There are some critics who claim that fantasy literature is in some way a soft option; that in choosing to write in a more fantastical world, telling emotional character truths can take second place to worldbuilding. This post is my attempt to debunk that myth. There have been several scenes in fantasy literature which had me bawling like a baby. These aren’t necessarily death scenes, but simply beautiful writing illustrating the deep impact the situation has had on the character. Olver’s story in A Memory of Light, the last book of the Wheel of Time. This particular section was just so powerfully emotive. For those of you unfamiliar, Olver is a young orphan – around eight years old – in the Wheel of Time universe who was adopted by Mat Cauthon and his warband. Being brought up in a war camp, he exhibits a lot of his “uncle”’s enthusiasm for battle and the band has a hard time keeping him away from battle. In the particular scene that had me sobbing, Olver has become separated from his friends and is being attacked by bestial Trollocs as he desperately tried to hide. All of his bravado is stripped away and you…
As it’s now near the end of 2013, I feel it’s about time I did my review of the top books I read this year. First of all, some statistics. According to GoodReads, I have read an incredible 115 books this year! I am certain that this is partly due to Audible and my being able to listen to books during my nightshifts. As I am moving onto day shifts soon, I suspect my total will drop for next year. As an item of interest, the longest book I read was A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson at a total of 909 pages. So without much further ado, onto the retrospective. Here, in no particular order, are my favourite books of 2013. [book-info title=”A Memory of Light” author=brandon-sanderson-2] A Memory of Light is, of course, the final book in Robert Jordan’s magnum opus The Wheel of Time, completed by Brandon Sanderson after Jordan’s death. There was a lot of pressure and expectation on this book; the series has been ongoing for nearly 25 years and had a cast of thousands as well as hundreds of narrative plot threads. Sanderson was faced with a real challenge…
When I finished Allegiant I really couldn’t decide if it was a brilliant piece of writing or a garbled mess. However, given that I had a major emotional book hangover and couldn’t face picking up another book for several days, I’m going for the “brilliant piece of writing.” For those of you concerned about my mental wellbeing, I was rescued from the emotional depths by Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park, a sweet story of first love, so that in a couple of days I may actually be ready to go back to The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken. So, onto Allegiant. It is difficult, if not impossible, to review Allegiant without spoilers, so please join me after the cut once you have read the book.
I think my reading of House of Hades must have infected me with some demigod ADHD because I am trying to read no fewer than four books at the same time. Sigh. So many great books, so little time. I couldn’t decide what audiobook to listen to at work so I used a random number generator to help me choose. The selection landed on The Meryl Streep Movie Club by Mia March. For those of you who don’t know, this is set in the same world as Finding Colin Firth but written and set earlier. So far I’m enjoying it – I loved the setting and the characters are relatable. A full review will come shortly. After listening to a few chapters though I realised I was more in the mood for some YA dystopia, so I picked up Alexandra Bracken’s The Darkest Minds. I’d been hooked by the preview on Bracken’s website and I am continuing to enjoy it. Ruby seems an interesting, if damaged character, and I look forward to reading more of her story. Again, expect a full review soon. I had been asked to review Paul Levine’s State vs. Lassiter so I have added it to this…