Another companion novella to The Hands of the Emperor, but from the point of view of Cliopher’s great-uncle and occasional spiritual guide. It wouldn’t stand alone well but it provides a nice bit of insight into one of the most opaque characters in the book, and also allows us to see Cliopher from the standpoint of his native culture, instead of seeing him filtered through his own critical gaze.
Tag: genre-fantasy
Kingdom of Copper, by S.A. Chakraborty
Dives right into the mess left at the end of the first book, but with enough detail that you remember exactly why each of the main characters is in so much trouble. Chakraborty does a good job giving them enough agency to express their wishes, but also hems each in with both internal and external pressures. The big showdown at the end is heavily foreshadowed, but she still finds room for a surprise ending and a huge change going into the third book.
Petty Treasons, by Victoria Goddard
I could not get enough of Victoria Goddard this month. This is a companion novella to The Hands of the Emperor, but from the Emperor’s view instead of Cliopher’s; the burden of the Emperor’s enforced solitude is hinted at in the first book, but here we get to experience its crushing weight firsthand, and we also get to see Cliopher from the Emperor’s point of view. Perfect for someone in withdrawal from the glory of The Hands of the Emperor. I will say though that the shifting first/second person viewpoints read a bit awkwardly for me; I got why it was done, but I think the Emperor’s isolation could have been hinted at another way.
The Bride of the Blue Wind, by Victoria Goddard
Look, I had to immediately find another Victoria Goddard work, ok? This one is an action-packed novella, told like a fairy tale. In this retelling of the Bluebeard story, three sisters go forth to find their destiny; the first becomes a weaver of magic, the second a fierce warrior, and the third is swept away by a god who takes her as a wife. As the third daughter slowly becomes suspicious of her new husband’s ultimate motives, her sisters unite to ride to her rescue. Great strong female characters obv, and the language was just beautiful.
The True Queen, by Zen Cho
Sequel to Sorcerer and Crown. Muna and her magical sister Sakti remember little of their past; all they know is that they are inseparable, and that Sakti is fading. In trying to break their curse, they go to England where the Sorceress Royal may be able to help. However, they are separated along the way, and Muna is left with nothing but her own wits to navigate both English and fairy society, while she figures out the mystery of her and Sakti’s existence. Muna is a very Zen Cho narrator, blunt and forthright, never hesitating to point out (even if it’s just to herself) when people are being unreasonable or ridiculous. The pace of the story started out slow, but got rolling quite well in the last two-thirds.
The Hands of the Emperor, by Victoria Goddard
I loved this book so much. It begins when Cliopher Mdang, secretary to His Radiancy the god-Emperor, wonders if his employer might want to come on vacation with him. It sounds trivial, but that simple gesture ends up affecting the entire system of government that Cliopher and His Radiancy have worked so hard to build. Politics and court drama are hinted at, earthshaking events in history are implied, but mostly this is a 900+ page tome full of either conversation or quiet reflection, which results in absolutely stellar character development and moments of total emotional perfection. Cliopher is a really self-effacing and humble narrator who tries his best, and you just want to alternately hug him, high-five him, or tell him to go take a much-needed nap. The emperor His Radiancy as seen through Cliopher’s eyes is full of such generosity and good humor, but wound so tightly with power and stress and responsibility, that you also want to hug him (but that would be taboo, and that’s also a problem). It reads like a really comforting slow burn of a love story, but if said love was utterly platonic and built on mutual respect and fond worry and decades of working patiently together towards the greater good. Also, Cliopher’s dynamic with his family and friends is just incredible, full of history and the kinds of misunderstandings that can only arise when you don’t wish to hurt the ones you love the most. I would recommend this to everyone, except let’s be real, most people would look at the length and back away. But I thought this book was amazing and you’ll probably see Victoria Goddard’s name frequently here as I chase down literally everything else she’s written.
Crooked Kingdom, by Leigh Bardugo
Sequel to Six of Crows. Picks up very smoothly where the previous one left off, except now you know the characters… or so you think. Bardugo uncovers new depths in each of the characters, allowing them growth and development in believable and well-founded ways, while still rolling the plot along at a crazy pace. I loved the action and the pacing, the chemistry between the cast members was excellent, and the banter was delightful.
Under the Pendulum Sun, by Jeannette Ng
In which a missionary’s sister, desperate for news of him, follows him into the land of faerie where he’s been having trouble making converts. Queen Mab, changelings, malicious spirits, enormous land whales, creepy changing landscapes, and tons of epistolary research feature in this story of finding one’s way through lies, temptation, and illusion. Very atmospheric, very gothic, very much a wallow in guilt and manipulation; it was well done, but a little much for me. I liked the fairyland and the well-thought-out physics of its pendulum sun, but I didn’t much like the characters and couldn’t really get into their problems.
Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo
Oh man this was such an awesome read, way better than Shadow and Bone (though I’m glad I read that one first, if only so that I knew some of the Grishaverse terminology). In this heist novel, the action comes first, and characters are built alongside the action, which moves everything along much more smoothly. The conflicted rogue is also one of my favorite character archetypes, and there are TONS of them in this one. Each character in the squad has backstory that is explored gradually throughout the book, which builds on their awesome dynamics. The tension is kept at great levels; the heist is complicated and full of twists, but not so much that the book lost momentum explaining it. And even though the ending is cliffhanger-y, I can’t be disappointed; it was such a fun ride to get there. (Six weeks for the next one to come off the hold list? Noooooo)
No Gods, No Monsters, by Cadwell Turnbull
I really wanted to like this but it was so difficult; of the unnecessarily bloated cast, the POV characters that know things don’t let any information out, and the POV characters that don’t know anything… keep not knowing anything. The action starts with what seems like a fairly standard case of police brutality, but then it turns out that the young man who was shot was actually a werewolf… except then all the video footage and the official record is doctored to remove evidence of anything supernatural… and then more people begin revealing themselves as monsters, or are outed against their will, igniting pro- and anti- monster sentiment worldwide… but then the monsters themselves seem to be pawns in a complicated battle between even more higher powers, one or more of whom are running some kind of cult? The writing itself is great but the plot is really complicated and poorly communicated; I don’t think I’ll be pursuing the sequel.