Book Review: The Demon's Lexicon
Aug. 14th, 2009 10:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
osprey_archerI finished Sarah Rees Brennan's The Demon's Lexicon today. I'm of two minds about the book - I can't decide whether I liked it or not. On the one hand, it's exciting and fast-paced and set in an interesting world; on the other, I loathe the main character, and the writing style leaves something to be desired.
The good: this is a very plotty book. I kept picking it up, oh, I'll read to the end of the chap - oh, wait, I finished that chapter fifty pages ago. Oops. But wait! Nick and company are heading off on another adventure! Never mind it's three o'clock in the morning!
Furthermore, the plot is not merely fast-moving but twisty, and the twists are both utterly unexpected and thoroughly logical once revealed. Books usually fall down on at least one of those criteria, so I salute Brennan's plotting skills.
She also displays a decent hand for world-building. It isn't particular deep, but it hangs together nicely, and she doesn't waste time trying to cobble together an explanation for how all of this works: it works that way because it works that way, kind of like electricity, if electricity could eat you soul.
The bad: I wanted to kill the main character, Nick, by about page twenty. By halfway through the book, I would have accepted the death of his brother (who was a sweetie) as reasonable collateral damage for removing Nick from the world forevermore.
This is a matter of personal taste - Nick's a sociopath, except for his affection for his brother Alan, and other people may find that more compelling than I do.
However, Nick's sociopathy doesn't excuse the fact that every single time emotions come up we are informed, at some length, about how Nick feels emotions are stupid, and doesn't understand them, et cetera et cetera, I got that on page fifteen so just let the poor dead horse lie there already, okay?
The other characters have similarly repetitive descriptions. Alan is kind; the girl Alan has a crush on is brave and determined; the girl's brother is weak. I realize that Nick is not supposed to be verbally gifted and perhaps one shouldn't expect a lot of variety from him - but that's a really poor excuse for characterization by sledgehammer - especially given that Nick's dialogue rarely suggests he has verbal troubles. He's usually pretty witty. Cruel, but witty.
At least the characters live up to their descriptions. There is nothing more annoying than a character who is described, practically defined, by their kindness or cruelty or bravery, and then fails so show any sign of that trait. And, while they aren't particularly deep, they get the job done: it's a very exciting book.
Bottom line: it's worth reading, although I wouldn't make a point of seeking it out. I'll be interested to see what her next book is - I'm confident that some of the flaws in this book will smooth out once Brennan is more confident in her skills - but she's not on my must-read list of authors by any means.
(If anyone else has read The Demon's Lexicon, I'd love to discuss it with spoilers in the comments.)
The good: this is a very plotty book. I kept picking it up, oh, I'll read to the end of the chap - oh, wait, I finished that chapter fifty pages ago. Oops. But wait! Nick and company are heading off on another adventure! Never mind it's three o'clock in the morning!
Furthermore, the plot is not merely fast-moving but twisty, and the twists are both utterly unexpected and thoroughly logical once revealed. Books usually fall down on at least one of those criteria, so I salute Brennan's plotting skills.
She also displays a decent hand for world-building. It isn't particular deep, but it hangs together nicely, and she doesn't waste time trying to cobble together an explanation for how all of this works: it works that way because it works that way, kind of like electricity, if electricity could eat you soul.
The bad: I wanted to kill the main character, Nick, by about page twenty. By halfway through the book, I would have accepted the death of his brother (who was a sweetie) as reasonable collateral damage for removing Nick from the world forevermore.
This is a matter of personal taste - Nick's a sociopath, except for his affection for his brother Alan, and other people may find that more compelling than I do.
However, Nick's sociopathy doesn't excuse the fact that every single time emotions come up we are informed, at some length, about how Nick feels emotions are stupid, and doesn't understand them, et cetera et cetera, I got that on page fifteen so just let the poor dead horse lie there already, okay?
The other characters have similarly repetitive descriptions. Alan is kind; the girl Alan has a crush on is brave and determined; the girl's brother is weak. I realize that Nick is not supposed to be verbally gifted and perhaps one shouldn't expect a lot of variety from him - but that's a really poor excuse for characterization by sledgehammer - especially given that Nick's dialogue rarely suggests he has verbal troubles. He's usually pretty witty. Cruel, but witty.
At least the characters live up to their descriptions. There is nothing more annoying than a character who is described, practically defined, by their kindness or cruelty or bravery, and then fails so show any sign of that trait. And, while they aren't particularly deep, they get the job done: it's a very exciting book.
Bottom line: it's worth reading, although I wouldn't make a point of seeking it out. I'll be interested to see what her next book is - I'm confident that some of the flaws in this book will smooth out once Brennan is more confident in her skills - but she's not on my must-read list of authors by any means.
(If anyone else has read The Demon's Lexicon, I'd love to discuss it with spoilers in the comments.)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-08-16 09:14 pm (UTC)I agree with you, especially the point about characterisation by sledgehammer,and Nick being quippy, when really he should be horrifically monosyllable. I didn't like him, but he was slightly compulsive. Alan I loved; I thought he was much better done, a more layered character. Mae annoyed me, although as the second book is from her POV, I have hope for her.
The plotting was everything you said, but I would add that the make-out and fight scenes were really good, tight, well described and involving.
I liked it, but then I'm a sucker for a yarn.
no subject
Date: 2009-08-17 03:13 pm (UTC)I love Alan. I want him and Mae (who I don't love quite as much as Alan, but if she'll make him happy obviously they should get together) to get married and start a service translating arcane documents in dead languages.
What did you think of the ending? I was torn on Alan's decision to free Nick - on one hand, it seems like the sort of idiotic idealistic thing he might do, but on the other, didn't he think what Nick might do once Alan's dead? Especially if Alan's death is violent? Nick might very well cause an apocalypse. It was a near thing even as it was.
And there is a second book? I thought vaguely that it was a trilogy, but there was nothing on the book to mark it as such and it did seem to end...so I was confused. I'm glad there's a second book, though; I want to see what happens.
no subject
Date: 2009-08-18 01:16 pm (UTC)Alan releasing Nick was in keeping with his devotion to Nick, I think, with his determination that Nick is a person, or least almost a person, and his brother, rather than a demon.
I think the second book is mainly about Jamie turning to the magicians, developing that train of thought. I like the world, so it'll be good to see what the author does with a bit more time and space.
no subject
Date: 2009-08-18 04:47 pm (UTC)