A First Book, Or Last
Dec. 22nd, 2007 01:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mishalakMercedonius 1 before AUC 2761, Kalends
I finished reading Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner today. I read it because I picked up The Privilege of the Sword by her while I was working my way through all the winners of the major fantasy awards. I wanted to see if The Privilege of the Sword was voted the Locus Fantasy Award because people liked it or they liked her previous work. Still not sure about that, they're both very interesting books. I'm rather glad I did not read Swordspoint when it was first published in 1987. The strongly hinted at gay sex among primary characters would have scandalized me then. Now I rather appreciate it.
I do recommend reading Swordspoint first as I think my enjoyment of it was not as complete because I knew how it must come out in the end due to how things were set up at the start of The Privilege of the Sword. Either work stands on its own just fine and if a reader likes fantasy without any magic, fantasy races, or the standard heir to the king or fated farm-boy plots. Also you've got to be able to stand diverse threads of plot jumping back and forth between character points of view frequently. It all works and comes together in a satisfying way in the denouement, but can be a bit confusing. And, as I said, you can't be the sort that objects to the main characters having a homosexual relationship or (surprisingly enough) another character being a both a homosexual and a cad.
I'm thinking of buying a hardcover copy to keep.
And I am thinking of keeping track of what I read this year like so many others do in their journals. I think it might be fun.
I finished reading Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner today. I read it because I picked up The Privilege of the Sword by her while I was working my way through all the winners of the major fantasy awards. I wanted to see if The Privilege of the Sword was voted the Locus Fantasy Award because people liked it or they liked her previous work. Still not sure about that, they're both very interesting books. I'm rather glad I did not read Swordspoint when it was first published in 1987. The strongly hinted at gay sex among primary characters would have scandalized me then. Now I rather appreciate it.
I do recommend reading Swordspoint first as I think my enjoyment of it was not as complete because I knew how it must come out in the end due to how things were set up at the start of The Privilege of the Sword. Either work stands on its own just fine and if a reader likes fantasy without any magic, fantasy races, or the standard heir to the king or fated farm-boy plots. Also you've got to be able to stand diverse threads of plot jumping back and forth between character points of view frequently. It all works and comes together in a satisfying way in the denouement, but can be a bit confusing. And, as I said, you can't be the sort that objects to the main characters having a homosexual relationship or (surprisingly enough) another character being a both a homosexual and a cad.
I'm thinking of buying a hardcover copy to keep.
And I am thinking of keeping track of what I read this year like so many others do in their journals. I think it might be fun.