The Left Hand of God: Review and Contest
Background
A nominally young adult novel set in a dystopian world that mirrors our own past, The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman is a book of impressive vision and puzzling inconsistencies that ultimately provides a gruesome, but highly enjoyable read. The book follows the trials and travails of a young boy named Cale raised in a brutal dogmatic monastery of a twisted parody of Christianity. His life is forever changed upon witnessing a deed horrifying even to his own warped perspective.
Setting
The world has a religious martyr named the Hanged Redeemer, but this isn’t the cuddly Crucified Martyr we all know. The followers of this religion are engaged in a bloody civil war much like the Reformation period. Very little information is given about what the differences are between the Redeemers and the Antagonists (who don’t appear on camera), but we can loosely assume that the Redeemers are dogmatic quasi-Catholics and the Antagonists are revolutionary thinking quasi-Protestants. The Redeemers are headquartered at The Sanctuary, a place where children are taken from parents to be turned into brutal lifelong soldiers. There they eat boiled feet (?), are made to recite prayers that lose all meaning, and suffer constantly brutality under at the hands of the Redeemers. The book moves from the Sanctuary to the world at large, which is terrifying and awful in its indulgences rather than its depredations. The ambiguous quasi-historical nature of the book is intriguing, if occasionally puzzling, while some of the plot holes in the cultural fabrics that inhabit the world is puzzling in a more aggravating way. We’re told that the children eat terribly (and the feet of cadavers, potentially), yet they grow strong. The world’s most powerful nation is made up of heavily armored nobles that refuse to field archers or siege weapons, but have virtually conquered the world. These strange points annoy me, and perhaps will be answered later, but for now are quizzical stray steps from and otherwise dark quirky world.
Story
The story progresses linearly, with certain plot points withheld until they become relevant. Other plot points are dangled at astute readers, but end up resulting in nothing. Hopefully, this is because they become relevant in a sequel, but it’s frustrating when they’re handled so brazenly. As for the parcels of story that come abruptly, the characters reluctance to disclose their full past is well-explained, but a few times this lack of information comes across as cheap. It’s easy to forgive a bit of chicanery, as the characters are interesting. The protagonist struggles between the harsh lessons of his life and the emerging gentler visions he sees. His comrades are amusing, though more archetypal than well-developed. The plot whisks along fast- sometimes too fast. Again, huge plot points drop on the reader like exposition filled anvils from the sky. It’s unsubtle, but it keeps the book from being dull. The climax itself is bizarrely devoid of anything but forced character involvement and oddly precise compared to the brutal and visceral violence early in the book. Yet, the aftermath of the book sets up a sequel in an interesting, and unexpected, way.
Overall
B-. As with many fantasy series, this book exists as much to set the stage as tell a story on its own. Despite my gripes, I found myself liking the story more the more I read. Similar to The Darkness That Comes Before the book is not without its faults, but it does plenty enough to pique my curiosity for reading its sequel. Check for a contest to give away some free copies of the novel.
The Left Hand of God Contest
You may have read the preceding review, or you may not have. It doesn’t matter either way, because you can play the contest regardless. The book’s title sound suitably fantasyish, doesn’t it? Well, that my friends is the basis of our contest. Come up with a description for “The Left Hand of God” to be used in an RPG setting. If it impresses our judges enough, you win a copy of the novel! You can make it a plot hook, crunch it out as a 4E item, or even make it an NPC (perhaps it can hang out with the Atropal). Just leave your entry in a comment (or a link to your entry in a comment) to enter.
Contest opens today and ends by the end of Friday, August 20th. Panel of judges will select their top 5 entries, and each of those entrants will win a copy of the novel Left Hand of God. Entrants must provide a valid email address to be eligible so we can contact the winners. Entries can be disqualified at our sole discretion (especially if they infringe upon existing content.)
Review: The Darkness that Comes Before
Background: I bought R. Scott Bakker’s first book purely based on its appearance on ‘top fantasy’ lists and its comparisons to the ‘realistic’ fantasy authors of Steven Erikson and George R..R. Martin. Bakker comes from an English critique and Philosophy background and it shows. His prose is often quite moving: either beautiful in its poetry or sickening in its brutality. His characters, setting, and background all teem with philosophical underpinnings. Set in a world mirroring Europe and the Middle East during the First Crusade the book is schizophrenic in its soaring heights and puzzling lows.
Setting: The characters all have odd names (quasi-Germanic?)- more so than typical fantasy, so much so that I have trouble remembering the characters by name (which is a problem). The world of oddly named characters has already been destroyed by one Apocalypse. Another is sure to follow, at least according to the Quixotic order of Sorcerers, The Mandate. Cursed with dreams detailing the recollections of their founder’s experience during the first apocalypse, they know with certainty that the Apocalypse is real, but after years of vague warnings the Great Factions of the world ignore them. The world’s great religion has experienced a renaissance under a new pope-equivalent and a Holy War is imminent. Great Factions jockey for position amidst alliances of heathen sorcerers and scheming religious orders. In the midst of this volatile setting, an outlander monk emerges with powerful, unique knowledge that is sure to change the course of history. Overall, the setting is one of the book’s greatest strengths. The depth and richness of the book is engrossing and thought-provoking. When I wasn’t reading it, I often found myself considering the world and the story, which is high praise indeed.
Story: The plot and the characters are fascinating and maddening in equal turns. First, my qualms: The titular “Prince of Nothing” is a do-it-all to the worst degree. Bred for intellect, practitioner of the “Logos” philosophy, superb combatant, able to read people’s thoughts through their facial twitches, and crafter of perfect statements for nearly every situation, the character is maddening in his perfection. Although his “gee whiz” powers are adequately explained, the idolatry, worship, and praise heaped upon him in his (so far) limited screen time is tiresome. Secondly, all the female characters of note are highly sexualized and often brutalized. Now, I’m OK with characters being raped, beaten, and treated like shit: those types make for better stories than those living idyllic lives. However, the absence of a single female character that isn’t defined by her sexuality is troublesome.
That being said, there’s a lot to love in the book. The main character, a wizard/spy with low self-esteem, is likeable and relatable for his failings. He’s a great stand-in for every person that’s been forced to give up what they love for their career. The scheming royal family is delightful in their paranoia and arrogance. The typical barbarian archetype gets nicely twisted and featured. The book definitely feels like “Book 1” as it’s more meant to set the stage than really go into depth. The climax is adequate, but leaves the reader with more questions than answers.
Overall: B. Ultimately, the book’s glaring issues detracts from a story that I read in record time. I believe that the female characters will manage to stop being whores (literally in one case) and develop, but I’m concerned that the sequels will focus too much on the Jesus stand-in/Canon Sue to the point where I’ll grow annoyed (see Sword of Truth for this type of decay). Despite its flaws, it’s a visceral kick in the face of a fantasy novel that endeavors to tackle philosophy, religion, and politics.
Book Series Review: The Malazan Books of the Fallen
Background: The Malazan Books of the Fallen is a mouthful to say, but really that’s for the best, because it’s also a whopper to read. Currently on book eight of ten, the universe also encompasses a bunch of novellas (which I have yet to read) and an entirely different author writing novels in a shared world. Steven Erikson was an anthropologist by trade and boy does it show. Everything about the different races and cultures encountered is impeccably realized and fleshed out in a story that’s scope is epic on a level of the Illiad. Elder Gods, Immortal Ascendants, Ancient Races, Dragons, and even humanity are engaged in a multifaceted struggle across three continents (thus far). For instance, the second book of the series only has a small group of five characters from the first book while the rest (at least 80% of the text) is devoted entirely new characters. The fifth book introduces an (almost) entirely new continent, cultures and plot-lines. For me, the series has yet to disappoint as it avoids the common epic fantasy pitfall of nothing happening (see Wheel of Time) and uses some genre savvy tropes to cleverly explain the common aspects of the genre while it turns some others on its head.
Setting: The series begins with a focus on the Malazan Empire, a newish aggressively expansive political body and its unique brand of soldier. From there, the reader is treated to the T’lan Imass (undead that swore an eternal vow of GENOCIDE against an ancient powerful race of creatures called the Jaghut), the Pannion Domin (perhaps the most horrifying ‘evil empire’ I’ve ever read about), the Lethererii Kingdom (an interesting combination of capitalism run amok and the old Chinese notion of empire), the mysterious Anomander Rake and his brooding ennui-riddle Children of Darkness, along with countless others. Magic is drawn from magical realms called warrens (the more modern manifestation common amongst humanity) or ancient holds (elder magic). The power of various factions is one of constant flux and even immortals fear the strongest amongst humanity. The series deals a lot with the foibles of humanity and history, but also with the helplessness of the divine in the face of demands and actions of their followers in the name of their religion.
Story: With the scope of the series it’s hard to pinpoint a single plot, but the main thrust of the series focuses on the newly re-emergent Crippled God and his destructive machinations. Readers get to see the maneuverings amongst the divine, the headstrong and clever mortals that intercede and the soldiers that just end up caught up in conflicts a bit over their pay grade. Sometimes the link to this overarching idea is tenuous at best, or even non existent, but it is the most clearly identifiable thrust common to all the stories. The characters are numerous and mostly well developed, but Erikson’s fetish for the infantry grunt can get a little tiresome when you have upwards of thirty marines traipsing around a novel (all with cute little nicknames like Blend, Smiles or Picker), it’s hard to keep them all straight. That being said, every reader is sure to find their favorites amongst a rich cast of heroes, scoundrels, and outright evil bastards.
Overall: A-. The strength of the books in their scope, depth and imagination in a way serves as its weakness as well. Accessibility and plot structure suffer a bit as a result. While not easy to pick up as a book like Mistborn, it’s a project committing to the series, but well worth the effort.
Review: The Hero of Ages
(Note: Some Spoilers for both Mistborn and Well of Ascension included)
Background: The third and final book of Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn Trilogy explores the aftermath of the protagonist’s unintentional freeing of the being of pure destruction, Ruin. The world they now live in seems headedtowards the apocalypse. The heroes are virtually unable to fight against Ruin as every word they say aloud or write on paper is vulnerable to manipulation is subject to being heard or tampered with. Sanderson’s finale manages to both showcases the favorites in the series, shine light on characters that had previous escaped the limelight, and end the series with a enormous finale that both surprises but stays completely within the rules that Sanderson has set for himself in his wonderful world.
Setting: The world had once been governed by the immortal Lord Ruler, but no longer. He sought to use the power of the Well of Ascension to contain the entity Ruin and fix some of the damage he had done in his first attempt to bind Ruin. With his overthrow, the protagonist have denied themselves their most knowledgeable and powerful ally against the dark force of Ruin. They continue to rely on the magic of Allomancy which holds up an impressive and versatile creation. Sanderson explores some other logical extensions of the magic system and use it effectively as a great source of action and suspense. He also aptly considers its ramifications on a society in upheaval and reveals a sensible and satisfying explanation behind the power of the feared Inquisitors. Finally, his examination of a budding religion and a world bereft of its millennia old stabilizing force manages to ring true despite its fantastic premise.
Story: Vin and her companions must use all their powers and cunning to both face off against Ruin and its minions and remnants of the Lord Rule’s former regime. Vin plays a major role and stays true to her excellent origin tale. Her husband, the Emperor Elend trials as a leader and learning curve as a Mistborn are well done and competently handled. However, I felt like book truly excels when it explores the once-quiet Spook, Sazed’s crisis of faith, and Marsh’s attempt to regain his humanity despite being forced into being an Inquisitor. Perhaps even more satisfying is that the plot twists truly and honestly blew me away. As a seasoned troper, it’s often easy to spot plot developments coming, but Sanderson both surprises and explains things so adeptly that he manages to balance the nearly impossible task of adequate foreshadowing and true delightful surprise. My hats off to him for managing to tie up the loose ends and end a trilogy so strongly!
Overall: A. Critical Hit! Truly one of the best trilogies I have read in a long time. What Sanderson lacks in the size of cast (only a few characters get true three dimensional treatment) he makes up for in depth of each focus character and a truly well realized world and plot.
Review: "Well of Ascension"
(Note: Spoilers for Mistborn included)
Background: Initially taking up Brandon Sanderson’s novels as a means to gain an insight into the impending finale of Wheel of Time, I found an author with both a fertile imagination and a true appreciation for the craft of storytelling. Having finished The Well of Ascension, his third novel, and the second of the Mistborn trilogy, I can say with confidence that Sanderson is poised to take a place amongst today’s fantasy luminaries. [Read the rest of this article]
Review: "Mistborn"
Background: When Robert Jordan died I was surprised to hear the decision regarding finishing up his final novel, Memories of Light, was made so quickly. It fell to Brandon Sanderson, a young writer I had never heard of. Fast-forward a year or so later, and after stumbling upon his insightful blog, I took up reading his books. His first novel, Elantris, was a nice little piece of one and done fantasy, but not groundbreaking. His follow up, Mistborn is the first of a trilogy that thunders onto the fantasy landscape with such refreshing force that its echoes are likely being felt by readers and authors everywhere. [Read the rest of this article]
Review: "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay"
Title: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Author: Michael Chabon
Year of Publication: 2000
Genre: Fiction
Length: 656
Rating: 4/5 – Worth paying full price.
I was first clued in to the existence of “The Escapist” via a limited comic series written by Brian K. Vaughn. The story was good, but I knew I was missing something.
Then, upon a visit to my local library, I found a copy of Micheal Chabon’s novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. Shelved right next to it were two follow-up comic collections: The Amazing Adventures of The Escapist volumes 1 & 2. At first, I mainly was reading through the novel to get to the comics. But I soon found myself engrossed in the Pulitzer Prize-winning story from start to finish.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (No Book 7 Spoilers)
For everyone traumatized by the recent ending of another era-defining work, The Sopranos, the anti-Sopranos ending of Harry Potter will be sure to satisfy you. It ends, and it ends definitively, and in my mind satisfactorily (though I was satisfied with The Sopranos as well).
In the minds of fans, this book’s primary function is to end the series, rather than function as an individual story and the book does that with enough panache, twists, turns, and dead bodies to keep everyone on the edge of their seat. J.K. sends out numerous callbacks to her previous books, dredging up all sorts of cute plots, forgotten monsters, and erstwhile allies. The major questions that have lingered coming into this book: Snape’s true allegiance, the Horcruxes, Harry/Voldemort’s prophetic relationship, the importance of Lily Potter, and Dumbledore’s final gambit are concluded.
The book begins very well, immediately establishing the perils of Harry’s world and the real danger within it. After that, the story meanders a bit, with the characters spending a lot of time listless and frustrated as they hope to blunder into a solution to their problems. These portions evoke the frustration that some readers felt during Order of the Phoenix. In this situation, it’s not necessarily that the characters are withholding information, it’s that they just have no damn clue about what to do. At times, it almost felt like J.K. actually no idea what to do without the comfortable halls of Hogwarts to guide her characters about. However, the rudderless middle portion quickly picks up steam into the aforementioned ending. Suitably epic and touching, both huge and personal, in true Potter-style the mysteries are concluded in both surprising and satisfying ways. Does Harry exit the series as he entered it as The Boy Who Lived?
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars.
Review: Hot Fuzz (2007)
There’s a small change of pace this week in the Librarian’s Tome section. Instead of a book review, I’ve wandered into the film section of the library (not completely of my own free will, as I still prefer books, but spouses can be persuasive) and present to you Librarian’s Tome: Film Edition.
Title: Hot Fuzz
Director: Edgar Wright
Writers: Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright
Release date: 20 April 2007 (Canada), 14 March 2007 (US)
Genre: Comedy/Action
Rating: 5/5, go watch it now if it’s playing at your local theatre
Simon Pegg is well-known for his part in for 2004′s zombie movie parody Shaun of the Dead (in which he both co-wrote and starred). In Hot Fuzz, he’s acting with Shaun of the Dead co-star and comedian Nick Frost, who plays a police officer, Danny Butterman, in the peaceful village of Sandford. Pegg’s character, Nicholas Angel, also a police officer and one of London’s finest, is basically shipped out of his home city due to his hard work and excellent record; he’s made the rest of the London team look bad. He’s in great contrast to Butterman, who is more like a child that wants to be the sort of risk-taking police officer that he sees in the movies, but isn’t quite up to par.
For the Intellectual Who Loves Comics!
On rare occasions, work that I complete in classroom studies becomes worth recommending to others. This is one such occasion. Scott McCloud, a writer and scholar of comics, released a black and white graphic novel entitled Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art in 1993. Within the pages, McCloud guides the reader through a thorough understanding of how comics work, why they are an important medium, and why you should never refer to them as “just comics.”
So, why should you read it?
First of all, for you folks who do not like comics, this graphic novel might be just what the doctor ordered. You skeptics out there who do not believe comics are a significant medium or form of literature are sorely mistaken. But, you do not have to take my word for it. Just read McCloud’s novel! At the very least, you will likely develop some respect for the comic book.
For you fans of comics, this graphic novel may work as a key for you. There is magic within the pages of a comic book. Magic beyond what you may uncover by your own exploration. McCloud will show you the hidden benefits of comics. He also explains how they intuitively demand more from their audience than any other form of media. Sound like a stretch? It is not! If you want to know more, pick up a copy of McCloud’s novel today.
Loading ...
