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A review by mediaevalmuse
The Dying of the Golden Day by Carrie Gessner
4.0
Despite knowing Carrie via various social media platforms, I’m giving an honest a review because I feel that I don’t need to puff up my comments to really show my support for her and this book. The Dying of the Golden Day (TDOTGD from this point on) is a splendid change of pace from a lot of popular fantasy in that it actively attempts to subvert common tropes and place emphasis on earning its readers’ attention and attachment. As a reader frustrated with a lot of books in the fantasy genre, I loved picking up a story that was more concerned with building a story than shocking me at every turn. As a result, this book was an easy read - meaning, I always enjoyed myself while going through this book rather than feeling pained by every little plot twist.
Things I Liked
1. Feminism: Thank god a fantasy novel that doesn’t perpetuate sexual violence against its female characters! It may seem like a small thing to praise, but I promise you, it’s not. I’ve seen so much sexual violence in fantasy books (even ones by female authors) that this novel is a breath of fresh air. On top of that, there’s a strong focus on female characters that don’t fall into many of tired fantasy tropes. There’s a female Goddess who isn’t treated as some earth mother being. There’s a queen who is more concerned than envious of her brother’s reckless behavior and want of power/glory. There are priestesses who have both typically feminine and masculine jobs. It’s wonderful to have women who don’t rehash the same tropes over and over again.
2. Heartfriends: I love the concept of the heartfriend - a bond that’s like friendship but much stronger, even stronger than brotherhood or sisterhood. The emphasis placed on platonic affection is a welcome change, especially since it exists between a male and female character in this book. As an added bonus, the bond is presented in a such a way that the male character shows physical affection (like hugs) and emotional attachment openly, without being ashamed and without being teased that he’s holding a torch for a woman. In a genre where the hypermasculine is often at the forefront, I loved that the men were able to be both tough warriors but also have genuine, deep connections with women without wanting a romantic relationship.
3. Positivity: TDOTGD is not a grimdark, “gritty” fantasy story, and though there are some gloomy prospects and sad moments, at no time did I feel beaten over the head with the notion that “this world sucks and life is hard.” Gessner creates a world that has its dark moments, but relationships and honor are the bases for making it through. It’s a refreshing twist on the genre after all the Game of Thrones imitators out there.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. Organization: Like a lot of fantasy (and quite frankly, all speculative fiction) books, TDOTGD drops the reader in a fictional world without a lot of help. The beginning is a web of names, places, and allusions that I didn’t quite understand, with some things being given to the reader and other things withheld. It’s fine to withhold things in the pursuit of suspense - obviously, authors shouldn’t give away everything at the beginning. But I’m also the kind of reader who likes to be lead a bit more directly into a fantasy world. I also felt that I was given information that wasn’t quite useful at first, but would be later, which also confused me as I was trying to orient myself. But again - this isn’t a problem for Gessner only. It’s quite common in speculative fiction. The action of the plot itself also had the tendency to skip ahead in places, and it took me a second to realize how one event led to the next. It wasn’t that I couldn’t follow the story, only that I had these moments of abrupt jumps forward in time.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in platonic love and friendships, magic, healing, prophecy, issues of succession and empire, and Goddess-based religions.
Things I Liked
1. Feminism: Thank god a fantasy novel that doesn’t perpetuate sexual violence against its female characters! It may seem like a small thing to praise, but I promise you, it’s not. I’ve seen so much sexual violence in fantasy books (even ones by female authors) that this novel is a breath of fresh air. On top of that, there’s a strong focus on female characters that don’t fall into many of tired fantasy tropes. There’s a female Goddess who isn’t treated as some earth mother being. There’s a queen who is more concerned than envious of her brother’s reckless behavior and want of power/glory. There are priestesses who have both typically feminine and masculine jobs. It’s wonderful to have women who don’t rehash the same tropes over and over again.
2. Heartfriends: I love the concept of the heartfriend - a bond that’s like friendship but much stronger, even stronger than brotherhood or sisterhood. The emphasis placed on platonic affection is a welcome change, especially since it exists between a male and female character in this book. As an added bonus, the bond is presented in a such a way that the male character shows physical affection (like hugs) and emotional attachment openly, without being ashamed and without being teased that he’s holding a torch for a woman. In a genre where the hypermasculine is often at the forefront, I loved that the men were able to be both tough warriors but also have genuine, deep connections with women without wanting a romantic relationship.
3. Positivity: TDOTGD is not a grimdark, “gritty” fantasy story, and though there are some gloomy prospects and sad moments, at no time did I feel beaten over the head with the notion that “this world sucks and life is hard.” Gessner creates a world that has its dark moments, but relationships and honor are the bases for making it through. It’s a refreshing twist on the genre after all the Game of Thrones imitators out there.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. Organization: Like a lot of fantasy (and quite frankly, all speculative fiction) books, TDOTGD drops the reader in a fictional world without a lot of help. The beginning is a web of names, places, and allusions that I didn’t quite understand, with some things being given to the reader and other things withheld. It’s fine to withhold things in the pursuit of suspense - obviously, authors shouldn’t give away everything at the beginning. But I’m also the kind of reader who likes to be lead a bit more directly into a fantasy world. I also felt that I was given information that wasn’t quite useful at first, but would be later, which also confused me as I was trying to orient myself. But again - this isn’t a problem for Gessner only. It’s quite common in speculative fiction. The action of the plot itself also had the tendency to skip ahead in places, and it took me a second to realize how one event led to the next. It wasn’t that I couldn’t follow the story, only that I had these moments of abrupt jumps forward in time.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in platonic love and friendships, magic, healing, prophecy, issues of succession and empire, and Goddess-based religions.