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Butterfly Swords (Jeannie Lin)
Given that this was published by Harlequin, I wasn't really holding out very much hope of it being a good book. Still, when it was mentioned during the discussions of the cover of Cindy Pon's Silver Phoenix, I decided I'd give it a try when it was out, and have finally got round to it. It does have an Asian woman on the cover, and she is indeed holding a butterfly sword (though she should have two, I'm told). So it's winning there, at least.
From her author bio on Goodreads, though:
"After four years of trying to break into publishing with an Asian-set historical, her 2009 Golden Heart Award–winning manuscript, Butterfly Swords, sold to Harlequin Mills & Boon."
At the very least, she deserves better than a publishing house associated -- among the people I know, anyway -- with dreck and exoticisation. I don't know much about the historical setting, really, and since I don't read much in the romance genre, I have little to compare it to in terms of exoticisation. There wasn't anything that made me deeply uncomfortable, at least, but how much that is worth from a white reader...
In any case, the main character, Ai Li, is a strong woman. Not "fiesty", but fierce, honourable, great-hearted, willing to do whatever it is she has to do. She's naive, too trusting, but she never simply expects Ryam to look after her. She is willing to take care of herself, and to some extent capable of doing so, without being a superwoman.
Ultimately, some of the episodes seem to have little point -- the interlude with Lady Ling, for example -- and the characters aren't going to stay with me. I have truly no idea how plausible it all is. But it's a reasonably enjoyable read, I wasn't bored, the sex scenes were reasonably well-written, the story didn't feel like just a vehicle for the sex scenes... As an undemanding read to relax with on a Saturday afternoon, it was good fun.
Kindred (Octavia Butler)
Shelved as fantasy, rather than SF, because while it deals with time travel, that aspect isn't explained at all. It simply isn't the focus: it's set up enough that the main character can go back in time to that of her ancestor, and forward again to her own time, but there's no explanation of why it starts or how it works. In a way, I do wish there'd been more of that, but ultimately it isn't the important part.
Octavia Butler writes well -- not just interesting writing, but writing that is just easy to read. There's no barrier to enjoying the story: the writing isn't ornate, but it's not too simple, either. Personally, it walked a perfect line, and the voice of Dana -- the narrator -- worked well for me.
The stories alternates between the 1970s -- Dana's time -- and the 1800s, when she had a white, slave-owning ancestor. The co-dependency she has with him, and the way things fall apart at the end, are well-drawn, and the contradictions of liking him somewhat while knowing the kind of man he is... The way she's trapped, forced to play the role of the slave, is a little heart-breaking. Someone else's review talks about wishing Dana were a stronger character, but when you think about the time period she was put into... a different kind of strength was needed then, which to some extent she develops, and some of which is beyond her...
I liked the inclusion of her (white) husband, Kevin. He seems to be a great guy -- not untouched by the world he ends up spending five years being a part of, but fighting it all the time -- and one likes to hope that the two of them manage to be happy after the end of the book. It's a big strain on their relationship, after all.
I'm not sure how articulate I'm really being! In any case, I found it fascinating and definitely recommend it, with the caveats that you have to be okay with the lack of explanation, and with slave narratives. And if you're one of the white people who has read this book and complained about the racism towards white people shown in it, think about it this way: a) however little you like it, it's historically accurate, and b) it's not about you.
Both times I've read a book by Octavia Butler, I want to immediately go out and find the rest. So I expect I'll read some more soon.
Enchanted Glass (Diana Wynne Jones)
In a way, all Diana Wynne Jones' books remind me of each other. There's something very similar in the style of them -- though Enchanted Glass is perhaps a bit more subdued than the others -- and yet also something fresh, every time, something in the tone... A feeling, I suppose, that I wish Diana Wynne Jones would come and tell me bedtime stories, in a way: something about her stories would make my toes curl with glee at the same time as I would know it would be okay to go to sleep.
Enchanted Glass has the same sort of pitfalls as most of her other stuff: somewhere in the last few chapters, everything that got kinked up straightens out with a jerk. And then there's a happy end. I've sort of got used to it, started seeing the signs, so when the rug starts to go from under my feet, I go with it. So now I can't really judge what effect that moment would have on the unsuspecting. If you're a fan of Diana Wynne Jones' work, though, it won't be a problem.
I finished my exams today. This was a perfect book to unwind with. I loved Andrew most of all -- the mildness of him, I think, so different to the manic energy of Howl or the wizards from the Chrestomanci books. I liked the people of the village, perhaps especially Tarquin, and had such a soft spot for Shaun.
My favourite part was when Aidan used Excalibur as a verb (yes, I'm predictable). "I seem to have excalibured this knife," indeed.
It's -- fun. Not earth shaking or heart-breaking or even so very funny. But it's fun, and easy, and familiar.
Given that this was published by Harlequin, I wasn't really holding out very much hope of it being a good book. Still, when it was mentioned during the discussions of the cover of Cindy Pon's Silver Phoenix, I decided I'd give it a try when it was out, and have finally got round to it. It does have an Asian woman on the cover, and she is indeed holding a butterfly sword (though she should have two, I'm told). So it's winning there, at least.
From her author bio on Goodreads, though:
"After four years of trying to break into publishing with an Asian-set historical, her 2009 Golden Heart Award–winning manuscript, Butterfly Swords, sold to Harlequin Mills & Boon."
At the very least, she deserves better than a publishing house associated -- among the people I know, anyway -- with dreck and exoticisation. I don't know much about the historical setting, really, and since I don't read much in the romance genre, I have little to compare it to in terms of exoticisation. There wasn't anything that made me deeply uncomfortable, at least, but how much that is worth from a white reader...
In any case, the main character, Ai Li, is a strong woman. Not "fiesty", but fierce, honourable, great-hearted, willing to do whatever it is she has to do. She's naive, too trusting, but she never simply expects Ryam to look after her. She is willing to take care of herself, and to some extent capable of doing so, without being a superwoman.
Ultimately, some of the episodes seem to have little point -- the interlude with Lady Ling, for example -- and the characters aren't going to stay with me. I have truly no idea how plausible it all is. But it's a reasonably enjoyable read, I wasn't bored, the sex scenes were reasonably well-written, the story didn't feel like just a vehicle for the sex scenes... As an undemanding read to relax with on a Saturday afternoon, it was good fun.
Kindred (Octavia Butler)
Shelved as fantasy, rather than SF, because while it deals with time travel, that aspect isn't explained at all. It simply isn't the focus: it's set up enough that the main character can go back in time to that of her ancestor, and forward again to her own time, but there's no explanation of why it starts or how it works. In a way, I do wish there'd been more of that, but ultimately it isn't the important part.
Octavia Butler writes well -- not just interesting writing, but writing that is just easy to read. There's no barrier to enjoying the story: the writing isn't ornate, but it's not too simple, either. Personally, it walked a perfect line, and the voice of Dana -- the narrator -- worked well for me.
The stories alternates between the 1970s -- Dana's time -- and the 1800s, when she had a white, slave-owning ancestor. The co-dependency she has with him, and the way things fall apart at the end, are well-drawn, and the contradictions of liking him somewhat while knowing the kind of man he is... The way she's trapped, forced to play the role of the slave, is a little heart-breaking. Someone else's review talks about wishing Dana were a stronger character, but when you think about the time period she was put into... a different kind of strength was needed then, which to some extent she develops, and some of which is beyond her...
I liked the inclusion of her (white) husband, Kevin. He seems to be a great guy -- not untouched by the world he ends up spending five years being a part of, but fighting it all the time -- and one likes to hope that the two of them manage to be happy after the end of the book. It's a big strain on their relationship, after all.
I'm not sure how articulate I'm really being! In any case, I found it fascinating and definitely recommend it, with the caveats that you have to be okay with the lack of explanation, and with slave narratives. And if you're one of the white people who has read this book and complained about the racism towards white people shown in it, think about it this way: a) however little you like it, it's historically accurate, and b) it's not about you.
Both times I've read a book by Octavia Butler, I want to immediately go out and find the rest. So I expect I'll read some more soon.
Enchanted Glass (Diana Wynne Jones)
In a way, all Diana Wynne Jones' books remind me of each other. There's something very similar in the style of them -- though Enchanted Glass is perhaps a bit more subdued than the others -- and yet also something fresh, every time, something in the tone... A feeling, I suppose, that I wish Diana Wynne Jones would come and tell me bedtime stories, in a way: something about her stories would make my toes curl with glee at the same time as I would know it would be okay to go to sleep.
Enchanted Glass has the same sort of pitfalls as most of her other stuff: somewhere in the last few chapters, everything that got kinked up straightens out with a jerk. And then there's a happy end. I've sort of got used to it, started seeing the signs, so when the rug starts to go from under my feet, I go with it. So now I can't really judge what effect that moment would have on the unsuspecting. If you're a fan of Diana Wynne Jones' work, though, it won't be a problem.
I finished my exams today. This was a perfect book to unwind with. I loved Andrew most of all -- the mildness of him, I think, so different to the manic energy of Howl or the wizards from the Chrestomanci books. I liked the people of the village, perhaps especially Tarquin, and had such a soft spot for Shaun.
My favourite part was when Aidan used Excalibur as a verb (yes, I'm predictable). "I seem to have excalibured this knife," indeed.
It's -- fun. Not earth shaking or heart-breaking or even so very funny. But it's fun, and easy, and familiar.
