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Book Review
Mar. 30th, 2006 08:58 pmThe Wheel of the Infinite
by Martha Wells
I enjoyed reading this fantasy novel mostly for the ways in which it departed from the standard fixtures of the genre. The world-building was particularly good. Wells does a great job of letting the details build the larger picture. Plus, she was able to do a good job of both conveying a solid impression of the place quickly and revealing a richer sense of it over time. All of this was made sweeter by the fact that the world was based on southeast Asian cultures (especially India, Thailand, and Nepal) rather than the standard medieval European template. The characters were also refreshingly different. The main protagonist, Maskelle, is very far from the usual young adventurer. A priestess in her 40s with a checkered past, she is already powerful and experienced, a woman who knows her own mind. Her development is more about overcoming the effects of her past than about self-discovery. As for plot, Wells combines a save-the-universe plot with a detective story.
by Martha Wells
I enjoyed reading this fantasy novel mostly for the ways in which it departed from the standard fixtures of the genre. The world-building was particularly good. Wells does a great job of letting the details build the larger picture. Plus, she was able to do a good job of both conveying a solid impression of the place quickly and revealing a richer sense of it over time. All of this was made sweeter by the fact that the world was based on southeast Asian cultures (especially India, Thailand, and Nepal) rather than the standard medieval European template. The characters were also refreshingly different. The main protagonist, Maskelle, is very far from the usual young adventurer. A priestess in her 40s with a checkered past, she is already powerful and experienced, a woman who knows her own mind. Her development is more about overcoming the effects of her past than about self-discovery. As for plot, Wells combines a save-the-universe plot with a detective story.
