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sophia_sol) wrote2018-01-17 09:24 pm
sophia_sol) wrote2018-01-17 09:24 pm
The Pagan Chronicles, by Catherine Jinks
Series consists of: Pagan's Crusade, Pagan's Exile, Pagan's Vows, Pagan's Scribe, and Babylonne aka Pagan's Daughter
This is a series of children's books about a Templar knight (Roland) and his Palestinian-born squire (Pagan) and, eventually, Pagan's scribe and Pagan's daughter. The books are written in an extremely distinctive style - it's like, the most immediate possible version of first-person, the first three books especially - and it's very effective at making things feel in the moment, but I do not actually like it. BUT I care about the characters enough that I don't care. And the period feel and the earthy historic details are wonderfully well done too. The author is apparently a medieval scholar and it shows in the best possible ways.
The degree to which Roland and Pagan care deeply about each other, and work to take care of each other, despite the two of them being very different people who often do not understand each other, is wonderful. And it's a main focus of the series, their relationship with each other.
The fourth book has a change in POV. The first three are all from Pagan's POV, and all take place with Roland and Pagan in each other's company. In the fourth book Pagan is an independent adult and although Roland and Pagan visit each other, they aren't constantly together as in the previous books. This book then is now from the POV of Pagan's new scribe, Isidore. It's hard to spend that much time in Isidore's head though - he's much less breathless a narrator than Pagan, but a much more annoying one, honestly. Also people keep telling Isidore how wonderful he is and it just felt eventually like the author was trying to hammer home how great Isidore is without ever actually quite convincing me. I did feel for Isidore, quite a lot, but I never liked him. But this book still continues to show stuff about the relationship between Pagan and Roland, which I adore. I was devastated when Roland died.
The fifth book has another POV change. This one takes place after Pagan's death, so neither Pagan nor Roland show up on-screen for this one. It's from the POV of Pagan's daughter, Babylonne, and is about Babylonne and Isidore. I like Isidore much better as a calmed-down adult than I did in his book, and I love Babylonne.
I really enjoyed that Babylonne is what's considered a heretic by the official church, and has a great deal of mistrust for "Romans" (Catholics) and their evil ways. And Babylonne's had a hard life and her general air of mistrust towards nearly everyone is well justified given what's happened to her. And the running theme of her daydreams, and the abrupt change in what she daydreams about, is great. But I miss Roland and Pagan.
This is a series of children's books about a Templar knight (Roland) and his Palestinian-born squire (Pagan) and, eventually, Pagan's scribe and Pagan's daughter. The books are written in an extremely distinctive style - it's like, the most immediate possible version of first-person, the first three books especially - and it's very effective at making things feel in the moment, but I do not actually like it. BUT I care about the characters enough that I don't care. And the period feel and the earthy historic details are wonderfully well done too. The author is apparently a medieval scholar and it shows in the best possible ways.
The degree to which Roland and Pagan care deeply about each other, and work to take care of each other, despite the two of them being very different people who often do not understand each other, is wonderful. And it's a main focus of the series, their relationship with each other.
The fourth book has a change in POV. The first three are all from Pagan's POV, and all take place with Roland and Pagan in each other's company. In the fourth book Pagan is an independent adult and although Roland and Pagan visit each other, they aren't constantly together as in the previous books. This book then is now from the POV of Pagan's new scribe, Isidore. It's hard to spend that much time in Isidore's head though - he's much less breathless a narrator than Pagan, but a much more annoying one, honestly. Also people keep telling Isidore how wonderful he is and it just felt eventually like the author was trying to hammer home how great Isidore is without ever actually quite convincing me. I did feel for Isidore, quite a lot, but I never liked him. But this book still continues to show stuff about the relationship between Pagan and Roland, which I adore. I was devastated when Roland died.
The fifth book has another POV change. This one takes place after Pagan's death, so neither Pagan nor Roland show up on-screen for this one. It's from the POV of Pagan's daughter, Babylonne, and is about Babylonne and Isidore. I like Isidore much better as a calmed-down adult than I did in his book, and I love Babylonne.
I really enjoyed that Babylonne is what's considered a heretic by the official church, and has a great deal of mistrust for "Romans" (Catholics) and their evil ways. And Babylonne's had a hard life and her general air of mistrust towards nearly everyone is well justified given what's happened to her. And the running theme of her daydreams, and the abrupt change in what she daydreams about, is great. But I miss Roland and Pagan.