Showing posts with label jane lindskold. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jane lindskold. Show all posts
Book Review - Artemis Awakening
Labels:
artemis awakening,
book review,
jane lindskold,
science fiction
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| Cover image courtesy of Barnes and Noble. |
Author: Jane Lindskold
Publisher: Tor
Publication Date: May 27, 2014
Version I Read: Mass Market Paperback
Rating: 5/5
By now, it should be no secret that I'm a big fan of Jane Lindskold's work, so when I heard she had a new series coming out, I nabbed a copy at the earliest opportunity. Needless to say from my five star rating, it's good.
Centuries ago, a powerful empire dominated the stars. With their advanced technology, they were able to accomplish seemingly the impossible, like creating an entire pleasure planet for their elite, complete with residents. When the empire and their technology were destroyed in a war, the planet, named Artemis, was lost and left to evolve on its own. Now, young archaeologist Griffin Dane has come to the planet, hoping to make the archaeological find of the century. Too bad his shuttle crashes...
There's not a lot to talk about, really. It's just a good all around book. No one thing in particular sticks out, but that's because every element is done nicely and it all blends together to create a good story that still leaves some questions unanswered and some plot threads open.
Major spoilers!
First off, this book, unlike some others, has been edited down to necessity, making it very tightly-plotted. The allows the action and the story to move along at a clipped pace and never drag.
The villain, the Old One Who Is Young, is not a new breed by any stretch of the imagination, but he is an effective one. When describing the horrors of the Old One's experiment/breeding program, Lindskold pulls no punches, making a great case for why this man is so unbelievably horrible he deserves to be called a villain. (Long story short, he's breeding human beings for reasons that make sense in context, and abduction, rape, and removing children from their parents is a regular occurrence). This also allows the narrative to scratch the surface of showing how Stockholm Syndrome can cause victims to victimize others, and why they shouldn't be held entirely accountable for it. He is also mentioned early enough that his importance is consistent throughout the novel, and his betrayal is effective in its surprise.
I also found the romance realistic, especially in regards to Adara and Julyan. It's a spot-on description of a young woman, caught up in the throes of first love, falling for a man whose dominant personality becomes problematic (understatement) in the future. The interactions between Griffin and Adara and Terrell and Adara (and Griffin and Terrell's friendship in spite of the "competition") turn them into real people (albeit from completely different origins) and the reader, as well as Adara, can see the good points of each. Both Griffin and Adara thinking they are not good enough for the other (for different reasons) was a nice touch. They also make a very good team. Adara herself is sufficiently badass and crafty (pretending to be stupid around the Old One so she may avoid his attentions while sneaking about on her own to investigate), joining the ranks of other similar Lindskold heroines. Her connection to the planet itself is intriguing and I'm interested to see where it will go as the story continues.
Research was clearly done on pumas in order to write Sand Shadow, and Artemis itself is an organic, fascinating world that, hopefully, will only continue to be built upon in subsequent novels. While it's been done before, the discovery of this lost world is just as mysterious and intriguing as any which came before.
Centuries ago, a powerful empire dominated the stars. With their advanced technology, they were able to accomplish seemingly the impossible, like creating an entire pleasure planet for their elite, complete with residents. When the empire and their technology were destroyed in a war, the planet, named Artemis, was lost and left to evolve on its own. Now, young archaeologist Griffin Dane has come to the planet, hoping to make the archaeological find of the century. Too bad his shuttle crashes...
There's not a lot to talk about, really. It's just a good all around book. No one thing in particular sticks out, but that's because every element is done nicely and it all blends together to create a good story that still leaves some questions unanswered and some plot threads open.
Major spoilers!
First off, this book, unlike some others, has been edited down to necessity, making it very tightly-plotted. The allows the action and the story to move along at a clipped pace and never drag.
The villain, the Old One Who Is Young, is not a new breed by any stretch of the imagination, but he is an effective one. When describing the horrors of the Old One's experiment/breeding program, Lindskold pulls no punches, making a great case for why this man is so unbelievably horrible he deserves to be called a villain. (Long story short, he's breeding human beings for reasons that make sense in context, and abduction, rape, and removing children from their parents is a regular occurrence). This also allows the narrative to scratch the surface of showing how Stockholm Syndrome can cause victims to victimize others, and why they shouldn't be held entirely accountable for it. He is also mentioned early enough that his importance is consistent throughout the novel, and his betrayal is effective in its surprise.
I also found the romance realistic, especially in regards to Adara and Julyan. It's a spot-on description of a young woman, caught up in the throes of first love, falling for a man whose dominant personality becomes problematic (understatement) in the future. The interactions between Griffin and Adara and Terrell and Adara (and Griffin and Terrell's friendship in spite of the "competition") turn them into real people (albeit from completely different origins) and the reader, as well as Adara, can see the good points of each. Both Griffin and Adara thinking they are not good enough for the other (for different reasons) was a nice touch. They also make a very good team. Adara herself is sufficiently badass and crafty (pretending to be stupid around the Old One so she may avoid his attentions while sneaking about on her own to investigate), joining the ranks of other similar Lindskold heroines. Her connection to the planet itself is intriguing and I'm interested to see where it will go as the story continues.
Research was clearly done on pumas in order to write Sand Shadow, and Artemis itself is an organic, fascinating world that, hopefully, will only continue to be built upon in subsequent novels. While it's been done before, the discovery of this lost world is just as mysterious and intriguing as any which came before.
Neither Karen Lofgren nor Loyalty Press has any affiliation with the author or publisher. This review constitutes Fair Use.
Book Review - Through Wolf's Eyes
Labels:
book review,
firekeeper,
jane lindskold,
through wolf's eyes
·
 |
| Cover image courtesy of Barnes and Noble. |
Author: Jane Lindskold
Publisher: Tor Fantasy
Publication Date: June 17, 2002
Version I Read: Mass Market Paperback
Rating: 5/5
This is one of those books I read a long time ago and recently reread. Needless to say from my high rating, Through Wolf's Eyes holds up. Big time.
Years ago, the king of Hawk Haven disowned his youngest son, and the prince left on an expedition to found a colony on the other side of the mountains. He was never heard from again. Now that the king's other children have died and a fight for succession has erupted, an earl decides to lead an expedition to find out what happened to the missing prince, and, hopefully, bring either him or any heirs back.
Thus begins the tale of Lady Blysse, or, as she would rather be known, Firekeeper. A survivor of Prince Barden's ill-fated expedition, she has been raised by wolves (bigger, more intelligent wolves that live beyond the mountains), leaving her more wolf than human. With some urging from her adopted family, she chooses to return with the humans to their kingdom, the kingdom of her birth.
Spoilers!
This book knows how to do political intrigue! As the plot centers around the extended royal family fighting over the throne, unsurprisingly, there is a lot of plotting and a couple of assassination attempts, as well as strategic marriages and characters plotting out their every move. Allister Seagleam, who is the son of the king's sister who was married off to the Bright Bay nobility to ensure peace and eventual unification of their two lands, is also in the running, to the chagrin of the Hawk Haven nobility, even though a decent portion of the people support his claim. In one of the later chapters, we get the history of the Bright Bay throne explained to us too, and it is similarly creative, fascinating, and realistic. One thing that doesn't clutter up the story is the fact that there is nothing barring women from holding positions of power (in fact, Hawk Haven was founded by a woman), meaning Lindskold doesn't take unnecessary time on feminist stories that have been done to death in similar stories.
I love the setting, specifically the idea that the kingdoms where the story takes place were founded after colonizers from the Old World withdrew to deal with issues closer to home. This idea is interesting, because it is not only something I haven't seen in fantasy too often (and gives it a very "New World" feel), but it adds an extra angle to the people in power: that their power is only somewhat solidified.
Firekeeper herself is a great character - both naive in the ways of humans and wise in the ways of the world. The way her mind works is very well-written, as she constantly compares the goings-on in the human world to how the animal world works, most commonly and perhaps obviously, to power dynamics in wolf packs. Firekeeper's relationship with Blind Seer is also something of note; most readers would expect her to eventually fall in love with a human (namely Darian), but not Firekeeper. Her soulmate truly is Blind Seer and, while she is searching for a way to become a wolf in body as well as in spirit through forbidden ancient magics, she shares a kind of beautiful bond with him in spite of the fact that they are of two different species.
Pretty much all of the other characters, especially Sapphire, Derian, Elise, and Doc, are distinctive and well-rounded. I appreciate that the main villain's motivation is that he feels tossed aside after the death of his wife, who would have been Queen, and so he wants to take the power he feels is rightfully his.
The fact that magic in this world is rare and not even accepted (considered to be a relic of the Old World and not something any of them want; it is something they fear enough to go to war over the threat of it being used) is also nice, and gives the story a realistic feel while still maintaining the power and majesty of fantasy.
Perhaps the best part of the story is the ending and the resolution to the conflict. Firekeeper is not chosen to be the next queen. She is not even Prince Barden's daughter but the daughter of another member of the expedition. I love that the king knows this and accepts her into his court anyway, because he appreciates her wisdom and he genuinely likes her. Instead, the crown will go to the character that perhaps gets the best development in the story: Sapphire Shield. Sapphire goes from being an alpha bitch completely under the control of her mother to a strong independent woman and remains a complex character. Her betrothal to Allister's son ensures the promise made years ago to unite the kingdoms of Hawk Haven and Bright Bay into a stronger whole. This makes the end of the story not only perfectly logical, but also emotionally satisfying.
Years ago, the king of Hawk Haven disowned his youngest son, and the prince left on an expedition to found a colony on the other side of the mountains. He was never heard from again. Now that the king's other children have died and a fight for succession has erupted, an earl decides to lead an expedition to find out what happened to the missing prince, and, hopefully, bring either him or any heirs back.
Thus begins the tale of Lady Blysse, or, as she would rather be known, Firekeeper. A survivor of Prince Barden's ill-fated expedition, she has been raised by wolves (bigger, more intelligent wolves that live beyond the mountains), leaving her more wolf than human. With some urging from her adopted family, she chooses to return with the humans to their kingdom, the kingdom of her birth.
Spoilers!
This book knows how to do political intrigue! As the plot centers around the extended royal family fighting over the throne, unsurprisingly, there is a lot of plotting and a couple of assassination attempts, as well as strategic marriages and characters plotting out their every move. Allister Seagleam, who is the son of the king's sister who was married off to the Bright Bay nobility to ensure peace and eventual unification of their two lands, is also in the running, to the chagrin of the Hawk Haven nobility, even though a decent portion of the people support his claim. In one of the later chapters, we get the history of the Bright Bay throne explained to us too, and it is similarly creative, fascinating, and realistic. One thing that doesn't clutter up the story is the fact that there is nothing barring women from holding positions of power (in fact, Hawk Haven was founded by a woman), meaning Lindskold doesn't take unnecessary time on feminist stories that have been done to death in similar stories.
I love the setting, specifically the idea that the kingdoms where the story takes place were founded after colonizers from the Old World withdrew to deal with issues closer to home. This idea is interesting, because it is not only something I haven't seen in fantasy too often (and gives it a very "New World" feel), but it adds an extra angle to the people in power: that their power is only somewhat solidified.
Firekeeper herself is a great character - both naive in the ways of humans and wise in the ways of the world. The way her mind works is very well-written, as she constantly compares the goings-on in the human world to how the animal world works, most commonly and perhaps obviously, to power dynamics in wolf packs. Firekeeper's relationship with Blind Seer is also something of note; most readers would expect her to eventually fall in love with a human (namely Darian), but not Firekeeper. Her soulmate truly is Blind Seer and, while she is searching for a way to become a wolf in body as well as in spirit through forbidden ancient magics, she shares a kind of beautiful bond with him in spite of the fact that they are of two different species.
Pretty much all of the other characters, especially Sapphire, Derian, Elise, and Doc, are distinctive and well-rounded. I appreciate that the main villain's motivation is that he feels tossed aside after the death of his wife, who would have been Queen, and so he wants to take the power he feels is rightfully his.
The fact that magic in this world is rare and not even accepted (considered to be a relic of the Old World and not something any of them want; it is something they fear enough to go to war over the threat of it being used) is also nice, and gives the story a realistic feel while still maintaining the power and majesty of fantasy.
Perhaps the best part of the story is the ending and the resolution to the conflict. Firekeeper is not chosen to be the next queen. She is not even Prince Barden's daughter but the daughter of another member of the expedition. I love that the king knows this and accepts her into his court anyway, because he appreciates her wisdom and he genuinely likes her. Instead, the crown will go to the character that perhaps gets the best development in the story: Sapphire Shield. Sapphire goes from being an alpha bitch completely under the control of her mother to a strong independent woman and remains a complex character. Her betrothal to Allister's son ensures the promise made years ago to unite the kingdoms of Hawk Haven and Bright Bay into a stronger whole. This makes the end of the story not only perfectly logical, but also emotionally satisfying.
The Verdict: An engrossing and compelling book that amazingly combines the story of a feral child raised by wolves and a political struggle for a crown.
Neither Karen Lofgren nor Loyalty Press has any affiliation with the author or publisher. This review constitutes Fair Use.
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