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Book Review: The Birthgrave by Tanith Lee
Jun. 16th, 2015 06:10 pmTitle: The Birthgrave (Birthgrave Book 1)
Author: Tanith Lee
Published: New York: Daw, 2015 (1975)
Rating: 2 of 5
Page Count: 408
Total Page Count: 163,082
Text Number: 476
Read Because: personal enjoyment, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: Awakening from apparent death with no memory of her past, one women sets out on a fraught journey of self-discovery. What she discovers is a bit trite and has tinges of a deus ex machina, but it exhibits a level of intent which recasts her journey in a far more interesting light—so, despite its weaknesses, the end is satisfying. Unfortunately, the rest of the book is not. In the first three quarters, the protagonist meanders through a joyless* and repetitive world; in journey-centric plot it mimics a travelogue, but without the necessary sense of wonder. I dislike the sword and sorcery genre, so consider my opinion tainted—but to say I found The Birthgrave unsuccessful would be a vast understatement. I admire Tanith Lee, but her powerful gothic voice and good intentions can't save a book as tiresome as this one.
* There's numerous examples of institutionalized sexism—depressing, but perhaps necessary. But the protagonist's response to other female characters smacks of "not like other girls": she judges them by their social constraints, despite frequently being victim to same; in large part, it's only men that she sees as equals or allows to influence her. I found this to be the tipping point from unpleasant to distasteful.
Author: Tanith Lee
Published: New York: Daw, 2015 (1975)
Rating: 2 of 5
Page Count: 408
Total Page Count: 163,082
Text Number: 476
Read Because: personal enjoyment, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: Awakening from apparent death with no memory of her past, one women sets out on a fraught journey of self-discovery. What she discovers is a bit trite and has tinges of a deus ex machina, but it exhibits a level of intent which recasts her journey in a far more interesting light—so, despite its weaknesses, the end is satisfying. Unfortunately, the rest of the book is not. In the first three quarters, the protagonist meanders through a joyless* and repetitive world; in journey-centric plot it mimics a travelogue, but without the necessary sense of wonder. I dislike the sword and sorcery genre, so consider my opinion tainted—but to say I found The Birthgrave unsuccessful would be a vast understatement. I admire Tanith Lee, but her powerful gothic voice and good intentions can't save a book as tiresome as this one.
* There's numerous examples of institutionalized sexism—depressing, but perhaps necessary. But the protagonist's response to other female characters smacks of "not like other girls": she judges them by their social constraints, despite frequently being victim to same; in large part, it's only men that she sees as equals or allows to influence her. I found this to be the tipping point from unpleasant to distasteful.
