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jemck at 09:21am on 17/01/2013
jemck at 09:21am on 17/01/2013This morning I am particularly taken with this review of The Thief's Gamble over at Fantasy Review Barn. Not because it's a gushing outpouring of praise - it gives the book three and a half stars. Fair enough, everyone's entitled to their opinion and the reviewer here has read the book thoroughly and thoughtfully.
What really makes me smile is reading "I was fine with the generic feel of it, but be aware that no new ground was broken here." and " It hits all the nice fantasy tropes, and doesn’t see any reason to bend them, break them, or subvert them."
Okay, that's the view of this book by a new reader in 2013. Back in 1999, the reviews said things like "pleasing to find a female lead who's properly representative rather than the usual tepid mix of heroine and victim." and " a beautifully drawn world with a rich history, interesting and realistic characters and a plot that drags you along at breakneck speed.", "What's different and interesting about this book is what Ms McKenna does with it." And more besides.
So why am I smiling? Because this shows just how far the epic fantasy genre has grown and developed in this past decade and more. Readers are used to so much more in terms of realism and depth of plot and characterisation, more complex themes and subtext.
Not that this should come as any particular surprise to fans of our genre. I'm currently assessing four debut novels for my next Albedo One review column. To be specific, I'm reading The Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed, The Heir of Night by Helen Lowe, Earth Girl by Janet Edwards and Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl by David Barnett. Time and again, while reading, I have noted down some instance of an interesting new take on what have become standard, even over-worn plot or character elements since I started writing myself.
I think this is really great.
Right, I had better get on with some writing on my current projects.
(Meantime of course, if you're curious to read The Thief's Gamble for yourself, you can now get it in your preferred ebook format from Wizard's Tower Books (worldwide DRM free) or your ebook retailer of choice. This message brought to you by the Jules Convention Travel Fund 2013)
What really makes me smile is reading "I was fine with the generic feel of it, but be aware that no new ground was broken here." and " It hits all the nice fantasy tropes, and doesn’t see any reason to bend them, break them, or subvert them."
Okay, that's the view of this book by a new reader in 2013. Back in 1999, the reviews said things like "pleasing to find a female lead who's properly representative rather than the usual tepid mix of heroine and victim." and " a beautifully drawn world with a rich history, interesting and realistic characters and a plot that drags you along at breakneck speed.", "What's different and interesting about this book is what Ms McKenna does with it." And more besides.
So why am I smiling? Because this shows just how far the epic fantasy genre has grown and developed in this past decade and more. Readers are used to so much more in terms of realism and depth of plot and characterisation, more complex themes and subtext.
Not that this should come as any particular surprise to fans of our genre. I'm currently assessing four debut novels for my next Albedo One review column. To be specific, I'm reading The Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed, The Heir of Night by Helen Lowe, Earth Girl by Janet Edwards and Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl by David Barnett. Time and again, while reading, I have noted down some instance of an interesting new take on what have become standard, even over-worn plot or character elements since I started writing myself.
I think this is really great.
Right, I had better get on with some writing on my current projects.
(Meantime of course, if you're curious to read The Thief's Gamble for yourself, you can now get it in your preferred ebook format from Wizard's Tower Books (worldwide DRM free) or your ebook retailer of choice. This message brought to you by the Jules Convention Travel Fund 2013)
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