Last Friday night, when I finished reading The Thrones of Kronos, the last book of Sherwood Smith and Dave Trowbridge’s Exordium series, I had the following thoughts more-or-less in this order:
- Arrgh!
- You looked up “exordium,” you should have expected this.
- Well, that was . . . strange.
- Maybe reading a big complicated book in tiny chunks during lunch, and then in the same room as Chad watching Pleasantville, wasn’t such a good idea—you know you don’t block out distractions very well.
- Clearly I need to read this again. In large distraction-free chunks this time.
- Hell, it’s going to be forever until I can manage that.
So I finished my re-read yesterday night, and anyone who cares will be pleased to know that it was much less strange when read under proper conditions. However, people who like their fiction to conclude with all the ends tied neatly in a bow should probably avoid this; put another way, if you didn’t like Tigana‘s ending, you’ll hate this one. (The authors did warn us, though: the definition of “exordium” is “a beginning or introductory part.”) I have a reasonable tolerance for this sort of thing, so I’m basically resigned to the unresolved parts of this series; there’s just one thing that, in my opinion, fits better with the main plot than as a life-goes-on. On the other hand, I’m probably biased because I just really want to know . . .
Beyond the ending proper, this volume was an almost entirely satisfying conclusion to the series. I’m not entirely sure what one particular plot thread ended up contributing, but beyond that, I really enjoyed it. I wish I had time to re-read it all from the start, but I’ve started an actual job (gasp! shock!) and the next couple of weeks in particular are not going to lend themselves to reading long complicated works.
I’ve been trying to think of other things to say here about Thrones and failing miserably, because they’d be incomprehensible without spoilers. Also, I’m coming down with a cold and have to Entertain shortly, so I’m a bit distracted. I plan, sometime, to write up a general review for sf.written and to append spoiler comments to that; I’ll post the link here in a comment when I get around to it (conducting spoiler conversations is rather awkward in this format).
But, in short: yay, space opera. Go agitate for Baen or someone to reprint these.
1. Are you sure you want Baen to reprint them, with their bizarro “lets revise the text because these books are old and modern readers are too stupid to appreciate the fact that they weren’t written yesterday” editorial policy?
2. I know exactly what you mean about not being able to concentrate on a complicated plot when you can only read in short stints. I’ve been suffering from that all summer, as you can probably tell from the distinct lack of long books with complex plots on my book log.
3. What is this “job” thing of which you speak? Is that the thing real people do, instead of post-docs?
Pam, dahling, are we to infer that you have a defense coming up in less than two weeks? And if so, is there any particular flavor of propitiatory sacrifice that you’d like us to conduct on your behalf?
As to the Baen policy, I thought it was more limited to authors that were no longer around, or able to contribute to editorial decisions(?) That doesn’t appear to be the case here….
Pam: They were published in the 1990s, so they aren’t all that old. Though I understand the authors are looking, on their own, at revising the opening of the first book.
http://www.davetrowbridge.com/exordium/archives/000443.html#000443
(And I did say “or someone”…)
Good luck on whatever’s coming in 12 days, try not to kill anyone along the way. Would you like chocolate sent?
Ugh, yes, thesis defense in 11 days.
If y’all don’t hear from me after the 3rd, send condolences to my parents.
Re: sacrifices– I believe tradition calls for a virgin undergrad of your choosing, but I think we can forego that. You can pray to the supernatural being of your choice, if you want.
Re: chocolate– would not be turned down.
And when it’s done (assuming I live) I’m going to read some fun space opera.
Well, we did hope to go on with the next series; a certain plot thread is answered right off in the first, but takes a long time to resolve.
We still hope to get the chance to write these.
Looking forward to your assessment, when Real Life ™ permits you the time.
“The next series,” hmmm?
. . . I don’t know if I was happier when I thought the questions were supposed to remain unanswered. =>
*goes away pondering*
*also contemplates the kind of meta-series that calls five fat paperbacks “the beginning”*
It took well over 15 years to craft the world of Exordium; five books don’t even come close to exhausting the stories we have to tell.
So hurry up with Jasper and then get on with it already. Sheesh. 🙂
I remember feeling a certain sense of mild outrage the first time I read them… like when your favorite TV series ends the season on a cliffhanger. A good sort of mild outrage, of course.