the snowflake project

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tigana is a wide reaching novel that spans many groups of characters, some of whom never even manage to exist together on the page, despite their tenuous connections in the plot. Its intricacies are something to marvel at, its themes bold and layered like a really good dip. In the afterward, Guy Gavriel Kay himself claims the potency and number of the themes he wove into the story intimidated him – suffice it to say, he managed to pull them together quite well.

Magic is something I always pay a lot of attention to in a fantasy story, and Tigana’s magic is fascinating. Without giving too much away, the setting is a land of many nations, carved up between two invading tyrants, themselves both sorcerers. The wizards of the land must hide their ability or face death. It’s so much like Star Wars that I almost can’t believe it. Order 66 and all that.

This book plays with the once universal black and white dichotomy between good and evil in fantasy fiction. And although it doesn’t turn that concept on its head, certain the edges become blurry.

Definitely give this a read – or if you like audio books, listen to it as I did. Simon Vance is a talented reader.

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Blindsight by Peter Watts

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

In an attempt to show us what the word “alien” really means, Peter Watts successfully alienated his audience. (Or at least he alienated me.)

While I’m familiar with some of the ideas behind the post-human picture he paints, I had a very hard time relating to any of the characters or caring about any of them. On top of that, the aliens are so completely alien that I failed to fully comprehend even the little bit that we’re told about them.

To be fair, it’s likely that post-human society (if/when it emerges) will make us all more or less unrecognizable to ourselves – which is what Watts is trying to get across. And it’s also as likely as not that if there is extraterrestrial life, it’s so different from us on a fundamental level that we may not even recognize it as life at all. These things are all true – but I’m not sure they make for good fiction.

Kudos to Peter Watts for researching and writing a very interesting book. I fear that its audience will be limited by its lack of human content.

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Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Things are coming to a head in this 13th book of a series that seems to go on forever. But after seeing how many loose ends were tied up in this book, I have faith that everything can be taken care of in one more book, which is the plan.

Towers of Midnight is a book largely about redemption. Dark paths are abandoned in favor of light. And it’s a good thing too – The Wheel of Time was getting a little too dark.

The only problem I had with this book – and it could be because I was listening to the audio book rather than reading a text copy – was that I found the timeline jumping around a little hard to follow.

I definitely recommend that those who’ve come this far in the series ought to read on. It’s almost over – and when it’s done, we can all say we read it!

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A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m now officially looking forward to the televised version. There’s some weighty drama in this book that itches for HBO screen treatment.

Though this book is technically fantasy, don’t expect anything fantastical. A few hints here or there at what might be coming later in the series, but that’s about it.

The plot can only be described as dynastic – there are about a dozen main characters, all of whom get near equal billing, but I was never hard-pressed to follow the story. I didn’t even need the appendix that outlined all the noble houses and their members.

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