The Griffin or the Agate

Okay, I need to take a minute and set the record straight. Contrary to what it may seem, I do not enjoy writing negative book reviews. I want to be affected by the text in one way or another - amused, entertained, intrigued, challenged. And as a wanna-be writer myself I'm sure that when something of mine appears in print I'd much rather read good things about it than bad. Reading is my addiction, my drug, my passion. I want to find exciting pieces of work and share them with others. To expose even just one person to someone they haven't read before but now enjoy is a major victory. Reading is something I truly love.
    That being said, when I have to struggle my way through a book it's not a good sign unless the text is about something like quantum physics. I struggled mightily with The White Dragon, the new release by Laura Resnick. Several times I set the book aside and moved on to different works, returning with a sense of duty. Made it so difficult? Several factors. When exposition becomes inquisition, that's not a good thing. Resnick spends way, way too much time rehashing previous events. Josarian, a peasant who becomes the prophesied Firebringer, begins the revolution that will free his nation of Sileria from under foreign rule. But he's betrayed by those he trusted and killed by Kiloran, a powerful magician specializing in water. It's pretty simple to understand. Had it down by the second time it was brought up - but Resnick dwells on it over and over, using different characters to beat the event into literary paste. I never connected with her protagonists, none of which manage to come alive or engage the reader. You just don't care about these people and their problems. To make matter worse the pacing is slow, plodding, and torpid. It's not that The White Dragon is poorly written, but there's just nothing extraordinary about it. It's neither good nor bad, it's just sort of there, tripping along. Well, there are instances where Resnick's romance writing sneaks in ('Her fire-tipped lashes fluttered over lava-rich eyes.' - gah!), but these are mercifully few.
    According to the author's notes the sequel to The White Dragon was originally part of the first book, but when they saw how much they had the decision was made to split it into two books. I think keeping it as a single work and doing some judicious (and deep) editing might have been the better choice. I guess we'll see when The Destroyer Goddess is released. In the meantime, please believe me - I want to say nice things!   §

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