This
is my favorite paragraph in the entire novel. It’s such an intelligent way for
the author to convey that a fictional character – both a renowned scientist and
a man of faith – can believe openly the construct of evolutionary history and
Creationism. I just love it. So great.
Dreams of Gods & Monsters (Apr. 8, 2014) by Laini Taylor.
POSSIBLE SPOILER
(that one would likely guess at, anyway): Karou and Akiva have allied their
once-enemy armies with each other, however tenuously. The revenant chimaera and
seraphim, the “beasts” and the “angels,” struggle against their instinct to
slaughter the other and band together. But band together they must in order to
have any chance of defeating Jael, captain of the seraphic Dominion army, the
Empire’s high-bred, elite army. The ranks of illegitimate Misbegotten, of which
Akiva and Liraz are a part of, have severely dwindled. The Second Legion, or
common army, is the largest army, on middle ground, but their allegiance is
unclear. And defeating Jael’s army is crucial to the populations of two worlds:
Eretz, where the seraphim and chimaera all hail from, and Earth, where, well,
humans do.
If the comingling of their armies
works, then perhaps Akiva and Karou can be together in love. But with all that
goes on around them and the directions they feel pulled in, fate may keep them
apart. Something else is also at play. Akiva has felt the awareness of
something other, something hostile. But what is it?
Eliza Jones is a newcomer to the
story. She is a research fellow in evolutionary biology at the Smithsonian’s
National Museum of Natural History. She studies butterflies, has a past she
doesn’t like to dwell on and may be prophetic. What might any of that have to
do with Akiva, Karou and company? (Keep an eye on Ziri, too.)
There has been no escaping violence
in Taylor’s YA trilogy, but there is less violence in this novel than the
previous two. Probably because Karou and Akiva spend more time longing for
love, peace between races and a home. Possibly a shared one. Taylor’s fantasy
novel is spellbinding, not just because of the source material, but of her
creative skill in writing. So often her words are poetic -- not “lunatic
poetry,” as Zuzana mentions (love her humor), but poetic prose. For example,
“Skin as black as a raven’s wing at the umbra of eclipse, and her hair was
featherine, the soft rose of sunrise, and falling in pale shoals about her dark
shoulders.” Practically lyric, no?
Still, the book isn’t all intensely
poetic, but light and darkness, victory and defeat, secrecy, enmity,
togetherness, love. Resurrections begot and lives lost, thuribles filled and
evanescence. From bodies whole to ashes in the wind. The plot is multilayered
and strong, the writing meticulous and lengthy (over 600 pages long). Taylor’s
story is a vale of terrific storytelling, gorgeously edgy and intense. Highly
recommend!
No comments:
Post a Comment
You have a book or post-related comment on your mind? Wonderful! Your comments are welcome, but whether you are a regular or guest Rutabaga, I expect you to keep your comments clean and respectable. :-)