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Loading... Ink and steel : a novel of the Promethean ageby Elizabeth BearSeries: The Promethean Age (The Stratford Man, Volume I), The Stratford Man (Volume I)
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. Review of Ink and Steel and Hell and Earth: http://fantasycafe.blogspot.com/2008/... The Elizabethan period is a popular setting for many historicals--whether alternate history/fantasy or not, but few can carry it off and make it seems as right and real as Bear, particularly choosing as her heroes two such prominent figures as Marlowe (or Marley, here), and Shakespeare. That Marley is indeed working for Francis Walsingham and the Queen is a given, and it is natural that he doesn't actually die in that small room in Deptford (wild speculation has continued over the hundreds of years since, after all). That he's spirited off by fairies to the Court of Queen Mab (or Mebd, here), just fits right in. It seems there has been an ongoing war fought by poets, a magic and power in words that helps keep Elizabeth on the throne and which is mirrored in Faerie as well. Of course there is a power in the plays! How else are Shakespeare--and so many others--explained? Shakespeare is, of course, recruited after Marley is taken out of the picture. He must deal with conspiracies and danger as well as write... and worry about his separation from his wife and family up at Stratford. And Marley needs to negotiate the even more arcane plots and intrigues of the faerie court, and continue to think about those he left behind. There is a deep magic at work here, in this book, in the recreating of this time and place that resonates so strongly even centuries later. And the alien magic of the faerie, so rich and strange, is also captured so well that there is no question of disbelief. I was instantly caught up, in this amazing period of time, with these larger-than-life people (where even the bit players are important), during events both momentous and mundane. This is one of the best books out of literally hundreds that I've read over the past few years. A convincing Shakespeare and Marley and the addition of intrigue, adventure, magic and Faerie is just a combination I can't resist. I'm ordering the sequel--and I would buy these books in hardcover if I could. History says that Christopher Marlowe was killed in 1593... but in Ink and Steel, he was spirited away by the Fair Folk and entered into the court of the Faerie Queen. Even presumed dead, he is still entangled among the spies and covert operatives supporting the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and the Prometheus Club who back her with magic. But without Marlowe as an active playwright to serve their sorcerous ends, they need another-- Marlowe's good friend William Shakespeare. In both Earth and Faerie, the words of poets have power. Bear delivers us a tale of intrigue and secret history playing out in Elizabethan London and the realm of Faerie, with vivid detail of the daily life of the era. The court of Queen Medb is just as convoluted as the court of Queen Elizabeth, though the latter is seen more from the sidelines. I'm glad I waited until the sequel, Hell and Earth, was published; I wouldn't have wanted to wait to find out what comes next. This pair of books, comprising the tale of the Stratford Man, are part of Bear's larger series of the Promethean Age; Ink and Steel stands on its own quite well, and reading the Stratford Man before picking up the books set in the modern era would give more background to some of the characters in Whiskey and Water. no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0451462092, Paperback)On the heels of Hell and Earth…Kit Marley, playwright and spy in the service of Queen Elizabeth, has been murdered. His true gift to Her Majesty was his way with words, crafting plays infused with a subtle magic that maintained her rule. He performed this task on behalf of the Prometheus Club, a secret society of nobles engaged in battle against sorcerers determined to destroy England. Assuming Marley’s role is William Shakespeare— but he is unable to create the magic needed to hold the Queen’s enemies at bay. Resurrected by enchantment in Faerie, Marley is England’s only hope. But before he can assist Will in the art of magic, he must uncover the traitor among the Prometheans responsible for his death… (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:13 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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Basic Reason for Finishing: It took me a long, long time to get into this book, but I'm very glad I did. I liked it.
Texture: Uhm... You know that fabric that's pretty and shiny an shifts colour depending on the lightfall? It's often used for prom/gala dresses. It's like that.
Full review here.
Book Rereadability: Oh, yes. This would be a nice book for rereading and I'd like to, sometime. Once I've read Hell and Earth, which is the second half of the story, and some time has passed.
Author Rereadability: Yep. I'll definitely be reading more of her works. To be fair, though, I think I will take a break from this story to pick up something that requires less brainpower to follow.
Recommendation: This, I fear to say, is a tough one, and I've not got a clue. I liked it, so I suppose if you've liked most of the books I've read/reviewed there's a good chance you might like this too. Shakespeare/Elizabethan obsessives might enjoy it, provided they can look past fictional/writer's license taken. All I can say is that if you're homophobic you'll want to stay far away. (