Just finished the latest Sharon Shinn novel, Fortune and Fate, the fifth in The Twelve Houses series. I highly recommend this series. You can pick it up at any point, of course, as she works in the necessary back story quite well, but it’s best to start with the first, Mystic and Rider, and pick up the story at the beginning.
I’ve been trying to decide just what it is that I like so much about the series. It has a gripping plot and an interesting world but, as is most often the case, it’s the characters that keep me returning. In fact, as soon as I clear the pile of books sitting by my chair, I think I’ll start all over. (Of course, I’ve got some good ones waiting there, so it may be a while.)
What makes a character so compelling? That’s a question I think every writer would like to be able to answer. It only takes Shinn a few paragraphs to bring her characters to life. And she does the ‘evil’ characters really well. I think it’s harder to create a villian -- one you really, really want to see come to a bad end -- who seems real than it is to create a loveable character. But then, as much as we love the good characters, it’s the bad guys that keep us turning the pages. When will they get what they deserve?
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