Enchanted (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
chocolatepot) wrote2021-09-07 07:12 pm
chocolatepot) wrote2021-09-07 07:12 pm
~craft~
Read the sequel to The False Prince - The Runaway King. Sadly, not quite as good; I was hoping that the author would take more cues from MWT and it would be similar to Queen of Attolia, but it was in some ways a retread of the first book.
Still, it was interesting to read as a foil to QOA and to see exactly what was so great about what MWT did. I was always sad that we didn't get any more first person perspective from Eugenides after the first book, but it was absolutely the right choice: Nielsen sticks to the 1pp, but there's not much interesting to do with it after having that magnificent lying-to-the-reader-without-lying twist. That MWT takes us out of Eugenides's head and generally shows him through other perspectives lets the reader be tricked in new ways at some points (eg the cannons), and have the entertainment of watching him be misunderstood at others (eg Costis). That also makes it possible to get a radically different view of various characters, countries, and political situations. It's so smart and so good, craft-wise!
Still, it was interesting to read as a foil to QOA and to see exactly what was so great about what MWT did. I was always sad that we didn't get any more first person perspective from Eugenides after the first book, but it was absolutely the right choice: Nielsen sticks to the 1pp, but there's not much interesting to do with it after having that magnificent lying-to-the-reader-without-lying twist. That MWT takes us out of Eugenides's head and generally shows him through other perspectives lets the reader be tricked in new ways at some points (eg the cannons), and have the entertainment of watching him be misunderstood at others (eg Costis). That also makes it possible to get a radically different view of various characters, countries, and political situations. It's so smart and so good, craft-wise!