I have no discipline.
May. 4th, 2009 09:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kutsuwamushiInstead of working on my homework, I took a long, hot bath, and finished The Lions of Al-Rassan.
The story takes place in a very thinly disguised version of medieval Spain. The Asharite kingdoms, which have ruled for centuries, are crumbling, and the Jaddite kingdoms to the North are mobilizing to reconquer the penninsula. The three main characters represent the faiths/cultures that are caught up in this conflict: Ammar ibn Khairan is an Asharite warrior and poet; Rodrigo Belmonte is a Jaddite mercenary; Jehane is a Kindath doctor.
It reminds me a lot of A Song for Arbonne, because it also could be called a love song for a particular place and time--although, in The Lions of Al-Rassan, that song is a farewell. There is a sense of inevitable loss present from almost the very first page, especially in Ammar, who seems to exist partly to be Al-Rassan's voice.
So, what I liked:
The strong sense of place. A woman (Jehane) playing a major part that isn't "quest object" for any of the male characters. Religious zealots, not any particular religion or people, being the enemy. The supporting characters being multi-faceted. The strong relationship between Rodrigo, Ammar, and Jehane.
What I didn't like:
It suffers a bit from too much cleverness. Kay has a habit of writing pivotal scenes so that the names of the people involved aren't revealed until later. ("Someone died! Wait, who died?!") He does it to build suspense, but sometimes all it does is build confusion.
The characterization of the Muwardis bothered me a little bit. The people on the penninsula are diverse, of all different levels of devotion and sophistication; the Muwardis we see are all primitive zealots.
It is also very brutal in parts. While this isn't something to dislike, it makes this the sort of story that you might have to be ready to read.
The story takes place in a very thinly disguised version of medieval Spain. The Asharite kingdoms, which have ruled for centuries, are crumbling, and the Jaddite kingdoms to the North are mobilizing to reconquer the penninsula. The three main characters represent the faiths/cultures that are caught up in this conflict: Ammar ibn Khairan is an Asharite warrior and poet; Rodrigo Belmonte is a Jaddite mercenary; Jehane is a Kindath doctor.
It reminds me a lot of A Song for Arbonne, because it also could be called a love song for a particular place and time--although, in The Lions of Al-Rassan, that song is a farewell. There is a sense of inevitable loss present from almost the very first page, especially in Ammar, who seems to exist partly to be Al-Rassan's voice.
So, what I liked:
The strong sense of place. A woman (Jehane) playing a major part that isn't "quest object" for any of the male characters. Religious zealots, not any particular religion or people, being the enemy. The supporting characters being multi-faceted. The strong relationship between Rodrigo, Ammar, and Jehane.
What I didn't like:
It suffers a bit from too much cleverness. Kay has a habit of writing pivotal scenes so that the names of the people involved aren't revealed until later. ("Someone died! Wait, who died?!") He does it to build suspense, but sometimes all it does is build confusion.
The characterization of the Muwardis bothered me a little bit. The people on the penninsula are diverse, of all different levels of devotion and sophistication; the Muwardis we see are all primitive zealots.
It is also very brutal in parts. While this isn't something to dislike, it makes this the sort of story that you might have to be ready to read.
