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juushikaTitle: The Black Jewels Trilogy: Daughter of the Blood, Heir to the Shadow, Queen of the Darkness
Author: Anne Bishop
Published: ROC, New York, 200 (2003)
Pages: 1204
Total pages: 9338
Text number: 28
Read for: my own enjoyment over Christmas break.
In brief: While reading I fondly referred to this as the bad fantasy monstrosity, but the honest truth is that, despite a fantasy setting, too many characters, and somewhat unrealistic characterization, this trilogy held my attention and made for an interesting, new, exposing if not entirely unique, read. I would recommend it to those with the time for 1000 pages and the ability to suspend disbelief so far as fantasy is concerned, but I would recommend it.
I'll state outright that I don't read or like very much fantasy. I prefer science fiction because I like explanations rather than blind acceptance; fantasy often asks that you just believe that there is magic, dragons, witches and spells, and that level of suspended belief removes me too much from the text and I find it hard to believe, much less accept, any more. As a result, I rarely read fantasy—but![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
maiden117 recommended and gave me this book, so I gave it the benefit of the doubt.
The Black Jewels Trilogy turns out to be lengthy, addicting, and relatively believable as far as fantasy goes. There's a clear progression of plot that keeps the reader interest throughout the length, magic has boundaries and rules and is therefore more believable, and the underlying world in which this all happens—a failing matriarchy—is new enough, and precious enough to the reader that it is worthwhile to hold with the story and see how things turn out. Honestly, I want to make the boyfriend read it just so that he can see what I think, personally, sex and power and gender relations should be all about. Regardless, all of those aspects made the book much better than I had predicted it would be, and I enjoyed reading it much more than I expected.
There are a number of drawbacks to the novel—there have to be, or I wouldn't still refer to it as bad fantasy. There are two many characters and their personalities are at the same time too limited, too cut-out and delineated, and also too extreme, unrealistically passionate or sexual or powerful. Unrealistic characters always make reading less enjoyable and lessen the impact and believability of the text. Furthermore, the end of the books is (without giving everything away) anti-climactic and unrealistic. The battle, as it were, happens outside and goes unwitnessed. Furthermore, it is based on a system of segregating people based on good and bad blood, a concept that I just can't believe in—it implies that repentance and forgiveness are impossible and that bad people are always bad and good people always good. The idea bothered me a lot and ruined the ending in my eyes.
In the end, however, this is a lengthy, attention-grabbing, interesting, imperfect bad fantasy monstrosity of a trilogy that makes for an amusing, interesting, fun read. This isn't a text I would have picked up myself and I enjoyed the chance to read it. Thanks, Lyz.
Review posted here at Amazon.com.
Author: Anne Bishop
Published: ROC, New York, 200 (2003)
Pages: 1204
Total pages: 9338
Text number: 28
Read for: my own enjoyment over Christmas break.
In brief: While reading I fondly referred to this as the bad fantasy monstrosity, but the honest truth is that, despite a fantasy setting, too many characters, and somewhat unrealistic characterization, this trilogy held my attention and made for an interesting, new, exposing if not entirely unique, read. I would recommend it to those with the time for 1000 pages and the ability to suspend disbelief so far as fantasy is concerned, but I would recommend it.
I'll state outright that I don't read or like very much fantasy. I prefer science fiction because I like explanations rather than blind acceptance; fantasy often asks that you just believe that there is magic, dragons, witches and spells, and that level of suspended belief removes me too much from the text and I find it hard to believe, much less accept, any more. As a result, I rarely read fantasy—but
maiden117 recommended and gave me this book, so I gave it the benefit of the doubt.The Black Jewels Trilogy turns out to be lengthy, addicting, and relatively believable as far as fantasy goes. There's a clear progression of plot that keeps the reader interest throughout the length, magic has boundaries and rules and is therefore more believable, and the underlying world in which this all happens—a failing matriarchy—is new enough, and precious enough to the reader that it is worthwhile to hold with the story and see how things turn out. Honestly, I want to make the boyfriend read it just so that he can see what I think, personally, sex and power and gender relations should be all about. Regardless, all of those aspects made the book much better than I had predicted it would be, and I enjoyed reading it much more than I expected.
There are a number of drawbacks to the novel—there have to be, or I wouldn't still refer to it as bad fantasy. There are two many characters and their personalities are at the same time too limited, too cut-out and delineated, and also too extreme, unrealistically passionate or sexual or powerful. Unrealistic characters always make reading less enjoyable and lessen the impact and believability of the text. Furthermore, the end of the books is (without giving everything away) anti-climactic and unrealistic. The battle, as it were, happens outside and goes unwitnessed. Furthermore, it is based on a system of segregating people based on good and bad blood, a concept that I just can't believe in—it implies that repentance and forgiveness are impossible and that bad people are always bad and good people always good. The idea bothered me a lot and ruined the ending in my eyes.
In the end, however, this is a lengthy, attention-grabbing, interesting, imperfect bad fantasy monstrosity of a trilogy that makes for an amusing, interesting, fun read. This isn't a text I would have picked up myself and I enjoyed the chance to read it. Thanks, Lyz.
Review posted here at Amazon.com.
