What I have been reading and watching
Jan. 26th, 2016 08:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
scripsiMy first books to read this year is The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman, and then I had to re-read The Invisible Library which TMC is a sequel of. TIL was one of my most enjoyable find last year and it stood up well for a re-read.
Cogman has created a world with a number of universes co-exist. They seem to be fairly alike- there is usually a Belgium, London has a similar structure, and so on. two forces tugs at these worlds, Chaos or Order, making some worlds lean toward one end of the spectrum, while others have a balance. Ordered worlds are logical and tend to be hi-tech, while chaotic worlds can make the illogical logic, like vampires and werewolfs. The more chaotic a world is, the more they become like story narratives- you can become the hero in your own personal adventure, or, if you are unlucky, an expendable character in someone else’s story. Magic can happen in all worlds and they are also ruled, or at least strongly influenced by supernatural beings; chaotic worlds has Fae and ordered ones dragons. They can look human when they interact with humans, but especially dragons seems to prefer a humanoid form with drago characteristics.
Then there's the library, which is enormous and exists outside time. Apart from Fae and dragons, the librarians seems to be the only ones who can travel between worlds, which they do frequently to collect books to the library. This is not as peaceful as it sounds and a librarian needs to have skills like martial arts and creating false identities. They also speak The Language, a kind of magic were the spoken word can make things happen. For example, if a librarian says Door open, all doors within hearing distance will open. So it’s important to word things right as sloppy wording can have rather surprising effects.
In TIL Irene, a junior librarian is sent to a Victorian steampunk London to find a rare book. With the help of her assistant Kai and a Sherlock Holmes type detective named Vale she has to fight cat burglars and Faeries and, perhaps, the most frightening being of all; a rogue librarian.
In TMC a young dragon is kidnapped and brought to a world in such a state of chaos that dragons can’t go there. Enter Irene who makes an uncertain alliance with a powerful Fae and travels to a 17th century Venice where anything can happen.
I really enjoy the worldbuilding. i have always loved fantasy with alternate universes ever since I first read The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones. I’m pretty sure she has been an inspiration for Cogman and she is also, which she readily admits, inspired by Doctor Who as well as Ursula LeGuin, Sir Conan Doyle and Terry Pratchett, among others. Irene is a great heroine and her sidekicks Kai and Vale are no mean heroes either. I don't know how many books Cogman has in mind, but TMC ends in a way that suggest that there will be at least one more book. I look forward to it!
Agent Carter is back and I love this season too. I think Sousa’s new girlfriend is a baddie. And we get to meet Ana Jarvis and she was so not what I expected, which delighted me. And a bit to my surprise I suddenly feel like shipping Peggy/Jarvis/Ana. And I want Peggy’s wardrobe!
After watching all of Classic Who, the Kid and I felt a bit at loss as what to watch. (Ever since he outgrew being read for, we have watched something together every day). husband reminded me of Veronica Mars. I watched it when it came and enjoyed it, but that is a couple of years ago now and I don’t remember the various sub-plots. And Kid is loving it! Being seventeen himself, guess he can relate to the characters. And the sneaky Mum take the opportunity to press some of the themes, especially in regard on how to treat girls. Not that i have any reason to think he has any bad habits in that regard.
Cogman has created a world with a number of universes co-exist. They seem to be fairly alike- there is usually a Belgium, London has a similar structure, and so on. two forces tugs at these worlds, Chaos or Order, making some worlds lean toward one end of the spectrum, while others have a balance. Ordered worlds are logical and tend to be hi-tech, while chaotic worlds can make the illogical logic, like vampires and werewolfs. The more chaotic a world is, the more they become like story narratives- you can become the hero in your own personal adventure, or, if you are unlucky, an expendable character in someone else’s story. Magic can happen in all worlds and they are also ruled, or at least strongly influenced by supernatural beings; chaotic worlds has Fae and ordered ones dragons. They can look human when they interact with humans, but especially dragons seems to prefer a humanoid form with drago characteristics.
Then there's the library, which is enormous and exists outside time. Apart from Fae and dragons, the librarians seems to be the only ones who can travel between worlds, which they do frequently to collect books to the library. This is not as peaceful as it sounds and a librarian needs to have skills like martial arts and creating false identities. They also speak The Language, a kind of magic were the spoken word can make things happen. For example, if a librarian says Door open, all doors within hearing distance will open. So it’s important to word things right as sloppy wording can have rather surprising effects.
In TIL Irene, a junior librarian is sent to a Victorian steampunk London to find a rare book. With the help of her assistant Kai and a Sherlock Holmes type detective named Vale she has to fight cat burglars and Faeries and, perhaps, the most frightening being of all; a rogue librarian.
In TMC a young dragon is kidnapped and brought to a world in such a state of chaos that dragons can’t go there. Enter Irene who makes an uncertain alliance with a powerful Fae and travels to a 17th century Venice where anything can happen.
I really enjoy the worldbuilding. i have always loved fantasy with alternate universes ever since I first read The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones. I’m pretty sure she has been an inspiration for Cogman and she is also, which she readily admits, inspired by Doctor Who as well as Ursula LeGuin, Sir Conan Doyle and Terry Pratchett, among others. Irene is a great heroine and her sidekicks Kai and Vale are no mean heroes either. I don't know how many books Cogman has in mind, but TMC ends in a way that suggest that there will be at least one more book. I look forward to it!
Agent Carter is back and I love this season too. I think Sousa’s new girlfriend is a baddie. And we get to meet Ana Jarvis and she was so not what I expected, which delighted me. And a bit to my surprise I suddenly feel like shipping Peggy/Jarvis/Ana. And I want Peggy’s wardrobe!
After watching all of Classic Who, the Kid and I felt a bit at loss as what to watch. (Ever since he outgrew being read for, we have watched something together every day). husband reminded me of Veronica Mars. I watched it when it came and enjoyed it, but that is a couple of years ago now and I don’t remember the various sub-plots. And Kid is loving it! Being seventeen himself, guess he can relate to the characters. And the sneaky Mum take the opportunity to press some of the themes, especially in regard on how to treat girls. Not that i have any reason to think he has any bad habits in that regard.
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Date: 2016-01-26 02:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-01-27 08:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-01-26 03:34 pm (UTC)... When you said the heroine's name was Irene, my mind immediately added/asked 'Adler?'. (Listing Sir Conan Doyle as one of the author's inspirations didn't help. *g*)
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Date: 2016-01-27 08:26 am (UTC)In the books librarians choose a nom de plum and Irene is an admirer of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. So yes, she named herself after Irene Adler. :)