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rocky41_7) wrote2025-08-11 06:10 pm
Recent Reading: The Bone Harp
Main character is a dark-haired former bard, renowned for his skills with harping and singing, such that he received a name referencing his "golden" voice, and particularly skilled in "Songs of Power", born during the "time of the Lamps" before the sun and moon existed. He is one of seven sons (including several "copper" redheads) of a famous linguist father and a crafty redheaded mother who, at his father's behest and along with his brothers, swears a bloody oath to retrieve a remarkable possession of his father's which was stolen by an ancient and powerful foe. He, along with a good number of his people--a group of elves known for their craftsmanship and inventiveness, and with a notable love of metal and jewels--but not his mother, who does not take the oath and remains behind in the elf lands (a relatively peaceful place separate and apart from the rest of the world with little strife or hardship)--travel across the sea where they live and war in exile. At the start of the novel, he is the only elf left in these lands and dreams of returning across the sea to the elf lands, where rumor has it formerly deceased elves may find life again after departing the Halls of the dead. Others refuse the call of the Halls and become "houseless" spirits. His hands have been crippled by burns after exposure to a magical fire, and he had spent thousands of years in solitude, unwilling or unable to come among others again after the many terrible acts he committed in service to his oath. Three of his six brothers died in a battle in the forest of the wood elves (a forest of oak and elm), including one who was a smith.
His oldest brother is notably talented swordsman who wanted to die at the end of his life and was the last one left alive with the protag after the other five brothers had died, and they were known for fighting together (the protag and the eldest brother). He had a lover/partner/spouse(?) he left behind because she refused to take the oath or leave the elf lands.There's "Tolkienesque" and then there's "plagiarism" and this felt a lot more like the latter. If I wanted fanfic, I'd go look for fanfic. When I pick up a published book I'm looking for something remotely original, not a regurgitation of another author's work. It's unfortunate, because I actually enjoyed Goddard's writing, but I could not stop seeing this book as Silm (and Silm is, of course, better). I'll still give The Hands of the Emperor a try, because that's hopefully less painfully derivative.
Anyway if you want more Maglor fanfic, my AO3 is 0rocky41_7
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