Fence Dublin, Ireland

Aerin is the only child of the king of Damar, yet she has never really been accepted there. The story of her mother, witchwoman who enspelled her father, has left her untrusted. Especially by the sol, the aristocracy. But slowly she finds a role and a place for herself. And in the end she is the one who becomes[1] both inspiration and legend.

I bought this a good while ago because I’ve read a few of McKinley’s other books and enjoyed them. But the cover put me off it.[2] My version isn’t the same as you see on this blog. Mine has a fairly generic “fantasy” feel to it. So of course the version of Aerin is dressed in a short skirt, showing off her long legs. Whatever!

But once I started to read it I soon realised that this was in fact a reread. I’d read it ages and ages ago. Back when I was a childer I borrowed it from the library. And loved it. Not too surprising really. It has a girl hero. And a cool horse. That was pretty much all I needed back then ;)

And upon reread, more than 10 if not 15 years later, its held up really really well. Sure there are one or two plot jumps that made me go, errrm okay but overall I loved it. Aerin lets a lot of things happen to her, rather than being the active hero, but she still manages to show a lot of character and her passiveness is more her way of dealing with the situation she grew up in, rather than a character flaw. And once she begins to see that there is another option she gives up her passivity and takes on that role.

A lot of the book is told in flashbacks. Memories that show how Aerin got to where she was in the opening chapter; being refused permission to accompany her father and his army to the North, being called Dragon-Killer as though it were an insult. A good beginning. And a good book.

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1 # this is not really a spoiler. Cause it is a YA fantasy novel. How do you really expect it to end?

2 # yes, I am aware that I should not judge a book by its cover ... (continue)

Seems a bit of a "oooh somethings about to change" volume. good, but not great

This is the first book in King’s seven book series, The Dark Tower, which I’ve been meaning to get started on for a good while now. It is labelled as a fantasy series, but with King you always[1] get some form of horror. And for that reason I decided to add this to my RIP challenge reading list.[2] The Gunslinger introduces the reader to Roland of Gilead, the gunslinger of the title, and the world in which he lives. It echoes many things of our world, maybe at some point in the future, after the world has “moved on”

With a title like The Gunslinger you’re probably thinking that this has a fair amount of Western in it. And you’d be right. The majority of the book is set in an arid desert as Roland chases his nemesis across it. Flashbacks fill in much of the back story. And we begin to learn why Roland is chasing the man in black. But we don’t get all the details. And we certainly don’t learn exactly what The Dark Tower is.

To be honest I didn’t really find all that much to rave about in this book. I wasn’t overly enthralled by any of the characters. Roland is the stranger of Western cliché. And we never really get inside his head, even if he is the character through which we experience the world of the book.

The world itself is fairly interesting. Creepy and familiar. Uncanny even ;) But that isn’t enough to make me love the book. Although I probably will read the others. So I suppose it works as an introduction to the world.

Maybe that is the problem with this book. It is very much a first book in a series. It is short and has a lot to do, so I suppose it isn’t surprising that it doesn’t achieve everything that you might hope for in an excellent read. ... (continue)

Venetia Lanyon lives with her younger brother Aubrey, managing the estate for her elder brother who is away with the army. Or abandoning his family duties, whichever option you prefer. As an unmarried woman of 25 years of age she appears to be on the verge of a life of spinsterhood, however, she does have two options in the locality. Oswald Denny is too young for her, but that doesn’t stop him pursuing her. While Edward Yardly is far too “worthy” to really attract her attention. But she has little option. For once her elder brother marries she will have to find somewhere to live, her vague plans for setting up home with the scholarly Audrey are quite eccentric, marriage would be far more prudent.

I really enjoy Heyer’s works. Even the worst of them have something worth reading them for; whether that is the characters she creates, the humour she uses, or the way she uses language. In this case it is a combination of the humour and the characters. Venetia clearly knows her own mind. She isn’t about to let anyone force her into doing anything she objects to. While at the same time is aware that other people’s opinions are important as she cannot live totally isolated from all society.

What is really interesting about this book is that it really does show how life for women was limited by convention and “manners”. How Venetia is hamstrung by society’s expectations. It makes for an interesting companion book to The Courtesan’s Revenge. Two contrasting views of a similar society. Harriette Wilson, the courtesan was outside polite society. Yes, she may have mixed with the men of the aristocracy, but she never would have been accepted into “proper society”. Venetia, similarly, is outside most of society simply because she is content to stay in Yorkshire, managing the estate.

Of course this is a romance, so Venetia will not be *condemned* to a life alone. From the 2nd chapter the reader is pretty much aware of who she will end up with, but that isn’t really important. As always it is the description of how they get together that is important. And in this case it is through a growing friendship, which makes a nice change from people being swept off their feet. ... (continue)