Fresh off netflixing season 1 of Game of Thrones, it's more War of the Roses with fantasy trappings!
I bought The Dragon Waiting as a book-by-the bag from the public library's annual sale. It's not bad, and does a very good job, I think, in imagining a Europe in which the Byzantine Empire is still a power through the 15th century. Ford makes no attempt to orient you within his changed history. I generally admire this; it can be great when you have to learn about the world as you go, but in this case was frustrated by a seeming lack of information by which I could orient myself. Perhaps I would have enjoyed the novel more if I knew more of the history of England in this period, but a critical piece of information to understanding the history of the world -- the fact that, in this world, the Byzantine Empire survived and thrived because Julian the Apostate managed to quash Christianity and Islam -- was not at all evident to me until the epilogue.
I also have an issue with the structure of the novel. He begins with three chapters that give us the backstory for three of his main characters; the fourth chapter, in which they and the fourth main character meet, begins on page 109. The novel should begin on page 109, and the salient bits of the main characters' backstories revealed over time. At the very least, Hywel's chapter could be axed.
This won the World Fantasy Award for best novel, which, frankly, has a really weird history (Silence of the Lambs was a fantasy? Who knew?), and Gene Wolfe praised it on the back cover, stating, "It may not become a classic; but it will become something better -- one of those books that are always loved by people who love books." I don't think I agree, but I also certainly don't regret having read it.
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