We Need to Have A Talk About Writing...

I've recently read these two larger then life fantasy books and thought I would share my thoughts on them with you all.

Joe Abercrombies The Blade Itself is the first book in the First Law Trilogy. It is a violent, hard boiled Asterixesque novel. It has all the usual elements: kingdom in peril, mysterious magicians returns to “get a team together”, fights, duels, small battles, some magic, and hints at a greater plot and over arcing story. It features great caricatures and characters and every supporting character is given life. Every main character is an original mix of hero and villian, pathos and glory. It is 500 + pages and there is a LOT of characterisation and a LOT of writing in those pages that serves these characterisations rather then the plot (as would be normal I guess).

Blue Moon Rising is a light hearted dark fantasy and is the first book in the Forest Kingdom series by Simon R Green. I had read one other Simon R Green novel (Mist World) before this one and found it to be a workmanlike but very enjoyable space opera. I thought I’d give a fantasy book by him a try. I was richly rewarded. It actually had me laughing out loud at a few stages, something I rarely do.

The main protagonist is Prince Rupert, second son of the King of the Forest Kingdom. He has been sent out on an impossible task: slay a dragon. This is intended to stave off any chance of sibling rivalry for the throne. He is joined by a sarcastic, cowardly and wonderful unicorn. Together they make one of the greatest literary pairings I’ve seen.

Rupert is stronger (luckier) then he’s been given credit for and he not only finds the dragon, rescues it from the Princess, beats up some Goblins and survives multiple demon attacks in a haunted forest but proves himself a magic hero with his very special rainbow sword. All in the first 50 or so pages.

When he returns, after not fulfilling his duty by getting eaten by the dragon (he in fact befriends the dragon and returns to the kingdom with it in tow) he finds that the Blue Moon is rising (a magical and nihilistic prophecy) and that the Demon Prince will return. He is sent on another suicide mission, this time to get the help of the High Warlock. A nasty character who may not want to help.

All the while he has to put up with assassinations, plots, an overbearing brother, an arranged marriage, the Champion, demons beyond counting, a wise-cracking unicorn and the possible end of the world. Well Rupert is not going to take it all lying down. He will do his duty even if it means not dying.

With a background of assassinations, royal court politics, sibling animosity, demon attacks and inconvenient love triangles Prince Rupert and his friends (Princess Julia, the Dragon and the Unicorn) rapidly prove they are much more then what they appear.

I prefered Simon R Greens book over Joe Abercrombies.

Although initially I loved Abercrombies writing I felt his book was 300 pages too long and his caricatures and exaggerations became a little stale over the course of the 500+ page novel. Abercrombies book was also a little unfocused and the plot was pretty much non existant, serving as points connecting the dots rather then as a framework. Having said that Abercrombie is clearly the better writer and probably just needs a stronger editor.