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The Ordinary
by
Jim Grimsley
Jim Grimsley's novels and short stories have been favorably compared to the works of Samuel R. Delany, Jack Vance, and Ursula K. Le Guin. Now he unleashes an ambitious and audacious collision between science and magic.
The Twil Gate links two very different realms. On one side of the portal is Senal, an advanced technological civilization of some thirty billion inhabitants,...more
The Twil Gate links two very different realms. On one side of the portal is Senal, an advanced technological civilization of some thirty billion inhabitants,...more
Hardcover, 368 pages
Published
May 1st 2004
by Tom Doherty Associates
(first published 2004)
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I loved almost all of this book. The first two parts had it all: a fascinating, well-built world, an interesting magic system, great characters, compelling and lyrical writing, juicy description that wasn't overdone, and a rich soup of thoughts about religion, magic and science. The third part was much shorter and abandoned the main character, but it was still intertwined and it fleshed out two other major characters in ways the reader couldn't have gotten otherwise, so it was a valuable part of...more
There were times when I was reading this book about two worlds where I was terrified it would end. I loved the very most the part where the manner of magic in the fantastical world is explained, as a form of singing that recreates---well I won't tell it all. I found I couldn't breathe, I was so interested. The world building is the finest part, and the fact that one civilization has just encountered another ( that was there all along---this is on the first chapter) and that other civilization ha...more
I couldn't decide between 3 or 4 stars. I was fascinated with the details of the magic. The time skipping was interesting.
I didn't really start to like this book until the last 100 pages or so, when I learned more about Malin and Jessex. I liked the theory that we all have a place in time. If one did live forever, how would that bend your perception of people, places and time? More stars because it was thought provoking. Malin and, Jessex were interesting. Less stars, I didn't feel the conflict...more
I didn't really start to like this book until the last 100 pages or so, when I learned more about Malin and Jessex. I liked the theory that we all have a place in time. If one did live forever, how would that bend your perception of people, places and time? More stars because it was thought provoking. Malin and, Jessex were interesting. Less stars, I didn't feel the conflict...more
The first third is pretty bad because the author totally fails to flesh out the setting - he just uses nouns for places, things, and concepts that are fictional but go unexplained.
The second third gains steam and is pretty good - it sets up a plausibly epic story arc and a universe with many interesting possibilities.
The last third is boring again - a whirlwind tour of one character's history. Ultimately none of it has any effect on the plot.
The final chapter is a total cop-out; there's no actua...more
The second third gains steam and is pretty good - it sets up a plausibly epic story arc and a universe with many interesting possibilities.
The last third is boring again - a whirlwind tour of one character's history. Ultimately none of it has any effect on the plot.
The final chapter is a total cop-out; there's no actua...more
The book begins like a normal scifi story--a group of diplomats, scientists and their linguist go on an expedition to meet the leader of the world they recently discovered. From there, it gets a bit awesome. Seriously, this story goes from solid tale to enthralling in one unexpected switcheroo. It rapidly becomes an incredible tale that spans thousands of years, told from several points of view. It reminded me a bit of Patricia McKinley's incredible "Riddle-Master of Hed" series, with a taste of...more
My library classifies The Ordinary as science fiction. I call it fantasy. The back cover says it is a powerful and entrancing tale of magic, science and the mysterious truth that binds them together (so i guess that's somewhere in between?) The author, Jim Grimsley, also calls it science fiction even though it shares the same world with his early fantasy novel Kirith Kirin (though it is not a sequel to that novel). He says that he is
"exploring the interface between a culture that believes in m...more
"exploring the interface between a culture that believes in m...more
The Ordinary is engaging, smart, colorful and just a whole lot of fun. At times the prose becomes almost lyrical, for good reason. In a world where magic and scinece collide, The Ordinary takes the reader on a wild ride into the far-future. I now want to return to that world and look forward to reading the other books in this series.
This is an interesting hybrid of SF and fantasy that made me wish it were longer. There is something about it that feels like a young adult novel, but the sex scenes and gay characters probably rule it out for most families. The pacing is erratic and some of the characters' actions and attitudes seem unlikely, but it's a good read.
This was a reread, but I still think it is a really interesting read. The first time through I couldn't quite grasp what was happening in the storyline (I think I was distracted by a different book I'd just finished). This time around I'm rereading it because I'm reading the next book set in the same universe. The first half of the story is a fairly straight forward contact between two humanoid civilizations that are very different where one is scientifically focused and the other believes in an...more
I really sort of struggled over whether to give this a 3/5 or a 4/5. It deserves the 4, I think -- it's fabulously written, in a way that reminded me a bit of Ursula Le Guin or Joan D. Vinge, both in plot and in attention to detail, the story is well-rounded, I cared about the characters... BUT, it left me frustrated, because I felt like the book was a big set-up for books or short stories to follow. In many ways, it felt like a short story, in that like many short stories, it ends right BEFORE...more
a fun blend of sci-fi and fantasy, when a high-tech civilization discovers a gate to medieval society. throw in time travel and magic, and this is a fun read. however, the build up to the climax is never resolved, and you'll have to read the next book (The Last Green Tree) to find out what happened.
Great fantasy, very different.
I love the original treatment of a fantasy world connected to a far future "science fiction" world. I'm a little worried that it's given me spoilers for Kirith Kirin, but I'd like to read that one also. The protagonist is middle aged and mellow - character development often suffers compared to intense world building, but the setting is so intriguing, that didn't bother me too much.
Jim Grimsley is basically the only SciFi author I will read. Narrow, true, but he transcends most genres I usually don't like. He's just that good.
This is a continuation of Kirith Kirin, his fantasy novel, and has a couple of the same characters.
It is a wonderfully intricate, elegant novel that melds SciFi and Fantasy and draws the reader into a great world.
This is a continuation of Kirith Kirin, his fantasy novel, and has a couple of the same characters.
It is a wonderfully intricate, elegant novel that melds SciFi and Fantasy and draws the reader into a great world.
I love the original treatment of a fantasy world connected to a far future "science fiction" world. I'm a little worried that it's given me spoilers for Kirith Kirin, but I'd like to read that one also. The protagonist is middle aged and mellow - character development often suffers compared to intense world building, but the setting is so intriguing, that didn't bother me too much.
I really enjoyed this book despite the fact that I felt there were some big plot holes that needed filling. The relationship between Malin and Jedda was interesting, and I was sad that the book ended on such a pivotal moment. I intend to go back and read Kirith Kirin and the follow-up to the Ordinary, just to get some more information on these two very different worlds.
I really liked this! The worst part about it is that it seems to be book 1 of a very big arc, so of course, it ended on a colossal cliffhanger. ARgh. But, otherwise, it was very cool: travel in an alien land, magic, time travel, sex!, a heroine who kicks ass...
It's going to be a good series!
It's going to be a good series!
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Dense, many-layered, complex science fiction. Puts me in mind of Le Guin's early stuff. A little too complex for me, but I enjoyed dropping into the narrative and being carried downstream. I cared about the characters, even as I struggled to place them in context.
My kind of sci-fi book where it is hard to say witch is better advanced technological society or land of myth and legend. It was also fun to try to figure out who were the good guys and who the bad?!
I really wanted to enjoy this, but after several false starts, lasting almost halfway through the book, I just couldn't get through it. The plot works, but the characters just aren't all that interesting.
Nothing spectacular really. It felt like it used a lot of the same plot bunnies as a lot of science fiction books. Not terrible though, and not too lengthy.
I liked this one a lot. I was not expecting to do so... but there you go.
Cool book. I'd read it again.
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Jim Grimsley is a playwright and novelist. Jim's first novel, Winter Birds, was published by Algonquin Books in 1994. The novel won the 1995 Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and received a special citation from the Ernest Hemingway Foundation. Jim's second novel, Dream Boy, won the American Library Association GLBT Award for Literature (the Stonewa...more
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