/r/Fantasy Discussion Group discussion

Discussion for the 1st half of the book. Spoilers for first half are welcome and expected. The idea is that after reading half the book, come join in this discussion. Comments for the second half should go in the Discussion 2 on the full book. I look forward to finally reading this one and seeing what people have to say about it.

Hi all,

I am new to the group; I found it when one of the authors I follow posted a blurp about this book and this group appeared when I searched it out. I was between books-by-favorite-authors anxiously awaiting the August/September releases and desperate for something *good* to read...Well, this meets my definition of a *good* read. I've finished parts I and II and I am enchanted.

I like the structure a the story told in flashback - and this one works in the exact same way Steven Pressfield's "Gates of Fire" did by allowing a firsthand account of events in response to a historian's official account. The author did a fabulous job of contrasting the voice of scribe/historian Vernier to the voice of Vaelin in that both versions feel "true". I hope I feel the same way towards this writing device when I reach the end of the tale.

Part I was a joy to read and reminded me of the best of the "coming of age stories". Like "Ender's Game" all of the members of Vaelin's group are fleshed out and become real. Vaelin isn't perfect or the most talented at everything. Ryan's account of boys becoming men rings true. Boys act the boys, men act like men. Mistakes are made, friends are lost, maturity is gained. I appreciated the care Ryan took to not let the young Vaelin have actually lived the legend he would become. Older Vaelin himself seems embarrassed by how his life's events have been magnified in the later retellings.

Part I is lite on the meta-story and this works well with the idea that children are singularly unaware of a global worldview; their beliefs are installed by the adults around them and are rarely questioned (or if they are questioned, the questions concern their immediate orbit: "why did my father leave me here? I must have been at fault..."). There are no child savants wise and talented beyond their years here.

In part II, Ryan does a fine job of letting the reader discover world events and history through Vaelin's experiences and Ryan's world grows as Vaelin does. As a reader I began to question motivations and backstories at the same time Vaelin did in the narrative. Foreshadowing is kept to a minimum which also served to help this world expand as Vaelin's own worldview grew. The plot has begun to thicken and the things both the reader and Vaelin held as absolute are becoming muddied. I feel for Vaelin (and anyone) who must choose to do a personally-repugnant act for the greater good. Again, I truly appreciate the care Ryan has taken to keep Vaelin a real person, not the demi-god of legend. I like that he struggles and questions his own decisions. I like that he feels regret and can admit his mistakes (but makes them anyway).

Right now, at 60% of the way through the book, I am completely under its spell. I will not read reviews on Amazon (or here) because I am thoroughly enjoying the ride.

Wow ... on some level, I was hesitant to read this book because all the hype had been so positive, I was leery, thinking it could not live up to the expectations. Gladly, I have been proven wrong (at least so far) :) So far, this book has grabbed me more than any other I have read this year.

In some ways, the story feels familiar, flashback coming of age story of a child who will earn himself many names in many legends. But the characters, as Lucinda said, all just ring true. There may be aspects that are reminiscent of other stories, but I really feel this story is expertly told and very very engaging. And in all fairness, it's likely hard to not be reminiscent of something, most stories are. So far, the more I read, the more I am intrigued by this world. And I honestly am not sure where the book is going, I can think of possibilities, but ultimately, I just want to keep reading to find out.

And again, like Lucinda pointed out, now that Vaelin is now older, we are starting to see more of the political aspect, and need to start wondering about characters true motivations. Like the King and his daughter. As well as Erlin.

Also really curious about Caenis. Feel like he is more than he seems.

As of the end of Part II, I've got a sinking feeling that I'm going to be joining my friends in the "I don't get it" camp. Dammit. I hate it when everybody else in the world loves a book and I feel left out in the cold. I mean, it's not that I think Blood Song is horribly written or anything - the story seems fine, young Vaelin's a decent character (he isn't irritating the crap out of me like young Kvothe did in Name of the Wind). But right now I'm only mildly interested in either Vaelin or the story, though who knows, maybe that'll change if I keep going. I guess all the "training to be a warrior" stuff felt very by-the-numbers to me (thought it was way better done in something like Sherwood Smith's Inda).

Maybe I made a mistake in reading this right after Elizabeth Bear's Range of Ghosts, which had a depth and complexity that (in my view) just blows this book out of the water. I keep wanting to set Blood Song aside in favor of reading the sequel to RoG instead. Who knows, maybe if I do that and come back to this one I'll be in a better mood to appreciate it.

It takes off a LOT after the early parts of the schooling.

Honestly, I think it has a lot more depth, specifically character depth, than Range of Ghosts did. Though, I did really enjoy Bear's books.

While I'm not a huge "coming of age fan" there are some notable exceptions: Blood Song and Name of the Wind come to mind. In general I liked the "after schooling" more than the "during schooling" although those parts did a good job getting me engaged with the protagonist.