Homeland

A good, unusual and thought provoking take on Fantasy.Friends have been suggesting that I read this since the early 90s. I never really fancied what looked like a rather bland version of Tolkien but....from the land of the bad guys! (shock!). It just seemed a bit contrived.All these years later this series is still going and has a firm fan-base, so I thought I'd give it a try by reading book 1. What I found was far more interesting than I was expecting. While the central character is sympathetic and three dimensional, and there is a broad plot arc - it's the setting that is the real star and page-turner for me.The thing is that the book is set in a city that is intentionally chaotic and evil - but how can such a place function? The idea seems preposterous - such a place would tear itself apart. Yet this is exactly the question that the author addresses with the fine balance of fear, indoctrination, focused hate, tradition and channeled conflict that we are told the Drow call “Readiness”.It's actually a terrifyingly believable version of society charted out in a way that is more usual in Science Fiction, such as Huxley or Orwell. The result is a well thought out and fascinating tale that reminds me of a much more fleshed out version of the [b:Helliconia Spring 672244 Helliconia Spring (Helliconia, #1) Brian W. Aldiss https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387750658s/672244.jpg 1559837] Prologue.Knowing that this is just the opening makes watching the slow development of the main character very enjoyable.Oh, and there are some excellent action scenes too, it's not all sociology – it's got panthers and monsters and stuff as well – and that's great - but what it turns out it's really not is just bland version of Tolkien.