Reading Wednesday
Sep. 28th, 2016 02:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brigdhWhat did you just finish?
Lady of the Imperial City by Laura Kitchell. A fairly typical historical romance, but with a twist: this one's set in Heian-era Japan. I admit that alone was enough to get me to read it.
Lady Kirei is highly admired by the nobility of Kyo for her elegant taste and aristocratic accomplishments: writing poetry, making incense, singing, designing fashions, etc. However, since she was raised in exile, she's considered too lowly to become a wife to any gentleman. Her uncle wants to push her into becoming a consort to a prince for the political advantage it will bring the family, but Kirei is holding out for true love.
Lord Yukan is an extremely rich merchant whose trade has led him to travel all around Japan, as well as to China and Korea. He's more used to dealing with peasants and 'barbarians' than the nobility of Kyo. But when the Emperor takes a shine to him and demands that he settle in Kyo, Yukan needs a tutor in social rules – and who better than the stylish Lady Kirei!
The writing and characters are nothing special, but I was charmed enough by the different setting to enjoy the book nonetheless. The conceit of structuring the relationship around etiquette lessons also allows the author to explain things that might otherwise have been confusing to the audience – I think Kitchell at times went a little too far with the "as you know, Bob" dialogue, but it was a good idea. I've read Heian literature before, but sometimes it's nice to read something written by an outsider simply because they tend to elaborate more on topics an insider already knows. Prince Genji doesn't bother to describe an incense judging contest because he knows all the rules already; Lady Kirei can explain what the room looks like and how to choose a judge and what it means to say a certain smell is for winter vs spring and so on.
One thing that bothered me a little – even if it probably is absolutely to be expected for a book selling itself as a romance – is that Kitchell spent a lot of time establishing how the expectations around love are different in Heian Japan, and then proceeds to have her two main characters behave exactly like modern Westerners. She sets up that this is a culture where polygamy is expected, female virginity is not prized, and the male beauty standard is androgynous and delicate. And then we're told that Yukan is masculine and strong and Kirei finds that "confusingly attractive", Kirei is still a virgin because she's been ~saving herself~ for someone she really loves, and they've both longed to dedicate themselves monogamously to their true love. Ah, well. This is the difference between the romance genre and historical fiction.
I read this as an ARC via NetGalley.
The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells. A fantasy novel set on a planet with a multitude of intelligent species, all of whom are menaced by the evil, manipulative, cannibalistic Fell. Our main character is Moon, who sometimes looks like a regular human (...I guess? I had trouble picturing what anyone was supposed to look like in this book) but can also shift into a dragon-like creature, with wings and claws and black scales. Since the only other flying people around are the Fell, he's had to keep this other side of himself hidden ever since he was orphaned and abandoned at a young age.
After spending his whole life being chased from place to place and never quite fitting in anywhere, Moon finally discovers his people: the Raksura, a race of shapeshifters led by fierce queens. Unfortunately this does not lead to an immediate happy ending. On the one hand, Moon turns out to be a consort: an important, highly-prized role, as they are the only ones who can mate with queens. On the other hand, since he is from an unknown bloodline and grew up feral, no queen is immediately eager to mate with him and some of the Raksura want to kick him out entirely. These court politics are even further complicated by the fact that it turns out the Fell have been playing a long-game against the Raksura, and begin attacking and invading immediately after Moon's arrival.
Overall this is a book with a lot of iddy elements that I wish it had indulged a bit more. I would have loved more worldbuilding about Raksura society, particularly its gender politics, and more about the hints of a connection between the Raksura and the Fell, and more time spent lingering on the many H/C scenes that were brushed by too quickly. I was also surprised by how little Moon wallowed in his emotions, given the premise of 'lonely orphan finds a home but people are mean to him'. That could be a plus or minus, depending on what kind of writing you like! I wanted some more emotions, honestly.
This is just the first book of a series, though, and I can hope that all of this stuff is gone into with more detail in the sequels. I certainly liked this one enough to give the rest a chance.
What are you currently reading?
Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah. Trevor Noah has a book coming out! :D I am hugely fond of him – if you don't recognize the name, he's the new host of The Daily Show, having taken over last year from Jon Stewart. Noah is not, of course, the game-changing politics-defining anchor that Stewart was, but he's sweet and friendly with a dry sense of humor and I like him a lot. I also really like the perspective he's able to give, as a non-American hosting an American news show, though he doesn't delve into that as often as I would like.
Anyway. He's got a book! :D
Lady of the Imperial City by Laura Kitchell. A fairly typical historical romance, but with a twist: this one's set in Heian-era Japan. I admit that alone was enough to get me to read it.
Lady Kirei is highly admired by the nobility of Kyo for her elegant taste and aristocratic accomplishments: writing poetry, making incense, singing, designing fashions, etc. However, since she was raised in exile, she's considered too lowly to become a wife to any gentleman. Her uncle wants to push her into becoming a consort to a prince for the political advantage it will bring the family, but Kirei is holding out for true love.
Lord Yukan is an extremely rich merchant whose trade has led him to travel all around Japan, as well as to China and Korea. He's more used to dealing with peasants and 'barbarians' than the nobility of Kyo. But when the Emperor takes a shine to him and demands that he settle in Kyo, Yukan needs a tutor in social rules – and who better than the stylish Lady Kirei!
The writing and characters are nothing special, but I was charmed enough by the different setting to enjoy the book nonetheless. The conceit of structuring the relationship around etiquette lessons also allows the author to explain things that might otherwise have been confusing to the audience – I think Kitchell at times went a little too far with the "as you know, Bob" dialogue, but it was a good idea. I've read Heian literature before, but sometimes it's nice to read something written by an outsider simply because they tend to elaborate more on topics an insider already knows. Prince Genji doesn't bother to describe an incense judging contest because he knows all the rules already; Lady Kirei can explain what the room looks like and how to choose a judge and what it means to say a certain smell is for winter vs spring and so on.
One thing that bothered me a little – even if it probably is absolutely to be expected for a book selling itself as a romance – is that Kitchell spent a lot of time establishing how the expectations around love are different in Heian Japan, and then proceeds to have her two main characters behave exactly like modern Westerners. She sets up that this is a culture where polygamy is expected, female virginity is not prized, and the male beauty standard is androgynous and delicate. And then we're told that Yukan is masculine and strong and Kirei finds that "confusingly attractive", Kirei is still a virgin because she's been ~saving herself~ for someone she really loves, and they've both longed to dedicate themselves monogamously to their true love. Ah, well. This is the difference between the romance genre and historical fiction.
I read this as an ARC via NetGalley.
The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells. A fantasy novel set on a planet with a multitude of intelligent species, all of whom are menaced by the evil, manipulative, cannibalistic Fell. Our main character is Moon, who sometimes looks like a regular human (...I guess? I had trouble picturing what anyone was supposed to look like in this book) but can also shift into a dragon-like creature, with wings and claws and black scales. Since the only other flying people around are the Fell, he's had to keep this other side of himself hidden ever since he was orphaned and abandoned at a young age.
After spending his whole life being chased from place to place and never quite fitting in anywhere, Moon finally discovers his people: the Raksura, a race of shapeshifters led by fierce queens. Unfortunately this does not lead to an immediate happy ending. On the one hand, Moon turns out to be a consort: an important, highly-prized role, as they are the only ones who can mate with queens. On the other hand, since he is from an unknown bloodline and grew up feral, no queen is immediately eager to mate with him and some of the Raksura want to kick him out entirely. These court politics are even further complicated by the fact that it turns out the Fell have been playing a long-game against the Raksura, and begin attacking and invading immediately after Moon's arrival.
Overall this is a book with a lot of iddy elements that I wish it had indulged a bit more. I would have loved more worldbuilding about Raksura society, particularly its gender politics, and more about the hints of a connection between the Raksura and the Fell, and more time spent lingering on the many H/C scenes that were brushed by too quickly. I was also surprised by how little Moon wallowed in his emotions, given the premise of 'lonely orphan finds a home but people are mean to him'. That could be a plus or minus, depending on what kind of writing you like! I wanted some more emotions, honestly.
This is just the first book of a series, though, and I can hope that all of this stuff is gone into with more detail in the sequels. I certainly liked this one enough to give the rest a chance.
What are you currently reading?
Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah. Trevor Noah has a book coming out! :D I am hugely fond of him – if you don't recognize the name, he's the new host of The Daily Show, having taken over last year from Jon Stewart. Noah is not, of course, the game-changing politics-defining anchor that Stewart was, but he's sweet and friendly with a dry sense of humor and I like him a lot. I also really like the perspective he's able to give, as a non-American hosting an American news show, though he doesn't delve into that as often as I would like.
Anyway. He's got a book! :D
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2016-09-28 09:41 pm (UTC)I agree that is an instantly more interesting setup to me than the mainstream American romance default.
no subject
Date: 2016-09-28 11:48 pm (UTC)One thing that bothered me a little – even if it probably is absolutely to be expected for a book selling itself as a romance – is that Kitchell spent a lot of time establishing how the expectations around love are different in Heian Japan, and then proceeds to have her two main characters behave exactly like modern Westerners.
:(
no subject
Date: 2016-09-29 03:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-09-29 03:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-09-29 04:15 am (UTC)Anyone (English-language) writing Heian-era romances with accurate social conventions?
no subject
Date: 2016-10-02 03:08 am (UTC)There is definitely further world building and more about Raksura society as the series goes on, and more about the connection between the Raksura and the Fell. (And if you like them sufficiently, the author has a Patreon account where she regularly posts missing scenes and outtakes and snippets from forthcoming books, which are a lot of fun!) It's true that the characters don't often appear to wallow in emotion, but I think it's partly because we see them through Moon's eyes and he is really unfamiliar with their society/mores/behavior.
But I find as I've read them over again, I pick up more details that now read as very emotional to me, even though they are sometimes understated or go by quickly. I'm not sure how to better describe this without spoilers, but I think maybe I've become accustomed to Raksura body language/culture enough that I read more into touches and gestures and conversations, and can see through Moon's shell that guards his emotions. And as the series goes on, Moon gets better at perceiving what other Raksura are feeling or understanding what they want and expect from him, and so there is more to go on there as well.
But also something about Martha Wells' writing style seems to allow readers to miss things, because she does sometimes drop these sort of major emotional details in just a few words, and doesn't necessarily reinforce them again - I had to argue with a commenter on AO3 who was quite insistent that a relationship I was writing about was not canon, despite it having been explicitly mentioned in one of the books that the two characters were having sex, because it was mentioned in one sentence and I assume they'd skimmed past it.
Anyway, I would love to talk more about the books if/when you read them, and there's some good fic on AO3 to address any lack of sufficient H/C or emotional stuff too :)
no subject
Date: 2016-10-06 01:31 am (UTC)Kij Johnson – Fudoki and The Fox Woman. Both of these have fantasy elements, weaving in Japanese mythology and ghost stories into straight-forward stories. Really gorgeous, poetic writing style.
Susan Fromberg Schaeffer – The Snow Fox. Actually this one is mostly a romance, though it wasn't sold under that genre. Also has a slight magic realism tinge.
Liza Dalby – The Tale of Murasaki. Fictionalized retelling of the life of Murasaki Shikibu, the author of The Tale of Genji. Not as good as Genji itself, but much shorter and the author has clearly done her research.
no subject
Date: 2016-10-06 01:48 am (UTC)I've read (and loved) the two Kij Johnsons; not the other two. Thank you!
no subject
Date: 2016-10-06 03:48 am (UTC)Yeah, that makes total sense. I think there's also a great benefit to leaving the details vague; that way people can picture the Raksura as more or less human, depending on their personal preference. I personally incline toward the 'more human' end of the spectrum, but I know a lot of fantasy fans who love aliens that are truly alien. This approach lets both groups be happy!
There is definitely further world building and more about Raksura society as the series goes on, and more about the connection between the Raksura and the Fell. (And if you like them sufficiently, the author has a Patreon account where she regularly posts missing scenes and outtakes and snippets from forthcoming books, which are a lot of fun!)
These are both really good to know, thank you! I have not yet bothered to figure out how Patron works, but this may be the straw that finally gets me to sign up.
I had to argue with a commenter on AO3 who was quite insistent that a relationship I was writing about was not canon, despite it having been explicitly mentioned in one of the books that the two characters were having sex, because it was mentioned in one sentence and I assume they'd skimmed past it.
That's fascinating! I hope I'm not missing too much, though if I have to reread to pick up on everything, it won't be the worst fate.
Anyway, I would love to talk more about the books if/when you read them, and there's some good fic on AO3 to address any lack of sufficient H/C or emotional stuff too :)
That would be great! I admit that it's been Yuletide that finally got me to push this to the top of my to-read list, so I hope to soon be discussing and reading fic.