky sustained her.
A startled look on the miller's face
as she rose, naked and dripping,
recalled her to laughter,
the only thing she had really missed as a swan.


(via Endicott Studio)

There are several lines I love, but the last 6 lines are my favorites.

Since I am, for the first time in a couple of months or more, settling back into reading mode, my nightly activities have switched from 4-6 hours of sewing, crafting, and watching tv series on Netflix as I sew and craft--to reading like someone starved for words.

I've finished Heartless by Gail Carriger, The Summoner:  Bk. I by Gail Martin,  and The Apothecary by Maile Meloy (thanks to Nan) and enjoyed all of them.  Heartless is Steampunk fantasy, but I'm undecided as to whether or not to include it as a Once Upon a Time book choice; the other two definitely fit into the Once Upon a Time category.

I've started Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, a massive and complicated tome that was not really what I intended to check out, but the library didn't have Snow Crash.  So...how did I end up reading Neal Stephenson, an author I was not familiar with until a few days ago?

I stopped in at So Many Books and read her post about optimistic science fiction (you can find the post here), then followed her links, then put Snow Crash on my list.  The library didn't have Snow Crash, but they did have Cryptonomicon, and I remembered that Stefanie had given it high praise.  I have also long been fascinated by codes and code breakers, especially anything to do with the Enigma machine and the Navajo Code Talkers of WWII.

Hesitating when I saw the size of Crypto, and knowing how much I love the fairy tale, fantasy, and myth to which I intended to devote myself, I just couldn't resist the connection to Enigma and tucked the huge book in my bag.  What I didn't bargain for was the complexity of the book...it is gonna' take a while to get through these 800+ pages!  I could have read an entire book or two in the time I spent getting through about 75 pages until after midnight last night!

I like it, and I like the tongue-in-cheek-iness of it, but NUMBERS and FORMULAS are not my thing.  On the other hand, I'm always so impressed with individuals who do understand math and physics and abstractness to the most randomness possible.  I'm as captivated by these individuals as I am by David Weber's weaponry and military tactics (another realm of possibility beyond my abilities).

I am an eclectic reader.  :)