Post by mdorman

Two books in one year with "of Speculation" in the title. Weird.

Remember what I said about not quite buying the fated aspects of Rose Red and Snow White's relationship when talking about Fables? I have the same sort of reaction to this novel.

The prose is lovely, the atmosphere is interestingly off-kilter, the central narrative conceit---a narrative of the lives of two late 18th century carnival performers and their early 21st century descendent---is interestingly done...and yet the central action seems set up to make a lie of the title; there's no speculation here. It's ultimately all about fate, and even the defeat of the heavy hand of fate ultimately leaves me cold.

I wanted to like this much more than I actually did.