Book rec

[resonant]

I've just finished reading Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman's The Fall of the Kings. It took a while to hook me, but the more I read, the more impressed I got. (Until the last chapter, when I realized that "impressed by this book" had been superseded by "wildly in love with Jessica Campion." It took a while for the women in the book to show up, but when they did, they showed up with a vengeance.)

I also think it would make a hell of a movie.

Do any of y'all find that when you finish reading a book you like, your first instinct is to e-mail the author an LoC? Of course if I could do that I'd be polite and not do what I want to do, which is threaten to hold my breath and turn blue if they don't immediately give me a sequel with lots of Jessica in it.

Comments

[uschickens.livejournal.com]

Loved that book! And, yes, I cackled gleefully every time Jessica showed up. She reminded me so much of her father, but maybe even more fun, since she is far more comfortable in her own skin. I also agree that the book took a while to really get rolling, but I found the same was true of its prequel, so I knew if I could just keep going, it was bound to ensnare me sooner or later. And I cannot begin to articulate how much I want to see this as a movie. Oooo.

[giglet.livejournal.com]

Do any of y'all find that when you finish reading a book you like, your first instinct is to e-mail the author an LoC?

Res, I know Ellen and Delia very slightly (as in, Ellen gave me her number once and might still remember my name), and I'm sure they'd be delighted to get a LoC from you.

Of course if I could do that I'd be polite and not do what I want to do, which is threaten to hold my breath and turn blue if they don't immediately give me a sequel with lots of Jessica in it.

Given how many years it took them to write "Fall of Kings" I wouldn't hold out a lot of hope for a sequel. At least not any time this decade.

[lyrebird.livejournal.com]

Stumbled by your LJ while browsing through a friends list.

I just had to say that this story bugged me a lot. It just seemed grossly incomplete. There was lovely prose, and vivid and complex world-building, but I found the plot a massive let-down. I could sense a build-up of tension...but the eventual outcome was a huge anti-climax. Sure it was meant to be tragic, but it struck me as so incredibly...pointless. Both of the main characters were already acting grossly out of character, in thrall to something never fully explained. It wasn't a resolution, just a cliffhanger for the sequel on Kyros (note the reference to wizards living on Kyros, conveniently mentioned in Jessica's letter).

As for Jessica...the way she conveniently popped in and saved the family from ruin, has sex with her brother's ex-lover etc., she has major, major Mary Sue overtones. She upstages the main characters, saves the day...ugh. If we actually saw her earlier on in the novel, maybe saw a flashback or something, then maybe I wouldn't be so appalled. But she's just inflicted on us fully formed and beautiful and witty while the characters I am emotionally invested in from the start go nuts for no clear reason.

It's a shame, because the story did pull me in. Somehow that only magnifies my disappointment.

Amen to that!

[kaiz.livejournal.com]

I thought that I was the only person disappointed with this book! After I finished it, I was ready to chuck the thing across the room.

I agree with all of your points, Clare. I was exceptionally bothered by the null reaction on the part of all of the characters to, what should have been shocking, events like the murder of lovers/friends/colleagues.

The book had a very rushed feel to me: I got the distinct impression that the authors had an outline and they were gonna stick to it come hell or high water, no matter how emotionally implausible it turned out to be.

Given some of Sherman's other work though, I wasn't especially suprised by the emotional deadness, but I was quite disappointed. :-(

--kai

Re: Amen to that!

[raietta.livejournal.com]

Hey! I threw the book across the room, too! Literally! Then I considered ritually burning it, but decided not to; I might burn down a building or something if I tried. Yeesh. You're not alone! You're not alone! The book felt rushed and so forth to me, too. And the emotional deadness... well, never mind. Suffice it to say, the book left me cold.

But enough of that. In reply to the original post, I must say, Delia Sherman, at least, is a very, very nice person, as I have discovered, and it seems like she'd probably love an LoC about the book. And a sequel at least co-starring Jessica seems to already be in the works, if the notes at the end of FotK are any indication.

[cupiscent.livejournal.com]

It's a small world. I came here because ukcalico was staying with me last week, and she raved about you, and she's more or less got me hooked on HP slash...

Anyway, I was seriously considering getting my hands on Swordspoint and its sequel, but they haven't been published in Australia. Though I have a possible in through an American editor who randomly IMed me one day. Bizarre story, but surprisingly true.

In any case, this tickled my 'life is weird' fancy enough to make me comment. I'm definitely going to have to hunt down these books now.

feedback to Kushner/Sherman

[1crowdedhour.livejournal.com]

Sorry to intrude, but the Fall of Kings conversation intrigued me. I hope I'm not out of line in posting here but I know that the authors would love a LoC.

Ellen and Delia have a website to write them from. It's:

http://www.sff.net/people/KushnerSherman/kushner/