More than 2 years later, it’s baaaaackkkkk! I blogged for a bit on Arsenal, then something else…but it got too much to keep track of and turned me off blogging. Now I’m trying to start small and keep everything in perspective.
It’s frustrating to have blogger’s block, which is what I have as I try to recompose my blog life. That’s why this catharsis of frustration might be what Freud recommends to clear out the gunk and start up the metaphor engines.
I’ve picked up some good fantasy reads over the past couple of months…Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Scion is unputdownable( excuse the lazy cliche use). It’s an alternate-world, low-magic, high-intrigue fantasy setting, vaguely historic French in its derivation. The protagonist is a somewhat angsty teenager, but what makes it bearable is the growth Carey builds into her characters – you see Imriel de la Courcel grow from a sweet child , through aforementioned angsty phase, to a reluctant warrior…which is a superb journey, and nothing feels contrived. Quite a lot of the angst is sexual, however, so do be warned if that’s not to your taste. No moralizing either – while the protagonist is fairly ‘good’, all characters have sufficient shades of grey, and the denouement feels very much in line with the book. It has everything – sweetness, romance, angst, heartbreak, bravery, cowardice, and joy.
This is actually the beginning of Carey’s second trilogy, but while there are references to the first trilogy, it doesn’t rely on it for its content – Imriel’s story is retold anew. While the past rears its head often – particularly in the middle – the weaving is subtle enough to not break the flow.
A must-read for adult fantasy fans, this one.
