Review: Another Spectacular Read From Ms. Wilder.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 24, 2013
As I've mentioned in many other reviews, I am not, and have never been, a fan of fantasy - of manufactured worlds with dragons and mystics and the like.Yet each time I read one of Ms. Wilder's fantasies, I find my self drawn in, absorbed, fascinated, and carried along for an improbable but wonderful ride. And, after all, that's what I read books for.This book also deals with parental abuse - a topic close to my heart as someone who suffered both physical and mental (though, fortunately, not sexual) abuse from a father whom, today, we would call clinically insane. So this story touched me in some very personal ways along with the fury that any moral and reasonable person would have against a parent who would abuse his children and even sell them into sex slavery to settle his drug and gambling debts. And, sadly, that part is not fantasy. It is all too real. It happens.Ms. Wilder is a brilliant writer who manages to bring you on some beautiful and terrible journeys, all the time imbuing her main characters with such innocence and empathy that you can't help but feel their pain and celebrate their triumphs.And that's what makes her fantasy so palatable to me - fantastical worlds peopled by very real characters who share your own pain, fear and joys. The world she creates is not very real. The characters are.And on top of all that, she also manages to touch some very important parts of the reader, particularly the gay reader, while addressing some bigger issues. The isolation of and disdain for the Kin (who are actually more powerful than humans, and immortal) is a very good metaphor for the isolation of and disdain for LGBT people, worldwide, for centuries. Well done!I recommend this book highly, even if fantasy is not your cup of tea.