So off I went to a local bookshop of the most obscure book cover I could find. It seemed only fair, after all I didn’t want to make it easy. Quickly I decided it had to be a fictional book as the nonfiction section was full of books with boringly mundane covers. I found what I was looking for in the Science Fiction and Fantasy section of the store. Science Fiction and Fantasy section is a treasure trove of inspiring and frankly ludicrous book covers. I quickly dismissed the covers of books that had a lady on them with unfeasable breasts. As fun as it would be to judge such a book, I’ve not decided if this is a family show yet and I don’t want to alienate my audience by talking about boobs, especially unrealistic boobs in equally unrealistic fantasy boob armour.
This narrowed down the playing field somewhat. Of the remaining, I decided to make sure I picked a book with a lot happening on the cover, the move happening, the more I could judge. I found my book deep in the depths of the Science Fiction and Fantasy section; it was perfect. It even had a relevant title to the task, it was almost like I was being told to buy this book by a higher power. Never one to dismiss decree from a higher power, I quickly bought “The Judging Eye” a novel by R.Scott Bakker and took it home, eager to start my judging.
Here’s a picture of it:
"The Judging Eye" a novel by R.Scott Bakker.
Now then, what can we determine from the front cover. Right. Firstly SFX calls it “A class act” and I know that SFX is a science fiction magazine, so I can guess that it’s a Science Fiction or Fantasy book. I know what you’re thinking, and yes, I did pick it up from the Science Fiction and Fantasy section of the bookstore, but that shouldn’t stop you from being impressed with my Holmesian like detective skills. I know I am. Who knows, the book could have been put in the wrong section and this is my first time judging a book by it’s cover. If you were a proper sidekick you’d exclaim something encouraging like “Incredible Holmes!” at this point.
No? Nothing? Oh well…
Right, Judging. Okay, so the picture. There’s this guy right, and he has at least one eye. I’m guessing he’s quite a judgemental chap or at very least his one plus (eye/eyes) (is/are) terribly judgemental in some way or another Now it looks like he might be something to do with tapestries. So he’s ever a weaver of some sort, or the subject of tapestries themselves. However, as the book was described as “A class act” I’m guessing he’s quite a classy person. Maybe he’s a judge? So I’d perhaps this is a book about a Cyclopean Magistrate. Then again being a Judge isn’t necessarily classy, so maybe our JUdge is a noble or something like that. Maybe he’s a king.
Hmmm, for arguements sake, let’s call him King One-Eye the Judgemental.
Now we’re cooking on gas!
Now King One-Eye goes to war, from what I can gather from the plate he’s peeking out he does it with some kind of magic mirror device to hand. Also whilst he does this he’s very classy (thanks SFX) way and…
…
Nope, that’s about it. But I’m pretty sure it’s a coming of age story about a one eyed plain speaking king magistrate who’s trapped in a magical plate and goes to war.
Or it’s Snow White, from the perspective of the magic mirror.
I’m taking it with me everywhere. Not because I’ve developed an unhealthy and worrying attachment to the book, but because I like to read on the train. I’ll let you know how monumentally far I am from the actual plot once I’ve finished it.
Right, I have now completed “The Judging Eye” a novel by R.Scott Bakker. First thing’s first. This book is set 20 years after another set of books by R.Scott Bakker, however it makes no mention of this anywhere in the blurb.
Shame really, because the fact that it’s a sequel makes it a remarkably confusing read for anybody who hasn’t read the first book. The first chapter is terrible. So very difficult for me to not just put the book down somewhere and hide it. This honestly is why it’s taken me nearly a month to finish.
Anyway, the plot. The book is all about Esmenet, the Aspect Emperor’s wife, her youngest son, her oldest illegitimate daughter, her former lover, and the capture king of another city. All are in some way trying to figure out just who the Aspect Emperor is. If that sounds confusing, then that’s because it is. The reader is thrown right into the disorienting action.
Although the pace slows through the book giving room for things like character development and plot. Suffice to say there is no Magic Mirror, no floating eyes and no king with only one eye.
Disappointing really.
Whilst reading the book I put on the Facebook group that the person who sent me the best suggestion for what the Judging Eye could be about would win the book after I’ve read it. The winner was the lovely Mim, who suggested that the book was actually a psuedo-psychological exploration into the idea of how we view ourselves with the one eyed king representing our ruling inability to be balanced judges of ourselves. He’s actually trapped in his own mind (the mind is actually of you, the reader) and his quest for understanding of himself and to cure his lack of personal-depth perception is a fascinating story of self-love and self-betrayal.
If you ask me, she’s taking this rather too seriously, but I’m only saying that because her suggestion was better than mine. Just as wrong though.
