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Rodrigo of Caledon #1
Der Spiegel von Caledon
Nach dem Tod von Königin Elana ist die Position des minderjährigen Rodrigo als rechtmäßiger König plötzlich durch die Ambitionen seines Onkels bedroht. Trotz seiner charakterlichen Fehler und seiner offensichtlichen Unerfahrenheit zu regieren, hat er treue Freunde und Verbündete. Diese helfen ihm zuerst, vor seinem Onkel zu fliehen und allmählich die wichtigste Schlacht im Krieg um Caledon zu kämpfen und zu gewinnen: der Kampf, sich selber zu beherrschen. Erst dann kann er antreten, sein Königreich zurückzufordern.
Dies ist kein entschärftes Märchenland und es ist auch keine angenehme Geschichte. David Feintuch schreckt auch nicht vor der Gewalt und der Brutalität der mittelalterlichen Umgebung zurück. Die Darstellung von Rodrigos Anstrengungen, Selbstvertrauen und Anerkennung zu gewinnen, sind eindrucksvoll und spannend beschrieben.
Stoff für eine Fortsetzung gibt es, doch keinen wirklichen Bedarf. Die Geschichte des Erwachsenwerdens ist das Herzstück dieses Buches und es schlägt sehr intensiv.
Unknown Binding
First published July 1, 1997
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588 people want to read
About the author
David Feintuch
19 books122 followersDavid Feintuch (1944–2006) was the author of the award-winning military science fiction Seafort Saga series, which spans Midshipman’s Hope, Challenger’s Hope, Prisoner’s Hope, Fisherman’s Hope, Voices of Hope, Patriarch’s Hope, and Children of Hope. Feintuch came to writing late, previously having worked as a lawyer and antiques dealer. In 1996, at the age of fifty, he won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer from the World Science Fiction Society. He later expanded into the fantasy genre with his Rodrigo of Caledon series, including The Still and The King.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
September 16, 2011
I don't usually do reviews for past reads, but I feel like I should explain the 3 stars on this one. The book is excellently written and the characters are fully realized. But remembering the book makes me uneasy and disturbed. I think mostly because the main character is so unlikable, but somehow people continue to help him. I even want to say despicable, though not necessarily evil. He is weak in ways that endanger everyone around him, and he blames it on them. That there are those who continue to be loyal to him to the extent that they do is astounding to the point of being unrealistic - I must admit I would have killed him in his sleep and still wouldn't mind doing so. But the book grapples with this and really does a disarmingly good job of it, and of convincing even me that the characters are acting naturally. Amazing book, but I would not read it again and I don't think I would recommend it to anyone I know.
December 21, 2011
: disclaimer...this is not the kind of book I normally gravitate towards, and indeed it actually became a bit shopworn languishing on the bottom of my bedside pile, but as part of my resolte attempt to go beyond my habitual interests, this author came to my attention...
comparisons... this is a hero-in search- of himself quest that is broken up into 4 parts, although the whole story is a continuous,first person narrative. Our hero is Rodrigo, and while he could be compared to Don Quixote without his social consciousness, he is more Quixote rolled up with Sancho Panza into one haughty,obnoxious, anxiety ridden bundle of determination. There is also a strong comparison with AA Attanasio's Radix, in which the main character is so irritating as to encourage one to abandon him to his fate without bothering to carry on as witness. But then you are glad you stuck it out.
the story... When the Queen Elena dies without divulging all of her secrets,Prince Rodrigo is too young to assume her authority. Finding himself confined by his uncles regency and suspicious of his intentions, he sets about aquiring a retinue and eventually,his crown. Along the way to securing alliances, he has to face his inadaquacies and endure complete abasement and a dark night of the soul before he can find in himself the qualities of compassion, humility, courage and wisdom that he needs to be fit to rule.
the writing... intimate,easy,unpretentious, moving right along
with plenty of surprises,quite the pageturner
the subtext... the obvious subplot here is the magical element. It takes an even longer, more protracted process for Roddy to discover that the power is in the wielder, not the apparatus.
The more confusing subtext is the homo-eroticism that takes almost half the book to announce itself, only to fade into insignifigance as all events fall into perspective at the end. Themes explored here are fairly limited, mostly shame and necessity and their relation to love and fear and the development of trust and respect.
the confusion...There are 3 conditions that must be fulfilled before Roddy can assume his inheritance of Power. He must be crowned King, he must be a Virgin, and he must be True. okay with that. The confusion for me may be my inability to grasp the mindset that would dismiss the significance of homosexual experience, to the extent that Roddy is considered a virgin still, in that he has never had sex with a woman.
my reaction...okay, so I finally subdued my impatience with our prince, and began to applaud him for his honesty, audacity, tenacity and resilience. As a bit of a social klutz, I had a thing or two to learn as well.I would have liked this book even more if not for its trivialzation of homo-erotic experience and the occassional ludicrous assumptions that allow our hero to retain, in the end, his notions of hierarchy, modified as they are. I got the feeling there needs to be a sequel, and the promise of change will need some strong boosts to come into being.
comparisons... this is a hero-in search- of himself quest that is broken up into 4 parts, although the whole story is a continuous,first person narrative. Our hero is Rodrigo, and while he could be compared to Don Quixote without his social consciousness, he is more Quixote rolled up with Sancho Panza into one haughty,obnoxious, anxiety ridden bundle of determination. There is also a strong comparison with AA Attanasio's Radix, in which the main character is so irritating as to encourage one to abandon him to his fate without bothering to carry on as witness. But then you are glad you stuck it out.
the story... When the Queen Elena dies without divulging all of her secrets,Prince Rodrigo is too young to assume her authority. Finding himself confined by his uncles regency and suspicious of his intentions, he sets about aquiring a retinue and eventually,his crown. Along the way to securing alliances, he has to face his inadaquacies and endure complete abasement and a dark night of the soul before he can find in himself the qualities of compassion, humility, courage and wisdom that he needs to be fit to rule.
the writing... intimate,easy,unpretentious, moving right along
with plenty of surprises,quite the pageturner
the subtext... the obvious subplot here is the magical element. It takes an even longer, more protracted process for Roddy to discover that the power is in the wielder, not the apparatus.
The more confusing subtext is the homo-eroticism that takes almost half the book to announce itself, only to fade into insignifigance as all events fall into perspective at the end. Themes explored here are fairly limited, mostly shame and necessity and their relation to love and fear and the development of trust and respect.
the confusion...There are 3 conditions that must be fulfilled before Roddy can assume his inheritance of Power. He must be crowned King, he must be a Virgin, and he must be True. okay with that. The confusion for me may be my inability to grasp the mindset that would dismiss the significance of homosexual experience, to the extent that Roddy is considered a virgin still, in that he has never had sex with a woman.
my reaction...okay, so I finally subdued my impatience with our prince, and began to applaud him for his honesty, audacity, tenacity and resilience. As a bit of a social klutz, I had a thing or two to learn as well.I would have liked this book even more if not for its trivialzation of homo-erotic experience and the occassional ludicrous assumptions that allow our hero to retain, in the end, his notions of hierarchy, modified as they are. I got the feeling there needs to be a sequel, and the promise of change will need some strong boosts to come into being.
January 5, 2013
If you like reading about shitty people trying to be good, you will love this book. Yes, as the other reviews say, the main character, Roddy, is a selfish, insolent, and generally contemptible person. He proves this repeatedly throughout the first half of the book. If you can stop comparing him to that douchebag you dated or the conniving witch you worked with, you’ll see that unlike most terrible people you know, Roddy reaches rock bottom and actually starts to change. Because he is human, he fails quite a bit more along the way. It’s painful to witness, but the author leaves you sprinkles of hope to nibble between redeeming actions. If you enjoy characters with interesting mixes of vice and virtue (like in G.R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series), this has plenty of them.
Roddy does have a lot to deal with at once: he basically grew up without a father, his mother, the Queen, has just died, his power-hungry uncle assumes the regency and leaves him out of everything, he’s locked in the castle, and he’s a teenage boy with raging hormones he can’t do anything about because he has to remain a virgin to someday wield the mysterious power that will help rule the kingdom. None of that is excuse for him to be the ass that he is. Actually, you almost cheer when something bad happens to him early in the book. It's fun, really.
Yes, there’s quite a bit of homo-eroticism. The definition of “virgin” used here excludes same-sex relations, which is never really explained. Maybe it’s to prevent the monarch wielding the power from creating too many heirs--I don’t know. Roddy finds release from his demanding desires in his friend since childhood, Rust. It’s never graphic, and it’s actually tightly integrated with the plot, as Rust is obviously motivated by this new facet of their friendship. Watching them hurt each other in their evolving relationship is probably the most difficult part you’ll encounter in this part of the story. They’re teenagers, the most terrible people on the planet, so they’re pretty awful to each other at times. It’s so relatable though, and seeing how they learn from their mistakes makes it worthwhile.
It’s obvious after a few chapters that there is going to be a dramatic character arc. Roddy is an absolute beast, so I doubted whether the author would be able to believably elevate him.
This was a surprisingly refreshing fantasy read, recommended by a friend who knows I get bored with the typical conquest/hero's journey carbon copies. The unique coming-of-age elements in The Still made this much more original and enjoyable.
Roddy does have a lot to deal with at once: he basically grew up without a father, his mother, the Queen, has just died, his power-hungry uncle assumes the regency and leaves him out of everything, he’s locked in the castle, and he’s a teenage boy with raging hormones he can’t do anything about because he has to remain a virgin to someday wield the mysterious power that will help rule the kingdom. None of that is excuse for him to be the ass that he is. Actually, you almost cheer when something bad happens to him early in the book. It's fun, really.
Yes, there’s quite a bit of homo-eroticism. The definition of “virgin” used here excludes same-sex relations, which is never really explained. Maybe it’s to prevent the monarch wielding the power from creating too many heirs--I don’t know. Roddy finds release from his demanding desires in his friend since childhood, Rust. It’s never graphic, and it’s actually tightly integrated with the plot, as Rust is obviously motivated by this new facet of their friendship. Watching them hurt each other in their evolving relationship is probably the most difficult part you’ll encounter in this part of the story. They’re teenagers, the most terrible people on the planet, so they’re pretty awful to each other at times. It’s so relatable though, and seeing how they learn from their mistakes makes it worthwhile.
It’s obvious after a few chapters that there is going to be a dramatic character arc. Roddy is an absolute beast, so I doubted whether the author would be able to believably elevate him.
This was a surprisingly refreshing fantasy read, recommended by a friend who knows I get bored with the typical conquest/hero's journey carbon copies. The unique coming-of-age elements in The Still made this much more original and enjoyable.
January 29, 2015
I managed to make it through 442 pages before I got totally bored. It is about a teenaged prince, Rodrigo, who is trying to get support from the “privy council” of his kingdom to overcome his uncle, who usurped the throne after the death of Rodrigo’s mother (her husband had died years before). Virtually the entire story is Rodrigo wandering around from castle to castle to try to get the council votes, with very little action. There are many references to the magic that Rodrigo would wield after he is crowned, but even that was only a rumor up to where I stopped reading. Most of the book is about interactions with his loyal entourage – his best friend, younger brother and an old soldier – who support him in spite of himself. Those interactions become extremely repetitious. And that is really the crux of the novel, because this is much more a “coming of age” story than anything else.
Rodrigo is a spoiled, selfish, tempestuous bully whose worst fault is that he’s really stupid. If it were written from the POV of Rustin, his older friend who is trying to mentor him into becoming a better person, or even Elryc, his 11-year old brother who is far wiser, Rodrigo’s tantrums and stupidity would have been more bearable to me. But it is told in first-person by Rodrigo, who keeps trying to justify his horrendous behavior because he is the should-be king, and he does not get the epiphany that he is an ass and a boor until halfway through the book. By then, I was tired of being in the mind of such a despicable character. Even then, he changes very slowly, which matches the pace of the rest of the story.
I kept reading because I liked the premise and hoped the pace would pick up, but it did not. The writing is okay, but nothing to keep you glued to the pages. My recommendation: give it a miss.
Rodrigo is a spoiled, selfish, tempestuous bully whose worst fault is that he’s really stupid. If it were written from the POV of Rustin, his older friend who is trying to mentor him into becoming a better person, or even Elryc, his 11-year old brother who is far wiser, Rodrigo’s tantrums and stupidity would have been more bearable to me. But it is told in first-person by Rodrigo, who keeps trying to justify his horrendous behavior because he is the should-be king, and he does not get the epiphany that he is an ass and a boor until halfway through the book. By then, I was tired of being in the mind of such a despicable character. Even then, he changes very slowly, which matches the pace of the rest of the story.
I kept reading because I liked the premise and hoped the pace would pick up, but it did not. The writing is okay, but nothing to keep you glued to the pages. My recommendation: give it a miss.
March 31, 2013
The storyline grabs you from the start, but I found that I had trouble reading it because I was so annoyed with the main character Prince Rodrigo. Once he started to open himself up I found that I could not put the book down. Although some of the subplots were a bit hard to follow, the book as a whole was amazing. I cannot wait to start in on The King to see how it all plays out.
February 15, 2016
With this book, Feintuch definitely wrote a story that followed a different path than other fantasy writers. He took a risk creating a character whose personality was so abhorrent and at times off putting and making him the protagonist of the story. But it was a risk well taken. I think people, myself included, find the actions and thoughts of Rodrigo so unsettling because they make them uncomfortable. It reminds people of their own shortcomings and of things they've done that if viewed by others would be just as bad as the acts committed by Rodrigo. Feintuch did an excellent job showing how a person can redeem themselves if they are willing to accept their deeds and make an effort into changing. It was definitely refreshing seeing a main character not be presented as a good and righteous person, who only stumbles here and there.
December 19, 2010
So I generally don't stop reading books once I start them. Even if they aren't good I'll just push through. Not this one. This was awful. Granted, it may be because I started up law school again and only have a few minutes every day to read but I just could NOT waste those minutes with this crap. This is a truly, bad book. The characters are inconsistent, all horrible people and generally if the next page I read had killed them off I would've been fine. Except I couldn't even bring myself to get to that next page. It's so bad I don't think I can give to Goodwill, lest someone actually pick it up and think it will bring them any entertainment.
Do not waste your precious book reading time.
Do not waste your precious book reading time.
March 11, 2008
1st person fantasy with the POV a teenage boy makes for a good story but I'm not sure I like seeing the world from that view all the time. Robin Hobb and Patrick Rothfuss have done it as well and the POVs are very similar to Roddy in this book. They tend to be very volatile and not a little idiotic in their decisions. Sometimes I have a hard time empathizing with them because there's the sense they brought it on themselves. That's the main problem I have with this book.
January 4, 2014
I keep trying to finish this book and have not succeeded yet. I hate not finishing books but my god the main character (Roddy/Rodrigo) is so spoiled and selfish, oblivious to everything and yet so many supporting characters seem convinced he'll make a great king. I just can't get past my loathing of Roddy. Maybe I'll eventually finish but there are just so many great books to read, I'm not keen on forcing myself with this book.
May 10, 2014
The medieval fantasy world can get pretty tedious, pretty quickly, and that's a view from someone who adores visiting it. This book is very different, a believable spoiled prince whose failings are human and whose predicament is one usually reserved for princesses. (His vaguely magical gift is only his while he remains a virgin.) Out-played for the throne, he must find himself and find his way. The book points to a sequel, but frustratingly, there still isn't one.
November 28, 2017
This was a boring and frankly pretty terrible read. The protagonist is downright abhorrent and the people around him can be even more irritating at times. The whole premise of the Still is flawed from the start and the rules governing its use feel incredibly arbitrary and poorly explained. The action is pretty weak too and way too much of the novel is spent just traveling from one castle to another.
May 27, 2010
I finally gave up after about 130 pages and just read the last couple of pages. I got really tired of watching a really spoiled rich boy try to take back his crown. The basic story idea was good but it just didn't click with me. I decided there were too many books that I want to read to waste time with a book that I really wasn't enjoying.
February 22, 2020
Quite boring. The main character was too stupid and immature that I was tempted to drop the book which is rare with me. The relationship in the book also made me gag. For a prince, the main character was unprincely. I only finished it cos I don't like leaving a book halfway, and I give it two stars cos I have read worse books.
February 29, 2012
At first you despise the main character as the sniveling worm he is, but something keeps you reading. Not sure what it is but damn if I didn't appreciate this book. It was a great yarn.
September 2, 2025
There have been quite a few enfant terribles in literature. Dudley Dursley, Lulu, Edmund Pevensie, Eustace Scrubb, Pinocchio and the amoral Peter Pan are classic examples. They are selfish, violent, cruel, thoughtless, dismissive and disdainful of other people’s feelings, well being or circumstances.
But they’ve got a way to go to match Prince Rodrigo. At first, it’s hard to think of him as a hero of this story. For more than half of the narrative, he displays fits of childish rage, lashing out at anybody who chastises or attempts to restrain him. He is vitriolic, moody, dismissive towards those he considers of lesser rank, becomes physically violent after mere criticism, foolishly prideful to his own detriment and tries to rape a young girl after she taunts him for his virginity.
Yet Rodrigo is painfully aware that he’s lacking in the grace, patience and persuasion required to be a man. He is, after all, only 15 years old when his mother the Queen dies. He feels shame when he lets his temper get the better of him but doesn’t know how to govern himself.
Around this ill-behaved boy-who-would-be-king, Mr. Feintuch has assembled a truly memorable cast of characters. They instruct or hinder Rodrigo’s path towards manhood and rulership. The entire book is an epic struggle of various tyrants and upstarts and their attempts to seize the vacant throne. It’s a heady blend of intrigue, politics, warfare, skullduggery and the grace necessary to rule others.
Roddy (as his intimates call him) must first learn to rule himself before he can mount a throne and there are none more eager for him to succeed than his friend-turned-confidant Rustin Llewellyn. Rustin himself is a complicated character and one considerably more patient than Roddy. It’s always a pleasure to read them together on the page. Whenever they converse, the headstrong Roddy is confounded by Rustin’s calm, sober mien and logical way of speaking that always leaves Roddy at a loss and giving in on a point wherein he thought he’d made a solid argument.
There is an element of fantasy in this novel, but it’s nebulous, at least until the last few chapters. Certain parts of the land have a wild magic that can turn malevolent towards unwary travelers. We don’t have talking animals, elves or sprites in these pages. Roddy frequently calls on demons and imps as curse words and fears witches. But we don’t see any evidence of such beings. There is vague talk of Powers that each realm possesses...yet there are no real signs of those either.
Roddy’s claim to the throne is to be cemented by getting hold of Vessels. But what Vessels? We see no signs of them in the narrative, only Roddy’s insistence that they must exist and his kingship isn’t solid without them. Stolen and hidden away by a false regent, Roddy must get hold of them. However, this reader had begun to suspect that these objects were nothing more than a type of MacGuffin—highly sought after but ultimately of no real value and unnecessary to the plotline.
As in many a bildungsroman, you suspect that it’s not the seeming prizes that Rodrigo craves which are important but his own growth from petulant child to capable adult. He endures a great deal, suffers much and loses people dear to him. Yet he emerges bloody but unbowed, changed for the better by his horrific trials.
This is a novel that works on the large scale and in the small details. I was swept along with Rodrigo on his travels and am not ready to let go of him yet. Here’s hoping I can lay hands on the sequel before the power of this one has left me.
But they’ve got a way to go to match Prince Rodrigo. At first, it’s hard to think of him as a hero of this story. For more than half of the narrative, he displays fits of childish rage, lashing out at anybody who chastises or attempts to restrain him. He is vitriolic, moody, dismissive towards those he considers of lesser rank, becomes physically violent after mere criticism, foolishly prideful to his own detriment and tries to rape a young girl after she taunts him for his virginity.
Yet Rodrigo is painfully aware that he’s lacking in the grace, patience and persuasion required to be a man. He is, after all, only 15 years old when his mother the Queen dies. He feels shame when he lets his temper get the better of him but doesn’t know how to govern himself.
Around this ill-behaved boy-who-would-be-king, Mr. Feintuch has assembled a truly memorable cast of characters. They instruct or hinder Rodrigo’s path towards manhood and rulership. The entire book is an epic struggle of various tyrants and upstarts and their attempts to seize the vacant throne. It’s a heady blend of intrigue, politics, warfare, skullduggery and the grace necessary to rule others.
Roddy (as his intimates call him) must first learn to rule himself before he can mount a throne and there are none more eager for him to succeed than his friend-turned-confidant Rustin Llewellyn. Rustin himself is a complicated character and one considerably more patient than Roddy. It’s always a pleasure to read them together on the page. Whenever they converse, the headstrong Roddy is confounded by Rustin’s calm, sober mien and logical way of speaking that always leaves Roddy at a loss and giving in on a point wherein he thought he’d made a solid argument.
There is an element of fantasy in this novel, but it’s nebulous, at least until the last few chapters. Certain parts of the land have a wild magic that can turn malevolent towards unwary travelers. We don’t have talking animals, elves or sprites in these pages. Roddy frequently calls on demons and imps as curse words and fears witches. But we don’t see any evidence of such beings. There is vague talk of Powers that each realm possesses...yet there are no real signs of those either.
Roddy’s claim to the throne is to be cemented by getting hold of Vessels. But what Vessels? We see no signs of them in the narrative, only Roddy’s insistence that they must exist and his kingship isn’t solid without them. Stolen and hidden away by a false regent, Roddy must get hold of them. However, this reader had begun to suspect that these objects were nothing more than a type of MacGuffin—highly sought after but ultimately of no real value and unnecessary to the plotline.
As in many a bildungsroman, you suspect that it’s not the seeming prizes that Rodrigo craves which are important but his own growth from petulant child to capable adult. He endures a great deal, suffers much and loses people dear to him. Yet he emerges bloody but unbowed, changed for the better by his horrific trials.
This is a novel that works on the large scale and in the small details. I was swept along with Rodrigo on his travels and am not ready to let go of him yet. Here’s hoping I can lay hands on the sequel before the power of this one has left me.
June 28, 2018
This is the best coming-of-age story I've ever read, framed in the narrative of epic fantasy. The fantasy setting? Average stuff. The plot is also predictable - the upstart prince is banished from his lands and must regain them.
But the characters burned themselves in my memory three years ago, when I first read this, and have never left since. The character growth of the main character, Roddy, is perfect because of how slow, and painful it is. You will want to yell at him so many times as he messes up in all of the stupid ways that our teenage selves have. In fact, for most of the book the supporting cast: Rust, his best friend since childhood, Hester, his childhood nurse, and his brother; are far more likeable than he is. You will support them over Roddy in the stupid confrontations he gets himself into, and cringe as he insults and disdains them.
But Roddy's character growth is so important because it's insanely painful for us, as a reader, to see him lose his pride and dignity again and again. Even though we may dislike him, we can't help but see him fall down so many times and then slowly, get back up again (with his friends' help). It was a story that was so true to my experience as a teenager that I was completely hooked as I started to see his character mature.
The ending is extremely predictable, at least from a narrative standpoint. Again, although the characters and settings are incredibly well-written, the plot is linear and rail-roaded. But the ending few chapters provide worthwhile payoff for those who were as invested in Roddy's personal growth as I was. Reading the book made me want to internalise some of the lessons - of empathy, of modesty, of being open-minded and thinking rationally - that he learned on his way, because the path he took to learn the lessons was so painful and familiar for me, the reader.
Highly recommended for anyone who doesn't mind disliking the protagonist.
But the characters burned themselves in my memory three years ago, when I first read this, and have never left since. The character growth of the main character, Roddy, is perfect because of how slow, and painful it is. You will want to yell at him so many times as he messes up in all of the stupid ways that our teenage selves have. In fact, for most of the book the supporting cast: Rust, his best friend since childhood, Hester, his childhood nurse, and his brother; are far more likeable than he is. You will support them over Roddy in the stupid confrontations he gets himself into, and cringe as he insults and disdains them.
But Roddy's character growth is so important because it's insanely painful for us, as a reader, to see him lose his pride and dignity again and again. Even though we may dislike him, we can't help but see him fall down so many times and then slowly, get back up again (with his friends' help). It was a story that was so true to my experience as a teenager that I was completely hooked as I started to see his character mature.
The ending is extremely predictable, at least from a narrative standpoint. Again, although the characters and settings are incredibly well-written, the plot is linear and rail-roaded. But the ending few chapters provide worthwhile payoff for those who were as invested in Roddy's personal growth as I was. Reading the book made me want to internalise some of the lessons - of empathy, of modesty, of being open-minded and thinking rationally - that he learned on his way, because the path he took to learn the lessons was so painful and familiar for me, the reader.
Highly recommended for anyone who doesn't mind disliking the protagonist.
July 15, 2023
I knew very little about this book going in so I didn’t have any expectations for the tone or genre of fantasy I was getting. overall I found it to be an above average fantasy coming of age, and while im surprised I hadnt heard of it until now, I suspect its because of the main character
the plot and character are deeply entwined in this book. it has a very slow start because our main character, the prince rodrigo or roddy, is a fifteen year old brat. this hinders the book at the beginning if you cant get past a sort of despicable viewpoint character. but if you can enjoy roddy at his worst knowing he'll pay for it and grow as a person, then the political scheming and battles of the second half feel all the richer. feintuch doesn’t do this character growth halfway like I feared at the beginning. roddy doesn’t immediately have one bad thing happen to him and learn his lesson, he makes the same mistakes over and over and continues paying for them and slowly learns to hold his temper and think before he acts. one negative I will say is that the politics and who's who was difficult to grasp in the beginning because roddy doesn’t really care, so the reader has a lack of information. ive seen other authors better pull off stupid characters while not leaving the reader in the dark, but it wasn’t terrible here since if you push on you'll learn along with roddy.
the rest of the cast are not poorly written but not the most complex, which is less of a complaint and more an acknowledgment of the limits of first person narration in a fantasy story with a large cast.
very excited to see how the second book goes since I think the impressiveness of this one was the character growth in roddy. it was honestly refreshing to read something like this
the plot and character are deeply entwined in this book. it has a very slow start because our main character, the prince rodrigo or roddy, is a fifteen year old brat. this hinders the book at the beginning if you cant get past a sort of despicable viewpoint character. but if you can enjoy roddy at his worst knowing he'll pay for it and grow as a person, then the political scheming and battles of the second half feel all the richer. feintuch doesn’t do this character growth halfway like I feared at the beginning. roddy doesn’t immediately have one bad thing happen to him and learn his lesson, he makes the same mistakes over and over and continues paying for them and slowly learns to hold his temper and think before he acts. one negative I will say is that the politics and who's who was difficult to grasp in the beginning because roddy doesn’t really care, so the reader has a lack of information. ive seen other authors better pull off stupid characters while not leaving the reader in the dark, but it wasn’t terrible here since if you push on you'll learn along with roddy.
the rest of the cast are not poorly written but not the most complex, which is less of a complaint and more an acknowledgment of the limits of first person narration in a fantasy story with a large cast.
very excited to see how the second book goes since I think the impressiveness of this one was the character growth in roddy. it was honestly refreshing to read something like this
July 3, 2024
I read The Still many, many years ago and it's still on my bookshelf alongside it's sequel, The King. I often return to the latter to re-read certain parts (I never re-read an entire book) that are heart-breaking and inspiring.
Back to The Still, though...
Many of the reviews on here mention the struggle of reading it due to the protagonist, Rodrigo, and his petulant, rageful personality with naught hardly a whiff of virtue. I can't say that I didn't dislike him as well when reading it. However, by the end of The Still you should find yourself ready to see how Rodrigo's story continues in book 2, The King. And, by reading The King, I think you'll be rewarded by the end (and throughout).
Reading The Still and not continuing to The King is like reading The Fellowship of the Ring and disliking it because you think that's the end of the story. Or watching Star Wars: A New Hope and thinking "That was a great movie but I don't see much point in watching The Empire Strikes Back."
You can make those choices but you'll be robbing yourself of something great.
Back to The Still, though...
Many of the reviews on here mention the struggle of reading it due to the protagonist, Rodrigo, and his petulant, rageful personality with naught hardly a whiff of virtue. I can't say that I didn't dislike him as well when reading it. However, by the end of The Still you should find yourself ready to see how Rodrigo's story continues in book 2, The King. And, by reading The King, I think you'll be rewarded by the end (and throughout).
Reading The Still and not continuing to The King is like reading The Fellowship of the Ring and disliking it because you think that's the end of the story. Or watching Star Wars: A New Hope and thinking "That was a great movie but I don't see much point in watching The Empire Strikes Back."
You can make those choices but you'll be robbing yourself of something great.
May 5, 2024
I quite enjoyed this book. It is about a spoiled prince who has his birthright stolen and must gain it back. Small problem...his most adept skill is alienating everyone around him.
Mr. Feintuch is Robert Jordanesque in belaboring a person's actions to create a sense of their personality, and at times it drove me nuts. I found myself saying out loud, "Ok, I get it, he's a brat, let's move on." That said, a great job was done in developing individual personalities and creating some compelling interactions.
The world itself is clearly British Isles, Danelaw era, but with its own distinctness. The magic system is soft, but assigning a certain magical ability to each royal house was a nice touch. Overall, the worldbuilding was decent, but not the center point of the story.
At any rate, I enjoyed the coming of age theme and felt characters and their relationships were well wrought. Definitely worth picking up off the shelf. Looking forward to the sequel.
Mr. Feintuch is Robert Jordanesque in belaboring a person's actions to create a sense of their personality, and at times it drove me nuts. I found myself saying out loud, "Ok, I get it, he's a brat, let's move on." That said, a great job was done in developing individual personalities and creating some compelling interactions.
The world itself is clearly British Isles, Danelaw era, but with its own distinctness. The magic system is soft, but assigning a certain magical ability to each royal house was a nice touch. Overall, the worldbuilding was decent, but not the center point of the story.
At any rate, I enjoyed the coming of age theme and felt characters and their relationships were well wrought. Definitely worth picking up off the shelf. Looking forward to the sequel.
November 4, 2013
Éste es el segundo libro que leo de David Feintuch y mi reacción no podría ser más ambivalente. Midshipman's Hope me gustó bastante, no sé qué tanto por ser la primera novela de ciencia ficción que leía en mucho tiempo, pero The Still es algo completamente distinto y a la vez bastante similar.
Empecemos por lo similar: adolescente inexperto e inmaduro debe cargar con una tremenda responsabilidad sobre los hombros y asumir el mando. Feintuch sólo escribió dos sagas, la de Seafort y la de Caledon, pero el planteamiento de sus dos personajes es casi idéntico.
En lo que difieren, en cambio es en muchas cosas más: fuera del hecho de que la de Seafort es ciencia ficción y ésta es fantasía, hay varias otras sutilezas que no podríamos llamar derivadas de la diferencia entre géneros. Primero, Nicky Seafort no debe luchar por el mando, sólo afianzar su autoridad tomando decisiones difíciles, gritando mucho y confiando en que la durísima disciplina militar del ‘Hibernia’ mantenga el orden. En cambio, Rodrigo (‘Roddy’ para los cuates) debe luchar a la usanza típica de la novela fantástica por recuperar su trono, que a la muerte de su madre ha sido no usurpado, sino regenteado por su maquiavélico tío Margenthar. Como es lógico todos lo consideran imberbe, inmaduro e infantil y por lo tanto, el que sobreviva a los juegos de poder del reino de Caledon dependerá de su crecimiento personal y de una banda de leales compañeros.
Como la mayoría de los lectores, durante la primera mitad del libro no veía salvación para la soberbia y la infantilidad de Rodrigo, esbozado como un tremendo antihéroe al principio. Muchas veces cerré el libro o resoplé pensando (perdón por mi francés): ‘¡Pinche Rodrigo!’. Su comportamiento de príncipe arrogante es tipo La Bestia o Príncipe Encantador, sólo que ninguno de los dos anteriores se comportaba como imbécil cuando su reino y su cuello pendían de un hilo y tampoco alienaban a la única gente en la que podían confiar en aquellos momentos complicados. Sólo en el instante en que Rodrigo está casi literalmente con la mierda hasta el cuello es cuando empieza a cambiar.
The Still es una novela fantástica más bien martiniana, si bien hay que puntualizar que fue escrita más o menos al mismo tiempo que Juego de Tronos. No hay ningún tipo de criatura fantástica, y sí muchos hechos de armas, brutalidad medievalesca, boxeo político y también algo de vulnerabilidad en las consecuencias de los actos de los personajes. Si cometen errores les va mal, aunque no a los extremos a los que llega Martin (quizá porque aquí la narración está centrada en una persona, no en la tierra o el reino como tal).
Y llegamos al tema de la relación entre Rodrigo y su fiel vasallo, amigo, casi hermano y después amante Rustin. Para poder acceder al poder mágico de su familia (que intitula el libro), uno de los requisitos es que el heredero al trono permanezca virgen. Esto es intolerable para el desafortunado Rodrigo, inmerso en una sociedad cuyas costumbres sexuales suenan forzadísimas (incluso al extremo de sospechar que su hermano de once años ya ha tenido sexo. ¡Por favor!). Por alguna razón nunca explicada, las relaciones homosexuales no son consideradas violatorias a las leyes que regulan el Still. Así que entre la devoción rayana en el deseo de Rustin y la inseguridad y la necesidad de Rodrigo para ser ‘educado’, surgen chispas. Si bien una relación sexual entre dos protagonistas varones es bienvenida en interés de la diversidad, sobretodo en un género aún dominado por héroes que siempre son hombres blancos y fidelísimos a sus damas, aquí no se entiende muy bien cuál es el punto. Rustin ama, adora a Rodrigo, pero éste corresponde sólo por necesidad, por inseguridad y francamente por saciar sus deseos (‘que el triste consuelo de su mano no puede imitar’) de adolescente calenturiento. Ignoro si la intención de Feintuch era causar escándalo o qué, pero la relación no sirve mas que para cubrir un requerimiento francamente irrisorio de la trama y no la de desarrollar una compleja relación entre dos amigos (Aquiles y Patroclo estarían avergonzados del justificante). En este aspecto Rodrigo es un cabrón hasta la última línea del libro.
El pacing de la trama se comporta demasiado exponencialmente: el comienzo es lento, más o menos hasta el 40% del libro. Luego agarra un muy buen ritmo, emocionante entre las narraciones de combates y negociación política con los usuales caballos desjarretados, yelmos abollados, miembros cercenados y vientres destripados. Pero el último 5% del libro, con el último plot twist, es demasiado rápido y precipita la novela a un final que poco satisface al lector. Desafortunadamente, después de la secuela (intitulada ‘El Rey’), Feintuch no escribió más sobre esta historia y murió en 2006, dejando también a Nicky Seafort sin resolución.
Dos cosas más: no sé si el autor no hizo bien su tarea, pero alguien le debió haber dicho que en la edad media nadie usaba taparrabos como ropa interior. Usaban calzas y después calzones. La frecuente descripción de los dos personajes en taparrabos parece más bien otra pincelada del homo-erotismo del libro, como una versión medieval de Abercrombie & Fitch.
Y la última, que le faltó mucha imaginación a la hora de inventarse maldiciones. ‘Tírenlo al lago de los demonios’ o ‘Que demonios y diablillos se lo lleven’, casi siempre gritadas en un acceso de furia por nuestro protagonista, suenan demasiado tontas y forzadas.
Empecemos por lo similar: adolescente inexperto e inmaduro debe cargar con una tremenda responsabilidad sobre los hombros y asumir el mando. Feintuch sólo escribió dos sagas, la de Seafort y la de Caledon, pero el planteamiento de sus dos personajes es casi idéntico.
En lo que difieren, en cambio es en muchas cosas más: fuera del hecho de que la de Seafort es ciencia ficción y ésta es fantasía, hay varias otras sutilezas que no podríamos llamar derivadas de la diferencia entre géneros. Primero, Nicky Seafort no debe luchar por el mando, sólo afianzar su autoridad tomando decisiones difíciles, gritando mucho y confiando en que la durísima disciplina militar del ‘Hibernia’ mantenga el orden. En cambio, Rodrigo (‘Roddy’ para los cuates) debe luchar a la usanza típica de la novela fantástica por recuperar su trono, que a la muerte de su madre ha sido no usurpado, sino regenteado por su maquiavélico tío Margenthar. Como es lógico todos lo consideran imberbe, inmaduro e infantil y por lo tanto, el que sobreviva a los juegos de poder del reino de Caledon dependerá de su crecimiento personal y de una banda de leales compañeros.
Como la mayoría de los lectores, durante la primera mitad del libro no veía salvación para la soberbia y la infantilidad de Rodrigo, esbozado como un tremendo antihéroe al principio. Muchas veces cerré el libro o resoplé pensando (perdón por mi francés): ‘¡Pinche Rodrigo!’. Su comportamiento de príncipe arrogante es tipo La Bestia o Príncipe Encantador, sólo que ninguno de los dos anteriores se comportaba como imbécil cuando su reino y su cuello pendían de un hilo y tampoco alienaban a la única gente en la que podían confiar en aquellos momentos complicados. Sólo en el instante en que Rodrigo está casi literalmente con la mierda hasta el cuello es cuando empieza a cambiar.
The Still es una novela fantástica más bien martiniana, si bien hay que puntualizar que fue escrita más o menos al mismo tiempo que Juego de Tronos. No hay ningún tipo de criatura fantástica, y sí muchos hechos de armas, brutalidad medievalesca, boxeo político y también algo de vulnerabilidad en las consecuencias de los actos de los personajes. Si cometen errores les va mal, aunque no a los extremos a los que llega Martin (quizá porque aquí la narración está centrada en una persona, no en la tierra o el reino como tal).
Y llegamos al tema de la relación entre Rodrigo y su fiel vasallo, amigo, casi hermano y después amante Rustin. Para poder acceder al poder mágico de su familia (que intitula el libro), uno de los requisitos es que el heredero al trono permanezca virgen. Esto es intolerable para el desafortunado Rodrigo, inmerso en una sociedad cuyas costumbres sexuales suenan forzadísimas (incluso al extremo de sospechar que su hermano de once años ya ha tenido sexo. ¡Por favor!). Por alguna razón nunca explicada, las relaciones homosexuales no son consideradas violatorias a las leyes que regulan el Still. Así que entre la devoción rayana en el deseo de Rustin y la inseguridad y la necesidad de Rodrigo para ser ‘educado’, surgen chispas. Si bien una relación sexual entre dos protagonistas varones es bienvenida en interés de la diversidad, sobretodo en un género aún dominado por héroes que siempre son hombres blancos y fidelísimos a sus damas, aquí no se entiende muy bien cuál es el punto. Rustin ama, adora a Rodrigo, pero éste corresponde sólo por necesidad, por inseguridad y francamente por saciar sus deseos (‘que el triste consuelo de su mano no puede imitar’) de adolescente calenturiento. Ignoro si la intención de Feintuch era causar escándalo o qué, pero la relación no sirve mas que para cubrir un requerimiento francamente irrisorio de la trama y no la de desarrollar una compleja relación entre dos amigos (Aquiles y Patroclo estarían avergonzados del justificante). En este aspecto Rodrigo es un cabrón hasta la última línea del libro.
El pacing de la trama se comporta demasiado exponencialmente: el comienzo es lento, más o menos hasta el 40% del libro. Luego agarra un muy buen ritmo, emocionante entre las narraciones de combates y negociación política con los usuales caballos desjarretados, yelmos abollados, miembros cercenados y vientres destripados. Pero el último 5% del libro, con el último plot twist, es demasiado rápido y precipita la novela a un final que poco satisface al lector. Desafortunadamente, después de la secuela (intitulada ‘El Rey’), Feintuch no escribió más sobre esta historia y murió en 2006, dejando también a Nicky Seafort sin resolución.
Dos cosas más: no sé si el autor no hizo bien su tarea, pero alguien le debió haber dicho que en la edad media nadie usaba taparrabos como ropa interior. Usaban calzas y después calzones. La frecuente descripción de los dos personajes en taparrabos parece más bien otra pincelada del homo-erotismo del libro, como una versión medieval de Abercrombie & Fitch.
Y la última, que le faltó mucha imaginación a la hora de inventarse maldiciones. ‘Tírenlo al lago de los demonios’ o ‘Que demonios y diablillos se lo lleven’, casi siempre gritadas en un acceso de furia por nuestro protagonista, suenan demasiado tontas y forzadas.
Read
August 16, 2020The text is easy and pleasant to read. The beginning is difficult to read, however, because of Rodrigo's attitude. As the synopsis says, petulant, selfish, and uncaring. All he cares about is inheriting the throne. After his uncle usurps the throne, he must win over the allegiance of the Council of State and also the Still, a mystical power. I skimmed to the end. Rodrigo grows in character. If you're able to get through the first parts of the novel, when Rodrigo is still a spoiled, unlikable character, I think this would be an enjoyable read.
July 9, 2020
Hopefully the second book is much better than the first. I was very unimpressed by how Feintuch wrote this novel and how he portrayed the protagonist. By the end it was a little better, but not as much as I've come to expect from his other books.
April 25, 2024
what is it about extremely homophobic yet gay fantasy that makes it so compelling. i read this in about 4 and a half hours. why
also someone please give those women some character development... some dimensionality... anything
also someone please give those women some character development... some dimensionality... anything
Read
July 18, 2021DNF
I really tried. And I really wanted to like it due to the M/M pairing. I should just have trusted the majority of reviews saying this was not that great...
I really tried. And I really wanted to like it due to the M/M pairing. I should just have trusted the majority of reviews saying this was not that great...
March 7, 2022
Pretty much didn't finish it. Horrible main character with no redeeming qualities. Why do the other characters in the book support him? 400+ pages of nothing.
August 29, 2022
One of my new favorite books. Damn.
August 6, 2021
3.5 stars. Not even close to as good as the Seafort Saga (starting with Midshipman’s Hope) by the same author, and some things about this book are pretty annoying (for example, the protagonist and first person narrator, for the first 3/4)… and yet I still enjoyed it. Hoping book 2 (The King) is even better.
Want to Read
April 16, 2016To echo other reviews I've seen on Goodreads, what the hell is up with this protagonist? He is irredeemably heinous (so far at least, I'm reviewing what I've read to this point while putting this book down) and thoroughly unlikable. I'm about a third of the way through this book and just can't justify finishing this book. It is rife with tropes and fantasy cliches and I just don't care. I think Feintuch rolled the dice on having a tough protagonist (Anakin on steroids in my mind) but forgot we need a reason to cheer for our protagonists, just like George Lucas did in the prequels. Whiny teenagers are not automatically believable villains, with all due respect to Kevin Smith. Of course, here, the whiny teenager is not the villain.
Another negative in my mind is here we are, yet another YA novel. When exactly did fantasy become consumed with YA (yes I know, Harry Potter)? I understand a young adult eating up YA fiction, but what is with all the adults picking it up too? I cannot express how frustrating it is to build in to the fabric of a series the main character's immaturity. The obstacles to be overcome don't have to start with the protagonist's childish, and frequently, selfish thinking. I have no problem with trying to inject diversity into fantasy, as on person in the GLBT community, I welcome it, but there are better ways to do it than just by making the hero a teenager. Bring on the adult dilemmas and the emotionally mature approaches to solutions.
Another negative in my mind is here we are, yet another YA novel. When exactly did fantasy become consumed with YA (yes I know, Harry Potter)? I understand a young adult eating up YA fiction, but what is with all the adults picking it up too? I cannot express how frustrating it is to build in to the fabric of a series the main character's immaturity. The obstacles to be overcome don't have to start with the protagonist's childish, and frequently, selfish thinking. I have no problem with trying to inject diversity into fantasy, as on person in the GLBT community, I welcome it, but there are better ways to do it than just by making the hero a teenager. Bring on the adult dilemmas and the emotionally mature approaches to solutions.
March 23, 2013
SlashReader: Well to be honest I got kinda bored with this book. The beginning was rather slow, but it got better as it went. For the most part it did manage to keep my interest. I guess it was one of those books that is a mix of 'I'm bored with you' and moments where you think, 'I want to know what's going to happen.'
Roddy is definitely a spoiled brat though he does get better as the book goes along (after you get about half way through it), I didn't like him much until later. But yeah it's an interesting book. I was a bit surprised by the ending of it and all that happened there but it worked out well.
If you are looking for a GLBT book that is heavy on the romance, sex or other such items. Than this isn't the book for you. This is one of those books that implies and alludes to more than it shows. Over all the relationships and character connections are sweet but also sad. Though I'm not going to say much more about that since I don't want to give things away. In the end I felt that some of it seemed sorta pointless and I feel bad for Rust....
If you do read this book it does end with a fairly big cliff hanger so you might want to have the second book on hand 'The King'.
Roddy is definitely a spoiled brat though he does get better as the book goes along (after you get about half way through it), I didn't like him much until later. But yeah it's an interesting book. I was a bit surprised by the ending of it and all that happened there but it worked out well.
If you are looking for a GLBT book that is heavy on the romance, sex or other such items. Than this isn't the book for you. This is one of those books that implies and alludes to more than it shows. Over all the relationships and character connections are sweet but also sad. Though I'm not going to say much more about that since I don't want to give things away. In the end I felt that some of it seemed sorta pointless and I feel bad for Rust....
If you do read this book it does end with a fairly big cliff hanger so you might want to have the second book on hand 'The King'.
Read
March 23, 2010Excellent Book! Amazing story of trial and growth from childhood to manhood. Teaches the importance of respect and responsibility. Very enjoyable read, although I thought it was a little too open ended, would love a sequel, or another chapter at least. Prince Rodrigo of Caledon is exiled when his Mother dies and his Uncle takes over as Regent and tries to take the crown for himself. Rodrigo must travel the land gaining support from the members of the council to vote for him to be King. But he is running out of time as his enemy from the North, Tantroth decides to besiege Caledon. He must persuade the council members to crown him, so he can rise up to destroy Tantroth and his Uncle who has also turned against, but in order to do so he must learn to be a man, and live with honour.
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