Recent reading
Dec. 16th, 2019 12:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
luzulaThe Flight of the Heron by D. K. Broster (1925)
Oh wow. This is like the pure distilled essence of slash. It's about two officers on opposite sides of the Jacobite rebellion in the mid-1700's, one English (Keith Windham) and one Scottish (Ewen Cameron), and the bond that develops between them. They save each other's lives, Keith thinks that Ewen is "a magnificent specimen of young manhood" when he first sees him, Ewen's pulse "quickens with pleasure" when he thinks of Keith, they are torn between their duty and each other, Keith is in despair when Ewen thinks he has betrayed him and he risks his commission to let him know he hasn't, there's hurt-comfort and nursing of wounds, etc. The plot has many twists and turns and is very well constructed and the ending is quite moving. And I like the writing, too (though some of the dialect in the dialogue could be cut). The book does miss the opportunity for sharing a plaid while huddling for warmth together among the heather, but other than that I don't see how it could possibly be more slashy (given that in 1925 it could not have given us actual text). Alas that I did not read this in time to request it for Yuletide, but there seems to be a couple of fics, at least. Much recommended!
Deathless by Catherynne Valente (2011)
For book club. We all had a similar reaction to this book--that we liked elements of it but that the whole was not that compelling. All of us thought the melding of Communism and the spirit world was interesting, with the house spirits and their committee. The plot as a whole does not hang together all that well, though. And there's a lot in the relationships which is either abuse or unnegotiated dubcon kink. Not just between Marya and Koschei, either--there's a scene between Marya and a spirit where Marya beats her up as punishment for something, and then Marya later says that secretly she wanted to be beaten up and liked it. This is just not my thing. Also, when I read the prologue, I did not look forward to reading a whole book with that extremely lush prose and proliferating metaphor. But thankfully the rest of the book did not lay it on that thick.
Oh wow. This is like the pure distilled essence of slash. It's about two officers on opposite sides of the Jacobite rebellion in the mid-1700's, one English (Keith Windham) and one Scottish (Ewen Cameron), and the bond that develops between them. They save each other's lives, Keith thinks that Ewen is "a magnificent specimen of young manhood" when he first sees him, Ewen's pulse "quickens with pleasure" when he thinks of Keith, they are torn between their duty and each other, Keith is in despair when Ewen thinks he has betrayed him and he risks his commission to let him know he hasn't, there's hurt-comfort and nursing of wounds, etc. The plot has many twists and turns and is very well constructed and the ending is quite moving. And I like the writing, too (though some of the dialect in the dialogue could be cut). The book does miss the opportunity for sharing a plaid while huddling for warmth together among the heather, but other than that I don't see how it could possibly be more slashy (given that in 1925 it could not have given us actual text). Alas that I did not read this in time to request it for Yuletide, but there seems to be a couple of fics, at least. Much recommended!
Deathless by Catherynne Valente (2011)
For book club. We all had a similar reaction to this book--that we liked elements of it but that the whole was not that compelling. All of us thought the melding of Communism and the spirit world was interesting, with the house spirits and their committee. The plot as a whole does not hang together all that well, though. And there's a lot in the relationships which is either abuse or unnegotiated dubcon kink. Not just between Marya and Koschei, either--there's a scene between Marya and a spirit where Marya beats her up as punishment for something, and then Marya later says that secretly she wanted to be beaten up and liked it. This is just not my thing. Also, when I read the prologue, I did not look forward to reading a whole book with that extremely lush prose and proliferating metaphor. But thankfully the rest of the book did not lay it on that thick.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-12-16 05:57 pm (UTC)The book does miss the opportunity for sharing a plaid while huddling for warmth together among the heather Well, that's what fanfiction is for, right? :D
(no subject)
Date: 2019-12-16 09:37 pm (UTC)My brain has already played out such a scene for me, but alas, one would have to work to fit it into the framework of the book. Much more of a challenge compared to a more episodic canon!
(no subject)
Date: 2019-12-17 06:02 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-12-18 09:45 pm (UTC)\o/
You have just saved at least five of my brain cells.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-12-19 07:42 am (UTC)Don't miss the fic on AO3--even though there are less than ten fics, most of them are brilliant.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-07-16 08:28 pm (UTC)I have acquired the book and am going to star reading it like right now. Because the slashy story of two soldiers set during the Jacobite rebellion sounds totally up my street!
And yeah, this is all because long podfic will tempt me into giving any fandom a try... Though this on paper seems to be made for me. Fingers crossed.
And thank you!
(no subject)
Date: 2020-07-16 09:32 pm (UTC)Anyway, I am obviously very happy if I can tempt you into the fandom with long podfic. Happy reading! And eventually you will be able to listen to me reading the whole book, too. : )
(no subject)
Date: 2020-07-16 09:45 pm (UTC)Whoa, you're recording the whole book? You're a brave soul! Hee. *cheers you*
(no subject)
Date: 2020-07-20 09:27 pm (UTC)Need fix-it AU fic. Off to look for some.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-07-21 07:22 am (UTC)I would recommend my long one that I just posted podfic of--definitely a happy ending fixit fic. Also I very much recommend