Hmmmmmmmmmmm. Well, I liked Brenner, though I suspect that most of the time I wasn't meant to. I never really got into the voice of the story despite being interested in humorous fantasy. For a story-world in which a character can use the word "misogynist" specifically, it has a very weak feminist stance generally. I was really surprised reading the Acknowledgements of
Clockwork Boys to see that Kingfisher wrote the series in response to her dislike of the guilt-ridden, brooding paladin trope. That didn't come through for me. I guess the subversion is that Caliban has a sense of humor under his trauma? And maybe that he's in his late thirties?? He is still brooding, beautiful-as-described, relies on his strength as a blunt object, throws himself at the feet of his god, and is, let me be clear, a misogynist. The other characters comment on these things, but without seemingly trying to push the needle.
I liked the gnoles. Their culture is the largest bit of world-building done in the series. Every other story piece feels small, even the backstory confrontation and the final confrontation. Which could work if I felt like the characters themselves were going anywhere most of the time, as individuals or as a group. Browing the other series set in this world, it seems that "where these characters are going" is "into the sausage grinder to be reskinned."
There were a number of interesting set-ups throughout, but I felt the plot was shedding nuts and bolts by the end.
☆ ★ ☆
Not sure what I'm reading next. I'm kinda burnt out on fantasy for the moment, so maybe nonfiction. There are still 16 weeks left before
When Women Were Dragons is available. I recently watched Akira Kurosawa's
Ran, so I've been thinking about picking up
King Lear. We'll see. 'Til then
emotion_yatta
