Brandon Barney just posted a great review of The Riddler’s Gift on Good Book Alert. After sharing some insights on the pacing and (for him) surprising length, he picks on my favourite character.
Tabitha Serannon is a young girl who seems to be foolish, and easily turned around. Don’t let this fool you, throughout the novel her strength increases until the final climax. She is often accompanied by a man entitled The Riddler, and through this companion, we find not only the mystery of the novel, but the humor as well.
As the story progresses into a dark mist that keeps your mind probing in different direction, hoping to find a light, The Riddler guides you through his twisted speech, and his manner of avoiding the truth, while never telling a lie. I found myself looking for pieces that included him, just to see what he would say next. Most chapters begin with a quote by The Riddler, and give you something to think about before plunging into the next piece of your journey.
Aha! I must admit to being the same, because ‘putting his head on’ allowed me to see everything in a different (upside down) way, but being an interfering sort who tries hard not to interfere, he had to duck and dive through the story like a weasel through wildfire. This leads me on to a question posed by David Wagner:
Are all of the “riddles” at the beginnings of the chapters your own creations, or did you coop/modify sayings/proverbs from other sources?
The riddles come last
when the story is done.
They hint at what’s coming
but are sometimes just fun.
They come from a mind
where echoes are found
of what came before,
and songs tumble round.
-Zarost
I really enjoyed this novel. it reminds me a lot of the novels by Katherine Kurtz-Deryni books. I’d like to read the first one too. It was a great read and easily read. The book was extremely well written and engrossing!!!
