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Castle Waiting Vol. 2 #2

By Leroy Douresseaux
January 10, 2007 - 12:39

Linda Medley continues her focus on the character Lady Jain in Castle Waiting, Vol. 2 #2.  Castle Waiting, Vol. 2 #1 reprinted Castle Waiting (Vol. 1) #'s 15-16 - chapters 1 and 2 respectively of the Lady Jain storyline.  V2#1 also included the first 16 pages of chapter 3.  V2#2 concludes chapter 3, a flashback that finds young Miss Jain rhetorically jousting with her stepsisters - the hard-faced snob, Andreia, and the vain nitwit, Aimee.  Before V2#2 ends, Medley takes us back to the present with the first five pages of chapter 4 and the introduction of two strangers whose appearance may mean big changes for everyone who lives at the castle (which is Sleeping Beauty's former home).

The strengths of Medley's long-running fantasy tale are the characters and the dialogue, and those work hand in hand.  The dialogue colors the characters, and Medley isn't intent on freezing her characters in place to create a level of comfort for her and her readers.  It's amazing the range of emotions any one character can display even in the space of a short sequence.

Although the reader can take Castle Waiting as comfort food because of its easy going pace and its engaging characters, over the long haul, every thing is chaotic and characters can surprise.  This is a soap opera-like fantasy well worth reading in serial installments, and it really is similar to watching the daytime soaps.

8/10

 

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12