flemmings | (no subject)

Finished The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. It's sufficiently unlike anything I've ever read to leave me a tad discombobulated. For one thing, I didn't expect something that the Romantic Times raved over to be so angular and comfortless for so much of its length. Had trouble finishing it because, hell, horrible people doing horrible things + unlikable people doing unlikable things + mad destructive gods massacring populations whenever possible like 3K warriors does not add up to a pleasant afternoon's read. Besides, if you subvert the romance trope that's JUST SCREAMING TO HAPPEN (I mean, kudos for subverting both Animus Romantic Figure and Mary Sue protag, but it's not what I'm used to) clearly the normal rules are off and maybe I should be bracing myself for a dose of Mieville unpleasantness at the end, to get no more spoilery than that. Thus my feet-dragging trepidation.

Also, and going by the reviews this is just me, I don't much like Yeine as a person. Stoic warrior pragmatically doing what must be done, which is admirable and all, but it's not an endearing trait. The interesting thing is that I don't DISlike her, the way I do (cough) certain protagonists that certain male writers wish me to admire. She's not actively unlikable, but ohh is she a chill April morning. And since it's Yeine's POV, the emotional temperature of the book remained pretty cold for me. I like Sieh, and I think Yeine doesn't appreciate him properly, and though I suspect he's quite as nasty a bit of work as the other gods are, his POV is intriguing. So roll on book three.

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LOL! My pre-order never arrived. I've got to go down and talk to the bookstore about it. It's on the shelves already, but I paid for the pre-order ...

Were they supposed to send it to you? I'd have a word with them, yes.

Haha, I got Nora to sign mine, so ever since then I couldn't bring myself to crack it open because I'm suffering from too much antique roadshow and a little voice in my head kepts on saying someday she'll be famous, and a signed first edition will be worth a lot! >_< So I guess I need to go buy another copy if.

Oh, bibliophiles. Books are to be *read*, dammit. And I'd like to hear your take on the politics of the place.