Review. Oscar Wilde, The Picture Of Dorian Gray

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. As much as I try to read the book before seeing the movie, I erred on this one. In my defence, when I saw the movie – the 2009 adaptation of the novel – I only recently found out that it was an adaptation of a book and at that time, I hadn’t much interest in reading the book. In fact, it was the film that made me want to read the book. However, like it happens so much when you turn the natural order on its head, seeing the film first made me eager to read some scenes that weren’t in the book. I was sad, at that, but that does not mean that this isn’t a great novel. Well, quite on the contrary.

Dorian is a good-natured young man until he falls in with the cunning and quick-tongued Lord Henry, who unveils to Dorian the power of his own exceptional beauty. As he gradually sinks deeper into a glamorous and decadent world of selfish luxury, he seems to remain physically unchanged in spite of age and the stresses of his corrupt lifestyle. But in his attic, hidden behind a curtain, his portrait tells a different story.

The story itself really appeals to me – hence the reason why we went to the film – and I quite like how the plot unravels here. The big difference between the movie and the novel, is that the book is more subtle. I was waiting for some pretty graphic scenes, but instead I only got allusions and I appreciated the subtlety of it. The 2009 adaptation, on the other hand, really puts everything out there and it was an experience I was not expecting. Insofar that we went to the theater expecting to see a good film but got out scared as hell. That happens when you’re on holiday and just enter a movie theater without seeing trailers or anything. The book has none of these horror-moments, though. I particularly liked the evolution of Dorian Gray, from a sweet and innocent young man into this corrupted being who only lives for pleasure. I would have thought that he would redeem himself in the end, but he didn’t and it made the ending even more powerful. If I have to point out one particular part of the book that I thought best, it would be those last few chapters, where everything starts falling apart around him. That was pretty powerful storytelling, I think.
“I only got allusions
The biggest contribution to this story is its characters. Especially Dorian and Lord Henry are pretty powerful individuals. As I said, it’s great to see the transformation in Dorian – even though it’s for the worse – cause it gives some good insight in the darker corners of human behaviour. Without Lord Henry, though, this wouldn’t have been the case at all. It is Lord Henry who corrupted Dorian’s mind with his twisted and sick theories on pleasure and life, but I doubt is he ever put his money where his mouth was himself. One can argue that Henry isn’t completely to blame, cause Dorian eagerly absorbed every single word Henry uttered, but still, it felt like he prayed on the weaker. Without being evil in the strictest sense, I felt a very powerful loathing towards Henry and thought him quite a good antagonist of sorts. A pity, though, that Basil’s role is quite limited. I felt like he could have been a good influence on Dorian and was sad to see him fade to the background.
“some good insight in the darker corners of human behaviour
Seeing that this novel is quite dated, I feared a bit for the writing being hard to get through. However, the only thing that prevented me from powering through this, was the tiny print of the particular edition I managed to get my hands on. The writing itself was actually pretty beautiful and poetic. I found the language to be very rich without going over the top in terms of description or the usage of adjectives. There was one part, however, around the middle which was pretty thick to get through for it describes all of Dorian’s follies. I would have liked that better if it wasn’t told but rather shown to the reader, cause that would have made it less dense. Apart from that, though, I liked the pacing of the story and really enjoyed Wilde’s writing.

As much as I feared that the film would ruin the book for me, it didn’t in this case. If the book is good enough, it can draw you in all the same. I might have known how the story goes, but it didn’t keep me from enjoying the novel in the slightest. I keep telling myself that I should read more classics but somehow there is something that prevents me from actually picking them up. If they should all be like this one, though – which I know they’re not, alas – I’m in for quite a treat, cause this one was a great read.

★ ★ ★ ★

Be pretty, young and reckless. Buy a picture of you.

Review. Ben Galley, Bloodmoon

You might have noticed by now, but I am quite fond of the writings of Ben Galley. I don’t read a lot of self-published authors, but as far as I’ve read, he’s one of the best. It all started with his debut, the epic fantasy The Written, which I enjoyed very much. I still have to read the three other books in the series, but that’s kind of my problem, isn’t it? So when last year, the first book in his western fantasy came out, I took to reading it and enjoyed it very much. With the complete trilogy out since a couple of days, I figured it’s time I give you my opinion on the second book in The Scarlet Star Trilogy, Bloodmoon.

With Fell Falls put firmly behind him, Tonmerion Hark has only one desire: to make his way east and once again feel the soil of his Empire under his boots. But blood has been spilt. Machinations of the powerful foiled. Scores have been scraped in the desert sand and now they must be settled. A new power is growing in London, and it pines for revenge.
Now that both Tonmerion and Rhin find themselves being hunted over prairie and wasteland, he and his strange new family put their fate in the hands of a travelling circus, headed straight for the shores of the Iron Ocean, and a ship home.
There is only one truth: all will be settled on the night of the Bloodmoon.

After finishing Bloodrush, I was excited to see where Ben Galley would take the story, cause after all the happenings at the end of the first book, it was quite clear that a status quo was just no option. Merion and his company had to get going and this second book primarily focuses on them finding their way back to London to win back the Hark’s estate. From start to finish, this book is a roadtrip across the desert land of Wyoming and it gives a completely different feel to it than the previous book. Rather than the bustling town of Fell Falls, it’s all more bleak and desolate in the first half of the book. Galley turns it around by letting our heroes meet up with Cirque Kadabra, a traveling circus of rushers and letters, and this makes for an interesting spin on things, to say the least.
“a roadtrip across the desert
What I really liked about the circus is seeing how other people go about the rushing and getting to know more about this particular kind of magic. Also, while it’s all in good faith, Galley does a terrific job of maintaining a constant undercurrent of darkness throughout the seemingly jolly company, which climaxes at the very end in great fashion. A second storyline here is the happenings in London and the search for the deeds of the Hark estate. This political story contrasts nicely with the more magical of Merion and provides us with some needed insight in things. As the book progresses, you can’t help but feel that these two storylines will get together in the final book.
Aside from these two big storylines, there is the affair of Rhin. He’s taking a bit of a backseat here and I woul have liked it a bit more if the Fae were featured more prominently. This solely because I really like the lore, and while Rhin reveals it in tiny pieces and we get some chapters from the Fae, I just wanted more. Perhaps a novella about the Fae? A second smaller storyline was the once concerning Calidae Serped, the blonde serpent from the first book. Her contribution to this book is minimal, but when she gets to the forefront, she does so in style. I was actually taken aback by what she displayed and her newly forged alliance troubles me a bit. I guess Bloodfeud will hold the answers to a lot of things.
“a constant undercurrent of darkness throughout
With the addition of Cirque Kadabra, the cast of characters knows a considerable growth. While they are not particularly a likable bunch, they are interesting to say the least. As I previously mentioned, the dark undercurrent that flows through the circus is largely due to the characters. You just feel that there is something off with them and that they have a hidden agenda. This gives them depth to keep you engaged throughout, all the while putting things in motion between the main characters. The Merion we follow in Bloodmoon is by no means the same as the boy we started out with in the first book. He’s matured a lot over the course of the two novels and as such have the relationships with his aunt and Lurker. It’s nice to feel how the balance between them has shifted and how the events impact the characters. As far as the recurring characters go, Calidae is still a mystery to me. She’s gone from spoiled brat to vengeful vixen, but her allegiance shifts to serve her own purpose, and I can’t figure out what she wants. Well yes, she states what she wants, but I have a feeling like she’ll twist things around again. Just because she can. The most interesting characters are all in America, cause those in London are all quite vile since they just serve themselves and don’t really have that sense of depth to them. Then again, they’re politicians..
As always, the writing is very solid and engaging. Galley knows how to captivate his readers and holds their attention till the very end. If I do have to fault this book on something, though, it’s the pacing. Bloodmoon is very much a slow book and things don’t start happening until the very end. While it is in no way boring, the plot is moving forward in a walking pace which makes it all too easy to put it down for the evening and continue on tomorrow.

If you enjoyed Bloodrush, you can’t go wrong with this sequel. Bloodmoon offers more of the same amazingness and despite it being a slow book, it’s still very much a solid read and a great set-up to the big finale.

★ ★ ★ ★

Buy it before the Bloodmoon goes down for another year!

Review. Daniel Abraham, The Tyrant’s Law

Big epic fantasy series often have one or more volumes that are below par compared to the overall books in the series. Not seldom are these centred around the middle of the series, the so-called middle-book syndrome. These books are build-up for the big finale but often don’t manage to contain a completely satisfying story between its covers. The Tyrant’s Law is the middle book in The Dagger And The Coin series, but if middle-book syndrome is the rule, then Daniel Abraham wrote the exception.

The tyrant Geder Palliako had led his nation to war, but every victory has called forth another conflict. Now the greater war spreads out before him, and he is bent on bringing peace. No matter how many people he has to kill to do it.
Cithrin bel Sarcour, rogue banker of the Medean Bank, has returned to the fold. Her apprenticeship has placed her in the path of war, but the greater dangers are the ones in her past and in her soul.
Widowed and disgraced at the heart of the Empire, Clara Kalliam has become a loyal traitor, defending her nation against itself. And in the shadows of the world, Captain Marcus Wester tracks an ancient secret that will change the war in ways not even he can forsee.

Having survived an attempt on his life, Geder is taking in the reins as lord Regent. Assisted by the priests of the Spider Goddess, he is weeding out everyone who is all but loyal to him and on the go conquering cities nearby to expand his reach. The line between Regent and Tyrant, however, is a fine line to walk and an easy one to stray from. While Geder gets more and more stuck in the webs of the Spider Goddess, Marcus and Master Kit embark on a journey to free the world from said Goddess. But will they succeed in their mission before Geder and his priests enslave every city? Or can two brave women, Cara en Cithrin, make the tyrant’s reign implode from outside as well from within?
Funny thing, The Dagger And The Coin series. In seems that with each book, Daniel Abraham seems to mend what was ever so slightly off about the novel in the series. After the first book, I hoped to get some more sense of purpose and direction in the plot, which was the case in the sequel. After The King’s Blood, I felt like this series missed out on the grand scheme, the epic proportions that other series alike portray. The Tyrant’s Law introduced that epicness in the series, starting with an interesting prologue and an ever so exciting epilogue. The different storylines are coming together as well into one big, explosive story.
“know how to play the games of the court
Near the end of the first novel in the series, The Dragon’s Path, I started to favour the ladies’ storyline. The King’s Blood and especially this third book consolidated Clara and Cithrin’s positions as my favourite characters with the most engaging story. They are both turning into cunning women who know how to play the games of the court and how to use people as well as circumstances to their advantage. Their chapters were filled with plotting and intrigue and it made for such an engaging read. For other reasons, Geder’s chapters were very engaging as well. Whereas he started out as the Samwell Tarly of the series, under the influence of the priest he is becoming a loathsome character but because of this insight in his motivations behind his actions, it gives you as a reader a very unique perspective that makes the tyrant grey rather than simply black. There is still room for redemption with Geder, the question remains, however, if he will hold on to whatever shreds of humanity he has left or if he will allow himself to become completely corrupted by the Spider Goddess. Talking of which, The Tyrant’s Law also introduced and element of interest into Marcus’s plotline. While he embarks on the typical Fantasy-quest, Daniel Abraham takes this Fantasy trope and puts his own spin on it and he had me hooked. Just great and a welcome little sidestory, cause while still being connected and part of the overarching plot, it was separated from the other three threads as to allow a moment of reprieve before diving back into the doings of Geder and the women.
“hold on to whatever shreds of humanity he has left
In terms of characters, I approve of Abraham’s choice to remain at four POV’s. It would have been tempting to replace Dawson with another, for there are a lot of area’s still uncovered, but instead we get a deeper focus on the four already existing POV’s at it’s a choice that really paid of, at least for me. I am even more convinced that Cithrin and Clara are one of the strongest characters walking between the covers of this series and Geder is fitted for the role of the unintentional antagonist. I’m still not sure about Marcus, but his quest along with Master Kit tagging along made me enjoy his chapters a whole lot more than before.
All this is once again done through some very solid writing. As was the case with the previous book, the pacing is initially slow, but sooner rather than later it starts to build and you’re caught in the web Daniel Abraham is weaving with his words. Great balance, once again, between exposition and expanding the world and the action. This is really some great writing going on.

If I wasn’t already convinced by the end of the second book, then The Tyrant’s Law did the job of making this series one of the ‘buy and read asap’ ones. While clearly being the middle book in the series, it avoids being nothing more than a transition-novel by delivering on all fronts. I am eagerly awaiting the penultimate Dagger and Coin-book, cause after the prologue, I was left slightly out of breath, wanting more of what I just read.

★ ★ ★ ★

Tyrant’s orders, read this!

Review. Brandon Sanderson, The Well Of Ascension

How do you follow up a novel as brilliant as The Final Empire, the first in the Mistborn trilogy? I’ve read second books by authors who fail to live up to their first ones, which weren’t as amazing as The Final Empire was. So when I picked up The Well Of Ascension I wondered, is this a car crash waiting to happen of will Sanderson’s magic do the trick once again? Looking back now, I should have had more faith, cause while I don’t thing that The Well Of Ascension was as good as The Final Empire, it was still an excellent novel and if half the books I’ll ever read will come close to this one, I can count myself very lucky indeed.

The impossible has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler – the man who claimed to be god incarnate and brutally ruled the world for a thousand years – has been vanquished. But Kelsier, the hero who masterminded that triumph, is dead too, and now the awesome task of building a new world has been left to his young protégé, Vin, the former street urchin who is now the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and to the idealistic young nobleman she loves.
As Kelsier’s protégé and slayer of the Lord Ruler she is now venerated by a budding new religion, a distinction that makes her intensely uncomfortable. Even more worrying, the mists have begun behaving strangely since the Lord Ruler died, and seem to harbor a strange vaporous entity that haunts her.Stopping assassins may keep Vin’s Mistborn skills sharp, but it’s the least of her problems. Luthadel, the largest city of the former empire, doesn’t run itself, and Vin and the other members of Kelsier’s crew, who lead the revolution, must learn a whole new set of practical and political skills to help. It certainly won’t get easier with three armies – one of them composed of ferocious giants – now vying to conquer the city, and no sign of the Lord Ruler’s hidden cache of atium, the rarest and most powerful allomantic metal. As the siege of Luthadel tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.

What do you do when you find out that everything you thought was right, didn’t turn out to be so? That is what Vin and her friends are going through here. After the defeat of the Lord Ruler and Kelsier’s death, things only seem to be starting. With the prophecy of the Hero of Ages as guidance, they set out to seek the Well of Ascension and set everything right for once and for all.
Whereas The Final Empire was more self-contained as a story, this one actually feels like a second book in a trilogy in the way that it deals with the aftermath of the first and builds up to the final installment. That is not to say that what happens here is trivial, in fact, it is anything but. While this may not be the most riveting story of the three, I do feel that this was necessary to understand everything that’s going on. Besides, it gives us quite some interesting things to ponder upon. What about Feruchemy? Whereas the first book primarily dealt with Allomancy, here, the second art and in doing so the Terris people get their well-deserved attention. Also, another interesting storyline is provided by OreSoeur, which I won’t go into any further because of spoilers. But if I didn’t pay all that much attention to the Kandra prior to this book, now I am really fascinated by who they are and what drives them and I can’t wait to learn more about them.
“what happens here is trivial
The two biggest issues here, however, are the search for the Well of Ascension and the power that slumbers there, and the political stability of the Final Empire. I thought the former was very well done cause it gave way to the exploration of Vin as a character and allow her to experience confusing emotions and doubts about herself and everything surrounding her. The latter, the whole political situation, was a hard nut to crack for me. I don’t mind politicking and in fact, I am pro adding that to a book, but here the most of it was contained in the middle section of the book and it was so dense and hard to get through. I never really wanted to put the book aside and pick up something else, but the pacing really got slow there for a big part and it wasn’t until the end that things started picking up again. When things got going, it was going good – in a bad way – and although it wasn’t as big as it was in the previous book, the ending left me stunned and craving for more cause I only have a bunch more questions and never really got any answers. On the contrary, this story is becoming more and more complicated…
“a hard nut to crack
So the plot wasn’t as gripping as it probably could have been due to the dense middle section of the book, but still the read was worthwhile for all things previously mentioned. Another aspect that really made up for the somewhat lesser plot were the characters. The great diversity of characters from the first book are still more or less present here and get some more depth. Especially Vin really blossoms as a character. Not so much in the way that she’s happy go lucky or something like that, but her character gets explored in a lot of ways and she’s growing towards womanhood in a beautiful and conflicted way. A nice addition to the cast is the character of Elend Venture. He was more of a side character previous to this novel, but now that he’s stepping onto the stage he complements the other characters already present and even though his blending in with the group isn’t as smooth as they all would like it to be, he’s quite and invaluable asset. Even more so, alongside Vin he too has to deal with a role that thrust upon him and in this he contrasts Vin so beautifully in the way they handle things.

This second book in the trilogy might be a bit harder to get through due to the dense politicking sometimes, but the pro’s really outweigh the cons here and you get so much in return for sticking with the characters all the way. With new questions added to the already existing amount and things looking bleaker than ever, no less than a powerful showdown of epic proportions is on its way.

★ ★ ★ ★

Find the way to ascension.

Review. Daniel Abraham, The King’s Blood

After having read the first book in The Dagger And The Coin series by Daniel Abraham, I was left with mixed feelings. My expectations were far higher than the book could live up to, and thus it took me a little while to pick up the second book in the series. It just didn’t appeal to me whenever I was looking for a new book. When I did come to it, however, the book proved why this series got so much critical acclaim to start with.

War casts its shadow over the lands that the dragons once ruled. Only the courage of a young woman with the mind of a gambler and loyalty to no one stands between hope and universal darkness.
The high and powerful will fall, the despised and broken shall rise up, and everything will be remade. And quietly, almost beneath the notice of anyone, an old, broken-hearted warrior and an apostate priest will begin a terrible journey with an impossible goal: destroy a Goddess before she eats the world.

Whereas the plot in the first book was all over the place and didn’t seem to have any real direction, The King’s Blood did have a good sense of direction and purpose. Everything that went down in The Dragon’s Path is coming round with repercussions attached. His surprising save of the young monarch has put Geder in the position of Regent, albeit with the use of some magics. Another one who finds herself in a position she didn’t bargain for is Cithrin, in charge of her own branch of the Medean Bank but under severe supervision. All the while, Dawson and Clara try to survive in a politically precarious environment. In the end, they’ll be faced with the decision of staying true to the throne or to themselves and it’s a choice that might cost them dearly.
“the game of chess has now officially begun
Upon finishing The Dragon’s Path, I felt like I read a very long and elaborate prologue and this feeling got reaffirmed with The King’s Blood. Whereas the first book has put the pieces in place, the game of chess has now officially begun. Most of the characters have gotten engaging plotlines with lots of intrigue and deception – I’m especially looking at Cithrin here, the intrigue and plotting is really becoming a second nature for her. While I liked most of the plotlines, I wasn’t that convinced by Marcus’s. It’s not that it was lacklustre, but I definitely missed something there to make me fully connect to his story. In this bunch of five POV’s he falls right in the middle and gets lost there. His story is nor really intriguing nor is his character development taking a turn for the despicable, which makes him the grey mouse in a bunch of brightly coloured personas. Talking about characters that go down the wrong path, Geder is the prime example here. Whereas he garnered some sympathy previously, he’s becoming more and more off-putting as the series – and this book – goes along. This is certainly not a bad thing in terms of my interest for his storyline and the novel in general, on the contrary. The thing that makes his story engaging and off-putting at the same time, is that you witness his progression from hero to tyrant with decisions that fall ever so lightly on the wrong side of the moral spectrum. In this, he is strongly aided by the Priests of the Spider Goddess. With them, magic in slowly creeping in the story and it’s making it even more engaging.
“tie everything up in one big epic knot
While the different storylines are all more or less fascinating to read, I do miss the grander scale of some other big Fantasy series. Every character has his or her own little – or not so little – struggles, but it’s hard to find some overarching plot, the bigger picture, if you will, is missing. With three more books to go, I have no doubt that events will come together and tie everything up in one big epic knot.
The character development is pretty much on par with the respective storylines. It’s the ones I’ve mentioned before that truly come to their own in this book, wile Marcus is left standing on the side line. Perhaps it’s because characters like Cithrin, Clara and Geder are so engrossing, that a more even tempered character like Marcus does not stand out as much. Dawson portrays some of the same symptoms, but because of his political involvement, his storyline prevents him from befalling the same fate as Marcus. Master Kit, at last, has been a side character for long, but now he’s coming more and more to the front stage and he proves to be an intriguing character. I’m curious to see where the story takes him.
This has all come to be thanks to the solid writing from Daniel Abraham. While it is true that The King’s Blood, as was the case in The Dragon’s Path, starts off really slow, I can’t really critique Abraham’s writing. It’s all just very solid, with enough worldbuilding and exposition to set the stage and a change in pacing to get you hooked for the showdown.

The King’s Blood show that, while you may not judge a book by its cover, you also can’t judge a series by its first book. The Dagger and The Coin series received lots of praise when the first book was just released and was compared to George R.R. Martin’s A Song Of Ice And Fire series. After The Dragon’s Path, however, this comparison felt like a marketing stunt to me, cause everybody was loving Game of Thrones at the time. The King’s Blood proved me wrong in proving the critiques right, cause by now I can see where people might get the comparison from. While I do miss the grand scale and some major epicness, The Dagger and The Coin is building up to become another great series that can hold its own in a landscape where Martin and the likes are busy conquering seven kingdoms and more.

★ ★ ★ ★

Read the book now, before the king bleeds dry.