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Originally Posted by FizzyWater
I can't give anything like the detail in my opinion that you did - I read this back when it first came out and my memory is not what it was. 
However, I agree this was a good book and worth reading.
I would make one comment about when the young man saved the princess. I think in a mostly rural world, it wouldn't be impossible that a protected young man still wouldn't be strong enough to do what needed to be done. I imagine those farm chores would definitely require strength.
I think you do make a point. If I remember correctly, one reason why he was willing to be brave and risk his life was because so many of his protector sisters were not available (didn't they travel into town or something?) So this could be a case of his actions being driven by need, and not otherwise typical. |
I think you're right about him being stronger than the typical 'city boy'. I think that was even mentioned in passing in the book (not sure). However I can buy in to the idea that he would fight off the attackers, his skill with guns was explained by the mention that his father insisted that the boys be trained to use them along with the girls, but I have a hard time with him carrying the princess back to his house.
In our world, we don't have the expectation that women (especially ones living in such restricted circumstances) would have the upper body strength to carry a full grown man a mile or so to the house. the 'spunky' ones would fashion a travois and drag the man back. I think that would have been a more logically consistent scenario and would not have altered the story any.
Like I said, I chose not to let it interrupt my enjoyment of the story, and maybe I'm looking for nits to pick. But as a lover of Science Fiction and alternate universes of all kinds, I feel obligated to point out when the universe being created isn't quite "right".
I get the impression that the book is older, so the likelihood of continuing with this universe is kind of small, but I'd buy either a sequel to this story, or other books set in this universe.