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eveglassAs I've been reading quite a number of books this year, especially since graduation, I should keep some sort of record of my impressions of them. So I start with book #29 of the year, Enchantments of Flesh and Spirit by Storm Constantine, originally published in 1987.
All things considered, I didn't like it. I felt that the main character (Pellaz) was entirely reactionary and did not attempt to move the story forward at all. He drifted from encounter to encounter without a definite goal, and as a reader there is no sense of a central conflict or quest. This is extremely frustrating and nearly made me stop reading partway through (a rarity for me).
In terms of themes: though I appreciate that homosexuality was a somewhat taboo topic in the late 1980s, I found Constantine devoted far too much attention to it in the novel. Yes, I understand it is a central concept in Wraeththu (the main race in the book) life, but it needn't be so front-and-center to the plot. This is sci-fi, not erotica.
Finally, I found it truly disappointing that the grand reveal at the end of the book (6 pages from the end) was a plot twist that I'd seen coming for 250 pages. For a person who deliberately tries to ignore potential hints and plot spoilers in a book, this is most frustrating. It left me deeply unsatisfied.
So, by the end of the book, I did not understand the central conflict, the book felt like it had no clear plot, and there was no sense of mystery or revelation. My recommendation: skip it.
Tune in later for my standard "what-I-did-today" post, assuming I actually do something today.
All things considered, I didn't like it. I felt that the main character (Pellaz) was entirely reactionary and did not attempt to move the story forward at all. He drifted from encounter to encounter without a definite goal, and as a reader there is no sense of a central conflict or quest. This is extremely frustrating and nearly made me stop reading partway through (a rarity for me).
In terms of themes: though I appreciate that homosexuality was a somewhat taboo topic in the late 1980s, I found Constantine devoted far too much attention to it in the novel. Yes, I understand it is a central concept in Wraeththu (the main race in the book) life, but it needn't be so front-and-center to the plot. This is sci-fi, not erotica.
Finally, I found it truly disappointing that the grand reveal at the end of the book (6 pages from the end) was a plot twist that I'd seen coming for 250 pages. For a person who deliberately tries to ignore potential hints and plot spoilers in a book, this is most frustrating. It left me deeply unsatisfied.
So, by the end of the book, I did not understand the central conflict, the book felt like it had no clear plot, and there was no sense of mystery or revelation. My recommendation: skip it.
Tune in later for my standard "what-I-did-today" post, assuming I actually do something today.
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Date: 2006-07-25 01:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-25 04:15 am (UTC)