Some Summer Lands seems like it will be taking on a new tack as the narrator this time is Seka, Cija's daughter. She casts a critical eye on her mother, which might be kind of interesting as her opinion often echoes the feelings of the reader: why is she so consistently pathetic and passive?! Sadly, her behaviour doesn't change and neither does the rhythm of the book. It is basically episode after episode of them getting kidnapped or stuck in some situation and then mistreated. Gaskell seems to be trying to say a lot, especially about men and women and sexuality, but it's so incoherent that I'm not sure what her actual message is.
The sexuality here is even weirder and at times quite upsetting (because the narrator is a little girl) to the point that in today's hyper-puritan environment, some would probably try and cancel it. She is basically molested by a tribal chief and it is portrayed as consensual. It actually doesn't seem totally unrealistic, but it is weird and disturbing. I mean the penultimate chapter is called "The Mystic Floating Penis." I need somebody to do a deep study of the sexuality in this series and explain it to me. There also seems to be some stuff about family and fathers and mothers that I suspect is Gaskell working out her own stuff.
Actually, there is one way that the fourth book differs from the others. It goes way deeper and harder into the psychedelic. The ending (spoiler alert) is the destruction of Atlantis and this is some trippy, cosmic shit, half of which I could not even barely understand. There are vague monsters chasing Seka up some stairs that lead to a giant rod where she bathes her hands in light, all written in long, vague sentences. It's hard to follow but sort of weird and cool.
I'm glad I've read it but I'm glad it's over. I have the next Robin Hobb, but I need some serious pallet cleansing before jumping into another fantasy series. I want to have some fun please!
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