The War of the Flowers

Rating:
Summary: A Crossworld fantasy worth reading.
Review: Tad Williams is one of the most gifted writers in Fantasy today. I normally don't like the crossworld fantasy genre (Someone goes from our world to a fantasy world of some sort) but this book was fantastic. Williams' extrapolated Fairy world complete with magic powered technology was great, and totally unique in my experience with this fantasy subgenre.

Williams is a true wordsmith, a writer to be respected for his writing as well as his storytelling and this is another beautiful example. He manages to deal with real issues and use real "flawed" people without giving into the modern literati's moralless relativity. Will Tad make you think about what is right and what isn't? Yes, absolutely. Does he abandon it, or equate one to the other, or dismiss it all as coming from your point of view? ABSOLUTELY not. And this is good.

I loved how Tad has worked allusions to the literature of our world throughout this book, as well as alluding on several occasions to different rock bands. The use of literary allusions added depth for the reader without the pretentious reference that loses the average reader. I loved how he used both Eliot's Wasteland, Shakespeare, and the Inferno. I remember in one short passage a reference to the wasteland followed shortly to an allusion to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Such a molding of pop and "high" culture was a declicious combination.

This world deals with magic as a subtle and understated effect that is simply present and part of the world of fairy. It is the unseen power on which Fairy runs, hence things do not so much use magic, as they are magical.

The plot works. A surviving in Fairy as a believable world, and many times the main character is left without his guides to the world and thus the reader is left to experience the foreignness and familiarness of this funhouse mirror version of not only earth, but any other "world of fairy" that you've encountered before. Theo is a believably flawed but likeable and basically good protagonist who legitimately grows and changes in believable ways instead of arbitrary or stereotyped ones. By the time the end rolled around I felt I had thoroughly explored a wondrous new world, and at the same time I wanted to go back and start again, to see if I couldn't piece together a few more answers about the world of fairy. given the opportunity I would return with great joy to Williams' world of the War of the Flowers.


Rating:
Summary: The Best Fantasy Book of 2003
Review: Tad Williams struck a resonant chord with me with "The War of the Flowers". I should state that I read a good bit of Fantasy fiction, including some of Mr. Williams other books, and do generally consider him, Robin Hobb, George RR Martin and Robert Jordan to be the apex of current fantasy writing.

With that being caveat, it should not be surprising that just as that Tad Williams' prior books tended to focus on in depth-characterization and setting, rather than raw action or discordant perspectives (Martin), so too does 'The War of the Flowers'. Moreover, 'The War of the Flowers' utterly succeeds within that caveat.

Set in the land of 'Faerie', a mortal, Theo Vilmus, arrives through suspect means. A 'loser' at ~ age 30 in 'mortalia' prior to his advent, Theo comes of age while unwillingly, and to some degree, unwittingly, assisting in a civil war.

This relatively simple story succeeds in several outstanding ways:
(1) It, like many non-Fantasy fictional brethren, is told in 1 book-- and not scattered over many.
(2) The setting is fabulous: Sprites, Nixies, Doonies, Goblins, Grims, et al. In place, used 'accurately'. The class warfare(neo-marxist???)/condemnation of industralization may, to some, go over the top, but it's appropriate for the Neo-Victorian backdrop of Faeries
(3) The primary Protagonist is fabulous: Theo, as with Simon way back in 'The Memory...' Trilogy, is an angst-ridden, relatively indecisive ne'er-do-well at the beginning, who successfully migrates to adulthood by the end (nevermind that he's 30 to begin with as age doesn't make one an 'adult').
(4) The secondary characters are outstanding, with special kudos to both Hellebore and Applecore.

This book sat on my bookshelf for nearly 5 months before I read it. What a mistake. Being followed closely by only "Golden Fool" by Robin Hobb, this is unquestionably the best Fantasy book of 2003. Finally, while it was self-contained in only 1 volume, I assuredly hope Tad Williams revisits the land and time he created. Wonderful. Magnificient.

Rating:
Summary: Solid but not great.
Review: The major problem with this book is that I did not really care about the characters. If you really like the protagonists and hate that antagonists, it can make up for a lot of faults in a book. When plot and setting are solid but the characters are lackluster, its just another book.

Rating:
Summary: A return to his roots.
Review: The War of the Flowers is a good adult fantasy. With adult fantasy being the key word. Written with the same flare as the author's Memomry, Sorrow, and Thorn series, It provides a great escape on a cold winter's day. I am not usually fond of cross-over books (someone from our world going to a different world), yet I found myself enjoying this book. The characters have some dimension to them. The description of Fairy is consistent. Theo remains at a total loss throughout the book of how things work in Fairy. I did, however, become annoyed with Theo. He `s a bit of a whiner (IMHO), most readers will not identify with his situation. (How many of us are going to warp into a society with pooka's, nixies, and doonies to name just a few?) Applecore ( a sprite, with tons of attitude) and Cumber (a ferisher, that does what needs to be done without whining. He could have replaced Theo as a reluctant hero) are both well written and a much needed addition to Theo. This book follows the standard good vs. evil. However, the evil is not clear, the reader doesn't find himself hoping Theo overcomes all odds to stop the "bad guy". Hellebore, is bad but the reader really doesn't get a clear picture on how evil he really is. He is going to release a "terrible child" on our world, but this is almost taken as a "oh, that's not good." Also where most books of the fantasy genre are loaded with subplots or quest, this book has none. Theo is concerned with going home. He wonders why the residents of Fairy are so interested in him, but he is willing to dismiss all and return home as soon as possible. If you are looking for a book that is entertaining, The War of the Flowers would make a very good choice.


Rating:
Summary: Not his best, but...
Review: Unlike many of the reviewers, I loved both the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn fantasy trilogy as well as the Otherland Series. I was amazed at the world he created, the references, and the originality of Otherland. War of the Flowers was a bit of a releif to have contained in one volume, an interesting fantasy. It was not his best, but somehow, I could not put it down either. I was drawn into the world and wanted to know the outcome, despite feeling that the characters were shallow,the main character adolescent, the "love story" a a bit creepy (the justifications used by both characters sounded a bit like those used by pedophiles), and the storlyine re-hashed. The whole thing felt rushed, and yet, the world he builds was more intersting than some. I'm glad I didn't purchase it, but got it from the library. I am hoping for more from the next series.