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#5 Platform - The War of the Flowers
May. 7th, 2008 05:29 pmGoes down pretty easy for a book this size.
Book #17: The War of the Flowers
Author: Tad Williams
Provenance: Bought at the Borders in Silver Spring... January 2005, I think.
I had this book sitting around for literally years, and had tried starting it once or twice previously before getting into it this time. It doesn't have to do with the writing itself, I think; it was probably because of the mood I was in at those times. The beginning of the book, like the first 150 pages or so, are also quite bleak; you get a sense of and empathize with how trapped the lead character, Theo, feels in his life, and it's not a fun place to be.
Then the scene moves to Faerie, where there's a lot of world-building and character development, chases and lulls, etc. The story comes alive there, and since Theo is on the run for a lot of it, it's good that Williams gets across a real sense of urgency. Faerie as a place with its own rules that Theo isn't really aware of comes off nicely, and the main supporting cast is generally quite good. I liked the plot, and how it played out. The falling apart of a fairly feudal society seen through the eyes of someone who doesn't really know the problems with the system is pretty interesting.
I had some problems with the pacing at points, though; there are lulls in the book, and there's a part which is ultimately like one conversation with bricks of exposition for a couple of chapters that really, I think, could have been better spread out over a couple of chapters. Which isn't to say I didn't like the exposition-giving character (to name who it is would be a spoiler); in fact, I think that's the most interesting character in the book.
Stylistically, Williams is quite good, I think, and as I said, I liked most of the characters. I didn't really like the love interest subplot; it wasn't tacked on, but I didn't really buy it, either.
The book is a fairly quick read once you get into it, especially for a 800+ page novel, but the beginning isn't fun. If you know that going in, I think it's better, so if you're in the mood for it, it's worth a try.
Next up: Bobby Fischer Goes to War. A chess book with geopolitical implications!
Book #17: The War of the Flowers
Author: Tad Williams
Provenance: Bought at the Borders in Silver Spring... January 2005, I think.
I had this book sitting around for literally years, and had tried starting it once or twice previously before getting into it this time. It doesn't have to do with the writing itself, I think; it was probably because of the mood I was in at those times. The beginning of the book, like the first 150 pages or so, are also quite bleak; you get a sense of and empathize with how trapped the lead character, Theo, feels in his life, and it's not a fun place to be.
Then the scene moves to Faerie, where there's a lot of world-building and character development, chases and lulls, etc. The story comes alive there, and since Theo is on the run for a lot of it, it's good that Williams gets across a real sense of urgency. Faerie as a place with its own rules that Theo isn't really aware of comes off nicely, and the main supporting cast is generally quite good. I liked the plot, and how it played out. The falling apart of a fairly feudal society seen through the eyes of someone who doesn't really know the problems with the system is pretty interesting.
I had some problems with the pacing at points, though; there are lulls in the book, and there's a part which is ultimately like one conversation with bricks of exposition for a couple of chapters that really, I think, could have been better spread out over a couple of chapters. Which isn't to say I didn't like the exposition-giving character (to name who it is would be a spoiler); in fact, I think that's the most interesting character in the book.
Stylistically, Williams is quite good, I think, and as I said, I liked most of the characters. I didn't really like the love interest subplot; it wasn't tacked on, but I didn't really buy it, either.
The book is a fairly quick read once you get into it, especially for a 800+ page novel, but the beginning isn't fun. If you know that going in, I think it's better, so if you're in the mood for it, it's worth a try.
Next up: Bobby Fischer Goes to War. A chess book with geopolitical implications!
