Customer Reviews

The City in the Lake

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the first published novel by Ms. Neumeier, whom I had the pleasure of meeting recently (we were fortunate enough to acquire a puppy from the family of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels referenced in the author bio).

I agree with the other reviewers that while the book is said to be targeted for young adults, it's an engrossing read for so-called grownups as well. Like any contemporary fantasy story, it has echoes of other works in its characters, storyline, and imagery (I particularly thought I recognized "shadows" of Roger Zelazny's Amber series), but Ms. Neumeier has created a world of surprising depth and complexity for a first-time author.

The prose is naturalistic and immersive, without veering into flowery puff. The story is well-constructed, and follows a satisfying arc that intertwines the journey of the heroine, 17-year old Timou, with powerful forces grappling over the future of the Kingdom - whose heart is the titular City.

It's crisply written - not overlong, which is a wonderful thing in these days when the profession of literary editing seems to be in full retreat. And while there are some adult themes, and some scary imagery, were it ever made into a movie, it would not merit more than a PG rating. I mean this, too, as a compliment. As such, it can be a wonderful introduction to fantasy literature for the young reader - or just a very satisfying way to pass a few days for the more seasoned fantasy fan.

This is a fantasy novel about a magical Kingdom and what happens when its beloved Prince, heir to the throne, mysteriously disappears while out riding in the countryside. Meanwhile, in a tiny village in a remote part of the Kingdom, a girl named Timou is growing up with her father, a mysterious mage named Kapoen. He willingly teaches her the ways of magecraft, but of her mother, whom Timou never knew, he will not say a word. The Prince's disappearance causes ill effects throughout the Kingdom, even reaching Timou's village, and eventually Kapoen sets out for the City in the Lake to offer his services to the King. When he does not return, 17-year-old Timou sets out after him, and that quest sets in motion the adventures that are the main action of the book.

I haven't read a fantasy novel in years, but I liked this, Neumeier's first novel, a lot. Although aimed at a teenaged audience, it is sophisticated enough for adults to enjoy as well. It contains some violence and cruelty, but nothing gory or gruesome. And although it contains no sex, the subjects of the Kingdom are not ignorant of the birds and the bees; indeed, the first main character we meet is the King's illegitimate son, called Lord Bastard behind his back by one and all. All of which is to say this is no mere children's tale, but a thoughtful and thought-provoking adventure story. I recommend it.

Once in a very great while, I am able to feel privileged to read a masterwork. I felt that way when I read The Riddlemaster of Hed and The Tombs of Atuan. I felt that way reading Rachel Neumeier's The City in the Lake.

It is likely that I wouldn't have found this book, even though I find myself reading even more young adult (YA) fantasy, except that I ran into Rachel at Windycon, and she gave me a copy to read. Frabjous joy!

Oh, boy. From the very first page, I got the same sense of being present at the unfolding of a wonder that I received reading Ursula LeGuin, Patricia McKillip, Peter Beagle, Lynn Abbey and the other great modern fantasists, or Cecelia Holland or Dorothy Dunnett, great writers as well.

I am here to tell you that this is a great book, and it is a wonderful read. It should not be restricted to young adult readers, either. The themes and dimensions of the story resonate well with young adult readers, and also the most adult of us.

There's a City in the lake, beside which a city has been built. As in Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber, this city is more than just a single place, it spans all of existence and is the bedrock upon which the entire universe is built. There is evil in the world as well, and the evil wants to devour the power that is intrinsic to the City.

The evil is personified in a woman, sorceress and perhaps demon. She bears a child to the King of the City, and then leaves, abandoning her son.

There is a girl-child named Timou, fathered by a mage named Kapoen, who decides, when her father disappears, to seek him in the City. Timou has grown up in a small village, learning wizardry from her father, and the customs and culture of a small village from her surroundings. Yet she's different, apart, and sees herself that way.

On her way to the City, and once she arrives, Timou immediately finds herself embroiled in the almost hieratic play that unfolds when the King's legitimate son, the heir to the throne that the sorceress covets for her own, bastard son, disappears, followed shortly after by the King's own disappearance.

The book is extremely visual, and could be a terrific fantasy film.

As the characters move through the plot, they grow and change, in some cases maturing, and in some cases learning who they really are, for the very first time.

I think this is, or should be, an award-winning book.

I think you should run right out to your local bookstore, or jump right onto Amazon and buy it.

Then you, too, can have the experience of wonder and awe at reading what is sure to be considered a masterwork in the future.

Walt Boyes
Associate Editor, Jim Baen's Universe
Active Member SFWA

I don't often read fantasy novels involving the stereotypical elements (an old kingdom, wizards/mages, elves, etc), but this book was suprisingly good. The author's command of the language crafted a beautiful story, intertwining the lives of two very different characters in a magical kingdom. From beginning to end, it felt more like I was reading a delicate poem or fable than a young adult novel.

Timou's character was not lacking depth; rather, she was not your typical teen heroine struggling with commonplace issues. "The heart of magecraft is stillness" - and this is a stillness, a calm, that follows her throughout the book, even as she struggles to find her mother and unknowingly help save the kingdom.

I found the best part of the story was the lush visuals... the enchanted forest, the icy realm of the Hunter, and a maze of light inside a mirror. Only a gifted mind can think of these things and successfully transfter them onto paper. Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone, and I hope we'll see more from Rachel (even more along this storyline, like a story focusing on Deserisien?).

I am under Rachel Neumeier's spell with The City in the Lake. Reminiscent of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, I should say, Ms.Neumeier effectively traces a sophisticated fairy tale with elegant prose and unique characters. The City in the Lake weaves a magic all its own. I recommend this book for any fan of the Narnia books and those interested in the extraordinary.

Strange and menacing things are going on in the Kingdom. It seems that the heart of the Kingdom is missing and everyone has to suffer because of it.
Months ago Timou's father, a mage, left their small village to solve the issues, but he never came back from the City. Timou learned the ways of magic from her father and decides go to the City to find him and learn more about the scary events that threaten the whole kingdom. On her dangerous journey she learns a lot about herself, her magic and her parentage. She also realizes that to restore the heart of the Kingdom she needs new allies.
Meanwhile Jonas, a young man from Timou's village, follows her because he wants to help her and has feelings for her. But he soon is captivated by a dangerous creature and it's not sure if he will ever be free again.
Will Timou and Jonas be able to heal the Kingdom? And will they find happiness?

When I first tried to read "The City in the lake" I stopped on page five. But not because the book wasn't great or didn't work for me. It was because to really enjoy and appreciate the story I had to read it in a quiet place and with a relaxed mind. I often read in the bus / on the train and most often that works perfectly. But sometimes a book like "A City in the lake" crosses my way that isn't made to read on the go, books like this one are best read when you are ready and willing to relax completely and forget everything around you.
The second time I started to read the book I was relaxed and at home. After only a few pages I knew that I was going to love Rachel Neumeier's writing style and the fantastic world she created. The rich language the author used is wonderful and nearly every sentence in "The City in the lake" created a detailed, fantastic picture in my mind. When I read about Timou's adventures it was like watching a beautiful fantasy movie and I was completely captured by it.

Timou was a wonderful heroine, I loved reading about her thoughts and feelings. The way she experienced the world was unique and captivating. I also liked reading about Jonas and I was fascinated with Lord Neill (Lord Bastard as he is also called). He was one of the most interesting characters in the book, the way he cared for the Kingdom and the people in it, despite what happened to him in the past, was impressive.
I enjoyed that all of the main characters contributed to the story and the rescue of the kingdom, everyone was equally important and got a chance to shine. I furthermore enjoyed the way the love story between Timou and Jonas was written. Like everything else in this book their relationship developed gently, beautifully and quietly.

When I finished "The City in the lake" I was so happy to have discovered a wonderful new to me author who writes fantasy novels that are beautifully written and touch my heart. I already ordered more books by Rachel Neumeier and can't wait to read them.

cover
I'm not really happy with the cover, I think it looks a bit weird, something about the young woman doesn't work for me.

final appraisal
"The city in the lake" is a beautifully written, impressive and quiet book that I loved reading. This book deserves to be read when you can concentrate completely on the rich language Rachel Neumeier uses.
I would recommend this book to all readers who enjoy reading fantasy and quiet, thoughtful books.

I `m going to start by saying that the idea was a great idea. Throughout the story, I can feel that Neumeier really tried. I loved the duality of the kingdom, a "kingdom within the kingdom" and there are moments where Neumeier described them flawlessly. Even the concept of seeing someone in the rain to describe love was a good, interesting touch.

But unfortunately City in the Lake was just interesting. I didn't care for the characters. I did not fear for the characters. I didn't feel anxious for them. They were just there. I saw the potential for these characters to be believable, but the story lacked urgency. Lacked empathy. The term "show and not tell" comes to mind and though I hate to use this term, this story suffers from concrete, immediate moments. Either half, maybe even over half, of the story is told in summary. We were told directly how characters felt. He was sad. Well how so sad? Did it make his chest ache? Could he not look at her in the eyes? Intimate moments weren't intimate because of this. Readers couldn't feel the character's emotions by their actions. Urgent moments weren't urgent.

Back story and the passing of time was told in summary. Summary gives information in a non personal manner. They skim the surface of moments that's why they are called summary. And skimming moments for most of a story pulls a reader away from feeling for the characters and the urgency of the story. The tension in the story just leaks away with summary.

Even the dialogue lacked character and drive. Here's a similar exchange of dialogue.

"I dislike you," the nobleman said.

The prince nodded. "I feel the same about you."

"It's good to get this out in the open."

"It is. Now we know."

"Yes. But I will still follow your orders."

"That's good. As long as we both know."

Everything was too straight forward and people aren't like that. We have our intentions and manipulate our emotions to fit and please others and ourselves. People are deceptive, sometimes even fooling themselves. The dialogue was not believable.

Because of the dialogue, and the summarized storytelling, added with the reference to the characters - the story didn't quite reach its potential. When I mean reference of character I mean this: Neumeier refers to Prince Neill for half the moments in the book as "The Bastard." Yes we get that he's an illegitimate son, one or two references readers will understand. But throughout the book Prince Neill is known as The Bastard. This reference does not bring us closer to the character. It creates a distance. It's possible that Neumeier was trying to show readers that's how Prince Neill felt, but it creates distance between him and the reader. The distance is supposed to be between him and the other characters in the book. Readers should be brought closer to Prince Neill because he is one of the main characters in the story.

Setting wise Neumeier excelled in some area and skimmed in others. Overall, I believe she did a decent job. If she stayed consistent, it would have been great. Neumeier is good at giving details. There's proof in the book. There are moments in the books that shows, it's just not present throughout.

Neumeier has a very promising story. So much potential and imagination. But her execution of the story failed her ideas. I could see she was trying. The book did improve by the time the end came but not enough to make a difference or compensate for the beginning.

Verdict:

You won't be missing much. Check it out from the library if you must know, and you can even skim the pages. Though I wouldn't toss Neumeier out of your radar, there's talent there just a bit of practice and she'll be great.

The story begins with the disappearance of a Prince. The heart of the Kingdom is the City, the heart of the City is the King, and the heart of the King is the Prince. After the disappearance of the Prince, many things go wrong, from the city to the farthest outlying villages.

Timou lives in a remote village where her father is a powerful mage. When the damage to the Kingdom becomes too much for them to ignore, Timou's father, Kapoen, makes a trek to the City to attempt to find the cause of it all. When he doesn't return, Timou decides it is up to her to unravel the mysteries in the Kingdom.

The world Ms. Neumeier created is very well put together and the characters are very distinctive. There were some elements that I wonder if they were suitable, such as the King's first illegitimate son being identified as Lord Bastard throughout the story, but I came to realize that it was really one of many talking points that teens can discuss with their parents.

THE CITY IN THE LAKE is listed as a young adult story, but I feel it would also be very appealing to adults. There were many layers to the Kingdom, just as there are many layers to this book. It was well written and inviting . I found the story to be very descriptive and it felt like a movie playing in my head. I enjoyed the book very much, but there may be elements in the story that some parents don't feel they are yet ready to introduce their children to.

Reviewed by: Breia "The Brain" Brickey

Rachel Neumeier's THE CITY IN THE LAKE tells of a missing Prince and a Kingdom disrupted, where strange old magic has awakened and a new force has permeated the land. When Timou's father vanishes she discovers these changes are somehow linked to her, and she discovers mysterious powers are at work.

I didn't even finish this book. The beginning was spectacular. A prince missing, his older brother suspect?!? Wow! Wait... now we're in a town. With very boring people. I can't even remember the female hero's name, but she was that boring. Typical teenager with magic, but no drive to develop it. I could go to my local high school and watch that for free.