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Dec. 12th, 2008 04:38 pmWhen I have actual work to do, I get behind on my booklogging. D: Travesty and tragedy, clearly!
Anyway, I just read Elizabeth Wein's The Lion Hunter, a continuation of her Arthurian/Aksumite series (significantly more Aksumite than Arthurian at this point, which is sort of awesome in and of itself.) Like the last one, The Sunbird, the book is Telemakos-centric; most of the opinions I have read say that this is the better book, and I think I probably agree with that, although personally I liked them just about equally.
What I loved most: The protagonist Telemakos suffers a pretty dramatic physical setback early on in the book, and he is the least emo kid about it in the history of literature. I don't mean that he is a happy bouncing Pollyanna, but he copes! Sensibly! This is amazing and rare, and while I liked him as a character before, he is now firmly entrenched as a favorite. I also continue to be very impressed and interested by the political issues in Aksum and its neighbors, and the lack of tolerance for Medraut's own angry emoness.
My biggest issue: I have to admit, while I like the relationship between Telemakos and his precocious baby sister Athena, I kept getting thrown out of the book by having to stop and wonder whether babies can be that - characterized, I guess, is the best word - that young. I do not even know if any of Athena's characterization is implausible, and it is probably not the book's fault, but being not sure distracted me. I also continue to wish I was getting more of a sense of Turunesh, Telemakos' mother, because I really want to like her and I cannot seem to get a grasp on her enough to care about her. (I was also looking forward to seeing one of the Orkney boys again, and was sad when he did not end up appearing. Maybe next time!)
My other biggest issue: I am now on tenterhooks waiting for the next one to come in at the library so I can find out what happens. :O Damn you, literary cliffhangers! You get me every time.
Anyway, I just read Elizabeth Wein's The Lion Hunter, a continuation of her Arthurian/Aksumite series (significantly more Aksumite than Arthurian at this point, which is sort of awesome in and of itself.) Like the last one, The Sunbird, the book is Telemakos-centric; most of the opinions I have read say that this is the better book, and I think I probably agree with that, although personally I liked them just about equally.
What I loved most: The protagonist Telemakos suffers a pretty dramatic physical setback early on in the book, and he is the least emo kid about it in the history of literature. I don't mean that he is a happy bouncing Pollyanna, but he copes! Sensibly! This is amazing and rare, and while I liked him as a character before, he is now firmly entrenched as a favorite. I also continue to be very impressed and interested by the political issues in Aksum and its neighbors, and the lack of tolerance for Medraut's own angry emoness.
My biggest issue: I have to admit, while I like the relationship between Telemakos and his precocious baby sister Athena, I kept getting thrown out of the book by having to stop and wonder whether babies can be that - characterized, I guess, is the best word - that young. I do not even know if any of Athena's characterization is implausible, and it is probably not the book's fault, but being not sure distracted me. I also continue to wish I was getting more of a sense of Turunesh, Telemakos' mother, because I really want to like her and I cannot seem to get a grasp on her enough to care about her. (I was also looking forward to seeing one of the Orkney boys again, and was sad when he did not end up appearing. Maybe next time!)
My other biggest issue: I am now on tenterhooks waiting for the next one to come in at the library so I can find out what happens. :O Damn you, literary cliffhangers! You get me every time.
