Links on Kate Elliott's Crossroads series
Sep. 13th, 2014 12:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dolorosa_12So, this happened:
I'm not one of those people who turns into an awestruck, quivering heap whenever one of their most admired authors speaks to them, and in any case, I've spoken to Kate Elliott quite a few times before on Twitter or in blog comments (including in comments on one of my reviews of this very series), and she's always been very friendly. However, it is pleasing when an author's understanding of her work lines up with my own.
This recent Twitter conversation was sparked off by a great conversation I was having withrenay over on ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
ladybusiness, where she and Jodie had posted their joint review of Spirit Gate, the first book in the Crossroads series. It always makes me very happy to see people discussing this series, as to my mind, it's Elliott's best, and is often neglected by reviewers in favour of her other work (all of which is also fantastic, but didn't speak to me in quite the same way).
This recent flurry of Crossroads discussion has prompted me to post links to my two reviews of the series, which were written quite a while ago, but may spark more discussion. Here's the review of Spirit Gate and Shadow Gate, which is fairly light on spoilers.
[I]t reflects a more accurate understanding of how mercantile societies operated, and how such societies might’ve reacted to conflict and war. Mai is a fabulous character, principled yet pragmatic, outwardly restrained but gifted at speaking persuasively when the need arises. It’s been a long time since I’ve met a character in a fantasy novel who appealed to me so much, and it’s been an even longer time since I’ve read a fantasy novel where all elements of the imagined society rang so true.
Here is the (more spoiler-heavy) review of the final book, Traitor's Gate. I would not advise reading it unless you've finished the series.
What Mai – and the reader – thinks she and Anji are doing is settling down in a new homeland, adapting themselves to the customs and culture of that land, and giving back to that society according to their means and ability. As such, she puts down roots, forging connections through a combination of trade, friendship and the exchange of ideas, as well as doing her part to tie Anji’s Qin mercenaries more firmly to the land through marriages with local women. She is the consummate diplomat, able to keep her own feelings at some remove, a hard bargainer with a canny understanding of human nature who is able to persuade people to her cause without making them feel like they’ve been exploited (as, indeed, they have not).
I'd love to hear the thoughts of anyone who's finished the series.
I'm not one of those people who turns into an awestruck, quivering heap whenever one of their most admired authors speaks to them, and in any case, I've spoken to Kate Elliott quite a few times before on Twitter or in blog comments (including in comments on one of my reviews of this very series), and she's always been very friendly. However, it is pleasing when an author's understanding of her work lines up with my own.
This recent Twitter conversation was sparked off by a great conversation I was having with
renay over on ladybusiness, where she and Jodie had posted their joint review of Spirit Gate, the first book in the Crossroads series. It always makes me very happy to see people discussing this series, as to my mind, it's Elliott's best, and is often neglected by reviewers in favour of her other work (all of which is also fantastic, but didn't speak to me in quite the same way).This recent flurry of Crossroads discussion has prompted me to post links to my two reviews of the series, which were written quite a while ago, but may spark more discussion. Here's the review of Spirit Gate and Shadow Gate, which is fairly light on spoilers.
[I]t reflects a more accurate understanding of how mercantile societies operated, and how such societies might’ve reacted to conflict and war. Mai is a fabulous character, principled yet pragmatic, outwardly restrained but gifted at speaking persuasively when the need arises. It’s been a long time since I’ve met a character in a fantasy novel who appealed to me so much, and it’s been an even longer time since I’ve read a fantasy novel where all elements of the imagined society rang so true.
Here is the (more spoiler-heavy) review of the final book, Traitor's Gate. I would not advise reading it unless you've finished the series.
What Mai – and the reader – thinks she and Anji are doing is settling down in a new homeland, adapting themselves to the customs and culture of that land, and giving back to that society according to their means and ability. As such, she puts down roots, forging connections through a combination of trade, friendship and the exchange of ideas, as well as doing her part to tie Anji’s Qin mercenaries more firmly to the land through marriages with local women. She is the consummate diplomat, able to keep her own feelings at some remove, a hard bargainer with a canny understanding of human nature who is able to persuade people to her cause without making them feel like they’ve been exploited (as, indeed, they have not).
I'd love to hear the thoughts of anyone who's finished the series.
