Graceling

This weekend I finally finished Graceling, a novel by Kristin Cashore. I say "finally" because it became a chore at the end.

That's not to say I disliked it. Parts of the book were enjoyable, and some chapters were real page-turners. The problem was that the book outlasted the plot. Cashore resolves the most compelling of her conflicts about eighty percent through (alas, reading on Kindle forces me to talk in percentages rather than numbers of pages), and the remaining narrative lacks urgency. All that remains is the resolution of a conflicted romantic relationship between two of the main characters and some final character growth. Both of these aspects of the story were colorful, original, and interesting for most of the book but became mostly predictable (if not sappy) at the end, with the exception of one surprising twist. More twist, less sap would have been welcome.

If you don't mind following me backwards: the rest of the book (i.e. the first eighty percent) was great. The story follows a young woman, Katsa, who is a Graceling--one who has been "graced" with some special ability. Graces in the land of the Seven Kingdoms range from bread-baking to killing, the latter of which is Katsa's grace. Katsa grew up an orphan in the royal court of her uncle, King Randa of the Middluns, who uses her as his thug to threaten and punish unruly subjects. But Katsa, with her closest friends, is also member of the Council, a secret organization that works for justice, kindness, and generosity across the Seven Kingdoms, often contrary to the wishes of the seven kings. The story tells of her struggle to find her independence and live a self-determined life.

Katsa is a strong, culturally relevant female protagonist. She's also a genuine bad ass. (Her performance in the opening scene puts her on par with the likes of Batman, Wolverine, and Jason Bourne). Cashore weaves these two elements of the character quite skillfully together. Katsa, despite her indomitable physical prowess and strong conscience, acquiesces to the wishes of her uncle and king. She lacks agency and meaningful human relationships, and the story is as much about her inner struggle to find these things as it is about her physical battle for survival on her journeys through the Seven Kingdoms.

The real strength of Cashore's novel is her premise. Katsa is not the only Graceling in the book; Cashore has a knack for inventing unique, symbolically weighty Graces for some of Katsa's friends and foes, and more often than not, these Graces are more than what they seem. The idea is a really fun one that is well-developed and convincing. Cashore says she does not fancy herself a "world-builder" like Tolkien or Pratchett (I had the fortune to hear her give a reading and a talk to some of our students--a very gracious and engaging speaker), and it sometimes shows in what seems like more of a facade than a convincing fantasy world, but when she devotes her attention to sub-creative elements like Graces, she shines. I hope she reconsiders her artistic self-perception. A little more world-building would have added depth and consistent interest to the novel.

Fire, released this past November, is the next book in the series, and a third is planned. They're on my to-read list.