The Not a Book Club Club discussion
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City of Stairs
The Divine Cities
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CoS: Part 2: "A Memory Engraved" – "What History Tells Us"
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I like the little stories in the beginning of each chapter too - they lend the book an epic feel. I don't think I'm as far as you guys yet - but I'm making progress.
I thought the fight scene (last section I believe) was good and exciting. But this book totally had me when Shara sat down and drank way too much caffeine and made lists. I found my fictional sister!The info-dumps aren't bothering me at all. I'm invested enough in the world that I'm finding them interesting and trying to find clues to what is going on.
Do you think she feels like she hasn't held a weapon in her hands?I got the feeling through most of the first half of the book that Shara was very much a veteran of spycraft with plenty of blood on her hands, at least figuratively if not literally, and very regretful of the necessity.
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And Suzanne, I loved her lists too!
I'm a coffee drinker, and a recovering caffeine addict. I never got into tea though.
I do like this quote:
"Coffee refreshes the body, tea refreshes the soul."
Rob wrote: "Info dumps only bother me I notice them and it takes me out of the book. I barely noticed here, so I guess he did a good job of it for me."Yeah, completely the same here. And, plus, with the way he does it, I'm so damn interested in the history of this world that I almost don't even consider them info dumps.
Alex wrote: "Suzanne, speaking of, the author just wrote a guest blog post on what makes a book epic fantasy (and if this one qualifies): http://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/ro...-..."Nice! I can finally be proud of being born and raised in Texas!!
Na, Arizona is a neighboring state. I do love me some Hearne though.
I'm with Bill - I really like the little stories at the beginning of the chapters (more noticeable as I'm doing that in my current series I've been writing for the last few years). Yeah there is a lot of info dumping - but this story really needs it as it's really more about the world than the characters or plot (at least that's how I'm seeing it). I think they (the info dumps) are well done and the writing is smooth and effortless. I also agree with Bill that the pace of this story (lack of action) fits it well.
Yes....there are many times when the setting becomes a character in its own right. I felt that way with Tolkien's world, and with New York City in Hellen Wexler's Gollem and Jinni.
It wasn't world-building for world-buiding's sake. Agreed. So many times authors get so engrossed with their world that they spend time telling you stuff that really only they know about. World building is best when it is integrated with the story and integral to the plot.
Iceberg is definitely how I write, good for the author to know all that stuff, but sometimes some authors are so thrilled about all the things they came up with they can't help themselves so expose it to the reader. More often than not - they care about such things much more than the reader. Still, there are those who love hearing every detail right down to the origin of a particular pattern on a teapot - so it'll work for some.
It's one of those things that everyone will have different preferences for...and always a tightrope to walk for how much is too much.
The story is progressing nicely, with only few characters so far. Also with Shara being a spy she gives us unique perspective, because the few actual spy novels I have read, the operatives operate in the same way as Shara, and not in bond style.Also I think Shara has a soft corner for divinities in this world, considering the time she has spent studying them, it is highly possible that she is on their side.
It is also refreshing reading a character who takes their time to think instead of just jumping from action scene to action scene.