Wolf and Spice Vol1 (English)

A long awaited English language adaptation of one of my favourite novel series.

I've now purchased several copies of it in English, distributing it to various peoples I imagine would enjoy the book.

The writing is slightly stiff, and certainly shows the reason the book is aimed at an age 15 and up crowd. The vocabulary is limited, and certainly doesn't stretch beyond what most people would know. Some of this is the reason the setting of the story, a pre-Renaissance pseudo-European society, just doesn't come to life. As a historical fiction, the story simply does not provide enough material to bring the time and place forward, much beyond the plain backdrop that it provides. There is no sense that there is much more of the world existing beyond the pages of the book. Good fiction, science, historical, or otherwise - should be able to construct a world with a depth and detail that extends beyond the last page turned.

This is particularly difficult. It does not mean to describe everything in detail, and bog down the narrative. The world should however be a real enough location to bring a believability around the character's drive, ambition, fears and hopes.

Some books can rest on precedent. Books based on movies, TV shows, and video games need not place their heft into constructing a world. The groundwork is already laid out.

As very good stage actors can act on a stage with only the barest of props, the characters and how lively and naturally they act on stage can set the tone.

This book, with the character of a young, inquisitive girl who is out of touch with the life of the merchant, does not deliver. The girl's inquisitive nature should be leveraged to provide insight into the daily life of a merchant, but only does so as an exposition device. The dialog fails to invite the reader to learn more, and gain interest about the girl asking the question. It seems slightly flat. A question is quite telling of the person doing the asking. Why is the question being asked? what is the interest behind it? How does the person react to the answer?

This opportunity is lost, as the novel hurriedly fills in the set pieces. I want more. Much more.

As a history fan, the tectonic shift of a society away from pagan harvest rituals and festivals carried on under the nose of the church to a more modern agriculture is one of the largest interests of this book. And yet, the sense of something changing - several hundreds of years of history being cast aside - simply does not appear. It is of phenomenally good plot construction that places such a historic shift into a personal perspective, and of one guy and one girl.

The multilayered plot, starting from the core relationship of Holo and Lawrence. Wrapped by the plot regarding a specific scheme, and the final realization of the greater plot afoot - one that will shake the kingdom to its (financial) roots. There is the larger, and infinitely historically meaningful conflict, of which only the reader should be aware of.

The intent is not to have either of the main characters be aware, or even have any interest in the "big" picture. The big big picture, this part which extends the stage past the last page of the book, never really seems to coagulate into anything. The stage is set, but half blue-screened. The post-production will fill in the blanks.

It is only because the story is so attractive, that these decidedly minor faults irritate. There should be so much more. But as I read it, it takes several tries to really get the characters to start speaking in their own voice, and imagine them walking through the hard packed roads of this town, surrounded by people who are selling their wares, hurrying to and from the shops, living their lives.