Psst! She Reads Trashy Novels...

December 08, 2005

Review: Talyn by Holly Lisle

As NaNoWriMo is now NoMo', it's time for this miserable 30,000 word failure to catch up on her reviewing backlog. First up is Talyn, by Holly Lisle.

First and foremost, I must give props to Ms. Lisle for gifting the fantasy-reading public with an increasingly rare type of novel - the stand-alone fantasy novel. No "previouslies" or cliff-hanger endings here, just an engrossing, fast paced novel that ate my weekend and spit me out into the harsh light of Monday morning squinty and tired.

I haven't read a fantasy novel in ages. The thing that drove me away from the genre was the trend toward long-ass multi-book series. Yeah, yeah, I know Tolkein did it, but, dayum, how many of these fantasy writers are Tolkien? Uh-huh. I thought so.

Having recently struggled to get a mere 30,000 words into the old hard drive, I do admire the hard work and dedication that some writers put into producing a 5 book series in which each book contains no fewer than 400 pages. But damned if I've got the time or energy to read it. I want to visit a world of wonder and imagination, not pack up and move there. And don't get me started on the "between-books" wait (I'm looking at YOU J.K. Rowling!).

In addition to its refreshing stand-alone format, Talyn was also blessedly free of the other things that turn me off of fantasy novels - Eurofetishism, over-emphasis on magic, do-nothing whiny heroines, elves, and the word "magic" spelled with a "k".

The setting for Talyn is a well-grounded world that's as easy to slip into as a warm bath, though not nearly so comfortable. The Tonks and the Eastils have been fighting a magical war for three-hundred years, and each society is firmly entrenched in a culture of war. Talyn, one of the two main characters, is a soldier in the Tonk society - a "Shielder" who protects magical "Senders" from attack.

For the record, I am probably doing a terrible job of describing magic in the world of Talyn. Lisle does it with such straightforward ease, that you never notice how detailed her explanation is until you close the book and find that you can still remember the way it works. And, what's more, it makes its own kind of sense.

Life changes abruptly for Talyn when representatives from a third country broker a peace between the Tonks and the Eastils. Anyone who has read more than a couple of books in the Fantasy genre knows that cultures and people with ugly names are generally up to no good. So you'll know that as nice as peace between the Eastils and the Tonks sounds after 300 years of war, it can't be a good thing when its brokered by a people called the "Feegash". Nor can the Feegash diplomat who professes undying love for Talyn be as earnest as he seems when he's saddled with a name like "Skirmig".

I tell you, if I ever decide to found my own race of evil biracial bitches hellbent on magical world domination, I will give my minions names so saccharine, people will mistake us for a late-fifties girl group. We will dress tastefully, in flattering colors and comfortable clothes. We will be kind to children, servants and animals. And then one day - Bam! Evil World Domination. Who would ever have suspected Cutie-Pie and the LaLaLa's?

To further add to the Signs o' Evil, Talyn falls into a dark, compulsive sexual relationship with Skirmig. When Talyn requests his help in obtaining the release of some Eastil prisoners of war who have been forgotten by the governments of both countries, and tortured nearly to death by their guards, Skirmig agrees, but uses the incident to draw Talyn further into his web of dark, addictive sex.

And speaking of addictive, have I mentioned how this book ate my weekend? I won't say I couldn't put it down. I put it down on several occasions: twice to shower, once when I fell asleep at 4:30 AM, and once when I was eating a sandwich. So, there.

In order to save herself and her people, Talyn must overcome her ingrained enmity for the Eastils and work with one of the freed Eastil soldiers to break the Feegash's hold on both of their countries. Much of the book is told from Talyn's first-person perspective, and she is an engaging and likeable narrator. Even when she says or does things with which I might disagree, she remains fascinating.

The other part of the book is told from the third-person POV of Gair, one of the freed Eastil prisoners. While I see the need to switch to the perspectives of other characters in a book of this length and complexity, the transition between first and third person POV is the least smooth aspect of the book. Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying it's bad. Really, Lisle suffers only by comparison to herself. She handles other tricky elements so well that the merely average quality of the first-person/third-person shift stands out.

The plot was well-plotted; the world was well-rounded, the characters each had their own personalities, and - this is a huge complement when someone is as bad with names as I am - I never got any of the characters confused. Talyn was a very entertaining story.

The book seemed to allude to deeper issues - to examine love across culture lines, to rebuke the idea of moral equivalency, and to say that there really are some values worth fighting for. On that level, Talyn didn't quite do it for me. Most Fantasy novels tend to reduce moral questions to simple either-or propositions like Good vs. Evil. That simplicity is part of the appeal of the Fantasy genre, and also its greatest stumbling block when it comes to any revealing examination of the human condition.

In Talyn the good guys are too good, and the bad guy is too evil to prompt any hesitation on the part of the reader to root for the good guys. The occasional atrocities of the ongoing Tonk-Eastil war have scarred both Talyn and Gair, but Skirmig is a knife-wielding, flesh-carving, baby-killing, soul-enslaving, sister-raping sadist bent on world domination. Hmm - tough choice.
Yes, Talyn overcomes her Tonk prejudices enough to team up with Gair and save the world, but Gair looks, talks and acts like an Eastil - is it really a stretch for her character? Now, obviously, given my background, I'm going to be rough on authors who wimp out when it comes to culture-crossin' love. Talyn's thought processes on learning to deal with Gair were interesting to read, and her growth arc felt earned, rather than forced for the sake of plot.

When I closed the cover on Talyn, I couldn't help thinking that it could have been a darker, more challenging book - and maybe before editorial, it was. But what I think it could have been does not detract from what it is - a great read. I haven't got a tenth of the talent and skill that Holly Lisle probably puts into writing her grocery list, so I really have no right to say what her books could or should be. I'm happy to read, enjoy and occasionally review them.

Lisle definitely has the writing chops to master any type of story she decides to write. I've read a few of her other fantasy novels, and Fantasy is lucky to have her. She's consistently original and entertaining. I read in her blog that she also writes romance. If ever there was a genre that could use more originality and entertainment, it's Romance. I can't wait to see what Holly Lisle does with it.

Up next in the review backlog: Shame on it All by Zane and Mr. Right Now by Monica Jackson.

Posted by sk :: 12/08/2005 :: 1 comments

December 01, 2005

I am a Racist

You're a racist, too. Now wait - don't get all up in a bunch. I'm not saying you get hot and bothered over fiery crosses and goose-stepping. I'm just saying that, for good or ill, you judge people based on their race - and probably their looks, weight and age, too.

Don't believe me? Take a test, and see for yourself. Thanks to the IAT tests, I learned that I like black people slightly more than white people, thin people slightly more than fat people, and young people slightly more than old people.

Does that mean I spend my free time throwing rocks at old, fat white people? Of course not. But it does mean that I have just as much potential toward hatred and cruelty as those mouth-breathing sheet-wearers I saw last night on Springer. How could I not? I'm human.

According to a link on Monica Jackson's blog, today is Blog Against Racism Day. How better to celebrate the occasion than for all of us to face the fact that as human beings, we have preconceived notions and preferences. There's no shame in admitting it - the only shame lies in giving in. Prejudice is a part of human nature, but so is transcendence.

The first step to overcoming our less-than-noble instincts is to acknowledge them. I'm a racist, you're a racist. Go ahead and admit it. Then get the hell over it.

Life is too short, and kindred spirits are too rare, for any of us to go turning our noses up at the good people with whom God graces our lives just because some backward little cro-magnon part of our brain that evolved to protect us from saber-toothed tigers has gone and gotten its wires crossed.*

Transcendence, baby. It's the word for the day, the name of the game, the only chance we've got to get along like the sisters and brothers we truly are. Transcendence. There's no way to escape racism - it's in us. We've got to grow past it, to transcend our baser natures.

So, yeah, I'm a racist. But you know what? I'm working on it.

*Yes, I used God and evolution in the same sentence - no matter what Pat Robertson says, they aren't mutually exclusive.

Posted by sk :: 12/01/2005 :: 0 comments