Don't you love it when you think you know where a book is going, and then are utterly surprised?
As I was reading WIND FOLLOWER, I thought I recognized familiar plot elements from Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles. I thought that Loic would end up somewhat similar to Angel, who is Tess's estranged husband in that classic novel. However . . . Satha actually turned out more like Angel. A vengeful one (no pun intended). I felt like I read the last few chapters with my eyebrows perpetually raised. I'm going to have new brow wrinkles when I finish this novel.
John at Grasping for the Wind finished WIND FOLLOWER embarassingly ahead of me. His review is here.
10 comments:
OT: I just finished Blood Magic and it was very good. Great characters, good plot. Just thought I would share with you since you had mentioned it. :)
Cool! I'll be in touch about that.
I'm reading Blood Magic right now.
thanks for the link-up and I have to tell you, you are definitely going to have new brow wrinkles. :-)
I love how you are really getting in-depth with this book. Keep wrestling with the story, I'm enjoying reading about your journey.
Thanks, John. Looking forward to it.
Raven, do you intend to post a review anywhere?
I wonder why Blogger remove all my carriage returns from my original post?
one of the things i was thinking about is how folks who marry into a different religion or a different tribe often become more emblematic of the tribe than those born into it. Kinda like a convert who becomes more religious than the folks born into that religion. When we first see Satha, one of the things she says shows her knowledge of (and maybe interest in) how warriors behave in that hierarchical society. So we see she knows this other culture. After the marriage she is always warned about not being tooo rigid in her new role. So...after the violation, she pretty much is the ARHE of a fierce clan (hence the picture on the cover) because she is now such a part of the culture. But she's got to get Loic to Man up. And at the end...well, heaven knows!
I think I'm reaching that "manning up" part now. It's nice to be able to read your observations as I read!
It takes a while for the full manning-up to hit its stride...although he is still himself...but "a man" as Yiko says. Some of Loic's traits are the traits needed for a true hero. His illness, his being spoiled and petted, his being son of a headman all contribute to his being the perfect prophet...as far as the Creator is concerned. I have a habit of putting "divine" in front of words. Divine idleness, divine ambition. In Loic's case, there is a kind of divine arrogance. Not like the hubris of the Greeks. But the kind of arrogance that could only have been created in a rich sickly kid...the belief that the world revolves around him...or at least that the great chief of the universe would in fact listen to him. But Loic is also loving. He doesn't think he alone can speak to the Creator. He thinks anyone can. So he retains his personality...even as he reaches adulthood. But it's purified of childhood crap. -C
Tia, I wasn't planning to post a review, but I've been toying with the idea of starting a writing/fantasy blog, so maybe I should do that and review it there... or at least toy with the idea a little more seriously!
Carole, that phenomenon of people becoming fanatics (for lack of a better word) when they join a new culture/religion/whatever has always been interesting to me. I guess they're trying to fit in. Or something.
Raven:
Forgot to say that fanatic is an interesting word. To some people I'm a fanatic. A fanatic is someone who considers something important that another person may not consider that important. For me, if there's such a being as a Creator...who protects me from harm, who heals me, who guides me throughout the day, who blesses me with good friends and good things...then I have to be aware of him...and in a very focused kind of way. Some folks believe in a creator but are quite content to speak to him once a week or only when their life is in dire peril and they need him. To them, any other kind of acknowledgment of a creator is fanatical...yet they often focus much of their attentions on other less cosmic matters.
In Loic's world, --and indeed in much of the so-called "pagan" world-- people are very aware of the Creator or the spirit realm. The western world is so accustomed to not thinking about the Creator or to putting the Creator in a little segregated slot of life that it often considers religious people fanatic. -C
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