Reading, reading!

[krait]

Been busy with some other things, but I have done some reading. I'm now about halfway through The Baron of Magister Valley (Brust) and have just started Xenotech: Queen's Gambit (Schroeder).

The latter is a book I've been waiting two years for: I purchased the first book in the Xenotech Support series at a convention, pre-pandemic, to see if I'd enjoy it. I did, very much, and was excited to pick up the next one when the con came round again! Then the convention was cancelled two years in a row. This year I got both my convention and the next two books, which I'm very much looking forward to. :D

If you enjoy humourous sci-fi, pick up the first book, Xenotech Rising, and have fun!

My feelings on the Brust novel so far are somewhat more complex, mostly because of the introduction. The story itself is fun so far (the daring escape has just occurred!) though, and hopefully it will lessen the unpleasantness of Will Shetterly's existence, which has made Dragaera and the Dzur far less enjoyable than they ought to be. :/

Comments

[krait]

Huh, I had not picked up that SKZB was also buddies with Gaiman. Interesting (Gaiman is also an author I'm not fond of, though in a much more neutral way). Did he write a foreward? Do you recall which one?

Alas, "Shetwil" is identified as a Dzurlord in the text, and it's a bit jarring to try to place him in the same context as Tazendra, or even Telnan. (I can only presume that Shetwil is to the House of the Dzur as Shaltre is to the House of the Lyorn.)

I haven't reached the icon text yet, but hopefully will soon! :D

[hamsterwoman]

re: Gaiman -- Brust mentions him sometimes on his blog/Twitter, but in the Paarfi context specifically, the "Ilen, a Magian" who is the author of the Afterword in Lord of Castle Black is apparently Gaiman -- I had to have this pointed out to me even though it's a pretty straightforward anagram :P

Alas, "Shetwil" is identified as a Dzurlord in the text, and it's a bit jarring to try to place him in the same context as Tazendra, or even Telnan

Oh yeah, I do remember that -- I just hadn't, like, gone as far as connecting Shetwil's House to Shetterly before -- but upon reflection, googling his name and coming into people's comments to fight while remaining entrenched in a position where it's him against the majority of fandom is kind of Dzur thing to do, wouldn't you say? Not in a good way, so I also wouldn't want to associate it with my favorite Dzurs like Tazendra, but still pretty Dzur-like.

[krait]

Well, I missed it, too! If it had been "Imen" or something, I would be more obvious. (I just don't think about Gaiman enough to catch references to him unless they're obvious! I've read... one and a half books by him, and that was enough to cement my disinterest.)

While it does, technically, fall under Dzur-ish ideals of fighting when outnumbered, it's still a letdown to realise that the Dzur are also the House of the Extremely Bigoted Opinions Reiterated Louder When Corrected. :/

Though I don't think we've ever previously encountered a Dzur who preferred arguing in text over drawing a sword? Which is what makes me think of Count Shaltre - he's pretty clearly a Lyorn who does NOT uphold Lyorn ideals of honesty and justice, which means not all members of a House give more than lip service to its allegedly inherent qualities. Let's suppose that Shetwil is likewise a disappointment and an outlier to the House of the Dzur! A Dzur who's a petty bully and prefers argument to combat might end up shilling for an author he professes to dislike, because he's unlikely to find employment in more traditionally Dzur-heavy fields.