Where The Ending Annoyed :<(

Emperor of the Eight Islands by Lian Hearn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm a bit ambivalent.

It's a brisk read and entertaining; there are a number of characters to root for; we're in an excellent setting. Lots to like.

But the main character, who has been pushed around and bossed and given nothing to do on his own, who I thought was starting to exercise some autonomy and agency, is suddenly, [SPOILER!] in the last few pages, a mere puppet once more and commits an unpardonable act.

Well, shit.

If I hadn't ordered the next book a couple of hours ago I probably wouldn't now. I really need a story to have a main character I don't hate who does something to affect the outcome of the novel, and right now that ain't happening.

(My hot take: Jar Jar Binks, for example, dropping bombs, stumbling into a win, could not be a true main character, because although he succeeds, he doesn't succeed intentionally. He's comic relief, not a hero. Oliver Twist sort of counts, although he basically does nothing, as he is not [IMO] a main character but rather a complex macguffin; the novel is named after him, but Brownlow is more of a protagonist, because he actually takes action and achieves something where Oliver doesn't. The children in A Wrinkle in Time are also disappointing heroes for the same reason as Oliver--they just get carried around and do almost nothing for themselves, at least until the last few pages. In other words, it's not their story.)

I can roll with underage or marginalized characters who have very restricted agency for a while, especially if they emerge from that at some point by acting on their own, taking a chance, standing up for themselves. That's fun to watch. And to be fair, I imagine that will happen in the sequel. But right now I'm bugged, and if the story hadn't been so brisk and full of action I would have quit it.

Anyway. I hope the sequel moves us along. Shika better get his shit together.



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