Reading, what else?

I'm continuing to read through Michael Stackpole's DragonCrown War Cycle and still very much enjoying it. I just finished the second book--the first of the trilogy, but second since it comes after the prelude novel. I continually enjoy the way the author twists and even discards many fantasy cliches. Anyone who has read much fantasy is familiar with the typical quest motif. A young hero (or more infrequently heroine) is taken away from their normal life and they venture forth in a quest for some great and noble purpose--often to retrieve (or destroy) some magical object. Often the story is additionally a coming of age tale. DragonCrown does have a quest--the destruction of the evil tyrant from the north--but nothing is ever easy or simple. The heroes take a bit to come together, and they do not just charge after their goal. Instead the plot weaves around quite a bit.

The changes don't seem to be driven completely by the plot however--they seem more natural. A battle doesn't simply end the war, rather it serves several purposes. Yes the heroes may win for a time, and will probably eventually win--but so far this hasn't made the villian seem cartoonish or pathetic, rather contstrained by what is available to her. I think another great thing about the trilogy is the first novel, The Dark Glory War. I've already talked about it here--but it is taking on new meaning as I continue deeper into the series. DGW is narrated in first person while the other books are in third person. As I saw in I, Jedi Stackpole does a great job with first person--and this is no exception. The tale is set a generation (about 25 years) before the trilogy and serves to set up much of what happens later. I think that the trilogy could definately stand alone without DGW, but it is much richer for the addition. Furthermore reading DGW can only whet your appetite for the other novels as it ends, but obviously the story is ready to continue.

There is one cliche that I'm afraid the books will fall headlong into. It is a variation upon Rule 19 from the Evil Overlord List:

I will not have a daughter. She would be as beautiful as she was evil, but one look at the hero's rugged countenance and she'd betray her own father.

I guess I'll have to see where the plot goes. At this point I'm hoping that Stackpole will throw in some twists to surprise me--or that what I can see coming will happen early and not be at the climax of the series.

*shrugs* I'm just enjoying these books so much. I only started typing this so that I would keep up with blogging. I'm right now very eager to get back to my book! :-)

~Matt

PS Here is a perfect example how Stackpole tears into cliches. The first speaker is a princess begging the help of Will Norrington, a character believed to be the focus of a prophecy, but for various reasons he is doubting this concept.

"You must be, though. Don't you know?"

"It's magick! How am I supposed to know?" Will swept a thick hank of hair back. "It's not like I have a scar on my forehead or some weird birthmark or anything. Just because my father is a henchman for an evil empress doesn't mean I'm a hero. I mean, I know the songs. I know the legends. It's just easier in the legends."

It is great how he pokes fun at both Harry Potter and Star Wars (especially as he has written Star Wars novels).