Book Review: The Legions of Fire by David Drake

Pros: great characters, excellent world-building, interesting plot 

Cons: a few distracting word choices

The magician Nemastes takes advantage of the superstitious senator Saxa and casts a spell in the man’s house.  That spell interrupts the poetry reading of Saxa’s son Gaius Varus, and turns the young man into an unwitting pawn of Nemastes’s enemies.  Also pulled into the spell’s influence are Varus’s sister, Alphena, who practices swordplay, even though it’s not a womanly art; his new, young stepmother, Hedia; and his best friend Publius Corylus, who grew up on the border of the barbarian frontiers of Germania.   

The four players are pulled into other worlds, worlds in which creatures of myth are real, and where a group of evil men are planning the destruction of the world.

The author begins the book with a forward explaining that while the book is based on the history of ancient Rome (called Carce in the book to help keep the distinction), it is not historical fiction.  He also points out that all of the gods and mythological creatures he references are things people in the past believed in.

It was really cool reading a book that referenced a lot of old mythology as if it were real.  There were some expected creatures and a lot of unexpected ones as well.  And while the main setting is Carce, Egyptian, Norse, and other belief systems make appearances.

The four principle characters are well fleshed out, as are a few side characters.  I really enjoyed the developing relationship between Alphena and her close in age stepmother - the mix of anger Alphena feels towards the woman as well as her grudging respect.  Hedia meanwhile is a surprising woman: on her second marriage with few illusions about the world.  She enjoys sex and knows how to use her looks to advantage.  She’s also quite intelligent with regards to the danger posed by Nemastes and honestly wants what’s best for her new stepchildren.  I felt kind of sorry for Varus, who wants to do great things but just doesn’t have the necessary abilities.  I was impressed by his actions in the climax.  Corylus has a grab bag of skills that come in handy during the trials he faces.  He doesn’t grow as much as a character as the others, but he’s a fascinating character to read about.

The plot takes a while to get going, but the characters are so interesting I didn’t mind.  And when it does pick up, things go quickly.

A few word choices irritated me, specifically the use of ‘knight’ for a position in the Carcian army instead of the Roman title and ‘hell’ referencing to the Christian version of the afterlife (which didn’t exist as we think of it at the time) rather than the terms/meanings people back then would have used for the afterlife).   But those are pretty minor complaints and didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book

This is the first of a four book series but though there’s a teaser for book 2 in the epilogue, all of the plot points are resolved and it can be read as a standalone novel.

If you like mythology and Roman fiction, give this a go. 

Creature Feature: Elves

In this column I talk about some of the more unusual fantasy creatures and/or creatures it would be cool to see in books.

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I know what you’re thinking, elves are everywhere in fantasy.  And they are, though a lot of newer books have started using fewer traditional fantasy creatures in favour of a variety of human, which is fine.  But I’m not talking about the Tolkien style elves that are human height (or taller) paragons of wisdom, gravitas, and goodness.  I’m talking about real mythological elves.  You know, the playful, revelrous, and often mischievous miniature humans common in Northern European (especially German) folklore.  The ones that dance in a circle in moonlight, bewitching unwary humans who stumble by with their beauty.  Though they’re often intermixed with fairies, dwarfs, pixies, brownies, etc. elves were originally their own separate, distinct creature.

"Rackham elves" by Arthur Rackham - http://classics.freehomepage.com/midsummer/acttwo.html. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rackham_elves.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Rackham_elves.jpg

Aside from children’s stories and Christmas tales, traditional elves don’t show up that often.  The only adult book I can think of is Saga by Jeff Janoda, a novel that deals with medieval Iceland.  And the elves aren’t real in the book, merely believed to be real by the populace who leave offerings for them and hope to not attract their wrath.  I believe Terry Pratchett’s elves are human sized, though he brought back their merry nature and enchanting ways in Lords and Ladies.  

Right now the thinking is that elves need to be retired for a bit (or forever), but I think rebooting them in their original form could be entertaining and still give people a break from the cliches they’re tired of.  But I’d love it if more authors thought of creative uses for old tropes, the way Chris Evans did with his Iron Elves trilogy, by giving them guns.

Elves have been staples in fantasy since both were created and they’ve gone through several modifications.  I’d love to see them make a return.

Book Review: The Door in the Mountain by Caitlin Sweet

Pros: well developed characters, godmarks, clever twists on the referenced mythology 

Cons: slow moving

Ariadne is an unmarked daughter of King Minos and Queen Pasiphae of Crete.  As she grows up between the summer and winter palaces, surpassed in attention by her god-sired younger brother, Asterion, she becomes more and more selfish, cruel and bitter.

Chara, child of a slave and happily unmarked by the gods, befriends Asterion and helps him after the difficult and painful transformations into a bull that he must undergo to honour his father.  She witnesses first hand Ariadne’s cruelties as the princess vies for power.  And as time passes, she vows to save Asterion from his sister’s schemes.

Lovers of Greek mythology will find this a creative retelling of the minotaur and the labyrinth.  Though the gist is the same and many familiar names come up (including Daedalus and Icarus), the author takes some liberties with the plot, increasing the suspense of the story.  There were several twists I did not see coming.  

I particularly loved the concept of the godmarks, magic bestowed by various gods on their subjects that allow them to do unique things.  One character can communicate with animals, one can sprout wings, one can cry wine, and another commands all things dealing with water (rain, waves).  I liked how the god who bestows the gift isn’t necessarily known, but can sometimes be guessed based on the nature of the gift.

The author spends a lot of time explaining Ariadne’s character.  She begins the book as a child, desperately wishing for a godmark like the others in her family and feeling afraid and upset that she’s disappointing her parents.  She hates and resents her younger brother and creates a veneer of calm strength to protect herself.  This care makes it hard to hate her as she grows older and becomes more bitter and cruel.  While I hated what she did, I found myself somewhat pitying her, which is ironic as she’d hate the idea that she could be pitied.  Then she makes some horrible decisions and the pity left.  I still kind of liked her, but I could no longer sympathize with her pain.

Chara on the other hand is the kind of friend you’d love to have.  She’s generous, considerate, and clever.  Like Ariadne she’s forced to hide her feelings but for different reasons, and she never forgets her friends.

The dynamics between the king and queen were also very interesting to read. 

The story is fairly slow moving.  While this does allow the author time to focus a lot on the characters, the ending dragged a little bit.  

I didn’t realize this was the first book in a duology, so I was surprised when I came across the epilogue.  While there’s an important event at the end of this book, it’s very much the first half of the story, and you’ll be reaching for the next volume when it comes out.