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cimoreneTerry Pratchett's Nation is what the Golden Compass trilogy wants to be when it grows up.
DWJ's House of Many Ways was in some ways predictable, but bursting with drollness and unexpected charm. I think I prefer the slightly sunnier reality in the Howl/Castle in the Air universe to the sort of rainy-English-boarding-school flavoured one of the Chrestomanci, er, multiverse (not the writing, though, because there are several incredible standouts among the Chrestomanci chronicles). However, the Magid verse of Deep Secret/Sudden Wild Magic is still my favourite. I think that after years of preferring Archer's Goon and Eight Days of Luke, though, a second reading and plenty of time to digest it confirms The Merlin Conspiracy as my definite #1.
And in Georgette Heyer, the last one I bought was
This is one of the more mature romances. I'd place it in a class with Venetia, whose heroine reminds me irresistably of my beloved and incredibly competent![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
isilya. This type of Heyerian heroine is very intelligent and possessed of a lively sense of humour, practical and realistic. She may get carried away emotionally when falling in love, as probably everyone does a little, but it doesn't sweep away the rest of her, undermine her logic, or even dominate the plot of the novel. These heroines match the elder pair in The Talisman Ring (one of my very favourites!) in contrast to the younger pair of starry-eyed and rather Gothic lovers in that novel who are an excellent foil for the elder pair and an object of affectionate but exasperated mockery.
Anyway, the mature heroine of The Nonesuch is a likeable, but perhaps overly anxious sort. The hero isn't drawn with any of the dramatic flaws of some of Heyer's more adventurous scoundrels, not even with drawling sarcasm or a hint of too much pride. He's a wealthy and polite philanthropist, a dignified Corinthian, an athlete with an excellent sense of humour even at his own expense. He's also charming rather than a dead bore, which is kind of amazing when you put it like that. Also, his name is WALDO, which is hilarious enough to be really memorable.
The most memorable feature of this one is the spoiled beauty-slash-heiress who drives most of the action, and whom the heroine is employed as companion-governess to. Though treated with compassionate or affectionate weariness by most of the principals, she's also plainly talked about as lacking any better character by most of them, being essentially selfish and so on, which is both interesting and rather troubling. I was sympathetic to the heroine's judgment at first, but as it becomes increasingly clear that no one seems to hold a higher opinion of her, well, essential humanity, I was bothered more. I wonder if my judgment of that aspect of the book will change with further rereads. I still feel conflicted at this point.
I always read books in descending order of how much I expect to enjoy them and review them in the opposite order.
DWJ's House of Many Ways was in some ways predictable, but bursting with drollness and unexpected charm. I think I prefer the slightly sunnier reality in the Howl/Castle in the Air universe to the sort of rainy-English-boarding-school flavoured one of the Chrestomanci, er, multiverse (not the writing, though, because there are several incredible standouts among the Chrestomanci chronicles). However, the Magid verse of Deep Secret/Sudden Wild Magic is still my favourite. I think that after years of preferring Archer's Goon and Eight Days of Luke, though, a second reading and plenty of time to digest it confirms The Merlin Conspiracy as my definite #1.
And in Georgette Heyer, the last one I bought was
This is one of the more mature romances. I'd place it in a class with Venetia, whose heroine reminds me irresistably of my beloved and incredibly competent
isilya. This type of Heyerian heroine is very intelligent and possessed of a lively sense of humour, practical and realistic. She may get carried away emotionally when falling in love, as probably everyone does a little, but it doesn't sweep away the rest of her, undermine her logic, or even dominate the plot of the novel. These heroines match the elder pair in The Talisman Ring (one of my very favourites!) in contrast to the younger pair of starry-eyed and rather Gothic lovers in that novel who are an excellent foil for the elder pair and an object of affectionate but exasperated mockery. Anyway, the mature heroine of The Nonesuch is a likeable, but perhaps overly anxious sort. The hero isn't drawn with any of the dramatic flaws of some of Heyer's more adventurous scoundrels, not even with drawling sarcasm or a hint of too much pride. He's a wealthy and polite philanthropist, a dignified Corinthian, an athlete with an excellent sense of humour even at his own expense. He's also charming rather than a dead bore, which is kind of amazing when you put it like that. Also, his name is WALDO, which is hilarious enough to be really memorable.
The most memorable feature of this one is the spoiled beauty-slash-heiress who drives most of the action, and whom the heroine is employed as companion-governess to. Though treated with compassionate or affectionate weariness by most of the principals, she's also plainly talked about as lacking any better character by most of them, being essentially selfish and so on, which is both interesting and rather troubling. I was sympathetic to the heroine's judgment at first, but as it becomes increasingly clear that no one seems to hold a higher opinion of her, well, essential humanity, I was bothered more. I wonder if my judgment of that aspect of the book will change with further rereads. I still feel conflicted at this point.
I always read books in descending order of how much I expect to enjoy them and review them in the opposite order.
