[.ca] Blood And Ivory: A Tapestry (ISBN 189206572X)

Usual Superb writing, just not about Jaime and her brother:
I was oh-so-excited when the book finally became available and I was able to purchase it. When I received the book I discovered that maybe half of the short stories contained within involved Jaime and her family. Hodgell's writing is excellent, of course, but I was expecting to spend the day feasting on unread tales of the adventures of my favorite heroine. I had no interest in the other stories that were included. What is there is good, but I would not have purchased the book if I had actually known what was contained. Borrowed it, absolutely, but not bought it. I guess I will just have to wait until her next book to get my Jaime fix. *grins*

Some of the Secrets of the Kencyrath Revealed:
P. C. Hodgell has a small but dedicated group of fans and those of us who sweated the years after her previous publisher went belly up have been rewarded by Meisha Merlin (her new publisher) with handsome new editions of her three novels written about Jame and the world of the Kencyrath. Now they have reprinted the four short stories previously published under this title and included four new stories. Written by P. C. Hodgell over the course of a couple of decades, these short stories are of variable quality, however, they are a valuable tool to show the evolution of Jame and her world. (OK, there's also one Sherlock Holmes story which the publisher says they threw in just for fun.) The stories probably are of more interest to those who have read the novels and want to know more about the background, but if someone wants to know what Hodgell's writing is like without committing to a novel then these stories are a good place to start. This is an extra nice tidbit to have on the bookshelf while waiting for her next Jame novel Meisha Merlin has promised us in the future.

She's written better:
I'm a huge fan of Hodgell's published novels - richly imagined world, intricately cantilevered plot; fresh, flowing dialogue; and unique and engaging characters. But these stories are only for dedicated fans. Three of the stories reveal bits of the past that can be figured out from the existing novels, in solid detail, which is good for fans. However, in the first the writing is overly crafted and hard to follow - more a writer's exercise than a good reading experience. In the second, the writing's mushy and jumpy - her prose doesn't show the tight clarity that makes the novels jump off the page. The third is pretty good stuff, but the pacing is a little uneven - a whole page for a bunch of people sitting around a room and less than a paragraph for a trick of the enemy - and the dialogue isn't as believable and nuanced as it is in her books. One story adds a bit more detail to Jame's past. The plot follows the kind of intricate arc she favors in her novels, which I love, but without the kind of extensive buildup and background you get in a novel, I don't think it's as enjoyable. One story is the original form of one of the chapters in God Stalk. For anyone who wants to write, it's a totally illuminating exercise to read it, since the God Stalk form is leaps and bounds ahead of this story, and you can see how the changes she's made bolster and charge up the narrative. Finally, there's a Sherlock Holmes exercise, which is very Doyle-ish in prose, but I didn't think it was fun to read, because the plot lacks the breathless intensity and adrenaline of the novels. Overall, I'm totally gung ho about the novels, but these short stories are better checked out of the library.

Mix of new and old short stories:
The best of the stories are actually the ones without Jame, her lead character. In fact, her writing is so tight in HoWS and in her Holmes short that I'd be perfectly happy to read anything she wrote. Keep in mind that if your looking for good writing this is a chance to get all of her short stories compiled. Jame fans will be upset that their heroine isn't center stage through out. Again its too bad this author is so overlooked. Her writing is wonderful and its well displayed here. Look for her 4th full Jame tale next year, and I hope some more Holmes stories!

Blood and Ivory: A Curiosity:
If your reading this review, you probably want to know, should I buy Blood and Ivory? I guess it depends on how you feel about Hodgell's writing and her amazing heroine Jame. If you're a fan and a completist you'll want to own this no matter what. Even if the quality of the stories is uneven, you'll want to support P.C. Hodgell's writing by buying her work. If you're a casual reader looking for a quick introduction to the Kencyrth and Jame, I suggest you immediately purchase Dark of the Gods and Seeker's Mask instead because these short stories don't do her justice. "Hearts of Woven Shadow", "Lost Knots" and "Among the Dead" are the new, never been published stories and they fill in some gaps in the Story So Far. HoWS and AtD are the best of the new collection. In the first we meet Ganth and find out how he became the Highlord and the terrible price he paid. He's a much talked about figure in the books but is seldom seen, so it was very interesting to read about events in his early life. AtD fleshes out the sketchy childhood picture of Jame and Tori's youth in the shadowlands, as well as the progression of Ganth's madness. I liked this less since I felt much of what Jame's childhood was like had been sufficiently hinted at in the novels. Still, it makes concrete several things about Jame that were implied before. LK is more a bridge between the two stories than a story in itself. Not even three whole pages, it doesn't add much except again, to make explicit what has already been implied. Next comes "Child of Darkness" which is a look at a prototype Jame before Hodgell got a handle on her character and how she wanted to set the tale. While it wasn't particularly compelling as a stand alone story, it was fascinating to see how important elements such as Jame's claws and The Book Bound In Pale Leather are embedded like lost gems in this embryonic piece of writing. "A Matter of Honor" provides similar interest. This is Jame's tale much closer to how it is realized in Godstalk. Hodgell's writing is vastly improved from CoD, and you can see how Godstalk grew, in slightly changed form, from this short story. Again, the interest here is to trace the evolution of what eventually becomes part of a full-blown novel rather than the story itself. This collection also includes "Bones" which is about Penari's Maze, the labyrinth that plays a prominent role in Godstalk. A decent story, but it can also be found in Dark of the Gods. "Stranger Blood" is perhaps the most interesting of the lot, since it is the only one set after the events of all the published novels. Everything else is either back-story, or concurrent with timeline so far. For the people interested in what happens next, SB is a tantalizing tidbit set after Seeker's Mask and the presumed fourth novel, Jame Goes to the Citadel. Again, a good story but nothing earth-shattering is (unfortunately) revealed. The last story, "Ballad of the White Plague" is a Sherlock Holmes story incorporating vampirism. It's been a few years since I read any Doyle, but her style seems fairly accurate. What's fascinating is that even in a non-Jame story she consciously, or unconsciously, incorporates similar themes from her Kencyr novels. Here Watson discovers Holmes has rather sinister blood-ties, echoing the less-than-savory family that is Jame's. Hodgell also makes good visual use of Holmes' ancestor's portraits, again, echoing the tapestries that permeate the Kencyrth novels. And what is vampirism other than eternal life at the cost of another's? Doesn't that aptly describe Gerridon and his lot, who live on indefinitely, drinking the souls of the Kencyr? In addition the book contains 8 maps, most of which I believe have been included in the novels already published and some artwork that P.C. Hodgell has done over the years. The sketches don't really add any value to what's been already written - Hodgell has a very rigid and stylized approach - and are included here more I suspect for curiosity sake's and page filler than any intrinsic merit. All in all, Blood and Ivory is an uneven effort which is best read not so much for the actual stories, as for the insights they provide into the thought processes of a much-loved author, P.C. Hodgell.