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I first read these books years and years ago when I was maybe in middle school, and so I was excited to spot the reissued omnibus editions and return to Homana.
I was disappointed to find Alix so incredibly annoying in Shapechangers - I guess when I first read the books she seemed like an exciting heroine, but now she's... just irritating. Why are all the male characters in love with her, exactly? I also noticed this time around that Shapechangers really reads like a first novel. The dialogue is stilted - for example, when anyone says something she doesn't understand or doesn't like, Alix always responds, "What do you say?" which just sounds dumb, and becomes worse with the repetition. "What do you mean" or "what are you talking about" would sound more natural. There are other examples too. Many plot points are also implausible - that a group of people facing extinction and very concerned with bloodlines would consider marrying a woman to her half brother is ridiculous. Roberson says herself in the introduction that she's considered going back and rewriting this book, and I understand why, but I also understand that it has to stand on its own as a representation of who she was at the time and as a first novel. I'm just glad she wrote the others.
Song of Homana lived up to my memories, and like Roberson, I think this book is far better than the first in terms of plotting; the dialogue is better by leaps and bounds than that of the first book too, and we learn a lot more about Cheysuli philosophy and the world outside Homana. The only thing that bugged me is the series of horrible things that happen to every single major character by the end of the book. Awful things, premature aging and death and rape. And I can remember that this goes on in the later books - I was feeling bad for the children born in this book because of what they're going to grow up to suffer later. When I was younger I think I loved the drama of it, the feel of the giant plot arc of the prophecy and fate, but I'm not sure how I feel about it now. You can't love these characters because you'll only get your heart broke. I do plan to pick up the later books in the series, but maybe not for a while.
(Also, can I make a comment about the cover? Anyone who's read the first chapter of the first book can tell that the Cheysuli are a Native American sort of people - even I knew this when I first read the book at 12 or so. They wear leather pants and use bows and arrows and have magical animal spirit guides, and they're specifically described as having dark skin. So why does the dude pictured on the cover have to be so incredibly white? I mean, check this guy out. Racial fail, DAW!)
I was disappointed to find Alix so incredibly annoying in Shapechangers - I guess when I first read the books she seemed like an exciting heroine, but now she's... just irritating. Why are all the male characters in love with her, exactly? I also noticed this time around that Shapechangers really reads like a first novel. The dialogue is stilted - for example, when anyone says something she doesn't understand or doesn't like, Alix always responds, "What do you say?" which just sounds dumb, and becomes worse with the repetition. "What do you mean" or "what are you talking about" would sound more natural. There are other examples too. Many plot points are also implausible - that a group of people facing extinction and very concerned with bloodlines would consider marrying a woman to her half brother is ridiculous. Roberson says herself in the introduction that she's considered going back and rewriting this book, and I understand why, but I also understand that it has to stand on its own as a representation of who she was at the time and as a first novel. I'm just glad she wrote the others.
Song of Homana lived up to my memories, and like Roberson, I think this book is far better than the first in terms of plotting; the dialogue is better by leaps and bounds than that of the first book too, and we learn a lot more about Cheysuli philosophy and the world outside Homana. The only thing that bugged me is the series of horrible things that happen to every single major character by the end of the book. Awful things, premature aging and death and rape. And I can remember that this goes on in the later books - I was feeling bad for the children born in this book because of what they're going to grow up to suffer later. When I was younger I think I loved the drama of it, the feel of the giant plot arc of the prophecy and fate, but I'm not sure how I feel about it now. You can't love these characters because you'll only get your heart broke. I do plan to pick up the later books in the series, but maybe not for a while.
(Also, can I make a comment about the cover? Anyone who's read the first chapter of the first book can tell that the Cheysuli are a Native American sort of people - even I knew this when I first read the book at 12 or so. They wear leather pants and use bows and arrows and have magical animal spirit guides, and they're specifically described as having dark skin. So why does the dude pictured on the cover have to be so incredibly white? I mean, check this guy out. Racial fail, DAW!)
