Jurjen
Minor spoilers.
Fevre Dream is the first book by George RR Martin that I have read, that is not set in the world of ice and fire.
It is a story about a steamboat captain in the 1850s, who sails down the Mississippi. Its romantic setting is offset by the unromantic captain Abner Marsh, weighing 300 pounds (always fun to see a GRRM weight-self insert, which it most definitely was), with a sailors mouth, and a face full of warts. He is, however, stubborn as an ox, loyal, and honest. The only reason why he isn't an abolitionist is because he's no goddamn bible thumpin' Republican.
Besides Abner, there's the elegant Joshua York, who lives in an inelegant world, and his nemesis Julian who gives me the creepers. There's also Sour Billy, who might be the the most despicable person that George has ever written. That says a lot.
The characters are well developed and explored, as you would expect of a George RR Martin book.
The first act of the book is incredibly atmospheric. The setting is lovely to take in. Slowly, the curtain is pulled back on a mysterious group of people, and it's fascinating and ominous. Then the curtain is pulled all the way back, which doesn't necessarily do the book favours, as the middle half becomes somewhat of a predictable action story.
With 80 or so pages left, George pulls me back in with one of the best, and most emotional chapters that he has ever written, and the book manages to end on a high note.
Thematically, this is one of George' strongest works. The story is about the old being replaced by the new, and the fragility of immoral social structures. The “Night Folk” society makes for a perfect parallel to things such as slavery, but also Abner's profession as a steamboat captain, and his role in the world that seemed to have left him behind.
Although a little rough around the edges compared to Song of Ice and Fire, it has the same writing style which i'm a massive fan of. Nice prose and beautiful dialogue.
Although I don't think I like Fevre Dream as much as his ASOIAF books, I would still rate it a 8.75/10.
Ps. George still doesn't understand jack shit about sizes. A 450 foot long steamer that's 120 foot wide in the 1850s is utterly absurd, and almost as ridiculous as an 800 foot tall, 100 foot wide wall made out of ice. What magic made the steamerboat so big? Bran the Builder lent his hand? Also, Toby could beat the Mountain in a fight. Easily.
I'm glad I decided to reread this instead of jumping into b2, because it's been two and a half years, and I forgot basically everything. Also, because this is a pretty great story. I think I like it more than on my original read!
Murderbot, for being literally that, is infinitely relatable, strangely charismatic, and feels thoroughly human. Martha Wells (as well as the narrator of the audiobook I listened to, Kevin R. Free), gave a really strong voice to them, which made the novella work as well as it did. Also, very funny!
for being just about 100 pages, this novella is able to do so much character work. At the same time, everything happened very suddenly near the end, so maybe it could have been a little longer.
In rereading The Green Bone Saga, I did not seek out a reassurance that this series is my favourite of all time, that Jade Legacy is my favourite book of all time. Yet it did, and I believe that perhaps even more so than after initially finishing this book three and a half years ago.
For me, Hilo is the greatest character in fiction, and he gets more time to shine in this book than the previous two. But it is not about how good he is or how phenomally well written Anden, Shae, Lan, Niko, and Ayt are. It's about how together the family feels, the richness of the character dynamics that are interwoven throughout the entire story. Details such as a routine of Woon and Shae bringing their teenage cousin Ru to school, young Niko anxiously asking if uncle Anden will be there at the holiday celebration and then as he grows up, sleeping over at his cousin's when he's in a fight with his parents, two rival horns secretly cooperating without around the backs of their pillars because neither are an Ayt or a Kaul, and they have no blood feud. The Kaul family and the entire cast of characters are so well crafted that it makes the story feel more real than anything I've read. All these things in totality suggest at so much more going on beyond what's on the page.
The time jumps are somewhat controversial, but for how much they shake up the narrative compared to the first two books, they're rarely considered as detracting from the book. I think that's a testament to Fonda Lee's incredibly skilful writing. Where that is probably most apparent is in her character writing. She is able to imbue so much personality in an eight year old child with half a handful of lines, that when they grow up and grow from a tertiary to a secondary or main character, it all fits into place. It works. That 17 year old, whom you only knew as a young child before, missing so much of their adolescence in the time jump–it's almost as though you missed nothing at all. Hats fucking off.
I'm very picky when it comes to politics and such in my books, which I think is because most authors who try to involve politics in their plots do so in shallow ways. Politics isn't just elections, or power disputes, it's so much more. Fonda Lee understands that like few other authors. This series, but especially this book, covers economic development of a periphery state, growing closer to the core and how that leads to interference of the core; cold war dynamics and a wide range of proxy conflicts; lobbying of favourable legislation and legal disputes; ethnic tensions; the status and identity of first versus second generation immigrants; bureaucratic infrastructure. And so much more. All of these things make the world, Kekon, and Janloon feel lively in a similar way to how the character dynamics suggest more going on in the world.
Lastly, the themes of the story. Cycles of violence, and what you leave behind. Jade Legacy indeed. This story couldn't have been told in any other way, and it could not have been written better.
a Game of Thrones is one of the most iconic fantasy books ever written. The fact that it is not even the best, perhaps not the even second best in the series, shows why a Song of Ice and Fire transcends its genre.
On this fourth read, what I noticed at the start was just how efficient George was able to characterise a pretty huge cast. I think this can best be seen in Jon II, where he says goodbye to Bran, Robb and Arya. We've known these characters for just a couple dozen pages, but the dynamics between them all–Cat scathingly talking down to Jon, Jon and Robb being inseparable as brothers, and Jon and Arya's special connection–is so well realised, that it felt as though there was an entire series of emotional buildup to it, when it was perhaps 75 pages.
a Game of Thrones might have one of the strongest plotlines of any in its genre. The politics between Starks and Lannisters with betrayal and intrigue around every corner, the introduction of the Others and the threat north of the wall, and Daenerys' journey across the Dothraki sea–it's all tremendously consistently engaging, and paced very well. Beyond structure, this book has so many iconic scenes. Bran's fall, Tyrion's trial by combat, Ned being betrayed, Baelor, and of course, Daenerys coming out of the Pyre.
George is a master at writing dialogue. Part of the reason why the book is so consistently engaging is because the quality of conversations between characters is just stupidly high. Jon and Thorne and Aemon. Ned with Robert and Littlefinger. Bran and Robb. Tyrion and... anyone. Such meticulous detail was spent on the choice of words, the cleverness of it all–it's matched in the genre by PERHAPS Lynch and Abercrombie in wittiness, but not in depth.
I feel like George' prose is a bit slept on. His semi-archaic vocabulary to immerse you into the world of Westeros is both really pretty to read, but still feels invisible in a way (unlike say, Tolkien), never distracting you. The environments he creates, like beyond the wall in the prologue, is so vivid.
In addition to that, he always finds the most poignant sentences to end chapters. And so when character dynamics and character work, an insanely well paced plot, fantastic dialogue and wonderful prose all meet, what do you get?
“As Daenerys Targaryen rose to her feet, her black hissed, pale smoke venting from its mouth and nostrils. The other two pulled away from her breasts and added their voices to the call, translucent wings unfolding and stirring the air, and for the first time in hundreds of years, the night came alive with the music of dragons.”
You get magic.
This book is impressive in a lot of ways. It might be the best plotted book I've ever read. every storythread is interesting, whether it be the main plot, the sidequests, or the diverse interludes. The interludes are spread throughout the book, but not ever did I wish they weren't, as the loredrops and back flashes are just as good as the main story. The loredrop on the Bondsmagi into that Locke line was just as funny on a reread.
What surprised me on my original read was the vibrant worldbuilding and how vivid Camorr felt. From what people said about the book, I expected great friendships, characters, humour and dialogue (seriously, the dialogue... so much fun)–all of these things are great, but the fantastic setting of the book is talked about much less. Camorr is a pretty perfect fantasy setting.
The tonal shift 60% into the book was executed perfectly. It didn't feel out of place, and despite the shock that came with it, it didn't feel out of place at all.
One of the best first books of any series i've ever read, and i'm excited to reread b2 and b3, which I also love (although a bit less than this banger).
Yeah, this series is going down as one of the all-time greats of the genre, certainly of this era.
In my review of my Jade City reread, I've spent a bunch of time commending Fonda Lee's phenomenal character work. All of these characters feel so real, more so than any other books I've read. Somehow, Jade War does it even better.
Layers are added onto the story, making the character dynamics more complex, and even more well realised. The introduction of the children of the MCs to the story, as well as the continued attention spent on the secondary and tertiary characters (ayt mada, nau suen, kehn, niko etc) really somehow bumps this book up another notch from Jade City.
I'm very picky with geopolitics, economics and politicking in books, and usually it falls a bit flat for me, but Fonda Lee is really astute with her details on the events going on in the background of her world, and how and when it becomes relevant for the main story. It all makes a lot of sense, and as the world around the main story feels alive, it makes the main story more believable.
There's one duel in this book that is just about the most tense and nerve wracking thing I've ever read, and there's so many surprises and gut-punching moments, culminating in how the book ended–the ending blew me away all over again. This series really is just Fonda Lee showing off her talents when it comes to nearly all aspects of storytelling.
To think that Jade Legacy is somehow even better.
Having read Breath of the Dragon last month, and being very eh on it, I was afraid that I wasn't so much a Fonda Lee fan as I was a Greenbone Saga fan. But with the quality of writing in this trilogy being this consistently great, I refuse to believe that that's the case. I'm eagerly awaiting her next new book later this year.
The Green Bone Saga is the best series that I have ever read, and this reread is only cementing that opinion further.
In terms of the realisation of characters and character dynamics, there is nothing out there that does it better. Lan's gravitas and patience contrasted with Hilo's passion and sensitivity. Shae's insecurity and feelings of belonging, which are mirrored by Anden–how their arcs fit together; as the conflict escalates, Shae is drawn in more and more yet Anden casts himself out like Shae had done years earlier. The morose, anxiety-inducing ending where all these feelings come together. It is ludicrously good stuff, and to think that the series gets better with every book. Insane.
With the focus so much on the Kaul family, the antagonists of the story get little screen-time, but it's used incredibly efficiently. Ayt Mada features in 4 scenes, I believe, but her presence and calm, menacing strength is felt in all of them, and it reverbs through the rest of the book. Similarly, Gont Asch has such a strong and intimidating aura that makes you hold your breath every time he appears.
I've not touched on any other elements other than the character work, but the plot is gripping, and the action scenes are tremendously exciting. I can kinda see the criticism of the infodumping, but I loved learning about the world these characters live in, so I didn't mind it much.
As much as I like Lan, Shae, and Anden, and the siblings' relationship, Hilo is particularly special and almost certainly my favourite character of all time. His vulnerability, how he expresses his feelings, and his honesty reads as so real. Hilo is the most alive character that I have ever read. There is one passage that sticks out in particular:
“As someone who was open and expressive with his emotions, Hilo had long harbored the vaguely resentful suspicion that he loved his family more than they loved him back, and with no one was this feeling more pronounced than with his sister.”
Hilo jumps off the page in every chapter throughout this series. The writing is so good, it's a joke.
And that's the end of my third read of The Stormlight Archive, this time, in preparation for Wind and Truth. I took about a year and a half with this reread, so it has been a while. This review is a bit more spoilery than most I write.
Stormlight is my favourite series of all time, and it is that for a couple of reasons. The plot and its scope is enamouring, you effortlessly lose yourself in the world and story, and the dramatic climaxes of storylines and emotional beats, usually in those final 200 pages, are basically unmatched in the genre.
But most importantly, Stormlight feels like home. It has that truly special quality of just existing with the characters doing whatever, or nothing, is always enjoyable. Kaladin, Shallan, Dalinar, and Adolin–just being with them and seeing them interact, is all a chapter needs to be a blast. I think perhaps that might be Sanderson's biggest quality and one criminally under-discussed. The best example of that is the RoW chapter, where Kal hangs out with Shallan and Adolin in a bar and has a heart-to-heart with Rock before he leaves. Pure joy.
Rhythm of War specifically is my least favourite book in the series, and the one where the flaws are most apparent, though I still think it's great. The criticisms I levy are not original. The middle part feels bloated. Shallan's storyline was a little telegraphed. I'm one of the few people who thoroughly enjoyed the Navani-Raboniel arc (Raboniel, what an antagonist you are), though some of the earlier fabrial chapters were whatever to me. 15% could have been cut from all the big storylines, with some more chapters being given to Jasnah, Renarin, Dalinar, and particularly Rlain. Venli is a somewhat dull character despite having an incredibly compelling arc, making the flashbacks fall somewhat flat–this is in stark contrast to Eshonai being spectacular. All of this is true.
But then there are the moments where all of those arcs come together. The Trial. The battle for the Tower, Navani's discovery of anti-light, Taravangian finally getting the best of Odium, Dalinar's confrontation with Ishar, Kal saving his father and them both acknowledging that the other is right in their own way. The peaks of this book are astronomically high, and it makes those hundreds of pages building up to it oh-so worth it.
And no peak is higher than the last chapter before the epilogue. When the Stormfather showed mercy. When Eshonai got to see all that she had ever wanted. The world.
“Farewell, Eshonai,” the Rider of Storms said. “Farewell, Radiant.”
Bursting with songs, Eshonai let herself pass into eternities, excited to discover what lay on the other side.
I maintain that this is the single best chapter in Sanderson's body of work. There is not a way in which Eshonai's arc could have ended any better way, and that chapter touches my soul every time I read it. Wind and Truth has got a hell of a job to try and change that. Godspeed.
Rysn is a pretty great character, it's nice to see her character arc develop in the background of Stormlight She does a pretty good job at spearheading her own proper story, as opposed to having her journey be split up into small sections in the main series. I think that this is one of the more mature arcs of a character written by Sanderson, and you can tell how much time he spent into researching her condition.
I'm not a huge lopen fan at all, but some of his jokes do land in this novella. Huio's presence definitely makes him more bearable.
The ending of this book is really solid, and it's nice to see Sanderson excelling at endings that don't revolve around big action sequences, or even just highly emotional moments. The start and middle are good, but nothing special.
Dawnshard was the first Sanderson book I read as it was released, and for that it's p cool.
Rua is also the goat, love that guy
