Fire Logic

I'll note right off the bat that, while this is the start of a four-book series, it tells a complete story on its own, standing alone while leading into the next part of the characters' lives.

This book, the start of the story of several people in a country that has been overrun by invaders, manages to avoid many of the standard fantasy cliches. For example, while one side of the conquerors vs resistance clearly comes off as worse than the other, the better side doesn't exactly come off as the "good guys" either. Even the setting is atypical, being neither pseudo-medieval nor contemporary, but rather during the time period when firearms are starting to become more common but haven't displaced other weaponry in warfare yet.

All of the show more characters have their flaws, and the closest anyone seems to be to being always right in their thinking is the long-dead writer of a manuscript with a better-seeming philosophy than that of either the conquerors or the leader of the resistance (although it might turn out to be a bit naive when dealing with either of those forces). By the end of the book, one can understand, if not necessarily sympathize with, the motivations of most of the major characters and forces involved.

I'm not sure where the story of the series will go, but I'm in for at least one more book. show less

Fantasy sometimes has a peculiar way of delving into utterly fantastic worlds and landscapes while still speaking truths about the world we're living in. I think Ursula K. Le Guin comes most to mind when having that discussion -- at least for me -- and I've always loved her books for it. Now, I'll love Laurie J. Marks' books for the same reason. High praise? Absolutely. But also true.

Fire Logic begins the Elemental Logic series with a powerful and war-torn novel that focuses on a tight set of characters who feel as real as they are fantastic. War, addiction, faith vs. hope, magic, heartbreak... it's all here, alongside fantastic story-telling. The blurb for the fourth book in the series (which is now sitting on my desk) calls the series show more 'exciting, thoughtful, queer, diverse, politically aware, complex, [and] timely'--and all of that applies to even this first book in the series, which I suspect I'll be recommending to readers for years to come. It is smart, powerful, and full of meaning, while being carried along on lush, gorgeous writing and characters who come to life nearly from page 1.

For fantasy readers, I can't recommend this enough. Personally, I can't wait to dive into book 2. show less

This book was an odd duck for me. It has so many elements I love--realistic, morally ambiguous politics, fully realized worldbuilding that isn't over-described, female characters as competent and integral to the plot as the males, alternate social structures depicted sans virtue signaling, and some of the most beautiful descriptive language I've read everywhere. And yet, the overall effect is like reading a very well-written encyclopedia article: individuals appear and do things that shape history, but the reader's window into their psyches and emotional lives is detached and clinical. And that's this novel's major handicap: because I was not emotionally invested in these characters, I felt no pain when horrors befell them nor elation show more when they triumphed. I by no means regret reading this book and will probably continue on to the next, but the experience is more akin to reading a nonfiction historical overview than the viscerally immersive experience the best fiction evokes. show less

This is an ER book I've had around for yonks because I couldn't get into it. Having realized I never will, I did plow through in order to figure out why the story didn't take hold of me. The book is well written, the world-building is fine if dependent on the work of Moon, Hobbs and others (which is OK with me as long as there is some flair involved), the characters have plenty of potential . . . so why, for me, no spark? The answer is, I don't know. The best I can come up with is that I couldn't sense an underlying pressure to tell this particular story? Not only is that vague, but it feels like an unfair thing to say because of the work Marks has put into the story. I'm giving the book *** stars, mainly for craftsmanship. I suspect show more this is a story that will either work for you or it won't. *** show less

When I started reading this book, I realized I'd tried it once before and bounced off the beginning. Not a surprise; the first few chapters have LOTS of things I don't like in them (endless scene-setting, lots of violence and death, the story doesn't actually start for quite a while, forced introduction of too many characters). This time, because it was recommended to me by Jenne, who said if I liked The Steerswoman, I might like this, I persevered.

And, as it turned out, I liked it a lot. I liked the main character, I liked the complexity of the problems (as the story progresses, we find out that nothing is as simple or black-and-white as it initially seemed). I also liked that Marks found a way to bring some novelty to elemental show more magic, which is the fundamental magic of this book; the four elements have non-standard but totally believable properties. And I was happy to see multiple queer characters. (Main characters, even! Super awesome.) Solid story all the way around.

Problems with the book: holy COW the proofreading was awful. I have the ebook, and it's possible it's a problem just with that, but it drove me to distraction. This book deserves actual editing. For me, also, the level of violence in this book was over my limit; I got through it, but there's a LOT of battle and suffering and death. And the sex scenes are -- um. Look, if you're going to write sex, yay! I'd love a great fantasy novel with explicit queer sex. But then you have to actually WRITE THE SEX. If you're going to use a lot of vague metaphors and flowery language to avoid writing the sex, spare us all and just fade to black. Also, the reason for my warnings tag: significant animal harm.

Overall, I enjoyed this a lot. Definitely going to read the next one in the series. If you're looking for a high fantasy novel that's sort of reminiscent of Chalion except the queer characters a) get laid and b) are main characters, this might be for you. show less

I loved everything about this book, from the lyrical storytelling that made me feel like I was sitting around the fire, to the concise prose that didn't waste a syllable. This is a don't blink or you might miss a few days (or years) kind of book and the narrative voice took some getting used to, but the depth of character was intense and lovely and pulled me through just about every emotion I have. It normalizes gender queerness and though there is a soft focus on the magic, the true magic of the book shines through in character growth.

Definitely read this one. It's going on my favorites list!

Shaftal resides in a world free of patriarchy, where women can be hardened and brusque and men can be gentle and caretaking, and vice versa. Homosexuality is just as common as heterosexuality, merely a fact that exist in the world. In fact, among the named characters, homosexuality seems a more natural orientation.

Zanja na'Tarwein, a Fire blood, is Speaker for her tribe to the much bigger country Shaftal. The country falls, overtaken by Sainnites. Her entire tribe is slaughtered. She is captured and tortured. Karis the Earth witch saves her, but must send her to fight with the dwindling Shaftal forces fighting against the Sainnites.

A novel populated by vivid, breathing human beings, from major characters down to the extras populating show more the background of taverns. It's the magic of good writing, so that reading felt more akin to traveling to a foreign land, an experience filled with intriguing textures and depth, rather than being swept up in a plot-driven video game. show less