Book Review: House of the Rising Sun by Kristen Painter
Posted on May 26, 2014 2 Comments
House of the Rising Sun by Kristen Painter
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of Crescent City
Publisher: Orbit (May 13, 2014)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
A couple of recent experiences have made me extremely wary of spin-offs, so it was probably a good thing I didn’t know House of the Rising Sun was one until I was already well into it. I’ve never read Kristen Painter before this, and I’d definitely wanted to give this series a fair shot. So perhaps it’s to her credit that I didn’t even know this was a spin-off novel until I read the author interview at the back of the book – not once did I feel lost or in over my head even if I hadn’t read her House of Comarré series. Right away, I liked how this book was the perfect jumping-on point for a new reader, which is a quality I think all spin-offs should strive for.
Augustine, who was a side character in House of Comarré gets to star in his own series here, returning to his hometown of New Orleans after some time away. He’s playing fast and loose, having very few responsibilities and getting to enjoy the attentions of human women who find his Fae heritage irresistible. He also gets free room and board whenever he wants in a luxurious Garden District mansion, thanks to his adoptive mother Olivia Goodwin, the retired movie star. It’s a good life! Little wonder then why he’s so fiercely reluctant when asked to be Guardian of the city. But when the vampire gangs start attacking innocent tourists and those he loves, Augustine finds he might not have a choice.
Meanwhile, Olivia’s biological daughter Harlow gets into a massive amount of trouble, having been convicted of cyber-hacking. Completely broke and unable to pay the exorbitant fine, she decides on the lesser of two evils and hits up her mom for help rather than go to jail, even though the two have been estranged for years.
What struck me early on was that neither Augustine nor Harlow seemed to be capable of taking responsibility of their own actions. Augustine wasn’t too bad – though it was a bit off-putting the way he figured he could get away with doing something wrong with no repercussions. When threatened with the Guardianship, all he could think about was how it would affect his cushy life. Guess what, Augustine, punishment usually goes hand in hand with breaking the rules! There’s really no sense in resenting it.
Ultimately Augustine redeemed himself in my eyes, stepping up to fulfill his role. On the other hand, Harlow’s attitude left a bad taste in my mouth and did not really fade until the very end. It was revealed early on that her estrangement from her mother was due to Olivia refusing to divulge the identity of Harlow’s father. That’s a fixation Harlow NEVER allows us to forget. Hearing her go on about it, you’d think every single one of her life’s misfortunes could be traced back to Olivia withholding her father’s name. Harlow’s introductory scene even involved her wishing daddy would come bail her out of trouble, if only she’d known who he was, and that she’d never have been duped into a cybercrime if only he’d been in her life in the first place. Somehow, I just don’t buy that. Plus, Olivia was not as bad a mother as Harlow made her sound. Characters tend to play a huge role in my enjoyment of a novel, so it was unfortunate that Harlow started off so self-absorbed and entitled, and her inability to admit “Hey, I screwed up, and it was my own fault” really grated on me.
But how I adored the Kristen Painter’s portrayal of New Orleans in this series! If she’d had wanted the atmosphere of a never-ending party, she certainly nailed it. It’s the perfect setting when it comes to a haven for fae, vampires, witches and other supernatural creatures. I loved the scene of Nokturnos, a noisy and boisterous night of festivities where everyone just wants to have fun. Can’t really blame Augustine for being so happy-go-lucky when the mood’s just so positively infectious, and world building is simply phenomenal.
Apart from the hiccups with the characters, I actually quite enjoyed this book and had a lot of fun with it. In fact, I thought the last page came far too soon, and wish ending hadn’t been so rushed. These characters have a lot of potential to grow, with Augustine having won me over already, and Harlow is well on her way to becoming a more sympathetic character. I’ll admit it – I’m raring to find out more. All in all, House of the Rising Sun is a promising start, and I look forward to the next book.
YA Weekend: Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor
Posted on May 25, 2014 Leave a Comment
Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Series: Book 3 of Daughter of Smoke & Bone
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (April 8, 2014)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
It’s over! And make no mistake, whatever I may say here about Dreams of Gods & Monsters, it was a good book, and the trilogy as a whole is a series I would heartily recommend. But in terms of expectations, I think I may have placed all my eggs in one basket. I went into this with hopes for the ending of all endings, which is unfair of me perhaps, but I desperately wanted back the magic I first experienced in Daughter of Smoke & Bone. Needless to say, the first book still reigns supreme as my favorite of the trilogy, but that being said, the third book didn’t disappoint either. It just didn’t leave me as satisfied as I wanted to be, but I admit I was expecting a lot.
So the war is on in this book, with Jael at the head of the angel army. On the run, Akiva and his seraph sister Liraz have fled to the other side to join Karou, who has taken control of the chimaera rebellion through an impressive feat of deception and pretense. It’s a shockingly suspenseful scenario, considering how at any moment the ruse could be discovered, destroying any chance of a peaceful resolution. Still, at last we see Akiva and Karou fighting on the same side for the same cause against a common enemy.
But as much as it pains me to say, the romance itself isn’t doing much for me anymore. How far Karou and Akiva’s love story has fallen in my eyes, when I look back to my review of the first book and see how weak-in-the-knees I was for their tale of forbidden love. And now? I feel nothing. If I can hazard a guess, I think the second book pushed the melodrama a bit too far. Watching the characters dance around each other going through the motions (and emotions) when you know they’re going to end up back together anyway? Well, that just sort of takes the fun out of it. So Karou and Akiva reconcile in this book, like we’d all known was going to happen. Did they want a prize?
Up until the last few chapters though, and minus my gripes about the romance, this book was in fact quite fantastic. There are multiple plot threads going on, each punctuated by their moments of action and suspense, but also moments of tenderness and humor as well. When Jael’s army of angels first descended to earth, it made for a few incredible chapters where the panic and disbelief practically emanated off the page.
Add to that, we have a new POV character named Eliza, whom I initially thought was introduced for the sole purpose of showing us humanity’s reaction during the aforementioned significant event. As it turned out, she had a bigger role to play as well. I still think Eliza joined us way too late and her part in the overall big picture felt a little forced, given this already cramped storyline. However, I do love her character. I really can’t say much more about her for fear of revealing any spoilers, but she brought a great personality to the story, and that’s saying a lot, considering we already have Zuzana. It goes without saying, Zuze was simply delightful. As always!
Now for the actual ending. I wish I had better things to say about it but the truth is, I thought it carried on for much longer than it should have. Talk about an ending that overstayed its welcome. When all is said and done, the foes are vanquished, friends are reunited, all I wanted to do was bask in the glory of victory and soak up the feel-good vibes. I really could have done without a final bombshell. Especially since it felt like it came out of nowhere. Granted, that stuff usually works like a charm in action movies, and hey, it might work for you. But for me it was mentally exhausting. I would prefer not to feel like that at the end of a book, and especially not at a series-ender.
Don’t get me wrong, though. None of this changes the fact that I think the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy is absolutely fantastic and one of the strongest YA series I’ve ever read. Like I said, I highly recommend these books. And if you’ve enjoyed the first two, there’s no reason at all not to read this too and finish up the saga. Despite minor hiccups here and there, it’s a concluding novel well worth your time.
Mogsy’s Book Haul
Posted on May 24, 2014 Leave a Comment
My library saw some interesting new arrivals in the last couple weeks, as usual starting with the physical pile:
The Girl with All the Gifts – my excitement to read this book has grown by leaps and bounds ever since it first piqued my interest. Finding out that it’s a straight-up horror only made me want to read it more. My thanks to Orbit for the review copy, The Girl with All the Gifts is on my high-priority list.
Nebula Awards Showcase 2014 – these volumes have been published annually since the 1960s, reprinting the winning and nominated stories in the Nebula Awards as voted on by the members of the SFWA. I’m so out of the loop when it comes to short stories, it’s nice to have this anthology to know which ones have been getting all the buzz and attention lately at the Nebulas. My thanks to Pyr.
Resurrection – another title from Pyr, Resurrection is the third installment of the young adult Blood of the Lamb trilogy, which I knew very little about when I first received this book. It looks quite interesting, so I might look into starting with the first book!
Shattering the Ley – this one has been on my highly anticipated list for a while! Already I have seen comparisons to Rothfuss and Sanderson’s Mistborn, and while I’ll withhold judgment on that until I read it for myself, I gotta admit it does give me a little thrill to hear that. With thanks to DAW.
Prince of Fools – since I’m writing up this post earlier in the week, by the time you are reading this sentence I hope to be already well into this book! Very excited to read this bad boy! With thanks to Ace Books.
Half A King – fortune smiled upon me this month and I was able to score an ARC of Half A King from the Early Reviewers program from LibraryThing. I’ve seen a lot of great reviews for this book already, it’s gonna be hell holding off for a few more weeks to nom nom nom this!
And the new additions to the digital library:
The Line – Audible did a really cool sale last week featuring great books that are “flying under the radar” and after seeing Tammy from Books Bones & Buffy rave about this and talk about how much she’s looking forward to the sequel, I snatched this audiobook up for just a few bucks!
Monument 14 – something that caught my eye last week when I saw a link to it from Twitter. Short YA novel, looked interesting, and the ebook and audiobook bundle was a great deal. Sold!
The Boy with the Porcelain Blade – I’ve wanted to read this one for a while, it just hasn’t been released stateside yet. But strangely enough, the audiobook version was available at Audible US. Last I saw, it wasn’t supposed to be available until next year, and I don’t know if it’s a mistake or they just decided to release the audio version early, but it made no difference to me — I had a coupon burning in my pocket and grabbed this one while I could.
All Those Vanished Engines – I’ve been doing pretty well keeping my NetGalley pile in check and also managed to chisel it down some this month, so I accepted this widget from Tor which I thought looked worth checking out.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow – my first eARC from Penguin’s First to Read program. I’m very wary about cyberpunk these days; it’s a subgenre that can be hit or miss with me, but I’m totally willing and eager to give this a shot!
Exploring The Known World with Mark Smylie
Posted on May 23, 2014 2 Comments
It’s hard to believe that it’s been over a decade since Mark Smylie gave us the epic military fantasy, Artesia, and it’s been that long since Mark and I met at a little Detroit convention. We fell out of touch over the years, but thanks to a chance encounter on Goodreads, I learned about The Barrow and have happily jumped back into the Known World.
Both Mogsy and I have reviewed The Barrow here and here, and I have reviewed Artesia here. I recently had the wonderful opportunity to chat with Mark about his work and have the pleasure of sharing his thoughts with you!
Obviously, Lou Anders was impressed enough to green light the project, and now a year and a half later, not only do we have The Barrow, but Mark also has its sequels, Black-Heart and Bright Sword in the works, as well as plans for the long-awaited conclusion to Artesia’s story.
Aside from the prologue, the new format allowed Mark to add many more elements to the story, including the journey sequence where he could really show off the Known World and play around with fantasy conventions.
This isn’t a book where the good and the evil are strictly defined, and, as opposed to J.R.R. Tolkien‘s world, for example, the evil is not creatures set outside of society and humanity. “I think evil arises from intent and desire and how they manifest as actions. There’s very little in the book that doesn’t have some purpose, something it’s meant to reveal about the characters and their place in the narrative.” Mark reminds us of Harvald’s words at the beginning: “Things are never what they seem.”
Book Review: Gemsigns by Stephanie Saulter
Posted on May 22, 2014 1 Comment
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Book 1 of ®Evolution
Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books (UK: March 28, 2013/US: May 6, 2014)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
I seem to be reading a lot of social science fiction lately. Given the old “too much of anything” adage about excess, you’d think adding one more to the pile would have diminished my enjoyment or value of the experience. Now, with the average book that might be true. But then, Stephanie Saulter’s Gemsigns is anything BUT an average book.
Taking place over a period of about a week, the book plays out like a flurry of quick punches, with every shot finding its mark. And I have to say, Saulter got in a couple good ones to my gut, not to mention a few more jabs to my poor battered heart. Still, while most of it flew hard and fast, I find there’s also a strangely mesmerizing quality to the story. A lot of this is in the gradual reveal of the current state of affairs, as well as what’s at stake for everyone involved. There’s a sense of inevitably to the unfolding events, knowing that every act of violence that comes to light is yet another step closer to an explosive conclusion.
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These kinds of books always get me for some reason. No doubt a lot of it can be chalked up to personal interest, as I’ve always been fascinated by stories that explore what it means to be human. Well before it became time to even think about college, I’d already known I wanted to go into Anthropology, that wonderful and broad discipline dedicated to answering this very question. Years later now, I still remember what one of my professors once told our class about human variation – that it is a thing so vast, any attempt to define “normal” is rendered kind of moot.
Gemsigns reminded me of that. The book is set in the not-so-far-off future, not long after humanity had suffered the effects of a devastating virus that almost wiped us out. To survive meant genetically modifying almost every new person born on this planet, but in order to repopulate and rebuild, the engineers went further. They created different kinds of genetically modified humans (“Gems”), tailoring them to specific duties that needed performing, with minimal thought to their quality of life or well-being. Gems were essentially nothing but humanity’s tools.
After a century of being perceived as nothing more than property, the Declaration finally freed gems from their servitude but didn’t translate or clarify their rights and status in the global legal system. To approach this issue, Dr. Eli Walker (an anthropologist, YAY!) has the task of putting together a proposal deciding whether gems are truly human. Meanwhile, certain factions want to take advantage of this period of instability, like the gemtech companies that would like to see everything return to the pre-Declaration days, or the godgangs who just want to see gems dead, period. Fortunately, the gems have Aryel Morningstar, their charismatic spokesperson who will do all she can to ensure that their voices will be heard.
What makes Gemsigns such a powerful novel is that despite its futuristic setting or its science fiction label, it is still utterly significant and relevant to the world today. Folks, this is what a great piece of social science fiction looks like. Each time I squirmed with discomfort over the nightmarish treatment of gems, or every time I pondered a question regarding an ethical issue, I knew it was the book doing its job. And it was good at it.
As I alluded to before, Saulter utilized a steady, measured approach when it came to laying out the novel’s situation. It’s a gripping story, though the suspense and intensity I felt here is more akin to that of a riveting courtroom drama, rather than say, an action-thriller. I appreciated this gradual, detail-oriented rise towards the climax, though at times I felt the pacing was a bit too restrained, resulting in a couple lulls in the story. But in the end, the author delivered the stunning ending I wanted. If I had been standing while I was reading the last few chapters, I think I would have needed to sit down. It was JUST. THAT. WHOA.
Well-written and thought provoking, Gemsigns is an all-around superb debut from Stephanie Saulter, and another winner from Jo Fletcher Books. I’m already anticipating great things for Binary, the second book in the ®Evolution sequence, which I will definitely be checking out soon.
Tough Traveling: Hidden Kingdom
Posted on May 22, 2014 Leave a Comment
The Thursday feature “Tough Traveling” is the brainchild of Nathan of Review Barn, who has come up with the excellent idea of making a new list each week based on the most common tropes in fantasy, as seen in The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynn Jones. Nathan has invited anyone who is interested to come play along, so be sure to check out the first link for more information. Compulsive list-maker that I am, I’m very excited to take part!
This week’s tour topic is: Hidden Kingdom
Usually reached through CAVERNS or after an arduous trek into the heart of the central masssif, this is often the object of the Tour QUEST…
I’ll be honest, when I saw this week’s topic, I drew a big blank. There are plenty of hidden worlds I can think of, but most of those involve jumping through portals and planes existing on completely different realms. A lot of the ones I can think of that are hidden beneath the earth or in a mountain are actually ruins or untamed “lost worlds” that aren’t exactly kingdoms. Maybe I’m overthinking things, but I was only able to come up with a few this week. Hey, just be glad I didn’t whip out Otoh Gunga from The Phantom Menace novelization!
Hollow World by Michael J. Sullivan
The first book I thought of when I saw this topic was of course Hollow World, a cross-genre novel about a man with a terminal disease traveling into the future to find a cure. What he finds is an earth overgrown, seemingly devoid of much activity on the surface. But then he is brought below ground into a hollow world, where the denizens of the time had created an impressive civilization beneath the earth, complete with its own solar source.
Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen
Stolen Songbird is a book I recently read that fits the theme. Though later we find out that Trollus isn’t completely hidden, since some merchants know the way to trade there, but for the most part the existence of the troll city is but a mere rumor. This kingdom was buried under the ruins of Forsaken Mountain five hundred years ago by a witch’s curse, and since then the trolls have been bound to this place beneath the earth and rock. The main character Cécile was kidnapped and brought here through an underwater passage and a series of confusing caverns. This one totally counts!
The Silk Map by Chriss Willrich
Dammit, now I’m second guessing myself. Does this book really count? I know in this latest installment of the Gaunt and Bone series our dynamic duo have to travel far to the west to find the mythical land of Xembala. These books have a bit of a surreal quality to them, so it was a bit hard to follow exactly how our heroes actually managed to make it to Xembala. But it is a kingdom and it did actually exist and it was well-hidden. That, and because I’ll only have a paltry two entries otherwise this week is why I’m gonna count it!
Book Review: The Remaining by D.J. Molles
Posted on May 21, 2014 Leave a Comment
The Remaining by D.J. Molles
Genre: Science Fiction, Horror
Series: Book 1 of The Remaining
Publisher: Orbit (May 27, 2014)
Author Information: Website
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Remaining is a great zombie book. Originally self-published in 2012, it quickly became an internet bestseller before being picked up by Orbit, and there’s a damn good reason for that. By now you’ve probably seen a lot of the positive reviews it has garnered, though I’m willing to bet few of them have praised this story for being terribly original. But does that make this a bad book? Heck no. In fact, I would argue that its devotion to the classic zombie survival-horror tradition is a massive part of the appeal.
The Walking Dead fans, this one would be right up your alley. No joke. The “zombies” in this book might not be the traditional mindless shambling hordes we’re used to seeing – the victims of the FURY plague are still capable of talking and strategizing up to a point before the virus degrades their brains (which makes them even more terrifying) – but the overall spirit and style of the narrative is still the same. It’s not out to knock you off your feet with any new or unusual or experimental ideas, but if its goal is to provide a fast-moving, action-packed and entertaining zombie story then I must say it has succeeded rather swimmingly.
Here’s what you basically need to know: the main character of The Remaining is a US Army captain named Lee Harden, who as part of a secret government program is sequestered in his bunker after the sudden outbreak of a new deadly and infectious virus. It’s not the first time this has happened. Lee and about four dozen other soldiers like him (one for every state) are placed in their bunkers every time the country experiences an emergency of national crisis. If the government falls, their job is to come out after the bunker, take stock of the situation and try to gather survivors in order to rebuild. But things in the past have never gone so far or gotten this bad before. When the lockdown period passes without an all-clear or any further instructions from his superiors, Lee emerges from the bunker and prepares to start his mission.
As a character, Lee took a while to grow on me – but he did. Strangely, the moment came when I was finally able to appreciate his faults. To understand, you must realize the few chapters really tried my patience. The entire lockdown period featured Lee being in denial, going back and forth between his decisions and second guessing his instructions. And then there were those long and wearying paragraphs about his guns. The deadline came and went. I kept tapping my foot waiting for him to stop describing the contents of his impressive arsenal, get his waffling butt out there and actually put all that stuff to good use on some hapless Infected.
Then I realized, I was being too harsh. Dude is stuck in a bunker. Not knowing what’s going on because he’s cut off from all communication. No human interaction at all because it’s just him and his dog. If the world outside has indeed gone to hell in a hand basket, he’s probably also scared to death of the responsibility waiting for him on the other side of that tunnel.
So maybe I was being a tad unfair to poor Lee. And really, what a shame it would have been if he was just another archetypal action hero, full of empty bravado rushing out headfirst to save the world? Lee is more realistic this way, even if he did end up doing some questionable things. But then, who wouldn’t make a mistake in the middle of a zombie apocalypse? Contrary to what all the zombie survival guides want you to believe, there’s no instruction manual for stuff like this. Wrong decisions or no, Lee has to make some pretty tough calls as well. The guy has a good heart, but he’s sure as hell also capable of showing no mercy to those who don’t deserve it. I love that in his character.
Bottom line, if you’re a fan of type of zombie apocalypse survival movies that Hollywood does so well, this is that in book form. After a relatively sedate start, the novel picks up and will not slow down, with always some kind of disaster or new setback waiting around the corner for the characters to overcome. No other bells and whistles or fancy-schmancy embellishments, just pure zombie fiction fun.
Waiting on Wednesday 05/21/14
Posted on May 21, 2014 Leave a Comment
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that lets us feature upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!
Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater – October 28, 2014 (Scholastic Press)
With thanks to Mogsy for alerting me to the fact that the third book in Maggie Steifvater’s Raven Cycle finally has both a cover and a title and will be coming out just in time for my birthday! Well, the day after, but that’s fine! There’s no information posted for the book yet, so you’re just going to have to settle for my bookflail!
As Scion turns its all-seeing eye on Paige, the mime-lords and mime-queens of the city’s gangs are invited to a rare meeting of the Unnatural Assembly. Jaxon Hall and his Seven Seals prepare to take center stage, but there are bitter fault lines running through the clairvoyant community and dark secrets around every corner.
Then the Rephaim begin crawling out from the shadows. But where is Warden? Paige must keep moving, from Seven Dials to Grub Street to the secret catacombs of Camden, until the fate of the underworld can be decided. Will Paige know who to trust? The hunt for the dreamwalker is on.”
Book Review: Night Terrors by Tim Waggoner
Posted on May 20, 2014 Leave a Comment
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of Shadow Watch
Publisher: Angry Robot (May 27, 2014)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
I think reading this book gave me better insight into coulrophobia. I mean, clowns are kinda creepy I guess. But I’ve also always found it hard to look at them and not see beyond just some guy in colorful clothes and makeup. Supernatural clowns on the other hand, are a whole other matter. Especially when they are someone’s nightmare literally come to life.
But in spite of what the title and cover initially led me to believe, this is not a horror novel. Night Terrors would probably fit more comfortably in the urban fantasy and paranormal section. That said, it’s also darkly comedic and not just a little bit unhinged. Think buddy cop movie meets Tim Burton, quirky and fun but also a little macabre.
The book’s protagonist is Audra Hawthorne, an officer of the Shadow Watch, the supernatural agency dedicated to patrolling the border between our world and the dream realm. Their units are generally organized into pairs made up of an Ideator and their Incubus – in other words, the dreamer and the living manifestation of their worst nightmare. For Audra, dreams of the psychotic clown Jinx has terrorized her ever since she was a child, but now they are partners working together to keep both Earth and Nod safe from rogue Incubi.
Because they are essentially the products of our dreams, Incubi come in all shapes and sizes. You’ll see some pretty wild dream-folk in this book, like Candy, the Incubus made completely out of – you guessed it – chocolate and other yummy sweets (rumored to have been dreamt up by a dentist’s son) or the Deathmobile, a nightmare hearse. I really enjoyed the originality of these crazy manifestations and the idea that our mortal realm exists in parallel with the zany world of Nod.
And yet, I didn’t feel as excited about this book as I thought. The awesome premise aside, the plot was mediocre not to mention formulaic with all the usual elements of an urban fantasy thrown in. As a detective story it was rather predictable, which is disappointing especially given all the other cool ideas in here. And while I appreciated the contrast between the level-headed Audra versus the insane and unpredictable Jinx, I found a lot of the action to be over-the-top and mostly exaggerated slapstick. On the one hand, I loved the delightfully creepy way Jinx was portrayed. But personally, that kind of humor just isn’t my style.
I’ll also admit I might be just a bit picky with my urban fantasy. On the whole, Night Terrors is a pretty good book, if nothing else a quick and entertaining read with a few rather neat, never-seen-before ideas. The story itself didn’t take off for me, mostly because the style isn’t my cup of tea, but I actually think it could click with most people.
Guest post: Intrigues of The Untheileneise Court by Katherine Addison
Posted on May 19, 2014 Leave a Comment
Whether you know her as Sarah Monette or by her pseudonym Katherine Addison, one thing’s for certain — her latest book, The Goblin Emperor, is a clear winner. We here at the BiblioSanctum are pleased to have her join us today to talk about the art of politics in the novel’s Imperial Court. Be sure to also check out the review to see why this is one of the most unique and dazzling fantasies to come out this year.
The Goblin Emperor begins with my protagonist, Maia, discovering that because of a dreadful airship accident, he is now the Emperor of the Ethuveraz, the Elflands, and must leave the shabby, unhappy hunting lodge where he has grown up and go to court, and much of the novel deals with his culture shock.
The Untheileneise Court, the seat of the Elvish government, is–pretty obviously–based on Versailles and the court of Louis XIV. L’etat, c’est moi, Louis said, and while it’s easy to translate the words, it’s hard to translate the exact meaning and nuances of the phrase into English. “I am the state,” is maybe closest, but it has none of the elegance of Louis’ words and it puts them the wrong way round. It matters that the subject of Louis’ sentence is l’etat, because what he means isn’t that the king is synonymous with the state (Shakespeare’s history plays are a series of arguments with and about that idea), but that the state is synonymous with the king. The king is the center around which everything else must revolve.
The Goblin Emperor takes place in a world where the emperor who consolidated power in himself ruled thousands of years ago, and instead of his reign being followed by Louis XV and Louis XVI, it was followed by rulers as canny and power-hungry as himself. So by the time the novel starts, the Untheileneise Court has had centuries to accrete and flourish around the person of the Emperor. He’s still the center, but he cannot possibly oversee–or even be aware of–everything that happens. This is an atmosphere in which intrigue flourishes, like man-eating orchids in a hothouse.
Being the emperor, Maia is largely shielded from the intrigues of his court; we get suggestions of the infighting among the imperial judges and hints of the animosity between the two houses of Parliament, the House of Commons and the House of Blood, and I think it’s very clear that the court is a pit of vicious, grudge-holding vipers, but we don’t see the political maneuvering that must be going on in every corner.
The intrigues of the Untheileneise Court are elegant. There is no poison involved (not anymore, although there are people still alive who remember the great feuds of the reign of Edrevechelar XVI and the night known as the Poisoners’ Ball). Rumor and innuendo are the favored weapons, and defamation dealt with a glittering smile. No one can keep a secret in the Untheileneise Court, and a weakness found is a weakness exploited. If I’d had more space, I would have liked to have explored the role of the imperial couriers, who go everywhere and see everything and who are somewhere in-between servants and courtiers, in a sort of indeterminate space that is both uncomfortable and extremely useful. If anyone knows where all the bodies are buried, it’s the couriers.
We see even less of the goblin court, only the ambassadors and envoys from the Corat dav’Arhos, but goblin politics, while no less involved, are more straightforward. As von Clausewitz said, war is the continuation of politics by other means, and the goblins have developed a system which rocks back and forth over the line, as intrigues erupt in duels or skirmishes between the avarsin, and then fall back into negotiations and schemes. They have no civil wars, but the possibility for internecine violence is never far away. The elves consider the goblins barbarians; the goblins are exasperated by the elvish inability to say anything straight out.
Louis XIV instituted the court at Versailles as a way to keep the French nobility fighting among themselves instead of uniting in a bloc to negotiate with–or issue ultimatums to–the king. He was sufficiently successful that when change came, as change always does, it came from the working class and it came with catastrophic violence. Elvish society hasn’t hit the French Revolution yet; hopefully Maia’s reign will mean that they never do, that reform can come peacefully. But nothing will stop the intriguing and the politics.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katherine Addison is a pseudonym for Sarah Monette. She grew up in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, one of the three secret cities of the Manhattan Project, and now lives in a 108-year-old house in the Upper Midwest with a great many books, two cats, one grand piano, and one husband. Her Ph.D. diploma (English Literature, 2004) hangs in the kitchen. She has published more than fifty short stories and has two short story collections out: The Bone Key (Prime Books 2007–with a shiny second edition in 2011) and Somewhere Beneath Those Waves (Prime Books, 2011). She has co-written two novels with Elizabeth Bear, and they are working on a third. Her first four novels (Melusine, The Virtu, The Mirador, Corambis) were published by Ace. Her latest novel, The Goblin Emperor, came out from Tor in April 2014.
The BiblioSanctum 
