Jane Lindskold
Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls (1994)
Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls is an urban fantasy set in the future, with bits that remind me of The Velveteen Rabbit.
Sarah lives in the Home--an asylum for the insane. Her past--and even her last name--are unknown. She was initially diagnosed as autistic and mute, however, after years in the home, it is eventually discovered that she can communicate by repeating verse, such as lines from Shakespeare or the Bible, that have been read to her. Although this is at best a cumbersome method, it allows her in some small manner to communicate with those around her.
Unfortunately for her, budget cutbacks are forcing her and others from the home--diagnosed as socially functional, whether they really are or not. Sent out to survive on her own, she meets up with a member of the Wolf Clan, who take her in.
I was browsing when I picked this up because the title looked interesting. I read the back, wasn't too impressed, and was going to put it back on the shelf when something possessed me to read the first page.
"Morning falls on the just and the unjust," I observe, and the nurse smiles politely and continues brushing my hair. Betwixt laughs from where I clutch him in my hands, Between, snores. He is not a morning dragon. "Turn us over Sarah," Betwixt coaxes, and I do this carefully, balancing the four stubby legs in my pant leg just above the knee. Betwixt growls approvingly, "That's a good girl. Now, be a love and scratch in front of my left horn, right above the eye ridge." I do this, studying my friend as I do. Betwixt and Between are a two-headed dragon. They are small as dragons go, standing only ten inches long from barrel chest to tail tip. They also have blue scales, red eyes, and faintly smell of strawberries.
The I turned and read the next page, and was hooked. In fact, I stayed up past my bedtime last night so I could finish reading the book.
Because Sarah has been sheltered her entire life, and is unable to read, she knows nothing of the world outside. I think what I liked most about her was that many of the new discoveries she makes are wondrous for her. Things that those around her would take for granted, she enjoys. Not that she doesn't have her share of fears, and not that her past doesn't have its share of unhappiness, but she seems to take joy in the world around her--not as part of her illness, but as part of her nature. Even the bad things that happen to her don't seem to loom large in her mind, but seem to be seen as things that happened, and then brushed aside.
Although the world is strange and complex, because Sarah has grown up completely isolated, she must discover the world as we do, and it is only slowly that we come to discover that her world is quite different from our own. It's a very subtle thing, and very well done.
What I found interesting was Sarah's view of the world. When bad things happen to her, she takes them in stride, seeming to see them as simply what happens to her. She adjusts and goes on. What is interesting is that this seems to be not an inborn trait, but a response to spending her entire life institutionalized--it was an interesting view, and I felt it was well done.
It was also a relatively short book, which I enjoyed--I appreciate authors who are able to tell a compelling story in under 300 pages, as opposed to three 700 page books.
If you're looking for something different to read, then you might want to check out Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls. It's a relatively quick read, but an enjoyable one.
Rating: 8/10
The Buried Pyramid (2004)
I spent the first two thirds of this book mildly wondering why it was classified as a fantasy. Then the fantasy kicked in, but I’d given up caring whether it was fantasy or historical fiction long before. I just wanted to know what happened.
Jenny Benet has been orphaned, and so is being set across the ocean where her uncle–whom she has never met-is to become her new guardian. unbeknownst to Jenny, Neville Hawthorne has been planning a return to Egypt, where on several occasions he was threatened and even harmed for taking an interest in historical sites.
One thing I particularly liked is that Jane Lindskold directly addressed the fact that many of the archaeological sites in Egypt (and elsewhere for that matter) were looted by the west, sometimes in the name of history, but often in the name of making money. Even today many of these relics still remain outside of Egypt.
The other thing I particularly liked was the fact that the characters were not black and white but were instead shades of gray. I have found that I am becoming more and more annoyed by books where the antagonist is menacingly evil seemingly for the sake of being evil. Life isn’t like that, so it’s nice to read books–even fantasy–that match the realities of human nature as we know it.
The characters ranged from strong and week. I figured out one of the “big secrets” relatively on, but I didn’t see that Jenny or the others would have figured out this secret, so I didn’t mind them being taken by surprise when the secret was revealed, even though I’d known it for the past couple hundred pages. Some of the characters were better developed Stephen, but I really liked Eddie, and wish we’d have been able to see more of his wife.
As I said, the first three quarters of the book was pretty much historical fiction sent primarily in Egypt, then the fantasy kicked in with a vengeance, and I have to admit that I thought the fantasy was the weakest part of the story. I’m not sure that the characters would accept the fantastic elements as quickly and as easily as they did, all things considered. It did make the story flow better, and would have been harder to resolve if they hadn’t, but it seemed to me that they were just entirely too accepting of the surreal events happening around them.
It could also be that I felt the fantastic elements would have been easier for the reader to accept if they had been introduced earlier, but this is just a theory.
Regardless of when the fantastic elements were introduced, I still throughly enjoyed the story, and was sorry to see it end. Although some things were expected, other events went in an unexpected direction, which was a pleasant surprise.
If you’re looking for an hisotrical fantasty, then you may want to check out The Buried Pyramid.
Rating: 7/10
Child of a Rainless Year (2005)
Although I have Jane Lindskold’s series starting with Through a Wolf’s Eyes I’ve never read it, because I simply haven’t been in the mood for a long series. However, I picked up and read Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls which I thought was absolutely marvelous. So I picked up Child of a Rainless Year which also looked interesting.
Mira is the only daughter of Colette Bogatyr. They live in Las Vegas, New Mexico, and Colette is very much the town eccentric, although in a seemingly harmless way: She dresses in a style more fitting to a previous century. Mira also has an unusual childhood, dressed in a style similar to her mother, and not starting school until quite late, where she discovers that her upbringing is quite different to that of the other girls in her class. Then her mother disappears and her life changes completely.
I loved almost everything about this book, from the easy pace, to the mystery of Mira’s life and the disappearance of her mother, to the different characters that surround Mira. Essentially, I found the book to be deeply satisfying on almost all levels.
Mira is fascinating for many reasons. She’s a single, fifty-something woman who is described as just that: aged and carrying a little extra weight. She sounds exactly like a middle-aged woman. This was a delightful change to see such an normal looking character in fantasy. Normally in fantasy, all women are thin and gorgeous and under the age of 40. I love reading about characters who seem like someone you’d know. It’s a nice change of pace from thinking that the magic in a fantasy comes from how a woman manages to stay thin and beautiful despite her lifestyle. (Not that I dislike those kinds of books, it’s just that I found Mira to be a very welcome change.)
There were a few weaknesses–I would have liked to have read more of Aunt May’s journals, and how reading those journals affected Mira. I also had some difficulty with the explanation of magic–I simply wasn’t sure how the magic explained achieved the results achieved.
But for the most part I loved the novel and the character and the story. I found the ending to be very satisfying, and as usual, I love an author who can write a complete story in a single book.
If you like Charles de Lint or Sharon Shinn, then you will definitely want to check out Child of a Rainless Year. It’s a little different from much of what you find of the fantasy shelves, but very satisfying and enjoyable.
Rating: 8.5/10
Thirteen Orphans: Breaking the Wall (2008)
I really like Jane Lindskold’s writing.
Brenda Morris thinks she is simply taking a vacation with her father, but she quickly learns the trip is much more–that her father took her to California to introduce her to her magical heritage. Unfortunately, this simple trip turns dark when the man they discover the man they have come to visit has been attacked.
In their search for the attacker Brenda meets others who share her heritage–the heritage of the Thirteen Orphans. She also learns to use the powers that seem to be her birthright, even if she hasn’t come into her powers just yet.
In the course of that education the story weaves together ancient Chinese history, Mah-Jong, and a debate upon the treatment of one’s enemies, as well as a search for their attackers and the reason for their attack.
My only disappointment with this book is that it is clearly the first book of a series. The story arc of the book is completed, but as the book ends there is clearly more to come.
I hate waiting.
If you like urban fantasy, then I highly recommend Thirteen Orphans. The magical and and mundane worlds fit together easily, and the magical world she creates is a fascinating one–especially the story of the creation of the magical realm.
Rating: 8/10
Books by Jane Lindskold:
Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls (1994), The Buried Pyramid (2004), Child of a Rainless Year (2005), Thirteen Orphans: Breaking the Wall (2008)
