two excellent fantasies, one mystery

[snugglekitty]

I read Doppelganger after seeing it in a bookstore. The recommendation of chienne_folle was just a bonus. I really enjoyed this book. The premise is unusual, to say the least. I understand that there's a sequel out, but it seems to me that it would be a tough act to follow, at least in terms of the originality of the first book. The characters of hardened swordswoman and sheltered sorceress seem almost cliched to start with - but the way they interact is anything but ordinary. Quite the book. Four stars.

I try to pace myself when reading Lois McMaster Bujold.* I really love her books. I can usually read them in less than two days, and she usually only comes out with a new one every few years. You see the problem! So, I waited intentionally several months before reading the first volume of The Sharing Knife, since I had read The Spirit Ring not too long ago. But, I decided that it was time. And reading Doppelganger definitely put me in the mood for some more good fantasy. I think it's wonderful how much Bujold is growing and changing as a writer over time.
When I read the cover of The Sharing Knife, I thought... well okay, I'll give it a try. The description of the plot didn't grab me. But once I had gotten thirty pages in or so, I had real difficulty putting it down, even for such delights as food, sleep, and time with my pet husband. What a darned good book that was. ETA: And I forgot to mention the way Bujold talks about family sometimes making you feel like you're not yourself. She wrote that very well indeed.

In other news, I realize that I forgot to include a review of The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax, second in the Pollifax series by Dorothy Gilman. I liked it, but not quite as much as the first book. I didn't think that it was as funny, or as surprising. Three stars.

In less good news, mrpet informs me that Meisha Merlin is going under. Very, very sad. It does, however, explain why publication of Web of the Trident, sequel to my fave The Tomorrow Log, was delayed indefinitely.

* I do the same with Heinlein - I only read one new book of his per year. I've been doing this since my teens, when I realized that he was dead and therefore no more books would be forthcoming (although I was wrong about that, as it transpired). Summertime is my time for a new Heinlein - last year, I read The Number of the Beast. I'll have to pick out a new one in the next few months - it looks like Farnham's Freehold and Podkayne of Mars are the only remaining mature novels of his I haven't read yet.

Comments

[preraphaelite.livejournal.com]

Wow, how funny. Doppelganger is written by my friend from college swan_tower! While I knew intellectually she was turning into a Big Famous Writer, this is the first time I've seen someone who doesn't know her comment on her books!

So glad you ended up liking it!