Kushiel's Dart, by Jacqueline Carey. Not terrible, but not one I'd recommend.
I've seen this series in the fantasy section of bookstores for many years, without feeling a particular pull for it, but finally decided to give it a chance after seeing it mentioned on a blog somewhere in the ether.
The world Carey constructs is based on some identifiable mythology and people groups - she refers to the Picts (called Picti), the Norse (called Skaldi), and the main, 'civilized', pleasure-driven culture has French-y names.
The main character, Phèdre, is a courtesan brought up in the pleasure houses and then trained by a spy-master until she becomes some sort of sexual-political-lingustic-expert-spy type. Because she was struck with Kushiel's (a sado-masichistic angel/god) "dart" (a red mark in her eye), her tastes and clients run toward the violent and degrading.
Not really my cuppa, which is part of my lack of interest in pursuing the rest of the series. But only part.
She's a smart enough lead character, the world has an interesting enough premise, and there's some intrigue, betrayal, her slavery to the barbarians/Skaldi, and saving her civilization from the invaders using her spy/seduction smarts and intel she learned among her captors. But it was slow moving and somehow the execution wasn't compelling for me. And when a book that's 800+ pages drags....let's just say it made the 3 days it took to read feel like an eternity.
HOWEVER, it did pick up in the last third and when it all came together and things started moving towards the wrap-up, it was much better. And there was actually some humour and gumption in that last bit. Not enough to make up for the first 2 thirds, but it's something at least..
She's a smart enough lead character, the world has an interesting enough premise, and there's some intrigue, betrayal, her slavery to the barbarians/Skaldi, and saving her civilization from the invaders using her spy/seduction smarts and intel she learned among her captors. But it was slow moving and somehow the execution wasn't compelling for me. And when a book that's 800+ pages drags....let's just say it made the 3 days it took to read feel like an eternity.
HOWEVER, it did pick up in the last third and when it all came together and things started moving towards the wrap-up, it was much better. And there was actually some humour and gumption in that last bit. Not enough to make up for the first 2 thirds, but it's something at least..
An interesting piece to me in this book was Carey's mythology around this god of pleasure, "Elua" (whose motto was "Love as thou wilt"), who was born from earth soaked in the blood from Jesus' (Yeshua in the book) side mixed with the tears of Mary. Elua was not accepted by heaven, and so wandered the Earth with a troupe of rebel angels to accompany him. These angels mingled with the locals before they went off to their new realm, and so the exceptionally beautiful, talented, civilized (and hyper-sexed) people living in "Terre D'ange" (get it? get it?) are their descendants.
Interesting to see a variation on the Nephilim in this book. Certainly is a puzzling little snippet of Genesis. I wonder how Jewish scholars interpret it? It definitely has sparked people's imaginations, and will probably continue to do so. Another book with this idea (that I actually enjoyed) is Madeleine L'Engle's Many Waters.
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