50 in '11: #15

[sakon76]

Title: Tortall and Other Lands
Author: Tamora Pierce
Length: 369 pages


Birthday present from toothycat!

Now, Tamora Pierce is one of those authors I stalk. I buy her books in hardback when they come out and if she comes out to California for a talk and signing I try to be there. That said, I was kind of dreading this book. The reason? I stalk her books. Which means buying short story collections with a piece of hers in them. So I knew going in I had already read some of this book.

However, it turns out I'd only previously read four of the eleven stories! *happy dance* One of the ones I'd previously read, Elder Brother, dealt with the way women are restricted and hidden away in extremely patriarchal cultures. Which as a topic did not surprise me; Tammy is quite a feminist. But what utterly charmed me was "The Hidden Girl," a new companion piece, which showed the side of those women who choose to wear the veil! I also very much enjoyed "Lost," the story of a mathematically gifted girl, "Nawat," which follows from Tammy's Trickster books and offers its titular hero a hard choice, and "Plain Magic," which was centered on the magic of sewing and knots and weaving, something that's been touched on in the Tortall books but really only brought to its fullest in the Circle books. And, of course, I enjoyed rereading "The Dragon's Tale," "Huntress," and "Student of Ostriches." I'm still trying to decide how I feel about "Testing," which is based on Tammy's RL experiences as a housemother in a group home for girls. It's the only one that's non-fantastical ("Huntress" is nominally based in the real world, but has fantasy elements) and definitely reads autobiographically....

All in all, though, I was quite happy with the book and couldn't put it down as I moved from one story to the next.

Verdict: Recommended, though readers of her Tortall books will get the most out of it.

Comments

[fairegoddess.livejournal.com]

Aw, my lioness rampant icon got eaten in my downgrade. :( I'll definitely have to check this one out! I couldn't get into the Trickster books, but I have a full shelf dedicated to my collection of all her others. :)

[sakon76.livejournal.com]

The Trickster books are my least favorite too. Aly starts as a Mary Sue (oh look! Alanna's rebellious teenage daughter has dyed hair and is a hyper-competent by tragically unused master spy!) and never really meets any obstacles or has any difficulties. The suspense in the series is all around other characters, not the main character. She ends the books as she starts them, essentially unchanged. That's not very interesting to read.

[flybystardancer.livejournal.com]

Wheee! I already read it. (Preordered it on my kindle app and read it when it came out!)

I liked all of the ones set in Tortall. Couldn't really get into Huntress and Testing. Dragon's Tale is my favorite, but that's because of my love for Kit.

I couldn't get into her non-quartet books. Not the Trickster ones, not the Bloodhounds, not the Will of the Empress... And I recognized a bit of "The Dragon's Tale" that was from info that she asked fans about on her LJ! (Though there's a lot of stuff in her Tortall series that she seems to forget or get confused about as she writes... Just because it's been so long time-wise.)