This book, Inda by Sherwood Smith, is set in an incredibly interesting and complex world, and I will say that I thought the world building was one of the highlights of the book. But that does make it rather difficult to write a concise plot summary. Basically in this world the first born son is expected to become a great military commander and train at the military academy. The second born sons stay at home and are trained locally and it is expected that they will always remain at home and defend the family’s home while the older son is travelling or at war. Women also have a very defined role in society. Marriages are all arranged and girls are sent at a very young age away from their birth families to be raised alongside their intended husbands. Women are also expected to learn to defend their homes, but they are taught a very different sort of fighting than the men. There is magic in the world but it’s not very common or understood. Some women however so seem to study magic in a way that men do not.The main character in this book is Inda, who starts the book as a 10 year old boy, although he grows to adulthood by the end of the story. Inda is a second son and so he doesn’t expect to leave home. He’s also the son of a prince and so his family is pretty important, although he’s not directly related to the current king. The country is preparing for war and so the king changes the rules and now second born sons are also called up to attend the military academy. So in the first part of the book we see Inda travel to the military academy and start his training along with other second sons.The military academy training is hard and brutal and the boys are also treated harshly by their own older brothers, some of whom seem to resent the presence of the younger siblings. Inda makes friends with the second son of the king, who has also started training at the academy, however the heir to the throne hates his younger brother and he sets out to brutalise Inda and his friends. As well as all the military training there is a lot of politics going on. The country is ruled by the king but there are lots of important families and different political tensions. The king’s younger brother in particular is keen for the country to go to war as he wants to win great victories in battle, and he is very manipulative of the king’s heir and the political situation in the military academy.Halfway through the book Inda is the victim of a political scheme gone wrong and is exiled from the academy. So the second half of the book changes pace quite a bit as we jump forward in time and follow Inda after he has been sent out to sea to become a sailor and keep him out of trouble. Of course trouble finds Inda and there is a lot of action involving pirates. We also follow a lot of other characters such as other young men at the military academy, and some girls such as Inda’s sister and his intended wife, who are all involved in various political and military intrigues. As I said, the world building in this book is incredibly detailed and complex. I will admit that at first I found it quite confusing. There are so many characters with complicated names and they all have many different names and titles and nicknames. One interesting element is that they have two different languages and use different languages for different purposes. But that did make it a bit confusing to keep track of all the different titles and terminology. I also thought the plot was a little slow at first, it did take me awhile to get into the story and get to grips with everything that was going on. However eventually it all clicked and I ended up really enjoying the story. I really enjoyed the section of the book where Inda was at the military academy, because I do like books where characters are going through training. I liked seeing Inda bonding with his classmates and learning how to be a military commander. It reminded me a bit of Ender’s Game or Blood Song, both books that I really like. I was a bit disappointed in the second half of the book when it moves away from that and Inda is at sea instead. One issue I had is that the plot jumps forward in time a couple of years at that point, and I felt like I’d lost the connection with Inda as a character due to so much time passing. So again it took me a bit of time to adjust to that change, but eventually I did get back into the story and ultimately I did really enjoy it. I do have a few minor complaints that I want to mention. I found the narrative style of the book didn’t really work for me. Inda is definitely the main character of the book, but we also spend a lot of time following other characters. I generally don’t mind that, in fact I’ve read a lot of great books that have multiple points of view. However in this book I felt there were just so many characters and they weren’t particularly clearly distinguished. The perspective could actually change within a paragraph so sometimes it felt like the book was just jumping from character to character for no purpose. I think I would have preferred it if the book had more focus on fewer characters and we got to know those characters in more depth, rather than the pretty inconsistent approach taken in the book instead.My other minor issue with the book was how obsessed the characters were with sex in the second half of the book. They are all older teenagers at that point, so I guess it’s perhaps realistic, but it was still very tiresome and repetitive for me to read. I don’t object to reading about sex, and there wasn’t anything explicit in the book, but it just seemed that we had to see every single character discovering sex and exploring their sexuality and it become a bit boring to be honest.Overall I would say that while this book does have a few flaws, I still enjoyed reading it. If you are the sort of fantasy reader who really values world building then I would definitely recommend this book, the setting is really well developed and complex and it is definitely rewarding to figure out all the intricacies of the world. However the book can also be a bit slow and confusing at times, so if you’re looking for a fun and easy fantasy read then this is perhaps not the book to go for. I am glad I read it though, and I did like the book a great deal.
3.5-3.75 starsDislikes: Overly confusing names, vast time span and what was happening simultaneously in other parts of the Kingdom (even though it was fun to see Inda grow from a boy to a man!), some tedious/lagging sections on ship terms and battles.Likes: The well-developed characters, the various histories of the ruling families, exploration of Homosexuality, pirate life, adventures at sea, and the super cool fighting technique the women utilized- the Odni. I have conflicting thoughts on this book. There was a great deal I enjoyed, but other parts felt unnecessarily difficult to wade through. However, I appreciated the complexity and imagination Sherwood Smith used to create this world. The first fifty pages require intense concentration due to the character names. Each person is referred to several ways depending on what region they are from, their official title, if they've been to war, and their nickname. The confusion lies in hearing them referred to by their nickname for many chapters, then reverting to their actual name when addressed formally. A glossary is quite useful to help sort this matter out. Similar to other fantasy novels with challenging names, if you are willing to make the intellectual investment, the story will flow far more smoothly. This has a slower plot and pace, which I don't mind being a literary fiction lover! The book is full of political maneuvers, infighting, and staging for battles. The time arc in this is quite broad, spanning a little over eight years. This could be confusing since months would occasionally pass between chapters, but the character development didn't suffer for it. Any major changes were always discussed in depth. The rest of people's personalities you assumed stayed the same. I enjoyed the book being split into two parts- this separation signified a major life change for Inda and helped take the book in a new direction. I've seen some reviews criticizing the omniscient 3rd person voice that was used through the novel, but I thought it fit the story with it's myriad of characters. I believe different chapters for all the voices would have been a tangled mess!I have never read a book about pirates and the seafaring life. Nor have I read a book in this genre that spent time talking about homosexuality. I've read some that mention it vaguely in passing, and even then it is typically a minor character. Smith did a great job at highlighting how sexuality plays a part in one's existence and life satisfaction, without making it be the sole defining characteristic of that person. Basically, we are far more than what happens behind closed doors. Smith fleshed out her characters very well- from backgrounds, to insecurities, triumphs, and more. I liked finding out about all the different families and their histories. I found the King's brother to be a particularly interesting person when it came to his self loathing and personal ambition. While this novel took me longer to read than I had hoped, it is quite impressive and I will be continuing with the series. After some initial brain strain (on my part anyway!), the story took off and I felt more invested in the character's lives. I would recommend to anyone looking for a deeply intellectual, immersive Fantasy read.
What do You think about Inda (2006)?
I finished Inda by Sherwood Smith last night. This is the first book in the Inda series, and when they say the first book, they mean it. *grin*In essence, this is a setup book, which introduces the reader to Inda and a motley cast of friends as they are sent to war college as young boys. They've been training with each other and the girls at home (boys defend the land, girls defend the main castle) with games and such, but for the first time in history, the second sons of the ruling families have been sent to the war college their older brothers have attended for the last few years. While training, there is the typical bullying and attacks as the boys separate into their little cliques. Inda befriends Sponge, the second in line to become the king, along with a host of other second sons. But he makes some strong enemies as well, not only among his own group, but among the adults who are using the arrival of the boys and their training to affect the politics of the entire kingdom.Where Inda excels is in the relationships between the boys and girls. You end up caring (and hating) for many of the characters, and want to follow what happens to them as the story progresses. It also excels at putting you firmly into the world, with slang at the war college and among the girls training that is both different and entirely believable. After introducing us to the main players as a group, establishing hatreds and friendships among them all, Inda then takes a horrible turn and the main players in the group are forced apart. The second half of the book follows the main characters on their separate paths, and the politics of the adult world begin to entwine them more and more as they grow up. And Inda excels at the politics as well. I've always been drawn to stories that intermix politics with action, and it appears that the Inda series will fulfill that desire well.In the end, Inda in an excellent fantasy. My issues with the book were minor, one of which is that the titles for the lords and ladies and kings and queens, etc, are not easy to parse. There's an index in the back of the book, but I rarely use such things. I can honestly say that I still don't have all of these straight. Part of the problem is that there are so many of them with variations depending on whether they're at war or not, and part of the problem is that they're all strange spellings. But not being able to follow these didn't detract from an understanding of the plot.The other issue isn't really a problem, just something readers should be aware of: this book is most definitely part of a series. The main plot is not resolved by the end of this book, so if you enjoy it, you'll definitely have to continue reading on into the second book, The Fox. I intend to do this, of course, but if you're expecting this book to have a solid resolution . . . it doesn't. It has a satisfactory ending, an obvious turning point for the main characters, but nothing resolved. As I said at the beginning of the review, this book mainly introduces you to the world, the major players (both young and adult) and sets the stage for the politics and the action, betrayals, and war that I expect will follow.If you keep that in mind, and you're OK with series where you HAVE to read on, then I highly recommend this series. Sherwood Smith has created an interesting world and filled it with characters I want to read about. I'll definitely be reading on.
—Joshua Palmatier
As a big, big fan of Sherwood Smith, I was kind of bummed that the first time I read this book (right when it came out) I found it surprisingly...just alright. Having just gotten a Kindle (and realizing I could carry a library with me to work everyday for when I got bored), I decided it was time to give it another try. I don't know if it's just because I'm older now and didn't try to gulp down the book in one sitting, but instead of being completely overwhelmed by the strange (and multiple) names for the many characters, I was able to see connections and understand the patterns of the Marlovan customs. This speaks to how much time and detail went into creating this other world. The series is not a light read, by any means; it's an epic fantasy, with this first book ending without much resolution. Luckily, all four of the books are out and available now, so there's no reason for any Lost syndrome (i.e. losing all the details in the time between seasons, and thus missing all the fun allusions).
—Erin
Indevan-Dal Algara-Vayir is the second son of the Prince and Princess of Choraed Elgaer, destined to become Shield Arm (military leader) for his older brother Tanric. His future seems all laid out for him, down to the girl he'll marry -- until one day when a messenger arrives from the King, summoning Inda to the King's Military Academy. Inda thinks he's prepared for the harsh life at the Academy, as Tanric has always followed the tradition of thrashing his younger brother into obedience, but when he gets there, he finds himself caught up in a confusing tangle of loyalty and treachery.What I was most impressed with in Inda is the worldbuilding, which is fantastically deep and rich. Particularly interesting to me was the relationship between men and women, which isn't at all the standard medieval fantasy world one of "men fight, women don't". Inda's society is war-oriented, constantly on guard, skirmishing, and occasionally conquering. Though the men are in charge of war and offense, that does not exclude the women, who receive their own kind of training, oriented toward defense rather than offense.Along with the worldbuilding, the characterization is also excellent. Inda himself is the character we spend the most time with and get to know the best, but there are a variety of other viewpoints which enrich our understanding of him and of his friends, family, and enemies. Sometimes I find multiple viewpoints offputting, if there's too much switching and not enough time spent with each character; here, I felt that the different viewpoints really contributed to the depth of the characters and their relationships.I wrote this review when I read Inda first three years ago. I just read it again, for the third time, because the final book in the series will be on my doorstep today, and I found it just as compelling and rich as the first time.
—Margaret
