An Intimate History of the Greater Kingdom Member Reviews, Most Helpful First
Why I Love "An Intimate History of the Greater Kingdom"
Anyone who is not up to date with this story is missing out on a sensual, light-hearted trip that foreshadows great excitement and upheaval in the kingdom’s future and in Temmin’s eventual ascendancy as King. Also Temmin has finally lost his virginity, and what a way to do so! It was an exceptionally beautiful chapter.
I tried to make this brief, because so many glowing and relevant points have already been made on MeiLin Miranda’s behalf . . . but I failed. I apologize. I would like to express great appreciation for Gavin Williams’s review, because I find that I am most challenged and focused to identify exactly ‘why I like a story so much’ when faced with a good critic.
Temmin’s appeal is no mystery to those of us who identify with him. First of all, I think MeiLin made an excellent decision in making him the protagonist, because from another person’s perspective, Temmin would be clueless, immature, and annoying. Instead, we get a wonderful glimpse into an earnest, idealistic, and surprisingly ethical character (something that certain people identify with and that others often find refreshing and/or endearing)! Putting us into the beginning of his sexual maturation is rewarding because it is so entertaining. Not only do we learn about life and love and sex alongside Temmin, we learn about the Kingdom and it’s expectations. Anyone who struggles with discovering their own identity, finding their place, and figuring out a complex world can identify with Temmin’s feelings and thoughts. I also happen to love the learning and schooling part of stories. Although I’m sure my understanding of character appeal is not comprehensive, I find Temmin to interesting because of the open view we have into his thinking, because of his vulnerability to other people, and because I think he really wants to be a good person, a good prince, and a good king!
If you really dislike Temmin, there are all sorts of personalities in MeiLin’s story. Temmin is soulful, Ellika is bubbly, Sedra is practical, Teacher is rational, Jenks is down to earth, Harsin is commanding, Ansella is tragic, (and I’ve really enjoyed the recent different sides of her), Issak is seductive, Allis is alluring, but all of them are well developed. None of them are overly moody or repulsive, and I think it’s a lot easier to pick on the characters that populate real life than it is to detest the charming cast of characters MeiLin offers.
The beginning of the story takes on a realistic pace of events (which must be hard to do; I very much admire this quality) and is very much relationship driven. I enjoyed the parallel history given because I thought it was very relevant to the growth Temmin was undergoing. I also suspect that we read and are reading the best highlights of past history, and that focus on those stories alone might eventually become forced or boring.
I think the biggest appeal of "An Intimate History" at this point is that it’s full of potential. It does satisfy for the moment, but what keeps me coming back is the promise. There is the promise of character development, the promise of intimate moments, the promise of excitement, the promise of relationships, the promise of Temmin learning magic, and the promise of prophecies fulfilled. I love reading this story because I am convinced every episode that it is addictive, artistic, and amazing!
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Head and shoulders above most online writing
Although this story is Mei’s first fiction piece, her 30+ years of professional writing (and web design!) shine through in this lovely story. I discovered it at the beginning, but as other have noted, the first few chapters take awhile to engage you. I re-discovered it around ch. 17 of book 2 and became a rabid convert.
The History is well-written (vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, formatting, etc. are all superior to your average internet entry), with the quality consistent in almost every chapter, plus sensitive and realistic handling of adult topics, absolutely wonderful characters with lots of depth and quirks (almost no one is clearly "good" or "bad"), an easy-to-follow plot that still retains oodles of mystery, and a rich background world. Also, her update schedule is very reliable so far!
If you must have some detail before diving right in, it is technically a fantasy that draws heavily on 1800s fashion with only occasional overt magic (focused primarily around religion and the character of the Teacher). The protagonist is a sixteen year-old prince and heir of the central kingdom and the story starts with his arrival in the capital as a good-hearted but somewhat spoiled and certainly naive young man to begin his formal training as Heir.
I’d recommend this story to anyone except those who are too immature for/offended by explicitly described sexuality or if they simply can’t stand people-focused fiction (versus something like "hard" scifi).
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Far too interesting to be a mere history…
MeiLin Miranda manages to combine history, fantasy, and sex in a very original and addictive coming of age story. Rather than the sex taking away from the plot and rendering the story second rate, as it so often does in other stories, it instead adds another dimension to the writing.
We’ve all read histories that focus on wars, treaties, and social class, but An Intimate History of the Greater Kingdom uses those as a background for the relationships that have defined the world. The relationships between the people of the kingdom have as much, or more, bearing on the histories as the politics do. MeiLin Miranda tells her story from the perspective of the people, and in doing so, weaves a fantastic story that is far more interesting than any mere history could ever be.
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Just my cup of tea…and "four ham sandwiches, three currant scones with plenty of butter, and only two slices of fruitcake"!
MeiLin Miranda has managed to create a whole world surrounding a young man coming into his own. It not only has insights into human nature, silly and fun tidbits (like how much Temmin manages to eat), and intriguing and well-developed characters, it also has an entire mythos and history surrounding the royal family. There are customs, laws, dances - even fighting styles! To read this story is to be immersed.
While some might complain about the sex, I believe that it is used as a plot device, and not a distraction from the plot. So much of real life and real history revolves around sex. I think it is very brave of MeiLin to put it in. To me, it does not interrupt the plot, and only enhances it. Also, frankly, it’s exciting and never boring.
I like the switch from Temmin’s life and world to the Intimate History of his family. I think the two parallel each other well, and he learns about himself and his life within those stories. Of course, I am also the kind of person that reads several books and watches several movies at the same time!
Bottom line, read this if you want great writing with fantastic creativity, and a little exciting sex mixed in.
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