soph (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sophia_sol) wrote2014-02-16 05:20 pm
sophia_sol) wrote2014-02-16 05:20 pm
Entry tags:
- anent: book thoughts 1,
- author: jane lindskold,
- author: michael trimble,
- author: tamora pierce,
- author: terry pratchett,
- book theme: alternate earth,
- book theme: fantasy,
- book theme: history,
- book theme: nonfiction,
- book theme: reread,
- book theme: secondary world,
- book theme: ya,
- pub date: 2001,
- pub date: 2008,
- pub date: 2010,
- pub date: 2012,
- rating: **,
- rating: ***,
- rating: ****,
- rating: *****
Books!
Nation, by Terry Pratchett
This novel remains amazing. In my opinion, it's the best thing Pratchett ever wrote. He grapples with big issues in this book, but all very humanized and real-feeling and without any pat answers. The characters and their interactions with each other and relationships with each other are all amazing. And the worldbuilding of this world that's not quite ours is fascinating and I love it.
Through Wolf's Eyes, by Jane Lindskold
I reread this book so very many times as a teenager - but the last time I read it was a REALLY long time ago. I think because in some ways I've been kind of embarrassed by it? Special girl raised feral by special wolves, then rejoins human society to be a major contender for the throne of a kingdom! But you know what? WHATEVER, special wolves and all I love this book. I don't know enough about wolves to know how realistic the depictions of the wolves are (special or not) but I don't think I actually care. Because what I love about this book are the following things:
-navigation of culture clash (between all the humans who were raised human, and the main character who was raised wolf)
-lots of people being important to each other without a lot of emphasis placed on romantic relationships
-excellent use of a wide variety of female characters
-interesting politics (I find my love of fantasy politics baffling given my opinion of irl politics but THERE YOU GO, I LOVE THEM, SO THERE)
Also I do just really love Firekeeper (the special girl) and Blind Seer (her special wolf friend). And Elise, and Sapphire, and King Tedric, and even Derian (the everyman).
It's not a perfect book, but it's a highly enjoyable one. I was pleased to reread it.
(and there are a whole bunch of sequels but... you know, I liked then when I read them the first time around but I don't feel like I have a lot of need to actually ever reread them. idk!)
Tortall and Other Lands, by Tamora Pierce
...huh, my reaction to this collection is both very similar and very different to my reaction last time I read it.
In part it's... well, at the time I mentioned it was frustrating that Tortall is this land of perfect progressiveness, but this time I noticed the necessary flip-side - which is that most of the portrayals of non-western-based cultures in this book were portrayals of how backwards and oppressive they are. MMHMMMM. I take issue.
And I still do very much love the stories I mentioned last time as particularly loving. But the stories I don't love stood out more this time - most particularly Nawat, where the overtones of this story were... well, an animal-like character of colour rejecting his culture to embrace the enlightened culture of his white wife. And Huntress, where women-power and the righteousness of the lady goddess means killing the people who have done wrong.
So - mostly a good collection with good stories about female characters, but it also has some problematic aspects that cannot/should not be overlooked.
Why Humans Like To Cry: Tragedy, Evolution & the Brain, by Michael Trimble
This book was not the book I was hoping it was going to be. It's an extremely biology-focused approach to crying, very interested in the structures and processes of the brain. The question it was answering wasn't what the title implied - it was really more "why humans cry" not "why humans LIKE to cry". I found it boring. I kept going in the hopes that it would get beyond the technical explanations for how human brains work buuuut it never really did. I can't even tell you whether it's any good at what it IS talking about because I could never quite muster up the interest to actually pay attention to what I was reading. Oh well. You win some, you lose some.
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I find it interesting what you have to say about Tortall and Other Lands! I've never read the collection, but I've found myself made slightly uncomfortable by depictions of PoC-dominated countries versus white-dominated countries in Emelan, Tamora Pierce's other series. (More subtle than "white = perfeclty progressive, nonwhite = backwards and oppressive", more to do with the MCs' reactions towards oppressiveness in white-dominated versus PoC-dominated countries, but it's there.) And considering that I find Emelan tends to be better on progressive issues as far as world=building goes than Tortall, I am Not Surprised to here you say that... :/
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Yeah, I hear you on the issues in Pierce's other books as well. Sigh. I remember the days when I read Pierce's books and thought them the epitome of thoughtful and inclusive. I suppose it's a good thing I've learned how to see more subtle issues but it makes me sad that I can't love her books uncritically anymore.
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