Reading

[rowyn]

Lut and I were discussing my last post, and I attempted to explain why I didn't think the Vorkosigan books that I'd read fit with what the kind of novels I was looking for.

He considered the matter for a few moments. "But you read An Exchange of Hostages."

I laughed. "All right, yes, and I suppose anything would look light-hearted after that."

"That's not what I meant. I mean, I didn't recommend that book to you, but you read it anyway. All right, you could've picked it off my shelf on the basis that 'Lut thought this was worth keeping', and that'd explain why you started it. But that doesn't explain why you not only finished it, but read the sequel, too."

"Well, it's not that I think the only books worth reading are light-hearted Victorian-esque romps. It's just that happens to be what I'm in the mood for now."

So to reassure you all: I do read and enjoy other sorts of fiction, too. Even An Exchange of Hostages, although I wouldn't necessarily recommend that particular book to others. >:)

Comments

[sandratayler.livejournal.com]

An Exchange of Hostages isn't written by Bujold. It's by Susan R. Matthews. And yes that one is very dark with all the torture and such. I couldn't finish it. Bujold's works are nothing like that other than also taking place in space ships.

[sandratayler.livejournal.com]

Oh wait. I just re-read your entry, you weren't saying that Exchange was written by Bujold. My bad.

[rowyn]

Hee! S'all right. I did have this moment of "What the heck did I write?" when I got your first comment. :)

[howardtayler.livejournal.com]

Just out of curiosity, which Vorkosigan books have you read? Which other Bujold books have you read?

(I confess, I didn't read the comments in your previous entry, and you may have answered the question there.)

I think that "A Civil Campaign," which is the last of the Vorkosigan titles, almost certainly would meet your standards for "Victorian-esque romps." A number of others probably would as well.

--Howard

[level-head.livejournal.com]

She's looking for books that will charm the reader.

There was one that I read not too long ago that surprised me; I enjoyed it in just this manner, for the most part.

It is called, ominously, "Fangs of K'aath" by Paul Kidd, and it's a fantasy novel set in the Middle East perhaps a thousand years ago.

"Fangs" is a romance, and is also a "furry" novel; the main characters are talking animals. It is so well done in its Middle Eastern settings that a bit of tinkering, to change the characters to the analogous races of humans, would have no large repercussions.

And their is one other curiosity. The book is full of dialog (as well as brilliant descriptions of scene) but nowhere, in the entire book, is there any speech attribution.

I had read the entire book and not even noticed this, until I went back to it trying to remember how the author had done the "he said" "she said" business. He had not. Here's an example, from the first page:

The villainous ginger Cat who owned the stall gaped in astonishment, flinging a hand up to the patch across his eye. "Ashamed! To show such beautiful melons?" He clenched a fist against his heart in horror. "There's no finer in the market!"

There is never any doubt who is speaking -- and never any explicit attribution.

A neat trick.

But overall, I found this book charming, and perhaps it will fit the Lady Rowyn's bill -- if "Middle Eastern" can substitute for "Victorian".

There is some violence, but it is primarily romance, and intrigue.

===|==============/ Level Head

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

Blood Jaguar, by Michael Payne?

[rowyn]

Thanks for the recommendation, sir. :) I prefer to attribute by action rather than "he said", myself, although I'm not that intent on doing so. :D

[rowyn]

I'm not actually sure which Vorkosigan books I've read. I'm pretty sure Shards of Honor was one (I know I read one about Miles Vorkosigan's parents and how they met). I thought, when Lut handed me The Warrior's Apprentice, that I'd read it before, but after re-reading it I'm pretty sure I didn't. My guess is that I read the next one, The Vor Game. We'll see if that one's any more familiar when I get to it. :)