Votre critique de THE CITY de Stella GEMMELL

MERCI TONY EVANS POUR TA CRITIQUE POSTEE SUR NOTRE PAGE FACEBOOK LE 01/05/2013

The City is a fantasy tale of intrigue, deceit, hate and revenge, and yet it cloaks all of that beneath a layer of honour, loyalty and love. The eponymous City is a vast and ancient state. More than merely a single construct it covers many leagues, and it is at war. Beneath the City, where the story starts, live the Dwellers, people who make what life they can living in the sewers, and it is here we meet the first characters in the story that is about to unfold.

I am challenged by stories which have many characters, especially when the story is then spread across them. I prefer a small number of characters on which I can focus and understand in detail. The City has a dozen or so characters of importance, and early on I struggled with my usual challenge, knowing who to like, who to root for, and who to hate. Not because it isn’t always obvious what’s going on, but because the story has eight or nine people who could be considered the main protagonists. The actual tale however is compelling, and that helped me work through my issue and I’m glad I did. The story moves from character to character, or group to group, each progressing the narrative and revealing a little bit more of the history of The City, or the underlying war and rebellion in which everyone appears to be embroiled. There are some leaps where things I felt were important happened ‘off page’, and I was sad for that, because Stella’s words are so graceful that I would have preferred to read them first hand, rather than hear them second hand through another character.

Stella’s prose is fluid, interesting and engaging. Her touch is delicate, and her descriptions are vivid and long lasting. I am left with a strong visual image of The City in my mind; it’s sprawling landscape and sewer system as much a character in the story as any of the people. The pace throughout the whole story is even and measured, with only a gentle increase towards the end. In some ways, I struggled with that, always expecting the story to explode and be driven forward at pace, and always being pulled back. On reflection, I think it’s intentional, playing back the behaviour of some of the characters, and in particular a game in the story referred to as urquat in which great patience is required.

The City is not a riotous novel of warfare and combat. There are certainly moments of action, vividly described, but the story is more subtle than that, a deeper reflection of the motivations of the characters, and a slow reveal of the people who inhabit The City and those who wish them toppled. The characters throughout the story are well rounded, real and solid. There are touching moments between two specific characters that brought tears to my eyes every time.

Although this is a fantasy novel, there is little magic, and the small amount is revealed slowly over time. The magic is sinister, and woven in carefully to make sure we know it is powerful, closely guarded and mostly reviled.

Stella’s first solo novel is intelligent, compelling fantasy fiction, with enjoyable characters, and moments of true emotion. If I could have one thing it would be to have spent longer with some of the characters, to have enjoyed more of the emotional moments with them. But it is a small desire amongst an otherwise entertaining and enjoyable read.

I find myself left wanting to know more about world, the people, the magic and the Serafim. The City is like a dance viewed from the outside, where many dancers move in beautiful and unexpected patterns, eventually settling into a final position that is both satisfying and mysterious at the same time.

Caveat emptor: I personally know Stella Gemmell. My copy of The City was purchased from Amazon.

Tony EVANS le blog : http://perceptionistruth.com/

LOLOCK :

Bonne critique, mais qui ne répond pas à LA question que tout le monde se pose (en tout cas moi lol) !
Peut on dire que stella Gemmell est dépositaire de l'héritage de DG ? La critique donne certaines indications sur le style narratif de Stella qui semble pour le coup assez éloigné de celui de son mari.
A suivre donc en attendant qu'il nous arrive chez nous...

Tony Evans :

I can not read French, so please forgive my bad translation! I think you are asking if Stella is the custodian of David's legacy?
I specifically did not compare Stella's writing to David's in the review, because in some ways, I feel it does a disservice to both of them.

Stella's prose and style is different to David's, and her book is a much more modern take on Fantasy than the Heroic Fantasy style we expected from David. In my view, you can see a blending of their styles in the last Troy books.
Stella's style and voice are entirely her own, and in my view, it was absolutely the right choice to write in her own way, and not try to fit into a style that David made his own.
I don't know if it was a conscious decision by Stella, and I'm aware many people will ask and wonder, and lots of reviews I've read already do make the comparison, but I wanted to review Stella's work on her own merits.

LOLOCK :

Thanks tony for the explanations you gave us on The City.
Your beautiful criticism gives us the desire to quickly discover this magnificent novel.
Your answer tells us that Stella has a style of writing very personal and is very well as here.
On the other hand, think you that fans can expect in the future that she wrote other novels of the cycle Drenai, war of the twins among others?
Sorry for my very bad English

Tony Evans :

Hi, honestly, I don't know.
I just know that in my view, it was important for Stella to write in her own style first, whatever she decides to do in the future.

LOLOCK :

According to you.The writing style of Stella corresponds most to what writer? (scott Oden, Conn Iggulden...)

Tony Evans :

Guy Gavriel Kay

LOLOCK :

It is an excellent reference!
I will thank once again for your excellent criticism and the interest you in David Gemmell Universe Forum.
Does not hesitate to share your reviews on the other novels in the Gemmell family on the forum.English is accepted, the forum has the translation module.