(no subject)
Nov. 22nd, 2008 12:07 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
rare-fandom.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
youngwizards_dwHaving loved and enjoyed Book of Night With Moon (and debating starting fic for it, which I should not do because I have way to much school work to be doing), I decided to give To Visit the Queen a try.
And this is me having a lot to say again. Spoilers, obviously.
<
1.Artie. Just for being himself, but for the fact that after all is said and done and he’s back in the 1800’s the cats are talking to each other about him and we get this:
"Doyle," Arhu said. "Actually he had two last names-unusual. Arthur Conan Doyle."
"A very nice boy," Urruah said. "I wonder what he’ll make of himself in the world."
That sound you heard? That was me giggling like a loon. No wonder he called downside "a lost little world".
2.The return of Ith. Because he is awsomesauce.
3.Rhiow gets to lay verbal smackdown in this book, and it is glorious. Because while she won’t start the fight, she sure will finish it.
4.The ravens. I’m probably about to date myself here, but you remember when Disney made Dumbo and the crows in there? That’s what they remind me of, for some reason. But much more badass.
5.As much as I hate to call it a "pro", the entire scene where we figure out about the connection between Arhu and Siffha’h is wonderfully done. Arhu’s back-story makes me want to cry every time I read it, but this was just so much more. The revealing that she was his reincarnated sibling, the Rhiow mothering him on the moon, her getting pissed the fuck off at what was done to him, all just had me almost in tears and I’m not someone who cries at media period.
6.Still lots of science, but it was simple enough that I got it and described in such pretty language that I liked it anyway. >
< 1.The end plot with Auhlae. I kind of felt like it was an afterthought, like she wrapped up the main plot and was sending our heroes home when she suddenly remembered she’d never explained how the gate logs got tampered with or the point behind the mummy spell, and so just added in some filler. It’s good filler, mind you, but still tastes of filler.
2.Again with the names and the cat language. Yes, she does provide us with a dictionary in the back, but it still gets annoying after a bit. >
< 1.I’m still not sure if I want Urruah and Rhiow to get together or am glad Duane kept them as friends. Please tell me I’m not the only one out there like that. Because I’d hate it if I was the only one.
2.The grief over Hhuha’s death. At first it was well done and realistic to what you’d expect, and then we get into the plot and that occupies Rhiow’s attention for a bit. But then comes the scene where Iaehh decides not to move, and it seems forced and tacked on at the last second to resolve the conflict. I felt there could have been more to the resolution. >
All in all, I give the book an A-, because while parts seemed rushed or filler like the overall product was impressive and delightful.
And this is me having a lot to say again. Spoilers, obviously.
<
1.Artie. Just for being himself, but for the fact that after all is said and done and he’s back in the 1800’s the cats are talking to each other about him and we get this:
"Doyle," Arhu said. "Actually he had two last names-unusual. Arthur Conan Doyle."
"A very nice boy," Urruah said. "I wonder what he’ll make of himself in the world."
That sound you heard? That was me giggling like a loon. No wonder he called downside "a lost little world".
2.The return of Ith. Because he is awsomesauce.
3.Rhiow gets to lay verbal smackdown in this book, and it is glorious. Because while she won’t start the fight, she sure will finish it.
4.The ravens. I’m probably about to date myself here, but you remember when Disney made Dumbo and the crows in there? That’s what they remind me of, for some reason. But much more badass.
5.As much as I hate to call it a "pro", the entire scene where we figure out about the connection between Arhu and Siffha’h is wonderfully done. Arhu’s back-story makes me want to cry every time I read it, but this was just so much more. The revealing that she was his reincarnated sibling, the Rhiow mothering him on the moon, her getting pissed the fuck off at what was done to him, all just had me almost in tears and I’m not someone who cries at media period.
6.Still lots of science, but it was simple enough that I got it and described in such pretty language that I liked it anyway. >
< 1.The end plot with Auhlae. I kind of felt like it was an afterthought, like she wrapped up the main plot and was sending our heroes home when she suddenly remembered she’d never explained how the gate logs got tampered with or the point behind the mummy spell, and so just added in some filler. It’s good filler, mind you, but still tastes of filler.
2.Again with the names and the cat language. Yes, she does provide us with a dictionary in the back, but it still gets annoying after a bit. >
< 1.I’m still not sure if I want Urruah and Rhiow to get together or am glad Duane kept them as friends. Please tell me I’m not the only one out there like that. Because I’d hate it if I was the only one.
2.The grief over Hhuha’s death. At first it was well done and realistic to what you’d expect, and then we get into the plot and that occupies Rhiow’s attention for a bit. But then comes the scene where Iaehh decides not to move, and it seems forced and tacked on at the last second to resolve the conflict. I felt there could have been more to the resolution. >
All in all, I give the book an A-, because while parts seemed rushed or filler like the overall product was impressive and delightful.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-11-22 06:38 am (UTC)I actually had the opposite feeling, where I felt that all the Victoria stuff they were doing was less instrumental to the intervention--treating a symptom rather than a cause. If she'd left it at that, even disregarding the mummies and the gate logs (because it's perfectly reasonable to say that the causal relationship was reversed re: the gate logs, and the mummy thing could easily have been left out were it not for their involvement in the plot) I would have finished the book feeling very cheated and disappointed--the Auhlae bit gave it both in-text causal resolution and narrative symmetry. It stemmed the problem at its root in a very permanent and systemic way, which is something I've come to expect from Duane's writing.
As regards Auhlae herself--Duane did spend the entire time setting up Fhrio as a red herring, and even during the Victoria stuff had Rhiow going, huh--if he's the saboteur, then why's he so happy this is going well? (And overshadowing was brought up very early on, too.) The revelation that it was actually Auhlae, not Fhrio, was surprising, but also satisfying and a logical follow-through after the build-up and debunking of the Fhrio-is-the-culprit theory.
On further rereads, I still felt like it made sense--Auhlae is a very interesting character, who lies to herself and lets herself believe that she isn't lying because of some seriously misplaced priorities. I've known people like that, and it seems very realistic to me.
Another thing very interesting that ties into both that and your point about Rhiow/Urruah: in some ways, Duane has it set up so that the gender politics for cats are the opposite of how they stand with humans. From this standpoint, I feel like Rhiow can be a bit of a chauvinist at times, particularly towards Urruah. Which is interesting, although I'm not sure if Duane actually meant it to be read that way xD