Just look at that goofy son of a bitch!
But you know what? That's fine. Silverberg no doubt set out to make a light adventure novel, and he succeeded. Because the world needs light frilly fantasy. Hell, I need a frilly fantasy, from time to time. This past month is one of those times. Those of you who have been following the blog may have noticed I've been reading weird slog after weird slog. Lets just say I needed to read a book that actually had a concrete plot and relatable characters.
Lord Valentine's Castle follows the adventures of the amnesiac wanderer, Valentine. It quickly becomes apparent that there is more to Valentine than there seems; and to the credit of the author there is no attempt to make the 'twist' of the first part of the book seem shocking. No, in Lord Valentine's Castle the emphasis is always on the journey. The plot is almost shockingly straight forward. The details and thoughtfulness is instead lavished on the setting. Descriptions of mighty cities, of strange forests, and bizarre creatures fill the book. The mechanics of the world of Majipoor are gently explored in interesting exposition asides. Majipoor is a paradise world full of wonders big and small (mostly big though).
This is unrelated to Lord Valentine's Castle.
The downside to this world building is twofold. First, the plot could have used a little bit more spice. Valentine decides on a straight forward plan of action and it goes off without a single hitch, exactly as it was expected to. Second, the characters are on the anemic side, dwarfed by the size of the world and their monumental task. Which was frustrating, since each character introduced has some fascinating hook to their person that hints at greater plot/character potential.
Lord Valentine's Castle is a smooth, compulsive read. For a book so full of exposition it only rarely drags. But it is also a big book and by the end the hollowness of Valentine's Castle began to gnaw at me. There is no great ethical dilemmas, no heated character moments, none of the tension of greater literature. No humor, no cleverness, no message. But Lord Valentine's Castle does have inspiring imagination and the promise of endless new adventure around every corner. Which makes for a pretty good time!
Lord Valentine's Castle receives 39 of the 50 cities of Castle Mount.
