Love is a burning thing, and it makes a firey ring.

[judecorp]

I have successfully finished another fantasy novel, and I think this one is my new favorite. Of course, it's probably not much of an accomplishment to be "best of three," for I've only finished two other fantasy novels: The Mists of Avalon and The Deed of Paksennarion (I think that's the name, sheesh, I don't even remember). I suppose there have been other fantasy books (The Princess Bride and The Neverending Story come to mind), but when I think of Knights and Gods and Battles, I think of those two. Three, now.

I pored through the words with rapt attention, for this was a very important novel to me. This is The Girl^TM's novel, and it was sent to me in the mail. I wanted not only to revel in the talents of a special person, but also to gain glimmers of insight into who she is, who she truly is in her creative soul.

She loves the characters in this novel in a very personal way. They are parts of her and parts of those she loves. They are fair parts of strength and weakness, courage and fear, honor and rage. Their compositions belie her Libra nature, something I am both drawn to and love. The Champion. The Princess. The Best Friend. The Benefactor.

This morning I decided to finish the novel. The Big Ending was being set up and I had about 40 pages to go. I curled into my bed, cat on my lap, and devoured the final pages. I was concerned that The Champion would die. I felt like Bastian in The Neverending Story, talking to paper. "No!" my inner child screamed, "they can't take her now!"

The words in the novel read very personally to me. The underlying theme of the novel, through all of the Order vs. Chaos, is persevering love. It is love that brings the Champion and the Princess together over and over, it is love that underlies Perfect Trust, it is love that raises a street girl into a National Champion. Love between family (chosen and blood), love between friends, love between mates, love for what is right - 185 pages of love. And in these words of love, gah.

It was like a 185-page love letter. It was if the characters, the dialogue were written especially for me, even though I know that's not the case. In the picture book of my imagination, I saw The Champion and she was me. I saw The Princess and she was me. And they were also Her.

(I look at you and see the person that I am sometimes. I look at you and see the person that I want to be sometimes.)

I fell in love, over the weeks, with the characters in the pages. With Kieron. And Kassia. And Kieriani. And Hadriis. And Moren. And Erial. And I fell in love with you, Jennifer, over and over again.

Thank you for sharing your work with me. Thank you for sharing your soul with me.

Comments

[dch4.livejournal.com]

The Deed of Paksennarion

You got it right. One of my all-time favorite fantasy series. Well worth the read. I finally bought the omnibus edition when my copy of Oath of Gold decided to start coming apart on me. Elizabeth Moon did a wonderful job on the series, and it's easy to see that she's a former soldier in the way a lot of it's written.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I was talking with Jen about this book this morning (Yes, she confirmed that I'd remembered correctly, too). I read it in the summer of 1996 at A.'s request ("You would like this one out of all of my books. It's about a woman.") I remember liking it when I went through it, except for the battle stuff. (I have a hard time with "glorification of violence" as you know.)

But when I was trying to think of the book on the phone, I realized that I can't remember a single thing about this series at all. I think when I move out, I'm going to take it from A. (Heh. Did I say that out loud?) I need to re-read it when I get some time, so I can, for the love of the gods, remember one thing that happened in this enormous epic.