Gryphon’s Eyrie is the last book in the trilogy. Andre Norton wrote it with A.C. Crispin. I don’t know how anyone writes with anyone else, so I’ll be paying attention to see if I can catch them in the act.
That, or I’ll be completely sucked in as usual. I’m not good at standing outside a novel.
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Did I really just read Gryphon’s Eyrie in less than six hours? Yes, I think I did.
Did not catch Andre Norton and A.C. Crispin in the act of writing back and forth. Did notice that I very much enjoyed watching Kerovan and Joisan travel through Arvon. Kerovan is just adorable, and Joisan is one of my favorite ladies in literature. She’s tough but not hard-edged, confident but not without doubt, courageous even when terrified. She doesn’t give up. She’s in love with Kerovan and she’s not going to let his insecurities keep them apart. No creature of Dark or social custom or anything else is going to do that either. Doesn’t matter that she’s just a simple human and (in her eyes, anyway) has no power in the ways of things beyond human comprehension.
What more to say about Gryphon’s Eyrie? Conflicts aren’t as supported as they might be, some characterization not as deep. In book three I ought to know Kerovan pretty thoroughly, but really, much of his angst seems to come out of nowhere. He’s a trained warrior and strategist, and he jumps to completely unsupported conclusions that make me want to smack him upside the head. If I wanted to read shallowly-written romantic comedy, I would go read that, Kerovan. You could think a little bit. It wouldn’t hurt you.
But, you know. Angst. I do love me some good angst. And it all ends well despite the now-usual appearance of the Big Bad in the last…fifty pages? Maybe a bit more.
This re-read is very good for me, I think. As I’ve worked on improving my writing, it may be that I’ve gotten too attached to the Way Things Must Be, as advised by many writing books and blog upon blog of writing advice. I can’t think of a single Andre Norton book that has perfect three-act structure, but something still seems to have worked for her. Maybe I need to let myself cut loose just a little. I’m no master and may never be, but if I let plot structure slip in favor of wonder once in a while, I’ll still be in very good company.