I found this was a book to savour, and spend time on, rather than read in "instalments". It's novel of manners/swordsmanship in a fantasy setting that has lots of politics and intrigue. I really enjoyed the setting, the atmosphere, and the characters particularly. The dialogue had its moments. Riverside is an interesting place. I appreciated having two gay main characters who know themselves, and who are accepted, and it's not earth-shattering, it just is. A novel I'll be re-reading and looking for more. ( )

(This isn't quite a normal review, but was a response to a friend who asked why I liked this book. After writing it, though, I've little energy to write a normal review, plus there are plenty of those, so here you go. ^_^)

Main reason, I like it because it's very character-centered/driven. But I really don't like using that phrase sometimes, because I don't think there's complete consensus on what exactly that means, so it's rather unhelpful. Like sometimes people will say something has a “character driven plot,” and all they mean is that the actions of the characters are what determine where the plot goes. But to me that's not enough to call something character driven, because *lots* of things have plots like that, and it doesn't really give *that* distinctive of a feel. So to be more specific...

Swordspoint is all about trying to understand the characters, for both the reader (who's trying to understand all of them) and the characters in the book (who are trying to understand each other). Who they are and what matters to them and motivates them and makes them tick. And Kushner is really good at littering telling little bits of personality or motivation or opinion into slight actions and reactions and bits of dialogue in each scene. So through every scene of the whole book, you're constantly struggling to catch what you can about each of the characters, and that makes it really engaging to read.

Only that alone usually can't hold a book. Sometimes if the characters are strong enough it might manage to stay fairly interesting, but usually I don't think a book will be as strong as it could have been just using that. And I think for the first can't-remember-how-long chunk, Swordspoint *does* try to get on with just character interaction and not much plot-revealing, and it's a bit weaker there.

And then the plot kicks in...Only really, why I shouldn't care, because who does care which noble gets power in some imaginary city when none of the characters I care most for (Richard, Alec, Michael) seem like they will be terribly affected? But what I like about the plot of Swordspoint is that it is completely intertwined with what I do care about in the novel (figuring out more about the characters). I guess it...forces characters into situations that will reveal more about them?

Some books take interesting characters and put them in an interesting plot so you can see them run around and...uh, be interesting. The plot's there to just give these interesting people something to do. That can be fun, but I think I get more into plots that actively and consistently engage with the questions we have about the characters. It complicates their situations so that they slowly reveal more about themselves, and also gives us an idea of why the questions we have about the characters matter (since the answers will have farther-reaching effects on the other characters and the city). So the plot is a *vehicle for* characterization, rather than something that happens along side it, or as something characterization happens as a reaction to (which can be good, but...is to me less interesting/tight).

And don't get me wrong, I like plots that are interesting in and of themselves. I'd have liked it if SP had one. I'd have also liked it if Richard was a bit more interesting*, or if the er, political-people-talking parts felt a little more lively, if there'd been a little more sword fighting, if the setting had a little magic. But I think SP does well something that matters to my enjoyment even more than those things, and something you don't see a ton of novels, especially fantasy novels, do well.

Plus it's also got gay boys, Alec is amazing, conflict between people instead of Big Evils, a (depending on the scene/characters involved) lively, personal feel despite being about political intrigue, duels, assassinations, kidnapping, pickpockets, fireworks, theater, and an abundance of possibly the most to-my-taste sense of humor I've seen in any book, EVAR. (I mean, come on. You remember Alec's letter to Lord Horn? "Thank you for your kind offers. We have enjoyed reading them even more than you intended." Please tell me you laughed. You know that's just *me* right?)

*http://narwhaltorte.livejournal.com/12580.html ( )

Sometimes intriguing, but often lazy and bland; Swordspoint takes a fun, interesting premise (swashbuckling "manners" fantasy) and executes it poorly.

Many of the characters seem to rely on other character's descriptions of them to give them personality, rather than displaying it themselves. For example: we're frequently told that Richard St Vier, the city's premiere swordsman, is "a madman" (as all swordsman are). Yet he never really does or says anything to demonstrate that this is true. In fact, since 70% of St Vier's scenes involve the bitchy and self-destructive Alec, St Vier comes off as rational and level-headed in comparison. Almost all of St Vier's definable personality comes from hearsay or history, which seemed like lazy characterization to me. However, that's more than can be said of most of the female characters, who are completely devoid of any personalty whatsoever. The Duchess of Tremontaine, the only female character that doesn't come off as a bland device, owes her own characterization to the fact that she uses a lot of diminutive pronouns when speaking to people (darling, dear, dearest), and that all the other characters assure us she's beautiful and brilliant. We're often told that characters have strong or interesting personalities, but rarely do we see it.

The writing isn't bad. Isn't great, either. Occasionally, Kushner hits upon some really inspired description. But there are also some bits, especially the sex scenes, where the action is vague enough that it's hard to tell what's actually happening. This, in particular, lead to confusion as to what was a sex scene and what wasn't: sometimes it took me a little while to realize sex was being had, but there were also a couple times I thought I was reading sex only to realize, a few lines down, that the characters were doing something completely different. Also, the point of view often jumps around without warning. You may go a paragraph or two before you realize a switch has been made, so then you'll have to go back and re-read to figure out who and what is going on.

My biggest issue with Swordspoint is that it's plot never builds up enough steam to grab the reader and make them wonder what's coming next. There are a series of events, some more vaguely connected than others, and eventually one of the plot's theads fumbles to a climax. You're left wondering why some of the characters and subplots got so much focus at first (Mary Halliday, Michael Godwin learning swordplay), only to be forgotten later on. I got the feeling that the author was more interested in showcasing her setting than telling a story.

The setting, however, is probably the novel's saving grace. It's both well-realized and mysterious, historically reminiscent and fantastical at the same time. There are some inconsistencies (why does the city, or the country it's in, never receive a name, even though we learn the names of all the neighboring countries mentioned?) I would read more in Kushner's Riverside series just to see what else she might do in this particular sandbox. Missteps aside, it's got a lot of potential. ( )

An old favourite, reread in preparation for 'The Privilege of the Sword'. As well as re-reading my old copy, I also had to buy a more recent edition in order to get the three Riverside short stories that're included in it. Those were probably my favourite new reads of the year. ( )

I had a really hard time getting into this book. I am no fan of the fantasy novel and found myself getting bored really quickly. I am amazed that I actually was able to finish it. There were some parts that have me laugh out loud, but for the most part, it was kinda flat. I guess if you are into the fantasy novels, you might like this book better than I did. ( )