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Novel Tease
Random meanderings about the books I love—or don't.
Interspersed with observations about my hobbies: Beer & Wine, Bridge, Bikes and Bow-wows.
The Magekiller
Despite the popularity of [book:Game of Thrones|13496], there's a distinct lack of good Sword-and-Sorcery novels these days, so I was thrilled to find this tale, with no vampires, no zombies or werewolves, and no paranormal romance.
But much as I like the general world-building, individual motivations are highly suspect. Why on earth would Alar stay with Kane? She is a magekiller — someone who is so traumatized by magic that she has become immune to it — so how can it even be possible for her to associate with the Archmage, however much she intellectually thinks he's a good person? How are women mages suppressed for centuries, and nobody like Kane has tried to liberate them before? How is Kane so superior to every other mage in the Kingdom? It's not as if there aren't plenty of others like him outside the kingdom.
This is Book I of who-knows-how-many volumes, and I generally stay away from those, at least until I know how many volumes there'll be. However, while there are clearly many issues still to be dealt with: Alar seeks revenge on the woman who destroyed her own magic, Kane seeks his inheritance, and somebody has to restore stability in the kingdom; but the issues of this episode are complete in themselves.
One thing really ticked me: "This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient."
I'm sorry, I know that in the US, the law gives you the right to impose such conditions — but not in my country, and in any case it's wrong! If I buy a paper book, I have the right to lend it, sell it or even give it away: as long as I don't keep a copy. I actually support the idea of giving the artist (in any form of art) a royalty on all resales (see Droit de suite), but nobody ever suggested that, if the Louvre decided to lend the Mona Lisa, they should buy another copy.