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kalliegrace's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
I love the deep cultural experience each of these books offers when they take place in a new country. Another fun mystery with some sweet moments, and a despicable villain.
being_b's review against another edition
3.0
A little simple and a little flat, plot and believability-wise. The main 'character conflict' was the threat of Kim running rogue from British Intelligence, and the enemies of British Intelligence were simply not given enough air time or realism to make the threat of his defection convincing. If Kim were really going to abandon the British cause for that of India, there would have been a lot more information about Indian politics beyond a few gratuitous mentions of Gandhi. I also felt that the hair-cutting episode of Russell's was really clumsily telegraphed. I may be over-sensitive, but when Holmes the nondemonstrative and Russell the close-mouthed and private writer start conspiring to give us little episodes of Holmes stroking Russell's hair, well... they stand out in a terribly awkward way as deeply uncharacteristic inclusions into the narrative, and when we got to the haircut, all I could do was roll my eyes. It could have been so thrilling if we had gotten anything like, say, the Husband-Wife interactions of even Justice Hall, but there was such a rush Holmes had barely enough time to toss off a quip.
I'm not even going to mention Bindra. Please, O Author. Less Cute Local Color Sidekick with Mysterious Ties to the Plot and more PLOT. My own personal thought, perhaps based on a superficial reading of the book, was that
The novel needed about 200 more pages of plot and plausibility. I know King loves to set up lovingly detailed, vibrantly described, thoroughly researched set pieces of the places Russell and Holmes visit, but I could have sacrificed some of that in this particular novel. I was disappointed. And Mycroft's illness? Barely mentioned. Not even necessary for the plot. I wanted more character development, as per the other Russell novels, and less gratuitous lesbian couples et. al. I may not buy this one, and I own all the others.
It felt sometimes like Russell's authorial voice was so dense it was getting in the way of my seeing what was really happening- like she was so focused on her own thoughts that I couldn't see, say, Holmes' real expression at her hair or Mycroft's actual state of health. The believability was just slipping. I hope this all means King is setting us up for a real killer of a next book, in which Mycroft's health matters and Holmes gets to do more than 'not react' to whatever wild stunt Russell has set up next.
I would now like to note a few common features to ALL the Russell books:
A) Russell will, at some point, be required to Prove She is Not Just a Gurl by performing some astonishing and unexpected violent action against the Male Who Questions Her Fitness, usually involving throwing a knife which strategically grazes the man's hair/beard/moustache/whatever. Russell is now 24, and while I found this behavior acceptable in, say, O Jerusalem, when she is young and in an unfamiliar, highly tense situation where a lot is hanging on her abilty to successfully impersonate a man and protect her companions, now it just seems immature. I know a long discussion of feminism would be a bit dull in the middle of the action, but there must be a better way. "Smart enough to know when only violence is the answer" charms the first few times (okay, so it always charms when Holmes does it, but Holmes just charms) but it begins, now, to pall.
B) No matter where she is, Russell will acquire Perfectly Tailored clothing perfectly suited to her needs, always including at least one evening dress which is unsual/striking enough to arouse comment in other female onlookers. I wish I had Russell's ability to conjure couture from thin air. I admit I enjoy this feature, as I love clothing and can deal with it being lovingly described for pages, but it does begin to strike me as silly when she ends up with a perfect set of outfits AND fitting shoes in the middle of India, secret intelligence agency connections or no.
C) There was a C. At one point, there was a C. I no longer remember it.
I do have a question RE: Sexuality in King's Russell novels. It seems to me that Mary Russell is with increasing frequency being drawn into situations where she is in close contact with a powerful man of remarkable physical features to whom she is attracted, or at least whose attractiveness she mentions frequently enough that one could easily assume she is attracted to him. In The Game, especially, Russell at one point towards the end specifically mentions that she looked into (Intelligence Head Guy- I forget his name's) "beautiful" face and thought only of her husband. This seems, after many mentions of the man's intelligence, to be almost a victory for Russell over a sort of temptation, or at least a subconscious attempt to reassure herself that she is, in fact, able to overcome the charms of men. Could she be tempted towards dalliance despite her almost aggressively stated "sex and sexual attraction are minor points" stance of Monstrous Regiment (which is quite similar to Holmes' own)?
She is married to a much older man. Holmes' own reactions to other men who show their interest in Russell, even when she is in the guise of a single woman, therefore removing any moral or ethical mark from the mens' characters, are strongly negative and almost violent- uncharacteristically so, I should say, if the man is confident of his wife. Russell also often comments on Holmes' reticence and undemonstrativeness, generally when he is in fact being demonstrative- perhaps there is some kind of tension there, she feels neglected at times, or he fears she does? Their blissful home-scenes belie this sort of reading- the marriage seems stablest when she and Holmes are home together being domestic, or both working on separate projects in the same house- but perhaps that's the point- investigations put quite a strain on the marriage relationship. However, if they are both under so great an amount of strain, it isn't being conveyed well in the latest novel, to the point that Russell's incredible anxiety about leaving Holmes in the hands of his captors, a throwback to events in O Jerusalem, seems inappropriately emotional for the moment. I just wonder about Russell's instances of attraction to other men and her frequent mentions of this attraction. What is the author trying to convey here, if anything?
I'm not even going to mention Bindra. Please, O Author. Less Cute Local Color Sidekick with Mysterious Ties to the Plot and more PLOT. My own personal thought, perhaps based on a superficial reading of the book, was that
Spoiler
had the maharaja not been dangerously violent and insane, his plan to lure the Russians into his territory and then close them off for the Brits to massacre was a GOOD plan, for the British, and it's bloody unlikely even in those days that the law would have acted so quickly. Why not sensibly wait until the plot to help Britain has been accomplished and then catch the man being nutters? While I don't deny that I'm jaded when it comes to today's politicians, the mahajara's end plot seemed a terribly flimsy premise to hang a novel on. And why does he keep Kim? Because Kim is Kim. And what does he do with Kim? Oh, nothing much, just keeps him in a cell.The novel needed about 200 more pages of plot and plausibility. I know King loves to set up lovingly detailed, vibrantly described, thoroughly researched set pieces of the places Russell and Holmes visit, but I could have sacrificed some of that in this particular novel. I was disappointed. And Mycroft's illness? Barely mentioned. Not even necessary for the plot. I wanted more character development, as per the other Russell novels, and less gratuitous lesbian couples et. al. I may not buy this one, and I own all the others.
It felt sometimes like Russell's authorial voice was so dense it was getting in the way of my seeing what was really happening- like she was so focused on her own thoughts that I couldn't see, say, Holmes' real expression at her hair or Mycroft's actual state of health. The believability was just slipping. I hope this all means King is setting us up for a real killer of a next book, in which Mycroft's health matters and Holmes gets to do more than 'not react' to whatever wild stunt Russell has set up next.
I would now like to note a few common features to ALL the Russell books:
A) Russell will, at some point, be required to Prove She is Not Just a Gurl by performing some astonishing and unexpected violent action against the Male Who Questions Her Fitness, usually involving throwing a knife which strategically grazes the man's hair/beard/moustache/whatever. Russell is now 24, and while I found this behavior acceptable in, say, O Jerusalem, when she is young and in an unfamiliar, highly tense situation where a lot is hanging on her abilty to successfully impersonate a man and protect her companions, now it just seems immature. I know a long discussion of feminism would be a bit dull in the middle of the action, but there must be a better way. "Smart enough to know when only violence is the answer" charms the first few times (okay, so it always charms when Holmes does it, but Holmes just charms) but it begins, now, to pall.
B) No matter where she is, Russell will acquire Perfectly Tailored clothing perfectly suited to her needs, always including at least one evening dress which is unsual/striking enough to arouse comment in other female onlookers. I wish I had Russell's ability to conjure couture from thin air. I admit I enjoy this feature, as I love clothing and can deal with it being lovingly described for pages, but it does begin to strike me as silly when she ends up with a perfect set of outfits AND fitting shoes in the middle of India, secret intelligence agency connections or no.
C) There was a C. At one point, there was a C. I no longer remember it.
I do have a question RE: Sexuality in King's Russell novels. It seems to me that Mary Russell is with increasing frequency being drawn into situations where she is in close contact with a powerful man of remarkable physical features to whom she is attracted, or at least whose attractiveness she mentions frequently enough that one could easily assume she is attracted to him. In The Game, especially, Russell at one point towards the end specifically mentions that she looked into (Intelligence Head Guy- I forget his name's) "beautiful" face and thought only of her husband. This seems, after many mentions of the man's intelligence, to be almost a victory for Russell over a sort of temptation, or at least a subconscious attempt to reassure herself that she is, in fact, able to overcome the charms of men. Could she be tempted towards dalliance despite her almost aggressively stated "sex and sexual attraction are minor points" stance of Monstrous Regiment (which is quite similar to Holmes' own)?
She is married to a much older man. Holmes' own reactions to other men who show their interest in Russell, even when she is in the guise of a single woman, therefore removing any moral or ethical mark from the mens' characters, are strongly negative and almost violent- uncharacteristically so, I should say, if the man is confident of his wife. Russell also often comments on Holmes' reticence and undemonstrativeness, generally when he is in fact being demonstrative- perhaps there is some kind of tension there, she feels neglected at times, or he fears she does? Their blissful home-scenes belie this sort of reading- the marriage seems stablest when she and Holmes are home together being domestic, or both working on separate projects in the same house- but perhaps that's the point- investigations put quite a strain on the marriage relationship. However, if they are both under so great an amount of strain, it isn't being conveyed well in the latest novel, to the point that Russell's incredible anxiety about leaving Holmes in the hands of his captors, a throwback to events in O Jerusalem, seems inappropriately emotional for the moment. I just wonder about Russell's instances of attraction to other men and her frequent mentions of this attraction. What is the author trying to convey here, if anything?
eve_prime's review
4.5
In this one, Russell and Holmes travel to India, where she becomes the guest of a maharaja while the two of them search for Kimball O'Hara, whom Holmes had known in the past - the man who had, many years previously, been the boy known to Kipling fans as "Kim." It's one of my favorites in the series, although The Moor is probably still the tops.
ladyethyme's review against another edition
3.0
Love Mary Russell novels-brilliantly written, keeping the personality of Holmes and a woman who is perfectly matched to be his wife. Yet having strange moments of tenderness that work cleverly in the plot.
b00kluver's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
soniapage's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting idea to include Kim (from Kipling's book) as the focus of this journey to India.
itisallmydoing's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5