Review #4 - Corambis, Sarah Monette

General Comments: Synopsis can be found here.  I actually enjoyed this one less than the other three.  I found the ending disappointing, the character development rushed, and the writing not up to the usual standard.  The end is anticlimactic and while that in itself is not an insurmountable fault, combined with the sudden self-revelations of the characters and the transparent plot devices the whole thing just feels false. It's the first time in any of these books I felt the characters or plot seemed contrived. It was all just a little off. That being said, it may seem like I really disliked this book. I didn't. It wasn't as good as the others, but it wasn't bad either. It just wasn't as good as I know it could have been.

Characterization:  Again, Corambis features a third character: Kay.  I was really impressed with the style Monette chose for his voice. He speaks in a really archaic way, which includes changes in syntax and the exclusion of unnecessary pronouns.  The characters experience some profound growth, Felix especially, and while I'm sure that this will make some people happy, I actually found this to be one of the weaker aspects of the book.  After building such strong and realistic characters with interesting development, the sudden revelations they experience right at the end seem to come out of nowhere.

Plot:  The plot felt a little flat.  I found the ending to be rushed and a little superficial.  I hate spoilers so I'll try to make this as vague as possible. There has been a common thread throughout the entire quadrilogy. For someone paying attention, the fact that the series is called the "Doctrine of Labyrinths" is a big clue. Since this is a common theme one would expect that this is building up to something, and it does, it's just that the something it builds up to isn't all that exciting.

Writing:  To be honest, the writing just isn't as good as it has been up until now.  For the first time the different styles used to delineate characters slips and some of the characters end up speaking in the wrong way.  The styles are all very distinct, so when the character does not stay true to his particular style it is very apparent. I found this more than a little distracting.

Setting: The setting is definitely worth a mention; there were a number of things I especially liked.  This book moves more towards a system of magic realism as Corambis (the location within the story) utilizes magically and mundanely powered machines, including trains and indoor plumbing.  While there are aspects of modernization present it still doesn't lose the fantasy feel, and the more modern society of Corambis doesn't seem overpowered, it is nicely balanced with the greater setting at large.  


One of the things that really came out in this book that was perhaps present, but never really emphasized in the previous three is the actual workings of the magic system.  I think Monette has found a really nice balance between "hard" and "soft" magic as characterized by Brandon Sanderson.  In theory, the magic system present in Doctrine of Labyrinths is unlimited, placing it in the realm of soft magic, but it is restricted within the story.  Magic is limited by how people frame their understanding of it.  As Felix puts it in the book, it's all about the metaphor that one utilizes in order to frame their understanding of it and subsequently use magic.  Magic that is limited and follows specific rules in accordance with whichever school one adheres to is hard magic.  I thought this was especially unique and a very interesting blend of two usually opposed magical systems.

Overall Rating: 3/5