Post by dinadan on Aug 26, 2005 17:51:44 GMT -5
Having plans cancelled on you and nothing else to spend your day doing (because you cleaned your apartment three times already this week), means that you have time to read. So, I've gotten Lirael finished today. It was, at least, much better than Sabriel, and the characters are much more interesting. In fact, the story is much more interesting, albiet a little badly handled.
Although, the bad handling seems to me to be mostly of the sort that comes down from publishers. Put simply, the book doesn't end. The last page is a "To be continued..." Nix's storytelling is better in this volume, but is still problematic. You'd have to be unnaturally slow not to pick up on the MOUNTAIN of hints that are dropped all along the novel before the "big reveal" (which is really more like 'oh look, you've been right for the last 200 pages') that takes place at the end. The fact of its length, though, (and the shortness of the next volume) suggests to me that Nix was made to cut this book off where he did--at an natural stopping point. At just over 700 pages long (in mass market paperback), Lirael starts to be unwieldy...despite my loving care, the spine was still creasing before I got to the end. With the other 500 pages of Abhorsen added to that, it would've been impossible to read without damaging the book. I'll start Abhorsen either tonight or tomorrow night, so I can clear the air and start reading some history texts I've had on hold all summer.
As far as the characters in this book go...Lirael is by far the best. The other main character, Prince Sameth (child of the Abhorsen Sabriel and King Touchstone), is about ridiculous--but then, since his parents were both equally ridiculous in the previous volume, I suppose he didn't have any choice in the matter. Lirael, though, makes up for it--although, it takes for ever for the two of them to meet up in the book--which, since the narrative is divided between them for the first part of the book, you know its coming forever before it happens. That, though, is the problem with Nix for me...there's no surprise in the text.
Again, though, this book delves deeper into the mythology of the Old Kingdom, and the Charter Magic--which is what makes it great. Without that, it'd be a big waste of time.
Although, the bad handling seems to me to be mostly of the sort that comes down from publishers. Put simply, the book doesn't end. The last page is a "To be continued..." Nix's storytelling is better in this volume, but is still problematic. You'd have to be unnaturally slow not to pick up on the MOUNTAIN of hints that are dropped all along the novel before the "big reveal" (which is really more like 'oh look, you've been right for the last 200 pages') that takes place at the end. The fact of its length, though, (and the shortness of the next volume) suggests to me that Nix was made to cut this book off where he did--at an natural stopping point. At just over 700 pages long (in mass market paperback), Lirael starts to be unwieldy...despite my loving care, the spine was still creasing before I got to the end. With the other 500 pages of Abhorsen added to that, it would've been impossible to read without damaging the book. I'll start Abhorsen either tonight or tomorrow night, so I can clear the air and start reading some history texts I've had on hold all summer.
As far as the characters in this book go...Lirael is by far the best. The other main character, Prince Sameth (child of the Abhorsen Sabriel and King Touchstone), is about ridiculous--but then, since his parents were both equally ridiculous in the previous volume, I suppose he didn't have any choice in the matter. Lirael, though, makes up for it--although, it takes for ever for the two of them to meet up in the book--which, since the narrative is divided between them for the first part of the book, you know its coming forever before it happens. That, though, is the problem with Nix for me...there's no surprise in the text.
Again, though, this book delves deeper into the mythology of the Old Kingdom, and the Charter Magic--which is what makes it great. Without that, it'd be a big waste of time.
