Stardust and Desires
Aug. 29th, 2006 04:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
maribouStardust, by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Charles Vess
As an illustrated novel, I loved this. I think the version without pictures would've been a bit flat, but WITH the pictures, lovely lovely. I felt like there was a tip of the hat to many many old school children's illustrators given, also, but the only one I'm quite sure about is John R. Neill (the Oz illustrator) - those Art Nouveau ladies with the swirly headdresses are so distinctive. Anyway, a charming fairy tale story, immersive.
(161/250)
Devices and Desires, by KJ Parker
This is my platonic something, but I'm not sure quite what. Character-driven, and the characters are great, and they're also given to paying a great deal of attention to stuff they know a lot about, in such a manner that the text naturally digresses into a long discussion of bow-making, or hunt strategy, or what the paper felt like, or ... It's a fantasy in the sense that none of it takes place in our world, and there are features of the world that make it seem medieval-fantastic rather than sfnal or pure allegory... but there's no magic at all. It's a Romance, really, in the grand old sense of the world, and full of chivalry, and very old fashioned but it's also utterly modern and full of contemporary British slang and cuss words. And while everyone is very passionate, they also keep their emotions tightly under wraps. They might let them ruin their lives, but they aren't going to have a temper tantrum. Dear me no. And no one worships anything, except for abstract Ideals. Oh man.
That's a botch of a review, but I'm so delighted I don't give a damn. I wish I'd found this author sooner! I'm afraid to read more of his works in case I fall out of love! I exclaimed out loud, more than once, "Why hasn't anyone TOLD me about this guy?? WOW."
(162/250)
As an illustrated novel, I loved this. I think the version without pictures would've been a bit flat, but WITH the pictures, lovely lovely. I felt like there was a tip of the hat to many many old school children's illustrators given, also, but the only one I'm quite sure about is John R. Neill (the Oz illustrator) - those Art Nouveau ladies with the swirly headdresses are so distinctive. Anyway, a charming fairy tale story, immersive.
(161/250)
Devices and Desires, by KJ Parker
This is my platonic something, but I'm not sure quite what. Character-driven, and the characters are great, and they're also given to paying a great deal of attention to stuff they know a lot about, in such a manner that the text naturally digresses into a long discussion of bow-making, or hunt strategy, or what the paper felt like, or ... It's a fantasy in the sense that none of it takes place in our world, and there are features of the world that make it seem medieval-fantastic rather than sfnal or pure allegory... but there's no magic at all. It's a Romance, really, in the grand old sense of the world, and full of chivalry, and very old fashioned but it's also utterly modern and full of contemporary British slang and cuss words. And while everyone is very passionate, they also keep their emotions tightly under wraps. They might let them ruin their lives, but they aren't going to have a temper tantrum. Dear me no. And no one worships anything, except for abstract Ideals. Oh man.
That's a botch of a review, but I'm so delighted I don't give a damn. I wish I'd found this author sooner! I'm afraid to read more of his works in case I fall out of love! I exclaimed out loud, more than once, "Why hasn't anyone TOLD me about this guy?? WOW."
(162/250)
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Date: 2006-08-30 12:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-30 05:34 am (UTC)