Eschewed Obfuscation

Cerulean Sins
by Laurell K. Hamilton
405 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy/Romance

Incubus Dreams
by Laurell K. Hamilton
658 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy/Romance

I had originally planned to discuss these two books separately, but I realized that what I have to say--which isn't much--basically applies to both books. I read them very quickly in succession, enjoyed it on a pure fluff level, but can't remember anything about the actual plot content. That should tell you something.

In both novels, I found several careless copyediting errors and choppy prose that could easily have been fixed. The flaws are more visible if you read a lot in one "sitting" (in my case, large chunks of 1000+ hardcover pages over about a day and a half). Notes on character: Anita is so controlling, as well as being an idiot when it comes to Nathaniel. I still <3 Nathaniel, still annoyed at Micah's perfection, still hate Richard's guts. Nothing new. From Wiki-research, apparently Anita is actually--gasp!--celibate in the first four books. Now I'm very curious, because I have yet to read a Hamilton book without gratituous sex. Are her earlier Anita Blake volumes actually urban/paranormal fantasy, rather than very solidly on the romance side?

While my estimation of Hamilton isn't exactly high, I do respect her for her ability to command reader sympathy for her characters. (I just hate Richard because angsty werewolf = BURNING HATRED in my quirky book.) And as fluff romance reading, Hamilton is almost too good--I couldn't put it down while I was in the middle of a book.

The last excerpt I'll be posting from Beyond This Dark House, review soon forthcoming. [p.p.102-103]

( The Guardians )

The Mark of the Vampire Queen
by Joey W. Hill
370 pages (trade paperback)
Genre: Fiction/Romance/Fantasy

The second volume of Hill's Vampire Queen series, from the Heat imprint; Jacob is now full servant to Lady Lyssa and thus subject to the dangers of her dehabilitating illness, the Delilah virus. When Lyssa dies, so will Jacob (although, of course, he is working hard to prevent that from happening). The emotional development was very good and the plot was beautifully suspenseful--I couldn't stop reading. Things really pick up once Lyssa and Jacob get to the Council meeting. Debra/Brian continues to be a really cute innocent lab assistant/scientist pairing, and Devin/Daniella are just adorable. The ending was a little neat for my taste; Lyssa's transformation made sense in context but still irked me, and Jacob's was slightly implausible. I would have liked a few permanent consequences, certainly. Also, I'm curious to see how Hill generates conflict in the next book, which comes out Spring 2009, after such a clear-cut HEA. Overall though, this was a satisfactory sequel and I look forward to reading more of Hill's work.

The Shamer's Daughter
by Lene Kaaberbol
235 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy/YA

This is Book 1 of the Shamer's Chronicles, and that fact alone nearly turned me away. But I checked it out from the school library on a crazy whim, and it seems my library-luck is holding firm. Although The Shamer's Daughter has classic characteristics of the first-in-a-series syndrome--especially the incomplete ending--it is short, quick, and satisfying.

Dina Tonerra, age 11, has inherited her mother's gift--or curse--as Shamer. She can look anyone in the eye and see their darkest secrets, rouse their conscience and sense of shame. But when her mother is called to Dunark Castle to investigate murders of the highest degree, Dina is drawn into a far different world from her tiny village hometown--a world of conspiracy, deception, blood and dragons. The Shamer's gift is not infallible, and there are (as expected) societal consequences attached.

The character development here is sketchy but interesting; the plot is political but also necessarily simplistic. Dina is only a girl, after all, not even a teenager; keep her age in mind, especially considering that half of the supporting characters are adults. I had issues with the unfinished, loose ending, but I've also come to expect such things from YA series. I liked how the magic wasn't all-powerful, or even a omnipresent--there are only extraordinary people, and dragons. Ultimately, despite my complaints, I'll be on the lookout for the next volume of the Shamer's Chronicles.

Excerpted from: Beyond This Dark House by Guy Gavriel Kay [p.62]

At the Death of Pan

Where the god fell--
mark the place with flowers,

red for blood
and the white . . .

there are no rules for this,
you know. Precedents

are somewhat limited.
Do something with the white.

Clear a space as well
for the hangers-on.

I have no idea
how many will be here

or how they'll behave.
There will be royalty so

it does make sense
to have a score

of maidens immolated,
to be on the safe side.

For the rest--yes, white
for the maidens! Good.

It ought to do, it ought to do,
if the rains hold off.

Song of the Sparrow
by Lisa Ann Sandell
394 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Fiction/Poetry/YA/Fantasy

Look, the first officially unfinished novel of 2008! I got maybe a quarter of the way in, and then it was due at the library. It never became remotely compelling, so I wasn't sad to give it up. Apparently the plot is about Elaine of Ascolat of "The Lady of Shalott" immortal fame; but she's a spunky redhead teenager and the only girl in Arthur and Lancelot's camp. And Guinevere comes in later, but I never got to that point. The story is spectacularly uninspired, but the format--a novel in verse--attracted my curiosity. Alas, I'm quite disappointed and will not be seeking out Sandell's work. (The poetry wasn't even that great--mostly first-person free verse whining.)

Singer in the Snow
by Louise Marley
304 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Fiction/SF/Fantasy

This is a young adult science fantasy, set on the ice planet of Nevya where the people rely on magic--not technology--to survive. The plot reads very much like typical YA fantasy, the coming-of-age story of several characters (at least the three viewpoint characters, and maybe more). It's the fourth in the series, a sequel to Marley's much older (publishing-date-wise) books in the Nevya world, which I've never heard of, but there's really no significant connection except for the usual character-returns and this could easily be a debut-world novel.

I have a perpetual non-issue with YA, in that it reads very quickly and I forget details at about the same speed. The story, while often admirable, never sticks in my mind. Singer in the Snow is fluffy, quick, and not particularly special--the prose feels slightly dumbed-down, the mirrored prologue/epilogue stick out like hammered thumbs, and the good vs. evil conflict is as crystal clear as my skepticism. The ending especially is unsatisfying for me, too cloying and expected. The characters, while interesting, possess an inherent child-like quality--even the adults, many of whom serve no purpose other than standing around and acting nice.

However, I'm interested enough to seek out Marley's other Nevya books, though it'll be difficult since they are all out of print, due to one factor: music. Marley is an accomplished musician in her own right, and it shows through her writing. The music aspect of this story captured me from the beginning and sustained me through all the other mediocre aspects. The title (which does her music-worldbuilding absolutely no justice) refers to Singers, but that's merely a title and prequisite to Cantor/Cantrix. The Gifted also play flutes and zither-like stringed instruments (one of the POV characters is a Cantrix with awesome power but was born mute). I adored the musical descriptions and the five modes and the halftones and quartertones and the non-Western musicality. The passion of the music (cliche as that sounds) made this book work for me.

Singer in the Snow is not significantly flawed, but neither is it significantly noteworthy. I would recommend it only to music geeks, since it's a quick book and could quite possibly be of redeeming quality. (Anyone here on yhlee's flist/talks to her IRL and can pass on this rec? I think she'd be one of the aforementioned music lovers. The modes and quartertones are definitely Cool.)

Oh, also: Louise Marley and Toby Bishop are the same person, if the latter name rings any bells. Sounds vaguely familiar to me, but I can't think what.

Book of a Thousand Days
by Shannon Hale
306 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy/YA

Under normal circumstances, this book would have been a thumbs-up for me; Hale is an established author in my books and has yet to disappoint. But this new novel is--take note, oyceter!--set in medieval Mongolia. And all of the characters are Mongolian (complete with in-text illustrations that portray these characters as clearly Asian). Hell, the research even seems thorough and authentic. It's almost too good to be true. For this alone, you should read Book of a Thousand Days.

Even if you aren't particularly interested in Mongolia, it's a worthwhile read. Breezy, like most YA, but also lyrical and touching. I cried at a one point even though I knew that this was a young adult fairy tale with certain ending constraints. Two of Hale's major themes are freedom and classism, both of which I heartily support. It was fascinating to observe Dashti's slow personal transformation. I felt sorry for her at first, but as time passed I found myself pitying Saren much more.

Nitpicks: The ending was a little too neat, although plausible. Lady Vachir's characterization is flat. And how did Tegus accept Dashti's last lie so easily? She's a proven mucker, after all.

But those are extremely minor. I can't recommend this novel enough, and not only because of MONGOLIA. (What does it say about the majority of fantasy/young adult books today, that I feel the need to shout?)

The Vampire Queen's Servant
by Joey W. Hill
373 pages (trade paperback)
Genre: Fiction/Romance/Fantasy

I've been hedging about this book for a while now. I had two reliable recs, but it went out-of-stock at my local Borders so I used that as an excuse to delay purchasing. It was in-stock at the King of Prussia Borders though, and I had a 30% coupon; so I finally bought it, and I'm so glad I did.

First, I will give the same warning I was given: this romance is intense and BDSM-heavy. Someone said that Lyssa and Jacob's relationship resembles the classic abuse cycle, and in several ways it does. The plot is essentially dom vs. dom conflict with vampires and submission thrown in. But explicitness aside, it really hit home with me. In a way, this is the fucked-up relationship that I've been trying to write, except through gender politics as a fantasy of manners instead of a BDSM romance. The romance is absolutely the main plot, but the world is also well-developed and the emotional aspect is never neglected. Lyssa is truly mecurial, simultaneously brutal and loving, and her interactions with Jacob are fascinating. Hill's vampires are uniquely twisted.

I'm not so fond of the cover, though it's representative. Just seems like the targeted demographic underscores the Hill's tremendous talent. Her prose could use a little more polish (overuse of the word "cognizant," for instance), but POV slides smoothly even mid-scene. And have I mentioned how much I adore her characters? This novel kept me riveted and neglecting everything else until I'd read the last page. The ending is perfect--open for the direct sequel (The Mark of the Vampire Queen, which I will be buying as soon as it comes out), but tying up enough plotlines that I was satisfied.

It's been a while since I found a new author who captured my attention so fully, and I'm ecstatic. If you've kept with Laurell K. Hamilton despite her numerous flaws, and you don't mind BDSM, this is the book for you.

Pan's Labyrinth
(El Laberinto del Fauno)
directed by Guillermo del Toro
Rating: R

Utterly gorgeous. I've been waiting months at the library to get my hands on the DVD, and the wait was worthwhile. The horror-fantasy fairytale plot is a work of art in itself, but the casting and settings are magnificent. This film won 3 Oscars and the score was nominated for a third--let me just say, all deserved. For a subtitled Spanish-language film, achieving such is doubly amazing.

The Wiki entry does a good job of summing up the plot, although I'll add that I believe the tortured rebel was Mercedes's lover. And despite great suspicion, Vidal doesn't do much about Mercedes or the doctor until the very end, when it's too late. But I loved how Vidal was portrayed--though the graphic violence made me wince--how he is absolutely, realistically, fanatical and vicious.

Now I'm off on a DVD-rip program hunt. Ta!