Greetings from Sharon Shinn's "Royal Airs"

[ricardienne]

You guys. I am the worst. I was so disdainful of Troubled Waters when we read it for the Sheroes Bookclub. AND I have tons of work to do. So why am I reading the sequel? Here is a choice excerpt from the first few pages (I don't think there is anything remotely spoilerish in it):

"Trouble came with some regularity to this little bar, which was situated solidly inside the crowded, noisome slum district of the city of Chialto. But it was actually one of the more respectable establishments, given its location just south of the Cinque, the five-sided boulevard that made an inner loop around the city. Traders' sons and merchants' wives felt safe enough to come here for a night of excitement that might include high-stakes gambling, high-proof liquor, illegal drugs, and companionship that could be purchased." (p. 2)

This just strikes me as poorly expressed: first, we find out that this is dangerous bar in the middle of the slum district (OMTS: noisome and crowded); but then it turns out that it's actually pretty tame and attracts a bougie clientele! (Regular trouble is just all part of the thrills of high-proof liquor and ~companionship that can be purchased~, amirite? The closing euphemism is just perfect and really gives the line that pseudo-gritty Tamora Pierceian ring...) It took me a good couple minutes before I realized that the Cinque must be a boulevard that makes a five-sided loop and not a five-sided boulevard. I'm still trying to picture a street with five sides instead of two, though! (Similarly, "felt safe enough here to come" would get at the sense with less ambiguity than "felt safe enough to come here.")

ALso: "Zoe...could hardly bring herself to spend a quint-gold, remembering the long poverty-stricken days in exile." (p. 57) Hahaha -- did we read the same version of Troubled Waters?

Comments

[mhuzzell.livejournal.com]

ALso: "Zoe...could hardly bring herself to spend a quint-gold, remembering the long poverty-stricken days in exile." (p. 57) Hahaha -- did we read the same version of Troubled Waters?

Oh, totally! Don't you remember how Zoe was constantly barely able to bring herself to spend all those gold coins she was always spending in her "poverty"?

[fancci.livejournal.com]

LOL. I thought the book was fun in a fluffy way, but brilliant prose (or even internally consistent) it was not! :P

I'm glad Zoe has finally learned how to be frugal, even if its a little late. And hey, maybe the bar is next to a boutique with fancy clothes for her to be frugal with, too!

[ricardienne.livejournal.com]

To be fair, the part about Zoe is another character thinking to herself: "ZOMG, Zoe is so awesome: so pretty even though she doesn't like fancy clothes or makeup or jewelry or fuss or spending money."

Also, this post really only exists because I was amused, pondering what a five-sided street would look like (I'm thinking on some sort of sci-fi space station, where it's a tunnel divided into five segments with storefronts/houses/parks/whatever running in parallel rows along each segment, so that wherever along the tunnel you are standing/floating, you face five different "sides" as you turn a somersault.

[ricardienne.livejournal.com]

Maybe they have really low high ~magical~ inflation?

[queenxii.livejournal.com]

haha, I love your last comment. I enjoyed Troubled Waters but I enjoy all of Sharon Shinn's books, primarily because they require little effort. my library hasn't bought the sequel yet, but it's about that time that I start requesting books on my mother's library card for the week that I am home...

[camlina.livejournal.com]

Yes this!

My library just got Royal Airs so I'm on the waiting list now. Chances are it will come in while I'm out of town for Xmas though, so I'll have to add myself back to the bottom of the waiting list when I come back.

[ricardienne.livejournal.com]

Yes -- I have a couple of books on hold that I suspect might come in while I'm away for Christmas. I guess I should start requesting through my hometown library now...