Just Write, "Poor Self-Control" On My Forehead

[ase]

Remember that, "if I go home, I'll get nothing done!" post yesterday?

I went home, I opened the Amazon box, and I said, "I'll read a little bit of the new Bujold."

Three hundred-odd pages later, I realized I'd screwed my sleep schedule for the rest of the week. Whoops!

Initial reactions: yep, it's a romance. Look at all those references to eye color and how fragrant people smell! I'm very glad I had the conversation with tessfawcett about tropes and entering into genre assumptions before I read this. Bujold's written a very likeable book, but not a very deep one. On the other hand, she found a natural break in the narrative, rather than ending on a gigantic cliffhanger, which I really appreciate. People more familiar with romance tropes than I: please discuss how tSK conforms to and/or subverts reader expectations in comments, or on your own space. Also, if someone who hasn't read the book yet could keep a running tally of how many times "beguiled", "beguiling", or an alternatively conjugated form of the word is used in the novel, I'd appreciate it.

Prediction for the conclusion of second book: based on LMB's comments and historical writing patterns, it seems a no-brainer to guess the second book will end with the birth of Fawn and Dag's child. I'd like to say that now, partly as a mental placeholder for the inevitable comparisons with the Shards of Honor / Barrayar plot arc.

Spoiler-phobes, you may now peek between your fingers. I've said my piece. Edit: However, there are now Beguilement spoilers in comments, so you may not want to peek too long, or at all.

Comments

[meril.livejournal.com]

Well, (if my head wasn't in the sick-state, I would say more) it certainly ended in the right place for a romance to end. As fantasy romances go, it was better than almost all of them, as Bujold actually knows how to worldbuild. It was better than I expected it to be, but...it ain't a Vorkosigan novel, you know? Nor is it the first two Chalion books. Not saying that there's anything wrong with it not being one of those, but I do enjoy both the SF and fantasy equivalents of Crap Blowing Up/Really Spectacular Magic.

I don't know about the last half of the book, it could go either way, especially now that I know the next book is a follow up to this one.

[ase.livejournal.com]

Are you still not feeling well? Sorry to hear. I think it's in a funny place - as a fantasy novel, it's fairly mundane (Jedi powers! Dag has sensitive New Age Guy Jedi powers!), and - and I really can't comment on the romance aspects of it. I really, really want a good commentary from a romance reader on this one. I miss Bujold writing the really wrenching stuff, but I can sort of understand how wearing it might have been to write Mirror Dance and Memory. I think the problem I'm having is that, if this were a first novel, I'd think it was a gooey romance with nice worldbuilding touches, and I'd probably read the next quite cheerfully, but this is a Bujold novel, so I'm expecting more.

but I do enjoy both the SF and fantasy equivalents of Crap Blowing Up/Really Spectacular Magic.

You and me both. I kept waiting for the Supermalice to peek out from behind the curtain. That is definitely not the book LMB wrote.

[meril.livejournal.com]

I really, really want a good commentary from a romance reader on this one.

I had wanted to do that this weekend, but it looks like I'm buried in laundry ;) I'll try it out eventually. The 'romance reader' commentary over at Baen's Bar is rather suboptimal, as I strongly think that I don't read the same pile of romances they do. I have a 'reading kink' for May/December romance, and this is one of the best ones I've read so far. I don't want to stick all my commentary in this little ol' comment, but--there's a common complaint about romance heroines, the 'too stupid to live' sort, and I'm wondering if a romance reader would put Fawn into that category. I don't think that Fawn's stupid, just that she starts out very immature, and I think the text evidence backs me up; the bit about 'some people do a lot of growing in a short time' and such.

I kept waiting for the Supermalice to peek out from behind the curtain.

It could. This is only half a book, after all, and that book's only half a duology.

What the background appears to be pointing at is that something in the Lakewalker culture is going to have to change or everyone's going to be malice bait; the lines about the groups of patrollers becoming smaller all the time and Dag thinking about proper staffing for certain tasks are really telling, especially considering Mari upbraiding Dag for not putting in his reproductive contribution.

[ase.livejournal.com]

Sorry; not just replying to your two comments seperately, but doing so out of order. Yay me!

I don't think that Fawn's stupid, just that she starts out very immature, and I think the text evidence backs me up

I think you could make a good argument for that, yes. Looking forward to discussing specifics when/if you have time for a longer review.

What the background appears to be pointing at is that something in the Lakewalker culture is going to have to change or everyone's going to be malice bait

That seemed pretty obvious to me, too; my SFnal side may be coming out here, but I suspect Fawn will turn out to be able to do something that Farmers Just Can't Do, and assumptions will have to be revised accordingly.

and more!

[meril.livejournal.com]

...sorry about the spoilers, there, oops, but I think the cat's out of the bag here.

I kind of knew this book would be a letdown based on her other books; I haven't read The Hallowed Hunt yet, but my mom was disappointed with it compared with the previous two. (She bounced off of Shards of Honor and has no interest in reading the others.) But, as you said, it's pretty good for a book written by anybody else ;)

Why I say that, about the 'anybody else' bit: all right, was it just me thinking that the Lakewalkers are the Rangers of Middle-Earth who are now unfortunately stuck patrolling the Upper Midwest? I mean, I've seen pseudo-Europe before in fantasy, but I have never seen pseudo-Minnesota until now!

Re: and more!

[ase.livejournal.com]

Spoilers: no big deal. The cat is not only out of the bag, it's streaking down the street, yowling, in other threads.

Why I say that, about the 'anybody else' bit: all right, was it just me thinking that the Lakewalkers are the Rangers of Middle-Earth who are now unfortunately stuck patrolling the Upper Midwest?

Image! I am amused.

Minneapolis urban fantasy's been done, and Minnesota college fantasy's been done (or general-midwest college fantasy; I'm blanking on where Blackstock in Dean's Tam Lin is specifically modelled on), but fake!Minnesota's a new one, I think.

[sraun]

More spoilery:

Wide Green World is the further adventures of Dag & Fawn. This leads me to doubt that the TSK:Legacy will end with the birth of their child.

[ase.livejournal.com]

Why ever not? Adventures, now with child-juggling, would be fun. For values of fun that include "exhausting for the characters", but that's a character - and possibly author - problem.

[herewiss13.livejournal.com]

"a very likeable book"

That's exactly the sentiment I've been trying to convey. The world needs more likeable books. See email for further commentary, most of which is moot, since you've now read it. ;-)

[ase.livejournal.com]

It is likeable, and nice, and not the best thing LMB has done. Which still places it high above many, many other books. My fundamental problem is that Bujold has set my expectations of her work very, very high. She's written awesome stuff, so now I expect all of her writing to be at that standard, which may be a little much to ask.

Possibly I'll mellow after rereading; I can see this getting stuffed next to Doris Egan's Ivory novels as comfort reading. We'll see.