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A review by mattygroves
Lords of Dyscrasia by Seth Lindberg
5.0
I can't honestly say that reading this book was pleasant. There's too much blood for me, too much casual death.
So why five stars?
Most contemporary fantasy seems to be written in the same literary style as realistic fiction. Reading contemporary fantasy, you could be reading Tom Clancy, except there are wizards and stuff. The dialogue is idiomatically modern and conversational (or at least is intended to be), the setting is concrete, consistent, and detailed, and the action is narrated to maximize clarity and realism. In other words, you're supposed to be able to visualize real people like yourself really doing and saying the things you're reading. Moreover, the moral landscape of a lot of these stories is painfully unsubtle.
I am sick of benign stories told in banal prose.
This book is not like that. The dialogue is elevated and somewhat archaic. Narration is elaborate and evocative rather than simply descriptive. The characters are emotionally distant, the setting is eerie, and the action is surreal. The story seems allegorical, but in a hazy or cryptic way that I can't decipher.
I don't think the torrent of blood and gore helps the story. But I'm giving the book a lot of latitude due to its stylistic originality.
So why five stars?
Most contemporary fantasy seems to be written in the same literary style as realistic fiction. Reading contemporary fantasy, you could be reading Tom Clancy, except there are wizards and stuff. The dialogue is idiomatically modern and conversational (or at least is intended to be), the setting is concrete, consistent, and detailed, and the action is narrated to maximize clarity and realism. In other words, you're supposed to be able to visualize real people like yourself really doing and saying the things you're reading. Moreover, the moral landscape of a lot of these stories is painfully unsubtle.
I am sick of benign stories told in banal prose.
This book is not like that. The dialogue is elevated and somewhat archaic. Narration is elaborate and evocative rather than simply descriptive. The characters are emotionally distant, the setting is eerie, and the action is surreal. The story seems allegorical, but in a hazy or cryptic way that I can't decipher.
I don't think the torrent of blood and gore helps the story. But I'm giving the book a lot of latitude due to its stylistic originality.