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Avg. Rating: 4.5
intricate
This second episode of the late Renaissance series centred on pointsman (a policeman of sorts) Rathe is similar at first sight to the first but subtly different nonetheless, as if the two plots belonged to one of the two authors each.
The first was more focused on the mistery, on the action that brings to its solving and fleshed out with countless details about the lower class characters' way of life.
In this second one, the mistery seems not to be the focus of the narrative, it rather seems an excuse to examine characters interaction and the ways of upper classes of the same society. This is true to the point that the identity of the murder is quite clear from the first pages, as are his/her (I will not give you any hint though) motives.
In a way the novel suffers from this choice. It also suffers from the understated tone chosen by the author to describe people's feelings. I think it a good idea to let us face the intimate relationship between the two main characters (two men, by the way) as an already given fact, but this choice of understatement runs so far that we face a feeble characterization too: not that it is lacking, it is just superficially attended to, it lacks depth: you cannot really relate to any of them.
Nonetheless this novel deserves in my opinion five stars. The quality of the writing is high, the fastidious attention to details, the original society depicted. They all make this a worthwhile read. I only feel like complaining about a minor detail: that the authors, to make their point about a society ruled by women use "her" and "she" as general pronouns when the sex of the person is not known. This feels quite unnecessary.
Another problem, but I guess it comes from a deliberate choice too, is that even after two novels, the structure of the astreiant's society and even its basic geography are still unclear: the authors never taking the trouble of making clear, e.g. what the regents actually do, what the metropolitan is, etc. Outright explanations are likely to be clumsy, but the authors could have found a way to give us at least the more essential details.
Rich and satisfying
I set this aside with a feeling of satisfaction, as if I'd had a good meal. The mystery was well-done, the fantastic elements of the story and the world well-conceived, the backstory well-integrated and relatively easy to pick up once I got into the rhythm of the plot.
Scott and Barnett write with an attention to detail and a richness of atmosphere not often found in fantasy. The story moves along leisurely, over the course of a few days, and (forgive the clumsy metaphor) feels like dark chocolate syrup, rich, bittersweet, and luxurious. The Italian Renaissance atmosphere (to me, the city seems like Venice) and the stylized social structure is fascinating. The behind-the-scenes theatre action seems true-to-life, at least so far as my theatre experience has been.
It seems to me the society is matriarchal, as all the truly powerful positions were held by women, which is a refreshing change from most fantasy. And everyone seemed to have a mother, but I can't recall a mention of anyone's father.
And I rather like the idea of the "ghost-tide," in which our dead appear to us at a particular time of year. I wouldn't mind seeing my paternal grandparents again.
I'll be keeping my eye out for the previous two novels set in this world.
Fun read but less engaging then Point of Hopes
***1/2 stars to be more truthful...For those of you who've read Point of Hopes and are hoping for more romance between Philip and Nico you won't be totally disappointed. Unfortunately, the authors made the odd choice of setting Point of Dreams 6 months after the case of the missing children has been solved and Nico and Philip are already involved physically and are moving quickly toward 'leman' status. There is no sex of any kind in this novel so if you are looking to be titilated and nothing else, look elsewhere. You won't even be allowed to witness a passionate kiss between the lovers. The reader is treated to a few charming and cozy domestic scenes in which Philip's nurturing nature emerges. Perhaps the authors wanted them to be at the more comfortable stage for this story in which case I wish they had saved it for another book so we could have been the voyeurs of the early stages of their romance. You know, the ROMANTIC parts! In the first book we are left hanging with vague feelings of attraction the men feel toward each other but barely acknowledge to themselves beyond vague feelings. The artistic decision to bypass the magical early moments of mutual attraction is questionable. The mystery wasn't too hard to figure out and it took me awhile to figure out the significance of the flowers and the Alphabet book. I imagine the flowers, which were raised from expensive and delicate corms were based on the violent,intrigue-filled history of tulips in Western culture, albeit with a different twist. In this novel, the flowers are believed to have magic properties when used in conjuction with the book in question. It is Rathe's job to discover if there is any validity to the magic or if it is just a hoax. I would have liked to have seen more of Chresta Aconin, the playwrite responsible for the furor over the Alphabet and the corms. He is obviously based on poet/playwrite Christopher Marlowe, or at least Scott's characterization of him in Armour of Light. That said, I enjoyed the book for the characters and the setting. I do look forward to another "Point" novel as there is the makings of a very engaging series here.
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