May. 7th, 2011

fajrdrako: ([Books])




Friends whose taste I trust really like the writing of Elizabeth Bear. A while back I read Ink and Steel and had mixed feelings - "mixed" meaning, mostly I didn't like it. It was about two historical figures I love - Shakespeare and Marlowe. It had intrigue and all sorts of things I like, but... It was one of those cases where, because I have strong preconceptions about the characters, setting and theme, I had difficulty settling in to enjoy her depiction.

The problem lies almost entirely in her writing style, which strikes me as cold. It's as if her style of writing and my style of reading don't quite meet as they should.

But then I read her wonderful short story Botticelli, which I loved so much, so I decided to try reading her novels again. On the suggestion of [personal profile] deakat, I read Carnival. I liked the title.

It turns out really not to be about the Carnival much at all, although it's set at Carnival-time on the planet New Amazonia. The title has more subversive meanings and nuances, including the eating of meats as opposed to vegetarian habits, and the wearing of figurative masks. I was hoping for actual masks, but no, it wasn't that kind of Carnival. Most of the characters are hiding important secrets, and the protagonists are two men who love each other.

My kind of story.

Again, I had many problems with the writing. Again, the style seemed cold. Again, I found myself puzzled to know what I was supposed to make of certain scenes and situations. And yet... I enjoyed the story, the themes, and the suspense. I found myself thinking about the story when I wasn't reading it. I liked some of the SF themes - a sentient city, a non-physical alien, a world where men are second-class citizens, another where the population is ruthlessly culled to save the ecological balance. I like the question it poses, about the needs of a civilization in contrast to the freedoms and rights of an individual.

ExpandMore specifically... )

I certainly liked it enough to read another of Elizabeth Bear's novels - after all, good science fiction is hard to find, even more so when it mixes social, political, and technological themes. Maybe I'll overcome my problems with her style, maybe I won't, but there's enough substance there that it will be fun trying.

So I requested Undertow at the library.

Profile

fajrdrako: (Default)
fajrdrako

October 2023

S M T W T F S
1234567
891011121314
151617181920 21
22 232425262728
293031    

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

Expand All Cut TagsCollapse All Cut Tags
Page generated Jul. 2nd, 2025 11:00 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios