I've always liked Robin Hobb's Fantasies. Her newest, Dragon Keeper, I love.
The two strongest characters are emergent women, one young and by conventional standards, ill formed with a showing of scales and spikes, the other, an older woman, in her early 20's, past marriageable age and not considered comely by her society's standards and she has become bookish and reclusive, studying Dragons and Elderlings, both diminishing races.
Ms Hobb takes her time building characters but the pace is well set and my interest was always piqued. I enjoyed these people and the lives they live. The family stew is always brewing and angst always lurking in the shadows. The self doubt demonstrated in the interior voices of these two women highlights the short comings of the speech and actions of the people in their lives spurring their awakening true selves.
I have enjoyed Science Fiction and Fantasy with strong female protagonists since reading Robert A. Heinlein's, Podkayne of Mars back in 1963 when it was published. It is my belief that most young boys enjoy reading fiction with strong female protagonists, it gives us clues about those beings, we eventually learn, that we will never fully understand. I am sure Science Fiction & Fantasy led me to my strong feminist posture in the mid 60's. That belief remains strong and in place today. My mother, of course, played her part as well. Future reading of this Blog will undoubtedly demonstrate my proclivities in this bent of my psychosocial development and personal preferences in choosing my reading materials.
Turning the last page was totally unexpected. There was no more to read! The book was over! No semi closure, no warning, the end. YIKES!!! This was not expected. This was not acceptable!
I ran to the basement. WHEW!, book two was sitting on the received shelf and ready for processing. It helps to have friends in Tech Services. Dragon Haven, book two of The Rain Wilds Chronicles, is now in my paws and I don't have to wait. Being an American I'll just butcher Jim Morrison's great line with "I want more, and I want it now."
Did I mention there were dragons in the story. Ill formed at hatching but, like the women in the story, emergent and very interesting.
Music haunting my psyche today, Easy Tiger (the whole CD) by Ryan Adam.
Regards,
Richard
No comments:
Post a Comment