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juushikaTitle: The Fall of the Kings
Authors: Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman
Published: New York: Bantam Books, 2003 (2002)
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 505
Total Page Count: 116,859
Text Number: 339
Read Because: fan of Swordspoint, bought at Borders going out of business sale
Review: Some sixty years after the events of Swordspoint, generations after the nation's last king was assassinated, a rebellious ancient history professor meets a wayward nobleman with royal blood in his veins. The spark between them threatens academic overthrow and treason. The Fall of the Kings is a fitting sequel to Swordspoint, which is no mean feat. Literal fantasy enters the fantasy of manners setting with grace; this sequel is too distinct to be a lifeless repetition of its predecessor, but it has just enough carry-over to incite a bit of recognition and nostalgia. It's as indulgent and involved as one could wish for—it feels almost like canonical fanfiction, but that well suits the tone of a fantasy of manners (although it carries some of slash fanfiction's negatives, including problematic or nonexistent "traditional" female roles). The first two thirds of the book are a joy; the final third begins to wear: the book is a touch overlong and the number of points of view make some plot development redundant and so deadens the otherwise hard-hitting conclusion. What I liked of The Fall of the Kings, I loved: the genre, its indulgence; the queer romances and strong characters and the sheer, fascinating variety of relationships. But ultimately, it's self-indulgent pseudo-fanfic, and while a fitting sequel it isn't classic material in its own right. But that ought not discourage the interested: I recommend it.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Authors: Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman
Published: New York: Bantam Books, 2003 (2002)
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 505
Total Page Count: 116,859
Text Number: 339
Read Because: fan of Swordspoint, bought at Borders going out of business sale
Review: Some sixty years after the events of Swordspoint, generations after the nation's last king was assassinated, a rebellious ancient history professor meets a wayward nobleman with royal blood in his veins. The spark between them threatens academic overthrow and treason. The Fall of the Kings is a fitting sequel to Swordspoint, which is no mean feat. Literal fantasy enters the fantasy of manners setting with grace; this sequel is too distinct to be a lifeless repetition of its predecessor, but it has just enough carry-over to incite a bit of recognition and nostalgia. It's as indulgent and involved as one could wish for—it feels almost like canonical fanfiction, but that well suits the tone of a fantasy of manners (although it carries some of slash fanfiction's negatives, including problematic or nonexistent "traditional" female roles). The first two thirds of the book are a joy; the final third begins to wear: the book is a touch overlong and the number of points of view make some plot development redundant and so deadens the otherwise hard-hitting conclusion. What I liked of The Fall of the Kings, I loved: the genre, its indulgence; the queer romances and strong characters and the sheer, fascinating variety of relationships. But ultimately, it's self-indulgent pseudo-fanfic, and while a fitting sequel it isn't classic material in its own right. But that ought not discourage the interested: I recommend it.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
