I appreciate David Bryson's articulate review, Brits tend to have that gift. Couldn't disagree more with his B.S. conclusion. Perhaps Adams took himself too seriously. Yes, Adams plays with the S&M elements a bit too much for my taste. Yes it is too long. But Adam's way with words -his ability to use words almost as though they were paint, to create a rich and decadent world, is quite lovely. And then to couch a fine grained -if not predictable- epic within this environment, is exquisite. And this work is far better than "Shardik," which had some very shoddy conclusions to various sections of the narrative.
Bryson also whines about whether a 15 year old girl could realistically endure the trauma that Maia experienced, and still come out with her wits. Yes, most children that age would be in pieces if they were traumatized like Maia. There are exceptions though, and Bryson may be ignorant of what psychologists have long described as "resiliency" in children, or the ability to undergo trauma and emerge relatively unscathed.
Perhaps I identify with Maia, and perhaps envy her for the "resiliency" she displayed. This is a unoriginal (who is ever original?) yet no less powerful literary device in other myths and stories. A powerful hero or heroine, who undergoes great physical, mental, social, and political trials, and emerges scarred but victorious.
It is with sadness that concede to Bryson's thesis that this story has several noticeable flaws. But "B.S." is far too vulgar an epitaph to leave in memory of this yarn, and not nearly as well thought as the rest of Bryson's review. |
Maia Books In Print, Audio Books.