Dervish Daughter by Sheri S. Tepper

I loved Jinian Footseer, even if I didn't love the ending where Jinian's seemingly-random meandering came down to three pages of dramatic summary that included the introduction of several characters and important plot points.

The super-speed wrap up was necessary to bring those of us who hadn't read it up to speed on what happened in the original True Game series. It wouldn't make sense to continue that into Dervish Daughter, so I assumed everything would work itself out.

And while I was right that we no longer get plot-points through a fire hose, one problem persists: Dervish Daughter expects us to care about these characters and plot points as if they were carefully introduced.

The biggest problem here is Jinian's new traveling companions: Peter, Chance, and Queynt. They take up substantial space and affect Jinian, yet they never get the proper "new character" treatment.

For Queynt and Chance, this meant that they are somewhat blank: cardboard cut-outs that ride along on Jinian's adventure and take up space between those moments where they rub up against the plot. Chance especially. He's a non-person for me, even at the end of the book.

For Peter, it's a little more damning. His most prominent character trait is that he wants to have sex with Jinian. As Jinian has sworn an oath of celibacy for three years in exchange for being a wize-ard, this leads to tension. No, worse. This leads to Peter pressuring Jinian for sex.

Pressuring someone for sex is terrible no matter what. As I've said before, I believe in enthusiastic consent as the basis for sex. But what seems extra stupid here is that Peter knows that Jinian desperately wants to have sex with him but can't due to her oath. All Peter has to do is wait a few more months and Jinian will hop into his bed with wild abandon. Instead, he guilts, teases, and lashes out at her for remaining strictly chaste.

It's an assumption that I'd feel more generous about these characters if I had some history with them, but it's one I'm willing to make, at least for Queynt and Peter. Suppose I already had reason to like Peter. In that case, I'd be able to view his pressuring of Jinian as a problem that he might outgrow based on his qualities that I previously appreciated. And Queynt, the most characterized of these secondary characters, would probably read as a fully-conceived person.

The plot also becomes more direct and takes a harder tone: Deadly dream crystals are killing people by the dozens, and Jinian wants to know where they come from. She suspects Dream Miner, which is convenient: they're headed toward Dream Miner to figure out what his deal is.

I was underwhelmed for most of the first 100 pages. Part of this is the problem of true love; after Jinian Footseer, the less-awesomeness of Dervish Daughter was compounded by how bummed I was that it wasn't as awesome, making it feel even more less-awesome than it really was. 

I still liked Jinian, but with the weight of lackluster companions weighing her down, she didn't shine quite as brightly as she once had. About halfway through the novel, though, Jinian ends up mostly on her own. Now she can pop off on a whim and do stupid yet brave things that need doing. It was like flipping a switch. I went from reading a max of 5ish pages a sitting to struggling to put the book down and make sure dinner wasn't burning. Jinian was back!

Maybe not all the way back. There are no more random encounters with old gods or friendly critters. The old dams are far from the story. Jinian doesn't go this way and that based on circumstance, flight of fancy, or strength of will. Things still aren't charming and whimsical like the first book, but this is a series. I expected things would build to a proper plot at some point.

I'm glad I kept reading the series and will happily tuck into Jinian Star Eye even if I'm still side-eyeing Peter. That said, I definitely think quality, cohesion, and tone took a bit of a hit with Dervish Daughter. Which is fine. Jinian Footseer started the bar pretty damn high and things don't have to be perfect to have value.