#Lyonesse: Suldrun's Garden

[aylinnworld]

The Dawn of Yangchen

Nice read, if someone wants to read about a heroine who has to face political challenges. I liked it more than the Kyoshi Novels.

Also, reading Lyonesse: Suldrun's Garden by Jack Vance.

It is an old fantasy book that has an interesting atmosphere, magical and fairy-tale-like. Magic that has no hard rules.

But I cannot recommend it to anyone because.

Beware spoilers:

Some really obnoxious rape scenes that played no role whatsoever and could be omitted. I don't know why Jack Vance felt the need to add scene where a 12 year old girl is raped by a troll? This scene adds nothing and later has no impact whatsoever. It is just there and it is obnoxious. Without these obnoxious scenes, it would have been a much better story, but they are there and are a big minus.

[stainlesssteellocust]

Princess Suldrun just cannot catch. A break. Can she

everything was looking up for a bit there with the cute boy and the escape plan and all that, romance was very rushed but I rolled with it

and then the fucking priest ruined everything as usual

I wonder what’ll happen now

[pleas3pretendimnothere]

Let's review July! Did a lot of reading this month, so let's jump right into it.

The Wicked King

By Holly Black - This is Black's sequel to The Cruel Prince, which I read with a friend for a book club. Years later, after the series gained traction on BookTok, we decided to read the sequel. My friend somewhat enjoyed Prince. I did not...

Black met my low expectations perfectly! I remembered very little of Prince, but I believe by the time I read the series' third book, I MIGHT remember this one. While Prince is disjointed and flimsy, King is only disjointed! The plot this time around is, at least, competent. Still, the reader must survive Black's poor prose and then attempt to understand the mess of a world that is this series. Faerie is a poorly developed kingdom, and the beats lack any feeling of import, resulting in constant, unsatisfied confusion. Every chapter, I asked, "What?" "Why?" "Who?"

What kind of kingdom even is Faerie? What sort of power does it hold? Why do mermaids want control of this land? Who are all these random, single-use characters? How am I supposed to believe the MC is a badass when all she ever does is get slapped around and tricked?

And yet...Black has once again succeeded in charming me. The absolute failure of worldbuilding is amusing. Repeated anger and frustration and bafflement carried me all the way through to the end. Nonsense, and more nonsense, and by the epilogue, I was at a circus having a blast. Why would I expect anything less from Holly Black? Coldest Girl in Coldtown was unparalleled bad literature! Holly is the queen of terrible books, and I am but a humble servant of her court!

BookTok never lets me down. If you're looking to read a bad book for fun, Holly Black is always the answer. But if you're looking for something interesting or thought-provoking, SKIP IT! Read this next book instead...

Lyonesse

By Jack Vance - Now THIS is what good fantasy is supposed to be! It was whiplash, reading King and Lyonesse back to back. It felt like finishing my CapriSun and finally pouring myself a glass of champagne.

Lyonesse, though written at a snail's pace typical of a lot of older fantasy, is a bedtime story fantasy banquet. The read is long but comprised of small, episodic adventures that make consuming the story in many short sessions an easy accomplishment. Vance's tale surrounds Princess Suldrun's tragedy and her lover Aillas's quest to rescue their spirited-away son. The world of conqueror nation Lyonesse is detailed yet mysterious; it is complicated and horrifying, and stakes are peppered in where you least expect them. Powerful characters come and go, and twists jump out of nowhere, bringing excitement to an otherwise relaxing read.

And speaking of relaxation, Vance's prose is to die for. This is beautiful fantasy fiction about magic and curses, faeries and ogres, wizards and witches and wars and politics! It frightened, shocked, and enchanted me. I will definitely be reaching for the sequel! BUY IT!

The Speed of Darkness

By Catherine Fisher - I have finally reached the last book in Fisher's Obsidian Mirror series! To recap, Obsidian Mirror was great fun. The Slanted Worlds brought new excitement and adventure to the story. The Door in the Moon was...a departure from its high-tension predecessors. And the series' conclusion was...meh.

I was incredibly disappointed with Darkness. Fisher's writing remains fast-paced and fun, but the finale fails to make sense of this sci-fi time-traveler tale. Plot-holes previously overlooked are addressed and then dismissed, sort of in a lackluster wink-wink fashion that feels like a slight to reader's intelligence. Characters remain one-note, failing to change or improve in any meaningful way. The villain's origin is addressed quickly and then falls flat, feeling poorly thought through. Things just sort of...finish. And that is that.

A new, interesting character from the distant past is introduced, but they are thrown away halfway through the book. It's just failure after failure, which was a huge letdown. After really enjoying the first two books, I am said to say in regards to the whole series, you should SKIP IT! Read Fisher's Incarceron series, and only that.

The Girl in 6E

By A.R. Torre - This book is so strange. So, so very strange. It's short and sweet and fun. But...is it good?

I am still asking myself that. 6E follows a traumatized cam girl who has isolated herself from the world in an attempt to assuage her violent fantasies. She soon realizes one of her clients may have kidnapped an innocent girl and forsakes her studio apartment/prison cell to kill the man. The premise is bizarre, and though the read was refreshing, it was very oftentimes...silly?

I don't know. The main character is just so SiCk AnD tWiStEd, it just comes off as funny? She reminded me of myself when I was 15 and convinced I wasn't like other girls. Perhaps this character choice was intentional, as our MC has become so disconnected from the real world, and trauma does do funny things to people. However, it does seem very possible that Torre intended for this character to be frightening and strange, not immature and laughable, as she is instead. I just...I don't know.

Important to mention Torre writes steamy novels. This was probably the most explicit book I've ever read, but there was a creepy nuance to the sex scenes that was intriguing. Lots of research was clearly done on how cam girls make their living, and it was enlightening to learn about, honestly!

Besides that, the plot is rushed, the MC cringe, and the climax too-easy. If you're looking for a sexy, unserious thriller, this is a good RENT IT!, but otherwise, it doesn't accomplish anything phenomenal. I don't think I'll be picking up the sequel, though I will be keeping the book in my collection for now. SKIP IT!

Archenemies

By Marissa Meyer - This is Meyer's sequel to Renegades, and I'm going to keep this review short and sweet. I devoured this one.

Archenemies is just fun, pure, absolute fun! Just like Renegades, Meyer's post-apocalyptic superhero world is once again a charming read front to back. Think YA My Hero Academia or Spiderman. It's The Boys, but adorable and unoffensive! Typically, I am highly critical of YA books, but I have nearly nothing to critique about Archenemies. The world is intriguing, and the writing is quick and snappy, a la Riordan. There are few distractions from the cat-and-mouse plot (looking at you, Holly), so it's incredibly easy to lose yourself in the likeable characters and the dramatic irony of the story. This series is not nearly talked about as much as it should be!

If you like YA adventure x stakes, this is a fantastic roller-coaster-ride series so far. Let's hope the finale is good too! If this stuff is your cup of tea, I'd recommend you not pass this one up. BUY IT!

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

By Stieg Larsson - All right, so if you follow trending books, you know everyone wouldn't shut up about this one around 2010. And then, out of nowhere, she vanished. Nobody talks about Tattoo anymore. NO ONE!

And I'm not too surprised. This book was not nearly as good as I was expecting. Though the mystery of the story is intriguing, its just sort of fallen out of fashion. Nazis and biblical crime and edgy manic-pixie dream girls? That's just so two thousand and late, man. I commend Larsson for trying to address the abuses faced by women in the world and how broken systems fail them, but his book falls into stereotypes that weaken his intent. While Lisbeth is certainly likeable, she is, at the end of the day, "not like other girls". She's special--neurodivergent, intelligent, violent, and sexual. This sort of depiction does not exactly paint Larsson as on Team Feminist. While Lisbeth's narration is likeable, she remains a male fantasy.

And unfortunately, ALL female characters fall into stereotypes. Mikael has sex with a manic-pixie dream girl, his sexually-free friend with benefits, and a forlorn, sexually-repressed neighbor. For the women he DOESN'T fuck, there is a crazy old lady, a virgin victim, and a chaste, religious daughter. Every other competent character is, well, a man. Oof, Stieg, oof. Your intent is there, but the execution misses the mark.

Because this novel was such a cultural phenomenon for a short time, I'd still recommend you RENT IT! It was a fun, easy read with a good translation, and I am interested to read the sequel. But by no means was this the wildest mystery novel I've read, by NO means. I daresay I enjoyed some Sally Beauman stuff better!

[vvitchgrindergeneral]

Joanie Zamboni's top fantasy novels

The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Lyonesse (aka Suldrun's Garden) by Jack Vance

The Dying Earth by Jack Vance

On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers

Hour of the Dragon by Robert E. Howard

Seek the Throat From Which We Sing by Alex C.F.

The Kouga Ninja Scrolls by Futaro Yamada

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

[manfrommars2049]

Lyonesse, Jack Vance, Panther & Grafton 1984-94 editions. Cover: Mick Van Houten. First published as Lyonesse: Suldrun's Garden, 1983. via CoolSciFiCovers

[booksinbeds]

BOOKS I READ IN 2009

Looking through my Facebook page I found a list I made of all the books I read in 2009. I think that might have been the first years I did the 50 book challenge. This was before I used goodreads on a regular basis, and I copied this from a little notebook I used to record what I had read. 2009 might have been one of the best of my reading years till this day. 

Here it is in all it’s dullness:

Month/Books/date finished January: "Fast Ships, Black Sails" by Ann & Jeff Vandermeer. 1/9 "Amulet" by Roberto Bolaño. 1/13 "Fireworks" by Angela Carter. 1/29 "Swords & Deviltry" by Fritz Leiber. 1/24 February: "Swords Against Death" by Fritz Leiber. 2/? "The Dying Earth" by Jack Vance. 2/18 "Swords in the Mist" by Fritz Leiber. 2/20 "Swords Against Wizardry" by Fritz Leiber. 2/23 "Eyes of the Overworld" by Jack Vance. 2/27 March: "Eeeee Eee Eeee" by Tao Lin. 3/2 "Cugels Saga" by Jack Vance. 3/9 "Swords of Lankhmar" by Fritz Leiber. 3/19 April "Lyonesse; Suldruns Garden" by Jack Vance. 4/2 "The Judging Eye" by R. Scott Bakker. 4/15 "Naked" by David Sedaris. 4/18 May: "Lyonesse: the Green Pearl" by Jack Vance. 5/? "Lyonesse: Madouc" by Jack Vance. 5/22 "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz. 5/30 June: "The Savage Detectives" by Roberto Bolaño. 6/19 "All the Days Sad Stories" by Tina May Hall. 6/2 "the Convalescent" by Jessica Anthony. 6/30 July: "The Sword of Rhiannon" by Leigh Brackett. 7/12 "God is Dead" by Ron Currie, Jr. 7/12 "Harry Potter & the Sorcerers Stone" by J. K. Rowling. 7/17 "Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling. 7/23 August: "2666" by Roberto Bolaño. 8/? September: "Saturns Children" by Charles Stross. 9/18 "Lamentation" by Ken Scholes. 9/20 "The Collectors" by Matt Bell. 9/? October: "The City & The City" by China Mieville. 10/1 "Tunneling to the Center of the Earth" by Ken Wilson. 10/5 "Wild Things" by Dave Eggers. 10/? "You Don't Love Me Yet" by Jonathan Lethem. 10/7 "33 1/2: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" by Kim Cooper. 10/8 "Sword of the Lictor" by Gene Wolf. 10/? "Citadel of the Autarch" by Gene Wolf. 10?/ "Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury. 10/23 "Nightside the Long Sun" by Gene Wolf. 10/27 "Lake of the Long Sun" by Gene Wolf. 10/30 November: "Finch" by Jeff Vandermeer. 11/2 "Calde of the Long Sun" by Gene Wolf. 11/5 "Exodus from the Long Sun" by Gene Wolf. 11/12 "Sabella" by Tanith Lee. 11/? "Kill the Dead" by Tanith Lee. 11?/ "Yellow Blue Tibia" by Adam Roberts. 11/20 "The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart" by Jesse Bullington. 11/26 December: "The Birthgrave" "Vazkor, Son of Vazkor" "Quest for the White Witch" "Volkhavaar" ALL by Tanith Lee. Finished ? "Songs of the Dying Earth" Various. Notes: Read waaaay to much genre fiction! Was obsessed with reading books that inspired Gary Gygax, but barely dented his famous(?) "Appendix N". June and August were the only months I didn't read any genre books, but August was summer/work/ and Bolano's ginormous 2666, which also happened to be the best book I read this year. Year ended so/so with all that damn Tanith Lee I read. I can stop looking for something as good as her Flat Earth Chronicles. September was the worst reading month in terms of quality. Saturn's children and Lamentation were two turds that I wish I had avoided.

________________________________________________________________

2009 was a busy year for me. I broke up with an ex girlfriend in March and started dating my now wife in April. My son was 7 going on 8 years old and in the hospital for a few days at the end of March for his asthma (which he has outgrown). July was a destination wedding in Bermuda for my cousin. September saw the van I was driving get a cracked header and my purchase of an old jeep that I still drive. Some of the books on here are still some of my favorite books ever: 2666 and Savage Detectives; the Gene Wolfe’s; Vance’s Lyonesse books and the Dying Earth.

[wraith-of-thiodolf]

finished lyonesse/suldruns garden. vances prose is some-what ponderous and it jumps hither-and-thither uncomfortably though i dont know if thats an affectation of this work or his style generally

[juddgeeksout]

Excerpt from Lyonesse: Suldrun's Garden

Excerpt from Lyonesse: Suldrun’s Garden

This act and its consequences came about as an oblique result of discord among the arch-magicians of the land. At this time they numbered eight: Murgen, Sartzanek, Desmei, Myolander, Baibalides, Widdefut, Coddefut and Noumique.* *Whenever the magicians met together, another appeared: a tall shape muffled in a long black cape, with a wide-brimmed black hat obscuring his features. He stood always…

[cjjasp]

Gormenghast and Lyonesse #amwriting

Gormenghast and Lyonesse #amwriting

Alas—the annual tradition of the “summer cold” has laid me low, so I am napping a lot and not dong much writing today. Because I’m not thinking too clearly, I thought I should reprise my article on two famous and highly literary fantasy series, Gormenghast (Book 1 – Titus Groan, 1946) by Mervyn Peake, and The Lyonesse Trilogy (Book 1 – Lyonesse, Suldrun’s Garden, 1983) by Jack Vance.

It has been…