Sunday, March 07, 2004
Destiny of the Light - Louise Cusack
Well its been three weeks since I finished a book, which is unusual especially considering I was only reading one (and a collection of short stories) in that time. But I have been busy, and sick.
Louise Cusack is a Brisbane author who I heard talk at last year's Brisbane Writer's Festival. I have been keeping an eye out for books by many of the authors I heard talk that weekend and managed to pick this one up at the Lifeline Bookfest of a couple of weeks ago. (32 books for $60 - how can you go wrong.)
And this one was definitely worth the extravagant $3.50 I paid for it.
Anyway, the story centres around a young woman, Khatrene (or Catherine), who is compelled to leap from a waterfall adorned cliff and finds herself in a world parallel to ours, Ennae. Here she discovers that she is a princess as well as The Light, whose child is prophesised to unite the four worlds. Her guardian Talis helps protect her from the many dangers that the Ennae landscape presents. It is not really a quest fantasy, actually is almost better described as romantic fantasy, but there is adequate amounts of political intrigue and battles to keep the interest up.
I was worried at the start as the writing style was too casual for my tastes and contained a large amount of info-dumping that was rather unsubtly used. I think that the world could have been revealed slightly slowler and in a smoother fashion. Despite being transported to a parallel world Khatrene thoughts are often expressed in ways that we would be familiar with, yet are dramatically out of place in the fantasy setting of Ennae. I really liked this touch, as it served as a reminder that Khatrene was new to this world. They also often contained distinctly Australian references which is refreshing. Not all fantasy needs to be set in a Europe like environment just because that is what Tolkien did. There are a few that I wrote down and may as well include here "she felt like an albino at a corroboree", "moss crackled like Rice Bubbles", "like the sugar gliders that had frequented her mango tree", "hairstyle better suited to a toilet brush", "cadbury coloured skin".
In the beginning there is seemingly little impediment to the fulfilment of the prophecy. Danger is far away or absent, and there is no threatening build up or tension of any kind. The characterisation seemed child-like; good - but lacking depth or realism, a little too perfect and proper. The early attempts at political intrigue also seemed ineffectual, lacking in menace, but the relatively small cast of characters meant they were easy to follow, unlike GRRM, and Jacqueline Carey. These negative reactions may have also come because it took me quite a while to get through the first part of the book. If I had rushed through it in one night it might not have seemed like such a problem. I think that the circumstances in which we read books often have a greater influence over our opinions than we admit.
But just before the half way mark the action starts to pick up significantly and my interest rose with it. Political enemies are revealed, plots start to thicken and suddenly things don't seem so rosy. Tension increases steadily until the conclusion and we are kept in the dark just enough that it doesnt get frustrating (although there is a rather glaring loose end that I would have liked to seen cleared up, but as this is the first book in a trilogy I suppose I should let that go.)
And the conclusion is brilliant, a thought provoking twist, battles, deaths of some of the characters. I loved it! There was one particular phrase here that jumped out at me (actually just a word but, hey) "her mind full of the ambrosial emotions she tapped into"
There was plenty of soppy romance which I think went a bit too far, there is only so much fawning that I can take in one novel, but there was some well written sex at the end of it so it wasnt all bad.
But to sum it up I would have to say 'Great ending! Bring on number two.'
Coincidentally I have just won an ebay auction on number two, so it should be here in a week or two :)
Louise Cusack is a Brisbane author who I heard talk at last year's Brisbane Writer's Festival. I have been keeping an eye out for books by many of the authors I heard talk that weekend and managed to pick this one up at the Lifeline Bookfest of a couple of weeks ago. (32 books for $60 - how can you go wrong.)
And this one was definitely worth the extravagant $3.50 I paid for it.
Anyway, the story centres around a young woman, Khatrene (or Catherine), who is compelled to leap from a waterfall adorned cliff and finds herself in a world parallel to ours, Ennae. Here she discovers that she is a princess as well as The Light, whose child is prophesised to unite the four worlds. Her guardian Talis helps protect her from the many dangers that the Ennae landscape presents. It is not really a quest fantasy, actually is almost better described as romantic fantasy, but there is adequate amounts of political intrigue and battles to keep the interest up.
I was worried at the start as the writing style was too casual for my tastes and contained a large amount of info-dumping that was rather unsubtly used. I think that the world could have been revealed slightly slowler and in a smoother fashion. Despite being transported to a parallel world Khatrene thoughts are often expressed in ways that we would be familiar with, yet are dramatically out of place in the fantasy setting of Ennae. I really liked this touch, as it served as a reminder that Khatrene was new to this world. They also often contained distinctly Australian references which is refreshing. Not all fantasy needs to be set in a Europe like environment just because that is what Tolkien did. There are a few that I wrote down and may as well include here "she felt like an albino at a corroboree", "moss crackled like Rice Bubbles", "like the sugar gliders that had frequented her mango tree", "hairstyle better suited to a toilet brush", "cadbury coloured skin".
In the beginning there is seemingly little impediment to the fulfilment of the prophecy. Danger is far away or absent, and there is no threatening build up or tension of any kind. The characterisation seemed child-like; good - but lacking depth or realism, a little too perfect and proper. The early attempts at political intrigue also seemed ineffectual, lacking in menace, but the relatively small cast of characters meant they were easy to follow, unlike GRRM, and Jacqueline Carey. These negative reactions may have also come because it took me quite a while to get through the first part of the book. If I had rushed through it in one night it might not have seemed like such a problem. I think that the circumstances in which we read books often have a greater influence over our opinions than we admit.
But just before the half way mark the action starts to pick up significantly and my interest rose with it. Political enemies are revealed, plots start to thicken and suddenly things don't seem so rosy. Tension increases steadily until the conclusion and we are kept in the dark just enough that it doesnt get frustrating (although there is a rather glaring loose end that I would have liked to seen cleared up, but as this is the first book in a trilogy I suppose I should let that go.)
And the conclusion is brilliant, a thought provoking twist, battles, deaths of some of the characters. I loved it! There was one particular phrase here that jumped out at me (actually just a word but, hey) "her mind full of the ambrosial emotions she tapped into"
There was plenty of soppy romance which I think went a bit too far, there is only so much fawning that I can take in one novel, but there was some well written sex at the end of it so it wasnt all bad.
But to sum it up I would have to say 'Great ending! Bring on number two.'
Coincidentally I have just won an ebay auction on number two, so it should be here in a week or two :)
