Fantasy tournament - July & August update
It's been a while since I've published an update on my fantasy tournament. Finally, I am ready to give you some updates. I've read some great pieces of fantasy these past weeks. Next, I'll briefly review what I thought about each book and why I chose the winner for the next round.
Round Four (50% of the book)
The Green Bone Saga vs. First Law World
"Jade City" and "The Blade Itself" were my favorite books of the eight I've started. It's so cruel to choose one between, but this is the game I've started myself!
I like the "Jade City" characters and where their story is going. The prose is not my favorite; it reads too tactical and rigid. If I had to nitpick, some characteristics and storylines are repeatedly told with different flavors from different points of view. This slow pacing is off-putting at times. As a fantasy fan, I like multiple POVs. But these characters are all in the same place, dealing with the same problems, and are members of the same family. The various points of view aren't utilized dynamically to tell stories across distinct cities and timelines within the universe. All we get from other characters is their headspace. And then, somewhere along the lines, the story happens. With all said, the story is still fun to read, and the action is superb.
Maybe the above finicky review made it evident that my winner for this round is "The Blade Itself." This book is a minimal fantasy story. It's so rare to be able to call a commercial fantasy book "minimal" these days. There is little confusing magic, excessive world-building, or whatnot going on in this book. It's just pure, simple, character-driven storytelling while slowly and carefully expanding our understanding of the world. The prose and the voice are also so smooth and witty. It's such a joy to read. I like how the story unfolds. I've read half of the book so far, and I can't wait to read the upcoming confrontations between the characters on the move. They are so beautifully laid out with their flaws and gimmicks that I'm looking forward to seeing how they will be challenged with the plot points.
Round Two (10% of the book)
Realm of the Elderlings vs. Pern
I've read the first 10% of "Assassin’s Apprentice," the first book in the "Farseer" trilogy of the Realm of the Elderlings. The beginning was confusing and too over the top for me. It got better when it got down to the story. I found the narration strange; the first chapter seemed to be finished with a conclusion of that era of the character's life, only for the second chapter to continue the same story after another confusing start about the world's history. So far, I haven't enjoyed the world-building or first-person memory recognition parts. But there's something wholesome about this little boy's story that convinces me to give it another chance and continue reading.
For the Pern series, I've started with the publication order book 1, "Dragonsdawn." The world-building overshadowed everything else initially; it was not my favorite type of beginning. The story and the characters were in the background; I couldn't relate much to the book. The prose could have been smoother for me to read as well. Was it the old-school fantasy narrative I needed to get used to? I'm not sure. I'll put it aside for now, but I'm curious to read an older, lesser-known fantasy at some point.
Malazan vs. One Piece
For some reason, maybe the name, perhaps the fans, "Malazan," correlated with sci-fi fantasy stories in my mind for so long. However, I found it an approachable, classic epic fantasy read. Chronologically, the first chapter was too overwhelming to get into, only to time jump and start the actual storyline after that. The world-building could have been clearer; I had difficulty keeping track of the characters' abilities and alliances. But this touch of surreality and mystery in the book intrigues me and makes me want to keep reading.
For "One Piece," I read "Romance Dawn." It was a relatively short graphic novel, and I couldn't get a feeling of the book by only reading the first 10%, so I went for the whole thing. And such a ride it was. Adventure is not my thing, and I didn't expect to enjoy this manga remotely. Nevertheless, I paged through the story, entertained and in awe. The illustrations were excellent, and it was so much fun to read a graphic novel for once. It exceeded my expectations, though an adventure manga isn't on my radar. I'll put it aside to get back to it one day out of this fantasy tournament.
That's it for my mid-August update. I've already picked up "Gardens Of The Moon" and "Assassin’s Apprentice" where I left off. I'll pick four books among "Warbreaker," "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell," "The Poppy War," "Paksenarrion," "The Dresden Files," "Southern Reach," "Powder Mage" and last but not least "Wars of Light and Shadow." I'm so close to the first semi-finalist of the tournament, and I can't wait to see which contender will reach there. See you next time!