Flat and Rereads (June Books)

[ase]

Possibly I am less than enthusiastic about this writeup because I read all of these, oh, weeks and even months ago. I feel like I'm forgetting a novel or two, but I think there's several I started last month, but abandoned, or finished in July. Oh! The late-month reading time got sucked up by trip planning. Yes, that was it! (Ha.)

Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander(Ann Herendeen): a novel by the grace of having a page one and a page last, rather than any redeeming plot, enjoyable romantic tropes, compelling characterization, or thoughtful worldbuilding. (The worldbuilding could be best described as third-generation photocopied Regency, with some liquid paper touch-ups.) It's like the writer took her NaNo draft straight to the press, with very few stops for editing. Disappointing; I saw "guy/guy/girl romance" and said, "Hey! Where is the bad?" Now I know: bisexual romance with no threesome action. And it started off with such a promisingly dubious premise and bad prose! All the fun bits were done in the first hundred pages! Editor machete, please!

Deep Wizardry and High Wizardry (Diane Duane): Rereads; second and third in the Young Wizards trilogy. I like this most when I try not to think about the deep worldbuilding too much, because I get as far as "so how do, say, African or Bangladeshi wizards find the leisure time to be wizards?", try to integrate Hinduism and Tao into a magical philosopy strongly rooted in the European monotheistic tradition, and then my head explodes. Also, the older I get, the less I parse Tom and Carl as BFFs and the more I think they need to run away to Massachussetts and have a big gay wedding. Amazing how ten or 15 years will change your perspective.

Gentlemen of the Road: A Tale of Adventure (Michael Chabon): Amran and Zelikman, two wayward Jews, in 10th century Khazaria. It's like Fafrd and the Grey Mouser meets historical swashbuckling. With elephants. The afterward, where Chabon essentially says, "I'm proud of my 90's work [which was Serious Lit], and now I'm having an adventure" endears Chabon to me. Deep? No. Fun? Yes.

Pride of Baghdad (Brian K. Vaughan & Niko Henrichon (art)): Graphic novel; the lions of the Baghdad Zoo during and after the American invasion. Vaughan, Henrichon, your political leanings are subtle like a missile strike.

Prince Caspian (C. S. Lewis): Reread. Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy return to Narnia. My absolute favorite image in the book is Caspian escaping his uncle's castle as celebratory fireworks burst over the sky.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (C. S. Lewis): Reread. "There was a boy named Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he nearly deserved it." My favorite of the series.

Comments

[kd5mdk.livejournal.com]

I love that line in VotDT too.

[ase.livejournal.com]

I am entirely too entertained by Eustace. He's completely lost at the beginning of the book, and is playing by a different set of rules than the rest of the characters. Also, the Narnians are on a Quest, and Eustace gets the lion's share (pun unintended) of character evolution. It's a fun B-side to the primary narrative thread.

[celeloriel.livejournal.com]

I liked Phyllida, though I definitely see the problems that you did. I was sort of hoping for a slower buildup to "hey sex with a girl is not awful" instead of the instant "omg let's have sex here now" that they had, but if that'd been the only shortcut the book took i would have been fine with it.

I was impressed with the author's ability to create the milieu for her characters. She had a lot of words and phrases and actions that were very of-that-time, which too many books that purport to be of that time don't have. Too bad she didn't focus a little more energy on the plot, which seems to be as simple as any Harlequin, with a third Object Of Lust added in.

One of my favorite websites reviewed this book when it came out as a self-published novel. I think their grade of C+ was very fair. http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/index.php/weblog/comments/phyllida_and_the_brotherhood_of_philander_a_bisexual_regency_romance/

[ase.livejournal.com]

Parts of it were smart and funny, but large parts were also boring and pointless. The spy plot could have been left out; for that matter, the villains could have been tossed wholesale. Once you've accepted the initial premise (writerly virgin marries sophisticated sodomite, true love ensues), you may as well run with it, and not bother with B- C- and F-subplots. Herendeen would have done well to play to her strengths - snarky dialog - and not bothered to distract people from the lack of plot by throwing lots of little plots at the reader.

[charlie-ego.livejournal.com]

VotDT: Best opening line ever!

Wizards: You don't think Duane meant them to be totally gay? I do, though since she hasn't given any overt clues I like the interpretation that they are Totally BFF's (mostly because I have the outlook of a seventh grader and I like the concept that two friends could live together long-term without sex being involved, although to be fair I don't imagine that happens very often... and now that I think about it I'm imagining Carl going out with floozies every Saturday night... so I reckon it's better if they ARE gay. Never mind! Your point exactly about thinking about things too much, and the difference between a seventh grader and a more-or-less adult...).

[ase.livejournal.com]

You don't think Duane meant them to be totally gay?

I think she's deliberately left the question hanging fire to drive the readers nuts! :-) I could argue either way, and I think I have in email (herewiss13, if you're reading this, remind me which interpretation I was defending, and when?) but this week I'm leaning toward "more gay than a house of monkey on nitrous oxide." Next week I will change my mind again.

It's worth remembering that Duane started writing the series in, what, the mid-1980s? Sneaking your subtextually really gay couple into a mainstream kids/YA book was a lot edgier 20 years ago. If she had published So You Want to be a Wizard in 2006 instead of 1986...

and now that I think about it I'm imagining Carl going out with floozies every Saturday night...

I'm going to be snickering all day tomorrow as that image rattles around my more-or-less adult brain. Ow! :-)