Reviews

Roi du matin, reine du jour by Ian McDonald, Jean-Pierre Pugi

threadybeeps's review against another edition

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5.0

The most original work of fairy fiction I have read in, well, a long time.

mohsints's review against another edition

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3.0

McDonald is a great writer but sometimes his prose and desire to become lyrical get away from him, and text subsumes plot and story. A fascinating Holdstock-esque retelling of Irish myth combines with speculative fiction in a strange fashion that manages to somehow compel and repel at the same time.

lamusadelils's review against another edition

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4.0

Me gustó como se entrelazan las tres historias, como abordan el mismo tema en diferentes épocas y debo admitir que el final es muy satisfactorio. Es el tipo de fantasía urbana que si me gusta, que es como una ventana a mundos completamente diferentes.

Sólo al principio es lento y tarda en tomar un buen ritmo, pero cuando lo hace es incluso emocionante.

violetshemitz's review against another edition

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dark lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

nwhyte's review against another edition

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http://nhw.livejournal.com/476487.html[return][return]It is good. There was, of course, a famous real observatory in County Sligo, built by the Coopers of Markree Castle in Collooney a few miles south of the fictional Edward Garret Desmond, and I'm sure that he had it in mind. The Coopers had built what was at the time the largest refracting telescope in the world (the largest telescope in the world was the reflecting telescope of the Earls of Rosse at Birr Castle, a hundred miles or so to the south), and discovered an asteroid as well as various other less exciting breakthroughs (it does tend to rain in County Sligo). The fictional observatory is pretty close to the Drumcliffe cemetery where Yeats lies, so I found it pretty easy to buy into the sense of place.[return][return]Indeed, I think this is one of the things I like about his writing, and the writing of many of my favourite authors; the strong sense of place. King of Morning, Queen of Day is set very firmly in three distinct times and places: Sligo (mainly, with a bit of Dublin) in 1913-14; then Dublin (with a little bit of Slieve Gullion and nearby places) in the 1930s; then Dublin again in 1989. All three settings are richly imagined and in fact re-imagined, with an interleaven of creatures breaking through from the Otherworld. The other thing that springs out is that all three central characters are women, indeed three out of four generations; Emily is Jessica's mother, and Jessica is Enye's grandmother. McDonald uses female main characters a lot, and IMHO generally does it pretty well.[return][return]The three sections are somewhat different in presentation. The first bit combines diary entries, letters and newspaper cuttings a la Dracula, with the best bits being Emily's engagement with the Otherworld (mapping her father's engagement with the aliens from another planet he imagines to be approaching Sligo). The second section leans (a little self-consciously in places) on Ulysses and Waiting for Godot. The third section seemed to me to be pretty straight narrative, though no doubt there are nuances I missed. I loved the character whose real name was Anne-Marie, but her Ulster accent meant everyone called her Omry. Anyway, I liked it.[return][return]One final point of trivia. The middle section has a disparaging reference to Errol Flynn. At the time the Professor of Zoology at the Queen's University of Belfast was his father, Theodore T Flynn. Not a lot of people know that.

ianbanks's review against another edition

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5.0

I remember finding this a moderately difficult read when I first encountered it back in 1991. It was literary and mixed fiction with actual, real historical figures and events. It used a mix of styles and formats and dealt with ideas and themes that were unfamiliar to me. It also used some big words.

I bloody loved it, though. It references Stoker, Yeats, Beckett, Joyce, Rushdie and others in ways that don't ruin the story if you don't know who they are but add depth and resonance to it if you have. It's a cracking yarn that takes several generations to resolve issues and conflicts and presents a family and characters that aren't perfect but are real characters that you might already know.

It's the story of a psychic gift that travels through generations, seeking ways to become more real. As if tries to manifest itself in our world it takes casualties and can only be stopped by what seems like simple actions but which take time and effort to resolve themselves. Just like in real life. It crosses between worlds and settings easily, creating a mood in less words than it takes to write them and characters that you recognise in just a few words or actions.

It's a near perfect fantasy novel that you could present to the snobs that you know and say, "This is what I love about fantastic literature." Because it is.

archergal's review against another edition

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4.0

I quite liked this book. It made me think a bit of Robert Holdstock's Mythago Wood. The writing is interesting and lyrical. Good female characters. Some scenes made me think "If you could read a Breugel painting, it would read like this."

Good stuff. I've always kinda thought we might be creating the world (a world) out of our own imaginations.

leighryks's review against another edition

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4.0

King of Morning, Queen of Day by Ian McDonald (date?)

kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition

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4.0

This book is a three part story, focusing on three women and thier relationship to fairies. The women are, of course, related. Each section deals with a different woman and how she responses to her connection to the magical world.

riduidel's review

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2.0

Dans ce curieux roman, trois histoires de femmes sont racontées, chacune d'elle engendrant plus ou moins la suivante.

Il y a d'abord Emily Desmond, à l'aube du XXème siècle, qui découvre l'existence de fées autour d'elle et tente d'entrer en contact avec ces fées, au grand dam de son père, astronome de renom entraîné dans une aventure assez scabreuse mettant en scène des extra-terrestres possibles voyageant sur une comète.

Il y a ensuite sa fille Jessica qui, après différentes péripéthies, découvre elle aussi qu'elle est en contact avec le monde de l'imaginaire et tente d'appaiser la tension existant entre ces deux univers.

Et il ya enfin la petite-fille de Jessica, Enye, qui va à son tour ... oui, entrer en contact avec ce monde.

Cahcun de ces récits est très différent. Si le premier lorgne clairement du côté de l'angleterre victorienne et du cultre du progrès du début du XXème, le second nous place dans une dimension bien plus politique, avec les tentatives d'émancipation irlandaises et le dernier quant à lui nous envoie dans le monde merveilleux des années 80 et de la pub reine. Et évidement, ces récits différents, mettant en scène des personnages différents avec des enjeux différents ont eu sur moi un effet différent.

J'ai ainsi trouvé le premier trop mièvre (normal vu l'époque), le second très bien à la fois dans ses enjeux et dans sa résolution - les personnages y sont aussi bien campés - et le dernier effroyablement confus : on ne comprend jamais dans quel moment du récit le paragraphe qu'on lit se situe, ni ce que viennent faire des combats au katana dans l'irlande des années 80 (un hommage caché à Highlander, peut-être ?), enfin bref, il est totallement loupé.

Tellement loupé même, que ma lecture en a été gâchée. A la fin du récit de Jessica, j'étais prêt à offrir une place au panthéon de mes lectures à cette oeuvre, se plaçant pourtant dans une vision du fantastique anglo-saxon à laquelle j'ai généralement bien du mal à adhérer (prenez [b:la forêt des mythagos|3649961|La Forêt des Mythagos, l'intégrale 2/2|Robert Holdstock|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|3692869], par exemple, c'est le même environement, et je n'ai pas du tout adhéré). Eh bien suite à cette dernière partie, qui me perd à la fois dans sa chronologie et dans ses concepts, je n'en peux plus de ce bouquin dont la lecture de la dernière partie m'a paru durer mille ans.

Quant à l'intérêt d'ajouter à cette dernière salade un sordide Lourd Secret Familial, je n'y vois rien d'autre que la main d'un éditeur manifestement abruti (enfin j'espère).