It has, in truth, been so long since I updated, that you could easily be forgiven for thinking that I had given up reading all together and you'd only be part wrong. I seem to have entered one of those stages in life where I never seem to have time to do anything and yet never actually get anything done either.
That said, my reading efforts have been slightly more fruitful since I last posted as, surprisingly, I am now reading my third novel hence (and am trying to make headway on the never ending 'to read' list). Of the two books I have completed, one is The Curse of the Gloamglozer, the (chronologically) first in my all-time favourite children's fantasy series, The Edge Chronicles. It's a re-read, as they are currently releasing new books in the series (after saying six-seven years ago that they had finished the series with The Immortals. I figured that, as I only owned the middle trilogy, it was high time I purchased the complete series and set myself up for being up to date with Doombringer.
That also links with the novel I'm currently reading; The Winter Knights, which, you won't be surprised to hear, is the (chronologically) second in the series. I do need to buy a new copy of the third book (Clash of the Sky Galleons) as, despite being described as 'in very good condition', even I don't love books enough to read or keep one teaming with mould.
As much as I love The Edge Chronicles and someday intend to write a post either as the series as a whole or on each trilogy, this post is actually about a different novel. About five years ago (or 1 BD; 'before degrees') I was in Waterstones and, as always, was tempted by the 'buy one get one half price'. I had gone in with the intention of picking up Isaac Marion's Warm Bodies, and figured, you know, books. So I ended up with a copy of a book I had never heard of, by an author I had never heard of (Patricia Briggs), with an attractive, if not inspiring, cover and the name Aralorn emblazoned across it. I was actually buying the two books version, containing Masques and Wolfsbane (so it felt a little like getting two books for one quarter price). Apparently, these are to two novels in the Aralorn series (would never have guessed from the title), although Wolfsbane is also the third novel in the Sianim series (I believe the Sianim series, while set in the same world, follows a different cast). Masques was actually the first novel Briggs ever wrote but, as seems to be common amongst authors, was not the first published, hence this sort of semi-broken series numbering. When Masques was eventually published, after the success of Wolfsbane, they were eventually published together.
So far I have only read Masques. My initial impression of the book is that it is glaringly obvious it is a first novel; that said, it is still significantly better written and more entertaining than a lot of 'bestselling' tripe that's pushed out on the shelves. I have read little more than the first page of Wolfsbane and already the superiority in tone and structure is apparent. On that front, I do look forward to reading the sequel.
Masques is the tale of spy and mercenary Aralorn who is mixed up in a sort of political intrigue. That is, the ae'Magi, the world's most powerful (both magically and socially) mage who, to the world, appears infallible and greater than good, deposes Myr, the King of a neighbouring country by framing him for murder. Of course, good-guy Mage, who reluctantly takes the throne from a man 'besotted by grief' (within the first few chapters Myr's parents meet an untimely end that is not at all suspicious) who, in his madness, has become dangerous, is, himself, the ultimate evil. Although we know he is the enemy from the beginning, the extent of his perverse nature and cruelty is unravelled throughout the narrative. Myr ends up on the run and is assisted by the oh so mysterious Wolf, who also happens to be Aralorn's travelling companion. Wolf is another super mage, although, like Myr, has been driven out of society, so lives on the edge, in the shadows. Wolf is also a shapeshifter and, as his namesake might give away, spends a lot of his time wandering around a wolf, which is most intriguing as 'human' mages cannot shapeshift. This is opposed to 'green' mages, whose primary magical ability is their shapeshifting. Aralorn also happens to be a green mage; this is what makes her such a good spy, as she often takes the form of a mouse when gathering information. So we have Myr, Wolf and Aralorn, who spend the book saving innocents, hiding from the ae'Magi and plotting a way in which to bring him down.
As I said, the amateur style to the novel does not make it unenjoyable. As a light, easy read set in a rather rich fantasy setting is actually refreshing. It's no Lord of the Rings, but it is not trying to be. I actually enjoyed having something that wasn't too taxing without being 'kiddy' or tacky and cheap (I'm looking at you, shelf of bit-rate thrillers!). If I had to describe Masques in one word, it would probably be 'fun'.
That is not to say that Masques is without its flaws. As I said, it is a first novel, so it lacks finesse and polish. One of my main gripes was that I did not feel that the prose was particularly fluid. Things just happened, they happened to progress the plot and there wasn't a huge amount linking them. Despite not being overly short, the whole novel was lacking somewhat in description. The plot itself was also a little wobbly and not, perhaps, as refined as it could have been. The intrigue and mystery that the back cover had promising was also about as surprising and shocking as The Beano; quite frankly, I saw plot points coming a mile off.
This brings me to the characters. Outside of Aralorn, Wolf, Myr and the ae'Magi, everyone else is just filler; even then, Myr gets very little page time (which makes me sad, as I am definitely a fan of Myr). Aralorn is actually rather well written; I say this with the air of surprise because, frankly, I find it rare to find well written female characters in fiction. She is neither the wet, damsel in distress stereotype nor the infuriating 'strong and wilful, needs no man (except the love interest)' character (the kind of character that authors mistake for good writing because they have a 'strong' female lead; in reality, a well written female character is one who just has a Goddamned character, even more so if that is regardless of her gender). Pfft. You have probably seen my rant about this before (I know I did when reviewed The Queen of the Tearling). Aralorn never takes anything too seriously and enjoys telling tales. Her strength (both physical and mental) comes from years of training to be a mercenary; that said, she is aware of her weaknesses. Her background is a little cliché and the novel could have done without it, but it is mentioned but a handful of times and plays no major role in the events of Masques.
Wolf is more disappointing. Wolf is every fantasy anti-hero. He hides his identity behind swathes of dark clothing, masks and a pseudonym, cold and menacing, strikes fear into all (except, of course, Aralorn), the mysterious loner; all this to ward off anyone who might ever be considered a friend, to protect his vulnerability caused by a tragic and violent past.
Sorry, Wolf, I know you have your fans, but you do not have one here.
Much of the book centres around the relationship between Aralorn and Wolf; although it's a fantasy, it's kind of a romance too. I'm not a huge fan of romance in my novels, but this was far from the worst; the novel is wonderfully absent of long descriptions of quickening heartbeats, longing gazes or tentative intimacy. Honestly, I have mixed feelings regarding the romance between Aralorn and Wolf. It works, it makes sense and as a couple, they just seem content rather than lovesick or infatuated. Their love is based of mutual companionship rather than lust. That said, some of the romantic interactions are just odd. Wolf grabbing Aralorn and kissing her while monsters try and break into the cave, before he stalks off; I'm not even sure they had made each other aware of their attraction by this point. Although the relationship was perfectly believable and quite tender, the interactions seemed rather forced and clunky; it was a peculiar mix and quite jarring to read.
I also rather enjoyed Briggs' description of how magic works in the world. The setting seems interesting, if not wholly original, from the few glimpses of background she gives, and there are some hints at intriguing history. I would like to know more about the world that Aralorn lives; this is something I found a little lacking in the book.
Overall, I enjoyed Masques and would recommend it to anyone who is already a fan of Briggs' work or wants to indulge in some light hearted, easy reading fantasy. It would be interesting to see how this book would have turned out have Briggs written it now, but, as I doubt we'll ever see that, I shall just have to look forward to the sequel. From this book alone, I can tell that Briggs had potential; clearly, she did, as evidenced by the novels she wrote hence. Masques is definitely worth checking out as it provides a certain amount of mindless enjoyment, even if Wolf does make me occasionally sigh in disappointment.
This book in facts and figures;
My rating: 6/10
Pages: -
My Format: Paperback
Published: 2012
Author: Patricia Briggs
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group Ltd.
ISBN: 0356501647
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