Nova War by Gary Gibson

Nova War
Gary Gibson
Tor, 2009

Nova War is the sequel to 2008’s Stealing Light a book that, surprise surprise, has yet to get a release here in the states.  Nova War dispenses with some of the mystery of the first novel and trading it instead for some serious action.  Indeed things are ratcheted right up to eleven and amongst all the action and excitement I felt that Gibson still managed to do an excellent job in creating unique and memorable characters and wound up with a book that surpassed its predecessor in terms of quality.  If you haven’t read the first book be warned there will be some minor spoilers below.

After having escaped an exploding star in an ancient Magi spaceship machine-head Dakota Merrick and her erstwhile lover and sometime rival Lucas Corso find themselves captured by the insect-like Bandati.  Tortured and imprisoned for their knowledge of the Magi technology Dakota and Lucas find themselves trapped not only between warring hives of Bandati but square in between the arrogant Shoal and their longtime enemies the Emissaries.  As hostilities between the two ancient rivals escalate Dakota, with her special connection to Magi ships, becomes a key figure in a battle that far transcends the scope of human, or even Shoal, knowledge.

In my review of Stealing Light I mentioned Star Wars and while the novel as a whole transcends the more fantasy-based architecture of that series it seems to me that Gibson certainly draws inspiration from some of the more wondrous and adventurous situations that the original trilogy offered.  During an early scene in Nova War I was reminded of The Empire Strikes back and the scene where Han and company take refuge in what they think is an asteroid.  I still remember the sort of “Wow” moment induced when the truth behind  where they were was revealed.  In Nova War Gibson plays upon a similar theme in a restaurant inside the mouth of a giant worm.  I’ll repeat that: a restaurant in the mouth of giant worm.  Gibson does a masterful job of imparting basic knowledge of Bandati culture (where eating is a completely private affair), introducing us to new characters, and providing a thrilling scene of high action.  It is certainly one of the best, if not THE best, action scenes I’ve read all year.

Nova War expands the scope of the Shoal sequence introducing us to new aliens; such as the horrific Emissaries.  While we don’t get any chapters from an Emissary perspective what we go glimpse reveals a species terrifying in their power and with a mad zealotry towards nigh on inscrutable goals.  Hopefully we’ll see more of the Emissaries in future volumes since Gibson dropped just enough hints to wet my curiosity but not enough answers to sate it.  The things Dakota learns from the Magi vessel further expands on the universe that Gibson has created and manages to infuse dire events with a certain amount of hope for the futures of the Shoal’s “client species.”

While I didn’t mention it in my review of Stealing Light, Nova War continues Gibson’s penchant for offering entertaining and evocative names for his non-human characters.  We have, returning from the previous novel,  the Shoal Trader in Faecal Matter of Animals whose name, despite being somewhat humorous still manages to accurately describe his personality.  The bandati’s names are more translations of their personal scents so you get the wonderfully evocative “Scent of Honeydew, Distant Rumble of Summer Storms” (Honeydew for short) and the former ambassador to a human colony “Days of Wine and Roses” (a name that is considered odd by his people).  The bandati names might be tiresome if their scent based communication weren’t carried through in other aspects of the novel but thankfully it is; one particular scene in which Wine and Roses urges haste because of an alarm causes a character respond along the lines of “I don’t hear an alarm only smell something burning” which Wine and Roses responds “That is the alarm.”

Each of the main characters of Nova War are well realized and believable individuals with histories and goals that are unique.  Even that characters that are nominally on the same side often have agendas and goals that don’t mesh with their “allies.”  As a result Gibson weaves a tangled web of politics and personal relationships that creates not only an emotional connection to his characters but also enhances the tension amongst the various factions vying for control of the Magic vessel.  There are no real clear cut mustache-twirling villains here, though the actions some characters take have tragic galaxy spawning consequences their motivations are typically clear and not necessarily evil from their perspective.

Nova War is a thrilling addition to the Shoal sequence and a definite improvement over the already-stellar Stealing Light.  Despite the lack of an official US release I highly highly recommend fans of space opera to hit up Book Depository and Amazon.co.uk (according this news post ebooks are available via panmacmillan.com) and give the series a try.  Gibson, ends Nova War with rather frustrating hints at what is to come in the next volume, Empire of Light (release date unknown), that leave me wishing I had the book right now.  Nova War is definitely on my list of favorite reads of 2009 and I look forward to Mr. Gibson’s future work.

The Quiet War by Paul McCauley

The Quiet War
Paul McCauley
Pyr, 2009

In a future where Earth has been ravaged by economical disaster humanity is split down two divergent paths.  Down one path are the Outers, exiled first to the moon then to Mars and now settled on the moons surrounding Jupiter and Saturn they espouse the ideas of Ancient Greek Democracy and use genetic manipulation to modify their bodies in ways both practical and cosmetic. Meanwhile, on Earth the powerful Brazilian government, ruled by a class of powerful families, follows a nature based religion predicated on restoring the Earth, or Gaea, to her former glory.  These two societies find themselves at social and ideological loggerheads not only with each other but within divergent faction within each society as well.  It isn’t long before the spectre of war looms on the horizon.

The Quiet War is a novel I really wanted to love but ended up just liking.  Part of the problem is what I felt was a tendency towards exposition that frequently felt unnecessary and often served to jar me out of my enjoyment of the story.  The exposition often seemed tied to Sri Hong-Owen’s perspective to the point where every time the story shifted back to her I’d register and internal groan.  I think part of it was her characterization as somewhat of a cold, purely scientific individual that made reading these portions of the story feel almost clinical.  The chapters I looked forward to most were those featuring Macy Minnot and Dave #8.

Macy is a microbiologist who typically engineers mud for biomes.  She is brash, forthright and one of the most believable characters in the story.  Through Macy I felt we get some of the more fascinating glimpse of McCauley’s world.  We get glimpses into the world beyond the concerns of the novel at large; tantalizing snippets of the wonderfully imaginative ideas like the religious cult Macy ran away from.  Ideas that are only explained just enough to light one’s imagination on fire.  Overall I found that from Macy’s perspective as an outsider operating in a society not her own the information we learn about Outer culture felt more natural and seemed to flow as part of the narrative.  This stood in direct contrast to the information we learn about Earth from other perspectives which frequently felt as asides that never actually contributed to forwarding the novel’s plot. The other character I enjoyed was Dave #8.  Dave #8 is a clone being raised and bred to fight the Outers.  It is a fascinating perspective and McCauley does a great job of illuminating the diverse personalities amongst the clones particularly with the religious minded Dave #27.  I did feel that the concluding section of Dave #8’s arc was lacking something but given the quirks in his personality seen from the very beginning his final decision has an air of inevitability that is difficult to argue with.   While his early chapters detail the training and indoctrination he receives are fascinating in their detail I found the later sections during his first mission a little less engaging.  Those later section do manage to provide another grounds-eye glimpse at Outer life but the relationship that forms the crux of Dave #8’s internal crisis comes off a bit forced.

The character I wanted to like but just could never get a handle on was hot shot pilot Cash Baker.  Baker, as part of an experimental program to integrate an augmented nervous system with a new fusion engine powered fighter craft, forms the crux of one of the coolest ideas in the book.  Unfortunately,  I never felt this aspect of the story really developed and the final conclusion of this plot line provoked an incredulous “Really?”  Which is shame since it’s hard to get much cooler then a guy who pilots his fighter with his frickin’ mind!

Eventually politics and the exploration of the differences between Outer and Earth society gives way to big set piece type action which is a nice change of pace and made for a thrilling conclusion to the novel.  In the end The Quiet War was novel full of big ideas that were like ambrosia for the imagination but suffered when attempting to tie those same ideas to characters who were emotionally engaging.  While Macy Minnot was a resounding success as a protagonist, almost the very definition of scrappy hero, I never felt the rest of novel’s cast really reached the same level of believability each character seemed designed more the serve a purpose rather then be a person.  The truth I was perhaps let down by own high expectations for The Quiet War my problems with characters aside it is still an exciting read full of thrilling scientific ideas and the beginnings of what could be an epic story.  The sequel, Gardens of the Sun (Amazon , Book Depository) , is out in the UK already and will hit the US from Pyr in March and I’ll certainly take a look when it does.

I cracked open Dec. 09 issue of AudioFile and immediately noticed a quarter-page ad from GraphicAudio for a full-cast reading of Brandon Sanderson’s Warbreaker complete with “cinematic music” and “digital effects”.  GraphicAudio has been around since 2004 and produce full-cast versions of a variety of material a lot of it from the comic book and speculative fiction areas.  I haven’t actually heard one yet, but they do offer what looks to be a 60 Minute sampler of Warbreaker so if it is something you might like check it out and let me know what you think.

Yup, I’m behind already.  I’ll try and make some headway in my reading but the series of cogs that power my brain seem to be chugging along quite slowly this morning.  December is now officially the month I will be posting about why I’m not posting.  On a side note I managed to squeeze in an episode of Dollhouse last night and was pleasantly surprised by the new episode.  The show seems to lack the spark that made previous Whedon ventures so enjoyable and the humor, when it surfaces, seems to fall a bit flat amongst the darker tone of the series.  It is still a fascinating concept and the episode I saw finally moves towards exploring the greater continuity of the Dollhouse world; which is a shame since we are a season and a half in and this the first time we’re really seeing that kind of stuff.  Anyway I’m still somewhat glad Whedon is going to be moving onto new things.

I also saw the 1986 film You’re Never Too Young To Die on Saturday night.  This gem of a film was a John Stamos vehicle prior to his appearance in Full House (which debuted in 1987) and after leaving General Hospital.  John Stamos is Lance Stargrove a college gymnast who must take up his fathers mostly unexplained to job to stop the evil transgendered Velvet von Ragnar from poisoning the water supply with radioactive waste.  Velvet is played by Gene Simmons.  It is exactly as terrible as you’d expect it to be…and then some.  In the climatic final fight there is a point when Stargrove bites Ragnar’s breast…it was both hilarious and horrifying.  If you’re desperate to know the details about the movie I recommend Something Awful’s summary.  Having watched Crossroads right before this (with Rifftrax on) I can’t even tell you which movie was worse.  No seriously I can’t.   At least the company was good and it was a much needed bit of relaxation after work.

Seeds of the Earth by Michael Cobley

Seeds of the Earth
Michael Cobley
Orbit UK, 2009 (MM, Jan 2010)

Seeds of the Earth is the first in a new space opera series by Michael Cobley.  The cover features a nice one line quote from space opera master Iain M. Banks describing the novel as “Proper galaxy-spanning space opera.”  A statement that couldn’t be more true.  Seeds of the Earth is very old school with a large cast of characters and a diverse and wonderfully vibrant phalanx of ideas that makes for an great read and excellent starting point in jumping from my epic fantasy reading of November into the stars and beyond.

Seeds of the Earth opens with humanity’s first contact with the alien Swarm.  Or at least the tail end of that conflict as we more or less witness the departure of three human colony ships (note: I read the prologue while I had a fever of 103 and, for shame, didn’t go back and re-read it after).  The novel picks up a century and a half later on the human colony world of Darien where, after struggling with the rogue AI of their colony ship, the humans have settled in a peaceful coexistence of the nature loving Uvovo.   The discovery of an ancient Uvovo ruin dating back thousands of years to a conflict with a powerful and mysterious enemy sets off a chain of reactions that thrusts Darien and its human and Uvovo inhabitants straight into danger.

More to follow with potential spoilers…

Seeds of the Earth is full of ideas that ooze cool.  When it comes to the colony world of Darien these ideas help to evoke a vibrant picture of the planet’s geography, culture and society.  We learn, for example, that the people of Darien are composed of Scottish, Scandinavian and Russian stock as an experiment in blending what the old Earth government believed would be national and ethnic background most likely to live and work well together.  Thus throughout the novel you get a sampling, and frequently a mix, of dialect and names that lends a familiar feel to the people.  At the same time that mix of culture and dialect lends something of an alien and unique feel to the world as well.  Tossed into this cultural mix are the Uvovo short humanoids from the planet’s forest moon who worship a great sentient forest.   The uvovo have helped the colonists on Darien to adopt their nature friendly policies.  Of course we also get glimpses of the Uvovo culture as well and their sylvan and mystical feel lend a stark and welcomed contrast to the more technology heavy people and societies glimpsed elsewhere in the novel.

Early in the novel the Darien colonists receive a message, and later an ambassador(s), from Earth and her “allies” the Sendruka Hegemony.  The incorporation of the previously isolated Darien into the greater sphere of Human and Sendrukan influence has a distinctly familiar feel.  The sudden influx of news and information that is available to Darien is perhaps similar to what may have occurred in the years following the introduction of the telegraph, or the introduction of the transcontinental railroad in 1869.  I suppose what I’m trying to say is that the sudden introduction of Darien into the greater world of intergalactic politics seems to bear a certain historical precedence.   The brief though evocative experience readers get when first reading about Darien combined with the knowledge readers are given regarding Human and Sendrukan goals is precisely enough to create an atmosphere of tension and foreboding.

Each of the various factions in the novel is typically given a description casts them as either a good guy or a bad guy.  There are hints of nuance, a human purity faction on Darien or the non-AI assisted humans, but they are mostly just that; hints.  The villains are clearly villains and the heroes are clearly heroes.  I don’t have a particular problem with this and, as I said, there are glimpse of other individuals and powers who are shaded a bit close to the gray but by and large the  lines between hero and villain are pretty clearly drawn.  It is entirely possible that as the series progresses we will see these elements explained in more detail.

Cobley employs a variety of perspectives for his novel with each chapter titled by the character it follows.  All the characters are interest and well drawn.  Perhaps the most enjoyable and dynamic is Kao Chih who is the only character that gets to explore outside of Darien and its environ.  Robert Horst, the human ambassador from Earth, is perhaps the character I’d like to have explored a little more.  He is a troubled figure, still grieving over the death of his daughter with loyalties divided between his fellow humans on Darien and the orders given by his superiors and Sendruka allies.  His increasing reliance on the companions of an AI avatar of his daughter is fascinating but there is so little time spent with him that I was never certain if that reliance was the result of his own grief or some outside party.

My favorite idea, and I won’t explain it too much since I don’t want to spoil anything, is Cobley’s vision of subspace.  Something about it just fired my imagination right up and I’d love to see more of that.

As the first book in the Humanity’s Fire series Seeds of the Earth doesn’t end with any kind of definitive conclusion.  It instead ends with perhaps more questions then it started with.  Oddly, I didn’t find this to be much of a problem for me.  Seeds of the Earth feels the part of a greater story, as it should, and I am content in the knowledge that there will be questions answered in the next volume The Orphaned Worlds, due out in April 2010, and I’m excited to where the story goes and what new ideas Cobley will explore (which will hopefully be more subspace, in fact a whole novel set in subspace would rock).  If you’re look for a solid new(ish) entry into the space opera genre then look no further than the Seeds of the Earth.  It is, as many great sci-fi and fantasy tends to be, only out in the UK at the moment but Book Depository is listing a new edition due out in January 2010 for $5.99 with free shipping which, as far as I’m concerned, is a steal.

I should also note that Michael Cobley has some fine taste in metal.  He lists Opeth (perhaps my favorite band ever) and Paradise Lost amongst the band he listed while writing the book.  Kudos to you sir and might I recommend you check out the ’states own Agalloch for some excellent black/doom metal.  You can read more about Cobley’s writing and impeccable music taste over at his blog Interstellar Tactics.

Despite a couple of posts squeaking in during the first week of December, my reading got tossed for a loop over Thanksgiving when the flu had me nigh on comatose, November was dedicated exclusively to fantasy fiction.  Here is a listing of “November” posts:

Sa souvraya niende misain ye: Identity and The Gathering Storm

Review: Dust of Dreams by Steven Erikson

Review: The Adamantine Palace by Stephen Deas

Review: The Other Lands by David Anthony Durham

Review: Servant of a Dark God by John Brown

Review: A Young Man Without Magic by Lawrence Watt-Evans

Review: The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold

Dragon Age is Annoying*

Review: The Infernal City by Greg Keyes

Whew! That was a lot of reading!  I’m attempted to tackle space opera next, though a few other titles might creep into the mix.  Our copy of First Lord’s Fury never showed up at the library and I have a copy of Scott Sigler’s The Rookie that I haven’t been able to fit into my themed reading of late so there’s a chance I might crack those open this month as well.  I have a number of titles I’m fairly certain I’ll get to.  I’m almost finished Seeds of the Earth by Michael Cobley (a UK import that has been sitting on my desk for a couple months now), Nova War by Gary Gibson (sequel to the previously reviewed Stealing Light), and The Quiet War by Paul McAuley.  I don’t know the status of The God Engines by John Scalzi since I’ve yet to see a release date though my copy is pre-ordered.  I’ll also do my best to work through The New Space Opera 2, the first 2 stories of which I’ve really enjoyed.

I should also point out that it is December and I work retail part-time (in addition to my full time job).  I’m already 1 week into my December work-a-thon and my guess is I won’t see a day off until Christmas Eve.  As my mental state invariably decays, and I regress ever closer to a vegetative state, over the next 2 weeks posting may suffer as a result…you’ve been warned.

The Infernal City by Greg Keyes

The Infernal City: An Elder Scrolls Novel
Greg Keyes
Del Rey, 2009

Forty years after the Oblivion crisis a strange floating city appears over the oceans of Tamriel and begins a long journey towards the continent of Morrowind.  Swept up in its wake is the youthful and alchemically inclined Annaig and her long time Argonian friend Mere-Glim.  The two find themselves drawn into the strange ecology of the floating city Umbriel as it leaves destruction in its wake.  Drawn by Annaig’s magical plea for help is the world-famous hero Prince Attrebus who suddenly discovers some hard truths about himself and his friends.  Thrown into the mix is a hardened dunmer somehow tied to the Daedric Prince Azura.

There are two starting points from which one can look at The Infernal City: as a fan of the Elder Scrolls world or as someone new to the Elder Scrolls world.  Despite my actually having never finished either of the recent Elder Scrolls games, Oblivion or Morrowind,  I would still count myself the former.  I have a fairly solid geographical picture of the Elder Scrolls landscape and a firm knowledge of the various races that inhabit it.  While I didn’t read every tome I stumbled across in either game I have at least a passing familiarity with some of the lore and history surrounding the game.  All of which definitely added to my enjoyment of the novel since I have an established working knowledge of the world.

For me, at least, this is unabashedly good thing and I thought that The Infernal City did a wonderful of job of highlighting the juxtaposition of typical medieval fantasy with twisted oddities that makes the Elder Scrolls world so enjoyable.  The Elder Scrolls have always been fantastic at crafting a unique feel and the elements that Keyes explores here, particularly the city of Umbriel, its inhabitants, and its inner workings have a wonderfully original feel and chock-full of twisted somewhat unhinged ideas.  Unfortunately, for readers not already acquainted with The Elder Scrolls world, The Infernal City might not be the best choice of reads.  While I found the original elements of The Infernal City, particularly the characters and the titular city, to be well thought out and explained quite nicely there is a certain lack of detail or explanation involved when more familiar Elder Scrolls elements show up.

Perhaps part of the problem is the novel’s scant size.  In around 300 pages the novel covers around 4 character perspectives.  One of those perspectives, that of an imperial secret agent, seems somewhat superfluous to the main plot of the novel itself.  I rather liked the chapters to feature the secret agent as in a few small strokes Keyes managed to paint a fascinating character who I wanted to know more about but his chapters don’t really dovetail into the main plot.  Though they do add a bit of background intrigue to what is happening elsewhere in the story they feel more like a tangent then anything else.  Keyes’ ability to craft believable characters is in full force throughout the rest of the novel and the relationship between Annaig and Mere-Glim is touching and forms a solid foundations for their actions while the inner and outer conflicts of Prince Attrebus are both heartbreaking and thrill inducing; the confrontation with some soldiers turned bandits was particularly entertaining.

Unfortunately we only really get half a novel.  There is literally no resolution at the end of The Infernal City and we are left with a rather abrupt and unsatisfying ending.   While I enjoyed reading The Infernal City a lot of that enjoyment comes with my own familiarity with The Elder Scrolls world and even that knowledge doesn’t alleviate my disappointment over the novel’s ending.  If you’re an Elder Scrolls fan looking for your next fix while waiting for the distant fifth Elder Scrolls game then by all means give The Infernal City a try.  Non-fans, especially interested in the setting, might want to steer clear as the novels serves as poor introduction to the setting; it isn’t a bad read by any means but one with a few too many problems for me to recommend whole heartedly to the every day fantasy reader.

*But I love it anyway.

Things that annoy me about Dragon Age: Origins:

-Random difficulty spikes. I’m looking at you Bandit side-quest in Denerim!  The chief signifier of these is the 5 second combat start to party-wipe.

-No combat logs. Wait.  How did I die?  I have no idea, oh well.

-Inability to queue actions. Supposedly this isn’t an issue if you’re using the Tactics system properly.  Apparently I’m not.

-Opaque system. I have no idea how all the little fiddly bits work and thus changing stats, buying equipment, and choosing spells/abilities become something of game whose rules I don’t quite know.  Choosing spells can be particularly tricky, especially when the spell descriptions don’t always reveal key details.  I’m looking at you Cleansing Aura with your suddenly draining all of Wynn’s mana!

-Particularly difficult encounters which have nothing to do with the quest I’m on. Ok, only one so far, the Spider Queen in the Deep Roads of Orzhimar, but really?  Come on now.

-Locked chests. Apparently the only means to open locked chests id DA:O is to have a character who can pick locks.  Can’t bash it open, can’t use a spell.  I’ve lost a lot of, likely crappy, loot because of this. Even Baldur’s Gate 2 let me bash chests.

-Bombs and poison.  Apparently I can only throw bombs/flasks if I’m trained in a specific skill or douse my weapon in poison/coating if I’m trained in the making of it.  Not major but still annoying when only one or two party members have the requisite ability.

-Lack of auto-pause options. By which I mean none.  Sure the game auto-pauses when combat begins but I’d love to see more options so I can react more quickly to trouble in combat.  For you console people Baldur’s Gate 2,  which Dragon Age has been repeatedly touted as the spiritual successor of, had somewhere around 10 different auto-pause options from “a character was hit by an enemy”  to “after a spell is cast”.  Useful for people like me who like to micromanage their encounters.

-ambushes. I walk into a room with a couple of enemies only to be surprised be either enemies I can’t see or enemies from the next room over.  Not cool.  Further more some of the hardest encounters in the game are the “random” encounters that occur when traveling between different places.

And now for the merely mediocre:

-“Relationships” with your characters: I don’t really like the gift-giving mechanic with some special exceptions.  Those being gifts that unlock dialogue or produce a character specific quest.  Gifts just feel like a cheap way to pacify characters who don’t always like my decisions.    Oddly outside of those specific items the gift-giving just feels trite and meaningless.  Also, why don’t my party members give me gifts?  It’s only fair.

I know what you’re thinking now: “That is a lot of complaints for a game you claim to like.”  Maybe it is, but they are each in truth minor frustrations amongst a greater backdrop of greatness.  Things like:

-the characters. I genuinely like all the characters so far.  So much so that my limit of 3 companions is genuinely troubling.  It is unfortunate that I have to build my party around specific roles in order to actually succeed at the game since, as a result, I don’t get much with other party members.

-the dialogue and voice acting.  Despite a few rough accents, or lack thereof, the voice acting in DA: O is typically fantastic.  Veteran talent Tim Curry, Claudia Black, and Kate Mulgrew round out a cast of talented lesser known voice talent.  My favorites are probably Mark Hildreth (now on ABC’s V) as Sten and Barry Ellis as Shale (only available in the “Stone Prisoner” DLC).  Playing different combinations of companions also produces some pretty entertaining exchanges though I was most amused/disturbed by Ogrhen’s offer to bed the elderly Wynn.  In fact Shale plus any other companion is pretty awesome.  Though I do wish they had found away from bring back Kevin Michael Richardson (Saervok from BG/BG2/ToB) and though apparently Jim Cummings (Minsc) did some work for DA: O I can’t place where.  Also every time is “Gather your party and venture forth?” I mimic the voice from BG2 while reading it aloud.

-the world.  Bioware has managed to craft a fascinating and detailed world with tons of lore and history that often exists outside the main game in your codex.   From the lyrium addicted magic police templars to the prayer sprouting chanters that hang around local temples Bioware has taken some traditional fantasy ideas into new and interesting ideas.  I am thoroughly excited for Green Ronin’s pen and paper Dragon Age RPG so that I can explore the world on my own terms and in a new way.

-the combat.  While rumor is the PC version is slightly harder then the console version, thanks I’m told to the fact that enemies in the console version occur in waves, and occasionally frustrating I find the old school combat immensely satisfying.  Hell, even tactics from my BG2 days often work in the game…sometimes anyway.

Though I’m not yet done I am seriously enjoying my time with Dragon Age: Origins.  Despite what the atrocious marketing campaign may tell you it is not “the new shit” but rather very much old school in the best possible way.  If you’re a fan of Bioware, well you’re probably already playing it in that case, but if you aren’t well then get off your ass and give it a whirl.

The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold

The Curse of Chalion
Lois McMaster Bujold
Harper Eos, 2001

Nominated for a World Fantasy award in 2002 The Curse of Chalion marked a shift for Bujold from the sci-fi adventure of Miles Vorkosigan to a more sedately paced fantasy novel.  As commander of a border garrison Castillar Lupe de Cazaril held the fort against the enemy for longer then anyone expected.  Peaceful negotiations prevailed and the fort was sold to the enemy.  Unfortunately for Caz he was  “mistakenly” left off the list of ransomed men and quickly sold into slavery on Rocknari galley.  Returning home from several years of exile he is looking not for revenge but for a quiet job as servant or kitchen help.  Instead he finds himself quickly placed as the secretary and tutor to the Royina Iselle, whose brother will inherit the throne.  Caz is forcibly thrust back into court politics where he must do his best to safeguard the well-being of Iselle while at the same time confronting the very men who forced him into exile.

While playing Dragon Age for some reason a particular theological discussion called to time The Curse of Chalion and I impulsively decided it was time I reread the novel.  So here we are.  The Curse of Chalion isn’t really a tale of high adventure and big action, though it has it moments, but rather I quieter look at how the actions of one man can change things for the better.  The novel spends a considerable amount of time, somewhat stealthily, discussing the religion and religious practices of Chalion.   There aren’t any long expository moments in which religion is discussed or explained and, where such infrequent do crop, are usually handled so they are neatly disguised with both character and plot development.

The Curse of Chalion is filled with excellent characters from the vibrant and good-hearted Pali, a solider friend of Caz, who could easily have been a throwaway character but becomes important to the plot later in the novel to even the villainous March dy Jironal.  There are, of course, a number of standouts whose attention and characterization far outshine the others.  Amongst these is Umegat, the menagerie master who is not quite what he seems and who has a deeper role and personality that only come across over time.  There is, of course, the Royina Isabelle who, despite her early display of spunk and moxie when dealing with a corrupt judge,  easily could have been your typically spoiled princess.  Instead, under the tutelage of Caz, she blossoms into a political whirlwind with an iron spine.  Though perhaps, most important, there is Caz himself.  While certainly haunted by his trials on the slave galley Caz has passed through despair and anger to a place of almost peace wherein the world, despite its flaws, is once again a thing of wonder and joy.  Though, while he may view the world fresh eyes and with something of an old man’s body, his mind remains sharp and it is his mind, passion, and loyalty to his friends that really make him such a fascinating character.  As another character relates later in the story Caz is incorruptible and, while that refers to a very specific set of circumstances late in the game, Caz exudes a sense of openness and purity from page one.

The Curse of Chalion sets forth very specific theological and magical rules that Bujold follows to the letter.  Or at least when deviations from the commonly accepted rule crop up they end up being more of a modification to our perspective then outright challenge to the structure Bujold initially sets.  It is a magnificent thing and never once detracts from the story instead both the story and the theological structure of her world are so intricately tied that both influence one another almost seamlessly.  In fact this idea and method is explored even further in the World Fantasy Award winning semi-sequel Paladin of Souls.  While my reactions may seem a bit subdued (there is a week full of fever, coughing, and mucus since I finished reading the novel) I really think The Curse of Chalion is one of the best fantasy novels of the decade and I couldn’t recommend it higher.

A Young Man Without Magic

NOTE: Yes, I’m still sick, but apparently I never posted this review.  Oops.

A Young Man Without Magic
Lawrence Watt-Evans
Tor, 2009

Believe it or not this is my first experience with veteran fantasy author Lawrence Watt-Evans.  While certainly not a bad read by any means it is one rife with problems and one that feels more or less incomplete.  In A Young Man Without Magic our titular young man is the recently-educated and well-to-do Anrel.  His parents were killed in a arcane experiment when he was a child and he was taken in by his uncle, also a Mage.  Anrel, unfortunately, is indeed without magic which in a society ruled by mages means that, despite his birth, Anrel is nothing more then a mere commoner.  A commoner yes but one educated with the finest instruction money can buy.  Returning home from school Anrel finds his boyhood friend Valin, a mage raised from common blood, now something a radical; preaching the importance and power of common man in the governance of society.  When Valin runs afoul of a local lord and winds up dead Anrel’s brash attempt to honor his friend’s memory provokes an avalanche of consequence that sends him on the run.

A Young Man Without Magic is a novel in which a lot and almost nothing happens. A bit of a contradiction I know.  Events and action certainly occur and while consequences ensue they are never really examined in detail and the end result ends up feeling a bit shallow.  While the jacket flap and cover art would have you believe this is a novel of swashbuckling action and daring-do those moments are, in truth, few and far between.  Instead A Young Man Without Magic is more prone to political meditation and lengthy speeches then action set-pieces.

That isn’t necessarily a bad thing and there is an attractive flair to the lengthy political conversations that occur periodically throughout the novel but I a long cry from man-with-sword and wits adventure the jacket copy would have you belie.  In truth I wouldn’t have a problem with all that but, and perhaps this is a spoiler, all these conversations occur with a hero who doesn’t really stand behind his beliefs.  Oh sure Anrel argues his points with cogent and educated grace but his speeches, while they have the outward appearance of passion, are in truth coldly calculated intellectual constructs that bear no relation, or at least little relation, to our hero’s actual opinion.  This is, of course, all information we are privy to as readers, the perspective remains firmly affixed in Anrel’s head, but it doesn’t cast Anrel in any kind of heroic light.

In fact despite the social ramifications of Anrel’s actions his motives remain selfish: avenge his friends death, save his beloved’s sister from death since if he doesn’t she won’t marry him.  Even at the novel’s end I never really felt Anrel progressed as a character and while the novel’s final page sums up the damage that the corrupt system of government has done to Anrel’s personal life leaves uncertain whether or not Anrel’s personal beliefs now mirror his speeches.  Indeed the social change that Anrel’s actions seem to precipitate never comes to any kind of conclusion leaving A Young Man Without Magic to feel like something an introduction rather than a complete story.

Problems with plot and character to aside I really did enjoy reading A Young Man Without Magic.  The action, when it does occur, is exciting and the dialogue is always fresh and engaging.  The world that Watt-Evan’s has crafted is interesting and there are fascinating hints at greater depths to it beyond the limited selection we see over the course of the novel.   The quality of the prose is almost enough overlook the novel’s larger problems but the abrupt conclusion left me feeling cheated.  I found the prose and world engaging enough that I’d be willing to give another story a second-chance but as a stand-alone novel I found A Young Man Without Magic something of a disappointment.