The House of Shattered Wings

Although Goodreads reviewer Mogsy (MMOGC) gave Aliette de Bodard's The House of Shattered Wings a somewhat higher numerical rating than I did (3.5 stars v. 3), she has captured precisely the flaws which disturbed me while reading this book. The House of Shattered Wings has not one, but two back stories: the war among the houses, which led to the devastated Paris in which the book is set, and the falls from heaven, which are still happening but are apparently precipitated by each individual angel's actions. None of these newly-fallen angels remembers what they did to be cast out, and, unfortunately, the reader is not told either. This sense of constantly missing out is why I insist on reading series books in order, starting with the first, so it was disconcerting to have the same experience in the first book of a new series. (It does appear that de Bodard wrote a prequel which might have fleshed out her worldbuilding, but that book does not seem to be publicly available, instead being limited only to purchasers of The House of Shattered Wings who knew to seek it on her personal website before August 19.) Isabelle, one of the main characters, is one of these newly Fallen, so the missing back story prevented me from connecting with her character. I was intrigued by the basic premise of the book, especially its use of both Western and Eastern mythology, but not sufficiently so to continue with the series. I received a free copy of The House of Shattered Wings through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Only a 4 and not 5 because I both want and don't want to see the next book in this series. I can't decide if I want to to read the next installment, wistfully imagine it myself, or be glad that it's left untold... because so many stories are, but that doesn't diminish them in the slightest, and in some ways only rarifies them further. I admit I am a little disappointed, which is personally heretical, to find this is supposed to be book one of a series. It would be in some ways more wonderful to not have another book, because part of the beauty of the ending is in its lack of ending. The plot has been resolved, but none of the main characters' lives have -- but they're all moving on in their own ways, and that's almost more than enough. (If you've ever read The Awakening by Kate Chopin, you know exactly what I mean.) I want to know what Selene will do now, in service of her House... but I don't need to, because she has found her role at last. I want to know how Madeleine fares in Hawthorn, because she has given so much, and doesn't know it... but I don't need to read that tale, for I know her strength, and that she has it, even if she never recognizes it. I want to hear what Philippe will find, in his quest to honor Isabelle -- and yet I don't need to be told, because what matters is his decision to pursue it, his new dedication to not his own transcendence, but that of another's. (Although inherent in that dream is the dregs of Nightingale, and the prices to be paid for a shadow of immortality. Which is probably one of the main reasons why I'll buy the later books: to see how her story is echoed in those that follow her own, and learn to recognize the Nightingale in all those who live in such a Pari(di)sian nightmare as this.)) Regardless, if you are a fan of fantasy, myth, and large tales wrapped in small ones, you should try this book. Some reviewers have complained about the apparently slow pacing. I disagree, because it isn't slow, but implacable, and refuses to go faster than it ought, because that would diminish the tale... which in some ways is the tale of all empires. Other reviewers have said the characters are too distant -- but part of the point of this tale is distance: distance from the City, from self and the Self, from anyone who might be a threat or a yoke or both. This is an embattled tale, and intimacy is a luxury in such a world. This is a story of forced expatriation, and deserves to be spoken in tones of loneliness. In its way, it is not a tale of events, but of choices and their repercussions. This is a book for you if you're one of those folks like me who, watching the latter Matrix films, felt something fall into place as you listened to the Oracle saying, "But you've already made the choice. Now you have to understand it." And then a rueful sense of pride, amusement, and apologie, when she added, "I thought you'd've figured that out by now." It's not everyone's book.It's not a a perfect book. What book is? But try the sample, and let it linger in your mind before you decide for sure whether to read the rest. As is often said about more material purchases, if you can't stop thinking about it, buy it. I did.

This book is my kinda book, Judeo-Christian mythology in a fantasy novel - I just ate it up. I've read 4 of Ms. de Bodard's novels now. I wish they were more available in the US. At any rate, I am anxious for the release of her sequel to this book.