1/20/2024 0 Comments Watchtower books![]() Her cultures draw from medieval Europe and Asia, including a troupe of dancers/martial artists who dedicate their lives to chea, or balance. As the characters journey, they pass through realms that reminded me of Iceland and Scandinavia, the steppe of Central Asia, and the hidden Shangri-La valleys of the Himalaya. This mostly comes through Lynn’s imagined land. ![]() In fact almost everything in this novel is understated, from character to the fantasy elements. It reminded me of those early seasons of Game of Thrones when characters spent multiple episodes crossing the land. For a novel about war it has surprisingly little action. This is a strange, rather beautiful and ultimately quietly devastating novel. Errel and Ryke escape, journeying across the land to the hidden valley of Vanima, where it is always summer, and they can plot their revenge on Col Istor. The messengers belong to a mysterious clan who dress in green and make unbreakable oaths, and deal with traitors with extreme prejudice. This delicate peace doesn’t last long, when messengers arrive to offer a truce with another keep. Errel is forced to become a jester in Col’s new court. Ryke reluctantly agrees in order to keep Athor’s son, the prince Errel, alive. Col spares him and makes him a commander in his new watch. ![]() He wakes to find his lord, Athor, has been overthrown by the southerner Col Istor. Watchtower opens mid-scene, as Ryke, a watch commander at the northern castle of Tornor Keep comes to after being knocked out in a battle. Going into it, I knew two things: that is was one of the first fantasy series to include openly queer characters, and that many people disagree with its ‘fantasy’ classification. Lynn’s novel Watchtower won the 1980 World Fantasy Award, and is the first in a trilogy set in her invented world of Arun.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |