Aidan, over at SF/F blog A Dribble Of Ink, gives a very satisfying review of Nights of Villjamur, and picks up on all the main things I was hoping for: mainly that it can be enjoyed on numerous levels.
The most immediately jarring asset of Newton’s debut is the prose. Shockingly contemporary, one has to wonder if this tale of political intrigue might be set not on a fictional fantasy world, but in a far future version of our own, corrupted beyond recognition. Newton sets few ground rules with his prose – noirish and moody…
Certainly happy that the graft gets noticed!
Nights of Villjamur is being bandied about by reviewers and publicists as a literary fantasy, delving into the underused Dying Earth sub-genre and written to appeal to those looking for something more from their fantasy. While this is certainly true, I was surprised at how much more there was to the novel from the perspective of a Terry Brooks fan. I was worried I would find a dense, overwritten piece of philosophical literature hidden under a fantasy verneer (think Terry Goodkind’s Naked Empire, but not piss-poor), but what I found instead was a tightly plotted novel that worked just as well as a fantasy novel as it did a piece of introspective literature.
Splendid. Now, time for some beer.
Although I haven’t actually read the novel yet myself, from what I’ve heard I think he’s been rather perceptive here:
“…one has to wonder if this tale of political intrigue might be set not on a fictional fantasy world, but in a far future version of our own, corrupted beyond recognition.”
AFAIK that’s exactly where the roots of ‘Dying Earth’ lie – depictions of our own Earth (rather than another world) made unrecognisable by the ravages of time, where technology & society have regressed so much that the far flung last days resemble a bygone age in those terms.
Once again, can’t wait to read this one Mark – roll on June!