Title: Watchtower (The Chronicles of Tornor Book 1)
Author: Elizabeth A. Lynn
Published: New York: Ace Books, 1999 (1979)
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 220
Total Page Count: 123,597
Text Number: 360
Read Because: recommended by![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
century_eyes, borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: When Tornor Keep is captured by southern raiders, Ryke must become one of the new Lord's guardsmen in order to protect the life of the Keep's overthrown Prince—until both can find an avenue of escape. Watchtower has a terse, staccato, repetitive style that gives it deceptive speed and simplicity, but at its heart it's a deeply personal tale. This is fantasy without magic: a familiar but foreign setting, intricately realized and intensely problematic; the conflict between worldviews that arises within it is predictable but the depth of those experiencing it give it new life and bring with them subtle, fraught, affecting interpersonal relationships (and fairly diverse ones, especially for the book's release date). Ryke is a standout character whose repressed inner monologue exposes a difficult and conflicted man; his core companions are also strong, although characters grow increasingly archetypal the further they are from the heart of the story. All in all, a good book but not a great one, but it hits just enough of my favorite notes to keep me engaged. This book stands alone, and I moderately recommend it; I will probably try out the next in the series.
(The Ace trade edition I read is chockablock full of typos.)
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Author: Elizabeth A. Lynn
Published: New York: Ace Books, 1999 (1979)
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 220
Total Page Count: 123,597
Text Number: 360
Read Because: recommended by
century_eyes, borrowed from the Multnomah County LibraryReview: When Tornor Keep is captured by southern raiders, Ryke must become one of the new Lord's guardsmen in order to protect the life of the Keep's overthrown Prince—until both can find an avenue of escape. Watchtower has a terse, staccato, repetitive style that gives it deceptive speed and simplicity, but at its heart it's a deeply personal tale. This is fantasy without magic: a familiar but foreign setting, intricately realized and intensely problematic; the conflict between worldviews that arises within it is predictable but the depth of those experiencing it give it new life and bring with them subtle, fraught, affecting interpersonal relationships (and fairly diverse ones, especially for the book's release date). Ryke is a standout character whose repressed inner monologue exposes a difficult and conflicted man; his core companions are also strong, although characters grow increasingly archetypal the further they are from the heart of the story. All in all, a good book but not a great one, but it hits just enough of my favorite notes to keep me engaged. This book stands alone, and I moderately recommend it; I will probably try out the next in the series.
(The Ace trade edition I read is chockablock full of typos.)
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
