Thursday 19 November 2015

Vivat Regina; Or The Queen of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling, Book One)

I am now officially a full time voluntary freelance reader. That's a much better way of saying unemployed, right? But it's true. Between searching for work my days are mostly delegated to any combination of reading, knitting, Netflix and Dutch, all accompanied by my obligatory cup of one of my one thousand different teas. I'm totally rocking the Assam Tippy Orthodox right now, which I only found again recently (I knew I hadn't drunk it all!)

Anyway, books. Books and tea. As I mentioned in an earlier blog post I was bought The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen and its newly released sequel, The Invasion of the Tearling, as a birthday present. Although it took me a little while to actually get around to read the first book, once I started I found it very difficult to put down.

Wow. It's been a while since I truly thoroughly enjoyed an adult novel (as opposed to a novella, such as Winter's Bone, or children's books, such as Goth Girl or The Card Game series) like this. Mind you, I think my MSc devouring my leisure time like some sort of Apocalyptic hell spawn hasn't particularly given me chance to find, let alone read, thoroughly immersive fantasy books. According to Goodreads the last time I read a high fantasy novel, which was the Guild Wars 2 tie in, Edge of Destiny, was nearly two years ago to the day. That predates this blog by nearly a year (also, in case your maths isn't top notch, that means that I've been running this blog, albeit it with intermittent updates, for just over a year now. Awesome!)

No wonder I feel so utterly deprived of the fantastical imaginings of another mind.

So how does The Queen of the Tearling fare as my much needed reintroduction to the fantasy genre? Brilliantly, actually. I've read a few other reviews about it and it seems that this book is well and truly Marmite; you either love it or you hate it. One of the reoccurring gripes seemed to be with the setting.

You see, the world of the Tearling isn't exactly clear cut 'Medieval', D&D, Frodo-and-Sam-went-to-Mount-Doom type fantasy. At first glance it appears to be, but then there will be hints to things that suggest otherwise. By the end of the novel it is quite clear that this isn't 'fantasy' per se (although it still very much reads like it), but actually post-disaster Earth. It's a science fiction masquerading as something from Westeros or Middle Earth. Personally? I like it; it gives that same similar feeling of any well written, technologically deprived fantasy setting, while adding something different. I say 'different'; both The Arthurian Trilogy and The Demon Saga have similar 'we are the future, and the future is bleak' settings. I suppose it is what it is. For the most part, this novel shrouds the setting in mystery; we are given brief insights into how this came about, but nothing is, yet, explicitly explained. This does seem to be a common complaint of the book; people feel that the story can't quite make up it's mind and does a terrible job at 'world building' by never explaining anything in full. The way I see it is that the 'how' is meant to be a reveal (much like the two aforementioned series, where their futuristic setting is not even apparent until after the first book). The 'how' isn't wholly necessary to the events right here and now (?), and a long winded history lesson may very well detract. That said, if the setting isn't sufficiently explained by the time the series comes to a close, well. Then I might join the ranks of the disgruntled, as I feel that the way it has been hinted at, barely described, but still made overt, means that this setting seriously needs an explanation at some point. I think any 'after the end of the world' stories do.

Oh, possible slight spoiler ahead, but. So far all I really know is that there was a 'Crossing', presumably from the Americas (to where they now reside in the landmass that was Europe). Unfortunately during this time there was a accident, involving a white ship. This ship had all the doctors, nurses, technology and so forth, which explains why they lack proper medical care and much 'modern' technology by the time the events of the book unfold. Now, I do not know if this is deliberate, but the idea of there being a disaster involving a white ship that would result in the changing of history forever...? If this sinking results in, I don't know, some sort of 'anarchy' that broke up the settlements of 'Europe', then that's some clever foreshadowing. Even if it doesn't spark war, then the fact it's such a game changer in terms of how things were run after... Yeah, maybe it's accidental, but a White Ship Disaster? It made me smile.

Other than the enigmatic setting, there’s a host of deeply flawed characters. We have Kelsea, the titular Queen of the Tearling, plain (this is trait rather over mentioned) but fierce and determined. She’s certainly an interesting character and definitely a step away from both the wet and pathetic damsel in distress stereotype as well as the highly irksome so called ‘strong independent’ female lead who is ultimately neither and deserving of a good slap (‘strong’ does not equate arrogance, nor imperviousness to everything except the quickening of her heart around the love interest. No, that’s just shambolic writing). She’s stubborn and allows her political actions to be influenced far more by her morals than logic. Thing is, you know this will either make her a phenomenal queen or… An incredibly poor one. While I enjoy the character of Kelsea (for despite her determination, she stills shows weakness and acts like a human), I do think a shrewdly tactical monarch, who is playing the long game not only entertaining to read, but in many ways more clever. But then, that’s a monarch for a different story and not the one this is telling. (Fair warning spoiler; just like Joyse in Mordant’s Need.) Still, I find Kelsea interesting and a breath of fresh air in terms of being a genuinely well written lead whose character traits do not wholly rely on her gender.

Apparently, it’s been confirmed that the Tearling has got film rights, with Emma Watson being cast as Kelsea. As much as I admire Watson as a person, and cannot fault her acting ability, she’s just wrong for the part. I can’t really explain it, but in many ways Kelsea seems the antithesis of Watson. I don’t know; read the book, you’ll understand then.

Then there is her Queen’s Guard, all of whom were sworn to the previous queen (Kelsea’s mother); at first suspicious of the young princess who they’re not even convinced will survive the journey to her throne, but as the story progresses, so does their loyalty. At the head of the Queen’s Guard we have Mace, or Lazarus, who’s basically the tankiest tank that ever tanked. I feel like he’s Doomguy meets Altaïr meets Rytlock Brimstone. For those of you who don’t game, it just means he’s fucking dangerous and terrifying. He effectively removes his emotions from the situation and does what needs to be done and he does it well. This is not the kind of bastard you mess with.

I really like Lazarus for all of his dark, pissy brooding. I think that it probably doesn’t help that I was reading the Battle Royale manga before this novel and my mind has sort of superimposed Shogo Kawada in his place (to be fair, they are somewhat similar in characterisation); I’m a little bit in love with Shogo. I can’t explain it, but then, if you’ve seen the film or read the book, you’ll realise there is nothing to explain. I mean, it’s Goddamned Shogo. By the end of the book I was imagining Lazarus as a visually distinct character, but my daft brain picking up other characters may have inadvertently made me fonder of this guy than I might have been. Whatever, Lazarus is awesome!

A few other characters are introduced, but their parts are brief or small in this instalment. We have further mystery with the Fetch and complicating the political climate with Father Tyler, despite the Queen’s atheism. Despite these roles not being pivotal to the novel, it’s quite clear that we are being set up for something big in the sequels. In fact, most of this novel seems to be setting up for what comes next.

It’s interesting because not a huge amount happens in this book, but what happens is huge. The pacing of the book might be deterring for some but I found it moved well enough. I felt that this wasn’t a book that needed to move swiftly; too quick and we would have lost the significance and impact of many of Kelsea’s actions. It’s not Gormenghast slow, taking its time to describe in painfully elegant detail everything from the characters physiques and psychological processes, to the most insignificant tidbits of information, such as the exact colour of the bricks that build the monotonous and bleak surroundings. No, it’s a different kind of slow, slow in the sense that it makes sure to get its point across, to elaborate on the state of affairs, without dragging things out unnecessarily. I find the pacing ‘little bear’, that is, ‘just right’.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and am eagerly awaiting my start of the second in the series. I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who wants something well written and compelling with a tenacious hero. The themes are similar enough to not be daunting as you begin reading, but introducing enough divergence from traditional fantasy storytelling to remain engaging. For a first novel, I’m impressed, and will certainly be looking for more works by Johansen, even once the Tearling series has ended.



This book in facts and figures;
My rating: 8/10
Pages: 434
My Format: Hardback
Published: 2014
Author: Erika Johansen
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 9780593072691