A little over a year ago, I set out to find a solid, female-led novel. I’d gotten my fill of fist-pumping testosterone action, and I was looking for a little bit of girl power to serve as a change of pace. I excitedly ventured into Barnes and Noble, to find the book that would satisfy this desire.
I won’t name the first book I bought. In fact, I won’t even name the second book that I bought several weeks later. I won’t name them, because I didn’t finish either of them. I couldn’t finish either of them. They went on my shelf, never to be read (or cared about) again.
They were terrible. So much for girl power.
Or so I thought…
I recently stumbled upon a novel that you may or may not have heard about. That novel is Luthiel’s Song: Dreams of Ringed Vale, by author Robert Marston Fannéy. In short, it is the story of a young elf named Luthiel, a girl who is given the opportunity to essentially sacrifice herself to save the life of her sister. How? By replacing her sister as a sacrifice, to be handed over to the bloodthirsty monsters known as the Vyrl. You see, the Vyrl demand these sacrifices. If these demands are not met…let’s just say bad things tend to happen to the general populace.
Luthiel’s sister, Leowin, is selected by the Vyrl as their “chosen” sacrifice. To be selected as the “chosen” is about as much of an honor as being the “chosen” lobster in a grocery store aquarium. It’s not very pleasant at all. But, one never challenges the Vyrl. To do so would be to challenge death itself. Leowin accepts her fate and is delivered to the Vyrl, where she is promptly devoured, thus saving the lives of her people.
Not so fast.
You see, there’s a little snag in this magnificent plan. There’s a little glitch in the Matrix. That glitch is named Luthiel, and she isn’t too wild about her sister being eaten alive. Her solution? Get to the Vyrl before Leowin does, and make herself the sacrifice instead.
That’s as much of the plot as I’ll reveal, because this is truly a book that deserves to be read. Here’s why.
Don’t we all love jerks? Don’t we just love hanging around negative, pessimistic, obnoxiously rude people? Don’t we love to know what they think?
Uhh, no.
I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to pick up a novel, start reading it, and by the fifth page have decided that only the slow and painful death of the main character will make the book worthwhile. Some authors simply don’t get it. No one wants to empathize with a character that begs to be hated. Do we love cruel characters? Of course. They add so much to the story. But you see, that’s the whole point. They add to the story. They aren’t the story. Being in the thoughts of a main character that you utterly despise is one of the most irritating aspects of literature. That’s not a problem in Dreams of the Ringed Vale (hereby shortened to DotRV).
Luthiel, as a protagonist, is immediately likeable. She’s good-natured, she’s loyal, and she’s flawed. Without flaws, a character isn’t real. Luthiel has just enough to make her the perfect underdog girl to root for. You want to read on, because you want to see her succeed. You want to see her victorious. You want to see things work out for her in the end (except for the whole ‘she wants to get eaten instead of her sister’ thing).
You like her.
That’s one of the great things about this story. It’s a good story. It’s genuine, and it’s the kind of thing you can get behind. It’s the story of a girl who—whether she realizes it or not—is trying to be her sister’s hero. That’s unconditional love, and that’s a very refreshing thing to read about. In a literary world full of gimmicks, grandeur, and garbage, DotRV stands out in the crowd as decidedly straightforward and pure. Not many authors have the self-confidence (or morality) to write something like that. Fannéy pulls it off like a pro.
I won’t talk much about secondary characters, as to not inadvertently give anything away, but I will say this: they’re diverse and they’re excellent. Make no mistake…you’re going to get attached to someone other than Luthiel. It’s going to happen. Just accept it.
There is one thing I’ll caution you about, though. If you’re looking for a book that’s going to wrap itself up by the last page, by design DotRV isn’t for you. This is the first book in a series, and it’s obvious that in order for this story to be told, it’s going to take more than one book. Since I’m a fan of series literature, I find this perfect. If you’re a fan of the whole “all TV dramas must fix themselves in 30 minutes” thing, this book won’t satisfy you. It’ll leave you thirty for more, which is the point.
The story is heartfelt, the progression isn't cookie-cutter predictable, and the characters are memorable. The bottom line?
This is a very good book.
For parental references, this book is perfectly safe for a child to read. There’s not a lick of profanity or sexuality. You may purchase it without a weight on your conscience.
For more information on DotRV, check out its official site at www.luthielssong.com. It can also be found on MySpace, at http://www.myspace.com/luthielssong.
-Lee Stephen
Author, Epic: Dawn of Destiny
No comments:
Post a Comment