So I’ve been reading Daniel Abraham’s A Shadow in Summer (Book One of the Long Price Quartet) and find it to be very unengaging.  This is one of those series that’s had plenty of buzz in the last twelve to eighteen months or so, and so I came to the book with reasonably high expectations.  I’ve read 230 pages of the novel (out 350) and I’m finding it hard to connect with any of the characters or the world building. 

The premise at the centre of the novel is very clever.  The idea that certain people – called poets – are able to bind ideas and concepts to themslves and then use them as magic.  And Abraham uses the idea well.  It’s just, I’ve found his cast of characters to be a bit… dull and paper-thin.  And the world itself, so focussed on cotton trading, also doesn’t engage my imagination.

The writing is nice and has a lyrical flair.  But I find my eyes reading the words without taking them in, a sure sign that I don’t care.  I was intending to read the other three books in the series, but I doubt I will now.

I had a similar reaction to Paul Parks recent four book fantasy novel (The Romania series).  Again, it’s a book that came with plenty of hype and I expected it to be great.  But I found it dull and uninvolving – again mostly because I didn’t care about any of the characters.

Has anyone else read the Parks and Abraham, and if they have can they tell me what I’m missing?

Talking about high expectations, I finished Lance Parkin’s Doctor Who book, The Eyeless, and thought it was very average. 

* spoiler warning for those who haven’t read it*

I expected more from Parkin, given his track record.  But The Eyeless is basically a dull runaround.  It has two nice ideas – the weapon at the heart of the Fortress and the Eyeless – the main baddies of the novel.  But both are never fully developed.  Reading Lance’s blog about the writing of The Eyeless, I expected more pyrotechnics and more igenuity.  But what I got was a thematic retread of what RTD had already covered in Series 1 of New Who, that is whether the Doctor would be ever be brave enough to use of a weapon of such destructive capabilities – even if it was for good, rather than bad.

The fact is, reading about the book was more interesting than actually reading the book.

I don’t know… maybe I’m missing something here as well.  According to OG, it’s the best TDA novel so far.  And yet I’d rate Wet World, The Many Hands, The Shining Darknesss and The Doctor Trap well above the Eyeless as books that were both more entertaining and far more innovative.

*spoiler warning ends*

And while not related to High Expectations, I have this to say to Ben Aaronovitch after listening to his commentary of Battlefield.

Ben, I know it still hurts but it’s been twenty years now and you’ve got to move on.  And the same goes to Andrew.  Move on.