Bradley's Reviews > The Broken Kingdoms
The Broken Kingdoms (Inheritance, #2)
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This novel was easily and truly better, imho, than the first in the trilogy.
From start to finish I loved the gentle rolling cadences of the story, the hope for a better life in the middle of so much poverty, even when it was the godlings and a certain shiny god that was experiencing the poverty. I originally thought this might actually turn out to be a mainline tale of redemption, and it was, for the most part, but I was even more surprised to enjoy the fact that it was a tale of demons, or the progeny of gods and mortals, if you prefer, and I don't mind either way. I thought it was a very beautiful story. I've got a really huge soft spot in my heart for tales like this.
Even if it's a redemption tale for the biggest asshole in the first book. Oh, but let me be clear, here: Shiny hardly gets anything that he desires, and the briefest of tastes of happiness is still going to have to last him for the next two thousand years, if twilight and darkness continue to have any say in it, but it's the glimmer of hope that I choose to focus on.
I'm certain that Oree would agree with me. I really love her. She's the consummate observer, strong in will and understanding, and never lets her blindness hold her back. The little gift she holds makes her very interesting and gives the reason and impetus of the story, as well, but more than that, it throws us into the middle of the lives of the godlings without ever being truly a "part" of it. Such a nice balancing act. The realism and the humorous beginnings, aside, the plot was nothing to sneeze at, either. The direct implications may not have been as grandiose as the first novel, but the long term definitely was.
The complete assassination of all the gods? Wow. And the ignorance was just as staggering, giving me a great time yelling at the bad guys, saying "No, don't! You idiot! Don't you know...?"
Too funny. I really enjoyed this novel. Jemisin is a master storyteller. I'm going to be running through her entire catalog before long. :)
From start to finish I loved the gentle rolling cadences of the story, the hope for a better life in the middle of so much poverty, even when it was the godlings and a certain shiny god that was experiencing the poverty. I originally thought this might actually turn out to be a mainline tale of redemption, and it was, for the most part, but I was even more surprised to enjoy the fact that it was a tale of demons, or the progeny of gods and mortals, if you prefer, and I don't mind either way. I thought it was a very beautiful story. I've got a really huge soft spot in my heart for tales like this.
Even if it's a redemption tale for the biggest asshole in the first book. Oh, but let me be clear, here: Shiny hardly gets anything that he desires, and the briefest of tastes of happiness is still going to have to last him for the next two thousand years, if twilight and darkness continue to have any say in it, but it's the glimmer of hope that I choose to focus on.
I'm certain that Oree would agree with me. I really love her. She's the consummate observer, strong in will and understanding, and never lets her blindness hold her back. The little gift she holds makes her very interesting and gives the reason and impetus of the story, as well, but more than that, it throws us into the middle of the lives of the godlings without ever being truly a "part" of it. Such a nice balancing act. The realism and the humorous beginnings, aside, the plot was nothing to sneeze at, either. The direct implications may not have been as grandiose as the first novel, but the long term definitely was.
The complete assassination of all the gods? Wow. And the ignorance was just as staggering, giving me a great time yelling at the bad guys, saying "No, don't! You idiot! Don't you know...?"
Too funny. I really enjoyed this novel. Jemisin is a master storyteller. I'm going to be running through her entire catalog before long. :)
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Reading Progress
March 25, 2013
– Shelved
October 17, 2015
–
Started Reading
October 18, 2015
– Shelved as:
fantasy
October 18, 2015
– Shelved as:
reality-bending
October 18, 2015
– Shelved as:
worldbuilding-sf
October 18, 2015
–
Finished Reading
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Matt
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rated it 4 stars
Jul 28, 2016 11:51PM
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I kind of made a pact to myself that I'd only start fantasy series once they were finished. Both Jemisin and Ken Liu have me testing my resolve.
I used to think the same about only starting fantasies after they're done, but now that so many aren't standard trilogies, you might wind up waiting decades and by then their importance will have risen and fallen with our cultures.
There are no timeless fantasies, unfortunately. Or if there are, they're just a handful that go around on bare feet and smoke Shire-Pot. :)
Well put, Brad! It's a fine point, and I'm sure I'll be taking the plunge back into some newer series in the future. I think GRRM and Patrick Rothfuss have just put a somewhat bittersweet taste in my mouth, though it is not really the case for many other fantasy authors. I'll add The Fifth Season to my to-buy list! You sell it quite well.
I just couldn't stomach anything after that.
I've found that quite a few authors have turned me off their work by their real life opinions, sadly. Resnick, the aforementioned two other male writers, and OS Card, are some.
I've stopped reading a lot of their blogs because of that. I don't want to lose any more. (There are 3 others I've not mentioned as well....)
Those writers *do* happen to write some pretty fantastic stuff. So did so many of the classic writers who were also known for slavery, prejudice, madness, and murder, and I'm just talking about the English.
A writer's writing should always be judged on what they write. Their personal opinions can always inform a deeper reading, but should not be the end judgment on whether a work is good or not. Otherwise, we should start book burning anything that doesn't maintain a super-high moral standard based on Christian Ethos or some such nonsense.
I think, to some degree, a writer's beliefs can influence their writing, but I don't believe that an understanding of the author is always necessary for an appreciation of the novel. As Brad said, these novels can be enriched by an investigation of the author for a deeper reading.
but I wouldn't say that Oree and her friends were living in so much poverty by any measure. her own house, steady work, etc. reminded me of me and my friends in our 20s, but better off. that's actually one of the many things I enjoyed about the book - the first quarter's depiction of an interesting but fairly regular life of a young person finding themselves in the big city.
although the book does, quite briefly, have the characters hide in a place called "Ancestral Village" that is certainly a place of extreme poverty. I wonder if that is what you are referring to.