Lord of the Silver Bow / David Gemmell

 

4 out of 5 stars

This book sent me dredging my memory for what I used to know about Ancient Greek and Trojan history. Gemmell manages to work many of the accepted plot points into a tale that modern people can identify with. We meet Odysseus, Agamemnon, Priam, Hector, and Aeneas (here mostly known as Helikaon), as well as many others. Gemmell makes these mythic characters into comprehensible people, with weaknesses as well as strengths, human foibles, loves and hates.

This era in history was not a high spot for women and regular people. Kings reign supreme, claiming all those who live in their territory as chattel. If you aren't at the tippy top of the hierarchy, you have few choices or options. Nevertheless, the author writes female characters with fire and determination. Early in the novel, we meet Andromache, daughter of Ektion of Thebe. She gets shipped to Thera to become a priestess when Ektion has no political use for her, no man to ally himself to through marriage. Being a woman of ambition and action, Andromache throws herself into life on Thera, learning to shoot a bow and ride a horse, taking a female lover. Then her sister, the betrothed of Hektor of Troy, dies unexpectedly and Andromache is recalled to take her place. Ripped out of palace life to go to Thera, then torn out of Thera to go to Troy, Andromache has become a woman to be reckoned with.

For a fantasy tale of war and battle, there are a surprising number of romances that occur. Unlike many fantasy authors, Gemmell does not portray love as a male weakness. Instead, being in love provides a firm base on which to base a man's heroic reputation. They have a reason to fight and prevail. However, just because there is love, it doesn't automatically guarantee a wedding. Political realities intervene.

Those who dislike intense battle scenes should probably pass on this book. They are true to the time period, but Gemmell uses them to explore the nature of being a hero in interesting ways. He contrasts brutal older leaders like Agamemnon and Priam with Helikaon/Aeneas, who tries to be fair as well as firm. It is not an easy balancing act.

Book Number 465 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

Equal Rites / Terry Pratchett

 

4.25 out of 5 stars

2022 Free Range Reading

A book chosen for fun, not part of any project, plan, or list. Part of my new appreciation of Discworld and Terry Pratchett. This is a new thing for me, begun this year.

This book is our first encounter with Granny Weatherwax, whom I knew from the Tiffany Aching books (my intro to Discworld). I was surprised to realize that this was only the third installment in the series as a whole (having previously been defeated by book 1, which really didn't grab me). By the end of the series, Granny has progressed, but she started out strong!

Pratchett wrote really good female characters. The trick, I think, is that he treats them just like his male characters, giving them clear, understandable motivations and not giving the impression that their aspirations are ridiculous. In this book, the Wizarding world doesn't know what hit it. Like so many institutions in our world (law, medicine, universities, clubs, etc.), membership has traditionally been men only. Eskarina Smith shakes things up, when she is accidentally the recipient of a great wizard's staff and legacy when he mistakenly assumes she is a boy. She comes into impressive power, but she needs to learn control. The Unseen University, however, has never admitted a female student. Granny Weatherwax does what she can for the young woman, but Eskarina does the heavy lifting, always asking, “Where is it written?”

Pratchett skewers the chauvanistic University and the misogynistic attitudes of the wizards. He effectively points out how pointless it is to mindlessly cling to things just because “it's always been that way.” Just like in the Tiffany Aching books, he gives his characters relationship options, but he doesn't centre the action on that—he makes it obvious that male/female teams can make the most effective discoveries and decisions.

Thank you, Sir Terry, for your clear eyed view of the world and your gentle way of tweaking us about it.

The Blade Itself / Joe Abercrombie

 

4 out of 5 stars

When I initially started reading, I was reminded of Gene Wolfe's The Shadow of the Torturer, but probably just because Sand dan Glokta is employed by the Inquisition. Glokta is such an excellent name! It seems perfectly suited to an expert torturer, somehow. They may practice the same profession, but Glokta could not be more different from Wolfe's Severian. Glokta has undergone severe torture himself and as we follow his thread of the story, we learn how physically damaged he is and that he is quite willing to display his infirmities to make others uncomfortable and afraid. He is also much more intelligent than Severian and has a ragged, ironic sense of humour. (“Well, if I'm poisoned up here on the upper floor, at least I won't have to go back down all those stairs.”)

Truly, it is Glokta's ironic internal dialog which made the book for me. His inside voice is hilarious, his outside voice is careful. We get to witness his stubbornness about his life (he has difficulty getting out of bed, but insists on locking his bedroom door). But he is also pragmatic, making sure he doesn't offend the Arch Lector, much as he would like to. His battle with stairs, which seem to be everywhere in his surroundings, show his absolute determination.

Of course there are other story lines: the young captain who is reluctantly training for a fencing contest, his superior officer's sister who snags his attention, a huge Northern berserker who finds himself recruited by a wizard, the band of fighters who think their berserker friend is dead, a woman searching for vengeance. If you are very squeamish, you should maybe bypass this series, but I didn't find it as grim as many of these fantasy war epics.

I was unsure how much I would like this novel, but I was pleasantly surprised. Far from having to fight myself to finish, I found myself looking forward to each reading session (and shirking household duties in order to facilitate reading). Now perhaps grocery shopping and laundry will be back on the schedule!

Book Number 464 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

Shattered Bonds / Faith Hunter

 

3.75 out of 5 stars

I've come to the point where I left off this series, with Shattered Bonds being a brand new read for me. Hunter had a pile of problems to deal with in this installment, including a very sick main character, a chaotic vampire political scene, some very offended arcencials, a snippy Anzu Enforcer, and the biggest, baddest villain yet. Jane is on death's door, but circumstances don't make allowances for illness. Jane is forced to rely on her team, reawaken her attention on vampire matters, and spend a lot of time in puma and half form, as Beast does not share her magical cancer.

The big, bad ugly, Shimon bar Ioudas, one of the original vampires, is known as the Flayer of Mithrans (which, in typical Jane style, becomes the FOM, something which I struggled to remember as I read). For all the build up of how powerful and immortal he was, I thought he was rather easily dealt with. But, as I mentioned, Hunter was juggling a pile of plot lines. The solution to a bunch of issues revolves around a chance discovery Janes makes while in Beast form.

If Jane is to retain her position of Dark Queen and see things run according to her values, she is going to have to return to NOLA and pick up the reins of power. Not only is Leo gone, Derek Lee has been turned vamp. He's always grumpy with Jane, so dealing with him could be entertaining. Jane and Lincoln Shaddock have a new, closer relationship and Jane is starting to realize he may have extra powers she knows little about. Gregoire has been appointed European Warlord, doing what he does best, tearing up the battlefield. The problem seems to be that no one reasonable wants to rule, only the power-hungry bad guys. (I often wonder why anyone would go into politics and it seems to apply to this fictional world as well as our real one). But Jane has come to care about the vampire world and has those protective skinwalker tendencies. How will having her at the top change vampire society?

I've got one more novel to read (True Dead) in order to be up to date for the release of Final Heir this fall. Totally doable, though I will probably put it off until August while I plough through a tall stack of library books.

Death on the Nile / Agatha Christie

 

4 out of 5 stars

Appointment with Agatha July 2022

Christie wrote unpleasant people with relish! This novel is awash with them and I enjoyed them enormously. I was willing to believe any of them could be the murderer, no doubt as Christie intended. It seemed that motives could be designed for many of them and I spent time suspecting several of them and I was always wrong. I should have known better—whenever Christie makes a suspect obvious you can pretty much cross them off your list.

The tight confines of the boat on the Nile reminded me of the earlier Poirot novel Murder on the Orient Express. The detective himself even references that train trip, no doubt to provide another red herring to the reader. The fortunate appearance of Colonel Race gives Poirot the sidekick that he needs to ‘discuss' his thought processes with, so that we can know what the little grey cells are up to.

I think my favourite character, however, was Ferguson, the belligerent socialist. His sudden determination to marry Cornelia Robson made me laugh, as did her reaction. Poirot's casual reveal of Ferguson's true identity to Cornelia's odious cousin was icing on that little cupcake, especially when Cornelia makes the obvious choice, freeing herself from servitude.

Once again, Christie doesn't require her murderer to face justice, much more common for her than I'd realized before beginning this reading program. I find that a fascinating aspect of her authorial character.

The Machine's Child / Kage Baker

 

3 out of 5 stars

Baker has taken this in a direction that I was not expecting, which is delightful. She is setting up a rival to Dr Zeus Company, right under their noses, but undetected. I'm very taken with the possibilities of these details. That balances with one thing that's making me grumpy, namely Mendoza's three men sharing one body, which they access sequentially. Baker has them squabbling over who gets to spend time with their lady-love and I find it annoying. It also bugs me that since Mendoza has been regenerated, no one is being straight with her. I think she should know about her three-in-one lover and more about their plans. Mind you, it seems to be Alec's artificial intelligence that is advocating keeping her in the dark and I'm not understanding his purposes just yet.

Baker keeps tantalizing us with the mysterious date of 2355, where the historical records seem to end and the Silence begins. The conspiracy theories abound about what will happen or what might be possible. I do hope Baker plans to reveal the result and I have no doubt that it will be unexpected. I think all the speculation must be designed to mislead, or at least I hope so. Mendoza and Alec/Edward/Nicholas have been planting vials of nanobots in all kinds of out-of-the-way spots, awaiting the signal from their crafty AI, Captain Morgan.

Although the Captain has been handed a new, complex problem to solve at the end of this book, but being artificial he should be able to handle several tasks at once. I'll return to Mendoza early next year (2023) to continue the tale. Oh, and just an idle observation, but these paperback covers are horrid!

Book Number 463 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project