Review The Pipes of Orpheus by Jane Lindskold
-
captainhammerica
- Posts: 7
- Joined: 01 May 2016, 02:12
- Bookshelf Size: 0
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-captainhammerica.html
Review The Pipes of Orpheus by Jane Lindskold
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
From the moment I picked up the book it was full of surprises, and for the best possible reasons. I’ll admit this book was a bonus. I wanted to read Jane Lindskold’s Firekeeper Saga, a book series that I started reading as a teenager but never finished, but one that never left my mind. So when there was a bulk lot on eBay naturally I put in a bid. I picked this book to read first because it was the shortest, and what’s the first thing I see when I open the page? An autographed message from Jane Lindskold from September 1998! I never bought an autographed book before, and for the price I got it, I feel like a thief.
The second surprise was the book itself. At 250 pages long and its whimsical picture on the cover of three children on Pegasus it reminded me of books I read in childhood. A nice little romp for kids somewhere between the ages of 10 and 12, like the novels I would read in fourth or fifth grade. Just a couple of pages though, with the main characters stumbling upon the eviscerated corpse of one of their comrades, ended that impression pretty quick. But blowing your mind is rarely the indication of a bad book, and the same holds true for this book.
This book is a perfect example of speculative fantasy, it’s a good story coming out from a good question. That question in this case is what happened to the children of Hamelin after the Pied Piper? Then for extra kicks, what if the Pied Piper is actually a corrupted version of Orpheus from Greek mythology? The autograph in the book says that this book was born in a classroom, and it shows. The children’s journey as they encounter different figures in Greek mythology reminded me why it was my favorite subject in elementary school.
The characters are nicely developed and well balanced too, each with their own strengths and weaknesses that aid in their quest. The children are diverse along age lines too, with the youngest being three and the oldest thirteen. Watching them go about their adventure was almost like a fantasy survival flick (if such things exists) and you can see the arch types that each child will grow up to be: princess, warrior, rogue, mage and….well, okay, the three year old is a bit of wild card. As most three year olds are. Despite their young age though Lindskold does not tone down the danger or violence that the children witness, and that made the read even more refreshing.
The book does have a few faults. Most of the characters have an equal length in the spotlight, and sometimes it’s hard tell which perspective you’re reading from. Luckily the children are usually close together so that’s not much of an issue. The book also reflects on their impressions of each other through flashbacks, which while revealing interesting information, they are sometimes positioned in a way that breaks up the flow of the narrative. Case in point, if a chapter ends with a character going through a tunnel and yells “Valhalla!” I want to see what she sees immediately, not a flashback explaining her and the scholarly boy’s rivalry. The book is also divided in two parts, and while both have their merits and are extremely well written, the stakes just don’t seem as high in the second half.
Overall though the book was extremely well written and well executed despite what minor gripes I had with it. It was also one of the more refreshing fantasy stories that I have read in a while. If you’re ever given the chance, definitely check it out.
From the moment I picked up the book it was full of surprises, and for the best possible reasons. I’ll admit this book was a bonus. I wanted to read Jane Lindskold’s Firekeeper Saga, a book series that I started reading as a teenager but never finished, but one that never left my mind. So when there was a bulk lot on eBay naturally I put in a bid. I picked this book to read first because it was the shortest, and what’s the first thing I see when I open the page? An autographed message from Jane Lindskold from September 1998! I never bought an autographed book before, and for the price I got it, I feel like a thief.
The second surprise was the book itself. At 250 pages long and its whimsical picture on the cover of three children on Pegasus it reminded me of books I read in childhood. A nice little romp for kids somewhere between the ages of 10 and 12, like the novels I would read in fourth or fifth grade. Just a couple of pages though, with the main characters stumbling upon the eviscerated corpse of one of their comrades, ended that impression pretty quick. But blowing your mind is rarely the indication of a bad book, and the same holds true for this book.
This book is a perfect example of speculative fantasy, it’s a good story coming out from a good question. That question in this case is what happened to the children of Hamelin after the Pied Piper? Then for extra kicks, what if the Pied Piper is actually a corrupted version of Orpheus from Greek mythology? The autograph in the book says that this book was born in a classroom, and it shows. The children’s journey as they encounter different figures in Greek mythology reminded me why it was my favorite subject in elementary school.
The characters are nicely developed and well balanced too, each with their own strengths and weaknesses that aid in their quest. The children are diverse along age lines too, with the youngest being three and the oldest thirteen. Watching them go about their adventure was almost like a fantasy survival flick (if such things exists) and you can see the arch types that each child will grow up to be: princess, warrior, rogue, mage and….well, okay, the three year old is a bit of wild card. As most three year olds are. Despite their young age though Lindskold does not tone down the danger or violence that the children witness, and that made the read even more refreshing.
The book does have a few faults. Most of the characters have an equal length in the spotlight, and sometimes it’s hard tell which perspective you’re reading from. Luckily the children are usually close together so that’s not much of an issue. The book also reflects on their impressions of each other through flashbacks, which while revealing interesting information, they are sometimes positioned in a way that breaks up the flow of the narrative. Case in point, if a chapter ends with a character going through a tunnel and yells “Valhalla!” I want to see what she sees immediately, not a flashback explaining her and the scholarly boy’s rivalry. The book is also divided in two parts, and while both have their merits and are extremely well written, the stakes just don’t seem as high in the second half.
Overall though the book was extremely well written and well executed despite what minor gripes I had with it. It was also one of the more refreshing fantasy stories that I have read in a while. If you’re ever given the chance, definitely check it out.
-
dakimmel
- Posts: 13
- Joined: 02 May 2016, 10:19
- Bookshelf Size: 31
Very nice! I'll have to take a look!
