Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Calgary, Alberta : EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing, [2014]
Description
Envision a world that is a wall. There's no North or South, East or West. There is only upworld and downworld -- until that world and its cliff-dwelling society are torn apart by an earthquake. That's the setting for this 73,000-word secondary-world literary fantasy, The Braided Path, a parable about what happens when three characters set out to find the limits of their world, and of themselves.
User reviews
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Love it. The story itself is pretty simple - travelers traveling, to new places - but the viewpoints make it fascinating. A large chunk of it is Cam, who walked over the top of the world and found a place that wasn't like anything he knew; another large piece is his mother Len, who had settled down
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until things changed and she exceeded her limits; and the third major viewpoint is Fox, who walked with Cam until he went too high and then went her own way, mostly downward. There are a few others - Jade and the Dyers and various others along the way, but those three make up the majority of the story. The culture of the Steep Place is fascinating - both the traveling, and the acceptance of limits. When Cam goes over the top, the story portrays beautifully his confusion as he encounters entirely new concepts - like more than one path, or coins, or working for food and a bed. It goes off in odd directions sometimes - the details of how he figures out how to make fire with nothing, for one, and the present-tense scene near the end for another - but the story carries you along. It's a little disconcerting how the scenes switch back and forth, though - several times I had to wait for a person's name to figure out where a scene was and in whose voice. And at the end - still no limits, and another story waiting to be told. Which I want to read. Next please! Early Reviewers book - I received the book in return for a review. Show Less
LibraryThing member Marie6065
A book that takes you on a journey on a single path and what should happen if you were to step off that path. I enjoyed this book as a really pleasant read and was disappointed when it ended. I loved the authors descriptive prose which really brought her characters to life.
LibraryThing member KAzevedo
This was a delightful, if low-key story of exploration and relationships. The inhabitants of the vertical world are to some degree unaware of the larger world around them. As one of them goes beyond the abilities and boundaries of his kind we experience his growth in the wider world, while at the
.
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same time we become ever more intimate with the smaller yet intricate culture of the walkers. The various myths and workings of the world are braided to create a lovely whole. There isn't much earthshaking drama, but enough to create a pleasant tension. I became fond of the characters and enjoyed their journeys very much. Some unique concepts and wonderful descriptions make this a highly recommended read..
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LibraryThing member gbcmars
A quiet, thoughtful tale - if you're looking for guns and spaceships and dystopic happenings, give it a pass - but I found it an interesting metaphor on three intertwined life journeys. The descriptions were evocative, the characters clearly drawn. Each one had a path, each one learned something.
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Nice. Show Less
LibraryThing member Maddy_B
This book was terrible. It had weak descriptions and the world was not explained at all. Most of it was rather boring and uneventful. The idea of a world where most of the world cannot access each other because of limits discovered as a child was unique. Cam sets off and gets into trouble because
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he is unaware of the world. Meanwhile at home he leaves Fox unpartnered and pregnant. Fox and his mother raise the child while he is off adventuring. Show Less
LibraryThing member pmfloyd1
Early Reviewers book - I received the book in return for a review. First, the author does a very good job of setting a world in which you can become completely absorbed (in a good way). For example:
"Cam was a Far-Walker; he was used to the language around
him changing as he walked. Since boyhood, he
in the different turns of phrase he noticed, the different words
for common things, the changes in rhythms and pitch, the way
certain sounds became flattened and clipped as he walked
high or became rounded and drawn out when he went low."
In this fantasy world, the setting is important but more important are relationships. And the interaction/relationships that Cam experiences along the way are developed well. When the path broke, the village peoples had to work together to forge a new way. For example:
“But, you know, Fox, I’m not so sure any more about that
business of limits. I’m beginning to wonder if a person can,
maybe, get used to almost anything. When springtime first
began to warm this place, I thought I’d perish from the heat
and the damp. But it’s not so bad now. I wear clothes that
would get me talked about up in First Home Village, and I
don’t think I used to smell like this…”
I was perfectly fine allowing my own imagination to fill in the "world" in which this story is set. I would recommend it to others who appreciate a well developed story line with characters that you come to understand & can relate to. Predictable ending, but nice nonetheless.
"Cam was a Far-Walker; he was used to the language around
him changing as he walked. Since boyhood, he
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had delightedin the different turns of phrase he noticed, the different words
for common things, the changes in rhythms and pitch, the way
certain sounds became flattened and clipped as he walked
high or became rounded and drawn out when he went low."
In this fantasy world, the setting is important but more important are relationships. And the interaction/relationships that Cam experiences along the way are developed well. When the path broke, the village peoples had to work together to forge a new way. For example:
“But, you know, Fox, I’m not so sure any more about that
business of limits. I’m beginning to wonder if a person can,
maybe, get used to almost anything. When springtime first
began to warm this place, I thought I’d perish from the heat
and the damp. But it’s not so bad now. I wear clothes that
would get me talked about up in First Home Village, and I
don’t think I used to smell like this…”
I was perfectly fine allowing my own imagination to fill in the "world" in which this story is set. I would recommend it to others who appreciate a well developed story line with characters that you come to understand & can relate to. Predictable ending, but nice nonetheless.
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LibraryThing member jak910717
I received an advanced reading copy of The Braided Path via a giveaway on Library Thing. The plot can be found elsewhere; I will only be providing some of my impressions of the book.
I'm not much of a reader of science fiction, but this is one book that only stretched my imagination a bit, rather
The negatives: Kindle formatting needs work before the final version is released. The ending was a little more vague than I would have liked. Others may feel differently.
I am grateful for the opportunity to read this book, and would probably consider reading additional books by this author.
I'm not much of a reader of science fiction, but this is one book that only stretched my imagination a bit, rather
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than jarring me into something totally alien. I found the book to be more about love and loss, relationships, coming of age and community. It was interested to read the descriptions of the various crafts in the book. The author, Donna Glee Williams, describes the crafts in such a way that each and every one sounds fascinating. Before this book, I wouldn't have given any of them a second thought. I found this book, although a very easy and quick read, made me think about all the things we encounter every day in our world, but to which we rarely give a second thought.The negatives: Kindle formatting needs work before the final version is released. The ending was a little more vague than I would have liked. Others may feel differently.
I am grateful for the opportunity to read this book, and would probably consider reading additional books by this author.
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LibraryThing member carod
Len Rope-Maker, her son Cam and his sweetheart Fox, live in a land of terraced villages separated by an almost vertical path. Young people explore up and down the path from their home village until they reach the limits of how far they can climb. Cam and Fox, however, show signs of being
This novel takes place in a different world than our own, but is not a fantasy novel in the strictest sense. There are no magical or supernatural beings in this world. It is a wonderfully constructed world and well worth exploring. I found the novel beautifully written. I enjoyed the descriptions of all the lands and peoples the far-walkers traveled through. How these people lived and traded in their vertical land was interesting. The novel unfolded gently and slowly, with few crisis or exciting events. I didn't mind this, nor the fact that the ending was not really a surprise. My only complaint is that the characters, I assume to reflect that they come from a rather primitive society, came across as rather simple and child-like. Even though Cam and Fox are supposed to be teens, they didn't seem to mature very much in the course of the novel. Even the adult characters seemed rather simple and child-like.
There is no content in the novel that would be inappropriate for a younger reader. Recommended for readers who enjoy historical fantasy.
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far-walkers. Neither have found their limits long after their friends have settled down. Cam is drawn to climb higher and higher while Fox is called down to the sea at the bottom of the world. Eventually they each find their proper path.This novel takes place in a different world than our own, but is not a fantasy novel in the strictest sense. There are no magical or supernatural beings in this world. It is a wonderfully constructed world and well worth exploring. I found the novel beautifully written. I enjoyed the descriptions of all the lands and peoples the far-walkers traveled through. How these people lived and traded in their vertical land was interesting. The novel unfolded gently and slowly, with few crisis or exciting events. I didn't mind this, nor the fact that the ending was not really a surprise. My only complaint is that the characters, I assume to reflect that they come from a rather primitive society, came across as rather simple and child-like. Even though Cam and Fox are supposed to be teens, they didn't seem to mature very much in the course of the novel. Even the adult characters seemed rather simple and child-like.
There is no content in the novel that would be inappropriate for a younger reader. Recommended for readers who enjoy historical fantasy.
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LibraryThing member Helcura
I didn't like this book. The author was so busy being "lyrical" that she forgot to make the characters more than paper dolls. I never cared what happened to any of the characters - the just seemed like placeholders.
The idea of a linear world was interesting and has potential, but again, never held
Only worth reading if you like the sort of writing that is like couture clothing - very artsy, but not something anyone can actually wear.
The idea of a linear world was interesting and has potential, but again, never held
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any depth, and indeed proves to be only an illusion.Only worth reading if you like the sort of writing that is like couture clothing - very artsy, but not something anyone can actually wear.
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Subjects
Language
Physical description
22 cm
ISBN
9781770530584