Fantasical surprise

I’ve read a lot of fantasy books. So many, that after a while it can be hard to find an original book. I tried Terry Brooks once, only to find that particular book a weak extract of Tolkien’s ‘The lord of the rings’. We had Gollum, a mystical quest, a dark lord and a fellowship. I finished the book, but never read anything by Brooks again. Maybe I did him a disfavor, but I don’t like writers who cannot imagine a story of their own. So originality can be a problem. Of course it can be difficult. After all you are influenced by everything you read and write.

Another problem with reading fantasy is – strangely enough – the author himself. Some write fantastic stories and then keep you waiting for years for a new installment. For instance our friend George R.R. Martin. Don’t get me wrong: I do like ‘The song of ice and fire. It has everything a good fantasy novel needs. But publishing book number 4 and claiming that he had to split the book because it was too long, but that the other one was almost completed, and subsequently keep us waiting for over 5 years… I think it is a kind of contempt for your readers. Especially when you pronounce on your website that you don’t want to talk about it.

It is not only the waiting, but also the (lack of) quality with which the authors overwhelm us. You wait for years for a new installment, only to be disappointed by the pace of the book, the character development or all the unnecessary side stories. For example ‘The wheel of time’ by Robert Jordan. Fantastic beginning. Exiting story. And then we hit – I think it was – book nr. 8. And after that the story slowed down, unnecessary side stories continued. It became a drag. Come on, describing three days in more than 800 pages! I have to applaud Brandon Sanderson. He is doing an excellent job in finishing the series. In three books! He wraps up the whole story in three books.

I know it hard to be original, refreshing and of high quality every time an author has to write a book. Even one of my favorite all time writers, Robin Hobb, had a minor series, at least in my eyes. I love, really love, Fitz and the whole Farseer Trilogy. I had some problems with the first book of the ‘Liveship traders’-trilogy, but that had more to do with my lack of enthusiasm for talking ships. I even liked the  ‘Tawny man’-trilogy and the ‘Rain Wild chronicles’. All set in the world of the Six Duchies and beyond. And then came the ‘Soldier son’ trilogy. What a disappointment. Not that I don’t applaud her for trying a different world, with different characters and different problems. It is just that I didn’t like the Western frontier kind of world. The books were also more political than her previous ones. I read them all with some difficulty and persistence.

When I was in Canterbury last May, I found a fantasy book in an Oxfam store, just of the main street. It was on a sale (3 books for £2,99), so you can never go wrong. So I gave it a try. This book was ‘Sorcery rising’ by Jude Fisher. She is mainly known for companion guides to ‘The Lord of the ring’ –movies. The book is the first episode of a trilogy called ‘Fool’s gold’. Although the name of the trilogy is not very original, the book is. The prologue had me question my judgment for a moment. I did not particularly liked it. But it is only 20 or some pages long. Usually I give a book a chance for about 50 to a 100 pages. Then the story switches. Three very different people populate this planet: there are the Eyrans who live up north, sail the seas and resemble the Vikings; there are the Istrians who live in the south, the ancient archenemies of the Eyrans, who worship a female goddess and press women into an Arabic kind of life of seclusion; and then there are the Footloose, the gypsies who live in their trailers and travel around, despised by everybody. All come together for the annual fair. And of course, all goes wrong. The enmities between Eyrans and Istrians is kindled again, while magic slowly returns to the previously non magical world. The Footloose are the first who discover that something is wrong: their formerly innocent spells suddenly work. The Eyrans and Istrians clash over religious matters (a woman climbed the secret rock – oh shame) and in the middle of all this people die and try to survive. There is secret love, lust, hunt for gold, freedom and power. Everything which makes a human world human.

The whole idea develops in a good pace. Some expected things occur and also some unexpected. The book really held me captivated. Even so that I had to keep reading, even though I had other things to do (like cooking diner). My dear hubby even noticed (and he already thinks I read too much).

So now I have to search for book 2 (‘Wild magic’) and 3 (‘The rose of the world’). Gives me something to hunt for while visiting England.