2023 reads part 1: The Witcher and the Corvids of Memory
Kicking off 2023 reads with some strong feelpinions
It might be the end of March but I put the start of 2023 to good reading use.
(This waffle is also available on my website if you ever have need to delve into the dusty archives.)
Michael R. G. Spiller: The Development of the Sonnet: An Introduction*
Published 1992
Poetry is an absolutely unfamiliar beast to me, and so obviously it was a major component of my ‘How to English Degree’ subject over the summer trimester.
As good academic books will say on the tin, this traces the development of the sonnet from its Petrarchan origins through to the English sonneteers. Unsurprisingly, Shakespeare gets a whole chapter to himself, and I was surprised to learn that for a writer so innovative in his drama, he stuck very closely to sonnet conventions – the comes from the wordplay.
Any work that has ‘An Introduction’ in the title will have depth, not breadth, but will also attempt to explain the basics of what’s going on and so I did learn things about sonnets, which absolutely is the point. A readable book and I’ll never have to read a book about sonnets again.
2.5 stars.
Andrzej Sapkowski: Blood of Elves*
(The Witcher #1)
Published 1994 (translated Danusia Stok 2009)
This is the first full-length Witcher novel, set and written after the two short story volumes.
Blood of Elves centres on Ciri, who is introduced right at the end of the last short story. She’s the princess of Cintra, presumed dead after Cintra was invaded and captured in war. Ciri is also Geralt’s Destiny (with a capital D). As payment for aid, Geralt demanded the Law of Surprise – that which those receiving the aid did not know they had to give. In this case: surprise, baby! It also seems a given in this world that Surprises are usually children, and Geralt does demand the Suprise under duress, but you do what you have to do in service of the plot, right?
Unable to avoid his destiny or Ciri any longer, Geralt takes her to Kaer Modan, the Witcher’s Keep, where she’s trained as a Witcher but without any of the genetic mutations that would turn her into a real Witcher. Ciri starts prophesying, so the Witchers enlist the help of a couple of wizards to understand what’s going on, and obviously one of those wizards is Geralt’s on-again-off-again lover, Yennifer.
This all culminates in Ciri being trained as a Witcher and a Sorcerer, against the background of further war, political machinations, assassins trying to kill Geralt (again), plus the usual fantasy monsters and bad guys. Unfortunately, Blood of Elves is only half a story – and at around 300 pages it really is only half an epic fantasy tale. This is all training montage for the Big Battle ahead.
As in all Sapkowski’s books, I have to admire the translation work that feels seamless. The writing is cutting and clever, the voices of characters are clear, Geralt continues to be a resigned optimist while pretending to be a realist. Onwards to book two.
4 stars.
Adrian Tchaikovsky: Children of Memory*
(Children of Time #3)
Published December 2022
The third (and allegedly final) instalment in Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time series, starting with the Excellent Children of Time. Like all good science fiction, they’re explorations of what even is humanity – our societies and cultures and histories – with a style that’s equal parts showing and telling but also explaining.
Children of Memory features characters from the first two books (kind of, but I’ll not add any spoilers for those who’ve not read them), which include humans, spiders, octopodes, and a virus that doesn’t reproduce so much as replicate. Anyway, they’re all off on an adventure. Miranda, the virus in a human body, is part of a first-contact expedition with a human colony that was founded after humans fled Earth millennia ago. She poses as a teacher to 13-year-old Liff, who has far more understanding and insight into what’s is going on around her than you’d think a teenager should (or would, I’d say, currently being the caretaker of a teenager myself).
The uplifted species in this book are corvids, although unlike the arachnids and octopuses of the previous entries they’re not sentient? Or are they? It’s a point of difference from the other books but I don’t think it works as well, although I appreciate not trying to rehash what he’s previously written.
Ultimately, Tchaikovsky is exploring the nature of reality versus fiction, intelligence versus sentience, humanity versus Humanity. Some conclusions are made and some doors are definitely left open for book four, if he ever wants to write it.
4 stars. Timey-wimey existentialism
David Greenham: Close Reading: The Basics*
Published 2018
A short introduction on how to closely read prose, verse, and drama, by examining the text in detail and then adding in more contextual information or applying different contextual theories to a text.
Honestly, close reading is a thing to learn by doing, not reading about how to do it, but I’m a recipe-follower and I need examples to follow before I can start applying new skills by myself. This was actually a really useful book for me to understand how to approach close reading of a text and just how in-depth you can go with it
3 stars.
Andrej Sapkowski: Time of Contempt*
(The Witcher #2)
Published 1995 (translated David French 2013)
We continue from where we left off above, with Ciri off on adventures to test her newfound sword and sorcery skills. However, to get to said adventures we firstly need:
Geralt, Yennifer, and Ciri to reunite;
an awkward moment where Yennifer brings her tradie boyfriend (Geralt) to her fancy business dinner (conclave of magicians) and they all assume he’s either a spy or they’ll get in his pants (or both);
all hell to break loose as a factional coup takes place at aforementioned fancy business dinner, resulting in Yennifer disappearing, Geralt nearly dead, and Ciri thrust through a temperamental portal to parts unknown.
A good deal of fantastic (and fantastical) fun, and I’m excited to keep reading. Content warning for (older) child sexual assault, although sex and sexual violent throughout Sapkowski’s works is treated very pragmatically (it’s a reality of the world) rather than sexualised.
3.5 stars.
And, here is the 2023 reads part 1 video:
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