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lareinenoireFinished it about five minutes ago. It took me longer than I would have initially thought, but I had to read it interrupted. Therefore, it really had nothing to do with the quality of the book, which is very good. For anyone expecting a repeat of the first trilogy, however, that's not what you get.
Structurally, I was reminded of Kushiel's Dart, if only because both Dart and Scion are, on a basic level, coming-of-age stories. The former follows Phèdre from the age of four or five to, I believe, around twenty; the latter covers a shorter timespan, taking us from ages thirteen to approximately nineteen in Imriel's life.
What is worth keeping in mind, however, is that even before the story begins, Imriel has already been through a great deal. The prologue gives a snapshot version of the events in Avatar, with a few references back to earlier incidents where necessary. Even with that, I would not recommend Scion as an introduction to Carey's universe. There are far too many references even within the story to things that happened in the first trilogy, and while I loved that, I imagine a new reader would find it difficult to deal with.
It was fascinating to see characters I already knew (Phèdre, Joscelin, Ysandre, etc) from another perspective. That was what I was truly looking forward to in reading this book, and Carey delivered. She's given Imriel a very distinct voice, and one that is markedly different from Phèdre's in the first trilogy. I will admit, I had some concerns that Imriel would sound exactly like Phèdre, simply because it's easy to slip back into something you've spent three giant novels exploring. He does not, however. What I found particularly interesting is that, while Phèdre's narratives are littered with references to her pride in being D'Angeline, Imriel's are not. Which makes sense, given his history. His nationality, as it were, is tied up in his ancestry, which is doubly treasonous, both through Benedicte and Melisande. The running theme in Scion is Imriel's desire to be anyone other than who he is. He hates that being D'Angeline immediately sets him apart from the rest of the world. It's a truly interesting change, and I very much enjoyed that.
Also, it was nice to read a novel *not* about saving the world. I love the first trilogy, and I've reread it at least six or seven times since buying it, but it is very much bound in the usual tropes of one -- or in this case, two -- characters out to save their world from certain destruction. Scion deals with smaller conflicts, and I think that works in its favour, in that it's setting up for larger things in later books. Imriel's still recovering from the events in Avatar, after all. While he wasn't the main player therein, he was certainly important.
The narrative drive was subtler here as well. We didn't have quite the same suspense as in the first trilogy, but it wasn't necessary. There were suggestions of menace -- I, for one, loved the Unseen Guild subplots, and Melisande's pervasive presence throughout the story without ever once appearing. I wondered for a few seconds if she was going to turn out to be the Tiberian princeps' mysterious wife, but that seemed almost like a carbon copy of the scene in Kushiel's Chosen when she's unveiled as Benedicte's wife. I was glad when that didn't materialise.
Most of the appeal of the Terre d'Ange sections was in seeing the same characters through Imriel's eyes, as well as the younger generations. Especially his reactions to loose ends from the earlier books that Phèdre and the reader would be aware of. The Nicola scenes in particular were well-done. And I was counting the pages before Imriel realised he might have less-than-motherly feelings toward Phèdre. After all, he's Melisande's son. It really was only to be expected. Also nice to see members of the Shahrizai family that are...::gasp::...*not* angling for the throne.
The sections in Tiberium flew past. Eamonn is a lovely character, and I definitely hope to see more of him in later books. Same with Lucius, though I suspect he'll have a far smaller role...of course, there was that lovely little moment between him and Imriel toward the end that had me wondering. Claudia and Deccus were both well-drawn. Another nice change to see a powerful woman who isn't D'Angeline.
One of the things I do appreciate about Jacqueline Carey is that she doesn't rely on magic for her plots. The first real sign of 'magic' in Scion didn't even appear until Lucca. There were references to ghosts and such, but nothing concrete, until Gallus Tadius entered the picture. And while I didn't like that section quite as much as I'd enjoyed the earlier parts of the book, it still read well. I wish we could have learnt more about Melisande's cult following, but I suspect that'll be dealt with later. I did find myself genuinely scared that she'd kill off Eamonn; she's not one to shrink from character deaths.
And, of course, much like Dart, the ending was very open. I knew it as I glanced ahead at the very few pages left.
I only had one quibble with the book, and even that is very minor. The language seemed to have become more antiquated than in the first trilogy. Having read the Sundering duology, written between Avatar and Scion, I think I can guess why it happened. It wasn't bad, so much as somewhat distracting every now and then.
Now, on to predictions. I hate to say it, but I have the sinking feeling that either Phèdre or Joscelin might die in the next two books. I know JC loves them, and I love them too, but the one thing that might truly turn Imriel to the dark side, as it were, would be if one of them died. I doubt Melisande would be involved in any way, simply because she knows it's in her best interest to keep them both alive...now there's an idea. Imriel forced to ally himself with his mother to find out who's responsible. He'll have to confront her sometime. It's simply a matter of when.
To conclude, I truly like Imriel as a character. I loved him to bits in Avatar, and she's kept him from descending into absolute melodrama (though I did love Joscelin's remark that Imriel and Phèdre are both too melodramatic for their own good), which was another thing I worried about. He's still got issues to work through, and I look forward to seeing what he does in the future.
Structurally, I was reminded of Kushiel's Dart, if only because both Dart and Scion are, on a basic level, coming-of-age stories. The former follows Phèdre from the age of four or five to, I believe, around twenty; the latter covers a shorter timespan, taking us from ages thirteen to approximately nineteen in Imriel's life.
What is worth keeping in mind, however, is that even before the story begins, Imriel has already been through a great deal. The prologue gives a snapshot version of the events in Avatar, with a few references back to earlier incidents where necessary. Even with that, I would not recommend Scion as an introduction to Carey's universe. There are far too many references even within the story to things that happened in the first trilogy, and while I loved that, I imagine a new reader would find it difficult to deal with.
It was fascinating to see characters I already knew (Phèdre, Joscelin, Ysandre, etc) from another perspective. That was what I was truly looking forward to in reading this book, and Carey delivered. She's given Imriel a very distinct voice, and one that is markedly different from Phèdre's in the first trilogy. I will admit, I had some concerns that Imriel would sound exactly like Phèdre, simply because it's easy to slip back into something you've spent three giant novels exploring. He does not, however. What I found particularly interesting is that, while Phèdre's narratives are littered with references to her pride in being D'Angeline, Imriel's are not. Which makes sense, given his history. His nationality, as it were, is tied up in his ancestry, which is doubly treasonous, both through Benedicte and Melisande. The running theme in Scion is Imriel's desire to be anyone other than who he is. He hates that being D'Angeline immediately sets him apart from the rest of the world. It's a truly interesting change, and I very much enjoyed that.
Also, it was nice to read a novel *not* about saving the world. I love the first trilogy, and I've reread it at least six or seven times since buying it, but it is very much bound in the usual tropes of one -- or in this case, two -- characters out to save their world from certain destruction. Scion deals with smaller conflicts, and I think that works in its favour, in that it's setting up for larger things in later books. Imriel's still recovering from the events in Avatar, after all. While he wasn't the main player therein, he was certainly important.
The narrative drive was subtler here as well. We didn't have quite the same suspense as in the first trilogy, but it wasn't necessary. There were suggestions of menace -- I, for one, loved the Unseen Guild subplots, and Melisande's pervasive presence throughout the story without ever once appearing. I wondered for a few seconds if she was going to turn out to be the Tiberian princeps' mysterious wife, but that seemed almost like a carbon copy of the scene in Kushiel's Chosen when she's unveiled as Benedicte's wife. I was glad when that didn't materialise.
Most of the appeal of the Terre d'Ange sections was in seeing the same characters through Imriel's eyes, as well as the younger generations. Especially his reactions to loose ends from the earlier books that Phèdre and the reader would be aware of. The Nicola scenes in particular were well-done. And I was counting the pages before Imriel realised he might have less-than-motherly feelings toward Phèdre. After all, he's Melisande's son. It really was only to be expected. Also nice to see members of the Shahrizai family that are...::gasp::...*not* angling for the throne.
The sections in Tiberium flew past. Eamonn is a lovely character, and I definitely hope to see more of him in later books. Same with Lucius, though I suspect he'll have a far smaller role...of course, there was that lovely little moment between him and Imriel toward the end that had me wondering. Claudia and Deccus were both well-drawn. Another nice change to see a powerful woman who isn't D'Angeline.
One of the things I do appreciate about Jacqueline Carey is that she doesn't rely on magic for her plots. The first real sign of 'magic' in Scion didn't even appear until Lucca. There were references to ghosts and such, but nothing concrete, until Gallus Tadius entered the picture. And while I didn't like that section quite as much as I'd enjoyed the earlier parts of the book, it still read well. I wish we could have learnt more about Melisande's cult following, but I suspect that'll be dealt with later. I did find myself genuinely scared that she'd kill off Eamonn; she's not one to shrink from character deaths.
And, of course, much like Dart, the ending was very open. I knew it as I glanced ahead at the very few pages left.
I only had one quibble with the book, and even that is very minor. The language seemed to have become more antiquated than in the first trilogy. Having read the Sundering duology, written between Avatar and Scion, I think I can guess why it happened. It wasn't bad, so much as somewhat distracting every now and then.
Now, on to predictions. I hate to say it, but I have the sinking feeling that either Phèdre or Joscelin might die in the next two books. I know JC loves them, and I love them too, but the one thing that might truly turn Imriel to the dark side, as it were, would be if one of them died. I doubt Melisande would be involved in any way, simply because she knows it's in her best interest to keep them both alive...now there's an idea. Imriel forced to ally himself with his mother to find out who's responsible. He'll have to confront her sometime. It's simply a matter of when.
To conclude, I truly like Imriel as a character. I loved him to bits in Avatar, and she's kept him from descending into absolute melodrama (though I did love Joscelin's remark that Imriel and Phèdre are both too melodramatic for their own good), which was another thing I worried about. He's still got issues to work through, and I look forward to seeing what he does in the future.
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no subject
Date: 2006-06-14 06:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-15 11:54 pm (UTC)your predictions are quite interesting
well have to see what happens in the next 2 books
:D
i also loved the book
and skipped studying for my exams to finish it
<3
no subject
Date: 2006-06-26 04:38 pm (UTC)