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The Prize in the Game (Tir Tanagiri #3)
by
Jo Walton (Goodreads Author)
Jo Walton's first two novels, The King's Peace and The King's Name, earned her widespread praise and moved her to the front rank of contemporary fantasists. Now she returns with a powerful epic set in the same world.
The Prize in the Game is the tale of the intertwined fates of four friends, destined for kingship but riven by rivalry and war. Gods stalk the island of Tir Is...more
The Prize in the Game is the tale of the intertwined fates of four friends, destined for kingship but riven by rivalry and war. Gods stalk the island of Tir Is...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
May 16th 2004
by Tor Fantasy
(first published December 13th 2002)
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I liked The King's Peace and The King's Name, but I loved The Prize in the Game. I read The Tain recently in preparation. It turns out to be a straighter (heh) retelling of The Tain than the Sulien books are of Arthuriana -- though, of course, I think The Tain has just one source text, whereas the Arthurian texts are a disparate bunch.
The fact that it's a fairly direct retelling threw me a little, but it isn't a bad thing. It's a very human version, especially in its portrayal of the deep love b...more
The fact that it's a fairly direct retelling threw me a little, but it isn't a bad thing. It's a very human version, especially in its portrayal of the deep love b...more
This is another novel set in the same world as The King's Peace and The King's Name, about people who appear in those books (and some who are only mentioned). I was quite a way into this when I suddenly realized that it's a reworking of the Irish legend the Tain Bo Cuailnge, or the Cattle-Raid of Cooley. I'm sure I didn't pick up on all of the parallels to the Tain, as it's been a long time since I read it (I'll have to reread it before I reread The Prize in the Game).
Anyway, it was fascinating...more
Anyway, it was fascinating...more
I loved this book! It took a little while to get rolling, but once it did... it was excellent! I almost want to reread it again, right now!
I just fell in love with several of the characters, whether they were good or bad, kind or nasty. The lengths they would go to for their honour or for the appearances of being honourable. The characters were so well developed. I grew so attached, I didn't want the book to end!
I read this book knowing it was a prequel to The King's Peace. So, when I finished,...more
I just fell in love with several of the characters, whether they were good or bad, kind or nasty. The lengths they would go to for their honour or for the appearances of being honourable. The characters were so well developed. I grew so attached, I didn't want the book to end!
I read this book knowing it was a prequel to The King's Peace. So, when I finished,...more
Well, I loved the first two of this trio, The King's Peace and The King's Name, which are a retelling of the Arthurian legends. This is a prequel (sort of) to the other two. Whereas the first two have to do with the kingdom of Tir Tanagiri (England) this has to do with its counterpart and heros of Tir Isarnagari (Ireland) who appear in the first two but are secondary characters. If you loved the first two, this will be icing on the cake. But these books aren't for everyone, so if you were not in...more
This book is set years before The King's Peace, and focuses on several characters mentioned only in passing. Like many fantasy heroines, Emer yearns to prove her mettle in battle--although unlike most fantasies, what holds her back is not her sex but her youth. She throws herself headlong into the life of a warrior, and in so doing falls completely in love with Conal, another would-be warrior. Their love affair (which readers of the King books know ends tragically) is a frame for cattle-raids,...more
Oct 21, 2007
Nicholas Whyte
added it
http://nhw.livejournal.com/452927.html[return][return]My first reaction was faint irritation that I had managed to end up with yet another retelling of the T
http://nhw.livejournal.com/452927.html[return][return]My first reaction was faint irritation that I had managed to end up with yet another retelling of the T
I adore this book; it's full of just my favourite kind of claustrophobic relationships and resigned refusal-to-be-resigned-to-fate.
I like Conal, Emer and Elenn better than Ferdia, but still feel dissatisfied with the text's summation of Ferdia's character: he's weak, certainly, and "lesser" in many ways than his companions, but that doesn't mean there's less of him.
I like Conal, Emer and Elenn better than Ferdia, but still feel dissatisfied with the text's summation of Ferdia's character: he's weak, certainly, and "lesser" in many ways than his companions, but that doesn't mean there's less of him.
I'm not sure if the tell-not-show stuff is a weakness or not - some things I would very much have enjoyed seeing on screen, but I know the point of the book is a bunch of teenagers being themselves around the edges of Irish legends. I do love this world, but the two Sulien books are stronger, I think.
I sat in several sessions with Jo Walton and watched her on several panels. She was funny, wise, and intelligent. Frankly, she struck me as someone I would like to get to know better. Since she's a writer, reading her stuff seems like a good beginning.
This book was very good. You get to know Conal, Emer, Elenn And Atha better. You meet new characters that are mentioned in King's Peace and The King's Name, like Maga and Darag. Walton did a very good job with her third installment (this was sort of a prelude to The King's Peace). More adventures and a little bit more magic and a more romantic story line (which none of them end good...). Jo Walton does tend to lean toward the tragic love thing. I don't think anyone has a happy ending at all. But...more
I liked the way it felt like it was both real people and re-talling of old myths or folk-stories. I liked the way Ferdia very obviously loved Darag.
I liked the switching points of view.
I liked the switching points of view.
Slow & slightly incomprehensible with annoying cliffhanger ending. But ok otherwise.
Backstory of the folks from Tir Isarnagiri. I think you could read this independent of the 2 "The King's..." books without much of a problem. If you liked her first 2, you'll probably like this, too.
Oh, MAN this book -- kind of ends like Hamlet, with piles of bodies... it's also reminiscent of Greek mythologies, etc. Really well done, if a bit bewildering in terms of character's actions -- I'm left with a lot of "whys," but I think reading more of the Sulien series might answer them. Or then again, maybe not.
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More depressing than I had expected -- and given what I knew from having read The King's Peace, I expected it to be significantly depressing.
The Prize In The Game by Jo Walton (2000)
A beautifully written book.
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Jo Walton writes science fiction and fantasy novels and reads a lot and eats great food. It worries her slightly that this is so exactly what she always wanted to do when she grew up. She comes from Wales, but lives in Montreal.
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