

Klicka på en bild för att gå till Google Book Search.
Laddar... The Privilege of the Swordav Ellen Kushner
![]()
Best Fantasy Novels (434) Female Protagonist (114) » 10 till Det finns inga diskussioner på LibraryThing om den här boken. ![]() Looks and sounds like a sword-slinging, badass female fantasy adventure on the covers but vague smut book on the inside. The "main" character's story is more of a subplot. The deeper into the book the more nonexplicit sex there is. The quote on the front cover called it whimsical. Perhaps it is. But the other side of the perspective coin is lazy. Basically, I put this book in the broad, all-too-common category of fantasy novels that make me wonder if the author wanted to write erotica but didn't want to write explicit sex, wanted a dated scene but didn't want to research to develop an in-depth world, and wanted to remind herself to include action and so slapped on "The Privilege of the Sword" title and fun girl-bests-boys subplot. But again, this is just a subplot. Sex and social chit chat are the main plot. This is all too common and disappoints me all the time as someone who loves pure strong heroine adventures and deep messages. On a positive note, despite--or because of--the lack of development of the world, the story, and the characters (still no idea what hair color anyone has or what they do when they aren't smutting or playing social politics) it reads fast like a short story. So if the lack of deep content isn't a problem, one would likely enjoy a quick guilty pleasure. It also has some quirky lines and three quirky characters (out of the dozen it focuses on--seriously, "main" girl Katherine didn't have a large share of the screen time when there were so many short stories starring almost random characters weaved together.) I found a tidbit of literary value though. One of the characters known popularly as the "Mad Duke" is actually a "normal" person in our current Western society and the "normal" people in the this story's society are backward irrationals--perhaps "crazy" if they were in our world. Nice juxtaposition. I was so happy when it was finally over. I can't believe I stuck with it to the end. Oh, the end--ex machina left and right. I didn't like this one as much as I did The Fall of the Kings. I expected it to be more about Katherine than it actually was, and I thought it could have been a better book had it been more tightly focused on her. That said, I enjoyed reading about her learning to be a swordsfighter and doing well in her fights, and her friendship with Marcus. Funny, emotionally resonant, exciting, fun, and chock full of distinctive character, this book manages to touch on some heavy subjects without spoiling its generally light tone. Though I picked up "The Privilege of the Sword" because it was a sequel to "Swordspoint", this second book is an improvement in almost every way on its predecessor. Besides that, I think it covers background and setting well enough to be a great standalone novel that doesn't require a reader to have touched the first volume. The only lack I felt comparing the two books was for that while "Privilege" has a couple surprises, it doesn't have nearly so twisty a plot as "Swordspoint". Unfamiliar words in this book: Chary: Cautiously reluctant to do something. Ructions: A disturbance or quarrel. inga recensioner | lägg till en recension
Priser
From the award-winning author of Swordspoint comes a witty, wicked coming-of-age story that is both edgy and timeless. . . . Welcome to Riverside, where the aristocratic and the ambitious battle for power and prestige in the city's labyrinth of streets and ballrooms, theatres and brothels, boudoirs and salons. Into this alluring and alarming world walks a bright young woman ready to take it on and make her fortune. A well-bred country girl, Katherine knows all the rules of conventional society. Her biggest mistake is thinking they apply. Katherine's host and uncle, Alec Campion, the capricious and decadent Mad Duke Tremontaine, is in charge here--and to him, rules are made to be broken. When he decides it would be far more amusing for his niece to learn swordplay than to follow the usual path to ballroom and husband, her world changes forever. And there's no going back. Blade in hand, it's up to Katherine to find her own way through a maze of secrets and betrayals, nobles and scoundrels--and to gain the power, respect, and self-discovery that come to those who master. . . . "Unholy fun, and wholly fun . . . an elegant riposte, dazzlingly executed."--Gregory Maguire, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Inga biblioteksbeskrivningar kunde hittas. |
Pågående diskussionerIngen/ingaPopulära omslag
![]() GenrerMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999Klassifikation enligt LCBetygMedelbetyg:![]()
Är det här du? |