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I'm reading the Forgotten Realms Novels- #202 The Howling Delve by Jaleigh Johnson (Dungeons 2)
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<blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 7922496" data-attributes="member: 16069"><p><strong>#051 The Parched Sea by Troy Denning (Harpers 1) </strong></p><p><strong>Read 14/2/20 to 19/2/20</strong></p><p></p><p>[ATTACH]118544[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Well, it seemed to all be over very quickly, and if you've read TE Lawrence (of Arabia, Seven Pillars of Wisdom), then there's a bunch of that here, so that'll save you some time. Lander is a blond haired, blue-eyed (patch wearing- slightly odd) (very) white Harper agent (from Sembia) who is in Anauroch trying to stop the Zhentarim from forging a trade route through the Great Desert. Note the Zhent are not here to cut deals With the natives, or at least they are until a better option comes along, at which point they either slay or abandon their previous 'local' helpers. It never works out well if you ally yourself to the Zhentarim- it's a lesson for life.</p><p></p><p>That said we don't get to see much of the story from the Zhent POV, nor do we spend much time with the big bad Wizard (leader?) of the Zhent, which is a bit of a missed opportunity. The bad guys don't get enough of a build up for me, they're hardly terrifying- briefly charming and/or despicable, but not much else.</p><p></p><p>A bit Meh!</p><p></p><p>It made me wonder what the story was actually about...</p><p></p><p>The other side of this tale then is about the role of women in the Bedine (real world- Bedu/Bedouin) tribal society, but that's not really a revelation either. Women are chattel, simple as- they have a few rights but for the most part somebody else (male) owns them. Ruha is the female Bedine hero of the piece a Wizard/Witch caster with a dollop of foresight, and bright and sassy with it. Her eventual acceptance by the Sheikhs is a bit underwhelming, although perhaps Ruha is just the thin end of the wedge and women's liberation will follow (which I doubt). Ruha, of course, is massively powerful- she has the magic, her acceptance is as much about her value as a weapon as... actually forget that, her acceptance comes about entirely because she is a weapon. </p><p></p><p>So, there's that, and perhaps this scenario would be much easier to swallow at the time the book was first published, but today... it just feels odd, and silly, and sticks in the reader's craw somewhat, or rather it stuck in my craw. The deal is then all of the Bedine are to some extent misogynists (to a greater or lesser degree) and I get the cultural/historical dilemma, which some would say extends to the present day. There are (very obviously) areas of the present day world that still have not fully grasped sexual equality, but this is fantasy fiction. The author (surely) can do what he or she pleases, Mr Denning could have perhaps written a (black/female- just ideas) Harper based-novel that had much more to say about the role of women- and their liberation, but he didn't (much). He kinda ducked the issue, maybe it wasn't as much of an issue back then in 1991, but I very much doubt that.</p><p></p><p>The thing is he got in to the debate, and said a few things that are shocking- particularly when translated to the real world, but not enough. The good guys (the Bedine) suffered in the book (for me) because they're so much less likeable. It's noticeable in this novel that there seem to be just two players- Lander and Ruha, we get to visit with a few other folk, but not often and with little depth. So, a bit odd, a tad light-weight.</p><p></p><p>Then there's the fact that as in TE Lawrence it takes an outsider, a more culturally/socially evolved (white) outsider at that, to school the (unevolved) natives in civics et al. It's a bit of a tired idea, although probably still going strong elsewhere to this day.</p><p></p><p>So, it's a bit sad-making, not overtly so, there's still some good action here- a nice fantasy story with a few magic/aberrant elements but the backdrop is a little dispiriting. I realise that this is just a story, set in a fantasy milieu, but the author and his editor/advisers (FR experts) chose (I guess) to make the Bedine the way they are, and again- this is 1991, not the enlightened 2020s.</p><p></p><p>I said at the start, it all seemed to pass by very quickly- the plot/story, diluted by various ethical debates that Lander instigates- mostly internalised. So, perhaps Mr Denning was trying in his way.</p><p></p><p>I'm really not sure about this one, I hope for better with the next.</p><p></p><p>Oh and Spoiler- Lander dies thirty pages or so before the end, Ruha is finally the hero of the hour (although she is for most of the last bit of action inhabiting the body of Lander) its only at the end that the sassy witch appears as herself and saves the day (sorta).</p><p></p><p>I don't know, I'm still a little unsure about this one, part of me thinks he (the author) had a go (raised awareness- sorta) another part of me of thinks this is was a missed opportunity. </p><p></p><p>Read.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Goonalan, post: 7922496, member: 16069"] [B]#051 The Parched Sea by Troy Denning (Harpers 1) Read 14/2/20 to 19/2/20[/B] [ATTACH]118544[/ATTACH] Well, it seemed to all be over very quickly, and if you've read TE Lawrence (of Arabia, Seven Pillars of Wisdom), then there's a bunch of that here, so that'll save you some time. Lander is a blond haired, blue-eyed (patch wearing- slightly odd) (very) white Harper agent (from Sembia) who is in Anauroch trying to stop the Zhentarim from forging a trade route through the Great Desert. Note the Zhent are not here to cut deals With the natives, or at least they are until a better option comes along, at which point they either slay or abandon their previous 'local' helpers. It never works out well if you ally yourself to the Zhentarim- it's a lesson for life. That said we don't get to see much of the story from the Zhent POV, nor do we spend much time with the big bad Wizard (leader?) of the Zhent, which is a bit of a missed opportunity. The bad guys don't get enough of a build up for me, they're hardly terrifying- briefly charming and/or despicable, but not much else. A bit Meh! It made me wonder what the story was actually about... The other side of this tale then is about the role of women in the Bedine (real world- Bedu/Bedouin) tribal society, but that's not really a revelation either. Women are chattel, simple as- they have a few rights but for the most part somebody else (male) owns them. Ruha is the female Bedine hero of the piece a Wizard/Witch caster with a dollop of foresight, and bright and sassy with it. Her eventual acceptance by the Sheikhs is a bit underwhelming, although perhaps Ruha is just the thin end of the wedge and women's liberation will follow (which I doubt). Ruha, of course, is massively powerful- she has the magic, her acceptance is as much about her value as a weapon as... actually forget that, her acceptance comes about entirely because she is a weapon. So, there's that, and perhaps this scenario would be much easier to swallow at the time the book was first published, but today... it just feels odd, and silly, and sticks in the reader's craw somewhat, or rather it stuck in my craw. The deal is then all of the Bedine are to some extent misogynists (to a greater or lesser degree) and I get the cultural/historical dilemma, which some would say extends to the present day. There are (very obviously) areas of the present day world that still have not fully grasped sexual equality, but this is fantasy fiction. The author (surely) can do what he or she pleases, Mr Denning could have perhaps written a (black/female- just ideas) Harper based-novel that had much more to say about the role of women- and their liberation, but he didn't (much). He kinda ducked the issue, maybe it wasn't as much of an issue back then in 1991, but I very much doubt that. The thing is he got in to the debate, and said a few things that are shocking- particularly when translated to the real world, but not enough. The good guys (the Bedine) suffered in the book (for me) because they're so much less likeable. It's noticeable in this novel that there seem to be just two players- Lander and Ruha, we get to visit with a few other folk, but not often and with little depth. So, a bit odd, a tad light-weight. Then there's the fact that as in TE Lawrence it takes an outsider, a more culturally/socially evolved (white) outsider at that, to school the (unevolved) natives in civics et al. It's a bit of a tired idea, although probably still going strong elsewhere to this day. So, it's a bit sad-making, not overtly so, there's still some good action here- a nice fantasy story with a few magic/aberrant elements but the backdrop is a little dispiriting. I realise that this is just a story, set in a fantasy milieu, but the author and his editor/advisers (FR experts) chose (I guess) to make the Bedine the way they are, and again- this is 1991, not the enlightened 2020s. I said at the start, it all seemed to pass by very quickly- the plot/story, diluted by various ethical debates that Lander instigates- mostly internalised. So, perhaps Mr Denning was trying in his way. I'm really not sure about this one, I hope for better with the next. Oh and Spoiler- Lander dies thirty pages or so before the end, Ruha is finally the hero of the hour (although she is for most of the last bit of action inhabiting the body of Lander) its only at the end that the sassy witch appears as herself and saves the day (sorta). I don't know, I'm still a little unsure about this one, part of me thinks he (the author) had a go (raised awareness- sorta) another part of me of thinks this is was a missed opportunity. Read. [/QUOTE]
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