tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post2532043513451833741..comments2024-03-17T14:31:21.769-04:00Comments on Fantasy Book Critic: "Lovers and Beloveds - An Intimate History of the Greater Kingdom" by MeiLin Miranda (Reviewed by Liviu Suciu)Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15006565422867420980noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-4636685175206277162010-12-11T02:09:36.012-05:002010-12-11T02:09:36.012-05:00Thank you, Mark! I'm glad you're enjoying ...Thank you, Mark! I'm glad you're enjoying it. Leevan, I hope you check it out. :)MeiLin Mirandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17590059336785844546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-61459751308325203832010-12-10T14:28:38.630-05:002010-12-10T14:28:38.630-05:00I'm readin the book on MeiLin's site and I...I'm readin the book on MeiLin's site and I'm not sure if I can wait until January to order it. :-/Fat Boy Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04659070917705693093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-57434841835403289122010-12-10T00:15:51.387-05:002010-12-10T00:15:51.387-05:00Because of your review I got interested with the b...Because of your review I got interested with the book. Thanks a lot. More power to you and good luck.Leevan Banzuelohttp://www.zephyrkitesurf.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-26330405126956263982010-12-09T14:29:02.100-05:002010-12-09T14:29:02.100-05:00Sorry, I misread your post about sexual mores bein...Sorry, I misread your post about sexual mores being god-given in JC's books. I thought you were saying what you liked in this book and that's why it was different to the Kushieline stories.Fat Boy Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04659070917705693093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-15647178415506244492010-12-09T14:11:11.311-05:002010-12-09T14:11:11.311-05:00"But sexual pleasure IS a god-given right in ..."But sexual pleasure IS a god-given right in the D'Angeline books."<br /><br />yes and that's what distinguishes the J. carey series from others that seem similar at first glance;<br /><br />I saw the A. Roberts cover and I am definitely interested - I have all his books (non-parodies novels I mean) and read all but 2 and while i did not like Model Army that much, I hope this one gets back to the level of YBT or Land of the Headless.Liviuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04615405766065227026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-44049491819676250632010-12-09T13:13:35.553-05:002010-12-09T13:13:35.553-05:00But sexual pleasure IS a god-given right in the D&...But sexual pleasure IS a god-given right in the D'Angeline books. <br /><br />That you say that this is in the same vein as Carey's books is what appeals to me as I love those books. Can't wait for Moirin's next one.<br /><br />MeiLin, hope you find someone to publish in Europe soon. I think I'll wait until I've got through my books that are piling up unread (I think I am addicted to buying new books) before buying from Amazon to save on the postage.<br /><br />Liviu, have you seen the cover for the next Adam Roberts' book "By Sunlight Alone"? Contender for cover of the year and bound to be a cracking book.Fat Boy Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04659070917705693093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-62432370676428748722010-12-08T17:56:01.575-05:002010-12-08T17:56:01.575-05:00Chad:
The book has 2 main strengths: writing styl...Chad:<br /><br />The book has 2 main strengths: writing style and concept (world building if you want, but as mentioned it is only partially developed, so I would call it concept for now). <br /><br />The negative is that the book takes a while to make sense but the writing makes up for that - note that the fact that Temmin is pretty annoying to start in his naivety is not a negative in itself since after all how a sheltered prince thrown in the glitter of the capital could be? <br /><br />As opposed to other books claiming it, this book has the Kushiel vibe I really appreciate (this comes from the way sexual mores are sort of god-given since that and not the heroine being a courtesan is the defining characteristic of the J.Carey series imho)<br /><br />Anyway there is a big excerpt available - 50% of the book - so you can look at it and see if you like the writing or not.Liviuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04615405766065227026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-21345496801388834662010-12-08T15:39:05.563-05:002010-12-08T15:39:05.563-05:00I had to read this review twice to see that it isn...I had to read this review twice to see that it isn't exactly positive, yet I've read other books you've recommended and always been pleased. <br /><br />I'm a bit surprised that the OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS merited a A+ but perhaps the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts or whatever...<br /><br />I'll keep an eye out for it as I like trying different things. As Sarah said, I appreciate you taking the time to highlight something that most others don't, and that otherwise I wouldn't have known about.Chad Hullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17774092046594256969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-48139417403814229782010-12-08T13:16:09.318-05:002010-12-08T13:16:09.318-05:00And that's one of the fun parts for me: Tremon...And that's one of the fun parts for me: Tremont is seeing that rise of the middle class, and those pressures have begun. It's one of the reasons the more conservative/religious elements of the nobility are so nervous about Temmin.<br /><br />Thank you again for the review. As an indie I have trouble getting reviewers even to look at my book, but when they do, so far they've universally enjoyed it.MeiLin Mirandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17590059336785844546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-83754085072482408562010-12-08T09:40:26.329-05:002010-12-08T09:40:26.329-05:00I agree with that completely and it's one reas...I agree with that completely and it's one reason I am very interested in how the series develops since its world seems a fascinating place and with a lot of potential of expansion.<br /><br />The other interesting thing is how the world changes because historically a "pseudo-medieval" society was relatively stable, while a modernizing society is only short-term stable since the pressures (improved living conditions mean more children survive mean need for more improvement or collapse) are too high; at least this is what all our empirical historical knowledge tellsLiviuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04615405766065227026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-86597129227691221532010-12-08T00:26:58.485-05:002010-12-08T00:26:58.485-05:00I suppose I make the distinction in that there is ...I suppose I make the distinction in that there is technology in Tremont that would definitely NOT be considered medieval--trains, for example. :) In terms of the political set-up of the country, yeah, it's more medieval. Because we're following Temmin's journey in the series, we haven't explored the larger political world yet, so I'll leave that alone for now. There's a lot of stuff I know about Tremont that the readers don't know yet, but there's a reason for that: it wasn't germane yet. It will be soon! :DMeiLin Mirandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17590059336785844546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-46227327950389049082010-12-07T20:22:19.212-05:002010-12-07T20:22:19.212-05:00Thank you for your kind words; I would add though ...Thank you for your kind words; I would add though that both the organization of society and the distribution of political power does not seem to me Victorian in the sense that the King is pretty much a powerful king constrained only by the nobility and there is no real middle class power formalized in a parliament that has authority, only the threat of revolt; the power is aristocratic/religious and while maybe "pseudo-medieval" is misleading in many ways since indeed the book is urban and all, I would have a hard time calling it Victorian either. <br /><br />Maybe an "enlightened monarchy" governing by the king's bureaucracy limited by noble power a la 18th century would be closer, but Victorian has very bourgeois, middle class power connotationsLiviuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04615405766065227026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-24249000574890513592010-12-07T18:56:42.327-05:002010-12-07T18:56:42.327-05:00Liviu, thanks for the kind review. We've talke...Liviu, thanks for the kind review. We've talked on Goodreads, so I won't go into more here except to say the world is pseudo-Victorian, not pseudo-medieval. :)<br /><br />Sarah, thanks for being willing to give it a try. There are several previews around (at Amazon, Smashwords and my own website) if you don't want to commit the $2.99 - 3.50.<br /><br />Mark, I don't know when I'll be able to offer the paperback in the UK. I'm POD, and I haven't found a POD printer in the UK/Europe to handle the book yet. You can buy from me direct, but it costs as much as the book to ship it. :(MeiLin Mirandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17590059336785844546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-63130192939908449422010-12-07T15:12:05.662-05:002010-12-07T15:12:05.662-05:00I've been looking forward to this review and w...I've been looking forward to this review and will be buying it as soon as it is available in the UK. Not sure when it will be though as it ain't listed on amazon.co.uk other than in kindle form.Fat Boy Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04659070917705693093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-60644344998168636632010-12-07T14:31:06.101-05:002010-12-07T14:31:06.101-05:00Well, if it wasn't for your review I wouldn...Well, if it wasn't for your review I wouldn't be interested in this book. I will have to give this a try. I do enjoy Jacequeline Carey (though I don't think I EVER spell her name right) and the world seems really interesting. If the writing is good enough to overlook, or help smooth out a lot of the problems you mentioned, then this book could be quite a hit. <br /><br />Thanks for the review. I always enjoy it when reviewers pull my attention toward lesser known titles.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com